Sequel to Reaction. You can understand it without reading Reaction, though.
Escape
Running…always running.
Endlessly…eternally…the rushing gales and howling winds announced my presence as I tore through the woods and flew over the rolling plains. Blades of emerald grass licked at my paws, and the endless reaches of forest seemingly moved aside at my command. Ducking left, moving right, leaping through the midst of branches without touching a single leaf and yet causing every inch of foliage to rustle violently.
I had no idea where I was going, and yet something inside drove me on… Instinct? Love, perhaps? I hadn't a clue, and yet I continued on through the highlands and into the mountains, crossing from the far reaches of one region into the northern wilderness of another. Hundreds of miles swept aside like the wind. With a glance at the sky, I could see the veil of cloud cover that hung over the air, streaked with jagged bolts of lightning.
Good…that was good. I was near.
My pace slowed as I neared the heart of the already dying storm. Yes, this felt right somehow. My paws left tracks in the thick mud as I trotted through the lifeless wintry forest. A hush fell over the surrounding, and I could sense the presence of several nearby Pokémon, muttering amongst themselves as their eyes followed my movements. I emerged from the trees and into a bare clearing, which immediately ended in a sheer drop. Slowly, I approached the cliff and leaned forward, but my gaze was met only by never-ending wilderness.
I glanced over my shoulder, perplexed. Only then did I notice the tracks other than my own: human footprints, and the imprint of some huge beast. Then my eyes fell upon the three-toed prints with huge claws; they were spaced far apart, so whatever made them was obviously traveling at high speed.
"What happened here!" I barked, lunging back into the trees and glaring around, searching for someone who could give me an answer. All sound ceased instantly the second I spoke. Scarlet eyes scanned every inch of the surrounding—they had to be there.
After some time, the sound of rustling branches reached my ears, and I turned instantly to see a wizened old owl drift lightly down onto a branch before me. Obviously he held more respect than fear, for none of the others would even look at me now.
"Great Mistress of the North Wind, do not be angry with us. The Lord of Thunder approached a human in that clearing there. The human was alone, so there was no apparent danger. It opened a capture ball, however, hoping to battle the Beast." He paused slightly, deeply concerned.
"Yes?" I asked, my voice less threatening upon seeing his calm, dignified respect.
"The Beast did not wish to run the risk that others of your Order have in the past. He rushed off into the Johto mountains."
"Lies!" I hissed, my voice a deadly growl now. "Raikou would not have run from anything! Tell me what happened before I kill every one of you goddamn vermin in this whole forest!" I demanded, my breath shaking in denial of what I knew was coming. There was no other reason for him to lie.
I could hear several concealed onlookers let out a fearful gasp upon hearing his name. I glared at the bird, whose demeanor had changed to a solemn and sincere gaze. "My apologies, Great Beast. The Thunder Lord did indeed confront the human and its monster. He then rushed toward the human to plunge his fangs into its neck. He could not possibly have foreseen that he would be met with a capture ball. It must have been more powerful that the ordinary ones, because he could not break free."
I took several steps backward, my furious glare becoming a helpless gape. It couldn't be true, it couldn't. I remembered the feeling I'd held when Ho-oh had told me…so long ago. It was the same feeling that had led me here. I released my hold over the air and let the natural wind break the silence as I rushed off, determined to get away from there.
It just couldn't be true…
First Entei, now Raikou, God damn it!
My blazing from ripped through the woods as I sprinted at speeds I had never dared to attain. Heavy footfalls, the pounding of my heart in my chest, the howl of the wind… I tightened my control over the gales, sending blade-like zephyrs out before me to shred through anything in my path. Wood splintered as branches were torn off; hundreds of trees were ripped out by the roots and thrown aside as if they were nothing but twigs.
I knew I couldn't demolish an entire town, but oh how I loved to see human dwellings and other structures explode into debris instantly. I knew that not all humans were to blame, and that most of them didn't even know that their kind was dangerously close to becoming superior to us, but did I ever wish that they did. I wished they all were like the ones who exploited that superiority to overtake us.
Raikou and Entei were gone. Maybe not dead, but it didn't matter. The Order of the Legends was dying, and nothing could be done about it. Goddamn humans, why couldn't they all be like the evil parasites who fed off of our power!
I sprinted numbly off into the infinite wilderness, neither knowing where I was going, nor caring.
Running…always running. It was the only escape from the pain.
No… There was no escape.