Title: Broken and Binding Links

Rating: T (may change to M later. Depends on how far I want to take something.)

Summary: Most people form binding links with their pokemon; rely on them, treat them as friends. But sometimes, those links are broken, shattered, and the pokemon who have come to rely on their trainers in turn are left to fend for themselves. Whenever a young woman from Anville Town sees this, she can't help but think that maybe not everyone should be allowed to have pokemon. But she wishes the truth was that they could all live in harmony. How will she react when she is given the option to separate pokemon from those who don't deserve them? Semi-novelization of Pokemon White.

A/N: I've been meaning to write something like this for a while. I was just never sure exactly how to do it. Then I was looking at some Zoroark gijinkas one day and got the perfect idea. The team I will be using in this story is my fully trained team that I use on my Pokemon White version. I hope you enjoy.

EDIT: So I made some quick edits to this. Mostly just fixed up some typos and such. Two big things though. Caliban's eyes are actually red, not blue. That will be explained later. Also I took out a part between Cal and the Snivy for better use later.

Chapter One

Anville Town, while far away from anything else on the map, smack dab in the middle of a forest, was a rather popular tourist spot, especially on the weekends. Ever since the Battle Subway built a line connecting to the small hamlet, people came from all over the Unova region to watch the trains on the turntable and trade with the locals. They had actually made a fairly good business out of it. At first when the station had been built for the trains to be overhauled, the few people who lived there were in an uproar. They were used to a quiet and peaceful life, but the subway line had shattered that. However, they soon learned to look on the bright side. Sure, it was a little busier, and you could constantly hear the rattle of the trains, but the people who came were friendly, and willing to do business.

Eventually the town expanded, but to be honest, not by much. A few more people moved in once they saw the scenic beauty of the place, but most people didn't exactly enjoy being just that far away from what they called civilization. Sure, it was surrounded by lush forests and one of the most beautiful sunsets to be seen in Unova, but the only way in and out of the town was through the Battle Subway. Most people couldn't even fly there. Surrounded as it was for miles around by identical forest, it was nearly impossible to find your way there, even by air. Granted, some of the locals had trained their bird pokemon to find their way there in the dark. But to walk through the forest to the other side was impossible.

Which is exactly why the Aerima's always forbade their daughter, Raven, from wandering out into the woods alone. And, of course, as any child would do, she did the exact opposite. Raven was a very adventurous child, and at ten years old, one of her favourite things to do was explore the woods. Sometimes, to pass the time, especially when her parents were watching, Raven would play with her younger sister, Lina, who, while a brat, was an okay brat. The two of them would sometimes have mock pokemon battles, even though neither of them had any pokemon of their own. It was Raven's dream to sometime have a great team and go adventuring with them.

For now though, she would settle for adventuring in the forest when she could. With a bright yellow bag slung over her black and white clad shoulders, Raven headed off into the woods with a single pokeball in the hopes of catching her first pokemon. Or at least, that had been her goal at the outset, but eventually she grew tired of walking, and when she found a nice clearing, grass warmed by the sun and fragrant flowers in bloom all around, she couldn't help but sprawl out in the light and relax.

Raven wasn't sure how long she lay there, though it couldn't be long, the sun still riding high in the sky, peeking through the cloud, but some noise roused her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure she had heard something just inside the fringe of trees. The young girl sat still for a moment, watching, trying to see what had caught her attention. Just as she was thinking that perhaps she had just imagined it, she heard the noise again and this time saw a figure move within the shadows.

Being far more curious than she was cautious, the child went to investigate. As she approached the tree line, the dark shape moved again and began to come into focus. When she finally got close enough to fully see what was hiding in the woods, she almost felt her small heart break. A young Zorua cowered at the base of a tree, and while its eyes held fear and pain, it growled at her in defiance. Raven dropped to her knees in a feeble attempt to appear less threatening. The fox pokemon was holding one of his hind legs off the ground, not daring to put any of his weight on it. His fur was matted together and unkempt, and while she couldn't tell properly through the fur, by the way he held himself, she was pretty sure his side was bruised, as if from a kick. He was also shivering, as if from being cold.

