Preface
This is a story set in world where Pokemon live without humans. Though on the surface it looks like it's about Pokemon I am just using the preset creatures as a basis for allowing a fantasy plot to unfold. Little to no knowledge of Pokemon is needed for reading the story and it can be understood without much trouble. Enjoy.
Childhood
The sun streaked through the thin vines covering the mouth of the small inlet and fell onto the head of a small sleeping Absol. The she-pokemon stirred and yawned as large as her mouth would allow, slowly blinking away the feelings of the night. A gust of wind blew through the hollow and the vines shifted, letting light shine right into the small creature's eyes. She quickly turned away and peeked out at the world once again to see a small Vulpix sleeping next to an Eevee, the six tailed pokemon's inner flame keeping the both of them warm.
She straightened and rested on her back paws, sitting upright and swishing her abnormal white and fluffy tails back and forth. She looked back out to the sunlit grove which she knew to be her home and watched as the guild grounds began to stir. Master Calis circled the clearing at the line where the ground met the grassy hill beyond. Pine needles crackled under her feet as the Liepard daintily padded across the clearing towards the Absol's den and called out,
"It's time for you to begin your training little ones," she meowed from outside. The Eevee's ears twitched and as she rose up the Vulpix shifted, yawning tiredly. Ignoring her denmates, the small Absol padded slowly out into the warm early morning sun, emerging onto the rock in front of the sleeping grounds. Alina watched, through blue eyes, the waking of the world. All different kinds of Pokemon began to fill the clearing, greeting each other as they passed. Some climbed down from the trees, carrying Oran berries and apples which they set on the icy stone in the middle of the clearing. An Aipom swung by its tail and dropped onto the ground next to Travix, the Swellow who was pecking at an apple and a group of Leppa berries. The sound of chatter began to rise from the feeding grounds as the food on the rock slowly dispersed and was spread around the members of the guild. The morning meal commenced for the adventurers.
"Hello Master Calis," Chirped Alina, who was now feeling slightly more awake as she padded down to sit in front of her mentor. "Where's Master Sakor? Is he going to come with us today?" The two other apprentices padded down, sleepily chatting with one another as they came and sat side by side next to Alina. Her brother sat directly next to her, the Vulpix, who was a dull orange color, not unlike rust, and his fluffy curled tail rested on the ground next to hers.
He shifted his weight and bumped her with his shoulder, not painfully but enough to knock her sideways causing her to shift. Alina scowled and shifted her gaze past him to see Kori looking worriedly at them, flicking her ears before looking back at Master Calis innocently. The siblings straightened and looked back to their mentor only to be met with an exasperated sigh and a flick of her tail.
"Yes he will indeed be coming with us, but not until after we have begun the lesson," said Calis as she stood up and turned to walk across the clearing. "There is much to be done."
The small pokemon ran to catch up with their Master, their little legs moving quickly to keep time with Calis's longer strides. As they crossed the clearing full of Pokemon they passed Arita the Arcanine as well as the messenger Pokemon, an Altaria named Sivant, who was accompanied by a Floatzel and an Aipom. Business was going as usual, as the guildmaster stood on the pinnacle rock, overlooking the whole scene with an air of tranquility.
Alina stumbled to the side to avoid a large Oran berry which was sitting in the path and would have been trouble for her to step over. As she veered to the side she came to a small puddle which she happily padded through, the long hair on her belly brushing the water and dampening slightly as she went. Playfully she kicked water backwards at her brother who had decided to go around the wet patch. He dodged to the side and growled in return, the water raining down only inches from the tail of a Zigzagoon, who looked angrily in Ren's direction. The Zigzagoon's expression softened however at the sight of Ren, as he tried to point at his sister who was already running ahead of Master Calis and into the tall grass beyond.
The four pokemon wound their way up the path through the trees, the smaller creatures darting in and out of the tall grass around Calis as she padded her way along the well trodden path to an unknown destination. Ren body slammed Alina in a playful yet quite rough way and she fell sideways into the tall grass. Alina thought to herself as she walked through the grass about her brother. She wasn't particularly fond of him to be completely honest. In fact one might say she didn't like him at all. This morning he yawned so idiotically she would have been quite happy to have shoved some of the moss he slept on into his little chompers. But then again, maybe that was just because they were siblings.
