Chapter Text
It smelled like grass and flowers. Despite the ray of sunlight that bothered him even with his eyes closed, Raihan didn't want to move from his position on the ground.
After a few minutes lying on the grass, he heard small footsteps approaching and almost immediately he noticed a light weight on his chest. When a pair of paws began to touch his face, he decided to finally open his eyes to see what was happening. .
In front of him was a ralts that moved away in fear when he opened his eyes, but calmed down when he saw that Raihan wasnt upset, there was also a budey and a pink feline pokemon that he didn't recognize curled up on his chest. Raihan carefully pushed them away as he tried to sit up.
He was in the middle of a forest, there were trees around him that blocked most of the daylight, looking a little more carefully, he could see how other Pokémon were looking at him carefully from the undergrowth.
With a little effort, he managed to get up from the ground and walked into the forest. It would be better to find a way out so he could get to…
Raihan stopped moving. Wait, where did he have to go? He had a vague memory that…someone had invited him somewhere.
But he couldn't remember who or where.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
Raihan closed his eyes and tried to search his mind for some image, some face, something that would make him remember where he was before he woke up.
He found nothing, his mind was a void.
Almost without realizing it, he had begun to accelerate his steps. Suddenly, the calm and welcoming atmosphere that he saw in the forest minutes before had been replaced by the same feeling of being lost in a maze.
He ran for what seemed like hours, ignoring the screeches of the pokemon that got out of his way and how his breathing accelerated each moment. If he got out of here he could find someone to help him, to tell him where he was and...
After passing through a particularly resistant bush, Raihan found himself in the middle of a dry dirt path that ran parallel to the forest he had just emerged from.
Raihan tried to control his breathing to calm himself. Okay, he had managed to get out of the forest, that was an improvement, and the road seemed to have wheel marks. Maybe it was a road? If it was like that then he just had to follow it and he would find people, right?
He didn't have to wait long, almost instantly Raihan heard the sound of hooves behind him and when he turned he saw an elegant carriage pulled by a pair of apparently grass-type goat pokemon approaching him.
The rider stopped the carriage when he noticed the young man in the middle of the road and for a few seconds they both looked at each other with mutual confusion. The cabman was a large, buffed man with white hair tied up in a small ponytail, his clothes were a bit strange, he wore a classic outfit of a vest and bow tie but his suit was wrinkled and not very well kept, it was like if he had been asked to dress fancy but didn't really care.
“Je peux vous aider?”
Raihan blinked in confusion. Oh, he spoke Kalosian, he hadn't studied Kalosian since…
Damit.
“Uh… Sorry, I didn’t…”
The cabman smiled as soon as he heard Raihan speak “Do you speak Galarian? Don’t worry, I’m from Unova.”
Before the man could say anything else, the carriage door opened and a woman came out, gasping when she saw Raihan. She was dressed in a simple golden dress decorated with black flowers and a wide-brimmed hat that covered her reddish hair. Her intense blue eyes looked at Raihan with a mixture of fear and hostility.
The coachman got out of her seat to try to tell the lady something in Kalosian that Raihan couldn't understand. After a couple of minutes, the lady decided to return to her carriage, but not before looking coldly at Raihan.
The rider came up next to him and offered a soft smile that almost made him seem less intimidating.
Almost.
“Sorry about that, she simply wanted to know the cause of my stop.”
Raihan swallowed, still unsure.
"Where I am?"
“You are on route four, on the way to Lumiose City,” the man explained. "Where are my manners? My name is Ventur, and you may be?”
“Raihan” That was the only thing he was sure of.
Ventur tilted his head “Raihan uh? Well, where's your destiny?
“I…”Raihan tried to explain “I don't remember.”
Raihan began to tell the other man how he had woken up without any memory in the middle of the forest and with nowhere to go.
As he told his story, Ventur's expression began to transform into one of genuine concern. When Raihan finished, Ventur looked at him as if he had just told him that he would die if he looked away. Upon realizing this, he coughed to break eye contact and showed his smile again, but Raihan could still see the worry in his eyes.
“Well, if you don't mind, I can take you to Lumiose, I know someone who could help you.”
"Really?"
"Well of course!" Ventur almost seemed touched by Raihan's slightly hopeful tone. “Besides, I'm sure Lady Zalea won't mind giving you shelter when she learns of your condition.”
Raihan was still hesitating, he had just met this man but what other choice did he have? He didn't remember anything and at least Ventur was trying to help him.
And he had no better option.
“So” Now it was Raihan who was starting to smile “How long will it take?”