They stared at each other for a moment, her silver-green eyes meeting his red, an unnatural colour for a Zorua. "Hi," she said finally. "My name is Raven." She reached a hand out to him then, but dropped it back to her side when he flinched away from her. The two were silent for a moment again. Slowly, she reached up to her neck and gripped the yellow scarf she wore. Raven always found comfort in gripping the soft material that made up the scarf. To her, it represented family and the comfort it was supposed to bring. Her grandmother had sewn it for her when she was even younger, or at least that was what she had been told, seeing as she was too young to really remember. It had been made for her to grow into, so now it was wrapped several times around her slender neck and still hung all the way down her back.

When she spoke again, her voice was as soft and soothing as she could make it. "Are you hungry?" Reaching into her bag, Raven pulled out an apple she had snagged from the kitchen. She tore a chunk out of the red fruit and held it out to the dark type pokemon. "You should eat something."

The Zorua stopped growling at her now, though he moved no closer. He looked at the food hungrily, but he was still to afraid to approach her. Seeing this, Raven tossed the piece of fruit at the Zorua's feet. After a cautious moment, the fox pokemon limped up to the fruit and ate it hungrily. Smiling, she kept tearing off chunks for him until she had given the Zorua the whole apple.

"You should come with me," she told the Zorua finally. The pokemon froze immediately. "My mama's a pokemon doctor," she explained. "She can make you feel all better." After a moment, Raven reached a hand out to him again. Instead of pulling away, the Zorua stood perfectly still, and waited. The girl brushed her fingers through the Zorua's head tuft before scratching behind his ear. She felt the pokemon's muscles relax under her hand and she smiled happily.

Nine Years Later

Anville Town hadn't changed much in nine years. It had expanded a little, but otherwise it had remained exactly the same. Raven hadn't changed much either. She was just as adventurous as she was as a child, and still enjoyed sneaking off into the woods every chance she got. She would run for hours and climb as high as she could into the canopy. She would even hang out with her brat sister still.

One thing had changed though. In the end, it didn't really change anything, but she had found out she was adopted. The scarf she wore as a child, that she still wore now, had in fact been from her grandmother, though from her biological grandmother. Her whole family had died from some form of sickness which, by some miracle, she had escaped. This new family had taken her in without a second thought. When it came down to it, the family that had taken her in was just as much her real family as her other may have been.

But every now and again, she couldn't help but feel like her real family had abandoned her.

And every time she felt like, she would raise a hand to the scarf around her neck and remember that it wasn't their fault.

She looked at herself in the mirror now, hand on her scarf. Despite the years that had passed, she couldn't help but compare herself to the young girl who had found the Zorua in the woods. She was taller now, of course, standing around 5'6", maybe 5'7". Her auburn hair had grown longer, now hanging down to the small of her back, though her bangs she kept brushed to the sides and clipped just at her collar bone. All her baby fat was gone, leaving behind lean muscle from all her time spent running and climbing. One thing that hadn't changed were her silver-green eyes.

Reaching for the dresser, Raven grabbed her black and yellow fingerless gloves and pulled them into place on her hands. She tugged one last time at the hem of her black, white, and yellow high collard sleeveless shirt before leaving her room and heading downstairs. As she walked, her hand brushed against the six pokeballs she wore in pouches on her belt over he short black jean shorts. Only one of the six pokeballs was claimed; the others lay empty.

She grabbed her bag from the top of the stairs and slung it over her shoulder. The shoulder bag, the same colour as her eyes, was the one she always used when she was travelling. Now, she was heading out to Accumula Town to see her grandparents. It was something she did every now and then, to check and make sure they were doing okay and to satisfy her adventurous spirit. She was going to take the family Braviary, Ryke, one of the few bird pokemon that had been trained well enough to fly to and from Anville. Her family was of the opinion that it would be far easier to just take the subway, but she always enjoyed a nice long, relaxing flight. And besides, Caliban hated the trains.

