{"sf1_id":333800,"sf2_id":"A1pb23zm","title":"A Life Yet Lived - Chapter 1 (Part 1)","author":"EccentricChimera","words":1932,"posted_at":"2012-02-02T20:17:00.000Z","tags":["Comedy","Cyndaquil","Fanfiction","Plot Development","Pokemon","Umbreon"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/333800-a-life-yet-lived-chapter-1-part-1","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/A1pb23zm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/8a/7a/8a7a173f-49eb-4f22-9186-fd359fc056ea","description":"#2 of A Life Yet Lived","content":" **--Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening--**\n\n**Part 1**\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n--7 MONTHS EARLIER--\n\n\"How is he?\"\n\n\"The subject is stable.\u0026nbsp; I believe that the experiment was successful, doctor.\"\n\n\"Keep an eye on him, Crayton.\u0026nbsp; Make sure that his vitals stay that way.\"\n\nTomas awoke to a world surrounded by darkness.\u0026nbsp; He couldn't see, couldn't speak, and couldn't move at all.\u0026nbsp; He felt numb, floating in a murky void, with only the muffled sounds of conversation to keep him conscious.\u0026nbsp; Where was he?\u0026nbsp; What's happening?\n\nHe began to panic when he heard the voices speak up again.\n\n\"Let's finish the process, Crayton.\u0026nbsp; Begin the Secondary Imbuement Procedure.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\u0026nbsp; Preparing to inject the IV sedative.\"\n\n_'A sedative?'_ Tomas thought with growing anxiety, _'What's happening?\u0026nbsp; What are they doing to me?'_\n\nHe struggled to move.\u0026nbsp; A limb, an eyelash, anything.\u0026nbsp; Nothing worked.\u0026nbsp; He couldn't even _feel_ any of his limbs, assuming that they were still there to begin with.\u0026nbsp; Whatever was happening, one thing was for certain: he was utterly at their mercy.\u0026nbsp; Tomas felt himself slip back into unconsciousness, almost as if he were sinking into a thick, dismal slime.\u0026nbsp; Distant words slipped into his ears before he went under completely.\n\n\"Sorry, Tomas.\u0026nbsp; If only you knew just how importa...\"?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n* * *\n\n**Tomas** awoke to the thick scent of grass and moss.\u0026nbsp; It almost stung his nose, like sleeping in a bed covered with soggy mildew, and he instinctively shook his head in an attempt to be rid of the smell.\n\n_'Great...just like home,'_ he thought bitterly.\u0026nbsp; His eyelids felt heavy, still weighed down with a lingering drowsiness that made every movement an arduous task in itself.\u0026nbsp; It took Tomas another minute or two just to force his eyelids open.\u0026nbsp; It took all of two seconds to quickly snap them shut again, to block out the painful light shining in his face.\n\n\"D...damn it!\" Tomas yelped, bringing a hand over his face to shield his eyes.\u0026nbsp; Except, that's not actually what he heard himself say.\u0026nbsp; He froze, and then spoke again.\n\n\"Umbre, um, umbreon!\"\n\nWhat the hell?\u0026nbsp; Was he still dreaming?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Um, reon!\"\n\nHe forced his trembling eyelids open again, and held them open until his eyes finally adjusted to the light.\u0026nbsp; The first thing he noticed was the short, black snout reaching from just below his eyes, tapered to a small tip several inches in front of his face.\u0026nbsp; Still feeling a bit dazed, he slowly lifted his eyes up to his hand, which was still shielding his face...only, it wasn't exactly a hand.\u0026nbsp; It looked more like a paw.\u0026nbsp; Covered with dark fur.\n\n\"Umbreon?\"\n\nHe moved it back and forth experimentally, flexing the \"fingers\" on the paw.\u0026nbsp; It was definitely his paw all right.\u0026nbsp; But, how was that possible?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Um...\"\n\n_'Oh, wait,'_ Tomas thought, _'I think I'm dreaming.\u0026nbsp; Yeah, that's got to be it.'_\u0026nbsp; It had to be one of those \"lucid dreams\" that he had read about in...in...wait...\n\n...where _did_ he read about it, and when did he read it?\u0026nbsp; Tomas couldn't remember.\u0026nbsp; In fact, he couldn't remember a lot of stuff at the moment.\n\n_'What a weird dream.'_\u0026nbsp; He got to his feet, groggy and a little bit nauseous, and took stock of himself.\u0026nbsp; Sure enough, his whole body seemed to be covered in that same thick, dark fur that he saw on his hand.\u0026nbsp; Or was it a paw, now?\u0026nbsp; Actually, did it really even matter in a dream?\u0026nbsp; Tomas scoffed at the thought.\n\n_'Well, this is a little different...'