Ripple let out a dramatic breath, as though it hadn’t breathed through the entire interaction.

“Geez, that was intense. I thought I’d get chewed out for sure,” the mudkip flapped their tail in relief. “Are..you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I tell them. “A little tired is all.” I don’t want to go to sleep and have the dream end, but my body does feel heavy, my feet dragging through the dirt. Now that I’ve noticed it, the fatigue is worse than I’d thought; my large tail was swaying gently to keep me balanced on my feet. I hadn’t noticed right away because I wasn’t used to having a tail, I guess.

“Let’s go get some food and head to bed. I’m sure the Guildmaster will want to talk to us early in the morning,” Ripple replies, leading me to the elevator as it makes its way back up to us.

“I’m sure Granite is going to give me a tailful too, when she sees me in the morning,” they grumble to themselves, as though forgetting I’m there.

“I don’t mean to sound rude…” I ask, trying not to bite my tongue as I speak. “But are you…a boy or a girl?” I figured that since this was most likely some odd dream, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. With Eyla, I had known, somehow. But with other Pokemon, it was hard to tell.

“Oh!” Ripple wiggled shyly. “It’s ok. I’m a boy. I appreciate the politeness to ask; most people just assume mudkips are males.”

“Oh?” I reply in surprise. How odd. I consider giving it more thought, but I’m too enthralled with everything else.

“I know it’s dark, but don’t be scared. It’s very safe,” Ripple reassures me as we step onto the pokemon made elevator. I don’t know how it works, but the bottom seems to be made of leaves and reeds or bamboo. It is very dark, but my eyes adjust fairly well. Maybe it’s because Skitty is based off of a cat, or maybe it’s an ability they have as Pokemon. Either way, I’m still able to make out the outline of everything, even though it’s almost pitch black.

The elevator moves slowly, creaking slightly as we descend. Ripple shuffles his feet until we arrive at the bottom with a gentle thud and a tiny puff of dirt. Small torches light the path in front of us, which looks like a large dirt tunnel carved into a straight line. At the end is a ladder and a smaller tunnel with a door at the entrance. Along each side of the large hall were different rooms branching off from the main tunnel.

“We’ll stop by the kitchen really quick…dinner’s probably done already but we can grab some berries or leftovers and bring them back to my room,” the mudkip explains as he leads me to the third entrance on the left side. We head through another short tunnel, and then it widens back out into a long tunnel with a stone table in the middle. Various rocks and suitable stumps are set up as seats, with room for probably thirty pokemon or so. It looks different than I’d have thought, but then again, what did I expect? It was going to look different if it wasn’t pixelated and on a tiny screen. I guess I just didn’t realize the table would be taller than me…

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“This way!” Ripple calls, swerving around a seat-shaped rock as he passes through the room. Just for fun, because I can, I squirm under the table, scooting quickly along. I can feel the chilly stone brush my fur and my tail swishes back and forth, occasionally bumping into one of the seats as I go. Crawling out from under the other side, Ripple gives me a glance but doesn’t say anything about my odd behavior.

“Try not to be too loud, because Bo might be sleeping,” he tells me instead, lowering his own voice as we entered a dimly lit room. It looked like a kitchen, complete with cupboards, a fridge, and a stove. It even had what seemed to be a blender in the corner.

“Is Bo the cook?” I whisper, curiously looking around. There weren’t any electric lights, so how did the fridge work? Up until now, we had only seen torches. Even here, the room was lit by a lonely candle, slowly dripping wax as it burned quietly on the counter.

“Yeah, but she goes to bed right after dinner most nights,” the mudkip replies, practically tiptoeing as he sneaks into the pantry. As I follow, I freeze and see exactly why.

A large purple pokemon with some of the most beautiful blond hair I’ve seen is sleeping, arms folded over her large chest as she snores softly. Her bed is tucked away near the entrance of the pantry, as though she lived in the kitchen, literally. I definitely recognize this pokemon, and just like with the others, it’s a shock to see it in person. The top of her dress looks more like armor or shells rather than clothing, while the material at the bottom looks like what I’d expect. Even while half-slouched in slumber, she’s much taller than me, but probably shorter than I’d been as a human. It was hard to tell when you’re below knee height…

I jump slightly when Ripple’s tail gently brushes my side. He motions with his head for me to follow and we head back the way we came, quietly slipping out unnoticed.

“My room is a bit far,” Ripple apologizes, “but it’s got a wonderful view. I hope you don’t mind fresh air, I like to sleep with the window open.”

“That’s fine,” I reply, half listening. I can picture it already; the small straw beds, the green mossy walls, the circular window with a wooden frame. As it comes into view, a wave of nostalgia overtakes me. It’s the one place that feels right, that feels just like the game. It is still different, taking it in from below instead of above, and the scent of the salty air nags at me that this is more than a dream. Have I ever smelled things in dreams before?

We sit down and quickly munch on the berries. The oran berries I picked are different than I’d expected; a bit more tart, but also firmer; closer to a granny smith apple than a blueberry, like I’d thought.

“You can take either of the empty beds,” Ripple tells me after we’re done. “I don’t have any roommates, so whichever looks more comfortable for you.” The last part comes out in a yawn and Ripple spins three times in his own little nest, pawing at it in a very cat like way as he adjusted a few pieces of straw.

“Oh, I forgot to open the window,” he yawns again, laying his chin on the edge of the bed. “Oh well…g’night, Violet. I hope you feel better t’morrow.”

In just a few seconds, the small mudkip was snoring, his orange fins quivering with each exhalation. He didn’t quite snore, but a small whistle was heard with each breath.

Padding over to the window, I balance against the wall on my back legs and kick it open with one foot. A refreshing breeze blows in, bringing with it the scent of grass, salt, and other things I don’t know the names of. Is it because I’m a skitty now?

As I stare out the window, I gaze up at the stars again. They twinkle mysteriously, as though they’re speaking in a language I don’t understand. The sky is so much more vivid here, even though it’s night. It’s not pitch black, like I’d expect, but instead a deep purple, with navy blue streaking through. Occasionally I would see a star or meteor streak across the sky; or maybe they were pokemon, flying around in the dark.

Everything that had happened, it had been so crazy. If it was really a dream, it would be one that I would remember for the rest of my life. If I was dying and these were my last moments, I couldn’t be too upset with that either.

If this was all somehow real….

Well, that would be a problem for tomorrow. I go to bed and settle in, circling much the same way Ripple had, before settling down with a sigh and draping my tail over myself like a small blanket. Before I realize it, my heavy eyelids have closed and I’ve drifted off.