It wasn't supposed to be like this. One battle, one sharp flash of lightning and it ended before it ever truly began. Kara, blooded and battered, crawled away from the rival user and sighed. Tears streamed down the redhead's face.
The multi-faceted clear stone at her waist glowed faintly then faded. Her energy spent, no longer able to draw upon it's power. Kara ducked as the victor knelt beside her.
"You fought well enough. You just bit off more than you can chew facing me." He extended his hand to her. With a grunt of disgust she dug the spoils out of her travelling pack. A lemonade and a bottle of water, nearly half of her supplies. He took them and left. "Later, Red... can't wait to see you again."
A lascivious grin split across the blue haired male's face as he turned on his heel and left. Kara sighed to herself. He was handsome, in a way. She'd give him that much. A wolfish smile paired with bright green eyes, lean musculature and spiked hair, he perfectly exemplified the bad boy type. They'd left town at the same time three years ago at eighteen and despite being childhood friends, he decided they would be rivals. How much stronger they could be if they worked together... Another sigh escaped her. Must be pretty close to fainting if I am thinking Reiji's attractive.
Reaching back into her pack she pulled a Potion out and sprayed it on every scrape she could find. The glow returned to her gem and she could see a faint image inside. The Meowth's soul she channeled was ready for use again. A soft purr escaped Kara as her strength returned fully. She was low on supplies, and the memory of defeat still left a bitter taste in her mouth. A memory of a blue tinged fist colliding with her caused her to shiver a little. She was already eager for vengeance. I must get stronger. Hopping to her feet, she settled her pack on her back and took off at a run for the tall grass.
There wasn't a lot of tall grass left these days. The world was naught but a rundown urban sprawl in most places. Yet, there were still a few patches of the natural world, overgrown and clinging to life. Those few left were populated by the ferals, wild aggressive pokemon who rapidly neared extinction. There were two types of people who entered the wild grass. Collectors, who hunted the feral's souls for sale on the black market, and Trainers. Trainers, like Kara and Reiji, chose this profession as it was merely another means of living.
After growing up in a world were supplies were scarce and struggling the eke out a survival in the dregs of society, one could consider taking place in the gijinka fights. It was illegal, yes. The police officer unit JENNY was tasked with handling all crimes involving using poke-souls. However, the JENNY unit was a relic of the past. Running on a bare bones budget and over-tasked, like other law enforcement these days, many gijinka users thought the risk was worth the reward.
Kara shoved her way through the sharp plants. Growing taller than her full height and tangled with thorns, one could easily see how the ferals hid amongst the growth. Stumbling through the verdant patch, she watched as light filtered down eerily. Despite being mid-afternoon, the heavily shaded tangle of plants made it appear like sundown.
"Lai~!" A trilling battlecry echoed from behind Kara. She nearly didn't have time to turn as outstretched claws raked at her. Ducking down and barely rolling out of the way before she could be gutted by the blur of purple and yellow fur, she focused her mind. The gem at her waist flared to life. Instantly her senses increased as her ears migrated up her head and appeared more feline. Her whiskers and tail sprouted and a gold medallion formed on her forehead. Sharp claws of her own sprouted.
Lowering herself defensively, Kara watched the shadow through the tall grass as the feral circled around her in an attempt to get another surprise attack in. Ferals often preferred to ambush their prey. Some weren't above preying on humans. Thinking on it, it seemed only fair when they too were being hunted.
There! An opening! Kara's whiskers twitched in anticipation as the large feline dove at her again with a low growl. The beautiful, sleek fur revealed her attacker to be a Liepard. Crouching low, she intercepted the Liepard's lunge, her own claws raking the Dark-type's underbelly. Scratch was not a powerful ability, but it caused enough damage to the big cat to startle her and make her miss.
Kara didn't hesitate, following up with a Quick Attack. As she dove hard into the Liepard, she realized her mistake. She was currently a normal type, when fused with the Meowth soul. She swore the cat grinned at her before sinking it's fangs into her shoulder. The intense pain only served to infuriate Kara.
She raised her hand and ghostly coins formed in an aura around it before blasting the Dark-type in the face. A light attack and mostly ineffective attack, yet somehow Kara's Payday was enough to distract the Liepard and get her to let go.
Kara didn't hesitate before using another Quick Attack, diving headlong into the fray again. She knew she was at a serious disadvantage type-wise and yet she couldn't back down. To run was to offer her back to this predator. Kara might escape... but she might not.
The Liepard bared it's fangs and attempted to strike again. Harder and strong this time, Kara recognized the attack as Crunch. Yet, again, the Liepard missed. Kara used the opportunity to bounce away and get some distance between them before retaliating. Her final Quick Attack stunned the female Liepard. The dark-type looked at her with a dazed expression, as it woozily attempted to circle for yet another lunge. Kara struck the big cat one last time. Her claws barely grazing the surface as she utilized her False Swipe.
