Chapter 1 - Second Chance

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Drip. Drip. Drip. Water dropped into a large river, slowly but surely. Hardly moving, but the sound of droplets was constant and almost rhythmical, able to bring peace to anyone who heard it.

The water was also blue in color, and very clean. There was nothing inside the river, not any animal or person, making it a serene place. The temperature was not too hot or too cold, anyone could dive into the river and swim with no issues. Of course, if they knew how to swim.

Something came crashing into the water and was immediately surrounded by bubbles. TRipples surrounded the figure, until the bubbles faded, leaving a human. Said figure had barely any distinct features, save for it having a masculine shape, and was entirely cyan in color.

"U-Urgh…" He said, trying to move his body. The figure looked at himself and gasped in shock. His state was nearly transparent to the point he could see through himself. "W-What's going on?!"

"Human."

A booming and royal voice reverberated throughout the river, shaking it to its core. The human turned around, confused and scared, trying to find out where the voice was coming from. His body was shaking as well, but it was frozen in place.

"Be not afraid, human. I am here to help you."

Somehow, his shaking subsided. Still wary of the voice, he tried getting answers. "T-That's kinda hard to believe when I'm in this… whatever this place is!"

"I understand that you have questions. I will try my best to answer them," the voice said, and the water bubbled up again, gathering in a single spot where the voice came from.

In a bright flash of light, a figure stood. A quadrupedal stag-like creature with black and blue fur alongside a short, bushy tail. The antlers were colored gold, with a few spots having several colors of the rainbow. The creature looked at the human and smiled. He, on the other hand, was left shaking once again, and slowly tried backing away from the creature.

"My name is Xerneas."

"X-Xerneas?!" The human asked, panting. "B-But you're a legend, you… you…"

"A legend from tales as old as time," she replied, giggling. "...You are from the Hoenn region, correct? I've seen it."

"Y-Yeah? How do you know?"

"Legend, of course. Now, I have a question myself. What is your name, human?"

"I'm… my name is Shiron." He answered, taking a deep breath. Things were getting calmer now, he felt.

"That is a beautiful name." She looked around the river. "This place… how do I put it? It is a construct from your mind. It represents yourself… in your final moments."

"My fin—" Shiron stopped, shutting himself up as the realization dawned upon him. "I'm… I'm dead."

"Unfortunately, yes. Do you remember how you died?"

"I-I do. Of course… of course I'm dead," Shiron looked down, but he saw nothing other than the depths of the river, which appeared to extend endlessly. "I deserved this, didn't I?"

"No," Xerneas shook her head. "You did not. And that is why I'm here. I've sensed greatness in you, Shiron. Tell me: what is your dream?"

Shiron was taken back by the sudden question. Why was someone as high and mighty as Xerneas asking him about his dream? It was only natural for him to be scared, to tremble at the sight. And what was that about sensing greatness?

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"Please, answer my question, human."

"My… my dream?" He wondered, thinking what to answer. What was his dream? And why did it matter anyway? He was dead. Shiron looked at himself, his crystal clear body. On his arms, he noticed something; there was a tint of red in them. He frowned.

"Do you not have an answer, Shiron?"

"N-No. I mean, yes. My dream was…" He gulped. "I wanted to help others. Everyone… w-well, I wanted to make others happy. To save people."

"And your dream was interrupted by your death. If I may ask, why did you deci—"

Shiron shook his head in denial. "Please… I don't wanna talk about it. I don't even know why you brought me here. Just… what do you want?"

"I want to give you another chance," she nodded. "Shiron, I think you deserve happiness like everyone else."

"A second… chance?" He asked, unsure. He took another look at himself, shaking his arms. "I don't know if I deserve it… I've brought nothing but pain to everyone I've met. Why do you think I deserve another chance?"

