You don't know how long you've walked.
You don't even really feel your feet underneath you anymore. Maybe you aren't even walking. But, you're still continuing. Forward, ever forward... through this ceaseless void of colors, shapes, lights... You thought you heard a voice at some point, but that was eons ago. You can't remember what it said to you.
...Are you even still alive?
Then, to utter blackness.
...Then, you feel quite a lot. Pain, stiffness, numbness... Pain again. You're outside... You can feel the wind and the warmth of the sun on your skin. You're lying on the grass. It's soft as a whole, but the individual blades you're on top of create an irritating scratching feeling on your stomach.
You don't know how you manage it, but you're putting your hands underneath yourself, pushing yourself up into a sitting position before you open your eyes. Your body feels terrible, as if you were dropped here from a great distance up—miraculously without breaking anything. Your head feels heavy, causing you to wobble and almost fall right back on your face, but you stay upright. Then, you open your eyes.
The sun is bright as it shines down on you, and you have to blink a few times before your vision adjusts, but once you do, you see that you're in the woods, with light filtering through the canopy above. It's quiet, and you're alone, with only the sound of the wind running through the leaves to keep you company here. At least, until...
"Oh, good. I was starting to think you wouldn't wake up."
A voice, just to your right. You startle, jolting in place and whipping your head around faster than your body is prepared for, leaving you with a twinge in the base of your neck that makes you wince. Once that discomfort fades, you finally register who's there: a Salandit, who looks rather surprised at the way you'd just reacted to them.
"Geez! Sorry, pal; didn't mean to freak you out. I just saw you laying there and thought I'd wait to see if you were dead or something. Are you alright? How'd you end up like this?"
You process her questions one at a time, at least as best as you can. Well, you don't feel great, but you certainly aren't dead, so that's one plus. Outside of that, though, you have no idea where you are, or how you got here... Or... come to think of it—how on earth this Salandit is talking to you. She's a Pokémon—Pokémon don't talk! So... you question her on this.
(You're... talking,) you say, your words kind of just tumbling out of your lips, as if the act of speaking is hypocritically unfamiliar to you. (But, you're a Salandit. How are you talking?)
The Salandit seems bewildered—off-put, even—by your question. Her eyes narrow and she tilts her head, fixing you with an expression so quizzical that it makes you feel stupid. When she responds, it follows a small and awkward laugh.
"Uh... Because I learned how when I was little? What do you mean by that? Do Salandit not talk where you come from? You're a Snivy, and you're talking—what's so weird about me doing it?"
Wait—what did she just say? That you're a Snivy? You mirror her puzzled expression (albeit with much less stink on it), and shake your head, quickly correcting her.
(Um, no,) you tell her, more matter-of-factly than you intended, (I'm a human, and where I come from, Pokémon don't talk.)
The Salandit still looks just as bewildered by your response, if not slightly annoyed now. She looks you over, scrutinizing, as if humoring you, even going so far as to stand up from her seated position and circle around you, taking in every detail before plopping right back down on the ground again.
"Mm, nope! You are definitely a Snivy. No humans here, buddy. Is this some kinda prank, or something, or did you just hit your head really hard? You need a minute?"
Your blood runs cold, and your face turns pale. You're... a Snivy? That can't possibly be right, and thinking about it sends you into a panic. You need a mirror, right now. Frantically, you look around at your surroundings before making any effort to just look at yourself, spotting a nearby stream running through the clearing you've found yourself in. Ignoring the ache shouting at you from every part of your body, you scramble to your feet, startling the Salandit next to you as you sprint to the water and fall to your knees at its edge. Without thinking, you reach your hands into the water, splashing handfuls of it on your face as if cleaning away filth stuck to your skin, then when you stop, staring into the crystalline water, what you see staring back at you is...
...a Snivy. Stunned, you bring your scaly hands up to your face, patting around your features, your neck, your chest, stomach... and then you scream. That can't be right. This can't be happening! You're a human—you know you are! Yet, the more you try to reach into your mind, remember what you're supposed to look like, see if you can drag yourself back to reality, the more you find... you can't remember. You don't know what you looked like as a human. What's more, you can't remember what you were like. As you desperately search the corners of your memories for any facet at all of your past self, you find... nothing. Just a terrifying emptiness. So, defeated, you slump onto your backside, your head in your hands.
Behind you, your new Salandit friend has gone from confused, to disturbed... then quickly concerned. She stands up, approaching you cautiously, and comes to a stop at your side, placing one of her hands on your shoulder. You barely resist the instinct to flinch away from her.
"Uh... Hey. Okay, you're starting to freak me out a little, now. Maybe... you should come with me? We're actually not that far from town. There's a doctor there—and the official Rescue Society Headquarters. Maybe somebody there can help you. Or at least get you back on your feet."
You barely hear her. Town, a doctor, Rescue Society Headquarters? Is any of that really what you need right now? No—you need to get home.
But... How? You've just woken up here, in this strange place, turned into a Snivy, with no memory of the way you were before... and you quickly start getting an inkling that you're very fortunate this Salandit found you when she did. What are you going to do by yourself? Nothing, that's what.
(...Okay,) you start, dismal, but understanding you're without any other options, (I'll follow you.)
"Uh... Cool! Awesome. Follow me, then... Stick close, and hopefully we won't run into any trouble. We can... talk a little more on the way, if you want. Or just stay quiet."
Removing her hand from your shoulder, the Salandit then extends it to you, and after staring at it for a moment, you give yours in return, letting her help you up to your feet. You feel unsteady, and the ache hasn't gone away... but you think you can walk.
"Oh, yeah—my name's Millie, by the way. What's yours?"
Your name... You think you do remember that. It might be the only piece of yourself you have left, but it's better than nothing. You think about it for a second, then you tell her,
Their journey just beginning, Hoorbeke the Snivy and Millie the Salandit are now open for interactions!
