Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Phase 1: 13,778/13,778

“This is clearly all a dream.” That was what Mark thought when he woke up.

What other explanation could there be? He had found himself in what looked like the heart of nature itself… if said heart was neatly arranged in halls and rooms as if it were a genuine building.

Trees surrounded Mark in every direction, but they definitely weren’t natural. Every branch and mass of foliage ended flat against the air, leaving what could be considered a perfectly smooth wall. Not only that, but every single one of those trees was the same height, their trunks going exactly upward, flawlessly perpendicular to the ground.

At least that gave Mark a decent view of what laid above him: a generic light-blue sky with some white clouds adorning it. All of them with the same shape, of course. It clashed completely against the lack of any wind, that of which held the vegetation around him completely still, making it look lifeless and artificial.

Mark had been walking for what felt like hours, crossing room upon room of essentially nothing. The only exceptions seemed to be some strange blue orbs. At the sight of the first, he realized they were reflective, which meant Mark was able to see himself in them.

And that just left him with more questions.

He looked like… a brown lizard, maybe? A dinosaur? Something of the sort. Maybe it would have been easier to deduce if he could see his own face, but no, there was a skull helmet in the way, and he couldn’t get it off himself no matter how hard he tried.

Oh, and of course, he carried a bone around, just to fully sell the whole almost-a-shaman vibe he was apparently sporting. Was he always holding it? Why did it feel so natural?

Curious, yet wary, Mark gave the orb a small push, but it didn’t react. Deciding that they were too strange to risk it, he decided to avoid them from now on, just in case.

…so yes, between the environment, the new body, the strange blue spheres… Mark had every reason to believe this was a dream.

Even if he could feel his new tail colliding against the grass.

Even if he could feel his small legs struggling to keep going.

Even if he could feel his stomach growl from hunger.

…

What if this wasn’t a dream, though? He had to entertain the idea, even if just a bit, because as impossible as Mark’s current situation seemed, he was still feeling the world around him. Was it just that much of a lucid dream, or was there any chance that all of this was real?

“…No. Clearly not. This has to be a dre- ngh…”

His monologue was interrupted by a pang in his stomach, strong enough to make his already weak legs to stumble.

When was the last time he ate…?

…

And why did he feel the need to ask that question in the first place?

It was a dream, it simply had to be. He had seen this place before. Or at least, it felt vaguely familiar to him. So clearly, he had dreamt about being here other times, that was the only explanation.

But dream or not, the pain he felt was very real. Struggling, Mark managed to step towards the ‘wall’ nearest to him. He turned around and leaned his back against a tree trunk, which made him yelp.

Apparently, he had some spiked things on his back. Great, another thing to add to the nonsense pile, because it clearly wasn’t huge enough yet.

Without the energy to find another spot to rest, however, he had no option but to get used to those spikes and lean back again. His gaze went towards everything around him. Or rather, the nothing around him.

What kind of environment did his brain produce? There was nothing in here. Even something abstract should have something memorable for it to appear in a dream, right? Instead, he only had this vast maze with nothing in it.

…

…another pang. Mark’s short arms went around his belly, pressing in a futile effort to stop the pain. His breathing started to slow down, as if to preserve the little energy he had left.

His head started spinning…

…

His vision… blurry…

…

His eyes… closing…

…

His energy…

…

…leaving…

…

…little…

…

…by…

…

…

...

A hand landed on Mark’s shoulder. Or, well, something that resembled one.

“Hey, you okay?” A voice asked him.

Having not heard a voice other than his own since he woke up here, that was enough curiosity to prompt him to open his eyes again, albeit weakly.

A turtle? A blue turtle, to be specific. A turtle was talking to him.

…the dream was continuing. Why couldn’t he just wake up from whatever this was? He had had enough, he just wanted to go back home. Back to…

…wait.

…wait, no.

…why couldn’t he remember where he was from? He had a home, right? O-of course he did, one shared with…

…with who? Who did he even know? Did he have a family? Friends? Anyone?

The turtle glanced over their shoulder before shouting. “Hey, Rose! Come here!”

Mark was starting to tremble, his heartbeat going faster than it should with his lack of energy. Everything he tried to remember just… wasn’t there. He didn’t remember where he came from. He didn’t remember his bonds. He didn’t remember his life before appearing in this damn forest.

What did he remember?

His family? His hobbies? His goal in life? No. He didn’t remember those.

…his name. He remembered his name. Mark. He held onto it as much as he could. That and his humanity were the only facts he could get to recall.

He didn’t remember himself.

…

He tried to talk, to say anything at all that could display his fear.

But nothing came, just a nervous, dry rasp as dizziness completely overwhelmed his senses.

Before he could think about it more, though, a new figure approached the scene.

A dog. Of course. An orange and black dog that had a… decently big bag on its back. They seemed concerned at hearing the call, although that expression shifted quickly as soon as they landed their gaze onto Mark, squinting their eyes in mild suspicion.

At the sight of this dog, Mark felt a sharp pain around his chest. The starvation was getting stronger, he supposed.

“What’s u- oh. Oh god, uh… are you sure this isn’t a feral?” The dog asked. Because of course the dog talked.

“Rose, even if it was a feral, take a look at them and tell me you’d be okay with leaving them like this. Genuinely,” the turtle responded, waving a… hand? Claw? Whatever their limbs were, towards Mark.

…was there something wrong with Mark? He didn’t see anything unusual when he saw his reflection. Although, it’s not like he knew what he was supposed to look like in the first place, considering the strange lizard body. Was he sick or something?

“…yeah, okay, I get it. I don’t think I’ve seen a Cubone with scales so white before. I think they need food or something,” the aforementioned Rose admitted. “Do we… abandon the mission and try to get them home or…? I mean, if it’s a feral, I don’t know what we can do, but normally ferals would still be trying to struggle around, no, Simon?”

“Rose, don’t tell me you’re actually considering leaving them behind.”

“Look, I’m just saying, I don’t know if we should risk it.”

“I don’t think this is a feral…” Simon, the turtle, stepped closer to Mark, moving his claw over his face as if to test his sight. “Hey, can you hear me? Do you see me?”

…the very little energy left in Mark was only enough for him to nod.

Thankfully, it was good enough.

“Okay, yeah, we gotta get him outta here. Rose, get the escape orb.” Simon commanded.

With an… honestly impressive twist of her body, Rose got the bag off herself, opening the flap of it and retrieving an orb with her mouth.

It was one of those orbs Mark had seen before all over the place. He didn’t know what Rose was going to do with it, they were useless as far as he knew. But before he could even make the useless attempt to ask, she threw it onto the ground with force, making it shatter with the sound of glass breaking.

And then, light.

Light everywhere.

It only lasted a second, probably. Maybe even less.

But the blinding white around him combined with his already extreme lack of energy was too much for Mark to handle.

His squinting eyes closed, and his consciousness faded.

_{“…-omething, no?”}

_{“Yeah, but we-… …-ightly.”}

_{“Right, ri-…”}

_{“…-is have happened?”}

_{“Why should I kno-…”}

…

Whispers entered Mark’s ears.

Ears?

Did he have those?

He didn’t feel them.

But he was hearing.

Why couldn’t he feel his ears, though?

_{“…-ait, he’s moving.”}

_{“Alright, do you think you can han-…”}

_{“…-ure, go cancel the mis-… …-ake care of him.”}

…

Those voices… Simon and Rose, if his memory was right.

But… why was he hearing that?

Was this… was this not a dream, still?

…

He mentally scanned his whole body, trying to feel anything that shouldn’t be there.

…he noticed the signs very quickly.

Those spikes from his back were being pressed uncomfortably against whatever he was laying on.

That tail was somehow the cause of a lingering soreness near the base, probably due to being pressed as well.

He couldn’t feel his toes, or his fingers aside from his thumbs. Did he have them in the first place?

No ears, but instead, something that covered his whole head.

It all matched the same thing. The dream.

…

…calling it a dream was not realistic anymore, was it? His denial could say a million things, but there was no denying the facts.

It wasn’t a dream.

It was real. The surreal feeling of that place he found himself in before wasn’t there anymore. He felt his senses awaken, even if part of him was still deep in denial.

“Ngh…” Mark muttered, finally getting some energy to at least stir in place.

“Easy there, take it slow.” A voice- Rose commented.

Right, he should open his eyes, shouldn’t he? The first attempt didn’t work, the sudden light entering his retinas made him flinch, making him shut his eyelids immediately.

The second attempt, he took it a bit more slowly. The change in light still blinded him a little but, steadily, he managed to get used to it. He opened his eyes more and more until the view got somewhat clearer to him.

He was on a bed. Thin, turquoise blankets covered his body.

His… lizard body.

…

“Is your sight alright?” Rose asked.

Right, Rose was here. She was sitting on the ground, right beside the bed. Next to her was a small nightstand with a bowl on it. He could see a spoon, as well as some spheres in the bowl. Blue as well, but they didn’t seem like glass, they almost seemed…

A sniff told him what those were.

Fruit. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but the scent in the air made it clear that it was fruit.

And he was starving.

His arm made the attempt to move to grab one, but he was still way too weak for that, so it simply fell back onto the bed. Even if he did manage to grip something, it probably would have fallen seconds after.

