A/N: I originally published this one-shot on September 22nd, 2015 on SPPf. Like everything I've written, this one-shot will be revised eventually during one of my Rewrite Months (Februaries).
This one-shot is my response to the prompt in Edition 2 of SPPf's Fan Fiction Quarterly. The challenge was to write a fic with no dialogue whatsoever, with extra credit going to those who managed to write a "conversation" with only body language.
Needless to say, it took a lot of thinking to complete the prompt, but after reading the fics of other people who have completed it the prompt got considerably easier. I still struggled a bit with writing this, but it was a nice challenge. I even managed to do the extra credit. I think this fic fits the prompt pretty well, so enjoy. :)
Quacklin' woke slowly in his bed, his Poke Ball still dark from when he turned off the lights last night. He located the light switch on the curved wall next to his bed and pressed it with his bill. Instantly Quacklin's Poke Ball became awash with white light, and the Farfetch'd blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the change in brightness.
He looked around the inside of the Poke Ball he called home. The roof was domed and red, with a hanging light in the middle. On the far side of the Poke Ball was the small kitchen where Quacklin' ate the Pokemon food that the refrigerator always seemed to be full of, no matter how much he ate. Close to Quacklin's bed was a bathroom just big enough for him to take a shower and use the toilet. A medium-sized window hung on the Poke Ball's wall, and a living area with a couch and a computer-television hybrid called a PokeScreen sat in the center of the Poke Ball.
Quacklin' yawned and got out of bed, his leek tucked securely under his wing. Blinking away sleep, he waddled over to the window and looked outside.
It was an interesting window - on the outside, it looked as if the window wasn't there at all, just the solid red wall of the Poke Ball. But looking from the inside out, Quacklin' could see his neighbor's Great Ball, as well as his PC Box's grassy wallpaper. Nothing had changed since he went to sleep, then, which comforted and irritated Quacklin' at the same time. He wished things could change, just a little, to stir things up. Quacklin's Poke Ball was still in Box 1 of his trainer's PC, and next to his Poke Ball was still the Great Ball that his neighbor, a Litleo, lived in.
Quacklin' felt a familiar pang of jealousy when he saw the blue-and-white surface of the Great Ball next to him. From talking to various Pokemon and watching various television programs, he knew that a Great Ball made a grander and more comfortable home than a Poke Ball.
As Quacklin' waddled over to the kitchen to eat his breakfast, he tried to push his jealousy out of his mind. He had had a few video calls with his next-door neighbor and learned that the Litleo had only gone into battle once since being caught. Although it had been a long time since his last battle, Quacklin' had had many battling opportunities during his long time as a Trainer Pokemon. He half-heartedly wondered if his neighbor was jealous of him in this regard.
After a filling breakfast of Pokemon food, Quacklin' settled down on the couch and turned on the Poke Screen. His first order of business was to check the news. There was little news of interest today - there was another report concerning an organization called Team Flare causing a little trouble, but that was nothing the police couldn't handle. There was also some news about the possible resurgence of Team Plasma, but that was all the way in Unova so it didn't bother Quacklin' too much.
Quacklin' closed the news website and opened PokeBook, a social networking website that allowed him to connect with any Trainer Pokemon in the Pokemon World. Since every Trainer Pokemon had a PokeScreen of some sort in their Poke Ball, Quacklin' could conceivably contact any Trainer Pokemon. Well, aside from those Pokemon that were celebrities among the rest of the Pokemon in the Pokemon World, such as the Legendary Pokemon that elite Trainers across the Pokemon World managed to catch. Most of these celebrity Pokemon had PokeBook profiles so that they could connect with their fans, but directly messaging those celebrities was pretty much impossible.
Presently Quacklin' checked his notifications and found out that, since he last went on PokeBook, some of his friends had posted some pictures of recent happenings. He went through the pictures, liking and commenting on them. He felt jealous that his friends got to leave their Poke Balls and do things, but he suppressed his feelings. Quacklin's friends were nice to him and fun to chat with, so Quacklin' was genuinely happy that they were happy.
Still, Quacklin' missed leaving his Poke Ball and battling. While his Poke Ball and PokeScreen provided him with plenty of comfort and entertainment, Quacklin' wished he could go out into the human world more. Like every Pokemon, Quacklin' felt the drive to have a good battle running through his veins every day.
As Quacklin' watched a funny video one of his friends shared, he thought of the last time he battled. His trainer, a teenage boy named Calem, had called Quacklin' out to battle Viola, the Bug-type specialist Gym Leader of Santalune City. It had been a relatively easy battle with the type advantage and all, but a fun one nevertheless. The opposing Vivillon had given him a bit of trouble with a well-executed Infestation attack, but with a few powerful Aerial Aces Quacklin' had knocked out his Bug-type opponents and felt the joy of victory.
Quacklin' really wished that he could have an experience like that again, but after the battle against Viola - which happened a month ago - Calem had deposited Quacklin's Poke Ball into a PC Box and never retrieved Quacklin' since.
