Chapter Text
Zoroark found the situation mildly entertaining, which was an upgrade compared to his day prior to it.
Good Arceus, he couldn't believe all the crap he had gone through. A yelling from Aggra, a thorough beatdown from some frigging hippie explorer team, and getting stuck in the Nozama Forest? Definitely wasn't on his to-do list.
But then, as if Lady Luck had decided to smile down at him, he found it. A human.
It was funny, really. Aggra kept pestering him for something or someone rare enough to bring them profit, by which he meant treasures and shiny Pokémon. Like, come on! There was only so much one 'Mon could down by himself. At least, he thought that was the case, until his eyes fell upon it.
Zoroark didn't even know that humans existed. They were supposed to be nothing more than scary magical creatures in stories to frighten children into submission, not sprawled haphazardly in your local forest. He didn't know what gender it was supposed to be, and this was definitely not what Aggra had in mind when he said "rare", but he was sure that a human counted. Although, judging from its size, it seemed to be nothing more than a child...
Ah well, money is money.
But first, he was more curious about the bag laying near it. Careful to keep his steps light, Zoroark stepped forward and snatched it up, darting back into the comforts of the shadows to properly rummage through it.
A bottle, a couple of berries, a disappointingly tiny pouch of jingling coins. Nothing too valuable to him. Curiously, there was a knife and a freaking cleaver strapped to the back, made easily accessible for the carrier to reach back for. Jeez, self-defence was one thing, this was just overkill.
It was then the human stirred.
Zoroark looked on in silent amusement as it floundered like a hapless Magikarp out of water. It was super disorientated, and it didn't notice the absence of its belongings. Interesting.
It was looking around, and for the first time, he managed to catch a glimpse of its features. It...was still unremarkable. Its face was bordering on the line between femininity and masculinity, making it harder for him to tell just what it was supposed to be.
What he did notice was how covered-up this human was, inappropriately so in this heat. Every inch of its body was covered, even its hands, but the human didn’t seem bothered by that.
Subconsciously, he stepped forward to take a closer look, and a twig snapped cleanly under his feet. The human shot backwards with surprising speed, now looking directly at him. Did it... No. It was looking in his direction, but not directly AT him.
Time to spice things up.
He stepped out of the shadows, the stolen bag swinging tauntingly on his arm. The human didn't lose its wary look, but it also looked uncertain as to what it should do.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked cautiously.
It visibly jumped at the sound of his voice, but it showed no signs of wanting to run away. So far, so good. "How are you feeling? You were asleep for quite a long time," he continued, careful to keep his tone light. After all, he didn't want to scare away such a valuable find. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"
It finally lost its tense pose, and it gave a helpless shrug. "I 'unno," it mumbled. "I...I..."
Its voice sounded feminine enough. "You what?"
"I can' wemember."
It took Zoroark a few moments to make out the human's words. Arceus, her speech sounded garbled as all hell, it was almost unintelligible. Was her mouth injured? Come to think of it, he did notice her grabbing her mouth just now. Did she bite her tongue or something?
More importantly, what did she mean by "can't remember"? As in, she couldn't remember how she got here? "Really? Nothing?" he asked casually.
She nodded.
This was going way better than he had imagined! His entire day was practically doing a one-eighty, it was freaking unbelievable! "Do you...at least remember how you got here?"
She shook her head, and this time, she nervously stepped closer to him. "Who are you?" she whispered.
"Zoroark! The name's Zoroark," he introduced with a grin, and he even offered a paw. After a brief pause, she reached out and shook hands with him. She had a strong grip for someone who had just woken up, he noticed. "Pleased to meet you."
"Um, m-my 'ame is Misha," the human said.
"Misha. Gotcha."
"Uh, actua'y, my 'ame is-"
"Hey, listen!" he hastily cut in. "It's not safe to talk here. Why don't I take you to somewhere safe before anyone can see you?"
