Pokemon: TrailBlazers
Chp. 1
Evening was encroaching over the expansive Saffron City, the sunset burnishing the yellow streets and walls that gave the city its name with an orange-ish tint. In the distance, dark storm clouds were gathering, threatening the area with imminent downpours. Most of the residents were making their way to shelter, seeking cover before the full fury of the storm arrived. Already the wind was beginning to pick up, driving pieces of assorted debris before it as heralds of the impending weather.
The occupants of one building were oblivious to the vagaries of the weather, however. The largest building in the city belonged to the Sylph Pokemon Research Company and stood over eleven stories high, towering over every other structure in the city. The company was dedicated to learning the hidden secrets of the various creatures - collectively known as Pokemon - that inhabited the world and shared it with humans, and also to developing new devices and items that would aid those who kept Pokemon as pets and partners.
In one room fairly high up in the building, two people were currently engaged in a study project of their own. One of them was a stereotypical scientist, right down to the white lab coat, thick-lensed glasses, slicked-back hair, and paper-filled clipboard held in his hands. The nametag clipped to his coat read David Carles. He was currently hard at work, alternating between scribbling notes at a fevered pace and occasionally lifting his head to observe the other occupants of the room. One was another human, but the others were three different Pokemon- a Vaporeon, a Growlithe, and an Absol - that played with him in the middle of the room.
The other human in the room was much younger. His name was Kyle Voston, and the trio of Pokemon belonged more or less to him. Kyle was a lanky teenage boy of about sixteen, with a height slightly above average and a wiry build. He had dark blond hair, hazel-colored eyes, and slightly bronzed skin. His current outfit consisted of a set of tan cargo pants, a dark green T-shirt with a many-pocketed vest over it, a black baseball hat and a pair of travel-worn shoes on his feet. He had a nondescript backpack with him, currently resting next to his leg, which carried all the gear he expected to need for his trip here, which was almost over.
Like most boys his age, Kyle was a Pokemon trainer, but the way he acquired new members for his team differed radically from most other trainers. He and his family specialized in rehabilitating seriously injured Pokemon, as well as abandoned, abused, or neglected ones. Each of the three currently in the room with him had once belonged to a previous owner/trainer, but had come to the ranch via different paths.
Brooke, the Vaporeon, had belonged to three previous trainers before she had come into his care. The first one had been sincere enough, but hadn't the first clue about how to properly train Pokemon. He had evolved her almost as soon as he'd received her, and apparently thought that that made her invincible. He'd sent her up against opponents that were way out of her league, and learned the hard way that evolution alone did not a strong battler make. Eventually, he'd traded her away, feeling that she deserved a more competent trainer than him. The guy who had taken her didn't feel she was worth the trouble of trying to train, and so neglected her. He dumped her off on the first trainer who was willing to trade, and was apparently glad to be rid of her.
The third, and last, trainer was the worst of them all; a complete jerk who blamed Brooke for failings that had been beyond her control, and tended to take out his frustrations about life in general on his Pokemon. Things eventually got so bad that she ran away - but not before she'd developed an intense dislike of humans. She'd lived as a stray for a while in the back alleys of Goldenrod City in the Johto region, until she'd been picked up as a stray and brought to his family's ranch. She had been feral in her behavior at first, meeting any attempt to approach her with a show of hostility, and it had taken a great deal of time and patience on Kyle's part before she started to trust him. His efforts had paid off, though, as she was the first Pokemon that he had been able to call completely his own, and the two of them were all but inseparable now.
Kyle's attention shifted to the Growlithe, named Skorch. Skorch had belonged to an elderly gentleman, and had been the old man's only real companion for a long time, until he'd passed away. Skorch had come to the ranch shortly after that, and had been more or less in mourning for his previous owner for a long while. Kyle had spent a great deal of time trying to bring the tiger-striped canine out of his depression, and eventually Skorch adopted the teen as his new owner.
