A/N: This is my first ever fan fiction so dont hesitate to lay any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism on me, cheers :]
She held her hands across her face, shielding them from the harsh sunlight as she stepped out of the doorway, her eyes attuned to the darkness. As her vision slowly returned, the world before her began to take shape; rolling hills and wide plains stretched away before her, the vast wilderness seemingly untouched by civilisation. The land was covered in a sea of green, varying from hoards of clustered trees to enormous fields of grass, the faint sound of running water echoing somewhere in the distance. The structure on which she stood appeared to be the only sign of civilisation for miles.
Unsurprisingly, the outside world was equally as hot as inside. Though she immediately noticed the wind, the dry breeze blowing her pure white robe out behind her. She stood elegantly in the sunlight, pale skin with bright green hair that curved around her ears, in the centre of her chest protruded a large red spike that seemed to pierce through from one side to the other. Only slightly shorter than most adult humans, she was a prime example of a fully grown Gardevoir.
The door led out to a patio, the raised platform almost falling apart with age. She peered back at the house, amazingly, the ramshackle building looked worse from out here than it did from inside. Rotted wooden slats hung loosely from the rest of the building, some already fallen to the ground. The house itself managing to find the only perfectly flat piece of ground in the area.
This had been the first time in weeks, essentially the first time since her capture, that Gardevoir had seen the world outside the darkness of the shelter. A whistle grabbed her attention and she continued to follow her new "master". The fortunate trainer was a most physically intimidating one, taller than most humans she had seen. Built like a tank, it would be more accurate to describe him as a Machoke. Though she was only slightly smaller than most, this man absolutely dwarfed her.
He glanced back at her through aviator style sunglasses, watching her descend the rickety wooden stairs before continuing on. He wore old, tattered full length jeans that were torn at the knees with a plain white shirt that clung tightly, accentuating his already muscular physique. He had short brown hair standing straight up with shaved sides; the style appearing to be the remnants of a military history. Beady brown eyes hid behind the glasses, and though she had only seen his face without them once, it was a face that was branded into her mind as something to be feared.
Immediately at the man's heels were his loyal companions; a fully grown Arcanine, Houndoom, and Mightyena. The trio made a formidable hunting team, as Gardevoir herself had the misfortune of experiencing.
She glanced at her left arm as she followed, just below the shoulder, the bite mark still clearly visible from where the Mightyena had brought her down. In fact, it had only gotten worse since the attack. Denied basic levels of hygiene, the wound had grown infected, with purple veins spider-webbing away from each jagged puncture.
They passed through a group of trees and reached a large expanse of neatly cut grass. Dead patches and scorch marks were scattered across the field and on nearby trees. It wasn't hard to figure out this was their own private training grounds.
The trainer shouted something at the trio, and they began running laps of the field. He spoke with a deep, booming voice, and though she couldn't exactly understand his words, she interpreted the language through the speaker's use of gesture and tone. If the speaker was passionate enough, Gardevoir could often read their emotions. It was an ability that she had need never make use of in the past, but being thrust into this new world, she now relied on it.
Another one word order grunted its way out his mouth.
She knew this one, "Arcanine".
Gardevoir grimaced as the Arcanine quickly took its place on the opposite side of the field to her, the trainer as well as the other two Pokémon moving off to the side. Arcanine began a low growl, even on all fours the beast was as tall as she was. Gardevoir immediately began shaking in place, terrified of what the fire Pokémon's next action might be. She felt like the standoff would last an eternity, however the Arcanine suddenly grew silent. Instead of attacking, the Pokémon merely lowered itself onto its hind legs, sitting. A voice broke the silence, the trainer staring at her from the sidelines.
"So some know-it-alls back in town claim you Gardevoirs are capable of at least the most basic of psychic abilities... show me" the man thrust his finger towards the Arcanine. He spoke clearly this time, and though she still didn't understand the words, the message was clear on what he expected her to do.
Gardevoir remained in place, still shaking, even more terrified by the idea of attempting to attack the animal. She couldn't, and panicked more as she felt the rage grow inside the trainer. The Arcanine remained silent, sitting proudly.
"Use your fucking psychic attack!" He roared at her this time.
Gardevoir brought her hands to her mouth in fear, but couldn't move. In fact she couldn't even force her legs to move, her body had locked up. The Arcanine continued to stare at her, as if it were beckoning her to try. More enraged than ever, the trainer fumed.
"You useless Pokém- Arcanine use Fire Bla-" He cut himself off. No, she was no good to him incinerated.
"Get out of my sight-" he pointed to a large tree on the outskirts of the field "-and don't even think of trying anything, or I'll have Mightyena give you another one" nodding to the now infected bite etched across her arm.
Regaining control of her body, Gardevoir fled to the edge of the field. As her body recovered from the intense tingling sensation, the pain in her arm began to return. More over-powering than it had been in the past, the throbbing made her feel ill in the stomach, her head beginning to spin. Gardevoir slumped to the ground and leant against the massive tree, trying to clear her mind.
