Survival

Chapter 1:

Summer had been bliss. She had killed her first Tauros and nearly mastered the art of tracking and archery. The Kanto Kingdom had left the small village alone, and a few other rivaling villages migrated away from her own.

Now autumn was coming. Winter wasn't far. The village was now frantic, hunting twice as often. Anyone who could land a big Pokémon like Tauros or even just round up a few Miltank was given a lot of praise, for Tauros meat could be sundried and turned into jerky and the Miltank could provide milk for many years.

The summer delicacies like Bulbasaur bulbs and Tropius fruits were slowly growing more scarce, and by autumn they'd be gone, well at least all the healthy ones. The apricorns used for pokeballs were starting to get bruised and squishy faster than they did near the start of summer.

She spent most of her time either hunting or hollowing out apricorns just outside of camp. Her father told her if she could kill a Tauros she'd get her first Pokémon to help with hunting. Now that she did, it was merely a waiting game until a group of feral Growlithe or a herd of Ponyta were caught and brought back to the camp. She would always sit atop a boulder in between her village and the Viridian forest, gutting apricorns or scraping fat off hides as she watched for any hunters. Today was no different.

"Chase! Hey, Chase, give me a hand, will you?" Reece, one of Chase's friends yelled.

Chase looked up from her apricorn that she was hollowing out -a green one for a friend ball- to see her friend pulling at a rope. She knew he must've trapped something. Abandoning her apricorn, she ran to help Reece.

"What'd you catch!?" She asked, skidding to a stop beside Reece.

"Bulbasaur, a whole bunch too." He panted, gesturing to about five of the grass type.

Each Bulbasaur had their stumpy feet tied together, the ropes that bounded their feet tied to a thicker, longer rope that Reece was gripping. Her mouth began to water at the sight of the bulbs.

"Here, let me help."

"That's why I called you." Reece muttered, working his hands further up the rope, closer to the Bulbasaur so Chase could grab the end of the rope.

"Um, how about I just go back in and get a pole? They won't be able to struggle nearly as much if they're upside-down." She suggested.

"Fine. Be quick though." He said, digging his heels into the ground as the grass types rolled in the opposite direction.

Chase nodded and ran back into the village.

XXX

"Aaaannnnd, we're good." Reece grinned, tying the final Bulbasaur to the wood pole.

"Cool. Let's get the haul back now." Chase said, grabbing end of one pole.

Reece grabbed the other one. The grass types cried out in a further panic, a few trying to use vine whip, but all missed Reece and Chase by a long shot. A couple others began spraying spores from their bulbs.

"Shit! Stun spore! Drop it, drop it!" Chase yelled, letting go of the pole and backing out of the range of the attacks.

Reece did the same, smirking as the other Bulbasaur paralyzed each other. The fall also weakened them further.

"Is the pole safe to touch?" She asked.

Reece shrugged, "only one way to find out."

He picked the pole up again, gasping and letting go almost immidately.

"Nope." The seventeen-year old auburn-haired boy winced, shaking out his hand.

"Should we just tie the rope to the pole and drag it back? The village isn't too far away you know."

"Or, we could just cut the bulbs off here."

Chase shrugged, "alright. I have my apricorn carver right here."

She pulled the sharp rock from her pocket. Reece did the same. The Bulbasaur really started squirming now, knowing their fate. Chase cut one Bulbasaur off the pole, its feet still tied so it couldn't get away.

"Catch." Reece called, tossing a small stone that Chase quickly identified to be an Oval Stone.

"Plug it, then it can't poison or paralyze or put you to sleep."

Chase rolled her eyes, "I already know, stupid."

Rolling the Bulbasaur so its bulb faced her, Chase shoved the stone inside the bulb's hole, causing Bulbasaur to cry in pain. Her stomach started to knot.

No. People have been doing this forever. Ignore it, just cut the bulb and it won't scream anymore. She told herself, placing the sharp rock against the base of the bulb.

The bulb was the Pokémon's life line, if it was cut, it died fairly quickly afterwards.

"Jeez, Chase, what's taking you so long? I've already done two and you haven't even finished your first?"

"I'm almost done…" She mumbled.

"Look, if you're not man enough to do it then just leave it by the other one." He said, cutting another bulb off.

Chase winced at the sound and looked back at the Bulbasaur. "No, no. I've got it."

Reece grabbed the last Bulbasaur off the pole and quickly slit the bulb off its back.

"Here, I finished my last one. I'll do that one." He said, inching towards the Bulbasaur.

Without thinking, Chase quickly cut the ropes binding Bulbasaur's legs and put her hands on the bulb. She knew the stone had to be removed, but there was no time. Chase slapped Bulbasaur's bulb. His eyes shot open and he ran away from her and Reece into the Viridian forest.

"Arceus damn it!" Reece yelled, getting to his feet and running after the grass type.

