A Docile Hero

Somewhere, a man yawned, roused from sleep as he felt the temperature in his room shift, his eyes blinking open. He was surprised to find he was no longer in his bed, but on the floor of some strange void; not alarmed nor anxious- just surprised. But he wasn't one to worry.

Hello, called the voice. I need to ask you a few questions, human. Please answer truthfully.

Yawn. "Sure, pal...whatever's good..." responded to human, mind drifting off as he flipped onto his side for a more comfortable nap.

What is your name?

zzz...Troy...zzz...

All right Troy, said the voice, and what is your gender?

I'm a guy. Male...zzz... Troy struggled to get the words out as his vision was beginning to fail him once again. "Can you just wake me up in like 15 minutes, bud?" Suddenly, it was as if the floor gave off from under him, and for the briefest of moments, he started to fall, but was quickly caught floating, then standing, then placed on his own two feet. His body's adrenaline surged, and he quickly woke up. Still not worried, no longer yawning, but maybe a bit more surprised. "Whoa man..." Troy responded. "This is one weird dream..."

Let's continue, the voice called out. Tell me about your sexual orientation.

"Huh? Oh, straight for sure."

What about your personality?

"Oh, interesting questions, dream voice! I mean...I'm pretty chill. I'm not one to question authority much." Troy blinked. "Wait, where'd THAT come from? I never tell people things like that."

In this realm, your subconscious may surprise you, the voice responded. It may speak with the truth on your behalf, a truth you are otherwise unwilling to confess aloud, replied the voice.

"Weird, bro. I guess it's true. I'll follow the crowd as long as we're having a fun time, and I don't push back much just 'cuz there's not much in life to get upset about. Just gotta go with the flow, know what I mean? I still have my limits, but I think I can get along with most people. I'm a good listener and that gets you pretty far in life. Even if some people- especially my boss- can be a bit overbearing. But honestly, I'm up for whatever. Just be real with me and I'll be real with you."

Lovely, Troy. Now, tell me about your background, the voice continued. How was your human life?

"Whoa," Troy noted, "concerning use of the past tense, my man. This dream just gets weirder," he chuckled. "Anyways, surfing's my jam. My parents wanted me to go to a good school so I got a degree just to get them off my back, but I never really used it. I work at a tiki bar down on the beach, that way I get some surf time every day guaranteed. You'd think that would be really laid back, but no- like I was saying, my manager is crazy about customer service. She's on my butt all the time to make sure I'm not slacking off for even a minute. Not a lot of things annoy me, bro, but she's up there for sure."

Good transition, Troy. Tell me more about your likes and dislikes.

"Well besides surfing, really just hanging out with my good buds, making the best of what life has to offer, you know? I like helping anyone out, making them feel appreciated. Feels warm and fuzzy. And for dislikes, I mean, I'd be hard-pressed to find much. I just really don't like just being mistreated. Like I said, go with the flow."

Thank you, the voice replied. Well, Troy. I think you'll make an excellent teammate, and I wish you the best of luck.

"What you talking about, man?" Troy asked, another yawn escaping his lips. He decided to lie down on the invisible floor, drifting off on his own. "Oh...I guess I'll see you next time, dream voice bro..." The voice chuckled, as Troy was instantly transported from the realm.

Soon enough, an Alolan Raichu was found asleep on the beach.

"What do we have here?" Troy heard a voice call out- an entirely new voice. He began to wake up...