Pokemon: Hooked

"You guys have been secluding me, ignoring me… heck, you LEFT ME FOR DEAD! I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU GUYS TO DIE! Don't worry, I'm make it as slow a death as possible, with excruciating pain to go along." Lissa yelled at my family. She had been left out of everything lately, from going to the park, road trips, even eating. Nobody in my family appreciated Lissa. Nobody but me. I was her trainer, and I'm the one who had been keeping her alive for nearly eight years, ever since she was a Ralts. I was a three-year-old when I started raising her. She was sick of being almost hated by my family, and was about to kill them to get them back. "If it weren't for Justin, then I would have died of starvation, or committed suicide from the loneliness! For that reason, I will make you suffer."

"Lissa, stop!" I ran in to my family's rescue. "Sure, they made you suffer, but at least I kept you alive! If you stop right now, we can go somewhere else, away from the family that mistreated you so! I can give you a better life!"

"NO! A BETTER LIFE FOR ME IS IF THESE MONSTERS CEASED TO EXIST! I WANT THEM TO DIE!"

"YOU'RE being a monster right now! Look, you're about to push an innocent 4-year-old girl into a pit full of meat hooks! What the heck did she ever do to you?! It was my parents that mistreated you, and I'll make them apologize, but you need to stop right now!"

"Think about it, Justin! Have they not mistreated YOU, as well? Remember that one time when they dropped you into the pool to wake you up for school!"

"C'mon, Lissa, I took that as a joke!" I said, truthfully.

"And when they set your hair on fire at the barbecue?"

"That was an accident, they didn't mean it!"

"What about the time they gave you a severe fever? You had migraines for a week!"

"Sicknesses spread rapidly, they couldn't control that!"

Lissa looked down in thought. Then, she gave me an evil grin. "How about the time when your father beat you with a metal baseball bat, just for not getting good grades in school?"

She had me there. I hated my father for that, but I eventually forgave him. He never beat me since that point. "Well, he apologized for it already, and I forgave him!"

"No, he never apologized. You just forgave him. I bet he'll do it again if he got the chance."

"No, he wouldn't! He's sorry for it! Isn't that right, dad?" I looked to my father who had a worried look on his face. He closed his eyes and faced the floor. He wasn't sure if he was sorry at all. "D-dad… How could you…"

"You see what I mean? They did bad things to BOTH of us! Don't you want to get them back for it?!"

That really tore me. I was really tempted to get him back, but I knew he would apologize eventually. "No, Lissa, this isn't right!"

"YES IT IS!" She was about to push my father into the pit.

"I'm sorry, Lissa…" As I said that, I ran up to her and gave her a shove. The scream I heard when she fell… It will haunt me forever. And the sound she made when she hit the hooks… I almost puked. I gave a glare to the pit, and I got my family out of there. I didn't get much sleep that night. I had just murdered a Pokemon that I had cared for almost my entire life. I just didn't feel right.

The thought kept running through Justin's mind. Even though it had been two years past that incident, he remembered it quite well. He was even paranoid that it was Lissa who was giving him trouble whenever he gets a headache.

"And therefore/small the Musculoskeletal system is very important to you humans. Justin, what did I just say?"

"Hm? Oh, uh… Something about the… muscowlarskeptal… system?"

"Absolutely not. It's 'musculoskeletal system.' Do you want to see me after class?"

"No, Ms. Magius… I'll pay more attention now."

"Too late, class is already over. Go on home now, I'll see you tomorrow."

"*Sigh* Alright. Have a nice day, Ms. Magius."

"Thank you."

With that, Justin exited the building. He had just gotten out of sixth period Science, and was about to head home. But he heard a voice in his head before he got to the front of the school.

"JUSTIN… JUSTIN, YOU BASTARD… COME HERE AND FACE ME."

This baffled Justin. He didn't know where that came from, or who said it. He didn't hear it though his ears, he heard it through his mind. He just shrugged it off, and continued going down the long road that lead away from the school. Eventually, he heard the voice again.

"JUSTIN, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME…?"

This was starting to freak him out. He wanted to believe that it wasn't Lissa who was speaking to him, or just some punk Psychic-type playing around with him. That wasn't uncommon for Justin, as he was always picked on. The reason for it all? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was because of how skinny he was. Maybe it was because of how he used big words when he got the chance, like 'turbulent,' 'pessimist,' and other things. He didn't know. The point was that he got tormented by his fellow students. He just trudged on home, despite the voices he continuously heard.