“Hey, hey, what did I say? Slowly.” Rose scoffed, though with a hint of amusement in her voice. “I know you’re eager to eat, but we gotta get your stomach used to it.”

Before Mark could argue, Rose grabbed the spoon by the handle with her mouth, moving the other end towards Mark carefully.

He took a glance at what she was giving him. A blue liquid, just the same color as the fruit. And the warm, sugary smell was getting stronger the closer the spoon got to him.

What was she-

Oh. Juice.

…

He wasn’t going to think about it twice. Mark needed the sustenance.

He opened his mouth, engulfed the end of the spoon and swallowed the sweet nectar without any amount of hesitation. It was sweet, reminiscent of something like a pear.

…a pear. Another thing to remember from his past life, apparently.

Once he was done, Rose took it as her queue to step back and let go of the spoon again, letting it rest in the bowl.

“Can you talk?” She asked.

“I-” A cough interrupted Mark, though at least it was short lived. “…I think so…”

His voice was hoarse, weak due to the lack of energy. Even then, he tried to keep talking. The panic hadn’t set in just yet, he had to make use of that.

“You’re looking a bit better, at least, but you really were starving, huh?” Rose commented. “What’s your name?”

“M-Mark…” He didn’t quite know if saying his name was a good idea, but… he needed the help. He had to give some information, at the very least.

“Right. Mark. How are you feeling?”

“…dizzy.” It was true, he was honestly surprised he could make out the distinct shape of the dog in front of him. “Are you… Rose…?”

The name made her smirk, proudly placing her paw on top of the fluff on her chest. “That is indeed my name~” She giggled. “Glad to see you remembered.”

“S-so… Simon…”

“Oh, he’s out. He had to do something at the guild, but don’t worry, you’re in good paws.” Rose answered, shaking her head dismissively. “So, let’s get to the point, what happened to you?”

…what did happen to him? All he really knew was that he woke up in a weird place, and fainted before he could fully starve. And now he was this lizard thing, with a dog talking to him.

…no reason to make anything up, he guessed. Might as well be honest here.

“I-I don’t know…”

Not the answer Rose wanted to hear, apparently, if her frown was anything to go by. “Okay, um… where do you live? We can probably get you back home, at least.”

“…I don’t… r-remember…” Mark winced as he talked, scared that she was going to frame him as crazy. Because, frankly, who wouldn’t?

Rose wouldn’t, surprisingly, instead deepening her frown and ultimately giving a small nod.

“Amnesia?” She asked, somewhat more confidently than what Mark expected from her.

…and all he could do was nod.

“Right, um…” She looked to the side, thoughtfully. She was probably debating what to do right now.

But Mark needed answers.

“What-” He coughed. “…are you…?”

“Hm?” She tilted her head, squinting her eyes just a little as she stared at Mark. “Is your vision still blurry? I’m a Growlithe.”

“What is… a Growlithe?”

…

Rose paused, raising an eyebrow. Mark could almost see the gears in her head turning, coming to conclusions rapidly.

“Do you… not know species?” She asked, though she spoke again before Mark could retort. “Right, amnesia. I forgot. That’s just the name of my species. I’m a Growlithe, you’re a Cubone.”

…dumb name, Mark thought.

He thought it was strange how rapidly she had assumed the amnesia had something to do with it. And who knew, maybe it did. But before he could ask her about it — or at least try to — he remembered something that was probably important.

“Where… where are we…?” He asked, the grogginess slowly dissipating.

“Oh, you’re at our place! Simon’s room, to be precise.”

Right, that explained the bed. Mark took a glance around him, partly out of curiosity and partly trying to find something he could recognize.

Soft green walls, a shelf with a good amount of thick books, a window over Mark’s head, a few paintings of Simon and Rose hung on the wall to his right… oh, and the bone he held, leaning against the nightstand.

Cozy, if a bit bare, but sadly useless to his attempt at recognizing anything.

His stomach suddenly grumbled again, though not as strongly as before.

“Still hungry, huh?” Rose laughed softly, putting a paw over her mouth and trying — and failing — to hide it.

It was at that time that a noise was heard. A door opening and closing from somewhere else in the house. That’s what Mark guessed, at least. Not like he could see it to confirm it.

“Oh, that’s probably Simon being back. I uh… I’m gonna go and tell him all about this, okay?” She took a glance at Mark again, studying him up and down. “Your scales are getting back to their normal color, so if you have energy, feel free to get any of the berries in the bowl, just take it slow.”

“R-right…” Mark said, not wasting a moment to do exactly that. His arm was still weak, but there was progress. He could move it enough to reach the bowl and back, at least.

Another giggle escaped Rose, probably due to the display of eagerness Mark showed.

“…What?” He retorted, right before taking a bite of the fruit.

“Nothing, nothing~” She responded, still laughing a bit as she opened the door. “I’ll be right back.”

And so she left.

He was alone again.

…

Just in time for the panic to return.

He had no energy to actually show it, but his head was starting to go crazy with questions.

This wasn’t a dream. He had turned into whatever a Cubone was, and there were talking animals here helping him. He was glad that he had help to begin with, though he wasn’t sure if they would be able to answer any of the million doubts he had right now.

He had no idea where he was, no clue on whether he was safe or not.

He was a human. Did they even know what a human was? Was that going to put him in danger?

And worst of all…

…why did he feel like he had seen those two before somewhere?

Rose?

Simon?

Those names echoed in his head, barely avoiding any meaning that he could implant into them.

…

It wasn’t worth it to worry right now, Mark thought. He took another bite at the piece of fruit he held, trying hard to avoid thinking about his situation.

But it wasn’t really working, everything he could see or feel eventually led him to the same reminder that he was clueless on how he ended up like this.

Mark shook his head.

Deep breaths.

In.

…

Out.

…

In.

…

…

Out.

…

…

…

…

‘Just what the hell did I get into?’

Chapter Text

The creak of the door snapped Mark out of his ever-increasing panic.

It wasn’t a loud noise at all; Rose and Simon’s place definitely did not look old enough to warrant such a sound, but it was noticeable enough to remind the Cubone that overthinking everything wasn’t going to get him anywhere yet.

From it, both Rose and a familiar turtle made their way back into the room.

“...well, he looks better, at least.” Simon said to no one in particular.

Mark wasn’t acquainted enough with the turtle’s anatomy, but even he could see the mild frown on Simon’s face, as well as those somewhat nervous eyes that went from one side of the room to the other, as if getting ready for an ambush at any moment’s notice.

“Right, so,” Simon continued, crossing his arms as his gaze landed on Mark. “Amnesia, huh?”

Rose had brought Simon up to speed, apparently. “Y-yeah, I… I don’t remember anything, I…” Mark trailed off. What could he even say at this point? He was already completely lost — he didn’t have any information to give.

“I’m guessing you have nowhere to go either,” Rose commented. “Simon, you know what I’m gonna say, so, your choice. I’m going to get some more stuff for tomorrow while you think about it.”

“Hey, wait-”

But before Simon could finish his retort, Rose had already sprinted out of the room. But not without giving the turtle a wink beforehand, of course.

“...she’s…”

“Yeah, she’s just like that. Don’t worry about it.” Simon said, shaking his head with a sigh. “Alright, how about we get you on your feet and then we can talk more? You’re gonna have to walk eventually.”

Mark blinked. He… definitely wasn’t sure if he could do that. His arms were still weak, and those had some movement, at least. He could already tell he was going to trip right away.

Staying all day in bed didn’t sound any better, though.

“I-I guess I can try…” Mark responded.

“Now that’s what I like to hear!”

Without hesitating, Simon grabbed the nightstand with the fruit bowl and moved it away. He was clumsy in his movements, steps wide as he leaned back, not letting his gaze off the table to even look at where he was going. He always seemed moments away from losing balance and making a mess.

…kind of amusing, Mark thought to himself.

Before the thought had even finished, however, he saw Simon step in front of him, offering a claw.

Simon was smiling. Even in this situation where he had a homeless amnesiac that almost starved to death on his bed, he was beaming, not caring about giving those worried thoughts a chance to ruin his day.

Even more amusing, Mark thought again, admitting to himself that Simon’s smile was somewhat infectious, as he didn’t even notice his face wearing a small grin until it was too late.

“C’mon, don’t keep me waiting!” Simon laughed.

…right, Mark was staring.

‘What the hell am I doing?’

With a shake of his head, he swallowed the embarrassment and stretched a claw himself, holding Simon’s tight.

Thankfully, Simon knew better than to pull right away. Instead, he moved his free arm behind Mark, slowly but surely helping him turn to the side to at least get his feet to make contact with the floor before trying anything else.

Said contact sent a chill along Mark’s spine. God, was the floor cold. Maybe it was due to the lack of shoes, but it didn’t stop a shiver from invading his body.

‘You’d think scales would help with this…’

“Alright, at the count of three.” Simon said.

“...right.”

“One… two…”

Mark prepared himself.

“Three!”

Simon pulled up, both from the claw he was holding and from the arm he had around Mark.

The result?

As expected, the Cubone lost his balance almost immediately. The force of the pull, however, didn’t let him fall back to the bed, no. Instead, he fell forwards, waving his arms around in a panic.

