Flames scorched within the urban alley before quickly dissipating into the night sky with each passing second, leaving behind a piercing heat and darkness in its wake. The fraxure collapsed forward onto the scalded cement, unconscious as smoke rose from its burnt body. Behind it, stood its unfortunate trainer; a blonde haired man assumed to be in his late thirties, speechless and frozen in shock.
"My turn," a teenage hooded boy whispered in a low, threatening tone, walking past his untouched blaziken with hatred in his ocean blue eyes. Both of his hands were clenched into fists, ready to torture the man for his unspeakable act.
The man hesitated pathetically, his breathing short and excessive, eyes wider than the teenager has ever seen. Then, without warning, he turned completely around and attempted to flee down the alley which eventually ended into the busy streets of Castelia City. Two whole steps later and his entire being was trapped in place within a dim, blue glow, unable to move.
The attempt only irritated the boy even further, adding another layer onto the anger he held against the excuse for a man. "It's impossible to run," he said as a matter of fact in his monotone voice, stepping over the fallen Pokémon towards him. "What you did is unforgivable." With a single command of a thought, he stopped just short of the terrified man and watched as his body suddenly flew from his stationary position into the side of a building at high speed before falling rag doll onto a large garbage bin then flat to the cement, the faint glow now gone. And as much as the man wanted to scream his agony, the psychic hold didn't allow. Now, he just shook violently on the ground, overwhelmed in harsh aches and stinging pain. The teenager walked up to the fallen man, setting a hiking boot he wore onto the man's worn jacket before using it to roll him onto his back. Another image filled the boy's mind and the psychic made it so. The glow returned around the man's form, roughly picking him off the ground and pinning him against the wall, grunting in panic and ache the entire time. "It's people like you that infect the world with sorrow and corruption," the boy growled, narrowing his furious dark eyes that hid partially behind his jet black hair. The criminal deserved every punishment imaginable. But the one he had in mind would force the blonde to think twice before doing anything negative. Actually, he thought, the petrified man will never be the same again.
The blonde finally made the struggle to open his eyes. "Pl... P-please..." he begged weakly. In his view of the hooded boy, a gardevoir suddenly appeared out from thin air behind him, glaring its piercing red glowing eyes into his soul before standing tall side by side with the teenager.
No pity. No mercy. Every emotion, every thought, was sensed by the gardevoir. Both trainer and Pokémon seemed to act as one mind. The boy felt nothing but reminded, painful memories and hatred for the man's evil deed. Even begging blew straight past him like the cold evening breeze. He frowned in disgust, eyes hidden in the blackness of his hood. "You've made your choice."
Nothing but the man's terrifying screams echoed loudly throughout the alley and beyond. Screams that lasted twenty seconds.
He did not enjoy watching the man's psychological torture, but it satisfied him. "Every immoral action has its consequences," he reminded himself, blankly staring down at the trembling man who curled himself and clenched his head. "Just be grateful you're still breathing."
"Blaazzzz!" the blaziken suddenly called out for attention, standing tall with her claws against the railing of another dumpster a ways down the alley. Both the gardevoir and teenager turned immediately and made their way to the Pokémon, completely disregarding the unstable blonde. The experienced fire type indicated with her navy eyes inside the dumpster to her trainer, forcing him to lift one of the black covers open, revealing the contents within. Inside, laying amidst the spoiled food, dismantled cardboard boxes, and many black garbage bags, was a tied up little brunette girl, no older than seven. The ropes tied around her arms and legs prevented any movement and the two ripped white, stale cloths tied around her eyes and mouth stole her sight as well as her screams. Still, the soaked cloth allowed a steady stream of tears down her small face.
Wasting no time, the boy easily leaped up inside. But the second he moved to untie the rope, the girl attacked with useless squirms and frightened moans. "Hey hey," he softly hushed, his tone calm and soothing, surprising even his two Pokémon at the rare emotional expression. "It's alright, he's gone now." Once she heard him, her rapid breathing slowly began to steady and she remained still. With one hand under the girl's legs and another under her back, he lifted the small girl and handed her carefully to his fire type partner, who then knelt down and stood the girl on her own two feet. All restraints were immediately cut by the blaziken's sharp claws the same time the hooded boy leaped out from the dumpster, brushing himself off.
Thankfully to her savior, the little girl couldn't see her kidnapper and his Pokémon once she immediately removed both pieces of cloths from her face, revealing her teary stained green iris coloured eyes, flushed in a red face from panic. Still, she trembled in place, finally meeting face to face with the young trainer and his two Pokémon.