When she got downstairs she found her mother in the living room watching TV. As it was the weekend, it wasn't unusual to find only her mother in the house. Her father was probably out trading with the tourists while Lina was no doubt out with some friends. "I'm heading out now," she said, drawing her mother's attention to her. "Where's Ryke?"

"Outside with Caliban," she replied, standing up. She walked over and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Are you sure you're going to be okay flying out there?"

"How many times have I done this, mom? I'll be fine. I always am."

"I know," her mother sighed. "I just worry. It is my job, you know." The two embraced before Raven headed outside.

Out on the porch she found a man maybe a year or two older than herself, and maybe an inch or two taller, lounging on one of the chairs. His deep red hair was brushed back and slightly spiked, with the ends shaded black. One piece hung down by his right eye though, threaded through a bright blue bead. She wasn't sure how he wasn't sweltering in the sun, dressed as he was. He wore a leather jacket which hung open, showing the grey shirt he wore beneath. He was wearing black jeans, and his black combat boot clad feet were resting up on the railing. The man definitely stood out in a small town like this. And it wasn't just his clothes either.

He wore a silver chain wrapped several times around his neck and hanging down onto his chest, a silver dagger strung onto the chain. He also had a multitude of silver rings on his fingers, though that wasn't the first thing most people noticed. His fingernails were painted bright red.

Right now, his hands were behind his head and, she couldn't tell behind the dark sunglasses, but she was pretty sure his eyes were closed. He looked completely relaxed, and possibly asleep. A slight smile gracing her lips, Raven walked up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Your fur is showing, Caliban."

The man didn't even flinch; he just snorted in amusement and smirked. "Lies. My illusion is flawless. But nice try, Raven." He stood and stretched before pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, revealing unnaturally red eyes rimmed with red eyeliner. "You're a pretty crappy trickster, you know that?"

"Yeah, well," she reached up to scratch the top of his head, "I only try to trick you, fox." Raven patted his cheek before smiling ruefully. "And you're really mouthy for a Zoroark, you know that?"

Cal let out a bark of laughter before grinning at her, showing off some slight fang. Or at least, that's how it appeared to Raven and anyone around them. Caliban, being a Zoroark, had created the illusion of this form for himself when he was out in public. Over the years, with much practice, he had also developed the ability to speak perfect english. The two of them had been together for a long time. Nine years, in fact. Caliban was the same Zorua Raven had found in the woods as a child. He had ended up returning with her, and had never left. The one claimed pokeball on Raven's belt was his.

"So, where's Ryke?" she asked finally.

"Ah, who knows," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Probably flying around somewhere."

A shrill cry announced the arrival of said pokemon, and he didn't appear amused with Cal's opinion. "Hey, speak of the devil." Caliban turned to Ryke as he set down on the rail, his large talons scoring the already scarred wood. "How you doing, old bird?"

Ryke made a noise that almost sounded like a 'harrumph,' but Raven could never be sure. "You ready to go?" the trainer asked. The Braviary nodded his head once and fluffed his wings. "Are you gonna ride in your pokeball or with me?" Raven asked of Cal.

"Pokeball, of course." The Zoroark turned a sly grin to the bird pokemon. "I doubt this mangy old bird could carry both of us." Ryke cried in indignation and spread his wings, trying to intimidate Caliban. He just snickered.

"Okay, okay, let's get out of here." With another huff, Ryke hopped of the rail and Raven guided him down off the porch. Cal snickered one more time before coming up behind Raven and pressing the button on his pokeball, returning himself to its confines.