"COME BACK TO THE MEAT HOUSE."

"I NEED YOU BACK."

"YOU TORTURED ME."

The torment wouldn't stop until he got home and started up the computer. He knew plenty well that a Psychic-type couldn't interfere with technology, so he plugged in his gaming headphones, and drowned out any thought he had with his music. He started up Left 4 Dead 2, and joined a game with his friends. He tried to relieve himself of the dreadful thought of Lissa speaking to him by killing zombies. Great tactic, right? Wrong. He chose Francis on No Mercy, and got his Auto-shotty ready.

Justin's POV

"Alright, guys, you ready? Expert mode, plus realism. Go time?" I asked everyone.

Cal33ko: "Go time."

TryMeOnForSize: "Let's do it!"

Tranze: "Time to kill zombies!" They all replied in psyched tones.

The level started up, and the helicopter flew by with his familiar message. Everything went well, until eventually Cal33ko died.

Cal33ko: Awww, man. Stupid Charger…

TryMeOnForSize: Better luck next time, dude.

"We'll pick you up at the safe room, don't worry." I reassured him.

Shortly after, we heard the Tank music.

Tranze: "We got a Tank, guys! Watch out!"

"I know, I know!"

We expected to see the steroid-overdose idiot crawl over a pile of cars, but something else showed up.

Cal33ko: "Dude, what the heck is that?"

TryMeOnForSize: "Eh, maybe a texture glitch."

Tranze: I don't know. It looks thinner, and it's walking really slowly. Hey… Now that I get a better look at it, isn't that a Gardevoir?"

"Wait, what? It looks kind of torn up for a Pokemon. Besides, copyright issues, guys. Valve wouldn't include this- CRAP FLYING CAR OF DOOM!" I quickly dodged out of the way, as a car was headed towards me.

Tranze: Well, whatever it is, it's probably worth killing. Let's go for it!

TryMeOnForSize: Wait, what's that sound…?

There was a slight whispering sound going on. My friends stopped shooting and moving, and the Gardevoir/Tank/thing stopped as well.

"JUSTIN… I HOPE YOU REGRET WHAT YOU DID TO ME…"

Cal33ko: Is anyone here named Justin?

Tranze: No, you guys know my name is Jacob.

TryMeOnForSize: And mine's Kevin.

Cal33ko: And what about you, Nano?

"Well, yeah… My name's Justin."

Cal33ko: Then it must be talking to you. Go on, speak to it.

"Why? You guys will back me up, right? Just in case this thing is just a glitched Tank, ready to attack?"

Tranze: Yes, we will.

"*Sigh* Alright, if you say so…"

I walked up to the Gardevoir. Using my microphone, I spoke to it. "Hello. Are you just a Tank?"

"NO, I'M FAR WORSE, JUSTIN..."

"Uhm…guys? I think I'm done here…"

Tranze: Dude, don't be scared.

"Nope. I'm done. I'll play with you guys later."

I exited the game and decided to take a walk around the Route. It was a nice day today, so why not? As I made it halfway through, Jacob called me. He said that as soon as I left, a Tank appeared in the Gardevoir's place, and they all died. He was a bit mad at me, but they finished the level a few minutes later. I told him I was sorry, said bye and hung up.

I continued around the block until I reached my house again. When I got there, though, there was a large meat hook next to my door. I picked it up and observed it. It looked rusted, with traces of blood in the middle of the curve. I just carried it inside because it looked cool. I put it in my room on my shelf, so I could check it out later.

I went back outside to just walk around for the fun of it. I wanted to enjoy the beautiful day. "At least this makes up for the weird stuff that's been happening to me." I said to myself. I walked about a mile, and I saw an old, abandoned building. Being a curious guy, I checked it out. It was dark, and it got even more so as I went on. I grabbed my cell phone and used the screen as a flashlight, with little light.

I kept trudging through the dark place, and time after time I hit my head on something metal. Whenever I shine my light on it, it's always the back of a large, hanging meat hook. "What's up with all of these meat hooks?" I found an old-looking electric lantern. I turned it on, and it ever so dimly lit the room. I assumed the batteries were dying, so I couldn't spend much longer down there. I saw many meat hooks, most of them greatly rusted. I felt so lucky that I hadn't found a hook with meat on- *SPLAK!*

I looked around, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what I stepped on. It was an organ. A heck-knows-how-old, rotting, maggot-filled organ. I don't know what it was, but I think it was a liver. Oh, Arceus, that sight made me sick. I finally realized what the heck I was doing: I was walking in an abandoned meat storage area, with meat still on hooks. The horrible stench of long-stale meat filled my nose. It even stung my eyes a bit. I pulled my shirt up, hoping that it would stop some of the smell. It did, but it only made it tolerable.