_ Tomas paused in his thoughts as he turned a paw over, studying the soft, pink padding underneath, _'...but, since I'm already here, I might as well take a look around.\u0026nbsp; See where this dream is going.'_\n\nHe sat up on his haunches, and slowly took in his environment.\u0026nbsp; He was in a forest it seemed, but not one that he recognized.\u0026nbsp; Tall oak trees surrounded him, dotting a landscape that was covered with vibrant grass and flowers that swayed in a soft wind.\u0026nbsp; Neatly trimmed bushes lined the sides of a nearby dirt path which led to what Tomas assumed to be a lake in the distance.\u0026nbsp; It was difficult to see from his position in the fields, but he could make out a shimmering light that assaulted his eyes from that direction.\u0026nbsp; Golden rays of sunlight shone from between thick bunches of leaves in the trees, agitating his sensitive eyes further.\u0026nbsp; The chirps and tweets of various flying Pokemon filled the air above him, mingling with the buzzing and clicks from a few insect Pokemon that were wandering the area as well.\n\n\"Turt!\u0026nbsp; Twig!\"\n\nTomas almost leapt out of his skin as a Turtwig scurried past him and disappeared behind a nearby bush, a cheerful expression on its face.\u0026nbsp; Instead, he jolted backward with a surprised yelp, stumbling over his own paws and landing hard on his butt, tail twitching anxiously behind him.\n\n\"Holy crap!\" he blurted out, heart pounding from the sudden fright, \"W-was that a Turtwig?\u0026nbsp; That thing's almost as big as me!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nTomas was almost about to yell after it when he froze in place, eyes widening as he gradually realized that he had actually understood what it had said:\u0026nbsp; \"Good morning!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was a strange, new awareness for him; what he _understood_ and what he actually _heard_ seemed to be entirely different...and yet, something clicked in the back of his mind.\u0026nbsp; Somehow, without even thinking about it, he was able to grasp the Turtwig's strange and abrupt greeting.\u0026nbsp; But, how was _that_ possible?\n\nHe blinked twice, and shook his head again.\u0026nbsp; \"Am...am I still dreaming?\"\n\n\"Not as far as I can tell,\" a shrill voice said from behind him, \"Were you hit by a Confuse Ray or something?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Umbreon spun around, only to be greeted by the smiling muzzle of a Cyndaquil.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Good morning!\u0026nbsp; Feeling better, mister?\" it inquired with a high pitch, but decidedly female voice.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTomas could do nothing but stare at her, wide eyed and completely dumbfounded.\u0026nbsp; _'What the--!\u0026nbsp; Where did she come from?\u0026nbsp; And how long was she just sitting there...watching me?'\u0026nbsp;_\n\nHis thoughts were abruptly brushed aside once the Cyndaquil's words finally sunk in.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"W...wait a minute!\u0026nbsp; _Mister_?\u0026nbsp; I'm not that old!\"\n\n\"Sorry, force of habit,\" she replied with a shrug, \"Um, do you have a name, or should I call you Umbreon?\"\n\n\"Just call me...Tomas,\" he blurted out.\u0026nbsp; Of course, with chunks of his memory missing, he wasn't really even certain that his name was actually 'Tomas.'\u0026nbsp; But, since it _was_ the first name that popped into his head, he decided to just accept it and leave it at that.\n\n\"That's a good name!\" she said with a happy squeal, \"And you can call me Cyndaquil!\"\n\n_'Wow, that's...unique,'_ Tomas thought, heavy with sarcasm.\u0026nbsp; Normally, he wouldn't even bother to contain his opinions from others like this, but there was something different here.\u0026nbsp; Maybe it had something to do with her kind nature and genuine worry for him.\u0026nbsp; Or, maybe it had something to do with the fact that her _back was on fire_!\n\nA fire-type Pokemon, obviously.\n\nWell, real or not, taking an Ember attack to the face wasn't on Tomas' list of enjoyable dream scenarios, so he kept his big mouth shut.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter studying the Umbreon for a moment, Cyndaquil moved a few steps closer and placed a warm paw on his muzzle, jarring him from his thoughts.\u0026nbsp; \"You look kinda' sick.\u0026nbsp; Maybe you should get a drink of water.\"\n\nTomas blinked, then looked at the Cyndaquil.\u0026nbsp; \"Uh, y...yeah.\u0026nbsp; Maybe some water will help me wake up.\"\n\n\"Well, there's a lake at the end of that path.\u0026nbsp; Follow me!\"\n\nTomas watched her happily trot away, and then stared down at his own paws.