Warning: This story from here on out may have some disturbing "images" in it (not really pictures, just the little mental images people make when reading things, are those even called images?) that some people may find... well, disturbing (go figure, disturbing images are disturbing? Call the press!). Such images may be things such as morbid objects or general stuff you'd see in a post-apocalyptic world (of course with some of the worse parts toned down a fair amount, not everything needs to be in great detail here), etc. I know there are some people who are sensitive about that stuff, you have been warned.
If my parents could see me now... well, it's not like they would be proud.
What's to be proud of? I had broken the few rules my father had once told me, almost killed, and am now being carried across the desolate landscape to who-knows-where. Bored out of my mind, I tried to create a little game for myself like... count the intact bones we passed by!
Yep... so proud.
Not like I could have a conversation with the Pikachu carrying me because of this ball in my mouth. So my best pastime is to count the not-broken bones that we pass on our way to someplace that I can only hope isn't going to get me murdered, a basic goal, but a good one. Did I mention the Pikachu was a chatterbox?
"-green trees! Oh, the stories she told me, at least when she figured out I wasn't mean, that part took a while, but she has so much to tell! I could go on for days and days about just one of her stories! I didn't like the ones about the Extinction, but her experiences as a child were-" Yeah yeah, I don't think she knows I'm not... did she say childhood?
"-always played with her sister! They liked to play this game called tag, something about chasing each other with the goal to tap each other which then makes the runner the chaser, or something like that. She never really liked talking about her sister though. I don't really know why, but I didn't press. Anyway, she spoke about her childhood so fondly it makes me wish I was her! It had to have-"
Sure sounds better than mine, it isn't very fun so far. Maybe she could teach me...
I think it's a good idea to ask her later.
(o^-^o)
My eyes fluttered open and I was greeted with the sight of a large fist heading straight for me.
Oh, shi-
Acting on instinct, I rolled to the right and barely avoided being turned into mush. Frantic, I looked everywhere around me for an explanation. Everywhere around me pokemon of various types were locked in a fight to the death. Ducking under a stray stream of fire, it clicked. The war, I'm back in the war! How am I-? Wait, where is Pearl? Dashing under legs and jumping over bodies, there was no sign of her anywhere. Putting energy into my tail, it became harder than stone, whipping around I knocked Primape aside as it tried to strike me. Breaking into a run once again, I quickly made my way to the outer edges of the fighting. Then, skidding to a stop, I tried to catch my breath.
"Where are you...?" I muttered. I took a step forward and was bowled over by another pokemon, near the end of our roll it let go and threw me into the ground, causing me to skid a short distance away. Wincing as I stood up, I glared at my assailant. It was an Arcanine by the looks of it, staring back at me with more hatred than I had thought possible.
His shout traversed the surrounding area, "I finally found you, bastard! You killed my brother! You-"
"I did?" I interrupted, "are you sure? I've killed quite a few of those with the fire affinity around here, how can you be sure it was me?" I need to buy myself some time...
"Do not mock me, weakling! I watched you kill him with my very eyes!" I listened warily as the air around us began to heat up, "you will pay with your life!" He charged head-first towards me, fire spiraling around his body. Having enough time to recover, I stood in a stable position and focused my energy into a cone in front of me making everything look wavy as I peered through it. A second later, he slammed into the small wall of energy; it warped inward slightly as I struggled to hold it up until finally, he rebounded off it.
Pushing through the fatigue, I charged after his still airborne form with every ounce of power I had increasing in speed as I did. Just as he was about to land, I pushed off the ground and rammed into him sending him flying even farther and feeling a crack in my shoulder. Rolling painfully to a stop, I waited for the world to stop spinning.
I can't go to sleep; I can't go to sleep! Not here, not now!
"Woah, little one!" I twitched at the contact of a human hand, the face was blurred and spinning, "you're exhausted..." He breathed. I tried to stand anyway; I need to find her! "No! Stay down! It's over, the war is over, and we've lost." My breathing increased.
No no no! It can't be over! There is still so much I can do! I tried to push myself up but found my body refused to listen anymore.
"I'm going to put you in this ball okay? It should protect you from the blast." He explained.
Not those things! I don't want to be a prisoner! Please!
"Many of us may not make it today, but I have caught as many injured as I could. Something must survive." He didn't talk for a moment, and I watched him look to the sky, he turned back and blocked my view of the shining light, "hey, my name is Trace, what's yours?"
"I-I don't..." My voice gave out, so tired...
