The valley lay quiet, wrapped in an intense calm. The wind—gentle for this fleeting moment—carried a cold whisper that rustled the scattered leaves of the few trees dotting the landscape. Sunset was not far now; with it would fade the day’s activity and the soft hum of life that accompanied each passing hour. Already, the stillness that signals a time for rest was settling in. That familiar hour when one can finally relax after a long day’s work and gather strength for whatever tomorrow might bring.
Yet not everyone was granted such luxury, as for some, rest remained a distant, impossible thing.
“Ugh…”
In the middle of the valley, a narrow river cut patiently through the land, its waters nearly crystal-clear. The current was slow and steady enough that crossing from one bank to the other would have been effortless. And on one such riverbank, a lone figure began to stir.
(Aaa… why does everything hurt so much?)
Still half-asleep, she became aware of the cold, unforgiving ground beneath her. With a shaky push of her hands, she managed to sit up and slowly opened both eyes.
What she encountered was unlike anything she could recognize.
Before her stretched a vast valley cradled between two immense mountain ranges—so enormous that one couldn't see the end of either no matter the direction. The peaks were jagged and uneven, some towering far above the rest, their rocky flanks plunging into steep slopes of loose stone and dark earth. Far ahead, near the valley’s heart, a colossal snow-dusted summit loomed. Behind it, the sun was setting, blinding her vision and forcing her to look away. It was, apparently, the biggest mountain of the region. The trail of land surrounding the valley was scattered with patches of moss—small, vivid islands of green against the barren terrain. Everything felt raw, untouched, and so natural, unlike anything she had ever seen.
(Wow… what is this place… how did I get here I don't remember…)
Nothing. A wave of fear gripped her as she searched frantically for any scrap of memory. Names, places, faces, It all eluded her. It was as she was just born, without any memory to explain her situation. She tried standing up to get a better sense of her surroundings—only to trip and fall onto her stomach after stepping on something that sent a sharp jolt of pain through her entire body.
(What the heck?)
With a strained grunt, she managed to turn around, finally facing the culprit of her stumble.
A tail. A dark orange—almost red—tail that, against all logic, carried a small flame dangerously close to going out.
(W-what is this?)
Heart pounding, she forced herself to look down. What she saw almost made her faint, it was unmistakably the body of a creature she knew. Covered in scales of the same color across her body except for her chest and belly, where they were lighter, continuing all the way down to the base of her tail. Her whole body was covered in bruises and a few scratches and cuts. What she thought were her hands, when raised toward her face, ended in paws. Paws. Each one crowned with three sharp claws that moved as naturally as fingers.
(I'm a Charmeleon! How! How did this happen! This doesn't make any sense at all!)
Pushing herself up once again—this time careful of her tail, which she now realized lifted itself off the ground—she got closer to the river, ignoring the the aching coursing through her body ever since she had awakened.
There, reflected in the slow-moving water, she finally saw her face.
The face of a Charmeleon, with two small fangs just visible when her mouth parted, and eyes sharper in shape than she remembered having as a human. They glowed with a deep, ember-like intensity—golden-orange, alive with a heat that didn’t belong to her old self.
“Nonononono—” she had to force herself to slow her breathing. “This isn't happening, this is not real, this is…”
Even her voice had changed; it now carried a slight hoarseness she was sure hadn’t existed before.
(Ok… ok… try not to panic, stop hyperventilating.)
She backed away from the river, remembering the sickly flicker of her tail flame. Grabbing it carefully, she brought it closer to inspect it. To her surprise, it didn’t produce any smoke at all.
(D-Does this mean I’m close to dying?)
The thought alone made her stomach twist.
(It’s really small… It should be way bigger, right?)
Again the aching assaulted her—worse than before. Even the slightest movement sent jolts of pain across her limbs, and now they shook under their own weight. Another grunt escaped her as a wave of dizziness washed over her, leaving her more exhausted than before.
Standing was becoming difficult, and her panic rose once more.
(G-gotta think, pull myself together…)
Looking upstream, she gathered all her strength and started walking along the riverbank.
(Aaa… I ended up ashore here. The current only goes one way, so if I follow the opposite direction, I should find where I fell and—with luck—help.)
It was the best course of action she could wring from her fading mind. Night would fall soon, and she had no desire to find out what kinds of wild Pokémon roamed the valley in the dark. Quickening her pace though it hardly made a difference.
Even walking felt wrong; with her new form, her legs were much shorter, her balance off and the ground seemed closer than ever due to her reduced height, which only added to her discomfort.
With the slow, miserable walk giving her nothing but time to think, she finally acknowledged the weight on her lower back—one that hadn’t existed before—and the strange warmth that accompanied it. It was soothing and oddly reassuring, as though something inside her spirit relaxed simply from knowing it was there, no matter how small.
(It almost feels like someone's cheering for me… Like all my will is concentrated in that little light…)
But, then
(It doesn't feel right… Not entirely. Somehow I know that it should be warmer, stronger)
With a heavy sigh, she forced herself to stop thinking about it. It wasn’t like she knew how to fix it.