He made a move to grab her arm, but Misha quickly backed out of arm's reach. "Wai'!" she squawked. "Wha' are you 'oing?"
So she wasn't stupid enough to trust him right off the bat? Smart girl. "Trying to bring you to somewhere safe, before someone decides to make you its lunch," he said with a raised eyebrow. "But if you want to stay here and die, then by all means, please do. It'll at least save me the trouble of bringing you along."
"D-die? Wha' 'o you mea'-?"
Then, either by sheer coincidence or dumb luck, his sensitive hearing picked up telltale signs of approaching Pokémon behind her, and she looked back in alarm. Zoroark knew an opportunity when it arose. "Come with me!" he commanded, leaving no room for argument as he caught hold of her arm and yanking her along. They both shot down the path, running around trees and ducking under branches, as the human's terrified screeching acted like an annoyingly loud beacon. 'Just let me reach the stairs, for the love of Arceus...'
The footsteps wee still following them when they reached another clearing, and he spotted the stairs to their right. "Down there!"
He immediately took off, dragging the huffing human after him. As they bolted down the stairs, he heard several large bodies burst into the clearing and shout, "Oi, hold o-!"
The commanding voice was cut off the moment his feet touched the ground. He looked around them, but there were clearly no more pursuers after them. Once that sank in, he finally allowed himself a moment to catch his breath, chest heaving deeply. "Hah...hah... We finally got away from them..." He let go of the human and shot her an irritated look. "Not much of a runner, are you?"
"I jus' woke up," she mumbled defensively. She was stopped over with an arm wrapped around herself, but she didn't seem to be injured anywhere. Once she had recovered enough from their impromptu run, she surveyed their surroundings with an air of interest. "So... Where are we?"
"We're in a mystery dungeon." The human looked at him with confusion. Right, amnesia.
"Wha's tha'?"
"I can tell you a bit about it, if you come with me," he said.
This time, there was no hesitation as the human stepped closer to him, and she even wrapped her arms around his own arm. He could feel his heart skip a beat from surprise. "'Huh, who would have thought I'd have a human clinging onto me?' Absentmindedly, he reached up to pat her head.
Zoroark led her down a path to their left. "So, mystery dungeons are pretty much mysterious, even to us. They're basically multi-leveled mazes that constantly changes layouts on different levels, with many Pokémon that want to rip your face off and eat it. Anything and everything under the sun does not work normally in here; you get hungry faster and stuff."
Her eyes were as wide as Poké by the end of his brief explanation. "Why wou'd you wan' 'o come here?" she asked, mystified. "Isn' i' 'angewous?"
"Why do you think I have this?" On a impulse, he held up the bag he had taken from her. Since she had amnesia, she surely wild to remember having belongings. Right?
The human was staring at it for an uncomfortable length of time, and Zoroark was starting to worry if she did have some memories after all when she finally looked away. "I see. So you jus' go awone?"
"Ah, well..." Zoroark mulled over it for a bit before he mentally shrugged. No harm in divulging some information. It wasn't like she could do anything with it. "I usually dive into these places with my buddies, but they're not around today, so here I am." He flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Actually, I think it's a good thing I came alone, or else we would have scared you off by accident."
'And ruin my chances.'
"Yeah," she agreed shyly. "'o 'ell you the 'wuth, I was afaid of you whe' I firs' saw you, bu'... I'm gad I wistened 'o you 'ow."
"Me too."
The numerous twists and turns eventually brought them into another forest clearing, which had a set of stairs in the corner. Zoroark stopped in his tracks, and the human gave him a confused look. "This should be the last floor of the dungeon," he explained. "Once we go down these stairs, we'll reach the end of the forest."
The human released his arm and stepped back with uncertainty scribbled all over her face. "Hey, everything's going to be okay. You don't have have anywhere to go, right?"
She shook her head, looking very much miserable with that fact.
"Then why don't I bring you to my house?" he offered. "My friends won't mind you."