"Well, we can't call you Eevee now can we? How about, Luna?" The world had stopped spinning, but my eyes felt so heavy. "Yeah, Luna will do. Sleep well, and I hope... I hope you live. Remember to stay strong." He reached up with the ball and touched my paw with it. The next thing I knew was darkness.
(o^-^o)
I awoke to... well, nothing, nothing at all, that is the strangest part. For almost as long as I can remember there has always been pain when I wake, whether mental or physical. Instead, the only thing I was aware of was being alive. I couldn't see, smell, or feel, but I could hear. Sort of. Mostly just soft echoes of some kind of wind. I must be inside the ball. It was a feeling that was familiar, yet not. A sense of deja-vu as the humans called it. Might have been a memory that I lost.
"-are you?" A soft voice echoed, another joined in, "-me... is injured... ion success... quiet!"
I strained to listen, What if it was a lie? What if I really am being taken somewhere worse?
"In here... darker... leave... stay... you comfort... safe..." The last word echoed until it was silent again. After about a minute a scuffing noise began to echo. Just after, a clicking noise appeared, and I suddenly had a sucking sensation. Slowly my senses came to me, then with a sudden flash of red light it was done, and I was laying in the dark. I tried to move and found I couldn't; something was holding me down! A bright light blinded me, and I felt something being strapped onto my body quickly, then I was released, and the light was gone.
The only sound left was my rapid breathing as my eyes struggled to adjust to the dark.
"Is this some kind of new torture...?" I whispered, "keep me in a dark room and mess with me?"
"N-No. It's not." I felt my heart rate speed up. Stay strong...
"Then where am I?" I demanded.
"I d-dunno, but they are ta-taking care of us." Now that I was listening, the voice sounded like a child's...
I tried to soften my tone and adjusted my position, so I was facing towards the direction of the voice, "okay... what just happened to me?"
There was a shuffle, "the little green guy t-took care of your cuts and stuff." Why did his voice sound familiar?
"Little green guy? Who's that?"
"I dunno, n-never seen him before." That's helpful.
"Where is he?" I wondered.
"I dunno, the Pikachu said to s-stay here, she said you m-might be calmer with only another of your kind in the same r-room." Another of my kind?
"Were you the Eevee I saw back when I was... er... chained?" I prodded.
"Y-yes." I sighed, he couldn't be more than two season-cycles of age, and he had seen that. Not like I'm much older than that, and I was the one in chains.
I noticed a faint pair of eyes in the dark, "well, hello again, my name is-" A flash of a memory of Trace, then the Pokeball, a bright light behind him, "-L-Luna."
"Hi." Silence dominated for a few minutes, I could see his eyes shifting around the room, barely visible, and he never moved from his spot. He was so quiet as well, not one breath was heard from him. I smiled as a thought came to mind.
"You know, I was serious when I said you'd make a good Umbreon."
"What is that?" My smile widened. The first sentence I got out of him without him stuttering. Maybe I need to appeal to his curious side.
"An evolution of our kind, of course."
"Evolution?"
The words were caught in my mouth, how can he not know about evolution? Especially as an Eevee? "I-It's when you uh, grow enough to turn into something... new. Something with a different kind of energy, like fire."
"I-I don't get it." He muttered.
I won't get anywhere like this, maybe a different approach?
"How about you tell me what you know about our kind? Like what we look like?" I suggested.
"Uh, okay. W-We are brown and furry, more furry around my neck though! A-And we're small!"
"Good!" I praised, "what about fighting?"
"Um... I am not very good at it..."
"Not to worry, just tell me what you know, it doesn't have to be much."
"Well, I am good at running away! I-I think we have claws too, don't do much though. I did bite someone once too." So in general, not much.
"Okay... imagine you could... shoot fire from your mouth! Or, lightning from your paws!"
"That sounds cool!" His eyes were widened in amazement, "Can I really do that?"
"Well, not yet, but that is what evolving is, mostly. You get to do something like that once you evolve."
"Oh, how do I evolve?"
"It's kinda hard to explain, you see-" I was interrupted by a tapping on what I thought was the door behind me. I closed my eyes as the door opened, flooding the room with light only to be closed again.
"Hi there, Eevee duo! Hey, you're awake now, right? I heard talking-" there was a sound of metal skidding and a thump on the ground followed by an "ow."
I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I looked at the Eevee in front of me, who happened to be still looking at me, and shook my head slowly in a pleading gesture, hoping he would see it. He nodded back.
"Um, n-no. She isn't awake yet." He whispered.
"Oh," she whispered back, "well I wanted to talk to both of you, but I guess just the two of us can figure it out." Figure what out?
