And then I woke up from a nightmare.

No, I didn’t, sorry. That actually happened. Bad joke, but humor is my crutch when I feel like I’m falling apart.

With four corpses in front of us, Buddy trots back to my side, and wipes his mouth on the shirt of the… of the man I killed. After, I watch him walk around the fire towards the Pokemon in the cage, who.. Is facing us, wide awake. I have no idea how much it…, no, he, saw.

Hello, child, ruff. Are you hurt?

I stay stock still. Watching Buddy commandeer the situation is comforting given the plethora of emotions coursing through me right now.

I’m….thirsty.

What was that? Char? It’s not a Charmander or anything like that. Variant? That’s a notable difference in appearance for a variant if that's the case.

Ruff, let me get some water from my human. He is good, and he is my buddy. He is okay, and you are okay now, okay, child?

…oh..kay…

Buddy trots over to me. I can’t see his facial features as the fire is behind him, but it’s almost like I can feel the calm stare he’s giving me. Eerie. I look at him.

And he looks at me.

I look at him.

And he looks at me.

I look at…

Did you hear that, Buddy? I need water for the child..ruff. We need to get him out of the box too, Buddy.

“Oh, shit, right, my bad, yeah,” I spurt out, pulling the backpack off of my back and putting it in front of me. I set it on the ground and pull out a… I pause, and look at the Pokemon in the cage. A cup? Yeah. I pull out a cup and the pseudo-gallon of water, fill it up, and put the water away. I walk over to the cage and the Char-something clocks me, locking eyes with me. I approach, and…realize the cup won’t fit through the cage. I kneel down and place it next to it, and let out a sigh. “Sorry, kid. Gotta find the key. Sit tight, okay?”

Okay…mister.

Okay, I heard Char again. The fuck is this thing? Whatever. I’ll ask later. Doesn’t really matter right now. “Buddy, keep him company. I’ll check the bodies for the key.”

Yes, Buddy!

I kneel down at the body of the one Buddy killed, and start feeling around for keys. I find a few things, but only a few. A phone, a wallet, and a ring of keys. Thinking of what the lock looked like…One of these might fit it, but I don’t think any of these are right. I’ll try after I clear out the…other one. I move on to the other body, paying a little attention to the conversation behind me.

What is your name, child?

…name?

Ruff.. I am Buddy. That is Buddy Silas, my good human. Do you have a name?

..Uhh… Buddy Silas called me Kid? So Kid?

Ruff… Buddy gives the best names, yes.

Yeah…um… are.. Uh, mom and dad okay?

Fuuuuuuuuuuck, this is painful to listen to.

Ruff… I… am sorry. I can check, but.. I do not think so, Kid, no.

Can… Buddy and Buddy Silas help them?... I can stay here.. As long as they’re okay…

….ruff. Buddy? Are you done yet?

Way to pass the buck, my guy. “Yeah, just about.” The man I murdered had the same items on his person. I set both phones and wallets down by the fire, and walk over to the cage. “Gimme a bit, there’s a lot of keys here I gotta try. It’s probably not gonna be the first one I…. nevermind.” It's the first one I try. The lock turns after I insert the key, the gears shift, and the door shunts open a bit. I pull it wide open for…sigh… Kid… and gesture towards the water. “Go ahead, help yourself. I’ll double check on your parents. Buddy, with me.”

Okay… thank you Buddy Silas… help them, please?

Sir yes sir, ruff!

For fucks sake Buddy, now’s not the time.

Well, maybe it is.

I take a few steps to examine the bodies of the two taller Pokemon. I use my body to sort of block what I’m doing and most of their bodies from the view of the young Pokemon. I feel the one on top first, the red one with yellow… armor, it seems, yeah. A brown mask on its face too. The armor is stiff and cold to the touch. I reach down to feel its throat for a pulse and…ice cold. Nary a movement. Shit. I sigh, and see if I can’t lift it up to move off of the other one. It’s…heavy, but manageable. Maybe a buck fifty. I set it on the far side of the dark one, still trying to conceal what I’m doing from the youngling, and begin checking out the black one now.

This one has some sort of armor on its body too, but it seems to not be one solid piece like the other ones, discounting the mask. Its throat is thin, much like the other one and…no difference. Ice cold, no pulse. I sigh, and stand up, looking at Buddy and shaking my head in disappointment. He whimpers slightly, and turns around toward the orphan.

I am sorry, Kid. Ruff…

Buddy approaches…Kid.