Quacklin' sighed as the video ended. He suddenly remembered Cliff, his original trainer. Cliff, an avid hiker, took relatively good care of Quacklin', letting the Farfetch'd out of his Poke Ball once in a while, but Cliff was never much of a battler. Besides, the hiker always wanted a Bunnelby, and was willing to trade away Quacklin' for one.
When the trade happened between Cliff and Calem, Quacklin' had been relatively sad that Cliff would no longer be his trainer, but hopeful that Calem would be a better owner who gave him more battle opportunities. When Calem called upon Quacklin' for his battle against Viola, Quacklin' thought that his wish had come true. Unfortunately, after that battle Quacklin' had never even once been let out of his Poke Ball.
Eventually, though, Quacklin' got used to it, because it was quite comfortable in his Poke Ball. Presently Quacklin' closed PokeBook and opened PokeFlicks, eager to start watching the latest episode of Pro-Team Omega, his favorite TV show.
Quacklin' was immersed in his episode when suddenly the PokeScreen froze and everything began to glow with a light blue light - his furniture, his Poke Ball walls, even himself. Before Quacklin' had time to wonder what was happening, he felt a squeezing sensation, as if he and his Poke Ball were getting smaller. Panic rising in his throat, Quacklin' instinctively clung onto his leek and ran over to the window, not sure what he was going to see. He realized with a jolt that his glowing Poke Ball was indeed shrinking - the neighboring Great Ball was appearing larger and larger. Having no idea what was happening, Quacklin' felt terrified as the window suddenly blacked out and his surroundings glowed bluer still. He felt as if his Poke Ball was moving forward at a blistering pace.
Suddenly, Quacklin's Poke Ball hit the ground - or at least it felt like it - and bounced a few times. Quacklin' felt a stretching sensation, as if he and he Poke Ball were growing rapidly in size. The blue glow did not fade; rather, it intensified, filling Quacklin's body with electric coldness. Then the light became so bright that Quacklin' could see nothing but bright blue.
By this time Quacklin' was so scared that he wanted this mysterious blue light to just go away. Quacklin's insides churned as something lifted him up and sent him rocketing. He shut his eyes tightly, beggin Arceus that his ordeal would be over soon.
And just like that, it was. Quacklin's world stopped moving, and the Farfetch'd could feel the blue light fading and the warmth returning to his body. He was faintly aware of a gentle breeze ruffling his feathers and the rays of the early morning sun warming his body.
Quacklin' took a deep breath and gripped his leek tightly, trying to stop himself from shaking. He hypothesized that, wherever he was, he was out of his Poke Ball - otherwise he wouldn't feel the wind and the sun. Slowly, Quacklin' opened his eyes.
He was standing on a brick path, and in front of him was a familiar house - Cliff's house! Quacklin' felt a surge of joy. At least he wasn't lost. He looked around and his spirits dampened when he realized that he couldn't see Calem - or anyone else, for that matter - anywhere. He couldn't see his Poke Ball, either. That's when it hit him: he had been released.
Quacklin' waddled over to the side of Cliff's house, sat down, and sighed. That explained a lot of things. If Calem wanted to let Quacklin' out of his Poke Ball, Quacklin's body would have glowed with a warm white light, not a cold blue light. He knew this because of the one time Calem sent him out to battle. Besides, if Calem wanted to let Quacklin' out, he would first have to withdraw Quacklin's Poke Ball from the PC Box, which did not happen. Finally, Quacklin' was near the place where Cliff and Calem had traded Pokemon. This, along with the strange circumstances that brought him here, convinced Quacklin' that Calem had released him to the wild.
Quacklin' gripped his leek in his bill and took to the sky, feeling scared but thrilled. He had never had the experience of being a wild Pokemon before - Cliff had had him since he was an egg - and Quacklin' was looking forward to this new experience. He knew he would miss his PokeScreen and the comfort of a Poke Ball, but he knew being a wild Pokemon would offer him plenty of adventure and battle opportunites.
Quacklin's heart quickened as he flew higher to survey his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had flown so high, and for a moment Quacklin' felt overwhelmed by the altitude and the breezes that ruffled his feathers. Farfetch'd aren't the best of flyers, but after a few moments Quacklin' was able to adjust to the wind.
Santalune City was below him - he knew that was the city where Cliff lived. To the east of the city was a lush forest, and to the north was a lovely garden. After circling the city a few more times, Quacklin' decided to explore the forest to the east.
He descended into the leafy canopy of the woods and landed on a large limb of a moderate-sized oak tree. The forest was quiet and pretty, but Quacklin' knew that he should keep on the lookout. He hoped he hadn't accidentally trespassed onto some aggressive Pokemon's territory.
Quacklin' stayed on his oak for some time, observing the forest. Occasionally he saw a Pokemon or two in the tall grass or heard the forest Pokemon calling out to each other, but there was no sign of hostile Pokemon in this stretch of the woods. Quacklin' relaxed contentedly. Even if these woods had no other Farfetch'd in them - Quacklin' knew that his kind were rare - he knew he could probably make his long-time home here.
Quacklin' leaned against the tree trunk, sighing contentedly as he gazed at the forest he would now call home.
His serenity did not last long.