Mark yelped at the impact. Not with the floor, but with the Squirtle that he fell onto.

“Woah there, hehe...” Simon chuckled. “Don’t worry, I got you.”

…despite the reassurance, Mark could already feel his face heating up again from embarrassment. Quickly, too quickly in fact, he pushed Simon away to try and regain his footing.

“S-sorry-” His arm fell back onto the bed, leaning against it as the energy slowly returned to his small legs.

Mark was definitely blaming this new body for that stunt.

“Are you alright? Take your time, we’re in no rush.” Simon asked, still not letting go of Mark’s claw.

“Y-yeah, I’m good, just… Gotta get used to using my legs again, I-I think…”

Mark could see Simon trying to repress a giggle. He wasn’t doing a good job at it.

Not that Mark could blame him. The sight was probably hilarious for him.

Whatever the case, after staying still for a few more moments, he could feel the little dizziness he had left slowly float away. So, Mark attempted to let go of the bed.

And he managed to stand up.

He wasn’t relieved just yet, though; walking was a completely different story.

Simon slowly pulled Mark towards him, making sure the Cubone had enough room to do a few steps at his own pace. Room that had to be used, as it took a few baby steps for something resembling balance to appear.

Even so, Mark was still holding Simon as if his life depended on it, carefully trying to not fall on his face. Someone who didn’t know what was happening could probably think he was drunk right now.

…for some reason, he couldn’t find that thought funny at the moment.

Whatever the case, Simon took the lead, steadily pulling Mark towards the door and out of the room. By the time Mark got to see the living room, his feet were already somewhat used to moving around, thankfully.

And huh. The living room. It wasn’t precisely the best thing he had ever seen, he could tell, somehow. But compared to what he remembered, it was definitely a breath of fresh air. Orange brick walls, adorned with some more paintings, similar to the ones in Simon’s room, although these ones also had another two creatures Mark couldn’t recognize.

Something to ask Simon later, he thought.

As for furniture, it was simple, just a small table in the corner with four wooden chairs around it, and a couch on the other side, accompanied by yet another, lower table. There was also a currently-off fireplace between the two tables, probably for the winter, Mark guessed.

But aside from some potted plants decorating the room… that was it.

Mark didn’t know why he found this to be simple, yet that was what his mind was telling him. Was his previous life used to more things in a room? Was there more furniture he should be expecting?

Hell if he knew.

“Easy there,” Simon commented.

Oh, right, Mark was still walking. Honestly, at this point, he could more or less move on his own, albeit slowly. But he also feared that saying that would make Simon leave him alone. He desperately needed company right now, lest he started panicking all over again, so Mark decided to shut up and let the turtle help.

“Alright, while we do this… I assume you have questions with the whole amnesia thing you’re going through,” Simon said, giving a sheepish smile. “So ask away! I’ll answer aaaall I can.”

“Um… okay.” Mark responded. There clearly was a lot in his mind right now, and either Simon didn’t realize, or he tried to make it like it wasn’t the case.

Something to ask. How could he even begin with that?

“...Rose said she was a Growlithe? Or something? A-and that I was a Cubone…” Mark started. “What are those names? And w-what are you?”

There was… a small moment, where Simon stood quiet, looking over at Mark as if recognizing something. Ultimately, however, he didn’t bring attention to it, going back to his usual helpful demeanor.

“Right, so… We are all Pokémon. Does that ring a bell?” Simon answered.

“...not really?”

“Somehow, I expected that.” Simon laughed. “But yeah, that’s the name of the whole group of species. Which by the way, yes, species, that’s what each of those other names means. You are a Cubone, Rose is a Growlithe, and me, I’m a Squirtle.”

“Those are dumb names.” Mark deadpanned, which prompted Simon to chuckle, to the point of almost letting go of Mark and allowing him to fall.

“Hey, I wasn’t the one to choose them!”

“Right… whatever.” The mention of Rose did bring up another question, at least. “So you and Rose…”

“Mhm?” Simon hummed.

“What are you? Like… are you a couple or…?”

“Oh god no, we’re siblings, hehe… Though I was adopted, in case you were wondering why we didn’t match.” Simon answered, rubbing a claw behind his head.

“Match?” Mark asked, raising an eyebrow. Not like Simon could clearly see it with the skull helmet in the way, anyways.

“Yeah! Look up there.” Simon pointed to the paintings around the room. Specifically, to those with the other two creatures-

Pokémon. He needed to remember to call them that.

“Those are our parents,” Simon continued. “Rose’s biological ones. They’re a Rapidash and a Blaziken. Fire and fire. There was no way they could’ve given birth to me.”

“What do you mean by fire?”

“...what do you mean, what do I mean by fire- Oh! Right, amnesia, I almost forgot, heh.” Simon giggled, somewhat embarrassed from what Mark could see. “Those are types. Something like…”

Simon paused, frowning as he looked at nothing for a moment. If Simon had a thinking face, this had to be the one. “...how do I tell someone what types are? Hm… They’re like… each species’ element, I guess? I’m a water-type, Rose is a fire-type, just like our parents, and you’re a ground-type.”

“Well, that makes no sense, why are you a water-type? Just because you’re blue?”

“Nope! It’s because I can do things like these!” 

Out of nowhere, Simon grabbed his own tail. Mark was about to question what he was doing, but a glow from said tail interrupted him.

Mark found himself staring, completely puzzled. The sudden light that emanated from it made him need a few seconds to adjust his eyes, but when he did, he realized the tail was now covered in some kind of magical water. The reflections of the little light sources around them were hypnotizing, but more so, was the distorted image of the Cubone himself.

The faint hum of whatever energy was being used to pull this off was calming, to the point Mark could have stayed watching for quite a while, but a droplet landing on his scales prompted him to remember he was in the middle of a conversation.

“...okay, uh… one… one thing at a time, please.” Mark said, putting a hand on his head as if to alleviate a headache. Not that he had one right now, but it wouldn’t surprise him at all if one appeared after this bullshit.

“Hehe… sorry.” Simon chuckled. “We’ll get there later, but for now, any other questions?”

By that point, Simon had already let go of Mark. Not like the Cubone even noticed after that stunt Simon pulled. So now they were just standing around, talking about Mark’s doubts as he fully took the room he was in.

That’s how he noticed how warm it was. Not to the point of being hot, but there was actual temperature here, contrary to the agonizing lack of stimulation he found where he woke up.

‘Wait. Questions. Focus.’

“Um… I guess, where was I when you found me?”

“Oh, that’s an easy one.” Simon answered. “You were in a Mystery Dungeon! Though, you chose a bad one to wander into, since that one is still growing and it’s not fully developed.”

“I- okay, wait a second, rewind, that was more information that I was expecting.” Mark shook his head, taking a deep breath as if to prepare for the inevitable incoming information dump. “Let’s start from the beginning, what even is a Mystery Dungeon?”

“It’s… god, this is going to be hard to explain, because not even we know that well. Let’s just say, it’s a place that straight up doesn’t care about what you think is normal. It changes layouts everytime you enter and the only way to exit one is by finding stairs that are there for some reason.”

“...what.” Mark blinked. “Okay, um… not gonna ask yet. What did you mean with ‘still growing’?”

“The one we found you in appeared out of nowhere like… a week ago? There aren’t any stairs or ferals yet. Me and Rose were sent there by the guild to scope the place, since Dungeons in development is usually the best place to gather orbs from.”

…Mark stayed quiet.

“...too much info again?” Simon asked, smiling sheepishly.

“Yes.” Mark answered, rolling his eyes. “I imagine the orbs you’re talking about are those blue spheres, so I’ll ask about them later once it’s relevant… So instead, what is this guild you mentioned?”

“Oh! That’s… another thing I’ve never had to explain before, hehe… Let’s see, it’s an organization, first of all. Teams that work under it do missions like rescuing other ‘mons, or gathering items that got lost… all in Dungeons, of course.”

“So… you get paid to be a nice person?”

At that, Simon shrugged, his smile crooking to the side briefly. “I guess? It’s more like putting requests for help. Dungeons are not really that hard to go through unless they’re very specific, so other ‘mons could just… do the job themselves. It’s really only a thing because some of them are lazy or paranoid, heh.”

“I mean… you say that, but you also just said you guys do rescues. Something dangerous has to be in there for people to ask to get rescued.” Mark asked, figuring that the conversation was already long enough to warrant sitting on the couch and doing just that.

Luckily, Simon thought the same, as he sat right next to him. “Kinda? You got ferals in there which… I’m gonna be honest, it’s probably another topic too big for this. Point is, there are exceptions, of course, but it’s not really that bad.”

“Right…”

There was silence for a second. That kind of awkward silence that invited more words to be said, but that never spawned things to speak about.

Mark’s head was a mess at this point. Pokémon, types, Dungeons, guilds… This was certainly an information dump he went through and he had no idea how to feel about it. And the worst part? He found himself accepting all of it quicker than he thought he should.

All of this was from a fantasy world, why was he having so little difficulty adapting to it? There was a very small sense of déjà vu in his mind, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out where it came from.

