Chapter 16: Eternal Meadow
Carkol Express
Burhalla
Here we were, on the Carkol Express, in all its rickety glory. How long had it been since I was last on a train?
Pretty sure the last time was right when they were first introduced. What had it been… two years ago now?
Around the same time…mom died.
…now wasn't the time to think about that. My tailflame wasn't supposed to be dim right now. We were supposed to have fun! We were gonna have a picnic in Eternal Meadow!
And we even found the next human! Or…
humans, I suppose. So everything would surely be ok now!
I looked over at Gen next to me, where he was clutching onto his reunion cape for dear life. I suppose I couldn't fault him, he probably didn't even remember what a train was, and the Carkol Express could be nerve-wracking the first time around.
I scooched over to him, and laid a hand on his shoulder. Maybe he'd feel a bit better if he knew someone was there at his side.
"Hey, don't worry!" I said. "Even if trains like these are a bit bumpy, they're super safe!"
"But it's so shaky…it wasn't like this in…" he says, before trailing off, looking at me with wide eyes.
"In where?" I asked. What was with that reaction anyways? Did he remember something?
"...I don't remember," he answered, looking down.
Drat. So much for that. We were no closer to getting Gen's memories back and no closer to the truth about who he was. Other than that wherever he was originally from, whatever he used to ride around in wasn't as shaky as the Carkol Express.
That didn't exactly narrow things down much. He could just be from someplace that had a lot of carriages.
I looked out one of the windows. We were almost there, I could see Estrue Town in the distance, and the Eternal Meadow beyond it.
It was just as beautiful as I remembered it.
Flowers as far as the eye could see, stretching past the horizon. It was like a rainbow spread across the ground.
I couldn't wait for us to have our picnic there!
I glanced back over at Gen. He was still shaking and looking down, not paying attention to the scenery at all.
Hopefully this visit to the Meadow would help him unwind.
===================================================================
Eternal Meadow, 30 minutes later
Gen
After depositing most of our items in one of those deposit box things in Estrue Town, we were on our way to the Eternal Meadow. Thankfully, I got to keep my reunion cape.
It felt really comforting to wear, like reunion was just around the corner. I hoped that was true.
"Gen, we're here. This is Eternal Meadow."
I looked up as Saltriv nudged at me. It surprised me a bit as to how quickly we arrived at the meadow…
My jaw dropped. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before back in Johto.
There were flowers everywhere. So, so many flowers, as far as I could see in every direction, spread out before me like a rainbow colored carpet. Roses, tulips, daffodils, sunflowers, gracedias… there were even flowers I didn't recognize, such as massive tree-like flowers, and pairs of yellow and blue flowers connected at the stem.
I could see a pair of Pokemon nearby having a picnic as a fox sniffed at them, and a trio of rabbits hopping through the flowers. The gentle breeze felt strangely nice against my fur.
It was a mystical place, the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Except, I just couldn't stay excited about being there. As wonderful as the place was, it didn't even come close to making up for losing my family, home, and humanity.
Why did I have to be here? Why couldn't I just have been left at home, not ripped away from everything I knew?
I couldn't be a hero. I couldn't save this world.
I just wanted to go home, and no amount of flowers could change that.
"So? What do you think?" Burhalla asked, walking through the flowers. "Isn't it a great place?"
"...yeah," I said, looking down at the flowers on the ground.
"Something wrong?" Burhalla asked, stepping closer to me.
What on earth was I supposed to say? Any attempt at trying to explain my feelings would backfire. I couldn't just say something like "I'm terrified that I'm going to have to save this world and I just want to go home. Oh, and I'm also human and I've been lying to you this whole time".
I knew how Burhalla felt about liars. He'd probably hate me the moment the words left my mouth for lying to him. Worse still, once others knew that I was human, I'd surely be forced to stay here until I saved this world. Nothing would—
"Gen?" Burhalla asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Um, uh, I'm just…still scared about the Illusory Grotto," I said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
Burhalla's expression didn't change. Did he believe me?
"Well…that place is probably already gone by now. And the 'great loss' thing probably was for Dreepy, not any of us," Burhalla said. "And for the pillow fort mystery dungeon, all we have to do is take apart the pillow fort, and it'll be gone. Nothing to worry about."
"Alright," I said, trying to force a smile, walking along through the meadow. "Thanks, Burhalla."
I just needed to keep lying and not make it obvious I was lying, at least until I find a way home.
… But what would happen to everyone here? What would happen to Burhalla and Saltriv if I just let this shadow disaster fester?
No, I couldn't do anything about that. I wasn't some hero like the World-Savers thought I was. Even if I really could do things like that, I didn't want to spend any more time here than I had to. I didn't want to be stuck in this body that drove me crazy every time I stopped and thought about how things weren't the way they were supposed to be in it.
