FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1A Grovyle and a Golduck walked through a lush forest on the

continent of Andara as they carried out their security patrol. It was tedious,

low-paying work, but it was often all they could get. Having just formed a

rescue team, they travelled to the eastern frontier of the Pokémon Federation,

thinking that there would be a great need for rescue teams on the edge of

civilization. The competition, however, turned out to be far greater than they

realized and they had fallen on hard times."We're almost out of money," Cyril the Grovyle said. "These

patrols and what few E and D rank jobs there are just aren't bringing in enough

to keep us afloat.""It'll be all right," Lance the Golduck replied. "We can't

be too far off from bronze rank. After we're promoted, we'll have access to

better jobs.""I don't think we can hold out that long," Cyril stated. "Besides,

the competition is just as fierce for the C and B rank jobs." He stopped

walking and sighed. Looking down at the ground, he kicked a pebble at his feet,

sending it skipping along the path before them. "I can't believe I actually

thought it was a good idea to start a rescue team all the way out here in the

middle of nowhere. I should've known it would end badly. What a disaster.""You had good intentions," Lance said. "And for what it's

worth, I thought it was a good idea at the time too. We just need to keep doing

what we can and hope our luck changes.""Yeah, maybe you're right," Cyril said. He took a moment to

observe his surroundings. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but there were ominous

storm clouds on the horizon moving their way."Looks like we've got a storm rolling in," Lance noted."Yeah... looks like it's going to be a bad one." A bright

orange light in the distance suddenly caught Cyril's attention. "Did you see

that?" he asked as he reached into his bag and pulled out a monocular. After

peering through the scope for a moment, he handed the monocular to Lance. "Looks

like some kind of rift. What do you think?"Lance observed the anomaly through the scope, but before he

could say anything, a massive white and blue Pokémon flew low overhead towards

the anomaly, startling both himself and Cyril."A Lugia!" Lance exclaimed. "There's a mon you don't see

everyday.""It's headed for the rift!" Cyril said as he started to jog

towards the anomaly. "Come on! Let's check it out!""That's way outside of our patrol perimeter," Lance noted as

he jogged alongside the Grovyle. "Cale's going to want answers when we get

back.""I think he would approve of this diversion," Cyril said,

attempting to reassure his teammate as well as himself. Gods, I hope I'm right about that.

At the site of the spatial rift, hurricane winds generated

by the rift wreaked havoc on the surrounding area, stripping trees of their leaves

and snapping branches or uprooting them entirely. Nearly a minute after the

rift formed, a female Human-turned-Charmeleon was violently expelled from the

rift, wide-eyed and screaming as she quickly approached the ground. Landing

harshly on the forest floor, she rolled over several times before coming to a

stop on her side with the wind knocked out of her. The wind continued to buffet

her body for several more seconds before the rift finally collapsed.After a few minutes, the exhausted Charmeleon turned herself

onto her belly and pushed herself up so that she was standing on her knees. She

regretted this action almost immediately as a wave of nausea fell upon her,

causing her to vomit. After she finished unleashing the contents of her stomach

upon the ground, the Charmeleon realized that there was something not quite

right about her body.What happened to me?The Charmeleon looked down at her clawed hands. Her eyes

slowly scanned up her red left arm towards her shoulder, then from her chest

down to her white belly. She gently stood up, not wanting to aggravate her

nausea. Looking down, her legs had changed significantly as well, taking on the

same red color as most of her body and changing to a digitigrade configuration.

Her eyes finally came to rest on her clawed feet.What have I become?The Charmeleon slowly walked forward to test her new legs.

