Standing next to a small twin-sized bed with his Riolu egg in his arms, Spike observed his new bedroom with concern. There was basically only a bed, a closet filled with clothes, a dresser similarly filled with clothes, and a desk covered with what looked like unfinished school work. Inside a small toy chest at the end of the bed, he found a handful of Pokémon toys, most of which were heavily damaged. To make matters worse, his parents weren't home despite the fact that the sun had already set, and, if his new memories were anything to go by, that was a normal occurrence.
Shaking away his concerns, he opted to focus on the most important thing for now, his Pokémon egg. In order to keep the egg safe, he set it on the bed and carefully wrapped it in a blanket. He then looked at it and fell into thought for a moment. Although the Riolu line was never his favorite while playing Pokémon games or watching the show, he knew that if he was going to become a problem solver in this world, there were few Pokémon who could outdo a Lucario.
Gently caressing the warm surface of the egg, Spike smiled and said, "Alright buddy, let's do our best in this world, yeah?"
The egg shook briefly under his hand, which made Spike's smile widen. Then, he chuckled and sat down on the floor with his back to the bed. He closed his eyes and thought about the last few hours of craziness. Everything that had happened was hard to believe, but it felt completely real, and he was fully lucid. For a while, he remained in silent contemplation while processing the situation. He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but he eventually stirred upon hearing the front door open downstairs.
Out of curiosity, he stepped out into the hallway and walked downstairs. Halfway down, he saw a woman with long purple hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a white polo, navy blue skirt, and a blue apron that covered her front area and tightly hugged her generously endowed breasts. Poke-mart was sprawled in stylized lettering on the chest area of the apron. After removing her shoes, the woman walked into the hallway and noticed Spike standing on the stairs. Immediately after noticing him, her brows wrinkled, and her black eyes narrowed while staring at him with laser focus.
"What's with your clothes, Dilon? Did something happen again?"
Spike's brows furrowed. Taken off guard by the vaguely familiar name, it took him a moment that Dilon was the name of the kid he stole a body from. Then, he looked down and realized what the woman was talking about. There were numerous frays, tears, and holes in his shirt and shorts that he had totally forgotten about because of everything that had happened. With a sigh, he shook his head and avoided the question by saying, "I got lost in the woods for a bit, but I'm fine."
The woman rushed up the stairs in record time, knelt in front of him, and checked him over multiple times. Noticing the distinct lack of even a scratch on Spike's skin, the woman frowned, looked directly into his eyes, and said, "Tell mom what happened."
'Wow. She'd be a total bombshell if not for her dry skin and the bags under her eyes.'
Setting aside his ill-timed observation, Spike answered, "...I fell in the woods, and an Alakazam helped me. He healed my scratches, too."
'Thanks for the excuse, buddy. I'll repay the favor someday.'
The woman's eyes widened, but then she quickly calmed down. A breath of relief escaped her lips. Then, her eyes narrowed again in a way that likely would have terrified the previous owner of Spike's body, but he could only think of the woman's stern expression as cute since she looked a few years younger than his past self.
"You didn't hit or throw rocks at any Pokémon out there, did you?"
Briefly looking away while recalling the Alakazam's reason for chasing the previous owner of his body, Spike scratched his head and decided to answer, "I only played with an Abra. I think it was the kid of the Alakazam or something."
Frowning, the woman questioned, "You played with it? How many times have we told you not to go near wild Pokémon until you get older."
Spike frowned. He then mulled over some of the kid's memories and sighed. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I won't be mean to them again, so it's okay to play with them, right?"
"No. Do your school work for a few years first so you can learn how to treat Pokémon well. Then, someday, you might be able to become a trainer like your dad. Understand?"
Unlike the kid he had replaced, Spike didn't want to become a league trainer, but telling his new mother his thoughts probably wouldn't change anything. Because of that, he simply said, "...Fine."
The woman stared at him for a few moments, but then sighed tiredly and stood. She continued up the stairs and said, "As long as you understand. Now, it's time to get ready for bed. Go change into your pajamas and brush your teeth."
