Faux Truths

Chapter 1: Awakening

"Wake up."

A small figure slowly opened his eyes, groggily glancing around.

Where am I? He thought, finding himself lying on the grass of a small clearing. Glancing around, he made note of a small pond in front of him, and walls of trees that lined the edges of the clearing, broken only by two narrow paths. Shouldn't I be at home? He pondered before an alarming question popped into his head. Where is my home? He pushed himself up onto two legs, startled by how little he remembered. However, he quickly lost balance, falling face-first into the pond.

"Oww..." He muttered as he began to get back up, freezing as he saw his reflection. "I-I'm... Th-that can't be right!" He shouted, jumping back from the pond. "I-I should be a human, not a Zorua!"

"Remember who you are," An almost melancholic voice said, though it had no discernable source. "This world needs you, Theo."

"Wh-who are you?" Theo asked, trying to find the source of the voice. "And how do you know my name?"

Despite his questions, Theo received no answer.

Theo began to pace around the clearing when he noticed a red caterpillar approaching the clearing through a path to the north.

Before Theo could try to talk to it, the Wurmple shot threads of sticky silk at him, causing Theo to get tangled within them.

"Really? String?" Theo said to the Wurmple, a little underwhelmed.

The Wurmple stopped using String Shot after Theo's remark, looking a little ticked off. It began to approach Theo, its horn glowing purple.

"I don't want to fight, please stop!" Theo shouted at the Wurmple, running towards the other path out of the clearing in a panic.

The Wurmple turned to face the fleeing Theo, the horn still glowing as it approached.

"I've got to get out of here..." Theo said to himself as he finally reached the other path, only to find himself face-to-face with a Cottonee. Theo tried to run under it but quickly noticed that the air felt heavy, and he noticed small shining, yellow spores.

"This can't be good," Theo muttered as the spores paralyzed him. Still panicking, he let out a loud cry for help. "Someone! Save me please!"

Being stuck in place, Theo was only able to gasp in pain when he felt something sharp stab into his side, no doubt that it was the Wurmple.

A green glow surrounded Theo as he felt weak, the Cottonee draining his energy. Before the Cottonee could finish absorbing Theo's energy, however, it was hit by a burst of flames.

The Wurmple turned to the source of the flames to attack the mysterious assailant, however, it, too, quickly fell to a blast of fire.

Finally free from the paralyzation, Theo took a step back from the cloud of smoke and cotton from the now unconscious Cottonee, as a figure of similar size to him walked out of it.

"Were you the one calling for help?" An upbeat, almost carefree feminine voice asked as the figure stepped out of the cloud, revealing itself to be a Vulpix.

"I-uh- yes." Theo focused his gaze on the Vulpix. "So, umm, thank you," Theo said as he took a step, only for the stabbing pain in his side to flare up, causing him to collapse.

The Vulpix panicked when Theo collapsed. "B-by Arceus, are you alright?"

"The W-Wurmple stung me..." Theo muttered faintly, gasping for breath. "Stung me in the side... side doesn't feel right..."