Brooke and Skorch were somewhat extreme examples of the cases Kyle and his family handled. The Absol, Sable, was a somewhat more typical example; a breeder's extra, a Pokemon who had been born as part of a breeding program but didn't have the qualities the trainer was looking for. Most of the Pokemon that resulted from such a program were given out as pets, but Absols weren't exactly the most cute or cuddly creatures. Sable had been passed over for adoption time and time again, until Kyle had taken an interest in him and brought him back to the ranch. Sable was a bit more reserved and aloof than some of the other Pokemon, but his loyalty to and affection for his trainer was as steadfast as any of the rest.
Kyle saw the scientist check his stopwatch and then motion to him that the session was over. "All right you three, time to pack it in for the night," he called. Brooke bounded over to him immediately, rolling over to invite him to rub her belly, which he obliged. Skorch followed right behind her eager for the same treatment, while Sable followed at a somewhat more sedate pace. Kyle gave the Growlithe a long, drawn-out back scratch and the Absol a more restrained pat along his spine. A slight chuckle made him look up again, to see the scientist regarding him with an amused grin on his face. "What's so funny, Doctor Carles?"
"Nothing much," the scientist replied. "It's just funny that a kid who doesn't get along well with people could be so good with Pokemon."
"I can get along just fine with other people," Kyle replied evenly, "so long as they treat Pokemon with respect and care. It's when they act like jerks that trouble starts."
"And you're usually the one starting it," Doctor Carles said with a smile. "Still, I can't help but admire your devotion to the creatures under your care. If only more people had your concern for Pokemon, this world would be a much happier place, I think." He thought for a moment, and then added, "Although, that means you and your family would be out of a job, then, wouldn't it?"
"Hey, if it meant that there were no more mistreated or abandoned Pokemon, then I think we could manage," Kyle replied. "Besides, I'm sure we could find something equally helpful to do."
"No doubt," the scientist replied, moving towards a small cabinet set into the side of the room. "But as it is, things are the way they are, and you and your folks do an invaluable service." He pulled a small pouch full of currency out of the cabinet and tossed it in a lazy underhand to Kyle, who caught it out of the air and took a look inside. His eyes widened slightly, and he looked up at Carles with a stunned look on his face. "What's with the look?" the scientist asked.
"What's all this for?" Kyle asked in bewilderment. "This is at least twice what I was expecting."
"Like I said, you do good work, and your help with my research has proven invaluable," Carles replied.
"And, what precisely does that research entail?" Kyle asked him. "I don't think you ever really told me."
"I've been studying how emotional attachment to a human partner influences a Pokemon's behavior and physiology," Carles answered. "As you probably already know, certain Pokemon evolve when they experience a deep affection for a human, and there are certain abilities that are influenced by emotion as well, and the fact that those things happen at all intrigues me. I'm curious about whether there might be other aspects that are influenced by any sort of emotional bond, and watching you and your three friends has proven most enlightening."
"Well, glad I could help you out, Doc," Kyle said. "But for now, I really need to start heading back home soon."
"Yes, Johto is a ways away," Carles agreed. "Hey, wait a moment; I'll see you to the door." Kyle waited for the scientist to finish putting his lab area back in order, and then headed to the elevator with his three Pokemon in tow. The five of them managed to fit in the elevator, but it was a little crowded. Kyle only hoped that no one else would want to get on while they were inside. Fortunately, it was late in the day and most of the company staff had already left for the day. They reached the ground floor and stepped out into the lobby - Brooke and Skorch bounding out the instant the doors were open, Sable content to follow at his trainer's heels. The group was halfway to the exit when Kyle became aware of a faint drumming sound coming from the entrance. It took him a moment to place the sound, but when he did, his expression fell.
"Aw, crud, where'd this mess come from?" he groaned in dismay. Outside the storm had finally arrived, the rain falling in sheets against the all-glass front of the first floor. Occasional flashes of lightning lit up the rain like a strobe, bathing the area in a blinding flash before plunging it back into darkness.
