"Raised to an Art Form" Chapter 1/Prologue: Slavery and Pacifism
If you've seen me upload this and decided to check it out because you've read my other stories, you're in for a surprise, because it's something outside the Sonic Fanbase, and not a romance story either. However, it is entirely filled with Original Characters, as it is based on the games more than the anime or manga.
Though I am unsure yet as to how far I will continue this, though I have many ideas, I have written this much up of my first attempt of a Pokemon Fanfiction. I have not honestly seen much at all of the Pokemon Fanfiction section, but this is my own attempt at a "Realistic" take on the technologically-advanced, surprisingly dark world and culture of Pokemon.
I also haven't put this one through any of my proof readers, as my last message to my normal beta reader some time ago was never replied, I get the impression she's not on the site anymore.
I would like criticisms for the story, as without proof readers and largely written in the middle of the night, it's probably not going to be my best piece of work by a long shot.
Well, thank you for reading, and I'll let you get on with the story.
...
The boy stood there for a second as his own growls of anger subsided, dropping to his knees and giving the head of the Houndour a quick, thankful hug as the sound of new footsteps filled the hall.
"You're going to have to leave the house for more than a few seconds if you want to bring back something from the store, Zeke." Stated a familiarly soft voice, the tone of curiosity more than anything else present in it. Zeke lifted his head, arms still around the Pokemon in front of him as he looked at his mother.
Definitely unlike Zeke, his mother was a tall woman, one who almost projected an aura of goodwill around her, yet her eyebrows were raised at this point in an almost disapproving tone, before they suddenly dropped closer to her eyes in seriousness as she took in the condition of his hair, and the touches of contempt, anger and helplessness on his face, a look she knew too well. Before Zeke said a word, she asked the question they both knew the answer to.
"...They're at it again, aren't they?"
A large burst of flame, visible through the window next to the front door, confirmed her suspicions, sadness brewing in her own face as she moved over to her son, who was now hiding his face into the warm coat of the Houndour, holding an arm around him sympathetically. They remained there for some time, without movement or noise, before Zeke spoke up, his voice shaking as he held back tears.
"How can they do that? H-how can they do this? How c-c-can no-one see? How did the world end up like this, THIS? H-h-h-" Zeke made out, his voice raising in sound and emotion as sobs welled up at his own questions before he was cut out as his mother lifted his upper body from the Houndour, embracing him calmingly.
"Shush...shush. I don't know. But there are good people out there, there is still good in the world. Many Pokemon are happy, there is peace. There is peace. There is..."
The voice faded away, hearing the stream of words he had heard so many times before, but no longer listening, just feeling the warmth of the two body's against him as the well of despair disappeared, but not before leaving its mark booming in the confines of his head.
'They are treated as pit fighters. Things to be conquered and enslaved.'
'Things to be conquered and enslaved.'
'Man has made slaves of Pokemon.'
...
Years later...
A hand rummaged through a backpack with the ease of practice, familiarly pushing aside a scarf, a jacket and several textbooks until grasping the small box of food that lay at the bottom without looking for it, pulling it through the rest of the junk to the open air. Small specks of sunlight that made it through the leaves of the tree above danced across the lid as the box was opened to reveal a small compartment of crumbs, along with a small variety of vegetables and sliced berries making a form of salad, a folding metallic fork also inside.
Zeke looked at the contents for a second, shifting his body slightly so the bark of the tree he leant under didn't bite so deep into his spine as he delicately grabbed a small handful of crumbs from the box, looking around him. Few Pokemon appeared in the yard of East Azalea High School, despite its rural location, due to the fence surrounding its grounds. Even the small masses of trees were sprayed regularly to keep away the dangerous Pineco or any other hazardous Pokemon. Still, despite the school's best efforts, nothing can keep away the flocks of Pidgey from pecking at the endless litter of the school's few hundred students, particularly around the small group of concealing trees that Zeke now lay. Despite Pidgey being the only Pokemon known to enter the grounds, use of Pokeballs for any purpose were strictly forbidden without express permission.
'And so,' Zeke thought, reflecting on that particular rule of the school, 'I can at least have some form of peace.' He smiled slightly, the tree at his back concealing him from the rest of the school as he tossed the crumbs from his hand to the few Pidgey surrounding him. They quickly an eagerly got to pecking at the food before them, several giving calls of "Pidgeee!" in thanks.
Zeke's faint smile grew at the plaintive contentment of the creatures before him, feeling no threat from the sharp beaks jabbing at the bread nearby. He tossed out another swarm of crumbs, before touching the button on his cutlery to cause it to flick out to a full-sized fork, using it to idly scoop parts of the salad into his mouth as he munched slowly, savouring the sweet taste of the Oran Berries as their juice broke over his taste buds with every chew. He snorted, quietly, at a thought that came to his mind as he chewed on his lunch, grimacing to himself.
'And they say that vegans have no sense of taste. Hmph.'
