Chapter 5

  "Who are you?" A voice speaks.

  I was sleeping, or trying to sleep. My body jerks awake, like that feeling when you're sleeping peacefully and then all of a sudden your body decides it hates you. Although I can't possibly be awake. Unless Magnolia's lab magically transformed into a Kalosian café overnight, which would be mighty impressive. It's warm, in terms of heat and environment. There is no sunlight, only the warm orange lighting coming from the few hanging lanterns scattered around the café. There's a Lampent greeting people at the door. Of course, what's a café without people? They seem to be talking, but if you pay attention, you can tell it's just gibberish resembling real speech. The jazz music in the background feels wrong, if that makes any sort of sense. This place isn't real. I'm not real.

  "Who are you?" But that is. That is very real.

  I listen this time. I turn my head to the source of the question. It's a girl; she looks... annoyed. She has her black hair in pigtails and wears a baseball cap; it's on backwards. She looks familiar; where have I seen her before?

  "What?" I respond.

  "Who are you?" She says, her voice becoming increasingly annoyed.

  "Um," I struggle to come up with a response, "That's a good question. Do you know who I am?"

  Because if she does, that would be fucking great. One less problem off of my plate.

  "That depends."

  Depends? That seemed like a pretty straightforward question.

  "On what?"

  She smiles.

  "Who are you?"

  My eyes flutter open, for real this time.

  What the fuck was that?

  I rub my eyes as they begin to adjust to the light. Dreams, I fucking hate them. Who was that girl? Why am I only now seeing her after almost a week here? Did I do something to trigger it? She didn't sound like that woman who spoke to me before I woke up in the slumbering weald, so that begs the question, who the fuck did I just talk to? That café felt so strange. Maybe that's because it was a dream, but then why do I remember it so vividly? Aren't you supposed to forget your dreams? So why am I not forgetting? Just fucking forget—

  "You awake?"

  Perfect, a distraction.

  "Unfortunately," I respond.

  "Mh." Stella responds; she's clearly eating something. I peer down from the loft.

  "More pie?"

  "Yup."

  Well, I am hungry—

  "Don't push your luck."

  Wha—did she read my mind?

  "I didn't even say anything." I put my shoes on and climb down the loft. And in case you were wondering, yes, I slept in what I was already wearing. But that was mostly out of necessity, seeing as I have no other comfortable clothing.

  "Didn't need to." She is gobbling that thing up. It's from the same place as last time, Lulu's Pie Shop. You'd think her parents would learn their lesson about leaving their pies unattended. It isn't the same kind, though, which is a shame. The combination of bacon and blueberry is unexpectedly good.

  "So, not even a little bit?" I make it to the kitchen table.

  "No, this one is mine." She tosses a chunk of pie at Scorbunny, who catches it in his mouth. That reminds me, I've still got to pick up Rocky from the Pokémon Center. Speaking of, she was certainly quick to get Scorbunny back. Also, is the professor even here? How did she get in here? Arceus, this is too many questions for one morning.

  "How did you—

  "Professor let me in before she left," she says. "She finished your Dynamax band, by the way; it's right over there."

  When someone says that, it's usually accompanied by some sort of gesture to indicate where 'over there' is. I suppose I should come to expect that she is never going to elaborate.

  "Over where?"

  "I don't know, in the laboratory somewhere." She says.

  "Could you be any less vague? Isn't this whole place a laboratory?"

  "Arceus, you are an idiot. No, this whole place is not a laboratory," she continues, "It's back there, near the entrance to the greenhouse."

  "The what?" Alright, I'm bugging her on purpose now; I know the professor has a greenhouse. Though it's to get her to show me where it is, I'm certain she won't show me if I just asked. This is how you get what you want, people.

  She groans and stands up, "Just follow me."

  I'm so smart.

  I follow her to the back of the building, where there is a door wedged in between a glass door that leads to the greenhouse and a bookcase.

  "In there." She goes back to her pie.

  I enter the laboratory. It's very bright and white; very bright and very white. My sick rhymes aside, I want to get out of here as soon as possible; these lights are hurting my eyes. How does she get any work done in here? I found the Dynamax band sitting on a desk that was charred and dented; what kind of torture did she put that rock through?

  I take the band out of the room and head back to the kitchen, where Stella was still shoveling pie into her mouth. "Find it?"

  "Yup." I fiddle with the band before pulling it over my wrist, where it just kind of hung there. "Is it supposed to do that—"

  It quickly shuts on my arm, scaring the absolute shit out of me and probably cutting off all blood circulation to my hand.

  "Holy shit, now it's too tight." I try taking it off.

  "Calm down, it'll fix itself; it just needs time to adjust to your arm." She laughs at my desperation.

  "And how do you know that?" I ask, still tugging at it.

  "I like to be informed." She goes back to devouring her pie.

  "Alright." I stop tugging at it, ignoring the numbness in my right hand, "So how does this thing work?"

  "You don't know how it works?" Did she just forget that I'm not from here?

  "For future reference, just assume I don't know anything." I say.