"Oh, that's right, the weather forecast said there was a chance of some rain later in the evening," Carles said. Kyle turned to look at him with a peeved expression on his face, and the scientist scratched his head and asked, "Didn't I mention that before?"
"No," Kyle grumbled. He opened up his backpack and dug out a rain jacket, which he quickly donned. "Fortunately, I come prepared."
"Well, I wish you luck in getting home," Carles told him. "As for me, I think I'll be working a little late, at least until the weather clears up." With that, he turned and headed back to the elevator.
Kyle moved to the door and opened it to take a look outside. The balcony over the doorway provided some shelter, but once he stepped outside he'd be in the full fury of the storm. He felt something brush past his leg and saw Brooke dart around him and out into the rain. The Vaporeon had what Kyle could only describe as an enraptured expression on her face, as she frolicked about in the downpour. "At least somebody likes the change of weather," he said softly to himself.
Beside him, he heard Skorch whimper piteously, and looked down to see the Growlithe staring out at the rain with a forlorn expression on his face. "All right, all right," Kyle said as he pulled a Poke ball out of another pouch on his pack. "I know how much you hate getting wet." He triggered the device and it shot out a thin beam of light that touched the Growlithe and pulled it inside the red and white sphere. Poke balls were the most common means people used to transport Pokemon, but Kyle preferred to keep his out and about as much as possible. He turned to check on Sable, but the Absol didn't seem to care whether or not he got soaked – though he did stay close to Kyle, to avoid getting buffeted around as much by the wind.
Kyle looked around to find Brooke, and saw her splashing about in a puddle of water near the other side of the road. He whistled to call her and she came bounding over, her tail wagging with pleasure at being able to play in the rain. The flukes on the end of her tail slapped against Kyle's shins as she rubbed up against him, and he reached down to answer her unspoken request and rub her back. After a few moments, they started walking towards the hotel where Kyle planned to stay for the night before he started his journey back home. They made their way through the streets of Saffron, their progress pretty much unhindered, since nearly everyone else was indoors to get out of the rain and the streets were nearly deserted as a result.
They were passing by a construction zone when Brooke suddenly stopped in her tracks. She lowered her head to smell the ground for a few seconds, and then veered off in a different direction. She had her nose down to the ground, as though she was a hound tracking a scent, and her behavior piqued Kyle's interest. "What is it, girl?" he asked; even though there was no way he could have understood her if she answered. Brooke didn't even squeak in reply; instead she kept going, intent on whatever scent she had picked up. Most creatures would have been unable to track any sort of scent in a downpour, but Kyle secretly suspected that Vaporeons could actually track better through rain than on a dry day. The weather was certainly no hindrance to Brooke at this moment, as she never paused to try and reacquire the scent once she was sure of the trail. Her path led her straight to the construction area, making Kyle a little nervous about getting caught trespassing; but on the other hand, there was no way he was going to let her wander about by herself. He went in after her.
Brooke led him around massive stacks of beams and stone that were waiting to be assembled in the final structure, and piles of dirt and sand that made him want to take his bike and roll down them, just to see what it'd be like. He didn't have his bicycle with him at this point, however, and this was no time to try it, anyway. The Vaporeon led him towards a large stack of concrete pipe sections that were piled carefully together, and stopped in front of one that was halfway up the stack. She reared up on her hind legs and put her front paws on the lip of the pipe, indicating that there was something inside that had caught her interest. Kyle moved to the end of the pipe and tried to peer inside, but all he could see was darkness. "Hello?" he called into it. "Anybody there?"
"Go away!" shouted a voice from inside.
Kyle was surprised to hear a reply at all; and more than a little confused as to why someone would want to stay out in the cold and the rain. He leaned in a little closer and asked, "What are you doing out here all alone?"
"I said, go away!" the voice replied.
There was a shrill quality to it, and now he could detect a note of fear in the tone. "Listen, I won't hurt you," he tried to reassure whoever was in the pipe. "Maybe I could help?"