Something hit his head. Quacklin' realized, as his heart rate quickened, that it was a net, and he was now trapped inside. It was a small net - the tough webbing dug into his feathers - and Quacklin' began to panic. Poachers! Why hadn't heh thought of that? In his joy of discovering his new home he had completely forgotten about the biggest threat to his species' livelihood.
Crying out in distress, Quacklin' thrashed around, but the net held firm. He tried every attack he knew to break the net, but even after many attempts he was still trapped inside. Quacklin' cried out again. Surely the forest Pokemon would come to his aid? He saw a Litleo in the distance running towards him, and his heart filled with hope. But the spark vanished when he saw a human, an adult female, land lightly on the tree limb next to him. She had short brown hair and was wearing dark glasses and camouflage clothing. At the sight of the woman, the Litleo slowed down, its eyes wide with fear. The woman roughly grabbed Quacklin' and tucked him under her arm. Trapped by the net, Quacklin' could only watch in dismay as his captor dashed through the woods, leaving the Litleo in the dust.
Quacklin' called out desperately as the woman ran. He could hear his captor cursing under her breath as forest Pokemon popped out of their hiding places and ran after the woman, calling out in anger. The woman coolly retrieved a Poke Ball from her belt and threw it into the air. With a bright flash of light, a Pokemon materialized - Quacklin' recognized it as a Togekiss. The poacher gazed intently at her large, white Pokemon and used her thumb to frantically point behind her.
With a nod, the Togekiss screeched and fired off a razor-sharp current of air towards the forest Pokemon that until this point had managed to keep up with Quacklin's captor. Quacklin' watched in dismay as the Air Slash attack connected with the Pokemon nearest him, a Riolu, and knocked the Fighting-type out instantly.
The Togekiss was brutal. It continued to rapidly fire off Air Slash attacks at the forest Pokemon. Soon it became apparent that the large Fairy-type was much more powerful than the forest Pokemon, because after a few more Pokemon dropped to the ground the remaining forest Pokemon turned tail and fled, fear and guilt in their eyes.
Quacklin' watched as his captor smirked and recalled her Togekiss to her Poke Ball. The Farfetch'd looked around desperately. The Pokemon the the forest were not powerful enough to help him, so now his best bet of escape was another human. He called out again, hoping that someone would hear him, as his captor continued running through the woods.
The poacher reached a clearing and ran towards a large bush, crouching behind it. There was a young man behind the bush, with dark sunglasses and brown hair matching the woman's. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but the man quieted her by giving her a pointed look and raising his index finger to his lips. He nodded approvingly at the trapped Farfetch'd under the woman's arm and glanced warily over the top of the bush. The woman followed his gaze before dropping even lower to the ground, her grip on Quacklin' not loosening.
The forest was silent. Quacklin' couldn't see anything from where he was, but he could hear slow, hesitant footsteps approaching the bush where the poachers hid. Quacklin' felt a glimmer of hope - those footsteps belonged to a human! He called out for help, and the footsteps came faster. He was going to be rescued.
Quacklin's captor cursed and pulled something out of her belt. She stood up quickly, the Farfetch'd still tucked under her arm. The woman turned towards the direction of the footsteps, and Quacklin' saw the source of the footsteps: a small girl with snow-white hair and beautiful blue eyes, who probably wasn't any older than eight. The girl's eyes widened with horror as Quacklin's captor loomed in front of her. The brown-haired woman pointed her gadget at the white-haired girl.
Quacklin's blood turned to ice. It was a gun.
Everything happened so fast. There was a popping noise. The little girl staggered around the clearing clumsily for a few steps before falling to the ground.
But there was no blood. There was no blood. Quacklin's mind whirled. Guns were horrors of fiction - Quacklin' didn't know that they actually existed in the Pokemon World. One shot fired from a gun could kill a human. Even Pokemon, which were normally so tough, could die from gunshot wounds - die, not just faint. But lethal guns produced a loud noise when fired, and left bloody wounds in the victim. When the poacher fired her gun at the girl, there was neither blood nor a loud noise. So maybe the little girl was still alive…
She was! Quacklin' had never felt so relieved. He could see the faint rise and fall of the girl's prostrate body. But was she hurt? Would she need help? These questions were still in Quacklin's head when his captor calmly sat down, taking the Farfetch'd down with her and blocking his view of the unconscious girl.
The young man had watched this whole scene unfold and now gaped at his female companion. His wide eyes betrayed feelings of shock and disapproval, and he began backing away from the young woman. Quacklin's captor sighed and dropped her gun at the man's feet. At this gesture the man began to relax. He picked up the gun and nodded, smiling and handing it back to the woman.
By this time Quacklin' had been struggling for so long that his body felt completely drained of energy. He hung limp from his captor's grip, utterly overwhelmed by the events of the day.
The man dug into his bag and pulled out his own gun. Quacklin' noticed that this one was silver rather than blue. Before Quacklin' could comprehend what this meant, the woman placed the Farfetch'd on the ground. That's when Quacklin' realized what was happening.
He heard a clicking noise as the man pointed the gun's muzzle at the Farfetch'd's head. The woman moved backwards and nodded.
The was a deafening noise, and everything was gone.
-END-