You'd think that with walking around the same small town more times than you can count, you'd eventually figure out something that can entertain you. Sadly, this never really comes to fruition. Small or not, every town usually has something, you can find somewhere, that would, at the very least, distract you for a few minutes. But here, there was nothing. At least, nothing for someone who tends to avoid others most of the time. The other pokemon around here are typically talking or interacting with one another in some way shape or form, which is nice and all, but it's not my area of interest. Other than that, this place was bland beyond belief. Probably because we're neutral…
Life here wasn't fair, that was for sure. Not within the town, nobody complained about being mistreated here, if anything, it was the complete opposite. The problem lies outside of the neutral towns, and oh what a problem it is. What's the most valuable thing nobility can ask for, or anyone can own? Land. With the control of land, you can do anything. You control that land, you own anything within it, and it is completely and fully under your foot, or paw, depending on who you are. How was this handled? How is everything in the world handled? Money. Of course currency is the most important substance on the planet, if you had it, you could do anything. Here lies the problem here;
This town is neutral, owned by the mayor here. Neutral of what you may ask? Well, let's just say it's separate from a disgusting family-born monarchy. Surrounding neutral ground, there were four kingdoms. What made these different from the rest of the continent? A simple difference actually. Kingdoms had land, neutral towns didn't. Well, it's not like we had no land whatsoever, but it was absolutely poultry when compared to the land that the four kingdoms controlled. Was this enough for the kingdoms? Of freaking course not. Not only do they have more land than all of the neutral towns combined, but they constantly wanted more. Instead of being content with the massive amounts of land they had, they needed more leverage over any neutral town. But they didn't directly steal our land, oh no, that would be way too easy. Instead, we get taxed by them. What happens if we refuse? Well, there goes our jobs, our town's money, and the pokemon themselves, right to the kingdom demanding taxes.
Taxing us in the first place is beyond my comprehension, but further going to steal everything that makes our town what it is, that's just blastphamous. So why don't we just go join them, why not join what you can't fight against? Well, unless you're a grass, fire, steel or dragon type, you're not stepping an inch into that place. Of course, the families that own the most land is how the four kingdoms formed. Families that rose to power through this one wonderful thing: Money. Do these families care about equality? Of course not, it wouldn't benefit them, so why would they care? Because of the lack of common decency, they only opened the kingdoms to the types they represent. So now they're not only tyrannical masterminds, but racist too, so that's nice.
Each kingdom has a ruler, and each ruler is the current head to their family, the family that started this lovely, lovely trend. How do I describe these leaders… Well, they all shared the same twisted thoughts about discrimination, and they're all power hungry. I don't really know any of them personally, but they all lead within some disgusting principals, so I honestly couldn't care less. Maybe I'd care a little bit had I been one of those envied types, just a little bit. I don't want to think that I'd be a part of their society if I had the opportunity, but temptation would be strong, I can't deny that.
Why would I be so tempted? Well, remember that one thing that's universally used across the planet? Yeah, I don't have much of that. Not at all. Even if you have a job, living in a neutral town was not exactly optimal when it came to making money. In fact, I'd sooner say it's impossible to own any sort of land than even consider the possibility. Although, I will say that, even in a neutral town, I'm pretty close to the bottom of the barrel. It's hard to make money when you have a hard time interacting with other pokemon like I did. I didn't hate them or anything, I just… had trouble talking to others. Since I wasn't a huge part of the community here, I wasn't exactly first on anyone's list when it came to a job offer. At least, not a good one. Instead, I was stuck delivering food and supplies to other families who were even lower than me in this place. Now those pokemon, they were the ones who really needed help. Sadly though, I didn't really have the skill set to do so. When it came to simple tasks, I wasn't too useful. I wasn't bad, but others were better, which didn't mix well with a town where every little thing mattered. Tell you what, if a fight breaks out here, then I'll be useful to others.
While looking down at the dirt ground below my paws, I noticed how non-kept the area was. The ground was rough, which was par for the course, but usually the ground has some sort of vegetation around the area, not on the roads themselves, but at least surrounding them. In this place, as well as other neutral towns, there was nothing. Just dirt, wooden structures that function as pokemon's houses, and the occasional stand that is desperately trying to sell anything to get by. Anyone from a kingdom looking at this place would be astounded at the lack of anything here. Kingdoms had glorious statues, made from materials that I didn't know existed. Apparently there's a lot more there, but it's all on the inside. Fancy that, I've never been inside a kingdom, especially the one closest to this town, because letting an ice type into a place full of dragons was a 'risk.' Ignore the fact that one glaceon can't take on… many, many dragons.
Because of the dragon kingdom being closest to this town, they're typically the ones who come to collect that lovely tax fee from all of the residents here. It's a bummer that I can't fight back against them. I was competent enough, but knocking out one guard is a very, very bad idea. Once the kingdom's higher tier figures out what happened, you're going to be hunted, and you will most likely be killed for opposition. Sound extreme? Well, it is. Does that stop them? Why would it? All they care about is growing more and more, in a horrifying territory war with one another, while the neutral towns are stuck, being victims in a war where they can't do anything.