Zeke shovelled another mouthful of the flavoursome food to his mouth, remembering to throw some more out to the peaceful Pokemon around him. He savoured these moments of peace. No slavery of Pokemon around him. No fighting. No wounds and injuries. No hospitals or Pokemon Centers. No lessons on training and preparing to fight. No history of Pokemon and Humans. No lies about "friendship" with those who are as good as slaves. Just him, some free, happy Pokemon, and a pleasant meal.
"Hey, the emo's trying to catch Pokemon again-"
'Well. So much for serenity.'
"-Hey moron! You need a Pokeball for those things! Fattening them up doesn't make them easier to catch!" Jeered a familiar voice.
Zeke froze, reminding himself that yelling back would make him just as bad as they are, deciding instead to ignore the words that awoke such anger in him. Annoyingly, the two pairs of footsteps he heard were coming towards, not away from him. Following a sudden break in the footsteps was a quiet snigger from behind the tree, the scuffs of a hand against the ground and a hushed voice. Zeke made out the words "hit" and "bird", and waved his arms quickly, startling the small flock of Pidgey, causing them to turn and fly off just as a small, thrown stone hit the ground where one sat a moment before.
...
"Hey, guys, I'll be back in a minute. I just remembered I need to make a call on my 'gear, you know, about the car?" Came the excuse from one of the basketball players, giving a short wave as he walked off the outdoor court, murmurs of "Sure thing, man", "Go ahead, Rivet" and things of the like behind him as he walked off. Taller than the average teen, Rivet had the features of someone somewhat older, though such an image was held back by the acne around his jaw and the wild blonde strips of hair mixed in with the darker brown on his head.
Pretending to flick through the functions of his top-end wrist-mounted PokeGear to the communication section, Rivet made his way to the small clump of trees at the corner of the grounds under the pretence of looking for privacy with his call. No-one needed to know who he'd seen walking towards that same spot.
Zeke Connor was probably one of the least liked people, by anyone, in the school. It was common knowledge, and often mentioned spitefully, of his attitude towards nearly all. For his warped view of the world, and the extents he goes to for it, he has been called everything from arrogant, obnoxious, dark, spiteful, rude to uncaring. His pacifism somehow gave him something of a hatred against anyone who so much as looks at a Pokeball, leaving him with a set of "holier than thou" standards that he held himself to. All this has been said of him despite the fact that he prefers to ignore anyone else than to talk much.
Rivet knew that Zeke was far from some deranged idiot, but it was no secret that he flat-out refused to make any effort in a variety of compulsory classes, including Pokemon Behavioural Studies and Advanced Battle Theory.
None of these thoughts, though, stopped Rivet from walking determinedly to the cluster of trees, not far behind those he followed; Aiden and Dean. Probably the only students in the school who really wouldn't have anything better to do than to start a fight with somebody who won't fight back.
It was then, after yelling something at Zeke that was lost to Rivet due to a gust of wind, that Aiden and Dean stood beside the trunk that Rivet guessed was blocking his view of Zeke. The darker-haired and taller of the two, Aiden, suddenly was lost to Rivet's sight as the sound of something hitting plastic could be heard as he was concealed by the tree he stepped behind. Rivet caught the next sentence.
"Oh whoops! I'm sorry about spilling your lunch like that. It was a complete accident, wasn't it Dean?" Apologized Aiden in his best sardonic voice, Dean's grin-as well as the salad and crumbs that spilt out across the ground on the opposite side of the tree-visible to Rivet.
"So, your lives are really so bland that you have absolutely nothing better to do than practice throwing rocks and kicking inanimate objects?" Rivet taunted, forcing a tone of mockery rather than anger into his voice.
At the sound, Aiden walked back to stand beside Dean, both turning angrily to the new arrival. As their backs turned, a cry was suddenly heard as a swarm of feathers, beaks and claws descended upon the two from behind, angry coos and squawks of "Pidge-Pidgeee!" as they raised their arms over their heads to defend themselves from the attack, crying in pain as the claws raked across their scalps and neck, tearing multitudes of scratches into the skin of the two.
As they fled from the cover of trees, shouting curses at the Pokemon attacking them, the Pidgey, one by one, let off the assault, finally returning to the trees, flying past Rivet without any show of aggression and landing beside Zeke, cooing triumphantly, before each of them picked up the nearest bread crumb that had been spilled in their beaks, and flying from the school grounds.
Rivet stood for a moment in amazement of the scene that had just unfolded in front of him, looking behind him. The grass of the large grounds around him was largely empty besides the still fleeing Aiden and Dean, but the group he was playing basketball with not long ago were now clustered, looking over, their attentions drawn by the flock of angry Pidgey. Noticing their look, he gave a simple shrug, hoping they could see the action from their position 30 or so meters away. One split from the group, a friend: Jordan, running towards Rivet, though watching the trees as if expecting Pidgey to burst from them again at every second. He skidded to a halt beside Rivet, who had taken a glance behind him, seeing no sign of Zeke and presuming him to be concealed by the trunk of the tree still, having not actually laid eyes on the teen yet.