Once they were out on open ground, Raven settle herself comfortably on the bird pokemon's back. As she gripped his feathers tightly, he took to the sky. They rose quickly over the treetops until they were surrounded by nothing but open sky. The noise of the town slowly faded away until all they could hear was the rush of wind and the steady beating of Ryke's wings. Raven closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the fresh, clean air and the feel of her auburn hair and yellow scarf streaming out behind her. Now she had the rest of the long flight to enjoy this freedom.

zZz

Having left early in the morning and flown through the day and night, it was early afternoon again by the time they arrived in Accumula Town. Raven had always found it a strange town, what with its three different levels. Her grandparents lived on the upper level next to a couple of musicians. After releasing Cal from his pokeball and giving the customary hellos to her grandparents, Raven found herself wandering around Route One. It was nothing new to her; she liked to walk around there whenever she visited, but she always found something to entertain herself.

Ryke had stayed back at the house to rest after the long flight, so it was just herself and Caliban. The Zoroark quickly took off into the woods, immediately becoming lost in shadows. As soon as they had left the town limits he had dropped the illusion and once again appeared as a normal pokemon. Now, he was trying to see if he could catch her off guard. They both knew it was pointless, but it had become their little tradition. Raven and Cal were so close, so familiar with each other, that when either approached they other, they would always know. It didn't stop them from trying though.

For now, Raven just took a relaxing walk down the only path on Route One. She knew Cal would be popping out at her any time now so she wasn't surprised when she heard movement off in the trees. She was surprised though when she heard Caliban's voice calling her over. He sounded serious and, outside of a battle, that very much so was not him.

Running into the trees, she quickly met up with the Zoroark, and he looked just as serious as he had sounded. "You need to see this," he told her before moving off again. Raven followed him quickly, both of them moving at a fast pace, being used to running over such terrain as they were. A moment later Caliban stopped and turned to his trainer. "Move slowly, okay?" he cautioned her. "He's terrified."

Taking a few cautious steps forwards, Raven moved in front of Caliban and caught sight of what had alarmed him. What she saw broke her heart in a way she had only felt once before, nine years ago. A young Snivy sat at the base of a tree, watching them warily. He wasn't injured that she could see, but he was shaking and dirty, and no doubt hungry. The leaves on his tail drooped, though Raven wasn't sure whether from sadness or from being too weak to pull himself up a tree into the sunlight. What got to her the most were the tears of frustration in his eyes.

Instead of moving towards him, Raven sat down where she was while Caliban sat a pace behind her. "Hey there," she said softly. "My name's Raven." She waited a moment now, not wanting to continue on and startle the poor grass pokemon; it would be best to take this slowly. "You look really tired. Have you been in the sunlight lately?" After a cautious moment, the Snivy shook his head. "We can lead you to some sunlight," she told him. "We won't touch you. All you have to do is follow us. Is that okay?"

Another minute passed before the Snivy took a hesitant step forward and nodded his head. "Okay then," Raven said with a smile. "It's just this way." It was slow going back out to the path. They moved very slowly through the underbrush so the Snivy could keep up with them, and they had to stop occasionally for the snake pokemon to rest.

As soon as they stepped out into the sunlight, Raven saw the Snivy almost collapse with relief. She doubted he had been able to find his way out of the thick woods. The three of them sat by the path just outside of the tree line and rested. Raven leaned back against a tree while the Snivy curled up happily in the sun with Caliban nearby. In the lazy heat, Raven eventually dozed off.

A while later, voices woke her. For a moment, she couldn't figure out who would be talking, then she realized it was Cal talking to the Snivy. Instead of disturbing them, she just listened in. While she couldn't understand the Snivy, she could clearly hear what Cal was saying. "You know, not all humans are bad," he was saying. "I used to think so, but sometimes they can surprise you." She guessed she had missed most of their conversation, as Caliban sounded like he was wrapping things up.

They were both silent for a moment and the Snivy seemed to be finding a piece of grass incredibly interesting, though Raven could tell he was really focused somewhere inside his own head.

"If you let her," Caliban said finally, "Raven will help you, and give you a great home. You could train with us, travel with us, and she would never abandon you." The grass pokemon made a noncommittal sound and continued his intense scrutiny of the grass. Cal stood up then and walked over to Raven, having known the second she woke up.