I sighed to myself as I walked down the small town that I've been through hundreds of times. I just finished my deliveries for the day, and my legs weren't feeling too great. At this point, I only wanted to go back to my space of living, and go to sleep until my favorite dragons come around to ste- I mean pick up what I 'owe' them. They tend to send the same guards every time, so I was very familiar with a certain noivern and their dratini partner. It was strange, I typically didn't hate everyone from kingdoms, as if I had the opportunity, I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to take the offer. The world was a harsh place, and having a sanctuary right there can drive you insane. However, these two guards… Oh boy do I want to freeze them six times over and then send the two of them back to their kingdom with scars. The two of them flaunted their privilege, the fact that they have total authority over all of us. I swear those two are reaaalllyyy going to need to watch where they touch, or I might 'accidentally' freeze one of them.
After a few minutes of walking, I finally had sight of a small wooden shack near the edge of the colorless town. I walked up to it and pushed the door open with my head, not really caring of the condition of the door itself. It was on its last leg anyway, and I was prepared to live without a door. So what if someone tries to rob me? I really hope they like the feeling of below fifty degrees against their face. Maybe their full body if I'm in a bad mood. Don't test me.
I walked further into the one-room home, having nothing but walls, paper that I just love to sleep on, and some stems and scraps from the food that I manage to get my paws on. I hardly ever buy any, just go out and find berries or apples growing somewhere outside of the town. This method was… not reliable, but it's not like I had money to do anything about it, so I didn't have a choice. I mean, I just barely had enough money to successfully pay my tax today. I don't think I'll be able to buy seeds with the money I have left. Luckily, I always had barely enough to pay off each tax collection that came my way, which wasn't the case for everyone. The pokemon that I deliver to tend to be these ones who never have enough, and I've seen the effect that it has. It's not pretty. Granted, I lived alone, so I wouldn't have any roomates taken away from me, but I still didn't want to set a paw in that kingdom. I wasn't an adult quite yet, so they would immediately take me without any alternative option, and then I'd be put up to… not good things. Especially not in a kingdom that doesn't like ice types. I've only really heard rumors, but they don't treat younger pokemon normally, unless you're a part of nobility, and especially if you're a type opposite to them. The point is, I really don't want to miss out on a payment.
I plopped myself down on the filthy piece of paper that I used to sleep. I sighed to myself and closed my eyes. I made sure not to fully fall asleep, because if I didn't answer the door when the guards came to collect taxes, then that would not be good. Because of this, I was able to relax myself, but not actually sleep. It's times like this where someone to talk to would be a great way to spend time, rather than laying down with no real objective in mind, just being left alone to any thoughts that came to my head. Most of the time, my thoughts gravitated straight to the kingdoms, and the situation that surrounded them. I hated thinking about it, I hated all of it, but I couldn't stop myself. I had some sort of false hope that I'd be able to stand up against the law one of these days, but that never came true, just dumb thoughts. I sighed to myself and kept resting.
As I layed down, time just sort of passed. I continued to ignore all of the stupid thoughts in my head, and eventually, I heard a few rough knocks at the door. I groggily pushed my body up with my four legs, stretching them in the process. Having a rather bad diet due to a lack of food meant that I felt drained ninety percent of the time, especially after I worked. Regardless, I knew who was here, and I couldn't ignore them, as much as I wanted to. I trudged over to the door and pushed it open by pushing my head against it, and two pokemon were present on the other side. "Well, hello there little lady," the Noivern said with a stupid smirk. "Looks like it's that time again, if you know what I mean." I groaned before saying anything.
"Yeah, yeah, don't bother talking any more, I'm already sick of your voice." I turned around to go get my money from the corner, but I was stopped by the feet of my least favorite noivern, to which I nearly froze him on instinct.
"Well, my voice and I still wish to inform you that the rent is doubled, effective immediately." My thoughts of freezing the noivern instantly vanished, and were replaced with convoluted panic.
"P-Pardon? You can't just double the tax on a whim like that!" I shouted back, clearly not amused.
"What exactly can't I do little lady? Why don't you come on into the king's palace and tell him, oh wait, you can't!" The noivern laughed, nudging his dratini partner in crime, who was also laughing.
"But, none of this is reasonable! So many pokemon can't pay already, this will just make everything worse!" I was beyond irritated at this. I mean, they already had enough in the first place, and now they wanted to ruin the lives of everyone here?
"Look little lady, here is the thing, I know that this will hurt your little village and all, but let me tell you a secret." He leaned down in my ear. "I could care less, you and the rest of your little mud hole of a town aren't strong enough to stop us, not on the rations we give you."
"Aren't strong enough, eh? You seem to have strength and numbers confused." I shook my head. "You're doing nothing but bullying a group of pokemon who have no chance of effectively fighting back, how does that make you feel?"
"Cause' little lady, as soon as your 'strength in numbers' arrives in this dead-end town and wins against us on an empty stomach, you will face hell." He said, taking a step closer to me. "As soon as we stop reporting back, there will be an army on top of you, and this little mud hole will be left as a smoldering pile of ashes, and the closet thing to a grave you will have are the mushrooms that grow out of your corpses."