"Your heart," Xerneas raised her head. "You have a big heart, and it's full of love. You just need to treat yourself with kindness. The same way you treat so many others…"

Shiron trembled. Even being incorporeal, he felt the tears building up beneath his eyes. They wanted to come out so badly…

"What I'm about to offer you is something reserved only to those who deserve it," Xerneas looked up and smiled. "Shiron, I can bring you to another world, a world of Pokémon. You will become one as well. Never to return to the human world, do you understand?"

"I'll never get to go back home…?" Shiron asked. He would never see anyone there ever again. And becoming a Pokémon? That… sounded nice. If he really deserved this chance, then…

"I'll take it." Shiron then gasped. "Wait, what about my memories?!"

"Your memories?" Xerneas tilted her head. "I was planning on erasing them. Would you like to keep them?"

"Yes, I would. As much as I don't have… good memories of my home, I wanna keep 'em."

"That is an unusual request, I must say. But, understood. It is time, Shiron, to cast aside your human shell and begin your new life." Her antlers began to glow in a rainbow fashion, charging a multicolored beam of light.

Now that this was actually happening, Shiron felt his heart skip a beat. This was something else. He never even heard of it before, becoming a Pokémon? Weird, but he could accept that. Yeah, no problems with that part. Or with the whole "abandoning his family" part. He had his reasons for wanting this.

"Maybe someday we will meet again, Shiron, but until then… good luck!" The beam was launched towards the human, sending him into the depths of the river.

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Next thing he knew, Shiron was getting propelled at an incredible speed. His body was practically rolling, and he could hardly see what was going on.

Why's… everything… spinning?! He protested, coughing up water and moving his head back and forth, just waiting for that experience to be over. Xerneaaas! Why did you do this?!

He was getting deeper into the river, but something was odd. The more he looked, Shiron noticed that there were more things in it. Like algae, rocks, and even a few water-type Pokémon, like Feebas and Alomomola. What was going on?

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And while he was still speeding up, that was no longer the weirdest part about this whole thing. Sure, he heard what Xerneas said, but now that Shiron managed to look at himself, he no longer saw the human, but instead, he had… the body of a Marshtomp. The bright-blue color gave it away, as did the gills he now had, and the weird, double tail… thing.

His surprised look gave way to a confused one. Okay, hold up! I'm in the body of a starter ? Okay, that's… uh, it would be cool. Not that I mind, Mudkips are cute, and Swampert is really tough, but Marshtomp? That kinda seems like a downgrade to me…

Shiron closed his eyes and let his body continue on its path. To his surprise, he seemed to stop. Shiron then opened his eyes and gasped, they were even sparkling from the shock.

What he saw was a vast underwater ecosystem, like in his hometown, but different in the way he could see everything. It wasn't as murky as the ocean he was used to, and Shiron found that lovely.

Lilycove doesn't seem so good now… heh. Bet I can even swim now that I'm a water-type!

To test his theory, Shiron tried swimming like a puppy, but he discovered it was difficult. He wasn't even leaving the place! And what's worse, he was struggling to breathe. Shiron took some time to notice it, but he really needed to breathe.

Okay, new plan: get outta here! Having decided, he tried swimming upwards, towards the light, and he was getting there. Slowly, but surely. His lungs, on the other hand, were not so cool with this idea; they were getting stuffed with water, and Shiron tried holding his breath. O-Oh no… oh… n..o…

He coughed water and began falling down again, as his vision became blurry. Shiron struggled to keep himself awake and with open eyes, but he managed to hold on long enough that he saw someone else jumping down the water. A strange figure, with blue fur and a canine appearance, but on two legs.

H-Huh? Oh… what's… that…? His vision was unclear, but the Pokémon in front of him also had a few patches of black fur, and two dreadlocks coming out of both sides of the stranger's head.

R-Rio...lu? Shiron thought, right before he closed his eyes and passed out.

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"Hold on, I got this!"

The Riolu rose to the surface, taking a pause to catch his breath. He soon pushed the Marshtomp, not without struggle. The water-type was heavier than he looked. But soon enough, the duo had gotten out of the river and fallen on the sandy ground.