"O-Okay?" His eyes shot to me in evident worry, good thing it's still dark.
"So, here's the issue, you two are quite rare around here. Not to mention she is the first live Dreamer we have seen in... well, ever. The point is, Pokemon will be swarming to see you two, and it isn't a good idea to let that happen, agreed?" He hesitantly hummed in agreement. "Which means we have to make up a story about you two. Something that will keep them from swarming you, but also nothing to make them fear you. If that happens, they may try to kick you two out."
"R-Right."
"So, we've been thinking of some ideas," she whispered, "the first idea was for you to pretend she was your sister. That idea has the issue of a family being too lenient of a term for others to care enough to stay away. The next idea was never to let them see you from now on, but that is not guaranteed to last, someone would eventually see you."
I don't like either of those ideas anyway.
"So, what d-do we do?"
"Thought you'd have an idea. Our ideas don't sound like they would work, there were a few more, but they didn't make it far before we shut them down, so they aren't worth mentioning."
"Can't we j-just tell them to leave us be?" He suggested.
"No... Sadly, it isn't that easy."
"Oh..."
"Anything else?" he looked at me, and I shook my head, even if I had an idea it's not like I could tell him.
"No."
She hummed, and it was silent for a few seconds after that. "...How old are you?" What does that have to do with anything?
"W-Why?"
"I just need to know, might have an idea." She whispered.
"U-Uh, I think a season cycle?"
"Hmm, okay, what I will say next she can't hear, not yet."
This is giving me a bad feeling.
"She's asleep though." He replied. The Pikachu simply hummed, I heard a small shuffling of feet behind me as my fur began to stand on end. Something's not-
Then a tiny whisper made its way into my ear, "...You smell better when you're bleeding..." A jolt of fear flew through my body as the sudden, yet terrifying, phrase registered in my mind. Small flashbacks of the torture I had endured in the hands of that... that monster flew through my mind as he had said those exact words. I scrunched my eyes closed feeling some tears leak through; it took a lot of self-control to stay as still as possible. S-Stay strong... stay s-strong... it's just a test...
"Sorry about that, erm... Eevee. I needed to make sure she wasn't faking it."
His whisper was so quiet it was barely heard, "Wh-What was t-that? Y-You didn't mean that, r-right?"
"Of course not! It's just something my captor would say to her, I-I think it left a permanent scar on her mind. After his daily visits, he would say that to her before leaving. I-It would leave her in hysterics every time... broken... I think her mind is heavily damaged; I wouldn't be surprised if she sees things that aren't really there. I always did my best to help her recover before it got too bad." I stayed quiet as a small sob racked my body. Phantom pains flew through me as past events replayed through my mind, unbidden. "Which is why it's a good thing she was asleep. Or we'd have a whole other issue to deal with." Silence dominated once again as I fought with my mind to stop the nightmares. The chains, the claws, the fire...
"W-What if she wasn't?" I looked up through tear-filled eyes to see him staring back with worry in his eyes. Then I saw what looked like moving shadows all around him; I squeezed my eyes closed. Oh Arceus, not again... no fake-visions... please...
"She isn't though."
"W-Well yeah, but what if... you know..."
"What do you mean?" She whispered hurriedly, "she was, right?" There was silence; a tiny hint of echoing laughter. I didn't lie, please... I told you everything...
"Right?" She pressed. He made a small undecipherable sound.
"Kid, you have to tell me if she was awake! You have no idea what she went through! It's a high possibility she could drop into insanity if we let it be, do you get it?!" She whisper-yelled, her tone betraying her fear, "Is she, or is she not, AWAKE?!"
Your fear is... enticing...
Metal stabbed into a shoulder. I twitched.
No...
Exhilarating...
Second shoulder. I slowly curled into a ball. Familiar, yet distant, voices in the background.
Please...
Marvelous...
Third shoulder. I opened my mouth in a soundless scream. Something shaking my body.
I-I can't... stay s-str...
...Delicious...
Fourth shoulder. It felt like my mind split in half.
I screamed bloody murder and began to writhe around, feeling the chains still pulling at me and attacking anything in range. The moment I opened my eyes all I could see were shadows, shadows that were attacking me! Torturing me!
"Stay back!" I screeched, "you can't keep me chained forever!" One of the shadows lunged at me, acting quickly, I reached out and bit down hard on one of them, feeling blood pool into my mouth. "You shall bleed with me! I will avenge my sister!" This time, I lunged for them with teeth and claws bared, chains still pulling at me. And instead of the shadows returning the attack, they jumped out of the way leaving me crashing down to the floor. I could hear them laughing at me as I struggled to stand. Mocking me.