“...Mark?” Simon asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

The Cubone shook his head, not wanting to think about what all of that meant right now. “Sorry, just… a lot up here.” Mark answered, tapping his skull helmet with a claw. “I don’t… know what I’m going to do, h-honestly…”

Part of him was already starting to feel that ever familiar fear. That realization that… this was his life now, and there was probably very little chance to go back to his previous one if he wasn’t even aware of how he got here in the first place.

The other part of him… well, it was shrinking more and more, letting this scared half overtake him.

And it was doing so quickly.

As the seconds of silence passed, he started to feel his stomach hurting again. Though this time, it was not from starvation, but from pure stress. He could feel his heartbeat increasing, all as his pupils constricted, frantically yet involuntarily looking everywhere around the place.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

He wasn’t supposed to be this.

He wasn’t supposed to not remember.

…

Was he?

What was he supposed to do?

What was he supposed to be?

…

Who was he?

…

“Mark.” Simon muttered.

Pure instinct controlling him, Mark jumped, letting a silent, yet surprised scream out of his mouth as he got on his feet faster than ever.

His eyes went to Simon, or tried to, at least. Mark’s sight was too blurry to see him clearly, the motion of his heartbeat making the image pulsate in a rhythm that even he could figure out was too fast.

That’s when he noticed the rest of his body. Shivering, trembling. Even his arms went around his torso in a pathetic attempt to hug himself.

He did this to himself.

“...okay, we’re gonna get you back to bed.” Simon ordered, standing up. His smile was gone at this point, now replaced by a worried frown that made Mark feel even worse about how panicked of a reaction he had.

“...i-isn’t it still early?”

The Squirtle landed a claw on Mark’s shoulder, lightly squeezing as if to remind him he was around. “Maybe, but… look at you. You don’t get to pull this stunt and not have me be worried.” Even if Simon’s words sounded a bit accusing, his tone was anything but. The Squirtle kept himself composed, probably measuring how every sentence of his sounded to not freak Mark out again. “...are you alright?”

“I…” Once again, Mark was speechless. What could he say? Could he explain what went through his mind? It felt like a panic attack more than anything else, even if it was a short one. But then again, nothing about himself made sense to him by now.

So what could he answer?

His gaze went back to the claw on his shoulder.

Simon was trying to help, right? He could… he could be honest with him.

…

“...no, I… I don’t think I-I am…”

Simon nodded, but decided not to prod, to Mark’s relief. “You should rest. It’s been… a long day for you, you probably need to take it easy. Sure, you might be doing okay now, since you seem to have gotten your energy back, but… Look, just trust me on this.”

“F-fine, but… what am I going to do tomorrow? I-I don’t want to stay here and be a bother, I-”

“You’re not a bother.” Simon interrupted, his tone serious. “As for what you’ll do tomorrow… I’ll talk about it with Rose, but I thought you should join our team and accompany us into a Dungeon.”

…what.

“A Dungeon?! I can barely walk, what do you think will happen once I get there?!” Mark retorted. Going into a place that he knew was dangerous despite Simon’s reassurances was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Well, you gotta get back in shape! We gotta see what moves you have and how you can handle yourself!” Simon answered, shrugging.

…Mark noticed… something, in Simon’s voice there. Something like… he was purposefully not telling Mark some information, or like he expected Mark to fill in the blanks.

But the same way Simon didn’t ask about his previous breakdown, Mark decided to stay quiet. “Okay, I… I trust you.”

To which Simon… smiled. Not his previous sheepish grin or anything, just… a soft smile.

Mark needed that sight right now.

Things were calm.

Things were okay.

…

Simon landed a claw on his shoulder again, and this time, Mark didn’t jump at the contact. “Me and Rose will take care of you, alright? Just follow, and we’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. That’s a promise.”

…

Things were fine.

…

“Okay.”

And that was that.

Chapter Text

Despite the numerous attempts at convincing Simon to take his own bed, Mark wasn’t able to make the Squirtle buckle in his demands. Mark was taking the bed, and Simon was taking the couch, whether Mark wanted or not.

He wanted to retort more, but eventually, Rose came back. Apparently she had gone to that guild thing Simon talked about earlier, something about confirming their mission was a failure. Mark didn’t get to hear that part really well, she made it a point to whisper to Simon about it, probably to not worry the Cubone even more.

It didn’t exactly work.

A failure. That word ringed in Mark’s head as he tried to sleep. Was that his fault? Did they have to abandon whatever they were doing in that Dungeon just because they found him in need of help?

What if it was an important mission? Like a rescue or something? Did he put someone in danger by being in the way?

…No, that was absurd. There was no way those two would have left someone behind. They didn’t do it for him, they wouldn’t do it for anybody else.

Maybe that was just his brain trying to move from the topic, but it seemed to be working, so he wasn’t going to complain. He needed some sort of solace after the panic he went through earlier.

A few hours went by, and Mark hadn’t been able to get some shut-eye yet. Simon and Rose were probably already asleep, because the overwhelming silence was another reason why nervousness took control of him.

Eventually, however, his mind decided it was tired enough to breathe and rest.

…

“Mark.”

“Mmmmmm…”

“Come on, gotta wake up, bud.” Simon tiredly chuckled. It had to be early even for him, judging by his tone.

With a groan, Mark rubbed his eyes. He had a bit of difficulty while doing so, between the helmet covering his head and his new claws, but at least he managed to open his eyelids.

What welcomed him was the sight of Simon leaning to the side against the doorway, sporting a seemingly exhausted grin and a piece of cloth around his neck.

Actually, Mark saw that cloth before, didn’t he? Both Simon and Rose had that same lime bandana when he was rescued, if his memory wasn’t failing him.

Whatever the case, one last yawn escaped the Cubone’s mouth before he turned to the side, sitting on the bed. A headache was present, probably due to not sleeping enough, but he could only swallow the discomfort and deal with it. He had the feeling that any retort or attempt to go back to bed would fall in deaf ears anyways.

“What time is it…?” Mark groaned, taking his sweet time to stand up.

“Around nine. Didn’t sleep well or what?” Simon got closer, still with that amused smile, even if it softened a little at the sight of the Cubone struggling.

“You could say that…” A stretch of his arms and legs, and off the bed Mark got. “Spent a lot of time without managing to fall asleep.” He continued, putting a claw on his forehead. Or well, the forehead part of his skull.

“Yeah, that’ll do it…” Simon sighed. “Well, better get some energy back in you, it’s time to move.”

“Move?” Mark asked.

But instead of responding, Simon simply pointed back to the entrance of the room, which was now occupied by Rose, sitting on the ground with a smug smile.

“Is the newbie ready or what?” She teased.

“Come on, cut him some slack.” Simon responded, though a quiet laugh betrayed any semblance of seriousness those words might have brought.

“Um… where are we going?”

Those words prompted both the Squirtle and the Growlithe to look at him, with the latter tilting her head to the side.

“Did… did Simon not tell you or…?”

“I was gonna!” Simon retorted, crossing his arms in faux annoyance as he turned to Mark once more. “We’ve decided that yeah, we’re getting you to a Dungeon. We’re gonna be around to make sure nothing bad happens, but considering your uh… situation, it might be good to remember how to defend yourself.”
“...is it really a good idea? I don’t… I don’t know how to fight. And why would I want to fight, anyways?!” Even if he had agreed to it yesterday, today was a different story. Mark was already starting to feel that nervousness again, that same fear that crept up his stomach and made him panic.

Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending on who you asked — Simon picked up on that panic this time. He didn’t waste a moment on getting right in front of Mark and placing his claws on both of the Cubone’s shoulders.

“Hey. Look at me.” Simon said. “It’s going to be okay. I know you’re scared, I would be too, but we’re here to help, alright? Believe me, this is going to help you in the long run, and both me and my sister are going to be there if things go awry. You’re safe with us.”

Mark wanted to believe him. He really did. A promise that everything was going to turn out fine and there was nothing to worry about? It sounded great.

Unfortunately, there was a nagging feeling in Mark that prevented him from simply accepting that. He couldn’t see himself fighting anything, less so in this new body of his that he still didn’t fully understand.

“How about this?” Rose said, picking up on Mark’s discomfort. “We try it once, and then you can decide if you want to keep trying again or if you’re done with it.”

“I…” It was tempting. Just giving a chance to this whole lifestyle. To be fair, it’s not like he could be doing anything else here. He had no idea how the world worked, and staying in bed all day without at least helping the other two wasn’t something that he was too eager to do.

So it was either help here or do nothing.

…

“...f-fine…”

That one word was all it was needed for the other two to smile contentedly, even if Mark couldn’t match their sentiment. 

He could only hope this wasn’t a bad idea.

“Alright!” Simon cheered, in a voice loud enough to make the Cubone flinch. Mark really couldn’t match such enthusiasm right now. “Rose and I are ready to go so, if you want, you can eat something on the way there.”

“There’s no need for-” A noise from his belly interrupted him, making Mark blush a little from embarrassment and swallow his pride. He really didn’t want to abuse their hospitality, but…

Well, he was hungry. “...okay, fine…”

“Psch…” Rose laughed, smirking again. “C’mon, then, let’s not waste time. We aren’t taking a day off just to pass the time here.”

“Wait, you took a day-” Mark couldn’t finish the sentence, as Rose was already sprinting away with a snicker that made Simon groan.