I kept walking towards what I believed was an exit. I wanted to get out of there. Right then. Right at that very moment. I no longer wished to have the godforsaken stench of rotten meat drifting into my nostrils. Then I saw something that stopped my heart for a second. Worse than a rotting corpse. Worse than hitting my head on another meat hook. Even worse than hearing a voice in my head.

It was a dust cloud low to the floor.

With the dirt ground as the floor, that could only mean one thing.

I wasn't alone.

Dear Arceus, I wanted to get out of that place really badly. I ran carefully, trying not to hit any meat hooks at my current velocity. But I bumped into something, with a sickening sound. I shone my light on it, and I almost died from a heart attack.

"Miss me, Justin? You BASTARD?!"

There, standing in my dim lantern light was a Gardevoir. A torn up, bloodstained Gardevoir. It had its eyes gouged out, it had meat hooks strung through it, and its torso was torn open. It was completely devoid of any muscle mass or flowing blood. Within seconds, I recognized who I was in the presence of…

Lissa.

The very same Gardevoir I killed in the pit.

"O-oh… dear… Arceus…" I squeaked.

As if it couldn't get any worse, the blows to my head from the meat hooks were starting to throb. Bad. I felt like my head was about to burst at any second, and I couldn't even think. I almost lost my mind. The only thing I could think about was getting out of there, so I tried to run for the light. I stumbled many, many times, and the pain was worsening the closer I got to the exit. When I reached it, the pain was unbearable. I was about to pass out, when…

It stopped.

The throbbing just… stopped. Like that. I didn't have time to appreciate the relief, I still wanted to get the heck away from that place. I ran home, not slowing my pace.

As soon as I got home, all of my doors were blocked by meat hooks keeping them in place. I took them out of my front door and entered my house.

Holy Shinx.

My living room was torn up; there were gaping holes in the floors and walls. I saw no blood and no relatives, thank goodness. I hoped nobody got hurt. I dodged the holes and got to my parent's room, where the bed was just fluff everywhere. The bookshelf had been torn down, and the ceiling had collapsed. I searched around the house, and everything was destroyed. When I checked my room, I cried.

My little sister was there in a hole the floor, hanging on her torso by a hook.

I quickly pulled her up, and I got the hook out of her. She twitched a bit, and blood was leaking from her mouth. She opened her eyes, and they looked dull. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and said weakly…

"Brother… why did she do that…?"

Then she hugged me with the last of her strength. I hugged back lightly, trying not to hurt her any more than she already was.

She fell limp. Lifeless. Dead.

I cried over her body. She was so young, why did she have to die? What did she do to deserve this?

I wanted to kill Lissa. Not to protect my family, to avenge my family. I was filled with loathe and hate. The only thing I could think of at that moment was killing Lissa. Killing her. Seeing her in a pool of blood. Seeing her lifeless corpse in front of me. I wanted her skull cracked, her spine sna—

Okay, too sadistic. I pushed most of the thought out of my mind, and went into my parents' room again. I sifted through the closet, and I pulled out my dad's shotgun. Yeah, this thing will do. I grabbed some ammo for it, then I realized something…

It was heavy as heck. I could barely hold it up to my shoulder. No matter. I put it on my shoulder, grabbed the ammo, and set out for the old meat hook warehouse.

*42 minutes of heavy lugging later*

When I got there, I was exhausted. That stupid gun had made me tired from lugging it for so long. I put it down, shoved the ammo into it, and cocked it. I slowly walked in, carrying my spare ammo with me. The instant I walked in, I felt that she was there. She was there somewhere in the area, and I was going to find her. I walked around a bit, once again breathing the foul stench of rotting meat. Eventually, I bumped into something.

"Justin, I have something to tell you…"

GAH! I pulled my gun up to my shoulder, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Oh, Arceus, that kick… I think I dislocated my shoulder. I couldn't feel my arm, and it was disgustingly limp. I looked at my target, and her legs were blown off. She started to crawl towards me, much like a zombie.

"Justin! Please, don't shoot!"

"Yeah, like I'll listen to you! You just murdered my 6-year-old sister for no reason, you crazy bitch!"

"I'm sorry, Justin! I truly am!"

"No you just don't want your head to be blown off!"

