"A human construct formed ? What do you mean? Where and when?" Wyn bounced excitedly on her toes.

"A dungeon has formed," Lucario corrected, "A human construct has been unearthed ."

The tall cat spoke up. "Seems yesterday an Onix chewed its way into 'a cavern of smooth marble and sculpted columns' and didn't find its way out until daybreak."

"Left a tunnel to it for us somewhere far West along the Brave Range, at the foot of a mountain," Lucario finished.

"Marble, huh?" Wyn rubbed her chin with a paw. "Think it's too much of an ask for an abandoned mall? At least give me something contemporary."

"Perhaps a hotel," chirped Fei. "Or a government building."

"Wait, so it's underground?" Von piped up.

"Lodged in a mountain," Lucario nodded.

"When do we set out?"

The group of taller Pokemon all turned to look down at him at once. "Love that ambition, mate, but maybe it'd be best to ease you into things."

"Could be dangerous for a new recruit," Lucario nodded. "Speaking of, who are you?"

"Von- er, or Salandit," he said, glancing between the two strangers.

"Zeraora of True Path," purred the cat.

"Lucario of True Path," said the canid, before he caught a look from Wyn and hurriedly added "Between humans, you may call me Jun." He squared his shoulders and straightened his posture. "Though I prefer to be called 'Captain,' if we're on friendly terms."

"Aye aye, cap'n!"

"I take it you'll be staying in Halfhenge, then?"

"If there's room! Always used to fantasize about living in a castle as a kid, little did I know…" Von trailed off.

"Did someone take over our old den?" Ren asked.

Lucario finally acknowledged Night Vision's presence with a low growl. "One moon after you left." He peered at the badge on the bag Rockruff wore. "Yet if Night Vision truly wishes to return, we're happy to accept help. There's space in the… what's the word, Wyn?"

"The oratory."

You’re kidding. I can’t get away from churches even on another planet. “Sounds great,” Von said halfheartedly, “So long as there’s a roof over my head.”

“Great! Keep in mind we’ll be tromping through your room every Sunday for prayer, and you’re not allowed to hog all the communion wine to yourself.”

Von looked to Wyn. “You have wine here?”

“If only,” Fei sighed wistfully.

Zeraora tapped a paw to Jun’s shoulder. “Come. We should eat.”

The Lucario gave Ren one last look of trepidation before he turned towards the baskets of food. Once his back was turned, Ren stuck out his tongue at him.

There was quiet for a moment as True Path walked away, and Von watched Oranguru wheel a large pumpkin from the larder to the dock, and the pair of Lapras in the lake waded closer in anticipation. The squash splashed into the water and was swiftly torn apart as the sea beasts feasted.

“What did you do on Earth, Von?” Fei asked.

“I wanted to be a documentarian. I was in college studying film until I wound up here.” At least while I’m here, I can pretend I’m not a failure at everything I do . “What about you?”

“I worked security at a port on Pearl River.”

Von tensed. “You a cop?”

The owl trilled a laugh. “No, nothing of the sort.”

Phew. “What about you, Wyn?”

“I never really settled on a career path, if that’s what we’re talking about. But I’ll have you know I was a very important moderator in several anime Discord servers.”

“What’s anime?” Ren asked his companion.

“Braixen told me about it before, it’s one of those ‘moving pictures’ things,” whispered Rockruff.

The best ‘moving pictures’ thing,” added Wyn. “‘Least until Von’s documentary on Pokemon hits theaters, yeh?” She gave him a wink.

“Shame I didn’t pack my camera.” Von looked past Wyn as Lucario wandered back toward the group, a pear in his paw. “What about you, J- ah, Captain? What did you do on Earth?”

“I can’t remember,” he said casually.

“What do you mean?”

Fei and Wyn both averted their eyes. “Amnesia, I think that’s the term?” Jun growled. “I have vague memories of being a human child, I recognize some terms Wyn and Fei use, but other than that, there is nothing from before.” He bit into his pear.

“Oh, I’m- I’m sorry.”

“For?” Jun gave the half-grin his scarred muzzle would allow when Von remained awkwardly silent. “I can’t mourn what I can’t remember.”

Perhaps eager to switch topics, Fei spoke up. "Maybe we should talk of the future, yes? What will tomorrow look like? I know you and Zeraora intend to explore, while we of Free Aim continue our hunt."

Rockruff perked up. "Any missions need doing?"

"I'd want to accompany you if you're showing Von the basics, but I've got my paws full with my work," Wyn frowned as she looked to Night Vision. "What do you think, Captain?

"Partner them up with another team for the time being."

Fei's head swiveled as he scanned the gathered inhabitants of Halfhenge. "Who?"

"We'll ask around, and see what Pelliper brings us tomorrow. Decide on it then," said Wyn.