Do you know what it means to be alive, Kid? Ruff.

…I don’t know… you can’t help them, Buddy?

Kid looks at me with pleading eyes.

Buddy Silas?

Ruff… These humans, he gestures his head at the corpses. They did a bad thing. ruff..You saw them hurt your mother, and your father, yes, Kid?

Yeah….

Ruff… They were hurt enough to… ruff… never wake up again. They are dead, Kid. I am sorry.

…Never?

The small Pokemons eyes seem to have a flame inside of them, and they dim down to the smallest ember you could imagine, barely distinguishable. I don’t see tears, but I can see anguish. His shoulders are slumped over, and he peeks around Buddy’s shoulders to look at his parents again. I…can’t let Buddy do this alone.

“Never, Kid,” I say, stepping forward and kneeling down. “And I’m so sorry that it happened. Nothing will ever make this okay, I know.” I put a hand on Buddy and pet his head floof, feeling moisture. He’s crying, poor boy. Both poor boys. This sucks.

…What…now? Um… Thank you? I.. was scared. You helped? And got me out. What… am I supposed to do about…mom and dad?

His voice is stilted as he speaks, as it has been since he first spoke to us. I’m curious about that, though now isn’t the time. Though I’m picking up enough of what it’s actually saying to have an idea as to what its species might be. “Well… First, I have a question. I don’t know if we’re in danger. Do you remember seeing any other humans, besides these two and me?”

…Um, no. Those two, they… came into my room. Broke the wall. And chased me here, where mom and dad…fought them. The humans.. Used something they put in that box? And mom and dad fell and didn’t get up again.

Ominous. “They didn’t battle? They don’t have Pokemon of their own? In..” I grab a ball off my belt. “No balls like this that another Pokemon came out of?”

No… Pokemon can fit in that? How… they must be small.

“I can show you later, it’s neat,” I say. “Uh, okay. Do you know how to get to your room from here?”

..Yeah. Do I have to go to my room now? My wall broke…

“No, no,” I say. “I’m not sending you to your room. I just… think we should go. I guess.. Man.” I run a hand through my hair, not really knowing how to do this. “Buddy? Help?”

Ruff. Yes, Buddy. Kid. Besides your mom and your dad, ruff. Do you know anybody else? Do you..ruff. Have any buddies? Or more…family, Kid?

..no. It was just me and mom and dad.

Ruff… okay. Your home is not safe to stay in anymore, Kid. Ruff.

It isn’t?...yeah. I guess so, huh.

Ruff. yes. Would you like to come outside with us, Kid? We have sweet berries, ruff.

Jesus, Buddy, don’t pull up in a white van.

…Yeah.

Buddy smiles, and walks up to the… Cachardet, maybe? Cadetchar? Whatever. Buddy nuzzles his cheek against Kids, and walks around him to push him towards me.

Ruff… show him an empty ball, Buddy. Kid does not need to be out for this, I think. Ruff.

“Oh,” I say. “Really? Um. Okay, sure. Kid, you want to see how this works? I can show you on Buddy first so you know what’s happening.”

Okay, Buddy Silas, yes,I want to see how Buddy fits in there.

I pull Buddys ball off my belt, and point it towards him. I learned a little about these, and they respond a lot to intent. The button has a few features, but none of them actually do this part. When the ball is small, pressing the button makes it big. If you press the button without applying pressure to the shell, it opens up. If you apply pressure to the shell while pressing the button, it goes small again. Merely pointing the ball at the Pokemon the ball has synced with with the intent to return it will summon it back with a beam of light. And… throwing it out while the Pokemon is inside will allow it to be released on first contact, with an auto-kickback feature that shoots it straight back on the path it initially flew on. They’re neat. But anyway.

I return Buddy.

I toss the ball on the opposite side of Kid and release Buddy.

Whoa…

Ruff, yes. Now you. We can take you outside if you go in that ball, Kid, yes.

Ok..wait. Does it hurt?

…Does it?

“Does it?”

Ruff, ha ha ha, no, Buddy, Kid, it does not hurt. It is fine. It is like almost falling asleep in a warm fire, ruff.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

I’m sorry, in a warm fire?

That sounds nice…

That sounds nice????

“Fire types. You’re a fire type too, Kid? I kind of guessed with the fire on your head and your…shirt?” I ask, as I pull an empty ball off my waist.

… I..yes? I guess so, Buddy Silas.

