A New World, Filled With Curiosity

That was good sleep. It feels good in new home. Pony give food that good too! Better than forest food that were on short trees. They're also bigger and more good!

Watch ticks good too. Pony fixed watch good! Pony tried talking me things words, but it's weird. Words are weird. He talked to me with words, but they're still weird.

Wait, foe? What's foe in home? Foe bad! But I'm bad too. Can't fire and chase away. Too weak for that. Maybe talk with foe? Maybe good?

In the late of night, the Noctowl appreciated the silence to evaluate his predicament. On one point, he had no attachments to the humans of the library he resided in before. Those humans gave him nourishment, yes, but he never allowed them to connect. It wasn't due to them being bad; no, quite the opposite. He only longed for a more mutual attachment like before his time in that glorious mound of information ceremoniously bonded together in one wonderful place: the library.

Being thrown into a new place separated him from the precious knowledge he filled himself with each and every day. But surely he could find another library in this grand world. He had enough novel facts that would put a professor to shame... Or so he would gloat when in youth. He knew that, while he dedicated his life to reading, most of the knowledge he had came from the fictitious creativity of multiple authors of olden days. Perhaps he could attempt to write some fiction while staying in Lucky Streak's residence. While the stallion was quite eccentric and showed quite a belief in the uncertainty of luck, he showed a love and passion in his everyday work. That passion could motivate him to at least place his talon onto a quill and write some type of story. Ideas swirled in his head of what he could write, but one fact came to light in his pondering. In the past, he read that most authors base their fiction on either real-life troubles or desires. So the resolution that settled in his mind was to take up the offer of generosity of living under this roof while writing his autobiography.

Many other thoughts ran through his mind during the night, mostly of what he could do with his time to fill said biography to reciting poetry out of boredom. He accursed himself for his nocturnal tendencies, or else he would have slept along with the rest and have more activity in the daytime along the others. And with the daylight gleams, sleep called his mind, but willpower influenced he distract himself from the beckoning of rest. He should have asked for an awakening gem from the stallion, if any might exist, along with the translation gem imbued in the shackles of the bracelet around his talon, since his ability could only energize him so much. Admittedly, he found these stone to be most fascinating to have such a power, but the stallion simply stated these gems come in abundance, all with their unique abilities from unicorns willing to fill them with energies of spells beyond his wildest imagination. He lusted for more knowledge, but Lucky Streak needed his rest during the night, so conversation, along with his curiosity, was withheld.

A certain Pokémon hidden in the corner caught his attention. He recalled how Lucky Streak explained his desires to have two partners, so process of elimination pointed towards this mysterious stranger as the other residing here. He gave the wayfaring mon an incredulous stare. "Why do you hide from myself? Are I not a resident of this humble household? Come out, I ask of you."

The Pokémon shuffled behind the two wooden planks laying on the wall before peering out with skeptical eyes. Tediously, the ferret-like creature stepped towards him, his eyes never parting from his. With a tone more childlike than he expected, the fire-type asked, "Who are you?"

The Noctowl stayed on his perch, sharing the same interlocked gaze with his present acquaintance. A mistrusting Quilava. "I am William. William Shaketalon," he clarified in a mighty tone, huffing his chest to look more chivalrous. "Might I ask who you are?"

He fiddled around his paw on his watch, escaping his sight towards the floor. "I am Quilava." Almost as if an electric shock rushed through his, he fixated his stare back into the Noctowl's eyes quickly. "Are you foe?"

Hm... This child is truly wary, William observed, carefully studying his body language. His positioning spoke distrust and readiness to pounce away. His eyes, while showing little emotion, still brimmed with cautiousness and fear. He concluded that his first step is to first calm the child. After all, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.'

He tilted his head slightly to try to speak his curiosity to the child. In return, the Quilava followed his head, the wariness suddenly melting into curiosity. He stood his head up straight, and the Quilava followed. He blinked slowly, and the Quilava followed. He then raised his talon, showing the metallic bracelet with the gem faced towards the child. The Quilava stared at it in wonder before the Noctowl placed his talon back onto the perch.