She immediately stopped when she felt a part of herself dragging along the

ground. The Charmeleon glanced behind her, noticing that she now had a tail...

with an intense flame burning at the end of it!"Shit! Shit!" the Charmeleon screamed. Now in a state of

total panic, she grabbed her tail and started slamming the tip of it into the

ground. Realizing that the flame wasn't going out, the Charmeleon quickly looked

around for a water source to put out the flame. Her eyes came to rest on a

depression in the ground filled with water, which she quickly ran over to with

her tail still in hand. Just as the Charmeleon was about to submerge the flame,

a powerful force suddenly yanked her backwards, causing her to fall onto her

tail before sliding to a stop.What just happened?

the Charmeleon wondered as she lay dazed on her back. The sudden movement and

the resulting impact threatened to aggravate her nausea, but she was able to

resist vomiting this time. As she stared up at the sky, the head of a large,

white and blue creature moved into her field of view. The Charmeleon froze in

fear as she stared into the emerald-green eyes of the enormous creature."I suggest you refrain from putting out your tail's flame,"

the Lugia said in a soft female voice. "It's a normal function of your body and

necessary to sustain your life." As she finished speaking, her eyes suddenly

began to glow blue.The Charmeleon could feel the same force from before gently

lift her off the ground. It was a most unusual experience, feeling the strange

force caress her body as it reoriented her to a standing position and set her

down softly on her feet.Telekinesis? What else

is this creature capable of? the Charmeleon wondered. At this point, the

Charmeleon became aware of the fact that she was standing nude in front of

another person. She used her hands to cover herself up the best that she could."There's no need to be shy," the Lugia said. "As you'll soon

discover, few Pokémon bother with clothing. You are Human, yes?""H-how did you know?" the Charmeleon asked, moving her hands

to her sides as she relaxed."All the signs are there," the Lugia replied. "The unusual

shyness that you displayed a moment ago. Your attempt to put out your tail's

flame as though your life was in danger. And then, of course, there's your

grand entrance." The Lugia looked around at the damage caused by the rift. "When

I saw that rift, I couldn't resist the urge to get a closer look. It was truly

a spectacular sight!""At least you didn't have to fly through it," the Charmeleon

said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She was lucky that the landing left

her without any serious injuries. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?""Gods, where are my manners?" the Lugia said with a bright

smile on her face. "My name is Athena. And who might you be?""The name's... uh, my name is..." The Charmeleon's mind drew a

blank. How could she have forgotten her own name?"You've lost your memories," Athena stated with a note of

sympathy in her voice. "That seems to be a common problem for Humans who come

to our world. However, the memory loss usually isn't permanent. I might be able

to dig up your name at least."Athena's eyes glowed once more. At the same time, the

Charmeleon could feel a powerful, yet gentile, presence enter her mind. The

Charmeleon remained motionless, looking straight into Athena's eyes. After a

long moment, Athena's eyes returned to normal as she terminated the psychic

link."Your memories of the Human world are largely intact, though

there are a few gaps," Athena said. "Your memories of personal identity,

however, are severely damaged. Even with a stronger mind probe, I doubt I would

be able to retrieve much, and I'm a powerful psychic."The Charmeleon was deflated by this news. "So it's hopeless?

Can't you try a stronger mind probe?"Athena shook her head. "The stronger the mind probe, the

more painful and dangerous it becomes to the recipient. I'd rather not do that

unless absolutely necessary. However, while I was in your mind, I was able to

come up with a word that seemed to be ever present: Zira. I believe that's your

name.""Zira..." the Charmeleon said quietly. The name seemed

strangely familiar despite her damaged memory. The more she thought about it,

the more it sounded right. "My name is Zira."Athena smiled warmly. "Pleased to meet you, Zira."The sound of thunder caught the attention of both Pokémon,

drawing their gazes towards the menacing storm clouds that were rolling in. The

wind was beginning to pick up speed as well. It wouldn't be long before it

started to rain."It's time for us to part ways," Athena said. She pointed

east with one of her massive fingers. "About three hours walk that way, you'll

find a settlement where you should be able to get some help, but I suggest you

seek out shelter first. The coming storm looks like it'll be a bad one and a

fire-type such as yourself doesn't want to be stuck in it." Athena spread out

her wings and leaped into the air. She looked down at Zira one last time as she

hovered in place. "I hope we'll meet again someday!""Wait!" Zira screamed as Athena adjusted her direction. "Please