\u0026nbsp; _'Come to think of it, I hadn't even tried to walk with these things since this dream started.'\u0026nbsp;_ He lifted one forepaw into the air carefully, hesitant to move._\u0026nbsp; 'How did they work again?\u0026nbsp; One paw in front of the other, right?_'\n\nWell, it certainly sounded simple enough.\u0026nbsp;\n\nUnsteadily, he placed the forepaw onto a patch of grass directly in front of him, and then reached out with the other.\u0026nbsp; It felt unnatural in a way, balancing his body weight on such thin, lithe limbs.\u0026nbsp; He pushed forward, overcompensating the momentum needed on his hind legs, and stumbled over his own paws, falling into a heap on the ground.\u0026nbsp; Cyndaquil was already several meters away when she heard a soft thud and a curse.\u0026nbsp; She looked back, and found Tomas lying on his side, legs flailing wildly, struggling to get upright again.\n\n\"Uh, a little help, here!\"\n\n\"Wow, you were out longer than I thought,\" Cyndaquil murmured, a tinge of worry coating her voice, \"Are you sure you're okay?\u0026nbsp; Do you need to go to the town?\"\n\n\"The town?\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" Cyndaquil said, walking back to his side, \"the humans there have something called a Pokemon Center.\u0026nbsp; They can fix you up, no problem!\"\n\n\"Yeah, sure,\" Tomas muttered half-heartedly, \"Just help me up, please.\"\n\n\"Uh, there _is_ one little thing I should probably mention.\"\n\nThe Umbreon sighed.\u0026nbsp; There's always a string attached, isn't there?\u0026nbsp; Just his luck.\u0026nbsp; \"Which is?\" he grumbled.\n\n\"I can't just _take_ you to the Pokemon Center.\u0026nbsp; You have to go see my trainer first.\"\n\n\"And...?\"\n\n\"And...\" she continued, \"...I can't really guarantee that he won't try to capture you.\u0026nbsp; I mean, you are an unusual looking Pokemon, after all.\u0026nbsp; Is your species even common to this area?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Area?\u0026nbsp; Wait, where are we again?\"\n\nCyndaquil furrowed her brow in confusion.\u0026nbsp; \"What?\u0026nbsp; You mean you don't know?\"\n\n\"Nope.\u0026nbsp; Not a clue,\" Tomas answered from the ground, \"Now, if you could help me get--\"\n\n\"Well,\" Cyndaquil interrupted, absently scratching her head with a paw, \"I'm not entirely sure myself, but I did overhear my trainer talking about 'Sinnoa' or something.\"\n\n\"Sinnoa?\u0026nbsp; Oh, you mean _Sinnoh_?\"\n\n\"Yeah!\" she exclaimed happily, \"That place!\"\n\n\"Well, I don't think Umbreon are all that common in Sinnoh,\" Tomas said, \"so I guess it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for an Umbreon to be seen in this area.\u0026nbsp; But...logic doesn't _really_ matter here, since this is a dream.\"\n\nTomas finally got back on his paws, and then glanced around.\u0026nbsp; \"Come on, let's go find this trainer of yours.\u0026nbsp; Might as well see what happens next.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nCyndaquil stared as Tomas clumsily padded away, taking each step as if the ground were made of broken glass.\u0026nbsp; He stumbled twice, but managed to stay upright this time.\u0026nbsp; She scratched her head again, puzzled by his words.\u0026nbsp; \"Uh...dream?\u0026nbsp; What dream?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"This dream, right here!\" he called back to her before stumbling again.\n\n\"Uh...yeah...I think you really _do_ need to get checked out, Tomas!\" she replied as she trotted after him, \"And you're going the wrong way!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n* * *\n\nUnbeknownst to Tomas, a strange observer had been watching him from the trees.\u0026nbsp; It fought the urge to burst out laughing when Tomas tumbled over, and then slinked into the shadows of a tree when Cyndaquil turned in its direction to look back at him.\u0026nbsp; It couldn't afford to be seen, not yet.\u0026nbsp; The plan was still underway, and discretion was key in these types of situations...\n\n...but still, that was _hilarious_!\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I am _definitely_ going to hold that one over Tomas' head when we meet!\" the observer said with a sly giggle.\u0026nbsp; \"And he hasn't changed a bit!\u0026nbsp; I think this might just work out after all!\"\n\nAnd with that, the observer vanished with a small _POP_, off to put the next part of its master plan into motion.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"A Life Yet Lived","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/333483-a-life-yet-lived-prologue.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/334192-a-life-yet-lived-chapter-1-part-2.json"}}