"Has that answered your question, young one?"

The Quilava fiddled with his watch once more, which Noctowl decided to observe into closer detail. The watch was quite old, clicking at each second on its analog face while having a red hue in the backdrop, similar to the coloration of his own translation gem on his silver bracelet. The Quilava looked back up with blank eyes and simply stated, "Good mon."

Curiosity filled the Noctowl as to the attachment the Quilava had with the watch. After all, most wild Pokémon he knew wouldn't hold something so frivolous as ferals compared human architect as taboo. "If I might ask, why do you hold that watch?"

Also as if William threatened the Quilava's territory, his eyes filled with hostility as he stared at the Noctowl, holding away the watch from him. "Mine."

William glanced at the Quilava, tilting his head slightly in attempts to not provoke him. "Yes, it is yours. I just wish to know why you hold that watch."

The Quilava glared at him for a while before raising up his own question. "What... is 'hold'."

A question of knowledge? Almost like his mind flipped like the pages of the book, he immediately answered with, "Hold is to keep things in your paws or limbs."

He blinked away the hostility for curiosity as his eyes filled with wonder once more. "What is limbs?"

The Noctowl studied the Quilava feral before a small grin appeared behind his stoic beak. A child who's interested in vocabulary? Hah, my crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy! The gleam makes even the sun's rays envy!

"Limbs are what keep your paws together on your body."

"What is body?"

"Body is what helps keeps your limbs and head attached together."

"Then what is when body feels bad after attack?"

"That is called 'hurt' or 'pain'. Pain is when your body is telling you that you are in danger."

As if a Graveler threw a rock at his mind, he stood completely still for a moment, his eyes filled with indescribable satisfaction. "You... make good over pony words."

William couldn't help but chuckle under his wing. The understanding of the Quilava was small, but his curiosity was grander than the ocean, feeding the bowels of his limited knowledge. "It is best that you learn as much as possible so you can understand others."

The Quilava tilted his head. "Learn? Understand?"

"To learn is to know new words, while understand is being able to use these words," William explained, his enthusiasm growing each bit. "And I can help you learn new things if you let me."

Faster than the speeding Tauros, he ran stretched his body upwards on the pine-created perch. He stared up towards the Noctowl with eyes shining even brighter than the Noctowl's enthusiasm. "That is very good. Let me learn!"

To say this was the start of a beautiful relationship could not define the enjoyment the Noctowl had. The purpose he sought for came to him in a feral lusting for the fruits of knowledge. A Pokémon to teach under his wing was something not even he would have imagined. He would not allow this opportunity to escape. After all, the golden age is before us, not behind us.

Before speaking further, a loud explosion sounded from outside. The Quilava nearly climbed onto William before scurrying underneath the carpet. William let out a small sigh.

As soon as the Quilava calms.

Watching the two of his new partners getting along so well made him quite happy! After all, he only hoped that the two would get along, but he never expected them to become friends so quickly! Pokémon were truly wonderful. He still had barely any business, but at least he was able to work on some things while the two of them talked together. Of course, he also made a mental note to either find a unicorn that will be willing to recharge the translation gems after the week past. After all, the stones were limited and not strong enough to last for long periods of time, and he'd rather understand them by talking rather than hearing their names over and over again.

Leaving the two upstairs in their extra room, he had no idea if business would improve today or if it would take a bit longer until other ponies came out of their houses. So, until then, he would start working on making wooden sculptures of the Pokémon that came in for a small snack. He got to start carving out a muscular two-legged Pokémon, and before long, he created and gave away five different sculptures of different Pokémon! One looked like a rock nose, one looked like a larger pigeon of some sort, one had some sort of fruit hanging from its neck, and one was some sandy hippo. And better yet, all five Pokémon liked his small wooden sculptures of themselves, so he decided to let them keep them as a token of his appreciation. He wondered if he should make an extension to his repair shop for creating miniature wooden sculptures. Guess he'll put that in the list of things to do as well.