She reached me, and pulled herself up to my torso, hanging by my shirt. "Don't shoot me again!"

"AHH! GET OFFA ME!" I yelled, as I tried to pry her from my torso.

"Justin! I'm sorry! I am, really! I'm sorry…"

"'Sorry' won't get my sister back!"

I saw water start to well up at the base of her nonexistent eyes. "Do you even know why I did any of this…?"

"No, I don't!" I begin to pull her arms off, but they kept grabbing on again, almost ripping my shirt.

"You raised me since I was a Ralts! You took care of me, you fed me delicious food, and you were most of all generous! There was never a moment that I didn't like you! Over the years, I developed an affectionate feeling to you! Your family was a massive drag on us, so I wanted to get rid of them! So we could live happily together somewhere else!"

"But I offered you that! You're confusing me!"

"If I went with you, no doubt your family would come to visit, screwing things up! Do you KNOW what they did to me?!"

"They deprived you of food, left you out on family events…!" I started to get frantic. Here I am with a Gardevoir with no eyes or lower torso hanging onto me by my shirt. And now she was saying that she loved me. Could things get any worse right about now?

"No, FAR worse than depriving me of food and leaving me out on family events! They ABUSED ME. Physically, mentally, I'm glad they didn't sexually! Remember when you saw that bruise on my shoulder when I was a Kirlia?!"

"Grah, yes I remember!" By this point, I forgot all about the freakshow that was clinging to my shirt. I used my good arm to try to cock my shotgun again, but only one arm made it difficult.

"THAT WAS YOUR FATHER! He took a stake mallet and beat me with it! And that time I got a gash in my side?!"

"That was gruesome…" I said, playing along. C'mon, stupid gun, why won't you load the next shot?!

"Saying the wrong thing to your mother in the kitchen! I swear, the meal later that night tasted of Kirlia blood!"

Okay, that shocked me. Maybe my parents actually were as bad as she describes. Okay, I admit, I was getting a bit sympathetic. "Lissa…"

"And that's not all! At one point, your other Pokemon disrespected me for loving a human! All of those burns, scratches, chlorophyll marks, paralyzed muscles… That was all them. Not just your family, but your Pokemon hated me as well! You don't know what a terrible life I lived whenever you weren't around!" She started to calm down a bit. "The best part of my day was seeing you as happy as can be, especially when I was the one that made you happy."

"Lissa, why didn't you tell me of this before?"

"I didn't want to make you feel sad. You were always so cheery, I didn't want to bring your mood down. I said it before, and I'll say it again… I love you. I did whatever I could to make you happier. And what are you doing now? You're trying to point a gun to my head…"

Wow, she really got my goat. I couldn't shoot her now… This abomination once loved me, and still does. I wish I could help it, but she was torn up beyond all repair. She couldn't even heal herself with Heal Pulse. My choice was either let this thing roam the Earth, or end her suffering. Honestly, it was a tough decision. I couldn't just kill her after I learned about what she suffered through to make me happy. But if she crawled around the world, somebody would kill her in the most painful way possible. It was either quick now, or painful later. "I'm sorry, Lissa. I can't let you suffer any more. I should just end it now."

Lissa let go of my shirt. She fell to the ground and spread her arms as an easy target. "I'm sorry you have to do this…"

"It's my fault, not yours. I'm very sorry, Lissa. Goodbye." I cocked my gun, shakily aimed at her head, and pulled the trigger. I cried about it for the rest of the day, maybe even the week. I didn't even have anything to go back to, my house was destroyed, and I don't know where my parents were. I lost almost everything.

Almost.

I went back home and got most of my things ready for a moving. I packed my airsoft gun, my video games, and my PS3 hard drive. I was about to exit the house, but I remembered something…

I remembered the hook that I found on my front porch. I went back to my room, got the hook, and returned to the front porch. As I examined it, I saw a little, ruffled sticky note on the bottom. I read it, and I felt sad all over again. The date at the bottom was the day I pushed a certain someone into a pit of meat hooks…

Justin, I love you so much! I can't tell you any other way, because people would think you're bad if they overheard. I always want to make you happy in any way possible, even at the cost of my happiness. In fact, today has not been going well at all for me. But at the end of the day, I remember something that cheers me up every day… That I truly love you, Justin. I do very much. I'm very glad that I finally admitted it to you. If you got this note, then I hope you understand what I went through in order to stay with you. I'll tell you about it later. Goodbye, my love!

-Lissa

2/06/2011

P.S. I'm absolutely hooked on you!