don't leave me!" But her plea was of no use. She watched helplessly as the

Lugia sped away from her with a few quick flaps of her wings.All alone now, Zira dejectedly walked back to the pool of

water where she had attempted to extinguish her tail's flame. Crouching at the

water's edge, she could see her reflection on the calm surface. Staring back at

her was a pair of sharp, sapphire-blue eyes. Zira brought her hands up to her

face, rubbing them over the surface of her new snout. She then brought a hand

around to the back of her head where she could feel a single horn sticking out

the back of it.Why did this happen to

me? Why can't I remember who I am?Zira prodded her broken mind for answers, for anything that

might explain her current predicament, but no matter how hard she tried to

remember, nothing useful would come to her. Tears began to stream down her

face. She had no memory of her past and no knowledge about the world that she

was now in. It was all too much. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried not to

cry.Wiping away the tears, Zira noticed that the tip of her tail

was resting to her right. Her despair giving way to curiosity, Zira grasped the

tip of her tail and held it in front of her. As she stared into the flame

dancing on the tip of her tail, she couldn't help but admire its beauty."I guess it's just you and me now," Zira said. For better or

for worse, this flame was now a part of her. It was curious, however, that the

flame didn't seem to cause her any discomfort. Athena had mentioned that she

was a fire-type. Perhaps that made her resistant to the effects of fire. To

test the theory, she brought her other hand up to the tip of her tail and

slowly moved it into the flame. Not only did it not burn her hand, it actually

felt quite pleasant.A loud crack of thunder pulled her attention away from the

flame to the sky above. The storm clouds were now directly above her and the

wind was continuing to pick up speed. With a sense of urgency, Zira stood up

and started jogging in the direction that Athena had pointed in earlier. With

luck, she would find shelter before the storm fell upon her. Luck, however, was

not on her side.Zira didn't get far before rain began to fall heavily. The

rain droplets felt like icicles impacting against her skin. She was more

worried, however, at what the rain might do to her tail's flame. Just how

resistant was her flame to rainfall? Glancing behind her, she noticed that her

flame was flickering wildly from the onslaught of rain.After about thirty minutes, it became obvious that she was

in trouble. Zira panted as she continued to jog. Her throat burned and her legs

ached from the exertion. At this point, she was desperate to find shelter. As

Zira scanned her surroundings, her eyes spotted what appeared to be an entrance

into an unusually dense patch of vegetation. Hoping that it might provide cover

from the rain, she ran over to investigate.As Zira approached the entrance, she noticed that the

scenery beyond the opening appeared to be shimmering slightly, as though there

was a layer of water between her and what lay beyond. Zira reached out with her

right hand, passing it through the entrance, which reacted to the intrusion by

shimmering wildly around her wrist. Zira expected the shimmering entrance to

feel like water, given its appearance, but it instead felt like a frigid wind. Zira

pulled her hand back out and stared at it, seeing that it was unharmed.That's absolutely

bizarre.Walking into the anomaly was certainly risky, but Zira's

curiosity was overpowering. Besides, she desperately wanted to get out of the

rain. Her skin felt like it was covered in ice. Taking a deep breath, Zira

stepped into the shimmering entrance.Zira's entire body was hit with a blast of icy wind as she

stepped into the anomaly. After a brief moment, she found herself in a

clearing, surrounded by trees and vegetation so thick that it seemed to form a

room. Sunlight shone through the thick canopy as though the storm raging above

didn't exist.What in the world is

going on here? How is this even possible?As grateful as she was to be out of the storm, Zira found

the eerily calm scene around her disturbing, enough so that she would rather

take her chances with the storm outside. She turned around to leave, but the

entrance had vanished."Shit," Zira whispered. There was nothing to do now but

press onward and hope that there was another way out. Turning towards the

corridor to her right, she noticed a stick at her feet that looked like a crude

spear. Thinking it would be handy to have something to defend herself with, she

picked up the stick and proceeded down the corridor.As Zira made her way through the corridor, she noticed that