"Phew… that was hard," Riolu said, panting as he laid down, looking to his side and staring directly at the Marshtomp. "...Are you okay? Can you breathe? It's kinda weird seeing a 'tomp here, and drowning!"

"Nick! Where are you?!" A voice asked, making the canine look back at the other side of the beach, seeing a Quilladin running towards him.

"Hey Magnus! You won't believe what I found here!" Nick waved, still exhausted from the rescue, but with enough energy to crack a smile.

Once the Quilladin was close enough, Nick noticed him wearing a white apron around his chest, and his nose sniffed the distinct aroma of sugar.

"N-Nick?" Magnus stopped, panting. "W-What're you doing he—"

Another look made him notice the unconscious water-type standing next to Nick. Magnus gasped in shock, before standing back.

"W-Wait! Nick, who's that?"

Nick grinned. "Some guy I just saved! He was, uh… drowning."

"A water-type? Drowning ? He's evolved! Unless you caught a feral!"

"...I'm not like that Treecko you heard about," he rolled his eyes. "Oh, but this guy's still unconscious."

"Maybe for good reason? How would he drown?" Magnus gulped, managing to take another look at the Marshtomp.

"Beats me. I just knew I had to help, y'know? Right thing to do."

Meanwhile, Shiron remained in the same state. He moved a little in his inert state. His face quickly turned red, and Shiron moved like he was gasping for air. Nick took notice of this and looked at his friend.

"Dude, I think we need to wake him up!"

"What?" Magnus flinched at the sentence, his heart skipping a beat. It was undeniable that this Marshtomp needed help, but what if he was only faking it? "What if he tries to attack us? What do we do, then?"

"...Just trust me on this one! I sensed his aura! We'll be fine!"

"B-But… your senses suck… no offense."

"None taken."

The Quilladin stared at Shiron again, trembling a bit. However, the sight of that Marshtomp, helpless and suffocating, was enough for him to reconsider what to do.

Magnus ran towards the water-type, using both of his arms to push down on Shiron's chest. He pumped as hard as he could, but tried not to use too much strength. All he needed was to wake him. That was all. After that, he opened Shiron's mouth and began blowing on it, slow and easy. This was harder than the books said, he noticed.

C'mon, dude! Don't leave me! Arceus, I hope Nick's doing the right thing by rescuing this guy…

He saw Shiron's chest rise and smiled, still blowing air as much as possible.

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Shiron snapped his eyes open, coughing up water and instinctively sitting down. His hearing buzzed, and his other senses were on overload, trying to focus on too many things at once.

What was going on? Where was he? And what just happened? More questions popped up as he got used to the new sensations dawning on him. Starting with the gills that twitched, picking up the cold air around him, and a faint smell of rain.

This… this is… Shiron looked down at himself, now confirming that his body had indeed changed, just like Xerneas had mentioned earlier. He was no longer a human, and the world he once knew, the people he used to know… they were gone. All gone.

He stood up, trembling as he balanced himself, opening and closing his fists. ...This is… great !

A smile spread on Shiron's face, and he touched his cheeks. The scaly feeling was comforting and he giggled loudly, enamored by how good it was. Despite the reality of him never being able to return dawning upon him, Shiron was ecstatic! Well, sure, he had to be careful not to get caught now, but everything should be fine, right

Unbeknownst to him, Shiron was being watched by his two rescuers. The duo was eyeing him like he was some sort of clown, and while Nick was finding what the Marshtomp was doing to be funny, Magnus was intrigued.

Finally, the Riolu cleared his throat. "Hey. You're finally awake!"

The voice brought Shiron out of his trance and he saw a Riolu and a Quilladin, both staring right at him. Did they see his little show? Oh no. The mere thought made heat rise up on his face.

"Are you listening to me? Can you talk?" Nick asked, snapping his fingers to get Shiron's attention again. "Are you in there? C'mon, we're trying to help you!"

"Wha?" Shiron turned around and stared at them, blinking repeatedly. "Did you… talk?"