"He was abandoned by his previous trainer," he told her. "After he caught a stronger pokemon, he just left Snivy in the woods and walked away. I guess he figured what would be the use of having a slightly weaker pokemon. Didn't even give him the chance to train up."

Raven sighed sadly. "I really hate people sometimes, you know?" She stood up then and walked over to the Snivy and crouched in front of him. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

The grass snake made a soft noise but avoided eye contact. "Accumula Town isn't far from here," she told him. "If you'd like, we could take you to the Pokemon Centre there. Get you healed up." After some serious consideration, the Snivy looked up at Raven and studied her face. He must have trusted what he saw there because he nodded once and stood up. "You really are a tough one," she said with a big smile. "How abouts Cal carries you? That way we can run and get you there nice and fast."

The Snivy nodded again in acknowledgement and turned to the Zoroark. "Thanks for volunteering me," he said, though she could tell he was joking. Taking on his human guise, Caliban picked up the tiny grass snake and he and Raven took off down the path towards Accumula.

They made pretty good time getting there, and evening was just starting to fall when they walked into the Pokemon Centre. Cal walked up and placed the tired Snivy on the counter. The nurse looked at Cal like he had been the one to hurt the poor pokemon. To be honest, it was a look he got quite often. "We found him in the woods," Raven explained to the nurse. "I don't think he's hurt too badly, but he should probably be checked out anyways."

After one more disapproving glance at Caliban, the nurse picked up the Snivy. "Of course. He doesn't look too bad so we'll have him out to you soon." With that she walked to the back room where they treated the pokemon.

Caliban and Raven sat down on the chairs and waited. "So you want to take him with us?" Raven asked after a while.

"Don't you?" Cal asked, looking over to her. The blue bead in his hair clinked against a small silver hoop that pierced his right ear. Raven had never noticed it before, but he liked to add or remove accessories sometimes. He was probably more vain than she was. "I feel kinda responsible for the little guy now," he said, drawing her attention back to the topic at hand.

"Are you sure he doesn't just remind you of yourself?" she asked softly. Cal didn't respond to that, just looked down at his hands which rested in his lap. "But you're right," she said. "We can't just send him back out there. Besides, it would be nice to have a grass pokemon on the team." She turned to him then and made sure he was looking her in the eyes. "It has to be his choice though," she told him. "No matter how much we want him to come with us, if he doesn't want to, we don't make him."

"Of course," he said with a nod. A few moments later, the nurse returned with a perfectly healthy Snivy.

"He's a very tough pokemon," she told them. "And no doubt the sun he was in on the way over here helped him immensely. He's fine to go now." She put the Snivy down on the floor in front of them and went back to her desk.

"So you feeling better now?" Raven asked. He gave an affirmative, and even struck a noble pose just to make his point. The trainer couldn't help but laugh at his energy. "I was thinking," she said slowly. "Why don't you come with us?" she asked. The Snivy looked up to her, surprised. Raven didn't think he had expected that. "You don't have to if you don't want," she explained. "But if you did come with us, we would make sure you were never alone, and we would never leave you behind."

The Snivy was silent for a moment, a look of contemplation on his face. Just when Raven though he would refuse, the Snivy snapped his eyes up to her and she saw a fierce determination there. He jumped up into her lap and pressed the button on one of her empty pokeballs, effectively capturing himself.

Raven and Cal both laughed, happy that the grass pokemon had decided to join them. Reaching down, Raven released him from his pokeball. "Now," she said to him. "You need a proper name." They thought for a moment before her face lit up with an idea. "How about Zane?" she asked.

After a moments thought, the Snivy smiled and nodded. "Alrighty then, let's get out of here." The three of them stood up and left the Pokemon Centre. They began to head towards the upper level of the town back to her grandparents house. When they reached the town square though, they stopped. It seemed as if most of the people had gathered in the square by the hill that dominated the centre. It was hard to see through all the people, but she did see two flags on standards and she was pretty sure there was someone standing on the rise, giving a speech.

"What the hell is going on?"