  She sighs, "When you're at a power spot, it'll swell up with Dynamax energy and then..." She trails off. "Well, I don't know actually."

  Hah! She's a hypocrite!

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "What do you mean you don't know?"

  "Does it look like I've ever used one? I've never even seen one used in person." She says.

  "Hypocrite." I so rudely comment.

  "Shut it."

  Oh, she's not denying it. That makes it less fun.

  ---

  I hate thinking; why can't I just not think? I've been stuck in my own head ever since Stella left to Arceus knows where. She did leave me a slice of pie, which was very kind of her; I think she said I could have it. Anyway, I can't get that stupid dream out of my head. I have restored to researching possible cafes that looked like the one in my dream. Which is stupid; it was a dream; it was all in my head; it's probably not even a real place. But if there's even a slight chance that my past self is remembering things that I can't, it's worth checking out. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of cafes in Galar, not to mention other regions. That's a lost cause.

  I even try looking for any myths or legends concerning the woman who left me that message when I first woke up. I don't have much to go on, only some strange musical connection and some lost song. There is one that I think could vaguely be related to my situation. The legend of the Winter Songstress. It spoke of a woman who lived in Unova long ago. She sung songs to struggling Unovan settlers and inspired hope in them. It's said she had beautiful green hair and an angelic voice you couldn't not stop to listen to. Unfortunately, that is about as much information as I was able to dig up on the Winter Songstress. There's only one thread talking about it on the entire internet, it seems. It's just some guy asking if anyone had ever heard of the legend since their grandpa had told them about it, and he had never heard it anywhere else. I didn't even notice it was posted over ten years ago; this is about as dead of an end as you could get. I would have commented, but the thread is locked for some reason. Also, I'm using one of Magnolia's computers, and she, unlike me, has a reputation to uphold.

  I shut down the computer and sigh.

  With my mind burning with questions and nothing else to do, I decide to hit the town with 100 Poke in my wallet and a growling stomach. I've been putting off picking up Rocky all day; I should probably get off my ass and do it. Maybe I'll find something cheap to eat on the way. That pie was good, but it was nowhere near enough to fill me up. I put on my sweater and enter the freezing wasteland that is Galar. The clouds are gray, Arceus; it better not start raining again. The last thing I need is to get stranded in some store, also again. I need a jacket, and also a phone. But a jacket would be better. My sense of direction has been enough to guide me so far, so I think I'm good on GPS. It would still be nice to have, though.

  The Pokémon Center is as empty as it was yesterday when Stella and I came. I doubt this place gets much traction, even during the gym challenge, since there isn't a gym here. The nurse at the front counter is on her phone, probably bored out of her mind. It's the same nurse that was here yesterday. I walked up to the counter. I had to ring the bell in front of her a few times before she took off her earbuds. She has eye bags under her eyes.

  "Dwebble, right?" She asks before I could even speak.

  "Uh, yeah," I say.

  She opens a drawer in front of her. Based on the lack of the sound of Pokéballs rolling around, I'd say it's only Rocky's Pokéball in there. She hands me the Pokéball, and also asks me for 100 Poké.

  Apparently, Pokémon Centers aren't free pre-gym challenge. There goes my lunch. I hand her the money and walk out of the center starving and depressed. I release Rocky, who is still riding the high of our win. His shell is back in perfect condition. If his dex entry is true, then it will only get stronger from here. As annoying as it is, I missed his incessant yapping. It keeps my mind grounded in the moment, not on my past.

  And since I'm the unluckiest person in all of Galar, it starts raining not even one fourth of the way back to the laboratory. I'm forced to seek refuge inside of a restaurant whose specialty is Paldean food, where I have to awkwardly stand until the storm passes. I wish I had a phone.

  To make matters worse, I have to watch the waiters bring people their food, and damn, it looks good. I could eat a fucking Mudsdale right now. Yes, the whole horse. I'll eat a horse's ass; I don't care.

  Okay, maybe I care a little. But there's a first time for everything, right? Has anyone ever eaten horse ass?

  ---

  The answer is yes. At least one person has eaten horse ass. I hate the internet; I don't want a phone anymore. I deleted the past four searches on Magnolia's computer. What I couldn't delete, however, is that man's description of what a horse's ass tastes like. I bet he's Kalosian, those freaks. I don't even want to know what horse it was, although off the top of my head I can only think of Mudsdale and Mudbray. Oh god, in what way was heating the horse ass—

  Alright, that's enough weird shit. No more horses and no more asses from here on out. Why am I even using that word? I'm sure there is a more medically accurate word for 'ass.'.

  The door opens. "Here, asshole."

  Some sort of hard piece of plastic smacks me right in the face as Stella opens the door and tosses it at me.

  "What the—where do you keep coming from? How did you get here?"

  "Ever heard of walking?"

  Does she just walk all day? Gotta stay in shape somehow, I guess. Though, she also doesn't have my problem of lack of technology and money. Add on the fact that she actually has clothes for this weather, yeah, I guess it makes a little bit of sense.