----------------------------------------

The oratory was tucked away in the corner of the third floor, in a square room in one of the two remaining towers of Halfhenge. Its wooden doors, once polished and detailed with silvery paint long since faded and worn, had been propped open with river rocks. The keep's gray stone continued inward, sparing not even the keep's holiest room its dull monotony. Against the far wall beneath the room's sole window stretched a slab of stone that once served as the altar, now bereft of any symbols of worship. The room was sparse, and Von appreciated its modesty.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Can't even tell what denomination it was," he remarked as he wandered inside.

Fei let down the bundle of barley straw he carried upstairs and stretched his wings. He remained in the hall. "I hope it's to your liking."

Rockruff dropped the small sheaf of straw she carried in her mouth next to Fei's bundle and trotted inside. "It's so high up and far away from the ground. It feels unnatural."

Ren dipped past Fei to join the rest of Night Vision in the center of the room. "We can make due."

"I won't pretend it's as comfortable as what you're used to, but I hope it will feel like home soon enough," Fei said to Von from the doorway.

Von, used to sleeping in his car, clambered up onto the altar to peek out of the window. "I appreciate it. I'll manage, thank you."

"I and the rest of Free Aim roost one flight up if you need us."

Von could see Wyn's hut from his perch. "Thanks again, man."

The owl swept one wing across his chest and bowed before he turned, and Night Vision listened to Fei's talons clacking on the stone floor recede.

Rockruff approached the bundle of straw and bit through the vine that held it together. As she and Ren set about making their beds, Von stared over the courtyard. Sheeplike Pokemon huddled together as the daylight disappeared, content to bed down in soft grass. "Why did you two leave for Candle Cay?"

The sound of rustling straw behind him faltered. "We Rockruff are a migratory species-"

"Reassignment, of a sort. The kind that comes from disagreements and ruffled feathers," Ren interrupted.

Von turned to shoot Rockruff an inquisitive look before he focused on Ren. "May I ask why you and Fei don't get along?"

"Go ahead."

Von waited for Ren to elaborate, but the fox only smirked. "... Why don't you and Fei get along?"

"Kaia is the better half of Night Vision. Stronger, more patient, better at this whole 'studying' thing." He sat back on his haunches and stared past Von, out the window behind him. "Fei thought Night Vision was a dead end for Kaia, and I wanted to prove him wrong. So we took on a difficult mission. It doesn't go as planned, Pokemon get hurt… we end up in the Cay."

"Sounds like exile. Why come back here?"

“The Cay’s no place for the living, but it’s still better than living in the wilds. Could’ve made the trip to Bell Harbor, but…” Ren trailed off, then turned to Rockruff, nosing her cheek for reassurance. “Well, we still have to prove Fei wrong, don’t we?”

Slowly, Rockruff unfurled her tail to let it wag. “Side by side,”

“By tooth and hide,” Ren finished, and the two rubbed noses.

Von softened at the display. “And bringing me here earned you your badge back?”

“Humans are Slowking’s favorite, yes. You should’ve washed up earlier, Von.”

“Slowking’s favorite… what?”

“What’s the phrase… ‘well of knowledge?’ He’s curious about your world. Sounds like a scary place to me, but he’s the one with the super-smart crown. Either way, you’re the one that asked us to take you here in the first place,” he grinned. “Good fortune for both of us, right? You scritch my back, I scritch yours?”

“Here I thought you were helping me out of the goodness of your hearts.”

“Hey, it’s not like we’d leave you to fend for yourself in the Cay either way!” Rockruff barked. “Getting our badge back or not, we couldn’t just leave you there. We didn't even know you were human at first!"

"I'm teasing, anyway. I'm glad you found me, and I'm glad to be here."

"Glad to have you with Night Vision, too. Now come make your bed, Von."

In higher spirits, Von scaled down the altar and scuttled to the straw pile. There, the trio divided materials for their bedding between themselves, and spread out. He wound up sweeping his straw bedding before the altar.

When it came to turning loose straw into a bed, Von had no clue what he was doing, and tried his best to mimic the canid couple's efforts. He watched Rockruff hop atop her pile and knead a divet into the straw before she settled into her nest. Von mirrored her, and as he settled into his self-made bed, he lay on his back and gazed at the ceiling. His eyes traced tracks in the mortar weaving between the brickwork overhead.

“Going to bed already?”

Von started at the sound of Wyn’s voice and rolled back over onto all fours. “Hey, do those doors close?”

Wyn stood in the doorway, a book tucked under one arm, holding a small vial. She reached over and knocked on solid wood. “They do, but they won’t last long if Pokemon are opening and closing them all the time. Your claws would scratch this poor thing to shreds every time you climb it to work the handle. I get wanting privacy, and tomorrow we’ll put up a curtain or something while you aren’t here. You didn’t give us much warning, otherwise we’d have prepared a better greeting. But hey, we’ll cook you something tomorrow, maybe that’ll make up for it?”