Before he started working on his next project, a voice rang out in his head.

"Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new."

He blinked and, as if he was controlled by some strange force, he ran upstairs as quick as he could to check on his two friend. To his shock, both looked surprised as well.

The voice. It talks. Loudly. He was just learning new words when a voice interrupted them. Even Pony walked in and looked like the hiding circle walkers. Bad.

"I am Lord Arceus, creator of the creatures that you have seen over the past few days."

He looked up to Noctowl, who talked something silently. He talked, "Lord... Arceus...?"

"You have no reason to fear me for I come in peace."

Peace was one of those words Noctowl talked about. It meant calm, like the feeling he got from listening to his watch ticking when alone.

"I am the one who brought the creatures you see to this world. They are known as Pokémon."

... World? What's a world? He wanted to ask, but Noctowl looked weird. Like talking quiet and kinda like a Pokémon who watched bad Pokémon attack their homes. He couldn't even hear him talk now.

"I have my reasons for bringing them here. I will be holding a summit with the world's leaders so that they can help inform their citizens the best. For now I issue a warning; even if some do not appear as such, the Pokémon are just as intelligent as any other creature that calls this world home. Since they are *my** subjects, I will not tolerate their mistreatment or abuse. Treat them as you would your own neighbor."*

So. Many. Words. Yeah, Noctowl and Pony both had many words, but they let him ask questions and gave answers so he could... Understand? Yes, understand sounds good.

"Pokemon who have awoken in this new world, do not seek to harm the natives of this world."

Okay, not harm... Whatever thing they were talking about, harm is bad.

"To the Pokémon that experienced certain... Changes... when you arrived; you are the ones who proved that not all of your kind deserved vengeful retribution. Consider this your reward. To live new lives, free of the burdens of the old world, a chance to start anew. As sentient beings of varying intelligence, the laws of the respective countries you now reside in apply to you, and only those laws."

He wanted Noctowl to talk lots of these words, but Noctowl looked like Pokémon near fainting after being attacked very bad. He would ask Pony, but he was the same.

"That is all for now. The Pokémon are not to be harmed simply out of spite. If you have any qualms with what I have done, I reside in a temple located within the Everfree Forest and welcome all who would like to speak, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by. Goodbye for now—though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me—and peace to you all."

It was quiet again. Noctowl and Pony both were still like how they were attacked by Pokémon without knowing. But he really wanted to understand what Arceus talked, so he talked loudly.

"Can someone learn me what got said!?"

His mind... No, he was flabbergasted. Lord Arceus himself, said to be a rumor for multiple millenniums, had just relocated all Pokémon into a completely different world. Yes, he understood that this town was different, but he never expected that they were in a completely different realm! He had settled down as he gotten time to analyze the speech Arceus made due to the young Quilava's questioning of words. The point he felt most uncomfortable with were how some were changed in the process of transportation. What type of transformations were beyond his understanding... or comprehension.

Impressively, the Quilava's memory served them well. He could quote the speech word to word, each with extreme precise annunciations. He could tell that the Quilava's sentences were becoming more fluent in grammatical structure in contrast to his first time speaking with him. The adaptive ability of the Quilava made him wonder if he ran on the wild's instinct of survival and he saw communication as such. But his comprehension surprised him when he asked his next question.

"So Arceus sent us to new world, and new world is reward. But why Arceus send us here? What was his... Reasons?"

Lucky Streak, who did not question the extensive change of the Quilava's knowledge, attempted to explain as much as he could with his intensively focused stare and his chin rested upon his raised hoof. "I wouldn't be surprised if you guys already knew or if Quilava didn't know, but you don't really know about it either, William?"

He closed his eyes, rubbing his claws on his perch to help settle his nerves from the sudden change of interest. The scent of pine truly did settle him. "I cannot say for certain, but you stated he was nearby in the... Which place was it, young one?"

"Everfree Forest," the Quilava answered.