"Your...house?" she asked, eyebrows drawn together.
"Well, it's not a house per say. It's more like a...base? Anyhow, it's temporary, but it's still good enough for another person to stay."
"... Where?" she asked, arms wrapped around her torso.
... Ah. "Where? Uh, I'm not too sure how to describe it to you, but it's somewhere near the coast," he lied. "We're not gonna stay there forever, but it should be good enough for a while."
She tilted her head. "An' you wan' me there?"
"Of course! I can't just ignore a kid in trouble," he said jovially, and he even patted her on her head. Her eyes jerked up to meet his, shining awe in them. "Even if they're a human. I tell you though, when I first saw you, I thought I was hallucinating!"
"Why?"
"Because they don't exist here."
"Huh?!" the human squeaked, any trace of happiness gone. "There's 'o humans here?"
"Nope. None. Zero. They're basically fairy tales to the kids, which is why I can't let anyone see you," Zoroark said seriously. "If anyone sees even a glimpse of you, everyone'll go nuts. You're a rarity - no, an impossibility - and any normal 'Mon would love to have you as a novelty. We don't need that kind of thing at the moment. I mean, soon we'll have to let someone see you, but in the meantime, you'll have to stay out of sight."
The human was staring st the ground and twisting her shirt in her hands. He wondered what was going through her mind right now. Did she find his words believable? She wasn't...going to run off the moment they stepped out of the dungeon, is she? He hoped not. It would be such a hassle to carry a knocked-out kid all the way to Aggra.
She hesitantly looked up at him. "You... Wi' you hep me ge' my memowies back?" she whispered.
Zoroark could barely swallow down his frustration. It was already hard enough to comprehend her words without her whispering all the damn time. If he wasn't trying to earn her trust, he would've given her a solid cuff over the head! "Your...memories? That one, we'll have to deal with later. We'll get into deep trouble if we stay here too-"
From all around them, a low droning groan crept up their backs.
All of the colour drained from the human's face. "Ah... Ah...!"
"That's our cue to leave!" He grabbed her arm and yanked her along as they bolted towards the stairs
Their steps echoed loudly as they stampeded down the stairs, the human's frightened squeaks grated on his already frayed nerves. At one point, he could've sworn that he felt something touch his back, and he pumped his legs harder than ever, heart pounding wildly out of his chest. He kept running and running and running until-
"Thank Arceus!" the human yelped as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She slipped out of his grip and collapsed bonelessly onto the ground, wheezing and clutching her stomach. Even Zoroark had to take a breather and let his heartbeat slow down. "W-w-wha' was th-tha'?!"
"Nothing you have to care about anymore," he grunted. At least, not anymore. But that was close. If he was careless enough to let this human slip out of his grasp...
Glancing back, he could see the visible shaking going through her thin frame, and she kept clawing at her stomach. 'Crap.'
He knelt down beside her, tapping her on her shoulder. "Hey, you alright?" She wasn't having some sort of reaction with the mystery dungeon, is she? Ah crap, the last thing he needed was the human kicking the bucket on him.
After a few tense moments, the trembling subsided slightly, and the human shot him a look of pure terror. "I-I-I-"
His grip tightened ever so slightly. "Are you hurt?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Her head jerked from side to side. "I'm fi'e... I'm fi'e..." she whimpered, trying to stand despite her weakened appearance. The human finally managed to stand on her own two feet, and her cheeks coloured. "I-I'm sowwy!"
A little of his irritation ebbed away when it was clear that she wasn't going to keel over. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have been so pissed if with her. This, to her, must be her first time in a mystery dungeon. "Hey, uh... Sorry about losing my temper like that. I, uh, should've been more patient with you."
Zoroark felt himself die a little on the inside.
(Un)fortunately, the human's face lit up. "Is alwight! I' was my faul', I jus' overweacted," she insisted.
It seemed like she bought his words, thank Arceus. "You ready to keep going?" he asked.
