Hey there everybody! This is my first attempt at a Pokefic, so please be gentle with me when you review! Sorry about the extra-long first chapter, but it was sort of necessary. Anyway, obviously I don't own Pokemon or this wouldn't be a story, it would be an episode. I hope you enjoy it! Also, sorry that I didn't use the accent in Pokemon, but my computer said NO! :)
!Story Starts Here!
Gentle spring breezes whispered through the treetops as the sun smiled down, kissing the rocks of the forest to warm them. Rocky, mountainous terrain stretched as far as the eye could see under a never-ending azure sky. To some, the solitary landscape was a prison. That was not the case, however, with the young girl lying happily on the warm rocks.
With no family to speak of, Kayden LaRue had been on her own for as long as she could remember…which, admittedly, wasn't long. In the forest, her days tended to run together in a peaceful sort of haze. She knew that she was nineteen years old, and she knew that she had been left on the street after her parents abandoned her when she was ten years old. Scared to death of life in an orphanage, she had taken her chances on the streets, and learned to survive by making use of her inherent cuteness.
She smiled, shifting on the rocks as she remembered her younger days. Shortly after she had been abandoned, a kindly older lady had taken her in. Bernice Ogden, a gentle woman of eighty-seven, had been abandoned as well, but she had been abandoned by her children after her husband and her beloved Arcanine had passed away. Her savings allowed her to live comfortably in a small apartment at the edge of the city, but no visitors, no Pokémon, and no family had made her a lonely woman. When she took in Kayden, all of the love and affection she had left in her went to the girl. When Kayden arrived, she was a dirty, wild-eyed little beast with matted hair and chipped nails. Within a week, she was a presentable, clean girl with crisp new clothes and a ready smile.
Bernice loved Kayden with all of her soul, and Kayden loved Bernice not only as her new guardian, but as her rescuer. Though she was young and had only been on her own for a few short weeks, she knew well the fear that was present every day, and the uncertainties. With Bernice, Kayden received food, water, the ability to keep clean, the guarantee of safety, and most of all, an amount of love that the girl had never had before, not even from her parents. For all of that, Kayden was more grateful than Bernice could ever have guessed. She showed her appreciation by learning to do everyday tasks that would make life easier on the older woman, even going so far as to balance her checkbook and write out the checks for the bills.
Bernice, who had been a teacher all her life, saw that Kayden's intellect was far above average. Seeing this, she made sure that Kayden's evenings with her were spent learning languages and studying math. Kayden's spare time was spent reading, painting, or practicing the piano. Above all, Bernice made sure that Kayden learned about the world of Pokémon. As a result, Kayden learned more in four years with the retired schoolteacher than most kids learned in their entire school careers.
Her smile turned sour as her clear blue eyes clouded over and slowly turned green. In retrospect, she should've realized that it couldn't last. A few months after Bernice's ninety-first birthday, the older lady passed away in her sleep. Kayden was shocked, and even more shocked when she found a letter addressed to her tucked away in her protector's nightstand. The letter explained that it was only a matter of time until the inevitable took place, and when it did, Kayden was to withdraw all of the money from the old woman's savings, take Bernice's locket, and go through the apartment and take her favorite things before calling the proper authorities. Bernice knew she had no legal rights to Kayden, and that Kayden had no legal rights to anything in the apartment, but the letter maintained that as far as Bernice was concerned, Kayden had more of a right to the things there than her children did.
This was all a bit much for fourteen-year-old Kayden to handle, but Bernice had raised her to think calmly and do what had to be done. After a small breakdown, Kayden took a backpack, a large purse, and a duffle bag. The backpack was filled with canned goods, a can opener, and several medicines. The duffle bag was stuffed with a blanket, spare clothes, an extra pair of shoes, and two pairs of gloves. The purse contained Bernice's letter, Kayden's three favorite books, and the extra space was filled with bottles of water. Kayden left all of this beside the door before heading to the bank and withdrawing every cent from the old woman's savings. When she returned, she placed Bernice's locket around her neck, kissed the old woman softly on the cheek, called the police, and set out into the world alone.
Present-day Kayden sighed, turning over onto her stomach on the rocks. The time after Bernice's influence consisted of lonely nights spent in motel rooms, and lonely days spent searching for jobs that didn't exist. Kayden's food supply dwindled, and her money slowly ran down, until she was left with no choice. She knew she could no longer live in the city, so sixteen-year-old Kayden LaRue left the city and took up residence in the forest. Her hopes were to catch a Pokémon and make a living as a trainer, but it was nearly impossible to catch a Pokémon with no Pokeballs and no starting Pokémon.