“Cool, cool,” being my awkward self. “Okay.” I kneel down in front of Kid. “So you touch this button, and you’ll go inside. I think… you can try to fight out if you want? But you don’t have to. You can just chill.”

Kid wastes no time pressing the button, and is absorbed into the ball in a flash of red light. Ding. Didn’t even shake. Balls aren’t as advertised. Or no. Critical capture? Anyway. I minimize the ball and put it on my belt.

“Okay, we’re good,” I say. “We gotta get out of here. We should probably do something about the bodies too.”

No.

“What do you mean, no?”

Ruff… the town. You got in trouble for nothing, Buddy. This will be bigger trouble, yes? So no. We leave, ruff.

“No, dude, these are literal poachers that came here to kill Kids parents and kidnap him,” I say. “I’m not just gonna leave everything here so whoever these guys work with can get away with that shit.”

Ruff…. I do not think it is a good idea, Buddy.

Fuck, I do fam, what’s up? Good job.

Buddy and I jump at the new voice, shooting glances in the direction of it. It's… Umbreon, yeah. I know that slang anywhere. Reminds me of Taylors friends when she was in middle school. “Umbreon.”

Yo fam what's goin on, all good here?

“Yeah,” I say. “All good. What did you come back for?”

Well… I felt kinda bad for bouncin’ on you like that but now that it’s done i thought fuck it, need help with anything, yeah? No cap, on God..

I sigh, and think. How can this edgy teenager help, I wonder.

Got it.

“You know where the Ranger station is? In the direction that the sun rises?”

Fuck yeah I do fam.

“I want you to go there and find a way to communicate what happened here,” I say. “The man currently working there is named Mark, and he has a Gogoat and a…different-looking Rapidash. Matter of fact, I’ll write you a note. How fast do you think you can get there from here?”

Mmmm… couple hours maybe? Alone, anyway. Bet.

“Okay. And you’re actually gonna help this time?”

Fuckin’ bet. Boss lady would have my ass if I didn’t. Fuck that shit.

“Good. Gimme a few minutes.”

I write a letter for Mark, in the middle of Mount Mortar, with Buddy on my lap and a bratty Umbreon across the fire. Corpses are scattered around us, and… this is a terrible way to spend my day.

Mark, There were poachers inside of Mount Mortar. Your assistance is required as soon as possible. They have been dealt with, but some sort of weapon was left behind. Please come as soon as possible, and I will escort you to the scene upon your arrival.Silas.PS: If you have to arrest me, I understand, but I hope we can speak long enough to get to the truth of the matter. Thank you.I fold up the piece of paper and hand it to Umbreon, who grabs it with his mouth and gives a muffled be back later squad before disappearing into the darkness. I turn to Buddy. “Guess we should get out of here for now. I’m gonna show Mark all of this when he shows up and tell him the truth. All of it too. Hopefully that Umbreon will stick around to corroborate, and maybe his Pokemon can further prove I’m not full of shit.”

I still do not like this idea, Buddy. Ruff.

“Yeah, neither do I,” I spit, some venom in my voice. Buddy takes half a step back, and I let out a sigh. “Sorry, Buddy. It’s just hard. I understand where you’re coming from. But something like this can’t be allowed to happen. There’s no way it’s just something these two did in their spare time,” I gesture at the corpses of the men we killed. “There’s at least one person they’re working with. At worst, and this is my personal theory, they’re part of some sort of organization that does shit like this all over. We just happened to catch a couple.”

Ruff…It is okay, Buddy. I understand, yes. I do not want to see you in trouble though, Buddy, no.

“We did kill people,” I say. “And that isn’t okay, whatever the circumstances may be. But…. oh fuck. I took what that Umbreon said as law. Damn. He could have lied about them doing what they did… no, nevermind. Ignore that. Suicune is a legendary. She mentioned God. He mentioned Suicune and God. He’s fine. Nevermind. It’s fine.”

I am worried about you, Buddy. You are thinking more than normal, ruff.

“Don’t sweat it, this is par for the course,” I wave him off. “Let’s go outside and camp. I’m exhausted.”

…Fine.

I pull out my map, and it’s reliable enough to get us out after another hour or so of walking. I do take a few scraps of paper and tear them up, leaving a sort of trail, much like I did on the routes before, since this could get confusing after going back inside and trying to make the trip another time. Hopefully it stays on track and doesn’t affect things too much in there. Didn’t see any wild Pokemon on the way in or out besides Kid, so it should be fine. I think.