“Rose! C’mon, don’t be like this!” And off Simon went too, trying to catch her and stop her to no avail.

…

This was going to be a pain, Mark could already tell.

Luckily, Simon had managed to convince Rose to stop and wait for the Cubone. Even more luckily, he had managed to stop her not too far away, just barely close enough for Mark to catch a sight of them.

…reckless, Mark thought. He had no idea where anything was, he hadn’t been outside the house or the Dungeon yet. The thought of getting lost once again made him gulp, but he pushed those ideas away as much as he could.

The Squirtle didn’t waste a second on scolding his sister once Mark was close. Not like it did much, though; Rose kept that already familiar grin on her face at all times, so either this was a common occurrence, or she didn’t care about what her brother had to say.

Fortunately for Mark, they decided to end their bickering relatively quickly, instead focusing on explaining to the Cubone what they were about to get into.

“Alright, so,” Simon started, “we’re going to a place called Poison Garden. It is… somewhat similar to the place we found you in? It’s another forest, but this Dungeon is fully developed, so it looks more natural even if the halls and rooms are still there.”

“That name doesn’t really give me much confidence, honestly…” Mark retorted, looking away.

“Oh, c’mon, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s poison, it’s not gonna do much to you.” Rose responded, showing an amused shake of her head as she started walking.

“...how so?” Mark followed, Simon right beside the two.

And that was enough for her amusement to drop. “...damn it, I forgot again about the amnesia. Right, uh… So Simon explained types to you, right?”

“Only some of them.” Simon shrugged. “Basically the ones we three are.”

“Okay, so each type has some weaknesses and some strengths.” The Growlithe stole a glance at her brother, a teasing smile on her face yet again. “Simon can yap at you about that whole thing later, but all you need to know is that you, a ground-type, are resistant to poison. It will still hurt a little, of course, but nowhere near as much as it would to us two, for example.”

“That… doesn’t make sense. Why would I get hurt less than others?”

“As I said, Simon can give you all the details later, he loves to do it, heh...” Rose chuckled.

Which prompted the mentioned Squirtle to groan. “Come onnnnn, don’t talk about me like I’m obsessed.”

“I’m just saying! I know you’re a nerd for these things, so he should go to you for info!”

“Ugh… You’re right, but you didn’t have to say it-” Simon retorted, his faux annoyance put on full display before breaking into laughter.

At least they got along well, Mark thought. He had to admit it was entertaining seeing these two get in those fake sibling fights whose only purpose was to get a laugh out. And, well, maybe he hadn’t laughed yet, but the soft smile he wore definitely helped in making the idea of going into a Dungeon with the pair a bit more enticing.

They were nice, that much was clear to Mark.

So nice, in fact, that he didn’t even pay attention to where they were going. Before he knew it, Simon and Rose stopped in place, right in front of the Dungeon entrance.

How did Mark know it was the entrance? The leaves formed what was basically a wall, all except for the little opening into the darkness they had stopped in front of.

Oh, and the huge wooden sign among the vegetation probably helped.

Wait.

“Um… didn’t you say Dungeons weren’t that dangerous? Why do you need ‘professional supervision’ to enter?” Mark asked.

“You told him that?” Rose piped up, making Simon scratch the back of his head sheepishly. “Sigh. I guess it’s somewhat true for this Dungeon specifically, but no, a lot of them are dangerous enough where you have to be trained for them. As to why this sign says that for Poison Garden… they just use templates.”

“Right…” Mark muttered. Part of him was relieved to hear that Poison Garden was somewhat safe after all, but the other part quickly realized that this meant most others weren’t going to be like that.

And knowing his luck, he already had the feeling he was going to visit them sooner or later.

“...do I really have to do this?” Mark asked. It was mostly a rhetoric question for none other than himself, yet it was said out loud for the other two to hear.

Simon and Rose looked at each other for a moment, the latter simply motioning a shrug, which prompted Simon to sigh and speak.

“You don’t… have to. It would be beneficial to you to remember how to fight, but… it’s up to you, really,” the Squirtle said. “We… we could turn back home if you don’t think you’re ready.”

Mark’s mind went back to what he was thinking about before. By the way they were talking, fighting was something common in this world, so if he wanted to survive and not depend on the other two forever, he had to step up to the challenge.

So, taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Finally!” Rose exclaimed. “Come on before you doubt yourself again.” And before either of the two could respond, she sprinted into the vegetation.

What Mark wasn’t expecting, however, was for her figure to vanish within seconds, as if an invisible fog covered the entrance and made it impossible to see past it.

“W-wait, is this safe?” Mark asked, doing exactly what Rose told him not to and doubting himself.

“Hm? Yeah, of course it is! Look, she may be brash, but she isn’t stupid, you know?” Simon answered, laughing a little at his own remark. “Now, come on!”

Without hesitation, Simon entered as well, his silhouette vanishing in the same fashion as Rose’s.

…

Mark took a step back. He was alone now.

There was something in his mind telling him to use this chance. To run away, flee and protect himself from what was the weirdest world he could even imagine.

But he couldn’t do that, could he? Last time he was alone, he almost starved to death. He had no capabilities to survive on his own.

He was starting to panic again. Any small sound coming from the wind made him nervously look around to find it, scared that it was a threat coming his way.

Being alone wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all.

…

He couldn’t take it. Throwing all doubts to the wind, he ran through the entrance and into the Dungeon, hoping he didn’t just make the worst mistake of his life.

THUMP

The Cubone wasn’t really seeing where he was going. Not for a lack of trying, but because his environment was nothing more than strange colors surrounding him before suddenly forming the forest he knew he entered.

That, however, made him hit something and fall to the ground before he could even see what he had in front of him. Mark put his claws on the forehead portion of his skull, taking the chance to look around and see what just happened.

A Squirtle laying on the floor right ahead answered his questions.

“...ow.” Simon mumbled, shaking his head as he got back on his feet.

“S-shit, sorry, I uh… I panicked.” Mark was already trying to apologize, quickly stumbling over himself just to get back up as well.

And as he already expected, Rose was busy watching from the side, laughing at the scene.

“It’s… it’s okay, everyone always has a different reaction to entering one of these, I forgot to warn you.” The Squirtle didn’t hesitate on lending a claw to Mark again, although his gaze went to the Growlithe still snickering instead. “And thanks for helping, you jerk.”

To which Rose responded by placing a paw on her chest fluff, all proud of herself. “You’re welcome~ Now, c’mon, we have someone to train.”

Without even waiting for a response, she turned and started walking away. Thankfully, she did it slowly enough for the other two to follow behind, even if Mark wasn’t really happy to obey this way.

“...is she always so careless?” Mark whispered to the Squirtle beside him.

“Eeeyup. Though she knows what she’s doing. She’s always been bold and headstrong, but she knows when it’s a good idea to back out.” Simon turned again towards her, letting out an amused exhale. “...most of the time, heh.”

“That sounds like there’s some history behind it.”

“And there is! But if I tell you, my sister will kill me, hehe…” Simon chuckled, leaning back just a little in a satisfied way.

Mark could appreciate the easygoingness these two carried. The fact that they were in yet another forest and for a fight of all things still bothered him greatly, but there was a small amount of confidence that he wouldn’t have found if he was alone.

He would probably need that confidence, he thought.

Speaking of the forest, it had nothing to do with the Dungeon he had woken up in. Sure, there were still rooms and halls, but it felt like an actual complete location rather than the artificial-looking attempt he had seen before. No trees or bushes cut in half to form a wall, they all looked naturally occurring. No stillness in the air, there was an actual breeze that brushed against his scales.

If Mark hadn’t recognized the pattern from last time, he would have never thought he was in what was essentially a maze.

“So… what exactly are we looking for?” Mark asked, still somewhat mesmerized by the environment. Or rather, by how normal it looked.

Completely used to this by now, however, Simon didn’t seem to share the same awe. “We’re just looking for a feral or something you can practice with. They’re fairly weak here, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“...ferals?”

At that, Simon’s facial expression seemed to flinch, taking a deep inhale as if to prepare how he was going to explain. “Well, you see-”

“Yo. Ekans on the way.” Rose interrupted, already quite a bit ahead from the pair.

“Oh, thank god. All you need to know is that it’s a whole thing and not really important for now. I’ll tell you another day if you want,” Simon responded. “Now, let’s do this.”

Without missing a beat, the Squirtle grabbed Mark from the wrist and ran to Rose, dragging the Cubone with him.

“H-Hey!” Mark retorted, but to no avail. His legs struggled a little to keep up, but at least he somehow managed to not fall over.

As Simon stopped, so did Mark, just in time to see what was happening.

There was Rose, glancing at the two that just arrived, with an expression that displayed both smugness and a small amount of annoyance, as if she was tired of waiting despite it having been just a few seconds.

And on the other side of the room, minding its own business, was a small purple snake. Well, probably small. It was hard to judge when Mark himself was so short now.

“Alright,” Rose said. “That feral right there is the perfect chance for you. Go ahead and show us what you’re made of, newbie.” As if it was nothing, she walked behind Mark, purposefully bumping into his side to incite him to move forward.

Mark, however, didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“Uh…” He started. “What exactly are you expecting me to do here?”

