Martin Vickers
Pachirisu Gijinka
Rustwall City
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii, @Awasfriend

As Martin feared, the news did shock Xie quite thoroughly.

"So... you're reverting back to your Pokémon form?" Xie asked him as she tapped her chin and shrugged. "I'll be honest, that's a little hard to believe but it's definitely not the weirdest thing I've encountered since I woke up."

Martin nodded as she brushed some of her green hair back from her face.

"Well, you are right, a Pachirisu would never survive out here. Your common food source isn't exactly plentiful in the desert. Plus if you think I'm just going to abandon you after you saved my life then you're wrong. I'm not one for heroics but I'm still technically in debt to you so this will be great payment."

"It could have been worse..." Martin told her as she thought it over. "There were many in Vault 62 that had the same thing happen and there were others that... well... they turned into something that never should have been..."

He had difficulty trying to describe the details, and he ultimately decided not to. He was simply hoping Xie would understand that it was horrible to him and to trust him that it was a traumatizing thing to deal with. And it was something he had wanted to get out of his mind and forget about for a while.

"We can start searching from this place of greenery as soon as I'm well rested," Xie told him. "It shouldn't be too long but I do want to maybe inquire around town about possible leads for Terri. We can also ask about leads for an oasis or something if you would like?"

"I think that would be best," Martin agreed, trying to smile and keep hopeful. "I've been... trying to mentally prepare for it, but it's very hard. I'm not sure what will change and what will stay the same, but I think inside, it'll still be me. I'll be different on the outside, but that won't stop me from being someone you can rely on for help."

He felt good about helping Xie. It gave him a sense of purpose and assured him that despite what was bound to happen in due time, they could still both help each other. From just that, Martin could understand why things worked the way they did in earlier days, and why Pokémon bonded with human trainers.

"Maybe let's talk to Damien," Martin suggested. "Maybe he knows Terri and where he might be. Still, I feel as though there's something dark and secret about Vault Tech. Both of us were involved in terrible incidents even though we came from two separate vaults. They were supposed to help us survive, and yet... it seems like there was some other intention involved."