"What do you mean?" Nick crossed his arms, huffing. "Of course I talked! You're the one I didn't expect to talk! Or to drown, for that matter…"

A talking Pokémon? Shiron stepped back, trying to process what he heard. Was this the world Xerneas sent him to? A world of talking Pokémon? At least they didn't seem aggressive, but still...

"U-Uh… hi!" The Quilladin forced a smile. "I-I'm Magnus, and this is my friend… Nick!"

"I found you in the river, you were drowning… so I took you out!" Nick explained, sighing in relief and rubbing sweat off his forehead. "...Although it's weird for a water-type to drown, we thought you were a feral! Anyway, I guess the important question is: are you alright?"

Oh shit, the former human gulped. What to do?! These were the first Pokémon he met in this world, and if he angered them, surely things would get bad for him. What if I tell them I'm a human…? Maybe this'll help!

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Shiron's thoughts were interrupted by the Riolu poking his shoulders.

"So?" Nick tilted his head as he waited for an answer.

...No, it won't work. Think, Shiron, think! He struggled and scratched his chin, forcing himself to try harder to come up with something to tell the two. "I-I… I don't know."

No reply. Nick seemed to look at him deeper (if that was even possible) and squinted. Shiron noticed a faint orange glow on Nick's otherwise red eyes.

"You're… you're lying. I know it."

"You know your aura sense sucks," Magnus pointed out. "Can we really depend on it?"

"Hey, it's not my fault that other Riolu develop it early!" Nick touched his chest fluff, trying to defend himself.

Shiron frowned. And he thought Riolu were masters of aura… whatever that meant. But they were right; he was lying. "Y-Y'all got me! Alright, I lied. It's just… the truth is a lil harder to accept, I think."

Magnus snorted. "You think ?"

"Well, it's not like we have better things to do…" Nick shrugged.

"Actually, I gotta help dad with the store," the grass-type replied.

"Hush."

"I-I…" Shiron stopped. Telling straight away didn't feel like the right idea. Then he remembered something Xerneas said and an idea appeared. "I lost my memory. I… I think I can only recall my name."

Nick raised a brow, locking eyes with Magnus before returning to face Shiron. "And that would be…?"

"Do tell!" Magnus added, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Shiron."

The canine chuckled, shaking his head. "Next thing you're gonna say you're a human, right? Because that seems to be what most amnesiac 'mons say around here."

"He's right!" Magnus nodded.

His jaw nearly dropped. These two knew about it the whole time and never bothered to tell Shiron about it?! Well, he did lie to their faces… but that didn't make it right!

"How did you— "

"Joking, dude!" Nick snorted and laughed loudly. "Amnesia is common here, but humans are just a myth! Well… that's what my grandpa told me."

"Your… grandpa," Shiron whispered. Was that too much information?

"Oh, that makes things easier," Magnus sighed. "I guess we can go to the village now, this situation's settled."

The Marshtomp gasped. "Settled, what's that supposed to mean?"

"C'mon dude!" Nick said, offering a paw. "I can't say I fully trust you yet, but… do you have anywhere to go? No memories, no ability to swim… if we leave you here, some feral might come and eat you."

Shiron weighed his options. He was stuck, for lack of a better word, in this weird place. They were willing to help him, but if he refused, what would he do? He didn't know anything, and if they could help…

"O-Okay. Take me to your village!" Shiron replied. Yes! That was the start of his new life! Xerneas gave him a chance, and he was sure as hell not wasting it.

"Alrighty! I'm sure we can find somewhere for you to stay!" Nick said, turning around as he ran to the exit of the shore.

Magnus followed him, albeit slowly, his body not used to doing jogs. Shiron, on the other hand, waited for them to get a little farther before doing anything. At first, he just walked, looking at his hands. He didn't notice it before, but there were cut marks, similar to a knife's, around both of his arms.

...A new chance, huh? Do I really deserve it? I… I don't know. But maybe I'll find out. Maybe… maybe I do deserve… deserve to live.