Rose rolled her eyes, as if the Cubone had just asked the stupidest question in the world. “Get in there, and fight that Ekans. Simple.”

“Come on, don’t be so pushy on him.” Simon intercepted, getting next to Mark and landing a claw on his shoulder. With the other, he pointed towards the snake, who was still rummaging around the leaves that made up the Dungeon’s walls. “What she said is right, though. All we need you to do is to approach that Ekans, and fight it until it’s knocked out. It should be fairly weak, and the poison resistance you got will make it even easier.”

“Okay but, how the hell do I do that? I don’t know how to fight, remember?” Mark retorted.

“Uh… I don’t know what moves your species has from the top of my head, but the bone club in your hand is probably going to help.”

Oh. Right. He was still holding that bone. Honestly, Mark hadn’t even realized until Simon pointed it out. It felt like instinct to simply hold it and carry it everywhere, for some reason.

But also… that word. Again. It was twice already he had heard it in that context, yet he still had no idea what Simon meant by that.

So, he asked.

“What do you mean by ‘moves’?”

Apparently, Mark was right to ask, as upon hearing that question, both Simon and Rose frowned, looking at each other for a moment.

“You… You’ll figure it out. We all have moves, including you.” Simon said, though his usual reassuring voice got quite a bit more doubtful this time. “Just get in there and try it out. Rose and I will stay back here in case something goes wrong.”

“I… Okay.” To say Mark had confidence would be a lie. All of it basically floated away the moment he saw the two siblings exchange looks. Now, he was left wondering what he was even doing.

But he had to learn if he wanted to survive. That was basically what the other two had told him.

So, tentatively, he approached the snake. His steps as slow as he could muster as if by delaying the inevitable enough, something would stop it from happening.

It was then that the Ekans finally noticed Mark’s presence. It stared at him with those somewhat mindless, yellow eyes, even tilting its head for a moment as if to study the Cubone in front of it.

Mark had the urge to simply speak to it. If there were weird creatures talking like nothing, why would this be an exception? But also, Simon and Rose referred to it as a feral.

He decided to trust them and resist the urge, instead opting to do what he had been told. He moved his arm up, rising the bone club he held, and swung it down as hard as he could.

BONK

…the snake flinched a little, but still stood its ground. It snarled, showing its fangs, something that Mark could already tell was a bad sign.

“What the hell was that?!” Rose shouted from the other side of the room. “Just use a move! What even was that swing?!”

“I-I don’t know! I just went and attacked it! Like you- GAH!” Mark yelled back, just in time for the snake to use the distraction and jump in, biting him in the arm.

Mark moved said arm up and down rapidly in a panic, trying to throw the snake away, but it had dug its teeth deep between his scales, to the point that movement was making it worse for himself.

He couldn’t afford a glance at the other two, but he was questioning why they weren’t getting closer to help.

He could make out their voices. It sounded like a discussion. Yet his fastening heartbeat was overpowering his sense of hearing, to the point that the only discernible noise was his rapid breathing.

Without any other options, his free hand grabbed the snake and pulled, swallowing the pain that came from its teeth tearing his scales apart. Mark’s eyes were forcefully closed, tearing up with every tug. He couldn’t see blood, but he knew it was being spilled.

With one last yank, the Cubone managed to get the feral off himself, instinct taking over for just a moment as he threw it away as far as he could.

Mark couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds, gasping for air as tears quietly flowed inside his helmet. This was supposed to be a weak feral. This was supposed to be easy. This was supposed to be a no-risk trek, just to remember how to be a functional Pokémon.

Well, he wasn’t. That much was clear.

As Mark clutched his bloodied arm, flinching a bit at the physical contact, he turned around to check on Simon and Rose, ready to desperately beg for them to take over and help him.

But what he saw confused him.

They weren’t paying attention to him anymore, they were arguing between each other.

‘...what are they even doing?! Can’t they see I can’t do this?!’

The panic was starting to set in again, tinnitus filling his ears as he slowly realized that he was being ignored. Mark approached them anyway, about to cut in their fight so they could help him with his.

But that small distraction was apparently enough for the snake to fight again.

BOOM

Mark didn’t get to see what he was blasted off with. He was giving his back to the Ekans, after all. Whatever it was, though, it hurt. Many solid spheres had collided with the back of his skull, exploding on impact and making him plant his face against the dirt, along with a new, trickling sensation on the back of his head.

“Huh?!” Simon exclaimed at the noise, turning his head to see the Cubone splayed on the ground. “Shit! Uh… Rose! Deal with the Ekans, I got him!”

Thankfully, Rose didn’t need any words. She immediately charged forwards, fire spawning around her and surrounding her canine body in what looked like a comet.

Or at least, that’s what Mark was able to see as he attempted to pull himself up to no avail.

A pair of familiar blue legs appeared in front of him, followed by Simon crouching and offering a claw. “C’mon, let’s get you up.”

Those words were still quite muffled for Mark.

He wanted to retort, to say something like ‘Oh, so NOW you’re helping me’. But he couldn’t, he needed the help. He could be mad at them later.

Faintly, the noises of impact and fire crackling could be heard.

The Cubone didn’t care.

Instead, Mark focused on getting up, slowly but surely using Simon’s help to get back on his two feet, even if the first thing he did once he stood up was approach the closest tree and support himself against it.

He could’ve leaned on Simon, but right now, he felt the need to not have anyone closeby.

Not like that need mattered much, as the Squirtle didn’t leave Mark’s side.

“...are you good?” Simon asked.

“What do you think…?”

“Look, I… I wanted to intervene, but Rose didn’t let me. She said that it was better for you to learn if we left you alone.” Mark could see Simon’s expression turn into a frown, seeming genuinely guilty about the whole ordeal. Not like Mark could take it seriously, honestly.

“Can we leave?” Mark asked, exasperated. He was still clutching his arm in a useless attempt to stop the bleeding. It hurt like crazy, yet it was better than nothing, he thought.

After that question, though, Simon paused. His expression was difficult now, a mix between wanting to apologize again and trying too much to seem calm and collected.

Like he wanted to help, but couldn’t get to admit to himself he was wrong.

“I…”

“Oh, come on.” Rose interrupted Simon, already coming back from her confrontation. As Mark turned to her, he tried to look past her, only spotting an unconscious snake with a trail of smoke spawning from it. Whatever the case, Rose continued speaking as she walked to the two. “You really wanna leave already after just one fight? I thought you wanted to learn.”

“I wanted to learn. Not to get thrown into something I couldn’t win and then be completely ignored by the ones that were supposed to help me.” Was Mark being too blunt? Maybe. Did he care right now? Absolutely not.

That bluntness was enough for the Growlithe to flinch, taken aback by his words. She seemed ready to retort, her fangs showing up in an attempt to intimidate.

…but a glance at Mark’s wounds was all she needed to stop herself. The sour expression didn’t go away, but she stayed silent, at least.

“...I’ll ask again, c-can we leave?” The Cubone’s tone was stoic. Or well, as stoic as he could muster. The faint shaking gave away that he was in more pain than what he could hide.

Luckily, in response, all Simon and Rose did was exchange looks before the latter performed the same twist of her body as she did on when they rescued Mark, getting her bag off her and grabbing an orb.

A very familiar orb.

Without hesitation, she threw it to the ground.

And after a crash, it all went white again.

“...this will hurt.” Simon said, untying his lime bandana. He approached it to his own mouth, spilling a bit of water on it, which he assured Mark it was hygienic, and tying the now-wet cloth around the Cubone’s arm wound.

As Simon predicted, it hurt, but Mark did nothing more than slightly flinch, allowing the turtle to treat him.

Rose was a few feet away from them, looking back into the entrance of the Dungeon. She said it was to make sure no ferals escaped and attacked them, but Mark knew better. She needed a bit of time to think.

At least she left the bag with them.

Speaking of which, Simon rummaged through it, getting another one of those fruits Mark ate yesterday.

“Eat this.” Simon demanded, handing the fruit to the Cubone.

“...I’m not hungry right now.”

“It’s not… Look, this heals you, okay? Just take a bite.”

“...Fine.” Mark responded, obliging and doing just that. The flavor was as sweet as last time, yet he couldn’t get himself to appreciate it.

As Mark ate, Simon walked around Mark, inspecting him up and down in search of other wounds. He didn’t have to search for too long, as there was still a small trickle of blood flowing down the Cubone’s neck, coming from underneath the skull.

“...Shit. I didn’t see this before. It’s… probably nothing, but we might as well get your skull out to check.”

“Good luck with that, I couldn’t take it off yesterday.” Mark responded, staring at the ground. 

He felt apathetic at this point. He simply couldn’t care about himself or his injuries. The only thing in his mind was to get back to Simon and Rose’s place and be alone for a while.

Not like he thought he would accomplish that with these two prodding him into getting into danger.

Simon tilted his head, confused at Mark’s statement, yet not verbally responding. Instead, he took the initiative by grabbing Mark’s skull by the horns, and pulling upwards with no hesitation.

“H-HEY!” As expected, the only thing that achieved was throwing Mark off balance, making him fall back on his rear.