She hadn't asked to be born different from other Absols but people still talked about her behind her back. She knew that just as well as anyone else. Her brother had it so easy. He had been born like any normal Vulpix, with six tails and orangey fur. She kicked at a pebble with her black claws, just thinking about the infuriatingly curly hair on his head. Her mother was a Ninetales and her father was an Absol which normally wouldn't pose a problem, but she had been born differently. Her parents accepted her but nearly everyone else treated her as if there was something quite wrong with her. Which there definitely isn't she thought to herself. There was nothing different about her other than her appearance, she figured, she was just the same as any other she-Pokemon as far as she could tell.
She thought back to when she and her brother tried to apply to become apprentice adventurers. Her brother wanted to become a full fledged adventurer and become the richest Pokemon in the world. This seemed like a pretty boring aspiration to her, but she had aspirations of her own. She wanted to bring adventure to new lands and become a guildmaster. Maybe even a guildmaster, she thought wistfully, of a very strong guild which would accept her as she was. When they applied however the Zigzagoon who handles recruitments turned her away. Her mother had asked why her brother had been accepted without question but Alina had not been admitted. He wouldn't admit he had stopped her entry based on appearance and, in a way, was forced to accept her as well thanks to the Ninetales' pressure.
That was the first time Alina had really experienced the segregation due to her being different. Not a whole lot was different about her when you really looked. She was only missing one dark spot on her forehead, had bright blue eyes, and two more tails than usual, which happened to be white and fluffy. Tears welled in her eyes as she flicked her tails back and forth in the tall grass, hidden from the image of her brother and Kori playing happily.
She started to try and think happily, knowing that her brother would tease her if he saw her in this state. In the end, she thought, I was accepted and I AM going to become a guildmaster someday. The weight on her chest eased slightly and she bounced into the two other small pokemon, playing as if nothing was wrong until she had completely forgotten all about being different.
The ground was soft and wet, making for easy footing as the three friends played in the grass. The playing eventually turned into whining however, when the journey seemed to be unending. Calis ignored the complaints calmly and when the top of a massive tree poked up into the sky the trio looked up in wonder.
A clearing of trees was surrounded by stalls and buildings which were run by other pokemon of all shapes and sizes.
"This is Muraha, the guilds' town center which is used not only by our guild but also all of the other guilds in the area," said Calis in a voice only a mentor knows how to use quite correctly.
Strong looking Pokemon from other guilds walked happily about conversing with one another and mingling around the town's center. Shops formed an inner circle to the town surrounding the outside of a massive willow tree which grew high into the air and stretched its long drooping leaves over the entire town providing a comfortable shade from the hot sun which was quickly rising in the sky, baking the earth below.
Muraha was the town which was the center of all local guild activity. Anyone could go there to store belongings or buy new ones from the shops there. Emergency care could also be found there and anyone who was lost could find their way to the town to gain their bearings. Muraha was a safe haven for all adventurers, apprentices, rogues, and guild masters alike. Though there were shady pokemon that lurked there it was unusual to see anything questionable actually happen due to the Heracross which were the peacekeepers of the town.
The Liepard padded to the storage building on the outer ring of the town which had been built by the local Timburr and was speaking with the Xatu behind the counter, as the apprentices looked about in wonder.
"Can I take out two Pecha berries and a quick claw please?" She meowed. The Xatu shuffled around for a while and then presented two berries and a claw on a necklace which looked sharp and off white, as if made of bone or, as Alina put it upon noticing it, made of cloud.
"Sure can miss…" he paused, "miss...ummm...miss..." His wings began to flutter nervously.
"Calis," she said politely, helping him find the name.
"Yes that's the one," he chirped happily. "By the way miss Calis that was the last of the Pecha berries you have in your guild's storage. Anything else I can do for you today?" He fluttered about while standing and waiting for a reply.
"No thank you that will be it for now, and thank you for reminding me about the Pecha berries. Have a splendid day," she replied before slipping it into the satchel she carried and walking away, little ones in tow. She didn't make it far however before Ren jumped up beside her and began barraging her with questions.
"What are those for? What are we doing with them? What do they do? What is that claw? What are those for?" She cut him off with a swift flick of her tail as it caught him between his small ears on the back of his head.