"Don't be afraid," the trainer soothed, kneeling to meet her at eye level. With the situation's exception and to prove slightly more trustworthy, he brushed back his zip-up sweater's hood, revealing his lengthy hair and ancient-like tribal black markings that ran vertically along his left eye, from the middle of his cheek to shortly below his hair. "Are you hurt?"
She sniffled and shook her head, wiping away old tears from her eyes before staring into the boy's blue eyes that hid personal turmoil well. "Wh-who are you?" she asked nearly in a whisper.
The trainer sighed in relief, breaking into a small grin for her comfort. "I'm Leon." Even free from danger, the terror stained her innocent green eyes, likely leaving traces in her soul which would never be forgotten. Such a horror in one's life Leon knew all too well.
The little girl suddenly burst into tears and attacked Leon in a tight hug, burying her small face deeply in his chest. Frowning sadly, he gently stroked her trembling back comfortingly, wishing it was as simple as to forget the horror she just went through. Reality was cruel.
"I want mommy and daddy," she sobbed between unsteady breaths. "I-I want to go home."
"Guarrrrrd..." Gardevoir sang quietly, standing tall next to the two before resting a gentle hand on her trainer's shoulder.
Leon gave his psychic type an understanding look from the corner of one eye and nodded, already knowing the gardevoir detected a trace of his intentions regardless of any physical signs. "Spirit..." he called softly through the girl's crying. The blaziken appeared tall side by side with his gardevoir, listening intently. "Search the area for anyone looking for a lost girl. If you find someone, meet us at Pokémon Centre by the pier." With full trust, Leon watched as his fire type perform a single powerful leap out of sight in a matter of seconds, silent like the wind. Next, he held the girl tight, seamlessly communicating with his gardevoir. And nearly as the speed of light, the three vanished from the dark alleyway.
((((()))))
Midnight slowly crept through the region, bringing complete darkness and a cooler climate. Leon fought back a yawn, but his eyes betrayed him as they grew heavy under the cover of his hood. About three hours, he guessed thoughtfully, since arriving at the Pokémon Centre. To Leon's great dislike, most of that duration was spent being questioned by the local authorities. But what annoyed him the most was the undeserved doubt they held against him until its conclusion.
From obvious to elaborate personal questions - all of it felt unnecessary. Thinking back, he'd rather find the girl's relatives himself rather than involve Castelia City's Police. He opened one eye halfway to the empty view of the centre's large, well-designed lobby which featured flat screen televisions mounted onto walls and lounge-like areas.
Still... Reporting it was the right thing to do.
"Umm, excuse me?"
Leon gazed to his right where the hood partially skewed his vision and found the dedicated Pokémon nurse and owner of the city's main Centre: Nurse Joy. The blue eyed teen stood up straight from his leaned position against a wall and removed his hood in a friendly manner, quickly taking notice of the fatigue well hidden behind her kind features and the tray of Pokéballs in her hands.
"I'm happy to report all of your Pokémon are fully healed and healthy," Nurse Joy informed, giving a friendly smile through a tiresome voice.
"Thanks," Leon replied, placing the five spheres each into their respective holdings on his belt. His eyes deviated beyond the centre's large windows to his side. Light drops of scattered rain fell within the calm, lit streets outside and further into the large docks. His blaziken has yet to return. "Any responses yet?"
Nurse Joy's worried silence gave him his answer. That late into the night and still nothing. It spawned the doubt if the girl's relatives really were searching for her. Or perhaps tragedy fell upon them; definitely difficult for him to tell. "Unfortunately all we can do is hope for the best and place our trust in the authority's investigation."
Unfazed by her input, Leon sneaked a sigh followed by a short yawn. His blaziken was the more convincing one before the police with her sharp sense of smell, keen eyes, and lightning reflexes.
"The night staff will arrive shortly," Joy added, scattering his thoughts as he met her eyes curiously. "If you'd like, I could organize you a room for the night."
"Please," Leon kindly agreed with a nod. "That'd be great."
"My pleasure," she answered with a smile. "I'll call you over to the front desk once I have everything set up." With that, Joy strolled back over to her reception desk as Leon's gaze slowly averted outside once more. All that occurred stirred the aged pain and hatred within his secluded heart, forcing scarred memories to effortlessly resurface.
Leon crossed his arms, leaned against the Pokémon Centre's cream coloured walls as he blankly narrowed his angered blue eyes outside, brows furrowed. Ever since that night. That one helpless, unforgettable night long ago, he thought with eyes shut.
Everything changed.
"My little one," an elderly woman called out in her seat by the open fire on a calm evening, stopping a young boy in mid-sprint from his attempt to chase a girl of the same age in a game of tag. She wrapped her arms around him before holding him out for her to examine head to toe. "Can't believe how tall you are Leon! I remember holding my baby grandson in my arms like it was yesterday."