“S-Sorry! I just wanted to see if it was bad.” Simon took a step back. Even without looking at him, Mark could hear the guilt build up in his tone of voice. “All normal Cubone can get it out! I thought-”

“Well, I’m NOT a normal Cubone, okay?!” Mark raised his voice, interrupting the Squirtle as he stood back up. “I can’t take my skull off, I can’t use moves, I can’t fight, I am NOT normal! Is it that hard to figure out?!”

“...what is going on here?”

Mark turned to the voice, only to see Rose getting closer to them, a frown on her face.

Unfortunately, the Cubone only got angrier when he saw her.

“What is going on? WHAT IS GOING ON?! That’s what YOU were supposed to help me figure out! I can’t do shit here! I-I’m a… freaking defect or something! I can’t defend myself! You saw it!”

Simon piped up, trying to calm him down. “H-hey, but you’re with us, right? It might take a while, but we can help-”

“Help?! I was getting beat up in there and what were you two doing?! You ignored me! I could’ve died there and neither of you would have cared! Y-you promised me I would be safe with you around and look at what happened!” Mark got close to Simon. Really close. On pure instinct, a claw went up, pointing at the Squirtle accusatorily, even if the Cubone’s jaw was trembling from stress.

And while Simon froze in place at that action, Rose didn’t. She got in between the two, forcibly pushing Mark away from her brother. “Back. Off. Touch my brother and you won’t like what happens.”

He stared at her for a few seconds before scoffing, shaking his head as his gaze went back to the grass between them.

“...and you. Not letting Simon help, complaining about me for being skeptical of a world I don’t know, trying to get me to continue the Dungeon when I said I wanted to leave even though you were the one that told me I could quit if it wasn’t for me.”

“Look, man. The best way to learn is from experience. Not my fault that you give up so easily.”

“HOW CAN I NOT GIVE UP EASILY?!” Mark yelled. “I can’t attack, I don’t know how the hell it works because I’m not one of you, okay?! I can’t do what you can, so how would I even get experience in the first place?!”

“I…” Rose started.

But no more words came out from her.

The siblings looked at each other for a moment, with expressions that even Mark could figure out meant they understood they had messed up.

But again, Mark couldn’t care. He simply turned around, gripping his wounded, bandaged arm and slowly walking away towards their home.

Not without letting one last comment out, however.

“...I know I’m useless. You don’t need to prove it to me even more.”

As Simon and Rose followed, Mark couldn’t help but get in his head again.

He didn’t like blowing up like that and yet… He felt like he had been bottling these feelings for a long time.

Which was strange, considering he only remembered his life since the previous day.

It was a weird sensation, like his feelings and thoughts had been building up for way longer than he had recollection for. And now he had to pay the consequences for it.

He hated it.

_{“What the hell is his problem?”}

_{“What do you mean, his problem?”}

_{“We go out of our way to help him and this is how he repays us?”}

_{“We didn’t… exactly help him, though, did we? We were supposed to help him out in case of trouble and we just… didn’t.”}

_{“Yeah, okay, I get it, my fault. But that doesn’t mean he gets to talk to us like that. We’re doing what we can.”}

_{“And he is too, despite what you may think.”}

_“...”

“I can hear you, you know?” Mark said.

…

And the conversation ended there.

Chapter Text

The first thing Mark did when returning home was throw himself into the couch. Maybe it was considered rude to do that while being a guest, but he couldn’t get himself to care.

He could hear a few more murmurs when Simon and Rose entered behind him, yet he understood no word this time. Mark was too busy trying to segregate himself from the world around him, after all, which he did by curling up into himself and facing the back of the couch. The less he could see, the better.

Why was all of this happening to him?

Stuck in a world he didn’t recognize, no memories of his human life or even how he got here, transformed into another of the world’s creatures, yet unable to do anything they could to fight for himself.

He felt like nothing more than dead weight, someone who had to be helped and carried at all times, someone whose only purpose was to be a nuisance to everyone around him, someone…

…someone useless.

It wasn’t a new realization, Mark had already said as much at the end of that discussion he had with the siblings. Still, the thought of it made him whimper. A faint, almost unperceivable snivel that served no purpose other than to let himself cry.

And cry he did. Not the huge sobs and yells of asking for help, but the quiet sniffles and whispers of trying to hide from the rest of the world.

But despite his cries, Mark wasn’t satisfied. If anything, the mere fact that he was feeling so worthless made him even more frustrated, because he knew the normal response to those thoughts should be to try and fix them, to force himself to learn and to prove that he was as worth as anyone else.

But he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried to psych himself up, he felt too… tired. Sure, physically due to that pathetic attempt of a Dungeon dive, but especially mentally tired. It had all been so overwhelming so far, so much information for his already struggling mind.

…so not only was he useless, he also couldn’t change that fact.

Some part of him wanted Simon to appear, for him to tell him that everything he thought about himself was wrong.

But the other part doubted he’d even trust whatever Simon could say.

…

Where were those two anyways?

Mark’s intrusive thoughts got interrupted by a sudden tilt of the couch’s seat.

“So… we should have a talk.”

Simon had sat next to Mark, though the Squirtle was not looking at him, instead opting to cross his short arms and stare at nothing.

Curious, Mark sat up as well, taking a glance around the room and realizing that Rose was nowhere to be found.

‘Of course she wouldn’t want to take part in this talk.’

Dejectedly, Mark shook his head, using a claw to try and swipe his tears away which, admittedly, was harder than it looked with the skull around his head blocking the way.

“...what do you want?” Mark finally responded, imitating Simon and looking away, with a tone that easily showed how exhausted he was.

But despite not looking at each other, Mark felt the flinch that those words caused Simon.

A moment of silence passed, which Simon probably spent composing himself.

“I… I should’ve known.” The Squirtle said.

“What do you mean, ‘known’?”

“I should’ve known you were different. I mean, look at you. Every Cubone I’ve ever seen has cracks on their skull. Not you, though. Yours has no damage, almost as if… I dunno, as if you were just born.” Simon had finally turned to look at Mark, examining the skull in question despite the Cubone still looking away.

Not like Mark felt like stopping him, anyhow.

“Is that it? That’s your whole reason for classifying me as different?” Despite the annoyed tone of Mark’s voice, he had to admit that Simon’s reasoning made some sort of sense. He was a newborn, in a twisted and technical meaning of the word.

“Not really. There’s the way you drag your bone through the ground as if you never remember you have it. There’s the way you lift your tail up all the time while walking, as if it’s an obstacle for you. There’s well, the missing moves.” Simon explained. “Your body is an adult one, I’ve read enough biology books to know. But it’s like it was just made, somehow, and you don’t know how to use it.”

…

Did… Did Simon know? Did he know Mark was a human?

Granted, Mark didn’t know if him knowing was even a bad thing. For all he knew, humans weren’t even a thing in this place.

Yet something in him just… screamed. It screamed at Mark to not let anyone know, as if that was a dangerous fact about himself. Something that should be protected.

…he had to thank the fact that he was still looking away, or else the very worried frown would have given it away after all.

“...I’m just as confused as you are, you know?” Mark managed to reply.

“I am… aware, yeah…” The disappointment in Simon’s voice was palpable, and Mark couldn’t blame him. “Look, I just… wanted to say sorry. For all of today. You are right to be mad at us and I don’t expect you to simply be fine after this, but… well, you deserve the apology.”

There was another beat of silence after that, as the Cubone tried to figure out how to reply.

“Honestly…” He began. “If anything, I feel like the one that should apologize is Rose first and foremost. You tried to help and she didn’t let you. But of course, she couldn’t even show her face to me again…”

It didn’t feel right to show that discontent towards her but… Mark felt too apathetic to filter himself.

“That’s part of why I’m talking to you, actually… She thought that you wouldn’t want to hear from her so I’m supposed to like… ease you in, I guess.” Simon replied with a sigh.

Somehow, Mark expected that. All bark and no bite, Rose was. Fitting, considering her species.

“Point is…” The Squirtle continued. “I know what you’re going through.”

“...you do?”

“Yeah. Remember how I told you I was adopted? It… didn’t happen right away. I was alone for quite a while and… honestly, I might have ended just like you if Rose didn’t find me when she did. Alone in a Dungeon and starving to death.”

Part of Mark wanted to not believe that. Sure, Rose cared a lot about her brother, but he couldn’t see her being that playful with someone she had just met. Hell, wasn’t she the one doubting if they should rescue him yesterday?

Yet those thoughts didn’t last long. He barely knew the guy, but Mark could tell Simon spoke with honesty. Those shivers from the Squirtle that happened as he spoke weren’t for show.

“I’m… sorry…” The Cubone murmured, just low enough to be audible.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” Mark responded, still looking anywhere except back at Simon. “I just didn’t know you… had it that bad.”

“Well, that was years ago, you know? And besides, if I can come back from that, you can too.” Simon chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, if his voice was any indication.

Mark managed to give an amused exhale in response.

…and then, silence. More or less an awkward one, as if there was still something unsaid in the air.

Thankfully, Simon fixed that after a few moments.

“There is… something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Mhm?”

“You uh… that outburst… are you sure you don’t remember anything from before you entered that Dungeon?” Simon asked, yet warily. Mark knew why, though. It was a sensitive topic. He was probably feeling like he was walking on eggshells.