She nodded enthusiastically, skipping forward to cling onto him. He had to admit it, Zoroark was a little taken aback by her sudden peppiness. Maybe the mystery dungeon was affecting her negatively after all. "Then let's keep going."
They kept walking. However, it wasn't long before they reached the end of Nozama Forest. It was immediately clear to the duo that continuing on was impossible, due to the think clusters of trees and bushes blocking their way. 'So if this is the end, there should be an exit somewhere.'
After telling the human to stay where she was, Zoroark searched every crook and cranny of the dead end, poking at suspicious openings. He was so absorbed in his task that his surroundings was muted, and he only bothered to look up when the human cried out. The next second, pain bit his shoulder.
~0~
Nisha didn't even see it happen. One moment, he was standing next to her, and the next he was lying on the ground with a large gash in his shoulder. The thought that it could have easily been her was squashed by Zoroark's groans, and she hastily dropped to her knees to help him up. Zoroark swatted away her fluttering hands impatiently. "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt," he growled, despite the blood seeping through his claws. Pushing himself to his feet, he screamed at the lifeless forest that he claimed was a dead end. "Cowards, why don't you come out and fight me face-to-face?!"
"If that is what you wish."
Nisha squeaked in shock as a lanky, blue frog Pokémon dropped from a tree. The creature was nothing like Zoroark; a tall being that moved with grace, yet exuded an aura of danger and stealth. His expression was impassive, and a glowing shuriken spun rapidly in his hand, which Nisha had no doubts was the cause of Zoroark's injury. 'Is he one of the crazy Pokémon Zoroark talked about?'
The frog Pokémon shifted his gaze to her, and something in his face changed. "What-?!"
It was the perfect distraction for Zoroark. He unleashed a dark beam of energy at the frog, whose lapse of attention made it paralysed long enough for his attack to connect. The frog was knocked clean off its feet and smashed against a tree, sliding to the base with a dazed expression.
Nisha has no time to reflect on the brutality of the attack before he snatched her arm and pulled her in another direction. "Whoa!"
The pretty greenery turned into a blur as they dashed down a dirt path. She barely had time to turn her head back before he snapped at her, "Don't look back, just keep running!"
"He's gone!" she screamed.
"Gone?! That fast... Wait, no, never mind that now! Just keep going, or he'll catch up!"
Just what was going on?! She woke up without memories, she ran into a friendly Zoroark who offered his help in retrieving said memories, that weird wind chased them out of the dungeon, then a weird frog was chasing them now! Zoroark was hissing through his teeth as blood soaked his fur and her jacket sleeve, but he kept powering on with barely faltering speed.
Just what was he made of?
Definitely more than what she was made of. It was all she could do to keep her legs moving, pain gnawing at her muscles, and her chest hurt with every step. The skin above her stomach burned like acid, it hurt so bad. Her head throbbed, and the dangerous wobbling in her legs threatened to pitch her forward head-first. If this kept up, Nisha was sure that she will pass out sooner or later.
"We're nearly there, just hang on for a while lo-" All of a sudden, two more Pokémon materialised out of nowhere and stopped them dead in their tracks, one grinning impishly and the other with a serious frown on its face.
"Going somewhere?"
"End of the line, outlaw!"
'Outlaw?'
"And who's this?" Her poor heart nearly stopped when the green giant knelt down to peer at her face. His overall demeanour seemed gentle, but all she could see were his think arms that looked capable of snapping her in half. "Wait... Is that-?"
"Just another one of his illusions," the orange fox sneered, twirling a slender twig in his paw. He jabbed the twig at her, and despite its unmenacing appearance, Nisha couldn't help but feel uneasy about it. "A useless one, yes, but still a hindrance."
She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand. A tiny spark jumped from the tip of the twig, and the next second, she was violently pushed aside and rolling down a slope helter-skelter.