"Okay, mom," Spike replied half-heartedly while mentally noting that he might need to hide his Riolu egg from his parents for now. However, he quickly set aside the thought since there was a plump rear end swaying right in front of his eyes. It mesmerized him like some sort of supernatural pendulum. He observed it with a serious expression like the most dedicated of researchers until it disappeared beyond the door of the master bedroom at the end of the upstairs hallway.
Finally free from spectacle, Spike nodded to himself and mumbled, "Indeed, 'tis the greatest duty of man to research the wonders of the world."
Then, he shook away the thought and walked to the bathroom across the hall from his bedroom in order to get ready for bed. Before anything else, he stared at his unfamiliar reflection in the mirror. Likely because he lived on Earth before, his new green hair that faded into a purple tint on the ends threw him for a loop. His dark green eyes seemed more normal in comparison. Other than that, he looked like a normal kid with slightly tanned skin. After adjusting to his new appearance for a bit, he washed his face and brushed his teeth with the toothbrush he vaguely recalled using in the kid's old memories.
Later, while finishing up in the bathroom, he heard the front door open again and walked out so that he could get a good look at the poor bast-, man, who had sired his new body.
Once again, Spike walked halfway down the stairs. He met eyes with a relatively tall man in his late twenties who had green shoulder-length hair and similarly green eyes. Much like his wife, the man had dark circles under his eyes. While walking up the stairs, the man ruffled his hair and grumbled, "It's getting late Dilon. You should go to bed."
"Hey, dad?"
"What?"
"Can you call me Spike from now on?"
Brows furrowed as though he had been hit by a strong Confusion move, the man stared blankly at Spike for a few moments before asking, "Why in the world do you want to be called Spike?"
"Uh… Because I'm going to have a bunch of Pokémon with spikes one day?"
Groaning, the man face-palmed and tiredly answered, "Just use the name we gave you."
"My name is boring. I want to be called Spike."
"Ugh. Fine. I'll ask your mom and let her decide."
"Cool. Thanks," Spike replied while his dad ambled the rest of the way up the stairs. Then, thinking it might be fun to mess with the guy, a sly grin appeared on his face, and he asked, "Hey, dad?"
"What?" The man groaned barely stopping to look at him.
"Why is mom's butt so big?"
"What the fu-"
The next day, Spike woke at sunrise. For the first time in years, he actually felt fully awake in the morning without downing a gallons' worth of caffeinated beverages. Stomach growling, he left his room and went downstairs to look for food in the kitchen. Within the surprisingly large kitchen that could probably fit ten people with space to spare, he found some fruits and berries in a large bowl sitting on the counter. Some of the fruits looked similar to apples, but most of the others he easily recognized as oran and pecha berries.
Out of curiosity, he tasted one of each. First, the oran berry melted in his mouth like a large blueberry. It had a mild sweetness but otherwise lacked flavor. In terms of taste, it wasn't much different from eating unflavored nuts, but he found it passable as a snack. On the other hand, the pecha berry exploded in his mouth with a sweetness reminiscent of a sugar-coated strawberry. Perhaps because of his youthful taste buds, his eyes lit up with excitement. He quickly devoured five more before feeling full. Yellowish juices coated his lips as a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Although the berries quenched his thirst to an extent, he also grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before returning to his room.
With his bodily needs taken care of, he focused on his Riolu egg that was resting on the floor in a pile of pillows and blankets at the end of his bed. He gently caressed the surface of the egg while pondering the best path to complete Arceus' request while also living a fulfilling life. Aside from the typical Pokémon trainer, there were plenty of options for him to pursue.
"Well, I've got plenty of time to think about it," Spike mumbled to himself.
Looking down at the egg, he suddenly thought about the Aura abilities mentioned in Pokémon lore. The only human characters he vaguely recalled using Aura were Ash and Riley, but it proved that humans could overcome their limits in this world. There were also a notable number of human psychics like Sabrina, too. Although the anime version of Pokémon seemed childish at a glance, he thought there might be more to it. There were plenty of hints that humans and Pokémon were similar in the past. If so, then humans being durable enough to eat a Thunderbolt wasn't too farfetched.