she couldn't hear the sounds of wildlife or feel the wind blowing. Combined

with the odd entrance, the strange layout of the forest, and the vanishing

storm above, Zira became convinced that she was stuck in an anomaly of some

sort. Exactly what that anomaly was, she could only guess.After several minutes, Zira walked into another room. It was

much like the previous room, except this one had a flight of stairs in the

center of it leading up to a shimmering spot in the air.Now I've seen

everything, Zira thought as she approached the stairs. This place was

getting weirder by the moment. Standing at the base of the stairs, Zira looked

up at the shimmering spot, seeing what appeared to be another wooded area on

the other side. Hoping that she'd found a way out of the anomaly, Zira quickly

walked up the stairs.After passing through the shimmering layer, Zira found

herself in another room. A quick look around revealed another set of stairs

just twenty meters away. Zira couldn't hold back her disappointment that the

stairs didn't lead her out of the anomaly.I should've figured it

wouldn't be that easy. I wonder how many floors this place has.A growl from behind sent a shiver down Zira's spine. Turning

around, she saw a purple quadruped with large ears and spikes on its head and

back staring at her. It bared its teeth and growled once more as she made eye

contact with it. Zira brought the tip of her spear to bear on the aggressive

Nidorino.As Zira slowly walked backwards towards the stairs, the

Nidorino charged at her. Zira prepared to dodge as she tightened her grip on

the spear, the tip still aimed at the Nidorino. At the last moment, she

sidestepped to the left, driving the tip of the spear into the attacking

Pokémon's shoulder. The force of the impact snapped the spear in half and

knocked Zira off of her feet.The Nidorino unleashed a bloodcurdling scream as it fell to

the ground with half of the spear embedded in its shoulder. Zira quickly got

back onto her feet, discarding what remained of the spear. Out of the corner of

her eye, she saw two more Nidorinos enter the room. Upon seeing her, both of

the newcomers charged towards her. Realizing that this was a battle she couldn't

win, Zira bolted for the stairs.Scrambling up the stairs to the next floor, Zira once again

found herself in another room. Fearing that the Nidorinos might chase her up

the stairs, she immediately ran for one of the corridors leading out of the

room. Zira berated herself internally for not noticing the first Nidorino

sooner and for losing her spear in the resulting fight. That was a costly

mistake, one that she couldn't afford to make again. Without the spear, all she

had left were her claws and she wasn't sure how effective they would be. As she

approached the next room, the sound of people talking reached her ears.Talking? I'm saved!Zira joyously ran into the room towards a group of three

Pokémon. They appeared to be discussing something when one of them, a large,

green reptilian with a fern-like tail took notice of her."Hey, Galen," the Sceptile said, addressing a green-eyed

Charizard. "We've got company."The other two members of the group glanced in her direction.

Galen walked towards her, followed shortly by the others."Well, what do we have here,

boys?" Galen asked."It looks like we have ourselves a lost Charmeleon," the

Lucario said. "A pretty one too."Galen and the Lucario stood in front of Zira while the

Sceptile moved around behind her. Zira was surrounded."Uh... any chance you guys could help me get out of this

place?" Zira asked, now feeling very uneasy."Maybe," Galen said. "Tell me, what are you doing walking

through a dungeon in the frontier without so much as a travel bag?""Dungeon?" Zira asked, now totally confused. "Is that why

this place is so strange?""You... don't know what a mystery dungeon is?" Galen asked. He

seemed to ponder something for a moment before arriving at a conclusion. "You're

a Human," he said, taking a step towards her. "That disturbance in the forest...

that was you!"Zira's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. Alarm

bells were ringing loudly in her head. What was Galen getting at?"The look on your face is all the confirmation I need,"

Galen said. "I just have one more question. Do you know any moves?"Zira blinked. "M-moves?"Galen smiled faintly. "I see." He looked up at the Sceptile

standing behind Zira. "Grab her!"Before Zira could react, the Sceptile grabbed her tail and

then wrapped both arms around her. Zira began to struggle. "Hey! Let go! What

the fuck are you doing?""I know of someone who's paying a lot of money for Human

test subjects," Galen said. "What we can get for you will pay our expenses for

the next few months."Zira continued her effort to free herself from the Sceptile's

grip. As she struggled, a strange pressure began to form in her chest. Smoke

began to stream out of her nostrils as the pressure rapidly increased. Within

moments, her chest felt like it was about to burst."She's a feisty one, isn't she?" Galen said. He looked over

at the Lucario standing next to him. "Hit her with a stun seed."The Lucario reached into his bag and pulled out a seed.

