Across the Seas: Prelude

Ghost

"So let me clarify everything you just said," Sharli spoke out first after Andy finished telling the story. Lantern just seemed mildly distracted, and Tanline was staring with a newfound interest at Andy. He couldn't place what this interest was over, but at least he had his attention and Sharli's the whole time. They'd moved into Sharli's home to discuss things, Andy didn't dare say anything about the suspicious pokemon he had seen. He didn't want them to think they were being watched. On the way, however, Sharli had asked why he wanted to go somewhere private to talk. He simply told her that he didn't want anyone eavesdropping in case it was something Mew only wanted him to know. He hated lying, but it was what he needed to do.

"Your head was filling with thoughts, and you couldn't clear them, and Mew just fixed it?" Sharli went on. "And after that, Mew said that he would protect you?"

"There was a bit more to it. Something I couldn't shake from what he said." Andy did his best to perfectly recite what he had been told. "Being in our world probably confused you. Our mistake didn't help you."

"Our mistake." Tanline seemed to start participating in the talk. "What did he mean by our? Was he referring to Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele?"

"Could be," Sharli said. "They were both fighting near where I found Andy."

"I don't think that's it," Andy interrupted, and the two looked at him.

"Why's that?" Sharli asked.

"I think you guys need to know the truth." This caught Lantern's attention, who immediately turned to look at Andy. He had to take a deep breath to prepare what he was going to say, and then spoke it. "I don't think I belong here." The reaction he got to the vague message was just confusion on all three faces. It wasn't the reaction he was expecting, but he wasn't surprised by it.

"What do you mean you don't belong here?" Sharli seemed a bit hurt after getting her own idea, and Andy shook his head quickly.

"Not in that way," he quickly clarified. "I don't think... What I'm trying to say is, I'm not from this world. At least I don't think so."

"Why's that?" Lantern finally spoke, making Andy glad he had everyone's attention for this conversation. He didn't know if he could ever tell anyone else about this.

"I feel... Sheesh, how do I explain this. Okay, imagine that you're spending your day normally. Unconsciously, you know how to walk, how to talk, and how to think. You unconsciously know your body as well, you don't think about it a lot. Now picture me, and being in a body I'm not familiar with." A light seemed to go off for both Sharli and Tanline.

"That's why you were so off balance when you woke up. It wasn't the fatigue, you were just in a new body," Sharli said.

"You must be that human thing you asked about earlier today as well," Tanline said. Andy nodded to both of them.

"Yeah, both things are true. Or at least I hope they are. All the signs are here, but I don't remember anything clearly to know if any of what I said is true." Andy looked down from their eyes and to the floor. "I can't tell if everything thats left in my head is a lie or not." They all seemed to understand that. Assumptions just didn't really help prove his situation, and he didn't expect all of them to believe him.

"That's a lot to take in," Sharli uncertainly said. "A few things about your behavior make a bit of sense now, but at the same time, it's still confusing me."

"I know," Lantern agreed. "It's confusing me too. But what can we do about it?" The others seemed to all be on the same page over it, but Andy had to admit, it was true. They couldn't do much. However, Andy knew one thing he could do.