"You will see," she meowed teasingly and continued walking. The group had nearly traveled across the entire town circle, still gazing, before they turned off into the more dense forest no longer following a path. Ren pounced on Kori knocking the shy Eevee over onto the ground but before she could react he had dashed off and was onto Alina. He laughed happily as the two of them tumbled for a minute before ending up in a bush and becoming hesitant due to the thorny thicket that surrounded them. Alina felt a sharp pain in her side but ignored it and growled playfully at her brother. Quickly but carefully the two of them ran back out of the briars, called a silent truce, and returned to Kori's side as they resumed padding towards wherever Master Calis was leading them.
The Liepard slowly came to a halt and used her paw to create an opening in the thorny branches which were a part of a hedge just taller than she was. The three apprentices walked gingerly through the opening and it closed with a crunch behind them. The soft sound of paws hitting the grass coming shortly afterwards. A tree grew in the middle of a circle made of thickets with large flat faced rocks scattered about. Most rocks had slanting faces leaning towards the tree in the center while a few were just jagged and only flat on top. Shorter grass coated the floor of the training area which was soft to the touch but also a bit wet with the morning dew where the sade of the tree still fell. When Calis saw that all of the smaller pokemon were through and unharmed she began talking to them.
"This is going to be a little bit different from what you are used to but should be helpful for you nonetheless." This invoked an excited murmur from Alina to Kori as her tail twitched with anticipation. "The attribute focused on today will be agility. As every pokemon knows, you need speed and mobility in order to navigate terrain as well as evade other pokemon's attacks. You will be playing a game of tag in a way, however one of you will have a quick claw which will make your reaction time faster. The person being chased will have the item while the others chase him or her down using the rocks and tree in order to move tactically. Whoever is able to tag the person with the claw is the next person who is it. Whoever ends with the claw will receive extra dinner so don't think about slacking!" She meowed sharply, looking at Ren in particular, though he hardly noticed.
"When I say go I will toss the claw into the air and the session will begin. Ready?" She asked as the apprentices tensed, spacing themselves slightly and getting into a crouching position, prepared to jump.
"Go!" She shouted, and the claw was tossed up into the air. It flew up between the branches of the tree and as the smaller pokemon waited for it to fall, multiple seconds passed. The sound of something tapping against bark resonated through the tense and silent grounds. Alina was the first to react as she bounded as quickly as possible to the base of the tree and launched herself up it, scrabbling at the bark and falling a couple feet short of the first branch.
The claw hung from a branch in the tree, swinging and bouncing off of the trunk in the soft forest breeze, taunting the apprentices. Kori and Ren darted towards the tree, scrambling at the sides until they fell back to the ground, having also come up short of the first branch. The three of them quickly dashed back and tried again, from farther back the second, third, fourth, and fifth times. With each attempt they stayed the same distance, if not farther from the lowest hanging limb.
Calis purred happily as she watched the small pokemon scramble up the side of the tree, noting the cleanly chopped branches which would have made it easy if they had not been altered to accommodate the training which was done there. She jumped gracefully onto a rock and as she did so she meowed loudly enough for all of the apprentices to hear her. Even the Vulpix who was upside down on the ground at the base of the tree took note and looked over curiously. She nodded slightly, indicating the rock below her and sat up straight again, flicking her tail to show they should continue.
Both Ren and Kori began running back around and dashing at the tree again, Kori watching what Ren did and, trying to do just as well as her slightly larger and more able friend, she copied him, not doubting his tactics. Alina on the other hand looked at Master Calis again and saw her smiling amusedly before diverting her attention to the small Absol. A puzzled look crossed Alina's face as she pondered her master's strange action.
Slowly she noticed the flat faces of the rocks and how they angled towards the tree. In her mind she remembered Master Calis's words saying that not only the tree but also the rocks were to be used for movement and agility. Alina quickly backed up to the tree and took off at full pelt towards the rock. She ran up the steep slope and spun around as she jumped upwards towards the tree branch which hung slightly higher than the lowest but was closer to her. As she jumped she noticed she felt a little more sluggish than normal but she managed to reach out and touch the branch before leaving claw marks on the bark and falling down to the grass below, landing on all fours in a crouch.