Cracking the shell, he reached his arm back as he prepared to throw the seed.

Before he could, however, Zira opened her mouth and unleashed a jet of fire

towards him. The Lucario screamed as he fell to the ground, his body completely

aflame.The sudden flame attack caused the other two outlaws to jump

backwards in surprise. Free of the Sceptile's grip, Zira bolted for one of the

corridors leading out of the room, barely dodging Galen's slash attack as she

ran past him. Zira ran as fast as her legs could carry her, knowing that the

two remaining outlaws were in pursuit.The next room that Zira entered contained several feral

Pokémon, all of which immediately charged towards her. Just as she stopped to

assess her situation, the outlaw Sceptile tackled her to the ground."Got you, you little--AAHHH!" the Sceptile yelled. All of the

wild Pokémon pounced onto the Sceptile, knocking him off of Zira. He attempted

to fight back with his leaf blade attack, but with the feral Pokémon all over

him, the movement of his arms was restricted, leaving him virtually

defenseless. The Sceptile let out an agonizing scream as the wild Pokémon

continuously bit, slashed, and stabbed him. Zira got back onto her feet and

turned around just in time to see a Nidorino ram its horn into the Sceptile's

chest, ending his suffering. Her stomach turned at the gruesome sight before

her.With the Sceptile dead, the wild Pokémon turned their

attention towards Galen, who had just entered the room. As a battle erupted

between Galen and the feral Pokémon, Zira took a moment to scan her

surroundings for a set of stairs. What she found instead was a shimmering view

of the outside world on one of the walls.That must be the way

out!Zira ran towards the opening as fast as she could. Emerging

on the other side, she was immediately drenched by torrential rain. The storm

had gained strength during the time that she was stuck in the dungeon and it

didn't look like it would be ending soon. Realizing that she was still in grave

danger from both the weather and from Galen, Zira ran for the nearby forest.The trees of the forest offered little protection from the

tempest above. The rain and the wind continued to assault Zira's body as she

ran haphazardly through the forest. Between the brutal weather and her

experience in the dungeon, Zira felt like she was trapped in a nightmare that

she couldn't wake up from.Bursting out of the forest, Zira arrived at the edge of a

cliff. A river vigorously flowed about fifteen meters below. Zira took a moment

to catch her breath, but it didn't take long before she began to shiver as the

rain continued to pummel her. Just as she turned around to head back into the

forest, a fire blast attack struck the ground in front of her, sending her

flying backwards onto the ground."End of the line for you," Galen yelled as he hovered in

place, an expression of pure rage on his face.Zira quickly picked herself up off of the ground and

attempted to respond with the same flame attack she'd used in the dungeon. Zira

took in a deep breath as she tilted her head back, and then, lunging her head

forward, she blew all of the air out of her lungs. Unfortunately, air was the

only thing that came out of her mouth. Zira's blood turned to ice at her sudden

inability to produce the powerful flame attack.Galen laughed. "I guess that flamethrower in the dungeon was

a fluke!" Galen set himself down on the ground and folded his wings behind his

back. The claws on both of his hands began to glow a bright white and extended

in length. "You're coming with me!" he said, walking towards Zira.Zira's heart beat rapidly in her chest as she backpedaled

towards the cliff's edge. Attempting to run would be futile and there was no

way that she'd win a fight against the angry Charizard. Surrender was also off

the table as she didn't want to become someone's unwilling test subject. There

was only one option left. Choosing to place her life in the hands of fate, she

spun around and leaped into the water below.As Zira plummeted into the raging river, she felt a wave of