Her vision was filled with green and brown. Her shoulders, back, everywhere hit every stone and branch imaginable, and yet her hands were far too uncoordinated to grab anything to stop her fall. Every inch of her exposed skin stung like crazy from scrapes, and she was almost sure she would fall into a river or a pit when her back hit a tree with a deafening crack.
Stars burst in her vision. The pain in her back was almost suffocating, and it was only after some heavy breathing that she stopped seeing flashing colours in her vision. Slowly rolling onto her stomach, Nisha pushed herself up to her knees and looking around her. She had ended up at the bottom of a slope with a path of destruction left in her rolling wake. Her clothes and hair were full of broken twigs, and her hands were bleeding from the many bumps and scratches.
Nisha clambered back to her feet, rubbing her throbbing spine. Something fell to her feet, and she looked down to see the bag Zoroark had with him. How did she end up with this? Did she somehow snatch it up before she fell, or did he give it to her himself? Why would he do that?! He was going to get seriously hurt if she didn't go to help him!
She snatched up the bag and began climbing the slope. Fingers digging into the soil, she used the loose stones and roots to scale her way back to the top. She didn't have a plan, but she couldn't just leave her newfound friend to fight those Pokémon on his own! Yes, she didn't know how she was going to do that, but...but...but there had to be something she could do!
She was halfway up the slope when a deafening explosion rocked the very earth under her. The ground came loose under her fingers and she found herself falling flat on her back, wind knocked completely out of her. "Ah!"
She struggled to her feet again. 'What's going on?' Nisha was prepared to start climbing again when she saw it: a pair of blue eyes staring back at her from above.
She then noticed the rest of the body. It was Zoroark! But...something was different about him. She couldn't see the playfulness in his eyes, only a cold calculating look that unnerved her greatly. As she watched, he rose to his full height...and that wasn't him. This one was way taller than the already tall Zoroark she knew. There was a vibe around him that screamed "I will rip you to pieces if you so much as look at me the wrong way".
Simply put, he was dangerous.
They stared at each other for an undeterminable length of time, and he took a step towards her. That was all it took to get her flying in the opposite direction.
What was with these Pokémon?! Even with amnesia, she was very sure that they weren't supposed to be like this! They were supposed to be nice and friendly and...and...and weren't supposed to attack you from out of the blue! And they called Zoroark an outlaw too... No, she can't think about that now!
Nisha has been running down the same dirt path for the past few minutes, but there seemed to be no end in sight. She could t hear any pursuing footsteps, but that meant very little in light of their ability to sneak silently. She desperately hoped that Zoroark was alright. She didn't want her last thought to be the guilt she felt for bringing this chaos onto him.
Then her stinging eyes were assualted with sunlight. Yes!
The seemingly infinite trees has finally came to a halt, giving way to a near grassy field with a curving path cutting through it. However, her troubles were far from over. If anything, they just amplified. With her in the open, it would be so easy for anyone to strike her friend around. She needed a hiding place, now.
There! There was a rocky den off to the side with an ominously gaping mouth. There was no indication - hostile or friendly - occupying the den, but she couldn't afford to care about that right now. Exerting what little strength she had in pumping her legs at full speed, Nisha dove into the den and finally collapsed into a hapless lump.
For the next few moments, there was only the sound of laboured breathing and spluttering. She couldn't remember the last time she ran this fast and panickedly (literally), but it must be quite often, because every part of her body hurt. Her muscles were screaming in protest. Her skin was burning from the exposed wounds, and whimpers were slipping past her pursed lips. Her mind felt like jello. She couldn't even bring herself to care about potential enemies munching on her sweaty face, she just wanted all of this to be over and she wanted her memories back and-
Outside, she heard the grass rustling in a perculiar way, and her heart stopped dead. 'Oh yeah. That's why I'm in here.'
Nisha scrambled away from the entrance, but it was too late. As she watched on with dread, a figure walked up to the entrance of the den with crossed arms. There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide. All she could do was close her eyes and accept the inevitable.