"What the hell just happened? You okay? Were those guys Aiden and Dean? Why were the Pidgey so aggressive? " The questions came out in a blabbed stream, which Rivet had to hold up a hand to stem the flow of.
"Hey, slow down! Yeah, they were Aiden and Dean, and I just got here as those dumbasses threw a couple of stones at the Pidgey, who must have taken offense. I'm fine." Rivet claimed, inwardly wincing at the slight twist of the truth he had already guessed. Jordan seemed fine with the explanation, his brow furrowed in thought. Rivet shooed him away, saying he still had a call to make and making motions, pretending to try and work his PokeGear until he was sure Jordan had returned and the basketball game was once again starting up. As soon as it was, Rivet slipped into the shade of the trees, finally seeing Zeke laying there, in the middle of putting his lunch-box back into his pack. Zeke's face was hidden as he looked down, using his action as an excuse to hide his face.
Rivet offered a hand to the shorter, silent teen beneath him, amazed that Jordan hadn't seemed to notice him.
"You okay, Zeke? Aiden and Dean can be bastards, eh? At least they got what was coming to them." Rivet said, cheerily. Zeke, far from replying or taking the offered hand, instead turned his head upwards slowly, giving a cold glare to the one who had tried to help him. Rivet held up his open palms defensively.
"Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, just asking if you were okay, you know." Rivet defended from the not-unexpected glare. He had never seen any expression rather than disinterest or anger on the silent boy's face, after all. Rivet sighed inwardly, deciding it best to leave Zeke be, before Zeke finally spoke; a voice Rivet had rarely heard.
"I don't need your help." Came the surprisingly calm voice as Zeke looked up, almost daringly, into Rivet's face. Rivet gave a lopsided grin in return, refusing to be intimidated, instead slumping against the trunk of another tree himself, facing Zeke.
"Never said you did, mate. Those Pidgey must like you a lot, though, I've never seen a wild one do something like tha-" As soon as the word 'wild' came out of Rivet's mouth, he knew he'd made a mistake as Zeke grabbed his bag, standing up angrily.
"Wild? Wild! Oh sure, when you're not dictating their every move and thought, locking them away and bringing them out to fight against one another for some sadistic pleasure, when they're for once-for once!-free and living their lives: they're wild! Wild beasts with no more intelligence than a rock, is that right? I'm sure, in such a state, they're unworthy of your footsteps, is that right? I don't see, in any way, how they are any more wild than you, or any other 'trainer', and-" Zeke hissed suddenly, his voice more angered whispers than shouts as he pointed accusingly at Rivet, caught up in a sense of rage before he was cut off.
"Hey, hey, whoa. I didn't mean it like that, geez. I'm not out to enslave anything, and nor is anyone else here. We respect and care for those we catch, and-" Rivet began to defend himself, standing up as well before being interrupted in turn.
"Care for those you catch? Ah, of course you respect them to. What was it that reality show was called? 'The World of Pokemon'?" Zeke mocked, sneering, "What an absolute joke. Humans raise pit fights to an art form, and name the world after the fighters-the slaves! Defend what people do to Pokemon, I dare you!" He continued, his voice now louder as he took the opportunity to throw more blame against his own race as a whole. Rivet now frowned, his own temper beginning to grow as Zeke ranted.
"Don't condemn the world for the actions of few. No good trainer ever forces his Pokemon to fight, merely asks. Ask any Gym lead-"
"Oh, and now we get to Gym Leaders? Yes, a whole international league, an international sport has been made of these fights. Hell, human culture has grown to watching Pokemon attack each other in arenas for our amusement! You've been attempting to go for the Hive Badge, right? And I've seen you have your Pokemon fight. A Zangoose, right? Do you really think it will ever be happy now you've stolen it from its habitat, from its family, and dragged it half-way across the world to Johto to fight against other Pokemon while spending it's time locked up? I think not! You're no different from the rest of them."
Zeke grabbed his pack, walking off as Rivet stood there, speechless, standing frozen in place in a mixture of anger at the blind stubbornness of the kid, of disbelief of how uncaring Zeke seemed to be that Rivet had tried to help him, and of his presumptions on his Zangoose.
'How dare he? How dare he speak about me and Ken like that? How DARE he?'
Exactly on time, the school bell rung throughout the grounds.
...
I have made the first character I've created and used in an uploaded fanfiction a vegan, a pacifist and an emotionally reserved, anti-social, reclusive individual. Much like me...except for the vegan part. ^^'
Though, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against these traits, and respect them or the reasons behind them, in most cases. Regardless, it leads to an...unusual main character to write, as rather than jokes and dialogue, you work with thoughts, descriptions and political topics.
(Dialogue and descriptions have been slightly edited by 10/4/12. I haven't changed much, but the pre-existing chapter had some painfully bad dialogue, so I've just made a few touches so it says the same things but not quite as badly as before.)