deep cold run throughout her entire body. After swimming to the surface, she

looked up at the cliff, noticing her would-be captor staring at her blankly as

she quickly floated away from him. At this point, she became aware of the speed

at which she was moving. Turning herself around, she discovered, to her horror,

that she was fast approaching a waterfall. With no way out of the river and

nothing to grab on to, she had no choice but to ride the waterfall down.Careening over the waterfall, Zira fell another twenty

meters. This time, the landing wasn't so forgiving. Splashing into the water at

the base of the waterfall, her right leg struck a jagged rock, tearing into her

skin just above the knee. Zira cried out in pain underwater. She made her way

back to the surface and dragged herself onto the shore, shivering badly. Seeing

a nearby tree that would provide some cover from the rain, she limped over to

it so that she could examine the full extent of her injury.The encounter with the rock had left a large gash in the

side of her leg that was bleeding heavily. Zira put pressure on the wound to

slow the bleeding. At this point, she noticed something rather worrying. The

deep cold that she felt when she first jumped into the river hadn't disappeared

despite being out of most of the rain. In fact, it seemed to be growing worse.

It suddenly occurred to her what might have happened. Bringing the tip of her

tail into view, she saw that the flame had gone out, revealing the existence of

hundreds of tiny pores covering the tip of her tail where the flame had once

been."No..." Zira said quietly as she grasped her tail near the tip

with her shivering, blood-covered hand. Athena's warning about putting out her

flame was booming through her mind. She hadn't considered her tail's flame when

she chose to jump into the river. With the flame gone, hypothermia was rapidly

setting in. She had to find help. Fast.Zira got back onto her feet, an action that seemed to

require an extraordinary amount of effort. With a hand covering the wound on

her right leg, she limped forward into the rain. As the weather continued its

brutal assault on her failing body, she pressed onward as quickly as she could,

a difficult task considering that her legs felt like they were getting heavier

by the moment.Zira didn't get much farther before she collapsed to her

hands and knees. Expending what little energy she had left, she brought her

good leg forward and attempted to lift herself back off the ground. It was of

no use, however, as her leg gave out, causing her to fall forward onto the wet

ground. As she lay there, the rain continuing to pound her, Zira came to the

realization that death was upon her.No... I don't want to

die, Zira thought, struggling to remain conscious. The shivering ceased as

her body and mind began to shut down. Zira tried to move her limbs, but she had

no energy left. This truly was the end for her. I don't want to die...With that final thought, Zira

slipped into unconsciousness.Several hours passed before Zira opened her eyes. She was

now in a cave, laying by a fire with her head resting on a travel bag. Rainfall

could be heard outside, but there was no thunder. The worst of the storm seemed

to be past. Zira lifted her head and glanced at her tail. The flame had been

rekindled and was now burning brightly. Her eyes then shifted to the injury on

her leg, which had been bandaged. Zira slowly moved herself into a sitting

position, groaning as she did so."Cyril," a male voice near the cave's entrance said. "She's

awake."Zira glanced towards the entrance. Two Pokémon, a Grovyle

and a Golduck, walked towards her. They each wore blue bandanas around their

necks with a light blue logo, a claw surrounded by a hexagon, embroidered on

them."How are you feeling?" the

Grovyle asked, crouching beside her."Better," Zira replied. "Are you

the ones who saved me?"The Grovyle nodded. "Yeah... barely. By the time we got you to

this cave, your life was hanging on by a thread. You're lucky we had a

fire-starting kit with us, or we never would've been able to relight your tail's

flame.""Thank you, both of you, for rescuing me," Zira said,

smiling. "My name's Zira."The Grovyle smiled in return. "My

name's Cyril.""And I'm Lance," the Golduck

said."We're a rescue team called Team Dakota," Cyril continued.

