Pokémon Chronicles 零 (ZERO)

Episode 3: The shy one and the angry one

I had many questions about where I was and how I got there, but for now, all I had to go on was the vague letter telling me to go into the room opposite and follow a guide waiting there for me. Exiting the room where I woke led me into a hallway similar to the room I was just in; only it was even more bare and colourless, having only tiled flooring, white walls, and nothing else. I was curious enough to look up and down said hall, but couldn't see anything but more halls at the ends.

"Meg!" I called as soon as I entered the room opposite. This room was identical to the room I had woken up in, so she and the Pokémon with her immediately caught my attention. Megan was there and healthy, looking like she had been up and moving for a while.

The Pokémon with her on the other hand, now that was a strange one. It looked like a living teddy bear to me, with large brown stumps as its four feet and round body features. Its tail, chest, and head were all round and pink, with fur that made it look softer than a cushion. Its ears were cool, white and triangular though, without any visible insides.

"There, now Crystal's awake. You ready to talk now, big guy?" Megan asked, sounding annoyed. The Pokémon turned to me, revealing the last thing I was expecting to see from it. Its left eye was clenched shut, and a large white scar resembling a torn plush toy was etched across its eyelid. My guess of its cute appearance was wrong.

"Are you our guide?" I wondered. The bear nodded quickly, completely dismissing Megan's question to gallop out the door. It made a signal with one paw to tell us to follow, so I obeyed without hesitation.

"Alright fine, but if this is some kinda trap, you're gonna pay for it you little thing!" Megan shouted.

"Um... hi. Meg, what's going on? You okay?" I wondered. She huffed a response, turning her head away from me before walking off. I shrugged my shoulders and followed.

A few minutes of identical hallways and obnoxiously sized stairways later, we finally started to get somewhere that showed some life. All the stairs in this place seemed to be different sizes, giving all three of us trouble just to climb, so I was relieved to finally see some windows and a board covered with sticky notes. Our guide directed us to the room next to this board, so I got the chance to sneak a glance at its contents. Every single note was a reminder or an I.O.U, giving me even more questions.

Our guide didn't follow us in, so me and Megan wearily slowed down and entered at the same time, scanning the room carefully. Once again, it was another boring room with white walls, a desk, two chairs, and essentially nothing else. There was a Pokémon opposite us though, a bored adult who seemed to be half paying attention to some paperwork. It was drawing ticks with a feather pen.

"Umm..." I said aloud. The Pokémon sprung to life right away, glancing at us for only a second before vaulting over the desk to reach us.

"Goodness me, you're awake! And you've recovered. That's wonderful! I take it Mimia did his job after all," the Pokémon greeted excitedly.

"Mimia? Is that that pink thing's name? It didn't say a word to us!" Megan objected.

"Yeah, Mimia can be like that. Trust me, he's pretty cool, and he ain't no edge-lord. Still, you followed him and my letter, so I can tell that you kids are gonna be good students," the Pokémon praised. My mind had a light bulb moment.

"Wait a minute, what? I can't believe I didn't figure this out right away- you're Abe Lucario, right?" I raised my voice. The upbeat nature but aged voice could only come from her. She was known as a Lucario who could still put up a formidable fight with her skill in martial arts, even though she was over sixty.