Buddy and I reach the outside, and the moon is full, falling out of the sky and there’s enough light in the air that I assume it’s nearing dawn. I didn’t realize we spent that long there… but going in took a lot longer than going out, I guess. I’m concerned about more poachers potentially being on the other path and am wary of them coming out while we rest, so I decide to walk down the path where the fork in the road is, further away from the entrance to Mount Mortar. With the western river of route 42 in sight, and a clear view down the path to the cave and back towards the Ranger station, I attempt (and fail a few times) to set up the tent Mark gave us a couple dozen feet off the walkway.

It’s a trial, but a successful one in the end. I get some food and water out, enough for Buddy, myself, and Kid, and get everything ready. Mark, bless his heart, had given us about 10 bowls that all stacked inside of each other, so I had enough for Kid too. I gave him a cup instead of a bowl for water, though. He has hands. I let him out of the ball, inside the small tent with Buddy and I, after the food is ready. He moves slowly after appearing in a flash of light, looking at his hands and the interior of the tent in awe.

Cool… Thank you. We are…outside? Outside is small.

Ruff… we are in a tent, Kid.

A…tent?

I let them talk, but open up the zipper so Kid can see outside.

Ruff… yes. We were going to sleep, Kid. Buddy and I. You should sleep too. But first we eat. It was a long day…ruff.

Kid sticks his head out and holds it there for a few minutes. We can see him turn every which way in excitement. Guess he’s seriously never been out of the cave, huh? Eventually, he pulls his head back in and looks at both of us with wide eyes, the fire burning brighter than before in them.

That’s..so cool!

Ruff…yes. Thank you Kid, very cool. Now eat.

Okay…thank you Buddy. Buddy Silas, thank you.

Ruff.. yes.

I nod at him. The three of us eat in silence, exhausted from our respective days. We finish up quickly enough, and I put everything back in the backpack. I pull out the sleeping bag, as well as an extra blanket and pillow. The tent isn’t exactly huge, but it’s big enough for me to lay out and both Buddy and Kid are small enough to find a spot too. I bundle myself up, not changing any clothes and ready to sleep, as Buddy curls up in the nook of my neck and Kid hesitantly leans up against the side of my stomach. He’s..not as warm as I thought he’d be, with a flaming vest. I do pick my head up a few times to ensure I’m not on fire, but it seems it’s some sort of aesthetic. Relieving. I do have one question before I can fall asleep though.

“So, Kid,” I say. “I have something to ask you. Just so I know.”

Yes, Buddy Silas?

“So, Buddy is a Pokemon. And he’s also a Growlithe,” I say. “You’re a Pokemon too. But you’re also a…what?”

Charcadet.

“Ah shit I was close!”

What?

“Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking to myself earlier what your species may be called,” I say, letting out a breath. “I’ve seen a lot of different Pokemon, but never one like you. So I was curious, that’s all. Thanks.”

Oh. Okay, Buddy Silas. Yes, I am a Charcadet. Buddy is a…old Growlithe, I know. Not a new one. Mom was an Armarouge and Dad was a Ceruledge.

I poke my head up from my pillow. “Wow. Impressive. Even the bit about Growlithe, spot on, good job, Kid.” I spy a ghost of a smile on his face before it disappears just as quickly, and he turns away from me. “Thanks for sharing that with me, Kid. I appreciate it.”

Of course, Buddy Silas. Um…

I wait.

Are you…. So. Mom and dad are…dead.

“..Yeah.”

So.. are you and Buddy my… new…dads?

“No.” No.

Buddy and I speak in sync, him echoing me from underneath my neck.

So….

“I got this,” I say. Buddy lowers his head back into my neck and closes his eyes. “Not parents. Friends? Companions? Whatever you prefer. I’ll take care of you though, and Buddy will too. Yeah?”

Ruff, yes, Kid! We are all buddies!

“Yep, buddies, there ya go,” I say. “Your dad will always be your dad, and your mom will always be your mom, even if they’re not here. We’re not a replacement. We’re just new. And you can stay with us as long as you want.” Kid looks at me for a few seconds, and looks away, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, I see him nod his head and close his eyes.

Okay. Buddies. Goodnight, buddies.

Goodnight, buddies! Yes! Ruff.

So.. this is a thing now. Okay. “Goodnight buddies,” I breathe out. I lean back and close my eyes.

I whited out.