Once again she backed up to the tree, only to watch Ren take off into the air and reach the branches above. He clambered up and raced off down the branch towards the claw which hung in the tangled foliage. She scrambled towards the rock and launched herself with all her might into the branches above, coming to a rough landing on the bark. Turning she also raced into the tree branches which wound before her. Above her Ren was scrambling up the wood, jumping from one branch to another before leaping and grabbing the claw in his mouth, tearing it from the branch from which it hung. He lept onto the lower branches in the tree and was gone, down to the lush grass below. He began running from Kori who had saved her energy by not bothering to try and launch herself into the foliage.
Alina pushed heavily as she began running again, moving as fast as she could. She thought unhappily to herself that she felt unusually fatigued and she was driven by frustration with her own inability. She launched herself to a branch below, but lost her footing and fell roughly onto the ground below her. She coughed once before staggering up and falling over again. Breathing quite heavily she called softly for Calis who was already standing over her, a pecha berry in her mouth and the others by her side.
"Alina when did you fall in a bush? I forgot to mention the bushes in the area had a couple of poisonous thorns scattered in between the normal ones but I thought nothing of it since you all stayed out of them as far as I know!" She stopped talking and nudged the berry closer to Alina who looked at it in pain. "I brought Pecha berries just in case. This should stop the poison, I am quite sorry it slipped my mind," meowed Calis with a defeated look on her face. "It really is my bad."
Alina took a large bite of the berry and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. The effect was quick and soon she felt much like her old self, save her shoulder hurting slightly from the impact. She smiled as best she could at Calis who was looking glum. On the other hand, at her supposed quick fix, Ren and Kori began looking quite less worried, padding about once again. Alina took another bite, and then another, savoring the juicy fruit for its flavor as well as healing effects. She polished off half of the fruit before a paw whisked it away and returned it to the satchel sitting on the rock.
"Master Calis please don't feel bad," said Alina. It really isn't your fault. If anything it's-"
"Don't blame me!" Barked Ren. "I didn't ask for you to fight back and roll into the bushes! If anything it's your fault!" He scoffed and turned away, still holding the claw on the string around his neck.
"I appreciate that, little one. Are you really feeling alright?" Asked Calis, looking concernedly at the scowling Absol beneath her.
"I'm fine," She snarled, "I'm good enough to chase down my rotten brother and show him why he shouldn't be rude to his older sister!" She reared angrily before taking off full pelt, not just tagging her brother but hitting him full force with the butt of her horn which was only beginning to grow and was still just a dull stump. He let out a gust of air and fell over, the necklace dropping onto the ground beside him. Alina picked it up and threw it around her neck before taking off in a cloud of fabricated superiority.
Kori took this as a sign to resume the lesson as Ren got up and angrily chased after his sister who in his eyes had been unnecessarily aggressive for no apparent reason. Then again he thought, she had always been that way. She always seemed to do weird things for no real reason or react to things in ways he had not anticipated. He was about the same age as her but he still couldn't understand why she did many things.
He jumped from rock face to rock face, dashing through the air and angling his leaps so that he could jump from one to the next in quick succession. Maybe it was because she was born different. Even if it was, he thought, she has no reason to take it out on him. He felt like he often had to put up with her being different. Like he didn't even have a choice. Everyone knew she wasn't quite right but he was her brother so he had to accept her. That's what his parents had told him anyways. He didn't really know what to think, but he definitely wasn't going to lose to her! He leapt over Kori who was chasing Alina across the grass and landed just in front of the Absol who dashed, almost unnaturally quickly, out of the way and ran up the nearest rock into the tree. Kori and Ren followed her eagerly as they sped through the thin branches of the plant, each trying to outmaneuver the other.
Practice for the day ended with all three of the apprentices panting and gasping for air. Kori held the Necklace due to a flying leap and just barely tapping Ren's back foot. She ran quite well despite having all of the extra fur on her chest which Alina often gawked at jealously, wishing she had just a bit more selective fluff on her body. She had fluff everywhere except for her face and claws for now but noticing her father and mother's sleek coats built for warm weather, it was unlikely that when she was older her fur would be long almost anywhere.
Master Sakor did not show up to the lesson that day, not even after it had begun, which was well enough because he wasn't really needed. He was more of a combat trainer when it really came down to it, but nobody questioned it. The Hitmonchan returned to the grove on his own through the back entrance to the clearing. Alina noticed him, hopped up from her dinner with the other apprentices, and padded over to Master Sakor.
"Hello Master Sakor," she said happily. "Why didn't you join us for training today?" He jumped at her sudden approach and happy chatter.