"I'm taller than Erin now!" Leon said triumphantly, sticking his tongue out to the little brunette who just realized she wasn't being chased anymore.
The girl turned back, held her two hands between her mouth, and shouted, "you still can't catch me! I'm faster than you!" She giggled and turned tail once she saw an irritated Leon free himself from his grandmother's hold and resume the pursuit. Leon's grandmother chuckled and caught sight of her daughter and son-in-law finally reappear from their stroll. Leon's parents took a seat by the fire pit next to her, both of them smiling happily at their son's playfulness.
The stars above Unova glittered and shined beautifully in the night sky. Crackling of the fire and rising ash gave off peacefulness and relaxation to the family. They loved it.
"Don't run off too far, both of you," Leon's mother instructed worriedly when she noticed her son and his best friend hiding from the other behind bushes and trees where the fire's natural light failed to reach.
Leon came to a skidded halt in rapid breaths a little deeper into the forest, searching every potential hiding place. "We won't!" he yelled, not bothering to look back to chance Erin's escape. And like a detective, he tip toed slowly to a large, wide tree, inching to catch her in the act behind it. "Ah hah!" he exclaimed, jumping around it. Nothing. He frowned. Since when was Erin so good at hiding?
But further away, he spotted a lime green colour that stuck out so obviously from above a brush that it made him silently chuckle in certain victory. A bad day to be wearing a bright coloured hat, he thought historically to himself. So from cover to cover, he jumped, ducked, and rolled so smoothly and silently it would have made a glameow laugh. Like a predator stalking its prey, he moved carefully on all fours directly in front of the brush before kneeling. Leon grinned widely, readying himself. One, two, three!
"Gotcha!" he yelled with a pointed finger over the brush.
"Raaallll!" a green headed Pokémon cried, toppling backwards into the early night's shade of darkness, frightened.
Leon gasped, eyes wider than the moon above. "A raltz?" he asked in a whisper to himself. The young Pokémon shook violently on the grass only for a moment until regaining its confidence, staring into Leon's eyes with great interest behind its green helmet-like head. "Wow. You're a cool Pokémon," he mused, fascinated by the two pink, narrow horns protruding from its head
"Raallll?" it answered, head hung to the side and a tiny hand near its mouth.
The boy couldn't help but chuckle as he knelt down beside it, contrary to its prudent state. "Hey, have you seen Erin pass by here?" he asked, only to receive another tiny confused squeal. "Heh, guess you don't know her." Leon face palmed himself, realizing the question was pointless. But to his great surprise, the small raltz turned and pointed beyond a few trees, understanding the main goal of the game Leon had in his mind. "Really? Over there?"
"Raalll!" the white and green Pokémon cried happily with a hop, wishing to be part of the game rather than fleeing.
Leon produced a wide toothy grin, lowering himself near the grass. "K', jump on," he said excitedly, mentioning to his shoulder. The raltz read his intentions almost immediately and climbed on without hesitation, hugging the boy's head for dear life when he stood so as not to fall. "You and I," Leon started, lifting his arm for a view of the small Pokémon. "-will be the best partner's in the entire world! Nothing will hide from us!" The boy gazed where the raltz pointed after the Pokémon raised a tiny hand in the air with glee, and made his advance with as much skill as a ninja.
As quiet as the night, the duo planted themselves behind the tree the girl hid behind, readying themselves. Even the raltz showed as much confidence as the boy it clung onto. Leon brought up a closed fist at eye level, lifting each finger for the psychic Pokémon to watch without a sound.
One. The raltz nodded under its helmet like head. Two. Leon prepared to make his jump-maneuver.
He lifted the third finger. Three!
"Found you!" he shouted, receiving a terrified high pitched scream as Erin fell back, scared out of her mind. Both Leon and the raltz covered their ears until she stopped, convinced half the forest was disturbed. "Bwhahahahaha!" the boy laughed once she went silent, hands above his hips in a victorious stance. "There's no place in the world you can hide from the best hide-and-seek team ever!" he declared proudly, mirrored by the raltz on his shoulder.
Erin hugged her legs and pouted, "don't sneak up on me like that. I could have died!"
"Yeah totally." Leon rolled his eyes and the raltz copied him. "Watching you scream was like seeing a ducklet crap itself!" he managed to say through his laughter.
"That's not funny!" Erin whined, finally noticing the small Pokémon on her friend's shoulders, pointing at it. "What Pokémon is that?" she asked curiously, standing for a better look through a mist of darkness.