I just wanted to go home.
Besides. There's Arctozolt. They were human. Two of them, even. Surely
they could save this world, better than I ever could.
…I'll miss Saltriv and Burhalla when I go home, though. But that can't be helped. I couldn't imagine never cooking with dad again, or mom never giving me a hug again, or never watching a movie with Nisa again.
I missed them so much.
"Looks like we're not the only ones here!" Saltriv said.
I looked around. There was a Flapple and a Porygon-Z in the distance. It looked like they were having a picnic. Was that PNS-NT and Flapple? Or Manzaggle? Or… whatever they wanted to be called by. Names were weird here.
"Want to have our picnic out in the open, or under one of the eternal blooms?" Burhalla asked.
"Eternal blooms? Which ones are those?" I asked in return.
"Those!" Saltriv said, pointing with their leaf towards one of the big tree-like flowers. "That's an eternal bloom."
It had a stem that was as thick as a tree trunk, and several meter-long maroon petals. If I wasn't separated from my family, home, and humanity, it would probably be a breathtaking sight.
But I was indeed separated from all of those things. So my interest in the giant flower waned pretty quickly.
"Huh…um…I, uh. Don't really know," I said. Honestly, I didn't really care which.
"Let's go next to one of the eternal blooms, then! You'll love it, I'm sure!" Burhalla said, running towards the nearest one. Saltriv followed close behind.
"W-wait up!" I called. I tried to hurry after them, but it was difficult with my stubby little legs. This body was so weird.
When I arrived, Burhalla and Saltriv had already set out a picnic blanket, and were taking out the food. Still mostly berries, but there was also a donut for each of us.
I sat down, moving my tail a bit to get myself comfortable, before taking a berry to nibble on. Pecha. It tasted pretty good, but it would be better in a jam.
… I missed sandwiches. Did they have those in this world? Probably not anything like the ones they have in Paldea, but surely they had
something, right?
Not like I could ask without the risk of revealing myself as human, though.
As I looked down and nibbled on the pecha berry, I listened to Burhalla and Saltriv's conversation with my strange sensitive ears.
"Haven't been here since last year!" Burhalla said.
"Yep! Been a while for me, too!" Saltriv said.
"Missed seeing all the flowers," Burhalla said. "There's nothing quite like it!"
"Oh, that reminds me!" Saltriv said. "I wanted to tell you something."
"What is it?" Burhalla asked.
"Just before I woke up in Twig Woodland with Gen, I had this weird dream," Saltriv said.
My fur immediately began to stand on end. Was Saltriv going to tell Burhalla about the platform in the rainbow void? What if he figured out that I'm the human from that? No, no no no!
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. I had to stay calm. I had to not give anything away.
"R-really?" I asked.
"Yep! I even told you about it, before Burhalla found us!" Saltriv said.
Oh, right. They already told me about it, first thing after we woke up. I should have said something different!
"What was it about?" Burhalla asked.
"I was on a strange platform in a weird rainbow space, and I saw what looked like a human!" Saltriv said.
Oh no, no no no no! Was this it? Was Burhalla going to figure out the truth about me?
I tried to control my trembling, as I continued listening.
"Really? A human?" Burhalla said.
"Yep! I asked them a few questions, then I couldn't move. Then, the human looked up, and then grabbed me and ran, just as something crashed down where we were," Saltriv said. "Then I woke up next to Gen in Twig Woodland!"
"Yeah…I r-remember you telling me that now," I said.
I clutched tightly onto my reunion cape. How I wished it could take me home right now.
"That almost sounds like you were part of a Summoning. But why would you be there?" Burhalla said. "Especially since we know who the next human…or, well, humans, are, and who their partner is. Arctozolt and Dreepy."
"Yep…I actually thought Gen was that human," Saltriv said, and I dropped my pecha berry. "At least, until he told us he wasn't."
I looked up, seeing both Saltriv and Burhalla looking towards me. I couldn't breathe.
"Yeah…everything would make more sense if Gen was human," Burhalla said, looking back towards Saltriv. "It'd explain his amnesia, why he woke up next to you, and some other odd things."
"Yep…but he's not," Saltriv said.
"Yeah…would be cool if he was, though," Burhalla said, looking towards me. "Imagine if you actually were human! That'd be so cool!"
"Y-yeah…imagine…" I said, trying to stop hyperventilating.
"Hey, don't worry," Burhalla said, giving a soft smile at me. "Arctozolt is going to save the world, we're going to help you find your lost memories, and everything will be ok."
Would it, though? Would you say the same things if you knew I was human?
"I hope so…" I said, picking my pecha berry back up.
They were so close to figuring it out. It felt like only a matter of time now.
I needed to find a way home soon. I
needed to. I needed to before I'd be left all alone.