Von crawled out of his bed, bits of straw still clung to his scales. “That sounds nice, I haven’t had a hot meal in…” He thought back to his time on the road, to his dwindling bank account, to the last time he had a rubbery hot dog he bought at a gas station. “A while. I was worried it’d just be raw produce here.”

“For the most part, it is raw produce. We’re not equipped to cook for everyone here on the daily, but as a little treat every now and then? Fei makes some fantastic food.”

Rockruff’s eager tailwags rustled the straw of her bed. Von smiled. “I look forward to it.”

“Not that I came here to take your order, or anything.” Wyn held up a journal, paper pressed between two small panels of wood. “How many languages are you fluent in?”

“Uh, English, and I took two years of French in high school.”

“Just English then,” she sighed. “Can’t be helped.” She stepped further into the room and knelt down in front of him. “Fei and I have been gathering as much info as we can. If you were given a tour, you might’ve seen the fruits of our labor.”

“The conspiracy board?”

“That’s the one!” She tapped a paw to the hardcover journal she held. “Trying to document what we can in as many languages as we can.”

“Why, if Intent translates everything for us?”

“In case we’re not around when more people show up. If we find a way home, for example, we won’t be around for future transients. Think of this as a nuclear waste disposal site, but instead it’s a Pokemon tutorial. You know, ‘this is not a place of honor’ written in seventeen languages?”

“Makes perfect sense.”

“Now Pokemon, however, have their own system of writing. Your buddy Zorua sent us a letter yesterday to let us know another human was en route.” She set down the vial she held- an inkwell, he realized- and opened the journal on the floor in front of him. An array of drawings of simplified Pokemon footprints decorated the pages, black ink on pressed paper. “Intent will not translate this for you, as you can see.”

“Just spoken word, huh?”

“I’m not about to gripe about the shortcomings of a blessing. Anyway, this will be something I’d encourage you to learn, and I’d be happy to sit down with you to do so.” She turned through a few pages, until one alphabet gave way to another, one Von recognized.

“Unown!”

“That’s them! Most Pokemon don’t know this one, but as English speakers, you and I lucked out.” Wyn turned one more page to a spot bookmarked with one of Fei’s feathers to show the rest of the journal was blank. “This journal is yours now, Von, as are as many others you might need. I ruined a few relearning how to write with paws, but your claws look a bit more dexterous than what I had to work with as a Fennekin.”

Von carefully plucked up the feather between his claws. Its brown color told him it once came from Fei’s wing. “Must be convenient to grow your own quills.”

“He used to get embarrassed when he molted,” chimed Rockruff.

Wyn straightened herself up. “Not going to rush you into writing lessons or anything day one, just thought I’d offer.”

Von set the quill down and wrestled with the vial of ink. He managed to pull the stopper out with his mouth. He let go and it fell to the page below, leaving a dark blotch that slowly spread from the center. “Whoops.”

Wyn chuckled softly. “This first one’s for personal use and penmanship practice. I’ll get you a field journal to take with you tomorrow. For now, goodnight.” She nodded to Rockruff on her way out of the oratory.

When she was gone, Ren stopped feigning sleep and stretched out in his bed. “You humans have so many words.”

Von didn’t look up, too busy focusing on threading the tip of the feather into the inkwell. “Used to think it was unique to our species. You Pokemon have way more words than I ever would’ve thought possible.”

Ren scoffed and rolled over in his bed. Rockruff looked back and forth between her mate and the human messily scribbling in his journal. “How do you know Unown script, Salandit?”

Dare I explain what a video game is? He wrote the letter E above the inkstain from the dropped stopper and nudged the journal towards Rockruff. “It’s almost like my native language, see?”

Rockruff frowned. “I’ve seen Wyn’s notes before. Can’t read them, but I see the similarities.”

Von dragged his new journal back towards his bed beneath the altar. How did Fei put it? “Earth’s idea of Pokemon,” he began, “I’ve known about them since I was a kid, from stories told to us. Until yesterday, I thought Pokemon were pure fiction.”

“I used to think the same thing of humans until I met Fei.”

Von corked the inkwell and set the quill down on the open page. He watched the ink of his clumsy new handwriting dry. Is it possible knowledge of this world was brought back to Earth?

Did someone already find a way home?

----------------------------------------

Moonlight spilled over the altar as Night Vision slept. Ren and Kaia slept soundly while Von's dream had him toss and turn as he relived an argument with his ex.

From the shadows that stretched along the oratory floor, a darkness rose. Eyes like candlelight flickered over three sleeping forms, before the shape in perfect silence drifted from the room and walked the halls of Halfhenge.