"Oh it's you," he said unaffectionately, "I had a sudden request to go and help someone from another guild who got stuck in a dungeon. It's none of your business anyways. Now leave me alone." He walked over to the food stone and picked up a large Watmel berry as well as a Razz berry and went to eat with the other adventurers, his bandana matching theirs.
Every adventurer got a bandana, and every guild had a different design. This guilds bandana was a faded light blue, almost the color of ice with a black and blue pattern on it which was usually partly hidden due to folds in the fabric. Alina looked on in awe at all of the bandanas and all of the adventurers. There were eight total in her guild, which was not a particularly insignificant number. They had more adventurers than most guilds in the area, her parents being two of them. Her mother smiled affectionately at her as the Ninetales noticed her daughter looking over in awe. Her father followed her gaze and also laid eyes on his daughter who watched in awe once again as the Virizion came down from the pinnacle rock in one graceful leap, coming to eat with the adventurers.
Normally the guildmaster keeps to herself during feeding time, thought Alina, but maybe today was different. Her parents turned their attention away from the small she-Absol and spoke with the guildmaster. Alina couldn't hear more than faint parts of words, but occasionally her parents would look over and smile at her. She really loved her parents. They were always supportive of her and kind even when nobody else was.
She thought back to when she was just a baby and would sleep with her mother in the nursing den, a place for baby pokemon and their mothers to sleep together with proper accommodations for each member. She cherished the memory as the other mothers who had children in the past came in to admire Alina and her Brother. Back then everyone had accepted that she was a little different and had given her praise anyways. They adored Ren though and he had spent lots of time looking up at other pokemons' adoring faces with his shining green eyes.
Alina wasn't particularly jealous of the attention, in fact she liked to be alone a lot of the time. But there was a difference between being ignored and being shunned. She lived with other pokemons' eyes at her back. She only found solace in the eyes of her parents and even though her brother was a pain he accepted her as well. She figured it could be worse.
She padded over to the food stone and grabbed an Oran berry. She could use it after her fall and hard exercise, having ran for hours playing, or training rather, with her friends. She sat alone under a small tree on the edge of the grove, savoring the berry and stretching her shoulder as the pains subsided. Music drifted over the plains and hills as the forest augmented the local Meloettas' songs. The music lulled the pokemon into a sleepy state and the feeding time came to an end as the guild gathered around for the daily meeting.
"All seems to have gone well, is there anything to report?" Inquired the guildmaster, looking for any pokemon eager to speak. Nobody spoke up and an air of calm mingled in the atmosphere as the distant melodies caressed the guild members' worn minds.
"There was nothing to report Guildmaster," announced the second in command, a Furfrou.
"Very good. I am looking to further the training of our apprentices and in the launching of an expedition to Kalridge Crevasse." She paused and murmuring began flowing through the crowd of pokemon facing her.
"I will be announcing the members who will be going on the expedition in three days time, until then everyone should work hard and prepare to leave regardless of whether they are chosen or not." She smiled kindly, "Good luck to you all in your next day's travels."
The group departed and each Pokemon went to their respective dens. Alina and Kori padded over to their sleeping hollow and laid down together on the moss side by side.
"Today was really...tiring," sighed Kori, who, as someone that usually didn't say much, was unsure of what to say. "Having extra dinner was quite the treat." Her eyes closed as she rolled onto her side before suddenly blurting "But I wouldn't want to rub it in! I only won by chance you know…" She started to trail off and mumble frantically.
"No it's alright," said Alina happily, "It would have only ended in a fight between me and my brother if one of us had it. You did well Kori." She rested her head on her paws and curled her tails around her body, almost covering her nose.
"Oh… I uhh… Thank you," Kori smiled and relaxed, laying her head on the moss and closing her eyes once again. "Night." She said softly as the two female pokemon drifted off to sleep.
Ren came in later, having just looked up at the bright stars for a while and thought about where he wanted to go. He was going to have to get a lot stronger if he wanted to become the richest adventurer in the world, he knew that, but he was willing to give it his best shot. He padded through the vines to see the two other apprentices sleeping next to each other. He ungracefully climbed over them and snuggled in between, warming all three of them and bringing a sense of tranquility even after a tiring and eventful day. The night came quickly and the small Vulpix drifted off just as the girls had, the night filling their minds with dreams of adventure.