"I don't believe you! Leave me alone!"
"Hey, come on, why don't we get to shelter-"
"I said, leave me alone!" Suddenly the inside of the pipe flared with light, and Kyle had a brief glimpse of a ragged figure curled up at the other end of the pipe before he realized what the light was coming from. He jerked backwards so fast that he lost his footing in the mud and fell on his butt, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his spine. He had barely gotten out of the way in time, though, as a long plume of fire burst from the mouth of the pipe, turning the night bright as day where he was and making the rain evaporate in little puffs of steam as it passed through the flames. Kyle stared at it in shock for a moment before it ended as abruptly as it began, plunging the area back into darkness again and leaving purple blotches swimming in his vision.
A pair of bare feet emerged from the entrance of the pipe and lowered to touch the ground. Kyle looked up to see who it was, but all he could make out in the darkness after his night vision had been destroyed was the vaguest impression of a silhouette. He couldn't be absolutely certain, but he got the impression that the individual he was looking at was female, rather than male. He looked up and for a second, their eyes met. Kyle had just enough time to realize that there was something not quite right about her profile before she turned and scampered off deeper into the construction zone. "Hey, wait!" he called after her, but there was no indication that she heard him.
He struggled back to his feet and leaned against the pipe stack, still feeling a little rubber-kneed from the shock that had been given to his spinal column. He took a moment to catch his breath, and stared in the direction that the girl had disappeared in. "Brooke, follow her," he said. The Vaporeon yipped an acknowledgment and loped off in the direction the girl had taken, with Kyle and Sable following as best as they were able. Kyle didn't know what was going on, but his curiosity had been piqued, and he was determined to find out.
In the darkness and cold of the pouring rain, a lone figure paused to huddle next to a half-completed wall, soaked to the skin and miserable. She looked up at the sky where the rain poured down, shivered from the cold and wet and pulled the tattered rags that were all she had for clothes tighter around her body. She had a dry, if not really warm, place to stay the night before that boy had discovered her and made it necessary for her to run again. She hated the rain, hated being wet, but right now there was no other option. Still, he had spoken kindly and seemed sincere, unlike those others….
Forlornly she shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. Everywhere she had gone since she'd fled from those who had sought to capture her, she had encountered nothing but scorn and revulsion from those humans who had seen her. Some turned away in disgust; others actively drove her away… all because she was different from them. She had swiftly learned that being seen by humans, any humans, was a guarantee of pain to follow, and strove to stay out of their sight as much as possible. In addition to the people who lived wherever she wandered, there were the men with hard eyes who actively hunted for her. She had no idea why they pursued her so relentlessly, but she knew it couldn't be good.
She took a look around the corner, staying close to the wall to reduce her chance of being seen if there was someone on the other side. The rain plastered her shoulder-length hair to her neck and back and down to her forehead, partially covering her eyes. She swept the soaked mass of scarlet locks out of her face and peered again. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone around in the immediate area, and so she cautiously stepped out from her hiding place to try to find some better cover for the night.
In the next instant, unseen hands reached out from the darkness to grab her and yanked her back into the shadows.
She yelped in fright, but a hand over her mouth stifled her cry almost immediately. Held within it was a cloth soaked in some pungent-smelling fluid that made her head swim. A male voice whispered in her ear, "Got you at last. You've been giving us quite the runaround, now come along quietly and you won't get hurt." His words fell on deaf ears, as she kicked and struggled frantically in his grasp, trying desperately to escape. He tightened his grip, trying to hold on to her, and called for help from his compatriots. Two more figures materialized from the shadows and tried to get a hold of her, but she twisted and writhed in their grasp with a strength borne from sheer terror, and finally managed to get her mouth partially free from the hand that covered it. She bit down as hard as she could on the ball of her captor's thumb, her teeth sinking deep into his flesh and sending the taste of blood washing across her tongue.
