Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Recovering Memories

Chapter 23: Helpless

Moon Continent Explorer's Guild, West Coast Branch, Infirmary, The Morning of August 8th

When Kori woke up the next morning, she refused to open her eyes, hoping that the events of yesterday had all been a bad dream... that she could feel pain in somehow... and that she was still a human, and would wake up aboard the Pernautica.

Please don't be real, please don't be real, please don't be real...

She finally opened her eyes to the very same room she had seen yesterday, additionally bringing an arm into view. To her disappointment, it was still a paw, covered in lavender fur and featuring black pads. She sighed, flopping her head back down.

Awh... no dream... she thought. I really am a shinx...

The shinx looked around the room, noticing that there was nobody else in the room with her. She didn't expect to see the four pokemon that, she assumed, had brought her to this room, but the lack of a zoroark was surprising. All she saw on his bed was a pile of raggedy looking clothes and a pair of ruined boots.

I wonder what the commander is up to? She thought as pulled herself to the edge, then proceeding to fall off of the side. She slammed face first onto the hardwood floor, yelping in shock from the impact with the floor.

Forgot... I can't walk... she thought, struggling to get up as she rubbed her nose with a forepaw.

"Commander?" she called out. "Commander Martin? Where are you?"

She did not get a response.

"Commander? This isn't funny. I know you're here, where are you? I need help getting back onto my bed!"

"Is everything okay?" a voice asked from above Kori.

Kori lifted her head and looked around. "Who said that?"

Into the shinx's view stepped an audino donning a white apron with a red cross on the center. The pink biped looked concerned.

"I did. Now, answer my question. Is everything okay?"

Kori frowned. "No, everything is not okay," she complained. "I'm stuck in a body that's not my own, in a place I know absolutely nothing about, and I can't even walk. How could I possibly be okay?"

The audino nodded understandingly. "I see. You're one of those... space humans Felix told me about, right?"

The shinx nodded. "Yeah?"

The nurse lifted the shinx back onto her bed. "I have a feeling that it will take you a while to adjust to this new body if you aren't willing to accept the fact that this is what you are now. Ryan accepted his new body quickly, and you'd likely never guess he used to be human if he hadn't told you. Even your own partner seems to be doing just fine, though his being bipedal may be helpful in that regard."

Kori nodded in agreement. She hadn't initially believed that Ryan used to be human when he had told her, so he could probably help. She did also feel a hint of jealousy that her boss would likely have an easier time adapting than her.

"Whether there's a way to turn you human again, I can't say," the audino continued. "I would suggest seeking out Jirachi, but they've just returned to their thousand-year slumber six years ago. What I can say is that, at least in the meantime, you are a shinx, and you will have to live with this, I'm afraid."

Kori sighed with resignation at this. "I know..." she muttered, disappointed.

It was at that moment that a zoroark carrying a bath towel stepped into the room. His jet-black fur still appeared to be somewhat damp.