"Good to know that you haven't changed from being an arrogant dragon." I really wanted to launch an ice shard right in this guy's face, but I don't think that would do anything more than accelerate whatever I was about to face because of my lack of money. "So what are doing to me? It's pretty obvious I can't pay."
"Well, what do you think a suitable punishment would be? I mean, murdering you right here wouldn't help anybody now, would it?" He said with another smirk.
"How about giving me a fair fight so I can show how many empty words are flowing from your mouth right now?" I challenged. I'm totally about to get taken away…
He broke out into a fit of laughter along with his companion. "Y-You expect me to have a 'fair fight'?"
"Why not? If I'm just going to get taken away anyway, it wouldn't matter if I beat you to a bloody pulp first, would it?" Beyond taunting the guy, I really just wanted to put him in an ice cube.
The noivern brought his foot upward into my stomach suddenly. "Or we could make an example." despite the wind being knocked out of me, I didn't feel right subjecting to this.
"What kind of example?" I coughed a few times, regaining air into my system. "You know that you don't compare to anyone in your own kingdom, and I bet half the pokemon in this town can do more than you."
"That's the point of the example, what is it worth extorting a bunch of starving ingrates if you can't install a little fear in their heads of what's to come as well?" He said taking me in his claw around the neck.
"T...These pokemon aren't to be insulted.." I said through his grasp, despite it being challenging. "T...They did nothing wrong."
"I'll tell you exactly what they did wrong little lady. They were stupid enough not to just submit their land to the Dragon Kingdom the second they were told to." He said, tightening his grip slightly.
It was beginning to get harder and harder for me to breath as the noivern's grip tightened, and my instincts to do something in response were beginning to get the better of me. If I'm being taken anyway, then it doesn't matter, right? I decided to let the harsh cold feeling of my body expand to the pokemon gripping my throat, beginning to encase the lower part of his body in a thin layer of ice.
"You stupid little furball!" He shouted. "Big mistake missy!" He then proceeded to use my body to smack the ice around his feet in an attempt to break his icy constraints.
"I'm not defenseless!" I twisted my body in order to shift the noivern's momentum, swinging his body over me and slamming him into the ground. I then took a few steps back to breathe, and thought to myself, realizing what I just did. I… may want to back off now…
He slashed the ice away from his feet and got to his feet, "You want to play? Cause' unfortunately I play a little rough." He inhaled deeply and glared at me.
That doesn't look good… before my opponent could shoot off an attack that would most certainly break down my house, I rushed up to him and headbutted his head, knocking him back a foot or two, and canceling his attack. I then rushed through my door to get outside, not wanting the only shelter I have to disappear from existence. Not that it really matters now…
Before I could make it far I heard someone growl, "You're not going anywhere," and I felt electricity surge through my body suddenly. It didn't hurt much, but I quickly noted that I couldn't move a muscle. Lovely… The noivern and his partner walked out of my house, not looking very pleased.
"So much for a fair fight." I said as he walked out. Not that I ever really expected one in the first place, but I knew the dire situation I was in right now, and I wasn't about to try and sugar coat it.
"Alright time to stop playing." The noivern growled and placed his foot on top of my head. "Ever see an Oran berry get stepped on?" He laughed.
The pressure atop my head began to increase more and more as each second passed, and after about five of those seconds, the pain got really bad. I bit my lip and didn't let myself scream, I knew these psychos would like that, and I refused to please them in any way. As the pain continued, it came to my mind that he could easily kill me right now, and that's probably what was about to happen. I really asked for it after all, finally snapping in front of authority. Just as I was accepting my fate, I felt the pressure on my head lift suddenly, and I relished the feeling of relief before looking for the source.
Before me stood someone I had never seen before in the village I called home for several years now, an Umbreon. "Are you alright?" He said without looking at me.
I just stared at the umbreon, sounding male, sort of dumbfounded. I was the first one I knew around here to actually attack a guard, and yet, here was another one, who clearly just smacked the guard off of me, judging by the noivern shaking their head not very far away. I couldn't complain though. If someone else was going down with me, may as well give them a show on the way out. "I'm good." I said, before standing up behind him.
He turned his head back at me without so much as a smile, and what I saw scared me. The umbreon had something crimson red crusted onto his lower jaw.
Char: Well hello people of ! Thank you for reading the first chapter of The Resistance, Four Kingdoms! It was a blast to write this with my new Co-writer user : Glacey Glace!
Glace: Heyo friends! I'm happy to actually be writing a story with someone else, something much new and different than usual! I'll make my best efforts to contribute to this story!
Char: Yes, I agree completely it is a different experience to write WITH someone in real time, quite fun. But never the less I would just like to extend my total and honest thanks to Glace here for his efforts and willingness to write this with me!
Glace: And I'm happy to experience this new kind of writing! Especially because there's a character in this story who is basically me, albeit gender swapped. It'll be a great experience to write as if I'm a character, as it's something I've never done before!
Char: Well, as a goodbye I would like to extend a thank you to everyone who decides to read and ask that you leave a Review telling us how we did. Please do not hesitate to send me a Private Message too, and I will relay messages to Glace here if you have trouble finding their account.