Chase knew it was a waste of time though. That Bulbasaur was way faster than Reece.

"Reece, just let it go! You won't catch it!" Chase hollered, cutting her leg with her sharp rock.

She winced, but she had to come up with an excuse as to why Bulbasaur got away.

Reece came back, an angry look sprawled across his face. "That could've fed three people and the skin could've kindled at least three fires."

"Sorry… that one knew razor leaf. It cut itself free and cut me open. I just wasn't prepared…"

"Razor leaf? I didn't see it attack." He said, watching blood trickle down her leg. "I know you're hurt and all, but I need some help getting all this back in the village."

Chase nodded, taking two bulbs in her arms. Reece took the other two, casting a look at the carcasses of the bulb-less Bulbasaur.

"We can come back for those later." Chase said.

Reece shook his head, "the Spearow and Pidgey will be all over that. Stay with the carcasses. I'll be right back."

Chase nodded, watching as her friend ran back to the village. She sat down, placing the bulbs on her legs. I don't get it. I've cut bulbs before, why couldn't I do it that time? I've killed a Tauros, and I can't kill a Bulbasaur? What's wrong with me?

"Saur?"

Chase snapped her head towards the forest. The Bulbasaur was watching her curiously and warily from behind a tree. She set the two bulbs on the ground and got to her feet. Bulbasaur growled and fled into the forest. Chase sighed and picked the bulbs up again.

"Alright, I don't blame you for running." She looked expectantly into the forest, hoping to see the grass type again.

He didn't come back.

"You know, if you come back I'll take that rock out of your bulb."

Still nothing.

The sound of footsteps filled her ears.

"Thanks, Chase." Reece panted, picking up the carcasses, two in each arm.

"No problem. Should we leave the pole?"

"Unless you want to get paralyzed, then yeah."

Chase rolled her eyes. "Let's just get back."

XXX

Chase sat on the ground, Reece to her right and an empty spot to her left. She looked longingly at the spot.

"You miss Azure?" Reece asked.

Chase meekly nodded, remembering her childhood friend. She had recently passed away when a Tauros horn stab-wound got infected. It had been a long, painful death for the raven-haired girl. Now Reece was the last person that was around her age in the Village of Pallet. Reece nudged her with his elbow.

"Hm?"

"Your Medapod are getting burnt." He said, staring Chase's skewer stick.

Chase blinked and pulled the three small Medapod out of the flames, blowing on them to cool her dinner off.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Reece nodded in acknowledgement. "How's your leg?"

"Fine."

Chase took a small bite from a Medapod, chewing it slowly.

Reece rose an eyebrow, "what are you doing?"

Chase swallowed. "Eating."

"No duh, but why so slowly? It's a little late to suddenly eat all ladylike and shit."

Chase snickered, "right. I'm totally trying to be ladylike. You should know by now that the only time you hear the words 'Chase' and 'ladylike' in the same sentence is if the word 'isn't' is in between them."

"Alright, smart ass." Reece said, punching her lightly in the arm before retracting his own skewer from the fire.

A roar sounded in distance. The fire seemed to perk up.

"I think you dad's back." Reece commented as he took a bite from his Medapod.

Chase looked to the night sky to see her father riding his Charizard towards the village. A carcass dangled from the flying/fire type's claws.

"Looks like he caught something too." She mused as Charizard quickly landed near the camp fire.

Her father swept some of his dark brown hair away from his face and patted Charizard.

"Chief, you're back." One of the elders smiled.

He nodded, pulling a nest ball from his Tauros-leather pants and returning Charizard. Her father had that Charizard since it was a Charmander, it was his first Pokémon. It also fueled his love for fire types. He had Charizard of course, along with Arcanine, Rapidash, Ninetails, and his Flareon.

Flareon had always fascinated Chase.

When she asked about Flareon, her father would say that at one point the Kanto Kingdom and the Pallet settlement had been allies and traded with each other often. Pallet would get luxuries such as ivory buttons, silk blankets and clothing, jewel-studded rings and necklaces, and rare Pokémon like Lapras and Eevee. Her father had traded a few pounds of Tauros jerky for an Eevee; the trader was generous enough to give him a free evolutionary stone to go with his new Pokémon as well. He obviously took a fire stone with the Eevee and evolved it rather quickly so it could learn fire type moves early on. Chase couldn't imagine ever trading or even socializing with the snobs from that place. They called her people barbarians who didn't know how to live.

She took another bite of Medapod, her apatite growing as the unique taste saturated her taste-buds. People started congratulating her father on his catch. It was about the biggest Tauros any one had ever brought in all summer. He put his foot proudly on the beast's shoulder and bathed in the warm praises of his people.

Chase rolled her eyes. I hope I'm not that modest.

She took another bite. A small piece of charred Medapod shell fell on her button-down leather vest. Chase shrugged and flicked it off into the fire, watching as the piece shriveled into ash.