With nothing else to do, and much too afraid to risk moving from where she had been sent, Gardevoir watched the others train. The trainer shouted orders at them, which they followed to the letter. The absolute barbaric way in which they practiced made her unsure if it was legitimate training, or merely a method to frighten her. Either way she never wanted to find herself in battle with one of those Pokémon… Again. They fought without restraint, capable of serious injury if the other so much as let their guard down momentarily, but perhaps that's just how their trainer wanted it.
Half an hour passed, an hour, Gardevoir stopped watching the others train as her mind began to wander. The dizziness had passed, and her thoughts began flowing freely. Hurling her back to before she even knew of Pokémon trainers. The vivid memories filled her mind with sadness, and she wondered if she would ever see her family-
Gardevoir hadn't noticed the trio approach her, attempting to box her in. She bolted up off the ground and tried to back away, only to find her only exit blocked by the tree she had been leaning on.
"It seems you don't respond too well to direction, perhaps if you had something to lose... Don't give me that helpless garbage! I saw what you did back at that crappy little cave, it's because of you that we lost the entire clan! Do you have any idea how much a Ralts and Kirlia sell for?" Gardevoir could sense the rage in his voice once more, she pressed her back as hard as she could against the tree.
The other Pokémon slowly closed in, savagely barking, howling and baring their teeth as they approached.
"Perhaps you need that sensation again, having that little something to lose-" They were at pouncing distance now. "-like your life".
Terrified, Gardevoir covered her eyes with her hands and sunk to ground, waiting to feel the razor sharp teeth or bursts of fire. She sat there quivering, bracing for the end, her death already a possibility she had accepted. Only it didn't come, there were no bursts of fire or the tearing of flesh. She slowly pulled her hands away to find herself face to face with the Arcanine, Houndoom and Mightyena, so close she could feel their breath on her face. A loud sigh came from behind them, followed by a distinct whistle, the dog-like Pokémon immediately retreated. They had done their job well, but it still wasn't enough.
Gardevoir collected her nerves and began to stand up, -thump- she hadn't even seen him coming. She fell in a heap in front of the tree, the entire left side of her face absolutely throbbing. She looked up to see the trainer drawing back his fist. The man knelt down to her level, staring at her through his glasses.
"You know sooner or later… you WILL obey me" Gardevoir glared at him, holding a hand to the left side of her face.
At that he stood up and made to turn around, only to suddenly sink his boot into her stomach, lifting her off the ground and throwing her body into the tree. She sunk to the ground once more, unable to a loud wail from escaping, her body now completely limp. He snorted as he walked off, the other Pokémon not even glancing at the spectacle. Gardevoir could do nothing more than lay there, clenching her teeth and clutching her stomach, unable to move. Pain coursed through her entire body, the left side of her face had already begun to turn a dark shade of red.
"Alright boys, the rest of the afternoon is yours" the trainer walked off in the direction of the house, showing no acknowledgement of the Pokémon's cry.
Houndoom and Mightyena immediately began chasing each other around, happily playing whilst Arcanine simply rolled around in the grass. The trio not seeming to care at all about the injured Pokémon barely 20 metres away.
Gardevoir's hand remained pressed against her stomach as she struggled to her feet. Knowing she wouldn't be able to stand for long, she stumbled around to other side of the tree, away from the view of the other Pokémon. There she collapsed, her back against the same tree. She felt her eyes begin to water, but slammed her eyes shut and turned her head, as if refusing to admit defeat.
Silent streams made their way down her face, but she couldn't hold it back any longer, and so she cried. It hurt her stomach with each gasp, but she couldn't stop, she didn't want to stop. For hours she sat there and wept, her knees tucked up against her body, burying her head against her forearm.
It had hit mid-afternoon by this point, but there were still a few hours of sunlight left in the day. Gardevoir had calmed to a silent sobbing, occasionally letting out a quiet gasp.
She wiped her eyes against her forearm, rubbing off the last of the tears. The distant sound of barking echoed off the trees, the others must have moved to the far end of the training grounds, or even into the trees beyond that. She didn't care, as long as they were nowhere near her. She thought of trying to run, putting enough distance between them before they realised. She slowly shook her head. Gardevoir knew she wouldn't make it far in this condition, and she wouldn't stand much chance against the hunting pack, who likely knew this entire area.
Gardevoir let out a long sigh as she looked up from her forearm. Compared to the open field behind her, this area was absolutely filled with trees. Slivers of light filtered down through the tree canopy. She could hear birds, most likely Pidgeys, happily chirping in the distance, the sound of running water seemed louder from this spot as well.
It was then that she heard a faint, high pitched squeal. She cocked her head, waiting to see if she had simply imagined it. The sound came again, from somewhere beyond the undergrowth in front of her. She could feel panic in the sound. Unsure of its origins, she cautiously rose to her feet, wincing slightly at the pain in her stomach, the dizziness also returning.