He swore vilely and tried to shake his hand free of her grasp, but had no luck until he slammed his free hand into the back of her head. Bright splotches of light exploded into her vision, and the impact jolted her loose of his grasp to fall to the ground on her hands and knees. She managed to crawl two paces before her arms gave out and she sank to the ground, her cheek resting against the cold, wet earth. Her vision blurred in and out of focus a few times before it faded completely to black, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Kyle followed Brooke as she led him through the maze of debris and equipment that covered the construction area, keeping a close eye on her lest he lose sight of her in the near pitch-black darkness. He wasn't sure what the deal was with that girl that he'd spooked, but in the brief glimpse he'd had of her before she ran off, he could have sworn he saw a set of large, triangular ears on her head in place of the normal kind that humans had. Whatever it was, he didn't think it would be good for her to be out wandering the streets alone. Most of the people who lived in Saffron were decent people, but he had a feeling that that decency might not extend to her, and then there were also those who were not so decent...
A short, cut-off scream made him suddenly look up in the direction he'd been going. Brooke and Sable also heard it, and turned to stare in the direction that the noise had come from. Kyle didn't hesitate; he took off at a dead run, heading in the direction of the scream that he'd heard, with the Vaporeon and the Absol close behind. He wove his way around the obstacles present and began to hear the sounds of a scuffle coming from the direction he was heading in. He began to run faster, praying that he wasn't too late.
He arrived on the scene just in time to see one of the goons slug the girl that he'd seen before on the back of her head, dropping her to the ground presumably unconscious. Cold fury shot through him at the sight, but Kyle knew that rushing in when outnumbered three to one was a sure ticket to lose a fight. He crept a little closer to them from behind cover, at the same time looking around for anything that he could utilize as a weapon. He was just in time to hear a female voice berating the man who had hit the girl; "…you moron, the boss's orders clearly stated she was to be captured unharmed."
"The little b&%#$ bit me," he heard the other say sharply. Kyle peeked around to see him holding one hand with the other, as he added, "She'll recover in time, and anyway she won't offer any more resistance now, will she?" Kyle didn't hear any more of their conversation, because his eyes lit upon a wooden spar that would serve nicely as an improvised bludgeon. He hefted it once or twice in his hands to get a feel for its weight, and then charged towards the group of thugs with it held in his hands like a sword, intent on causing as much mayhem and confusion as he could.
The first warning the unknown goons had of his approach was when he slammed the spar into the back of the knees of Grunt One, the man who had hit the girl. He fell backwards with a startled outcry, causing the other two to whip around suddenly to confront this new threat. This close, Kyle was able to make out other details about them; they wore matching outfits, with all-black pants and long-sleeved shirts, and face masks to obscure their identities. The only visible piece of color on their outfits was a patch on the right sleeve of each that looked like some sort of insignia. All this he took in an instant, as he delivered another blow with the spar to the first thug's head, to ensure that he stayed down. Then the other two were on top of him, and the situation quickly devolved into a chaotic free-for-all.
Grunt Two swung a fist at Kyle's temple, which the teen ducked and countered with a blow from the spar to the woman's elbow. Grunt Three aimed a kick at Kyle's midsection but he dodged back out of the way of that attack and the foot hit only air. Grunt Two followed it up with a sucker punch that hit Kyle over his right eye, spinning him halfway around with the force of the blow. Kyle dropped to his hands and knees, wincing from the impact, then used the spar to parry another kick from Grunt Three that was aimed at his face. The move saved him from the impact, but tore the spar from his grip and knocked it away into the dark. Grunt Three launched another kick that Kyle only partially avoided, taking it along his flank rather than square in his stomach. He rolled over and got back to his feet but found himself backed into a corner with both opponents now advancing on him with menacing purpose, and there didn't seem to be any means for him to get out of harm's way.