He reached into his bag and pulled out an apple, which he handed to Zira. "You're

probably hungry."Zira's stomach growled as she accepted the apple, reminding

her that she hadn't eaten anything since her arrival on this world. Zira sank her

teeth into the delicious fruit, relishing its sweet flavor. She quickly

devoured the apple, licking the edges of her mouth afterwards. This elicited a

chuckle from both of her rescuers."That's quite the appetite," Lance said. "I wish we had an

oran berry to give you as well. That'd help your leg heal.""So... were the two of you just passing through the area?"

Zira asked, wanting to strike up some friendly conversation."Not exactly," Cyril replied. "We came to investigate what

looked like a rift, but we missed it. We were just heading back to base empty

handed when we saw you and that Charizard run out of a dungeon. If you don't

mind us asking, what happened?"Zira looked down at the ground and sighed. "All right. I'll

start from the beginning."Zira told her story while her rescuers listened intently.

She covered everything that had happened since her emergence from the rift,

including her memory loss and her Humanity. Cyril's and Lance's faces were

filled with wonder as she told her tale. After she finished speaking, her

rescuers remained silent for a long moment as they processed what she had told

them."That's quite the amazing story," Lance said. "Also some

amazingly bad luck."Zira giggled at Lance's statement. "That's putting it

mildly," she said. "So what happens now?""First, we need to get you to Seneca outpost," Cyril said. "The

healers there can fix your leg so that not even a scar remains." He glanced at

the cave's entrance. "The rain stopped. We should get moving if we want to be

there by sundown."Cyril helped Zira off the ground, slinging one of her arms

around his neck. Lance put out the fire with his water gun attack and picked up

Cyril's travel bag, hanging it on his shoulder with his own travel bag.

Finally, the group stepped out of the cave into the damp forest.Zira limped along the best she could. She was grateful to

have Cyril by her side. The Grovyle supported most of her weight when she

stepped on her wounded leg. Lance walked by her other side, occasionally

scanning their surroundings. Zira figured he was just being cautious, not

wanting the group to be jumped by outlaws such as those she encountered

earlier.Nearly an hour after they started walking, a sudden ray of

sunshine caught Zira's attention, drawing her eyes to the sky above. The clouds

were beginning to part, revealing the blue sky and the setting sun. The group

stopped briefly at a spring so that they could each quench their thirst before

pressing on towards the outpost at Seneca.It was dark by the time the group finally reached the small

frontier village. As they entered the settlement, two Magnemite guards began to

float towards them, but halted their advance when Lance held up a badge of some

sort and pointed towards his bandana.Walking deeper into the village, Zira gazed at the various

buildings as much as the light from the luminous orb lamps would allow. The

houses and shops varied in appearance as much as their inhabitants. Some of the

wooden structures took on the form of Pokémon, while others were more plainly designed.

At the center of Seneca lay the town square, which contained a fountain,

various shops, and a large building constructed of stone.Cyril and Lance led Zira into the large stone building. The

lobby was abuzz with activity as various Pokémon went about their business.

Some sat at desks shuffling paperwork. Others were standing at a bulletin board

looking at the various postings. Zira wanted to see more, but Cyril immediately

steered her towards a door on the left labelled `Medical'. Inside sat a single

Audino, who immediately jumped out of her seat upon seeing Zira hobbling in."Finally, a real injury to treat," the Audino doctor said. "Please,

have a seat on the bed."Cyril glanced at the Audino's desk as he helped Zira over to

the bed. "Been tracing your hand again?""Nothing happens on the night shift," the Audino said with a

note of frustration. "And in the rare case something does, it's someone saying

they can't sleep.""I was only guilty of that once," Lance noted, earning

himself a glare from the doctor.As the Audino set to work on Zira's leg using her heal pulse

move, a male Flygon wearing a security bandana walked into the room."Where in the world have you two been?" the Flygon asked. "You

never completed your patrol.""We broke off to investigate what looked like a rift," Cyril

replied. "We were going to report our findings to the commander once we were

done here.""Cale's turned in for the night," the Flygon said. "Come

with me. You can give me your report.""Yes sir," Cyril said as he followed the Flygon out of the

medical office."Who was that?" Zira asked."That was Lieutenant Shar," Lance answered. "He's in charge

of the night shift."After a few minutes, the Audino completed her work. "All done!