"You think I can use those powers too, buddy?" Spike asked his Riolu egg even though it couldn't answer him yet. "I guess I'll wait for you to hatch before training such things. Might be dangerous. Some light physical training shouldn't hurt, though."
* * *
Later in the morning, Spike's new mother dragged him to a small school a few blocks away from their house. Thanks to the memories he gradually integrated from the Dilon kid he possessed, he found a classroom labeled Classroom 1B. Unfortunately, the previous Dilon was too stupid to understand the reason for such things and opted to bully his classmates for fun instead.
Shaking his head, Spike entered the classroom. The happy conversations or games of other five and six year old children stopped. Two girls standing by the door flinched at his appearance and immediately fled to their desks. In the corner of the room were two small Zigzagoons sitting in a pen. The moment they saw Spike, they skittered to the furthest corner of their pen from him and trembled as though afraid. Feeling his heart sink at the sight of the scared raccoon-like Pokémon, Spike frowned.
'Wonderful. Thanks for being a dick, Dilon, Spike thought. Hopefully I can remedy my reputation. This atmosphere is too stifling.'
To the other kids' surprise, Spike didn't say anything to any of them and simply sat at his desk with a chin resting on his palm while looking out the window. Over the next few minutes, a few more kids trickled in, adding up to a total of twenty aside from Spike. None of them spoke a word to him. Eventually, a woman in her late twenties entered the room with a large binder in hand. Her brown hair was tied up in a neat bun, and her deep brown eyes glanced over the children with blatant tenderness. Compared to most women, she seemed a little on the short side, and her skinniness made her look younger than her face implied. For clothing, she simply wore a modest white blouse and brown skirt that reached below her knees. According to the vague memories about the woman Spike saw from Dilon's memories, the woman's name was Miss Johanna, which he immediately memorized. All the other kids halted their conversations and ran to their desks upon seeing her, most with smiles on their faces.
After the woman called roll for each student, she briefly glanced at Spike who was sitting in the second seat from the front on her right. Aside from responding that he was present, he simply stared out the window toward the playground outside where two Taillows that were playfully squawking back and forth with two Pidgeys. The teacher then glanced at the trembling Zigzagoons and frowned.
For now, the teacher said nothing to him and moved on with her lesson that involved teaching the alphabet to the kids. Spike quickly recognized the letters as similar to Unown without eyes. Within minutes, he adjusted to the change in written language since it was already familiar. Afterward, he focused outside again, barely listening to the lesson in case there was something else useful to learn. Unfortunately, it was all information he already knew such as simple math or Pokémon names and types. Around an hour or so later, a Chimecho chimed while floating through the hallway outside the classroom, signaling the end of the lesson. The teacher warned the kids to never walk around in tall grass without a Pokémon partner which she apparently mentioned once every few days before telling them they could go play on the playground.
Before Spike could leave, the teacher called out, "Dilon, please stay for a moment."
Raising a brow, Spike glanced at the woman and nodded. Once all the other kids left the room, the teacher pulled two chairs out. She sat down on one even though it was a bit too small for her and gestured for him to sit in the one across from her.
The moment Spike sat down, the teacher asked, "Did something happen to you, Dilon? You seemed a lot quieter than normal today."
Since the question caught him off guard, Spike tilted his head and instinctively answered, "No."
The teacher frowned and subconsciously twiddled her thumbs, unsure how to continue the conversation with this problem child.
Noticing the woman's reserved nature, and also the fact that she displayed some concern for his well-being, Spike scratched his head for a moment and then said, "I got lost in the woods yesterday, and I've been thinking a lot since then."
"Eh? You went in the woods? Did you have a Pokémon with you?" The teacher asked while leaning forward with her eyes sternly narrowed.
Spike shook his head and said, "No. I'm fine, though."