(At least I remembered what Pokémon are and who I am. Gosh, how am I supposed to explain anything to anyone?)
Her legs burned from the effort; it hadn’t even been that long since she started.
(Would anyone even believe me? Better yet, would anyone even understand me?)
Darkness slowly draped itself over the valley as the final traces of twilight vanished.
(At least… I have… my own light.)
She tried clinging to the positive side, but such an attitude could only carry someone so far.
Minutes passed—or maybe hours; she couldn’t tell. All she knew was the growing struggle of lifting one foot after the other. Her strength slipped away faster than she could recover it, each breath colder, each step heavier. Looking back at her tail, wasn't making her feel any better, seeing that the fire that apparently gave her life hasn't grown any larger. Fearing that even the slightest of breezes might snuff it out.
Looking again at the river current, she realized that the further upstream she went, the more treacherous it became, with rapids accompanied by rocks that crashed violently, creating splashes on both sides.
(Did I really float all the way down? Might explain why my body hurts so much, also the flame…)
A sudden feeling of pain lashed out at her. So strong that it forced a complete stop.
Finally, her legs gave out.
Breathing hard, she collapsed onto the dirt. No matter how much she tried, her body refused to rise again.
(N-No… please… I have to keep going…)
Her flame flickered rapidly, almost desperately, trying to give its host a spark of strength. But it wasn't enough.
Her eyes stung with tears. Why her? What had she done to deserve this? Was it punishment? How could she fix any of it when she couldn’t even remember…
Her own name.
It hit her like a punch to the gut. She had been so preoccupied, so overwhelmed, that she hadn’t even realized—
She didn’t know who she was.
A low, pitiful whine escaped her. She hugged herself, bringing her tail close, trying to hold onto what little warmth she had left.
A sudden rustle jolted her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Snapping her head left toward the source, she found only tall grass.
No there it was again, movement, she didn't imagine it, the rustle became larger, noisier and closer to her. Fearing the worst she crawled away as much as her weakened body allowed
A sudden glow, then a light? No, a small flame, It flickered between the swaying blades of grass, casting brief, shifting shadows on the ground. Before she could even process it, a figure rose from within the tall grass.
A Charmeleon stood there, looking directly at her. Completely still, almost like a statue.
(W-What?) She tried to stand up again but her arms trembled too much to hold her weight.
“O-Oh… n-no… a-are you ok?”
The voice was small, anxious—almost trembling. Out of nowhere the Pokemon started to breathe, a bit too quickly, as if remembering it was alive and needed to do so.
“What?” (What!) “You… you just talked?”
Her voice cracked with disbelief.
“Umm… y-yesss?”
The Charmeleon shrank slightly, shoulders hunching as it tilted its head. Too much, he realized this and corrected himself. Its tail flame flickered low, almost unnaturally so, betraying its own nervousness.
“But that can’t be! Pokémon can’t talk!”
“B-but you’re a P-Pokémon, r-right…?”
He shifted his weight anxiously from one foot to the other, tail swishing in short, jerky motions.
“Huh? No, no, no—” She shook her head rapidly. ” I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m a human!”
His eyes widened, and his pupils were tightening in alarm.
Her voice rose with desperation. Perhaps this Pokemon could help her! She leaned forward despite the burn in her limbs.
“Please… you’ve got to help me. I just woke up and I was like this and I can’t remember anything and I—”
“O-oh… no…”
He looked away, scanning the darkness behind him. Claws fiddling nervously with each other. His tail flame dimmed further, sputtering close to the dirt.
“I-Is something wrong?”
She tried to move closer, but her legs buckled beneath her. She steadied herself with her hands on the ground, not wanting to frighten him.
“Please, I know I must sound insane. You don’t have to believe me, I just—”
“N-no, I b-believe you.”
He forced himself to meet her gaze again. Uncertainty and fear twisting in his expression.
“I—I was sent here to look after someone like y-you…”
“You were?”
“Y-yeah…” His claws tightened around his own arms. “You weren’t supposed to be here…”
He took a shaky breath.
“I’m not? O-of course! This must be some sort of mistake!”
A weak, hopeful smile lit her face. Maybe someone had been searching for her. Maybe everything will end up ok!
But why then… Why does he look so sad?
“Are you ok?”
Her voice softened, now with concern instead of panic.
“I’m… I-I-I’m sorry, but I-I have to…”
His fists closed tightly squeezing his eyes shut, inhaling through his teeth in a long, strained breath.
“…take care of you…”
He whispered it—so faint she almost missed.
“What? What do you mean?”
Her pulse spiked.
“No… you can’t mean—”
It took a step forward.
“W-wait! What did I ever do to you!?”
Her back pressed against the ground as she scrambled away.
Another one.
“STOP! Don’t come any closer!”
He hesitated.
“I don’t even know you!”
“I-I-I’m so sorry…”
He stepped forward anyway, trembling just as much as she was.
“If I don’t do this…"
Silence.
"...t-they’ll be mad at me.”