I continued nibbling on the pecha berry, as Saltriv and Burhalla continued talking. Thankfully the subject had shifted from hypotheticals about "if I were really human" to some sort of scientific advancement. Something called a 'magnagate'? I couldn't make sense of it.
Eventually, I began to hear footsteps approaching us. My ears pricked up, an incredibly strange sensation, and I looked towards the source.
It was some sort of black-furred monkey-like Pokemon, with green bands wrapped around its arms. It was far taller than me, at least compared to how tall I was as an Oshawott.
"Greetings, I am Zarude," it said, turning to face me.
"Oshawott, I realize that this may be a bit sudden, but may I speak with you for a moment?"
"Huh?" Burhalla asked, looking towards Zarude. "We were having a picnic together, can you wait a bit?"
I scooched over towards Burhalla. What did this strange Pokemon want with me? Was it going to out my humanity?
"I'm sorry, but I would prefer not to wait," Zarude said, taking a step closer.
"Why?" Saltriv asked, tilting their head. "Do you know Gen somehow?"
"You could say that," Zarude said, and I felt my fur stand on end again. Just who was this Pokemon?
"Gen, I'd like to take you to see my daughter," Zarude said. "She said she wanted to see you again."
Daughter? What was that about? Was she one of the Pokemon I met in Overcast Village? Or…did she somehow know me as a human? Did she know why I'm here in this world?
"I mean, it's a bit unexpected, but we can make time for it, Gen," Burhalla said, beginning to smile again. "If you knew Zarude's daughter before losing your memory, she could remind you of who you are! Maybe she'd help you get your memory back!"
"Yep! And we can come with you!" Saltriv said, wagging their tail.
Zarude took a step back.
"I'm sorry, but my daughter wants to meet with Gen alone," Zarude said. "You two will have to stay here."
Alone. Alone. I didn't want to be alone, but…could this give me some answers?
"I dunno…but it's your choice, Gen. Do you want to go with Zarude?" Burhalla asked.
"Um…" I was unsure what to do. I was scared of going with this stranger, but Saltriv and Burhalla had also been strangers when I first woke up here.
It dawned on me that as scary as this felt... maybe it would be for the best to go along. If I went along with Zarude, Burhalla and Saltriv wouldn't question things that I brought up since I could claim that 'my memories returned to me'. Maybe I could even reveal that I was human without making Burhalla and Saltriv hate me.
... I wasn't too sure on that last one, especially with the way that humans were assumed to be heroes in this world. But at the very least whatever Zarude's daughter had to say to me would give me a cover story. And until I decided what to do, I could use this to keep my facade on a bit longer.
I nodded, and said, "I'll go with you."
"Good," Zarude said, before turning to Burhalla and Saltriv. "I'll bring him back before long. Now, Gen, follow me."
I finished the last of my pecha berry, then after waving at Burhalla and Saltriv, I started waddling after Zarude.
It was a pretty long walk through the flowers, but eventually, I started to see something strange on the horizon.
It was...I wasn't sure how to describe it. It was a creature, and it was really, really big. Bigger than any Pokemon I'd ever seen, besides the giant pink hand.
Speaking of the giant pink hand, the creature had the same colors as it. Pink and black. It looked draconic, and almost skeletal, with some sort of ball of light in what I could only assume was its chest.
Was it somehow related to the giant hand?
As we drew closer, I realized that Zarude was guiding me towards the creature. That thing…wasn't his daughter, right?
Soon, Zarude called out, "Eternity, he's here!"
The creature began to stir, and lift off the ground. My heart began to race. It was…terrifying.
And then, it drew near, near enough for me to see just how gigantic it was, and spoke, in a voice that sounded like many speaking at once. It sounded exactly like the screams I heard when I was falling through the rainbow void.
"Hi! Nice to meet you again!" Eternity said.
I was frozen in shock. What was this thing?! And it sounded so cheerful, nothing like what I thought it'd sound like. What was going on?
"Cheerful as always, I see! Glad you're doing well," Zarude said, stepping closer to…Eternity, and rubbing its…face? Something face-like.
"Don't worry, she's very sweet. Now, I'll leave you two be for now," Zarude told me, before stepping away, leaving me alone with Eternity.
What do I say to this thing? How did it know me?
"...um. H-hi," I said, gripping tightly onto my reunion cape. "Uh. What are you?"
"Papa says I'm something called an Eternatus!" Eternity said.
A what? I'd never heard of a Pokemon like that before…then again, I'd never
seen anything like Eternity before.
"I…I see," I responded.
As I looked closer at Eternity, I noticed that her tail was…wagging.
Huh. Was this thing really that happy to see me?
"I wanted to make sure you were ok!" Eternity said. "I was really worried about you when I tried to help you and the platform broke and you started falling."
I almost tapped my reunion cape right then and there. Eternity was the giant pink hand?! And she was trying to help me?!