Placing her hands on Spike's shoulders, the teacher reprimanded him by saying, "In the future, you shouldn't go out without a Pokémon to protect you. Most wild Pokémon are docile, but some may hurt you by accident. Please remember that."
"I know. Anyway, since we're alone, can I ask you something, Miss Johanna?"
"What?"
"...Nevermind," Spike said, changing his mind. He considered asking if he could bring his egg with him to school, but then considered that the woman might inform his parents about it.
"What is it? You can tell me."
"Hmm. It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if I could go outside now?" Spike lied without a change in his expression.
The teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before saying, "Yes, you can. Please be nice to the others, though."
"I will."
With that, he followed the teacher into the hallway, but then mentioned he was going to go to the bathroom first, which she agreed to. Once the woman was far enough away, he walked back into the classroom and looked at the two Zigzagoons. In response, they lifted their heads from their food bowls and immediately stopped chewing their food pellets before skittering to the corner of the pen again.
Sighing, Spike walked to the edge of the pen and kneeled in front of it. He then smiled at them, which only caused them to tremble more noticeably. Their reaction saddened him. Briefly, he thought he noticed a grayish fog around the two Pokémon, but then blinked and saw nothing special. Wondering if it was his imagination, he shook his head and focused on the task at hand.
Hoping to start fixing their fear of him, he spoke to them in a gentle tone and said, "I'm not going to hurt you guys, alright? I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a different person than the one who bullied you."
The two Pokémon stared back at him with hints of understanding, but they remained sitting in the corner of the pen. With a sigh, Spike mumbled to himself, "I guess that's to be expected. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."
With that, he waved goodbye to the Zigzagoons and left while saying, "Sorry for what the previous me did to you guys. I hope you two can be happier in the future and know that not all humans are bullies."
With that, he left and quickly found the exit to the playground situated in the middle of the three school halls that formed a 'U' shape around it. He saw other kids playing on the swings, slides, and monkey bars. Some played alongside some smaller Pokémon.
Rather than bother the kids or waste his time playing with them, he instead sat down under a small group of pine trees by the West Wing and observed everyone on the playground. Some of them glanced his way occasionally but quickly looked away after noticing his gaze.
Meanwhile, he suddenly noticed a Wurmple crawling on one of the branches above him, and he smiled at it when he noticed it observing him. It proceeded to ignore him and minded its own business. Just when he was about to look away, he noticed some movement near the base of the tallest tree in the center of the small grove . He saw a flash of green, red, and white hiding behind the tree when he focused his gaze there.
Surprised, Spike stood, shoved his hands in his pockets, and casually ambled deeper into the small grove of trees. When he reached the tree, he placed one hand on the rough bark and peeked around to the other side of the trunk. There, he saw a small green head with two red protrusions on it looking up at him while trembling with its small white hands pressed up against the tree trunk.
"Hello there," Spike said, smiling at the Ralts that stood no higher than his knee. Kneeling down, he said, "I'm surprised you haven't fled yet."
"R- Ralts…" The Pokémon quietly replied while inching away and observing him with noticeable curiosity.
Still smiling, Spike sat down on the pine needles and leaves below him, held out a hand, and said, "I'm Spike. Nice to meet you."
The Ralts looked down at Spike's hand for a few seconds and then shuffled closer and reached out its own nub-like hand as though understanding his intentions. Spike's smile widened, and he gently shook the Ralts' small hand with two fingers. The Ralts tilted its head and then looked up at his face with curiosity.
"Do you want to hang out with me for a bit?"
"...Ralts," The Pokémon quietly replied.
Feeling like the Ralts had given him a positive answer for some reason, Spike adjusted himself to sit with his back against the tree trunk. The Ralts also sat there without saying anything and simply looked at him with a hand in its mouth.
Within the presence of the surprisingly friendly Ralts and the distant chirps of some Taillows and normal birds fluttering among the branches that were creaking slightly in the breeze, Spike closed his eyes and thought, 'How peaceful.'
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