Good as new."Zira looked down at the site where her leg had been

punctured. Cyril wasn't kidding when he said there wouldn't even be a scar.

Zira hopped off the bed and walked back and took a few steps. Noticing that her

leg did, in fact, seem to be fully healed, Zira turned towards the Audino and

nodded in respect. "Thank you.""You're very welcome," the Audino replied before returning

to her desk.Zira smiled brightly for a moment, having survived the crazy

events of the day, and now she was fully healed as well. Her smile faded though

as happiness gave way to uncertainty. What would happen now? Where should she

go? What should she do? Her mind was flooded with questions about both her past

and her future and she didn't have the slightest clue where to start looking

for answers."Is something wrong, Zira?" Cyril asked as he walked back

into the medical office."I just don't know why I came to this world or where I

should go from here," Zira said. She let out a yawn. Despite her

unconsciousness earlier, she still felt tired. "Do you guys know where I can

stay for the night?""You're welcome to spend the night at our place," Cyril

said. "We've got a spare hammock available."Zira's spirits immediately lifted upon hearing Cyril's

offer. "Really?" Wondering what Lance thought about the idea, she glanced at

the Golduck, who smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Thank you so much."Zira and her rescuers walked out of the medical office into

the lobby. Just as they reached the exit, Cyril turned to Lance with a serious

expression on his face."Shar said you and I need to talk to Cale first thing in the

morning," Cyril said."Oh? Bad news?" Lance asked."He wouldn't say," Cyril answered as he turned around and

walked outside.Zira followed Cyril and Lance out of the security building.

Their path took them out of the square towards a group of wood cabins just off

of the main road. As they walked up to one of the cabins, a horrifying thought

crossed Zira's mind. What if her tail's flame torched the cabin while they

slept? Zira grabbed the tip of her tail and held it in front of her as Cyril

opened the cabin's door."Here it is," Cyril said as he walked into the small cabin. "It's

not much, but it's home."Zira looked around the interior as she walked inside. The cabin

was just as plain inside as it was outside. There was a basic kitchen area just

inside the entrance to the left. Along the other side of the cabin sat a worn

desk and a bookshelf. Three hammocks were suspended in the back of the cabin. A

single sconce holding a luminous orb cast a bluish glow upon the room."I'd prefer to think of it as a temporary home," Lance said,

placing the travel bags he was carrying on the desk. "After we've moved up to

gold rank, I'd like to return to Dakota City.""Yeah, me too," Cyril said. He placed a hand on a hammock

nearest to the door. "This'll be yours, Zira." He turned towards Zira, seeing

her holding her tail. "Ah... yeah, you'll need to be careful with that.

Fortunately, the hammock is fireproof."Knowing the hammock was fireproof put Zira's mind at ease.

She would certainly need to be mindful of her tail's flame in wooden structures

and around easily combustible vegetation, but at least she didn't need to worry

about burning the cabin down while she slept. Zira hopped into the hammock and

sat, facing Cyril."Lance and I need to report to Commander Cale first thing in

the morning," Cyril said. "So we might not be here when you wake up. We shouldn't

be gone long. When we get back, we'll help you decide what to do.""Thank you... for everything," Zira said. "I wish I had a way

to repay both of you.""Don't worry about it," Lance said, smiling. "We're just

glad you're all right." He placed a hand on Cyril's shoulder. "Let's try to get

some sleep. We're either going to sink or swim tomorrow."Cyril sighed. "Yeah..."Zira's mind dwelled on Lance's comment for a moment. Shar

had mentioned earlier that Cyril and Lance never completed their patrol. Were

they going to be punished? The thought made Zira's stomach turn.As Zira made herself comfortable in the hammock, the events

of the day passed through her mind. To say that it had been a crazy day would

be an understatement of galactic proportions. She was lucky to be alive. As

Zira closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, she resolved to find out why she

came to this world. Additionally, she also had another goal in mind.

Somehow, she would find a way to repay Cyril and Lance for

saving her life.