Gardevoir began making her way through the undergrowth, heading away from the training grounds. Ducking under and stepping over branches, she carefully made her way through the thick mesh, the sound of running water growing louder. It wasn't long until she reached the other side, to find the source of both the sound of running water and the squealing.
A wide river stretched out before her, flowing downstream from the right, disappearing into the distance in a series of twists and turns off to her left. Right in front of her however, was the squealing noise she had been following. A lone Caterpie was spinning around on the spot, stranded on a small stone that protruded from the water's surface in the centre of the stream. As Gardevoir approached, it became clear that the small stone was in fact a huge, naturally formed crossing, reaching from one side of the stream to the other. However it appeared that as the Caterpie was crossing, the water level had risen. Most likely something was blocking the flow of water underneath the "bridge", causing it to flow over the top. The only part of the bridge not underwater was the tiny protrusion of rock on which the Caterpie now stood.
Without hesitation, Gardevoir lowered herself into the stream. The current was much stronger than she had expected, proving to be deeper too. The current pressed her body against the bridge, preventing her from being washed downstream. She could feel the gap in the bridge at her feet where the water was flowing underneath, but was still unable to touch the bottom.
The current worked in her favour, holding her upper body above the water level. She pulled herself along the edge of the bridge until she reached the middle, where the Caterpie was staring at her curiously. Gardevoir paused for a moment before slowly reaching her hand towards the Caterpie, holding it out in front of the bug Pokémon. With another panicked squeal the Caterpie touched its head against her hand. With the approval she had asked for, she carefully scooped the Caterpie up in both hands, holding it against her neck. Gardevoir worked her way back to the side she had entered the stream from, the Caterpie making more panicked squeals as she went. It was harder going back without the use of her arms, but she managed.
Making it to the embankment, she reached out, placing the Caterpie on dry land. It began happily crawling around in circles on the grass, making cheerful "Cater-Cater-Piiieeee" noises as it went. Gardevoir hoisted herself out of the stream, still clearly favouring her right arm. She looked down at herself and, not at all to her surprise, was absolutely drenched. Before she had even managed to take a step she felt something crawl up her foot. Gardevoir looked down again to find the dark green Caterpie had wrapped itself around her leg from foot to knee.
She stared at the Caterpie with a puzzled look and slowly lowered herself, sitting cross legged on the spot, the Caterpie adjusting itself to atop her shin. The bug Pokémon squealed happily as it began crawling up to her knee. Staring intently at the adorable Pokémon, she placed her right hand on her knee, letting it crawl onto her hand, continuing up her arm.
In that moment, for the first time in days, a smile spread across her face. The smile quickly grew into quiet giggling as the Caterpie crawled up her arm, tickling her as it went. Gardevoir giggled more and more, holding her other hand to her mouth. The Caterpie continued to make cheery squeals, as it reached her shoulder she placed her left hand in front of it. As before the Caterpie crawled onto her hand and started up her other arm. They both continued to giggle ecstatically until the Pokémon reached her elbow.
She glanced at the bite just above the Caterpie, noticing that the purple coloured veins around each puncture had grown a little more intensifying in colour. She placed her hand in front of the Caterpie, beckoning it to crawl back up her right arm. Instead, the green bug disregarded her hand and crawled around it. She made to reach for the Pokémon but stopped herself. Where she had once sensed an overwhelming playfulness in the Caterpie, she now found a serious determination and focus. She withdrew her hand, and allowed the Caterpie to continue, wincing slightly as it began crawling over the bite. With each slow step the Caterpie took, the area beneath it immediately became numb. The bug Pokémon crested at her shoulder as Gardevoir stared intensely at the wound.
The dark purple that had once followed the veins from the bite had completely disappeared. Gardevoir stared in amazement to also notice that each of the wide tears had been covered in a thin string like mesh, completely sealing the wounds. It took a few seconds for her to react, but an enormous smile suddenly spread across her face, making a delighted "Garrr" sound as she nuzzled her head against the Pokémon on her shoulder. The Caterpie squealed happily and its cheerfulness quickly returned.
The bug Pokémon looked expectantly down at the ground, Gardevoir obliged, scooping it up and placing it gently on the ground. The bug gave one last "Cater- Piiieee" before it crawled off into the undergrowth, quickly disappearing from view.
Gardevoir remained sitting cross legged, the smile slowly leaving her face as she hung her head low. Her little getaway was over, for just a moment she had completely forgotten about her situation, and just like that it had taken control of her thoughts once again. She sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders forward, her head almost touching her legs. Her good mood was washed away in a second, but reality wasn't done. As if on cue she heard a loud whistle coming from back beyond the undergrowth, followed by a loud barking. She slammed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, slowly exhaling as she dragged herself to her feet. Fearing what would happen if she didn't respond, she quickly raced back through the undergrowth and out onto the training grounds. The trainer, Arcanine, Mightyena and Houndoom were all waiting.