What should I even say?
Wait, oh no, she saw me in the rainbow void! That meant she knew I was human! She could maybe tell others about it!
Gah, I had to think up something! But what?!
"Um…c-come again?" I said, trembling.
"You know, the realm between here and the human world! When you were human!" Eternity said.
"Um…" I began, but she interrupted me before I could figure out what to say.
"I thought you'd be lost to Ultra Space, but you made it here and you're ok!" Eternity said, doing a twirl in the air. "And now I'm getting to meet a real human again! Yippee!"
"...you were trying to help me?" I asked. I had thought that the giant pink hand was trying to crush me or squeeze me or do something bad to me, but…was she really just trying to help?
"Yeppers!" Eternity said. "I was trying to bring you here, but you made it here safe and sound by yourself!"
Anger rose up in my chest.
"Wait…you were the one who ripped me away from my home?!" I cried. She was the reason I lost everything?!
"Huh? No, that wasn't me," Eternity said, curling up a bit. "I just saw you there all alone, and I wanted to help you!"
And the anger began to dissipate. My breathing slowed back down.
So it wasn't her who did this to me…but…
"Why didn't you just bring me back home?" I asked.
"Isn't this your home now?" Eternity asked in return.
My tail began to lash, and my right arm glowed darkly.
"No, no, not at all!" I shouted. "I hate this! I hate everything about this! Every moment of this is suffering! I lost everything! My home, my family, even my humanity! This body is so weird and wrong and uncomfortable! I feel so, so alone! This is not my home! It'll never be my home! I want to go home! To my
real home, in Goldenrod City!"
Eternity looked away as her tail drooped towards the ground. "Oh…" she whimpered.
Great, now I felt terrible for upsetting her. Sure, she was terrifying, but she also seemed to be really childlike. She was like a big Growlithe. A really,
really big Growlithe.
"...look. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just…scared. Really scared," I said, looking up at Eternity.
Then an idea struck my mind, and I could feel my own tail begin to wag.
"Wait! If you could bring me here…could you bring me back home?" I asked.
She had brought me to
this world, hadn't she? Could I finally go home at last?
Maybe she could even let me visit sometimes, to see Saltriv and Burhalla again. So long as it wasn't permanent, only for a little bit at a time. That would be perfect—
"Nope, I can't do that," she said, crushing my hopes. "I don't have enough power for that."
Oh.
"Not enough power? What do you mean?" I asked.
"It took a lot of my power to go to that realm in the first place," she explained. "It'll be a while before I'm strong enough to go there again."
"Oh…" I felt my tail flop against the ground. "Well…when you have enough power again, could you bring me home?"
She seemed to be in thought for a few seconds, her…fingers? Finger-like things. Whatever they were, she was tapping them together. Then, she stopped, and said, "I'm not sure. I gotta help save the world first! I wanna be a hero like the humans!"
And there's that again, about how humans were supposed to be heroes. I clutched tightly onto my reunion cape. "I…I see…"
"That reminds me! You're human, too!" Eternity said, suddenly getting way too close for comfort. "How's your world-saving coming along? Did you beat up any bad guys yet? I bet you've made lots of friends, too! You're so cool!"
That sinking feeling of dread returned, as my eyes drifted down at the flowers on the ground.
"I…I c-can't," I said.
Eternity tilted her head, tapping her finger-things together again.
"What do you mean you can't?" she asked. "You're human! You can do anything! I even summoned two humans myself, and they can help you!"
Two humans…was that Arctozolt, or another pair?
…it didn't matter right now.
"I can't. I'm sorry. I can't," I said.
The revelation that Arctozolt might have been summoned by Eternity should have shocked me, but I was too scared to care right now.
"But you have to!" Eternity pleaded, reaching an arm-thing out to me. "Humans always save—"
I couldn't take any more of this. I tapped the bow of my reunion cape, and felt myself be whisked away, back to Burhalla.
As I landed back on the picnic blanket that my teammates were at, I felt a pair of vines and a pair of scaly arms wrap around me in a hug.
"Gen! What happened? Why are you crying?" Saltriv asked.
I didn't even realize I had been crying. But…it made sense, given what I had just learned.
"Did something bad happen?" Burhalla asked.
Something very bad, but I couldn't tell him. Not without making things even worse.
"I just…they were mistaken. I wasn't the person they thought I was," I said. I realized it was one more lie that'd make Burhalla hate me later, but right now I just couldn't care.
"I'm sorry…we'll figure it out. We'll find a way to restore your memories," Burhalla said, stepping my way with arms outstretched.
"Yep! We're both here for you!" Saltriv said, wrapping a pair of vines around me.
"...th-thanks," I said, accepting their embrace.
Even with my two friends in this world hugging me, I didn't feel any better.
Why did all of this have to happen?
Why me?