Enraged, I charged a shadow ball in my maw and launched it a the nearest shadow, but to my surprise, it merely flew through it. I stared wildly around me, they weren't coming any closer, but they seemed to be communicating with one another in an unknown language and gesturing to me frantically. One tried to move closer to me, I turned at growled deeply in its direction, effectively warding it off.
Accept it... you are surrounded...
"No, never!" I snarled, "I will not submit!" I was trembling in fear now.
Surrender!
"N-No!" The shadows moved closer.
You...
I clawed and bit at the chains in my shoulders, only feeling more pain.
Are...
I whimpered, a wet feeling running down my shoulders.
MINE!
Dizzy and light-headed, my legs collapsed under me.
I give in...
(o^-^o)
We were stunned into silence, mouths agape. The fires in the room had been lit as soon as the first scream was sounded. Prompting a few Pokemon to rush at the door in an attempt to help, only to be pushed away confusedly.
Never in my life had I seen something like that. She was terrified, before, she was telling me about evolution. And it sounded amazing! Luna's eyes looked so calm in the darkness when she talked to me. At first, she seemed scared, she thought she was going to be tortured again. I convinced her she was okay, we were both okay. I think she found me because her eyes just started staring at me all the time. She even shook her head at me, I didn't know why, but I went with it! I've never had a friend before, so if she could be one, I would do anything!
Maybe she would teach me to play tag too!
Then that Pikachu came in and messed it up! She freaked Luna out and made her attack us! She kept looking at nothing and yelling at it. Then she bit the Pikachu -I think she deserved it- and threw a ball of shadow at nothing. Seeing her so scared made me hurt inside. So much so that I wanted to help her, but she kept talking about chains and... and... she growled at me when I tried! She started to attack herself too! Right on the bandages! I may not know her well, but she can't be that bad! Something the Pikachu did must have messed her up! That has to be it!
Suddenly angry, I glared at the Pikachu who hadn't moved yet, "this is your fault!" I yelled ignoring the pain in my head, "if you didn't say that to her she would be fine! She would still be okay!" The Pikachu was still shocked, but this time she was looking at me, "get out! Or I'll... I'll attack you!" I bared my teeth and growled.
She held her paws up in front of her and backed up a step, "woah, calm down little guy! I didn't know she was awake! You told me she was asleep!"
"Maybe she was!" I shouted again and snapped my teeth at her, forcing her to back up more. I was so angry I wasn't thinking anymore, "Maybe you gave her nightmares! Maybe that's why she attacked us!"
"Eevee, come on! Think rationally here! You can't possibly win a fight against me! Especially not with your leg like that! Just calm down! We need to stop her bleeding!" I quickly glanced at Luna and noticed she was bleeding again, a lot. Concern washed over me.
I shook my head furiously, "No! I will stop it! Go away!" Without thinking, I charged and rammed into her with my body, knocking her into the door, her weight pushing it open. "Go away!" I repeated, internally screaming at the pain flaring up in my leg.
She stood up, gripping her stomach and gave me a glare, "you're making a mistake, kid. Fine, do it yourself!" She grabbed the door and slammed it behind her. As soon as it closed, I jumped towards Luna's body. The only injuries that I could see were where the chains were, she had clawed at the bandages.
Frantically looking around, I spotted a large cloth draped over the thing she was laying on. Limping over to it, I pulled it down and tore it into a few pieces with my teeth. Then I dragged it to her body and began wrapping them around her shoulders tightly until the red color didn't show through them anymore.
Sighing in relief, I didn't notice anything else that was bleeding. Weaseling my way under her, I lifted her and slowly limped my way to the soft thing she had been laying on. Ignoring the pain in my leg, I jumped up and carefully slid her onto the platform. Suddenly exhausted, I flopped down onto my side barely a tail-length away from her.
"I will watch over you, my friend," I muttered before sleep took me in its embrace.
-This part is a little bit messed up for some people, sure, but I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone. Write about things that I usually wouldn't in an effort to get better overall.
Also, I gave this part to my friend early again. He said it wasn't "realistic enough" and that "there needed to be more feeling towards the torture Luna endured." So, feeling I did! A deeply engraved fear over a single phrase which causes something along the lines of PTSD. Maybe a bit too much, but now he can't complain about no feeling! Then, I added some more to the little Eevee's personality with wanting a friend (think of it this way, he has lived alone for most of his life, the only Pokemon he has ever seen always tries to kill him, so he finds a potential buddy and latches on to them).
Let me know what you think in the comments!
-NFD