  "Funny. And why did you say asshole? Are you reading my mind?"

  She furrows her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

  "Nothing, don't worry about it." Damn horse asses are ruining my life. "What is this?"

  "Your ID, courtesy of the professor; she called me to get it to you." She explains.

  Where did she even get this picture? I never posed for this. I look like a homeless horse with stupid horse hair and horse ears. I do remember her talking briefly about getting me an ID and a few other papers I would need. I guess she must have used the Galar Express System; is this how long it normally takes to get an ID?

  "Oh, well, tell her I said thanks." I shove the ID in my wallet; one more reason to love that thing. "Where is she, by the way? I haven't seen her all day."

  "Out with her granddaughter, she'll be back tomorrow, I think."

  ---

  And back tomorrow she was. I thought I might have the same dream again, but I didn't. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Who fucking knows, probably not even Arceus himself.

  Now, this next part is going to seem a bit abrupt. And it was, it was extremely abrupt. Believe me, this was not how I expected to start off the morning before leaving for the wild area. I woke up to the smell of curry. I was so happy I didn't think about that dream a single time! Except for right now, and now I'm sad. The curry was good, though; it almost makes me forgive Galar for its crimes against my taste buds. But that was just the hunger talking. Anyway, that wasn't the abrupt part.

  "Bell?" She calls out from her laboratory in the back.

  "Yeah?" I yell back; I probably should have swallowed first.

  "Come here."

  Her wish is my command. The table that my Dynamax band was on is much cleaner now, but I doubt that's the reason she called me back here.

  "What is it?" I ask, "The curry is great, by the way."

  "Thank you dear," she presses a small button underneath one of the desks. A podium with a glass lid emerges from the floor slowly, like some sort of mythical object. The glass lid lifts up even slower than the podium, revealing three depressions. Two of them are empty; one has a Pokéball. She picks it up and hands it to me, "Take it."

  "You—uh—what?" I'm a bit flabbergasted; please keep count of how many times I use that word.

  "Take it," she says again, "It was meant for whoever Leon chose as his endorsement, but it seems he hasn't chosen anyone. And I can't just leave him here."

  Leon, that's the champion right? I am speechless, to say the least. Obviously, I'm going to accept; how can I not?

  "I'm sorry it's short notice," she says after a few moments of me not talking. "It's okay if you don't want—"

  "No, no, I'll take it." I grab the Pokéball. "What's in it?"

  "Why don't you find out?" She smirks.

  I clutch the Pokéball tightly and press the release button. The small blue lizard materializes in front of me. He seems confused for the first few seconds; his eyes dart all across the room. The yellow fin on his head on high alert.

  I bend down, "Hi—"

  It seems not even Pokémon will let me finish my sentences. The little lizard yelps in fear and scurries under the furthest table away from us.

  I look at Magnolia. "What's up his horse ass?"

  Fuck.

  "Sobble are naturally skittish; it may take some time for him to warm up to you." She answers my normal question.

  Sobble, huh? I take out my Pokedex and bend down to scan the little guy.

  Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokémon

  I jump a little when that robot started talking. How did I forget to turn that off?

  Most Sobble are timid in nature and are difficult to raise without proper care. The smallest disruptions can bring Sobble to tears, which serve as its primary defense mechanism. These tears pack a chemical punch that cause any surrounding people or Pokémon to start irresistibly weeping. When Sobble come into contact with water or water-adjacent substances, they can turn themselves completely invisible. Sobble possess near-perfect accuracy with blasts of water it shoots from its mouth. They are known to shoot down berries for food and escape enemies with a combination of their evasive tactics.

  Well, that's about the coolest description possible for a Pokémon that looks like Sobble does. He's like some sort of secret agent; tell me that's not badass. He'll make a great addition to the team, if he'd let me get close to him, that is. If only I had some treats on me, maybe then I could lure him over here. Every attempt to get close to him is met with him running away to another table and hiding behind its legs as if that was going to work. I even got met with a spurt of water to the face once. It didn't take long for me to realize this was hopeless; I just had to talk to him.

  "Alright, alright, I'll stay put." I concede, "Can I just... see you at least?"

  He doesn't budge from behind that table.

  "Please?" The magic word—no one can say no to that.

  I was right, like I usually am (not). He peeks from the side of the table leg; his eyes are tearing up. I'd have to recall him if he started crying, so let's hope it doesn't come to that.

  "I uh, I read your—" No, that sounds creepy. "So you can turn yourself invisible? That's pretty cool."

  Compliment him; everyone likes compliments, right?. And again, I'm right. His eyes widen. "You, uh, you like berries?"

  He nods. "Well, I don't have any," real fucking smooth, "but we can get you some if you'd like."

  It seems I've hit the gold mine. He doesn't t come any closer to me, but he's very excited at the idea.

  "Okay, I'm gonna recall you now. That cool?" I ask.

  He looks at the Pokéball and nods slowly. I sigh in relief and recall him. I stand up and look at the professor.

  Did that—did that go well?