Halting his maniacal laughter abruptly, Leon lifted his shoulder and produced a wide, proud grin as he gazed upon his new friend. "Oh her? Found her while I was looking for you. Pretty cool huh?"
"She's a girl?" Erin asked, confused how anyone like Leon would know.
This time Erin rolled her eyes when he shrugged. "Dunno," he mumbled, his grin never left his face. "I just guessed." The raltz and Leon exchanged questionable looks. "Are you a girl?" he asked, raising a brow. Leon never knew a Pokémon could blush like the tiny raltz did. She hid her small red cheeks behind the boy's head, making a little coo in embarrassment.
"Awwwwwww!" Erin squealed, instantly loving the raltz's cuteness.
"I guess so." Leon chuckled.
"Can I hold her?" the brunette asked, trying her best to look cute for him so her friend would agree.
"What?" With raised eyebrows, Leon gave her an expression like she was crazy. "Heck no! I found her so she's coming with me," he declared, laying down the law right past her cute attack. "She wanted to come with me anyway." The boy was so caught up in his high-and-mighty attitude complete with a heroic pose, eyes closed, he never realized the raltz had somehow ended up in Erin's hugging arms. Because of her giggling, Leon slowly lifted one eyelid before both of his eyes went wide with surprise. "Hey!"
"Hehe, what?" she asked innocently as the raltz cuddled in her chest. "She likes me!" Leon sighed in defeat and slouched.
"Our turn to hide now!" she claimed with a big grin. But before Leon could correct her, Erin ran off with the raltz in her arms. "Count to twenty!" she yelled as she disappeared behind a crowd of trees.
"But it was my turn," he mumbled to himself, taking a seat against a tree in defeat while he waited, not bothering to count. Now that he thought about the raltz, they weren't native to the Unova region, were they? He stretched his legs out in front of him, thinking, eyes blankly fixed on them. "One day, I'll go to all the regions, and find the coolest and strongest Pokémon," he promised himself, staring at the starry sky as if he stored his dream there. "I can't wait." Minutes passed by as he sat there, imagining all the exciting adventures the future held for the boy and one day... his Pokémon. Leon locked his fingers together behind his head and rested against them, showing a toothy grin. "Maybe Raltz would come with me," he wondered, envisioning it. "That would be awesome." Leon stretched upwards, hands held high. It was then he realized Erin was waiting to be found. He flashed his mind and eyes open and stood up, holding his hands near his mouth to amplify his voice. "Ready or not, here I come!" A calm silence returned his warning in sounds of whistling leaves and distant cries of the night Pokémon.
Leon first searched the direction Erin ran off into, which lead back to their campfire but he soon turned back once the search came up empty handed. Next, Leon found himself looking near a gentle slope that angled into a large river which lead down to the ocean, which visibly sparkled off in the distance. Nothing again.
He sighed with a slouch, giving up. "Erin!" he shouted as loud as he could. "You can come out now! I give up!" His voice echoed through the forest and the small valley that made up the running river, but only a concerning silence fell upon the noise of complex water currents. Leon tried calling her name once more, but again silence drowned out the forest. Anxiety began clouding his mind as he became scared. Maybe she went back to the campfire, he tried convincing himself, making involuntary shivers.
"I'm going back," he whispered to himself, taking a step forward. However, he stopped immediately the second he felt a hot sensation and shot his head up at the alarming sound of a nearby explosion. His breath, his heart, his body, froze in shock at the view of a massive wall of flames engulfing the entire forest in a matter of seconds... And Leon was in its unforgiving path. Leon's aching heart felt as if it wanted to jump out of his chest as he watched his end rush before his wide eyes. In the final seconds, Leon shut his teary eyes and dropped instinctively behind the closest tree he could find. The flames of an erupting volcano rushed all around him as he screamed, making himself as small as possible. The lack of contact from the fire never stopped the extreme heat that burned the boy's left arm that was left exposed furthest from the tree's bark. Leon's tears of agony evaporated the instant they escaped his eyes, head buried within his legs. Those few seconds felt like they would never end as he went silent, realizing the blast of flames dispersed and now left the forest burning in its wake. Loud and countless cries of Pokémon haunted his conscious as he began to hyperventilate in a place that's been robbed from most of its oxygen. A single thought abused his mind:
Mom. Dad. His family... Erin.