Fortunately, that was the point at which Brooke and Sable entered the fray. Grunt Three drew his hand back to deliver a devastating punch to Kyle's face, but before he could swing both of them were knocked off their feet by the blast of water issuing from Brooke's gaping mouth. The Vaporeon was able to draw in the water from her ambient environment and add it to her attack, transforming a focused but relatively weak spray of water into a punishing torrent that carried the same impact as a fire hose. Both of them rolled to their feet almost immediately, but Sable interposed himself between them and his trainer, raking at them with his sharp claws to force them to keep their distance. Kyle's heart practically leapt at the sight, and he wasted no time getting out of the dead-end he'd been backed into.
"So he's got help, does he?" Grunt Three growled. "I'll take care of that…" He pulled a Poke ball from his belt and tossed it into the air. "Zubat, go! Teach this upstart a lesson in pain!" The ball popped open to release its occupant, and the Zubat that emerged flew into the air then came down in a dive straight at Brooke. She simply sat there, waiting for Kyle to issue the command to attack, trusting that he would give it before she came to harm.
He shook his head in amusement at his opponent's arrogance. "Brooke, Aurora Beam." The Vaporeon opened her mouth and pulsed out a ray of rainbow-colored light that struck the Zubat full-force and knocked it out of the air. The man looked stunned at how easily his Pokemon had been defeated, but a commotion over near the street told him that they had bigger problems.
"Hey, we gotta go! The cops are comin'!" another grunt shouted as he ran in towards the fray. Kyle guessed that this one must have been serving as a lookout for the group, and mentally dubbed him Grunt Four. Grunts Two and Three ran back to pick up their fallen comrade, while Grunt Four tried to run back to grab the unconscious girl. Kyle saw what he was about to do, though, and rushed to intercept him. He tackled the grunt just before he reached her, and the two of them went down into the mud in a tangle of limbs.
The grunt pounded his fists on Kyle's back and shoulders, but the teen stubbornly refused to let go of his opponent. Kyle tried to keep the grunt pinned as he yelled back over his shoulder, "Sable, watch the girl!" The Absol trilled acknowledgment and moved to stand guard between the strange-looking girl and the men who wanted to kidnap her. That moment of distraction was all that Kyle's opponent needed to wriggle free of the teen's grasp, however, and he wasted no time in trying to escape. Kyle made a grab for the grunt again, managing to get a hold on the insignia on the grunt's right sleeve, which he held on to with all his strength until it tore away as he pulled on it. The grunt looked outraged at this, but the approach of local law enforcement meant that he couldn't stay to exact vengeance. He turned and ran away into the shadows, leaving Kyle there alone with his Pokemon and the strange girl.
Much as he wanted to chase after them, Kyle felt that getting the girl to safety and shelter was a higher priority. He half walked, half ran over to where she lay and knelt down beside her to see how she was faring. This close to her, he could clearly make out her features, and what he saw surprised him. She appeared to be of about eleven or twelve years of age, though there was no way he could tell for sure. Most of her features were human or pretty close, but there were several characteristics that clearly set her apart from normal humans. The first one of these that he noticed was that her body was covered by a soft coat of reddish-brown fur, that shaded more towards brown on her hands and bare feet. Kyle gently lifted her head up off the ground to check for concussion and saw that her face had a very vulpine cast, with a pronounced muzzle and a pair of large, triangular ears on her head, giving her a very Vulpix-like look. The resemblance was further strengthened by a luxuriant, multi-lobed tail that lay curled around her legs, the fur on it plastered together by mud and rainwater.
Kyle carefully gathered her up in his arms to carry her somewhere where she could rest and receive medical attention. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and he shifted his hold on her slightly so that it was more firmly supported. He had no idea who this strange girl was, or who the people were that wanted to capture her or why they wanted to so badly, but Kyle felt a strong, almost overwhelming urge to protect her. He hunched over her as much as he could, doing his best to shield her from the rain that still poured from the sky, and began walking back towards the best place he could think of to get her care- Saffron's Pokemon center.
Author's notes: Okay, so this is my first foray into writing a Pokemon story. Please tell me what you think!