"Yes, Everfree Forest," William repeated, closing his eyes to sort his thoughts out. "If we are near, we could ask. But if we ask, we would be asking directly of our Pokémon god. I do not wish to face him with such trivial matters, but I have a belief of why he may have acting accordingly..."

He opened his eyes to find the two with hopeful eyes for an answer. He sighed, ruffling his feathers to cool his body. "The story of Arceus is vaguely known, but in short, he had been trapped many centuries ago. Centuries is many years for your understanding, young one. And, from what I can assume, he was released from his prison, which is a place where cannot run from. But–and this is my theory or guess–Arceus had seen a lot of the bad in the world, so he got everyone that was good and placed them into this world. That is what I'm assuming."

The Quilava nodded. "That explains 'free of the burdens of the old world' words." The Quilava tilted his head. "But what about the 'Pokémon that experienced certain changes when you arrived' words? What changes did we get?"

Of course this question comes up next. But he remembered his quote: 'This above all; to thine own self be true.' So he decided that the honest path was best in this situation. "It is something that I am truly uncertain of. I do not know if Arceus spoke to us about being changed or spoke of others being changed. And I do not believe that the next portion... What did Arceus say after that, young one?"

"'You are the ones who proved that not all of your kind deserved vengeful retribution'," he recited, trying to scratch his ear before Lucky Streak took it upon himself to help. After letting out a relieved purr, he added, "That means we not bad Pokémon. Did Arceus change us to be good?"

He shook his head, his tension falling from the silly perception of the Quilava. Reviewing the facts, it seemed quite petty to worry over such a trivial thing. After all, he remembered his past, and his attitude never altered severely from leaving to this world. "We are still quite the same, you and I. And I sense that Arceus wouldn't go changing his Pokémon's personalities. But... 'What is past is prologue.' If we are changed in some way, we shall speak with Arceus."

Lucky Streak stood from his spot, stretching his legs from sitting for a while listening between the two. "Well, I don't know what's really going on, but if you ever need help, I'll gladly help!"

Willliam would not prolong the discussion any further. With a wave of his wing, he replied, "We shall gladly take you up on your offer if necessary. Thank you."

With a smile backing up his previous desire to assist, Lucky Streak excused himself with a slight bow of his head and went downstairs. Meanwhile, the Quilava walked up to the owl with his curiosity-filled eyes. "Why'd you talk... Uh, say 'thank you' to Pony Felix?"

And things continued as previously, as if the discussion of Arceus never happened. "'Thank you' is a phrase to give your happiness when someone gives you something."

The Quilava blinked, a signal he had deduced to him readily pressing for more information. "And what's happiness?"

Explaining emotion, now aren't we? he mused. Understandably, feeling emotions better described how it would be placed into words. So, instead, he decided to take another approach to the topic.

"Allow me to ask you a question, young one," he started, leaning forward and widening his eyes to show his own curiosity. "What makes you feel good?"

The Quilava tilted his head. "Eating good food is good to me. Makes me feel very good when really hungry."

The Noctowl slowly nodded, pulling his head away. "That, young one, is happiness. Happiness is the feeling when you have when something goes well for you."

For an odd reason, the Quilava faced towards the stairs, but he caught a glimpse of his deep thought expression. "That's... Happiness?"

"Indeed, young one," he stated, his own curiosity starting to feed off the tips of his feathers. It seemed the young Quilava honestly wanted to understand the feeling, but his comprehension of the emotion still lacked.

"... Then you... You make me feel happiness, William." The Quilava looked back, his eyes filled with clarity. "You tell me many things and help me understand. Felix gives me happiness by giving me a home."

The Noctowl nearly lost his grip as the faceless Quilava grew a smile on his face. An honest, genuine smile. The Quilava finished with, "Thank you, William."

He could not speak for a moment, but he did what felt natural. He gave a smile back. A genuine smile to express the boiling emotion of joy bubbling rising through his mind. Then he found the words he searched for. The best response he could think of in such a wonderful situation.

"You are most welcome... Quilava."