Naturally, Leon made a split second decision and sprinted off along the river like his life depended on it, ignoring the unbearable burns on his small arm. The river reflected the devilish flames that devoured the forest's vegetation in masses as he ran to the closest point from their campfire. Heavy clouds of smoke blocked any view of the sky and began drowning out nearly all the clean air Leon had left in his lungs. Without realizing, his mind eventually became dizzy and his running turned sloppy. But he finally arrived, stopping to take immediate notice of a flying white coloured, shadowed figure in the smoke. A tail that lit up like the sun... And broad arms that were used as wings except not shaped like a bird. Flames like a shield surrounded the assumed Pokémon until it released another volcanic-like blast at the earth below in fury. Leon knew immediately his course of action in the time he had, but the nearest tree was too far. He stared at the dropped-off river behind him, hesitating as another wall of flames roared toward him.
There wasn't any other choice. With a heart of forced bravery, he fell into the deep waters, missing the flames by a couple crucial seconds. His arm felt like it was burning again as he flailed and struggled to reach the surface, beginning to panic at the thought of drowning. An instinct of survival overtook himself as he managed to resurface for a gasp of air before failing to keep his head above water. The only sense he relied on was touch, continuing to flail his arms anywhere around the surface for anything to keep himself from completely submerging. He managed to hook his right arm onto a large, floating object and pulled himself up, gasping again in the aftermath of the heat.
Loud cracks of trees, snapping and toppling, shared a disturbing noise with the sound of flames. Leon recognized the bottom half of the tree that kept him afloat before he rubbed his eyes to see again. His heart sank upon seeing just how far the shore was; unreachable.
"MOM!" he yelled, pausing to control himself from breaking down. "DAD!"
The large Pokémon fixed in the sky roared an intimidating cry out to the sky, waiting in a ignorant state like it hasn't realized the colossal damage it caused.
Leon's very soul nearly left him as he heard haunting screams of people being burned alive. Tears fell like a river from his eyes at recognizing who's screams those actually were. Pausing in an attempt to clear his tightening throat, the boy knew his life itself was being burned around him as he stared desperately into the once green forest before taking a deep breath.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" he screamed, finally breaking down. "MOOOOOOOOOOM, DAAAAAAAAAD!" Leon screamed even louder but in a shorter burst, sobbing uncontrollably as he floated downstream at a faster rate, leaving the place he was supposed to go into.
The screams of his parents eventually fell silent. His grip became more and more difficult in the final rough currents before reaching the alarming high waves of the ocean. Loud and blinding cracks of lighting outmatched the Pokémon's roar as it waited in the sky. Rain began to fall, turning heavy by the minute.
Leon cried his heart out, not wanting to admit his family were actually gone. Distinct, tiny cries of a high pitched voice awoke the remaining life he had left as he raised his head from the tree's wood in alert, searching for that voice while regaining his grip. It made Leon gasp when he spotted the little raltz caught in the rough current with its tiny body a little upstream. Making a last second adjustment to the tree's angle, almost losing his grip off a hit from a large rock, Leon reached his hand underwater the moment the raltz disappeared from the surface. He searched frantically for the small Pokémon, praying the raltz wouldn't receive the same fate as the others inside the forest. His heart flashed with sudden shock the moment he spotted the green of the Pokémon's head, managing a hold of its back before pulling it safely in his arms. The raltz coughed up water, soon realizing it was Leon before actually looking at him. All the boy could do in his emotional state was give a forced grin. The raltz hugged him for life and remained that way once they reached the entrance of the ocean, submerging from time to time in the harsh waves.
"Please," Leon managed to say between waves, his muscles locked into place in a soreness he never knew was possible while shivering uncontrollably. "Let us be ok." The tiny Pokémon in his arms cooed, wishing the same, feeling everything Leon was. Land was slowly fading away in the harsh weather; they were being carried away into the seemingly never-ending, dark abyss of the ocean. But before the burning forest disappeared, he caught sight of a group of people standing in wait on the nearest beach facing the ocean, right below the white Pokémon.
However, the only distinct feature Leon caught from the group was a faint glowing red light raised above one of them. Leon gritted his teeth and clawed into the tree's soaked bark, growling with intense anger-filled eyes. His emotions soon turned as a massive water whirlwind erupted from the ocean like a tornado, twisting water upwards to the heavy clouds in rage. Leon and the raltz resurfaced from another large wave before witnessing the sight before them. Two flashes of lightning struck a distance behind the water twister, revealing a dark figure of a bird-like colossal Pokémon with faint glowing blue eyes for a split second, followed by loud, deafening thunder in the sky.
Time was immediately taken from the two as a larger wave washed away his grip on the tree. He began panicking even further in the struggle to resurface with the small psychic still clung onto his shoulder. But he was out of air; his time was up.
Blackness clouded his mind and his body became limp and motionless in the unforgiving depths. Slowly, Leon felt himself slip away with last wishes of seeing his family and friends again. Finally, he lost himself.