“I… I’m sure, yeah.” Mark replied. “I dunno, it just… felt like I had all of that bottled up, I won’t lie.”

“Bottled up?”

“Yeah. I don’t know where it came from, I just… I-It felt like…”

Mark noticed his claws had started to tremble. Fear began to enter his mind yet again. He looked to the ground, leaning to his side and onto Simon, who responded by putting an arm around the Cubone’s shoulders.

Before he knew it, Mark kept talking.

“I-I felt so bad with myself and… that moment of h-helplessness, of… of betrayal… I-I saw both of you ignoring me and i-it just… it was the s-straw that broke the camel’s back, I-I think…” Mark said, hugging himself. “I-I already thought poorly of myself for having to depend on someone, s-so this just… I dunno… i-it made me realize how useless alone I really am…”

…was he crying? It certainly felt like it. Just that quickly, all that anger and apathy transformed into the same sorrow he was already so damn familiar with.

“Mark…”

Right, Simon was here. Because of course he was. Mark couldn’t just be a crybaby alone, he had to bother someone else. It was never enough to be down, he had to bring others with him.

“You aren’t useless. You know that, right?” Simon continued. “Just because you can’t do one thing doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything.”

“And what CAN I do, Simon?! Y-you’ve seen me. I don’t know how anything works, and the one thing apparently everyone can do is impossible for me! If I can’t defend myself and I can’t help on a-anything, then what good am I to keep around?!”

No response. Not like there was anything Simon could say at this point.

Instead, the Squirtle simply tightened his grip on Mark.

…what was Mark even doing? Breaking down on a stranger he met yesterday, unable to even get a grip on himself.

And yet he felt… safe, somehow. Maybe it was the fact that he had someone to lean on, maybe it was the relief of letting these feelings out, maybe it was the comfortable grip Simon had on him.

…it was then that he noticed just how close the two were. Physically, that is. Whether it was on purpose or not, Simon was pressing Mark against him, to the point the skull clanked a little with the shell around the Squirtle’s side.

In a bit of a panic, Mark pushed himself up, looking away once again. He could feel his face heating up beneath the skull, which was… admittedly a very strange sensation to have while his eyes still dropped tears.

He tried to swipe them away again, despite how difficult his trembling claws were making it.

“S-sorry about that…” Mark muttered, registering at that moment how often he had apologized in just the two days he remembered. He couldn’t help it, however. Every action he took always felt like it was making things worse.

Thankfully, it seemed like Simon didn’t notice the fluster from the Cubone, nor he seemed to care about the sudden push, instead being more preoccupied with the crack-up he had just witnessed.

“Don’t be.” The Squirtle said, as softly and reassuringly as he could. “Just… try to take things slow, okay?”

…could he do that? Everytime something went wrong it felt like just another reminder of how little he could manage to do right.

But on the other hand…

…

Mark turned to Simon.

Somehow, despite all of that, despite all the apologies and awkwardness, Simon was smiling, just like yesterday.

He was looking at Mark.

Expectantly.

With hope.

With confidence that things would turn out right.

…

Maybe Mark could do it. If not for himself, for the one trusting him.

“I… I’ll try.” The Cubone finally let out. “...thank you.”

Simon… didn’t respond. He simply nodded, satisfied.

And he let the calm silence take over.

…

A few minutes passed.

Despite the urge Mark had to lay on Simon’s side again, his insecurities made it impossible to ask, even if he knew Simon would gladly let him.

So instead, there he was, leaning back on the couch, with his eyes closed. He wasn’t that tired, but blocking his sight made it easier to calm down and forget about all his problems.

Sure, the unfamiliar bump in the shape of a tail he had now coming from the back part of his torso made something as simple as taking a seat a complete nightmare. But he was slowly getting used to it, or at least, that’s what Mark was telling himself.

It was a challenge to see the small positive things happening around him, especially when all the negative ones kept being so massive.

But… well, he was trying. And that would need to be enough for now.

Eventually, however, the silence got interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

And while Mark had known this moment would happen sooner or later, he couldn’t avoid frowning as soon as he saw the Growlithe entering, bag on her back.

There was a pause from her as the two made eye contact. Rose seemed to react to Mark’s frown with a wince of her own, but she did speak through it.

“...hey.”

“Welcome back!” Simon responded, thankfully allowing Mark to stay silent. Though that didn’t last long, as the Squirtle finally realized the tension present in the room was there for a reason. “...oh, should I… should I leave and let you two talk or…?”

“No.” Mark said, almost too quickly. “...stay. Please.” He didn’t want to have to argue without at least having Simon present. He needed someone there that could calm him down if it became too much. And well, Simon was the only one he had, though not like he was a bad option, at least.

Thankfully, Simon obliged, though with his crossed arms it was easy to see how awkward he felt right now.

With that said, Rose sighed, finally stepping into the room. She maneuvered for a moment, managing to drop the bag off her. She pushed it to the side and simply approached the other two.

Though she stopped at a fair distance, of course. Mark wasn’t the only one that didn’t feel comfortable getting too close, apparently.

…and more silence. Nobody knew how to start.

“I…” Rose started, shaking her head to get rid of the doubts. “I’m sorry. I fucked up.”

“You could’ve just said that from the start, you know?” Mark responded, his annoyance being shown in full display. “Instead of doing this stunt of having Simon cover for you.”

But instead of Rose acknowledging her mistake, what Mark caused with those words was for her to lash out on the defensive. “Oh, come on, you wouldn’t have listened to me if I had done that, and you know it.”

“And what makes you think I want to listen to you now anyways?! You left me to die!”

“I wouldn’t have let you die! What the hell are you talking about?!”

“GUYS!” Simon screamed. It was loud enough for the other two to flinch and stare at him in silence. “...please. Stop trying to come out on top. Both of you.”

…another beat of silence.

“Look, Mark.” Rose continued after a deep breath. “Believe it or not, leaving you alone to fight was on good intentions. It’s the way my parents taught me, and I wouldn’t be here without them. I won’t apologize for that, but I will apologize for not recognizing it wasn’t working and instead trying to force it. I know I haven’t been the best of hosts, but I do want you to know that my intention isn’t to hurt you. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

Mark stood quiet for a moment, taking those words in. He wasn’t quite sure if he believed her. It wasn’t just being left alone, it was the way that she did her own thing without taking anyone else into account.

She left Simon to take care of him, she sprinted into the Dungeon without thinking about the other two, she put her ideals before his safety. And all of that in only two days, if that.

As if Rose could read minds, she spoke again.

“I will… try, to slow down a little for you. Simon probably told you already that I’m very headstrong and… yeah, it’s true, even I can admit that.” She sat on the spot, brushing her chest fluff with a paw as she looked to the side. “It’s how I am, not much I can do to help it. But what I CAN do is try to pause and guide you properly, with Simon’s help.”

…

“...if you let us, of course.” Rose added.

At this point, all of Mark’s anger had floated away. He wasn’t entirely convinced, yet all he could feel right now was that ever familiar apathy.

He didn’t care. Not anymore.

“Rose. I’m giving you one more chance. Just one. It’s very difficult for me to try and keep going at this point, so all I ask is that you let me take everything at my own pace.” Mark answered, his eyes lazily drifting away from her. “...please.”

“...deal.” She responded. She didn’t exactly sound completely sold on that, but… she seemed to take it. She probably knew this was the best she was going to get from Mark.

He was glad to have it done, at least. The whole situation was still somewhat awkward and uncomfortable, but better to give her a chance to prove herself.

“Actually,” Rose spoke up again. “I do have something to show you, Mark~”

“Oh, you got it?” Simon asked. “I hope Gren didn’t give you much trouble.”

“Nah, you know they’re sweet as pie. They didn’t ask me much.” With regained energy, Rose hopped to where she left the bag, opening it up and taking something from inside it.

It was a cloth.

A lime-colored cloth.

Just like their scarves.

“...what is that for?” Mark asked, somehow making Rose’s grin wider.

“That, Mark, is for the new member of Team Timeless.” Simon responded, taking the cloth from Rose as she walked up to the other two. “We want you in the team.”

…Mark had a few questions now.

“Team Timeless?” He asked.

“That’s our team name.” Rose proudly said. “Because we will become timeless, a team that will be remembered for years to come.”

“You’re such a dork, heh…” Simon chuckled, which made Rose pout, though obviously in jest.

Mark, however, still couldn’t understand.

“You… you know I can’t fight, you just saw me. Why do you-”

“Oh, please, fighting isn’t the only way to help, y’know?” Rose interrupted him. “Maybe you can do what Simon did at the start. Stay on the back and be the resources guy, giving us berries and stuff while we fight.”

Instinctively, Mark turned to Simon, silently asking him if that was true. When the Squirtle gave him a nod, all he could do was stare at the cloth.

Slowly, he took it from Simon’s hands, feeling it with his own claws.

Despite everything, despite the memory loss, despite the inability to fight, despite their arguments…

They still wanted him in.

“I…” Mark gulped, trying not to cry for the thousandth time today.

He pressed the cloth against his chest, closing his eyes.

This was his chance, a chance to be someone he could be proud of.

A chance to be useful.

…

“...I’ll do my best. I promise.”