Tomoe, huffing, glanced back. The armored beasts were coming closer and closer. She looked ahead. The treeline was still a bit far away from her.
Her heart was in her mouth. Adrenaline rushed throughout her body, quickening her pace even more.
Her breathing became rapidly fast, her mouth open, swallowing the air. At that moment, all she could think of was reaching the forest by any means necessary.
Soon, she could hear individual footfalls separating out from the thunderous rumble. She knew they were close enough. Tomoe didn't looked back, her heart heavy.
A shadow loomed over her. It was the shadow of the strange bird she had seen. She could hear its cry.
Thud...
It caught Tomoe's shoulders with its talons and took her up with it. She looked down as the gap between her and the land grew.
Looking up, she saw the bird's face clearly now.
If I were to fall, there would be no tomorrow.
Her chest felt heavy. If this bird hadn't picked her up, the monsters would have killed her. But what remained a mystery to her was another terrifying thought.
Am I going to be eaten alive? Will it just drop me from here?
The unsettled feeling in her heart grew. She couldn't do anything right now. Her fate was entirely in the bird's hands.
"Hey... are you gonna eat me?" Tomoe asked, her head down.
What's the point? It won't understand.
"Pidgeotto."
She looked up in surprise. The bird shook its head.
"Pidgeot, Pidgeot!"
"You... do you understand my language?" Tomoe asked, her eyes wide open.
"Otto." A simple nod.
Where in the world am I?
The birds, the rhinos, and everything else were entirely unfamiliar to her.
Is it a different world? It must be. There was never any mention of strange birds like this or those odd-looking beasts back home.
I have transmigrated?
She was nervous. At some point, she had wished that God would grant her the power to transmigrate into another world. But in reality, it was haunting. What lay ahead of her was an uncertain future where nothing was guaranteed.
"Where are you taking me?"
"PIDGEOT!"
Tomoe shook her head, unable to understand what it was saying.
The forest was nearing its end. Ahead, there was a road stretching out as far as her eyes could see.
The bird was coming down. She sighed in relief. At least it wasn't going to throw her down.
Thud...
Her feet touched the ground. She looked at the bird again.
"PIDGEOT, PIDGEOTO."
It let out a victorious roar before flying up. Tomoe's eyes were glued to the bird until it disappeared.
Her hands were shaking. It was a surreal experience for her, one that could not be forgotten no matter what.
She stood there, calming herself down, before walking forward to follow where the road led.
"Fletchling!"
She heard a sound. With a gust of wind, a bird came into her view. It had a bright reddish-orange head, a pale gray body, and a long, black-and-white striped tail shaped like an arrow's fletching.
It came near Tomoe and hovered over her.
It's beauty mesmerised her. She raised her arm, and the bird sat on it. Tomoe rubbed its head. It let out some cute chirps before flying away.
As she walked, many new, strange creatures crossed her path, one after another. Thankfully, all of them were less intimidating and quite cute.
Are there thousands of creatures like this here?
Her journey continued until she saw a few houses. They presented an old, French-style architecture. Her eyes beamed with joy.
Her walking quickened, and soon she started to run. Tomoe was happy to finally find a human settlement. Now, she could ask the questions that had been on her mind since the beginning.
"Huff... huff..."
Tomoe bent at the waist, hands on her knees, and breathed. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It was supposed to help, but it did not.
From one of the houses, a woman came out. Her eyes fell on her.
Tomoe straightened herself, putting on a neutral face. Both of them looked at each other. With no words and no gestures, they just stood there.
Meanwhile, a spiral of thoughts consumed Tomoe's mind about how to approach a stranger without being seen as weird.
Just a moment later, the woman went back inside.
No. She clenched her fist.
I messed up again. I should have at least made an effort. Her overthinking had gotten the better of her.
She looked around and found another house. She planned to go there and ask them some questions politely.
Creak...
At that moment, the door opened and the woman came back out. She had a bottle in her hands and waved at Tomoe.
Me? Tomoe looked around and found nobody else. She walked toward her.
"Hi, here, have some water. And I am so sorry for staring at you earlier," the woman said.
"It's okay... I don't mind." Tomoe took the bottle. "And... t-thanks."
"No worries, I am happy to help," the woman said in a cheerful tone, watching Tomoe until she was done drinking. "By any chance, are you going to Lumiose City?"
Lumiose City? So there is a city up ahead.
"Yes," Tomoe replied, handing her the bottle back.
"Bulba, Bulbasaur."
A creature came out of her house. It was a quadrupedal, amphibian-type creature with blue-green skin and darker teal patches. What stood out the most was the large green plant bulb on its back.
"Your pet?" Tomoe asked.
"No, no, no, he is my best friend, a ride-or-die buddy." The woman bent down, stretching out her arms as the creature jumped into them.
Two green vines came out from underneath the bulb and hugged its partner.
Is that an ability? Tomoe's eyes were glued to the vines. These were creatures she had never seen before, and on top of that, they possessed special abilities.
It's a beast-taming fantasy world.
She was not excited by it. Settling into a new world was a lot harder than it sounded.
"Oops, I am so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." The woman stood up with Bulbasaur in her arms. "I am Lucila, and this is my buddy, Bulbasaur."
"I am Tomoe."
They shook hands.
"Thanks for everything." Tomoe bowed.
"No problemo, and good luck on your journey!"
Tomoe nodded and walked forward.
Journey?
She glanced down the road stretching endlessly into the horizon. Of course it was a journey.