And that's where she was, three years after the fact. Trimmer, more muscular, and certainly a lot more savvy, Kayden had nonetheless found ways to improve her intellect. She lived in the forest, but each year, on July fourth, she headed back into the city to scavenge for books, food, or various other useful items. Kayden's birthday was July fifth, and even from her mountain home, she was able to see the fireworks from the city's annual display. When she saw them, she knew to leave for her yearly trip into the city. She usually arrived around five in the morning on her birthday, and this was perfect timing. All of the people who had gotten a little too patriotic the night before had already stumbled home, and all of the things they had dropped were waiting for her on the ground. Usually she found spare change or a few dollars, but once, she found a man's wallet. She wasn't stupid – she knew she needed the money to survive. But she only let herself take half of the money before locating the man's house and placing his wallet in the mailbox.
She sighed then, looking up at the sky and shaking herself out of her thoughts. The sun would be setting in an hour or so, and she liked to be home before then, just for her own safety. Jumping to her feet, she stretched out her back, picked up her pack, and began to walk. She headed towards the edge of the ravine that separated her from her home on the other side. Turning, she began to walk, headed towards the natural rock bridge that would allow her to cross to her home. She walked along the edge of the ravine, no longer frightened by the height or the threat of falling to her death, as she rightfully should've been.
That was a mistake.
Unbeknownst to Kayden, the previous night's rainstorm had loosened the rocky ground on the side of the ravine. Kayden's foot came down on a rock, and the loosened stone crumbled away beneath her into the depths of the ravine. She let out a scream as she fell, but even as she did, she leaped. Her body slammed into the bank, knocking the wind out of her even as she clung to a tree root in the bank.
She gasped to regain her breath, and tears ran down her face from the agony she felt in her arms. She could barely hear her own thoughts over the pounding of her heart. She screamed, a wordless animal noise filled with the will to live. "I can't die here. I haven't done anything worthwhile in this life, I can't die yet!"
She clung to the root, trying to regain her footing in the bank, but the dirt crumbled beneath her feet as she searched, and she felt her arms growing weak. Looking up, she thought she saw something in the forest, but she was quickly distracted as the root she held shifted. "No!" she screamed. "No, no! Stay in the damn ground! What the hell kind of a tree root are you if you let go before I do?"
She freed a hand from the root and slammed it into the ground, clawing into the grass to try to get a hold, but the grass simply pulled apart in her hand. She latched back onto the root, searching for a way out. Now that her initial shock was over and her heart rate was returning to normal, she refused to panic. Glancing around, she noticed that the tip of a rock was just visible off to her left. Her right hand grasped tightly to the root, and her left hand reached for the rock. She was just able to touch it, but when she did, it moved. She screamed angrily. What she had assumed was a rock embedded in the ground was really just a stone, and would do her no good.
She sighed, resting her chin on the grass. "So…this is how it ends, huh? Well…at least I'll get to die flying."
As she finished speaking, she heard a growl. She looked up just in time to see a flash of silver as a wild Absol leaped down in front of her. Dark, mistrustful crimson eyes glared into Kayden's bright blue ones. Kayden spoke softly. "Are you here to help?"
The Absol glared at her and growled quietly.
Kayden laughed. "I guess not. So you're here to get a last laugh at a pitiful, stupid human as she falls to her death, huh?" She laughed again, good-naturedly. "At least my death will serve a purpose. Fine…my name's Kayden LaRue. If you wanted to know who you're going to watch as she dies."
She rested her chin on the grass again. She stared at her white knuckles gripping the root and realized that no matter how calmly she might talk, she was terrified to die. The Absol stared at her, puzzled now, and Kayden smiled tenderly into the grass as her eyes changed color to match it. "At least I won't die alone."
Kayden's eyes closed in resignation, but immediately snapped open as the Absol grabbed her shirt in his mouth. As it pulled her up and over onto solid land, she stared at it in surprise, and it stared warily at her as it sat across from her. She smiled and reached her hand out to pet him, but her mistrustful new friend backed away, growling. As it did, she noticed grizzly scars on his snout and body. She gasped. "Those scars…who did that to you? Your trainer?"
Its eyes glimmered, and it growled softly. Then, Kayden realized. "You…you're an Absol. That means that you show up to warn people of disasters. That's common knowledge to any trainer, but…everyone else thinks that you bring those disasters. Those people…did they do this to you?"
The Absol's eyes flashed, and Kayden knew that she was right. "You…you poor thing…"
She reached for him once again, and this time, he growled at her before sprinting away. He was on the rock bridge before she knew it. "Hey!" Kayden yelled, stretching her hand out. "Wait!"
The Absol paused, staring at her across the distance.
She smiled and dropped her hand. "Thank you."
The Absol turned and fled.
!Chapter Ends Here!
Well…that's all I've got for you this chapter. Hope you liked it! Review me?
Thanks in advance!
~BD333
