Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Retaliation Corporation

Chapter 2: Realization

- Chapter 2: Realization -

They've been walking for quite a while now. The river is still a decent distance away. As she is growing tired, and her feet are feeling sore... Pineno seems to have endless energy. She can't keep up with it.

"By the way... how did you manage to get through that forest?" Pineno's question makes the Meowth uneasy. "The Starly there are so aggressive. It could have been worse. You could have ran into a Staravia- uh..."

Krista is staring at him with a frown.

"You defeated the Staravia boss?!" He exclaims suddenly, which nearly made her jump.

"N-no. Not at all, I was saved by a Slowking."

"A Slowking?" Pineno echoes the species name with a bit of curiosity. "They don't live around here. Are you sure you saw one?"

"Yeah." Krista confirms. "He had a funny cape. His horns looked intimidating, but he was so nice " He seemed nice, but she finds herself unsure if she should trust anyone. Ironically, being with Pineno seems like an okay idea for now.

"I never saw one before. I've seen many Slowpoke and Slowbro. But a Slowking? Aren't they said to be intelligent?"

Krista sighs. She's it exactly in the mood to talk. The fogginess in her head hasn't lifted. She begins to hope it is all a dream, since it feels just like one. Waking up in the middle of nowhere... with no recollection of anything other than she was a human... it should be terrifying. But there is only confusion and frustration.

"The river isn't so far now." Pineno breaks the silence. He points ahead. "That waterfall way over there... it is a landmark of The Ultra Continent's Espilce Region. We also call it "The Central". Anyone who lost their way from any of the regions would realize this. All the rivers come together here."

Krista's eyes are fixed on the ground. She heard him, but she's not exactly interested. Looking at her paws, the claws still stick out.

"Come on!" Pineno blurts out as he turns to face her. "You can't go around sulking for the rest of your life! I'm going to help you! There must be a clue on what happened!"

"I've seen none so far. You can't expect me to just get over it immediately." Krista glares at him. "I appreciate your help, but I just... need some time to accept what happened to me. I woke up in a body that's not even my own. Just think about that."

"Well... I think it's kinda cool." Pineno smiles. "I heard that humans can't battle alone very well, so you being a Meowth helps a bunch! Right?" He watches her walk past. "Uh... right?"

"Sure." She grumbles. He's not getting the point.

"Okay, okay. I get it. You're not in a good mood. But what good will it to you? Just let me teach you how to be a monster, and it should help you a ton! But I can't do that if you keep being so grumpy and moody."

"A monster?"

"You know. Pocket Monster. Pokémon for short?"

Oh.

"Well, the humans dubbed the word "pocket" in there. At least that's what we were told. They would carry them around, pocket-sized. I heard so many folk tales about it, and I always wonder how you can shrink something as big as a Wailord that small..." Pineno says. "Hey! Since you're a human, do you know why? Do you do that? Did you ever shrink something like an Onix oe a Gyrados super small? I heard they suck then in these little capsules from all the stories I was told!"

Krista blinks.

"Nevermind. You don't have to tell me now. But I have so many questions about humans! Maybe this was fate! I've always wanted to make friends with a human! My family thought I was crazy but... I just know! Maybe you can stop The Sorcerer and their forces! It is believed that a human can do it!"