Scuttlin' Around Town
As the sounds of waves softly crashing against the shore fill my ears, I'm reminded of the many times I've gone to the beach with my family.
The sun in my eyes, the lunches that we'd eat, and the many naps I would partake in after a good swim. And though it was always a pain to bring everything to and from the car, as well as generally setting everything up, it was the time spent together as a family that truly mattered with each outing.
Unfortunately, active beach sounds are the furthest thing I should be hearing from my room. I don't remember leaving any kinda white noise ambience on last night and I certainly don't remember any beach plans in the near future. So why is it do I feel the sun's rays bearing down upon me now, and how did I even end up outside at all?
Slowly, I open my eyes and confirm that I'm on some kinda beach. "How did I even get here?" I say to myself groggily as I try to stand up. I barely get much higher than the ground before I seemingly can't go any higher. I glance downward only to see sand, and to feel my chin hitting the ground again. That and these purple looking things stuck real close to my eyes.
I try to look around, but my head won't turn anywhere near the amount it should. I'm forced to physically rotate myself around to properly take in my surroundings, and to get some feeling in my body. I've got roughly six more legs than I should have and some kinda tail. Whatever happened to me was clear, I'm certainly not human shaped anymore.
"Shit... and I was supposed to have that interview this morning too," I remark to myself before deeply sighing.
I would have thought this to be a dream, but it simply feels too real. The overall heat on my back and sandy ground texture definitely don't help the case of this being a dream either. Regardless, standing around here isn't going to do me any good. I've got to get a look around, as it's the only way I can think of to get a better grasp of the situation at hand.
I head towards a path away from the beach and onto less sandy ground. It's kinda eerie how easily I find myself moving about in this new form, but I decide not to dwell on it, as I'll take whatever I can get right now. What I won't take though, is how small I feel right now. Being stuck so low to the ground just feels weird. Anyone could just scoop me up and I wouldn't be able to do much about it. I don't like it.
Eventually, I come across some signage pointing to the left or right. I have absolutely no idea what it says, though there does seem to be civilization much closer on the left than on the right. If I've turned into some kinda monster, then going straight into a town may not be the best idea. On the other hand, I don't really have much other options, as I've never really been much of an outdoorsman. I certainly won't very long out here on my own anyways. In the end, I decide to gamble on whatever I may encounter in the distant town.
It's a long walk to the town that feels even longer due to my new size. A stone bridge greets me as I peer into a bustling plaza of... Pokémon?
"Ain't no way..." I mutter under my breath.
Countless Pokémon moved about, some standing at outside shops, others greeting those they knew as they went about their day. There was a distinct lack of human anywhere in this quaint town. Everything looked straight out of the mystery dungeon games I played when I was younger, although I don't remember this place whatsoever. This place must've been in the ones I never played; that or it at has no relation to those games in the first place. Either way, my gamble on the town had paid off. As a smile creeps up across my face, I decide to once again explore my new surroundings.
From the many circular tree stumps, to the wooden bridge walkways between them, I aimlessly wander around town. Mostly just popping in and out of any building that vaguely seemed store-like. The only familiar looking thing I had found so far was the Kecleon shop. Anything else was hard to tell from a glance, as I still couldn't make sense of the writings all around me.
After some time, I found myself in a sort of clothing store, it's inside is lined with all kinds of materials, accessories, and... clothing. There was also a rather kind looking Ariados behind the counter, or at least as kind looking as I could tell. I've never cared too much about clothes shopping, though it's certainly the kinda place my mom would've loved to visit. If this place had a fitting room then it most likely had those tall mirrors that I could use to finally get a look at myself, rather than asking some random stranger.
"Oh hello, did you need help with anything?"
"Uh... could I try out that... beige scarf up there? If it isn't any trouble," I responded, signaling with my eyes where the scarf sat.
"None at all, the fitting rooms are down that way," she answers, pointing rightward with one of her legs before moving towards the scarf. I hadn't even noticed the silk threads that seemed to line the ceiling. I'm more surprised I can even see anything up there so clearly, given my current lack of glasses.
"Here you are. If you need anything else, you know where to find me."
"Thanks," I reply before grabbing the scarf and dragging it with me to the fitting room. Upon entering said room and looking at the mirror, I finally got to take a good look at myself. Out of all the possible Pokémon out there, I had become a Wimpod. Knowing my luck it probably could've been a lot worse, but really? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. I'll just have to make the best of this, whatever that best might be.
Heading back towards the counter, I leave the scarf nearby some other accessories and tell the Ariados, "Sorry, I don't have anything on me right now, but I appreciate you letting me try this on." Stepping out of the store, I continue on with my exploration of the town.
The sun only just starts to set when I finally come across a building with something I can actually read on it. There seemed to be a four leafed clover etched nearby where the fittingly named "Clover Guild" was written. The building itself is another wide big tree stump with a smaller stump kinda sticking out the left side. I decide to hide myself away in some shrubbery a bit aways from the entrance. It's been a long enough day as is and I don't really have anywhere else to go, so this will have to do. Looking on from my new shrub fortress, I lay and watch a good many Pokémon make their way towards the building.
A large Tropius heading around the side of the building is about the only one I can distinctly make out from the cluster entering the guild. With the only ones I spot leaving the building being a real grouchy looking Umbreon, leading a Sylveon, Vileplume, and Bellossom off to who knows where. Gradually, the sun sinks under the horizon until I'm once again completely alone.
This guild and its inhabitants had piqued my curiosity. Why does this building have English on it, and why does that clover seem familiar? Seeing what's going in there will have to wait for tomorrow, as snooping around right now probably won't make for a good first impression. Only the sounds of my growling stomach rip me away from my speculations, and back to the reality of my current situation.
I'm all alone in a kinda familiar world with no family, friends, house, food, or hands. While there's always the possibility of making some new friends here. I'm not really a fan of being ripped away from my old life out of the blue like this. Nevertheless, just walking around this town today was kinda fun. All that's left to do now is to try and get some actual sleep for tomorrow. I rustle about, trying to get comfortable within the shrub to no avail.
It looks like it's going to be a very long night.