Seeing her chance, the Gijinka user pulled a new stone out of her pocket and held it out. With a sharp flash the big cat disappeared. The stone, once a dull cloudy color, turned a rich glowing purple. The clear stone pulsed steadily. Kara sat down and smiled, digging her Fresh Water out of her bag. She cracked the bottle open and drank deeply before even deactivating her form. Both stones shined strongly .
That evening, she carefully left the tall grass and headed back into Saffron City. The yellow buildings, worn with age towered over its citizens. Cracks marred their surfaces and its dark were filled with refuse. Climbing nimbly over a pile of cardboard boxes, she worked her way into an old abandoned apartment's window. They say Saffron was haunted by the ghosts of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that one based many of its operations here. She suspected that was a half-truth. After all, everyone knew crime was still prevalent. Perhaps rumors of ghosts stemmed from rumors of continued activity by the Rockets.
Checking the tiny room someone else had once called home, she found no evidence of anyone having found her sanctuary. A few small objects decorated the room, scavenged Pokedolls and posters. These days it was near impossible to find luxury items. After all, few could afford even the necessities. These were relics represented a time long lost to a history she'd never known. One time-worn print caught her eye, an aging poster she had found for a "pokemon league." A red and white orb was prominently displayed and familiar pokemon surrounded it. The ink had weathered to the point of being barely visible, the paper torn and crumpled. Yet, she always would remember that image and wonder what it meant.
Kara woke with a start. It was still in the middle of the night, from the looks of it. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkness, she looked around trying to figure out what had awakened her.
The soft clattering of footsteps on the metal grate outside reached her ears. A hushed whispering followed. She couldn't make out the words, yet was able to determine there were at least two people outside. Activating her familiar Meowth gijinka, she perked a feline ear towards the sound.
"Seems abandoned boss..." A low masculine voice whispered.
"That's right! We've been scouting for days!" A feminine voice insistently added.
"You two dimwits better be right about this." A brusque male voice countered with a tone of authority. "I need a good base of operations in Saffron."
Kara slowly backed away towards the apartment's door as she heard the crumble of cardboard. She realized she had inadvertently forgotten to cover the window in her exhaustion earlier. Not that it seemed to matter. She had a bad feeling about these three.
A minute later an orb of darkness shot through the window, shattered it's already cracked glass. The black sphere turned into a cloud of concealing smoke. A Smoke Bomb attack! Gijinka users! A man with straight, chin-length blue hair hopped through the window. Dressed in purple and marked on the chest with a skull and crossbones of a Koffing user, Kara immediately became nervous. Poison-type users were often considered the most dangerous of all for their shady tactics and lack of remorse for innocent civilians.
"Oh look, a little stray Meowth has wandered into the Boss's new hideout! Here kitty, kitty..." The Koffing user taunted in a lightly accented drawl. His expression changed from amusement to barely concealed rage. "Guess I am goin' have to kick this cat back to the alley, Jess!" He yelled back over his shoulder to his partner.
Kara refused to acknowledge his insults. She readied herself and pressed closer to the wall. Damn, he's managed to get between me and the door. I can probably take him, but not all three of them. He looks dangerous though. Going to have to fight my way through.
Lunging at him with a Quick Attack, she managed to knock him out balance. He laughed heartily, Then, and only then, did she catch sight of his uniform. The red "R" was only something people told each other to cause fear, right? Or so she had always thought. Yet here he was, a member of the infamous Team Rocket. She stumbled back into the wall and he caught her gaze.
"Prepare for trouble, little cat..." He whispered to her with a smirk. The Rocket reached forward, and she winced for the coming attack. Yet it never came. Instead, he stroked her cheek. "You know, Team Rocket is always recruiting. We could always use assets like yours." He looked her up and down with a grin.
Kara gasped slightly as the man backed away, still grinning. She saw her opening. Taking a chance, she bolted at full speed through the door. Scrabbling over old refuse, she fell to all fours at times. Not once, did she glance back.
"Don't worry about her, Boss, she'll be back." The man said to his companions who had finally joined him in the room.
Kara continued her flight for days as she headed north. The road to Cerulean City was a barren wasteland. Ramshackle huts built of sheet metal and cardboard had sprung up over the years. Disorganized and protected by razor wires strung between some of the more durable constructs, the labyrinthine infrastructure slowed her progress.
During the day she camped out in abandoned huts. She hadn't yet seen any residents, but this area was known for gang violence. Underage thugs fought to eke out a living. They wouldn't hesitate to take her supplies or her gijinka stones. Kara realized early on she lacked adequate supplies and would have to scavenge something up. Nights she ran free as her Liepard, dodging and weaving her way around. She lithely avoided the traps and roaming residents for the first three days. The next night, she encountered the girl.
Waifish and gaunt, the girl looked to be close in age to Kara. Pale blonde hair, so pale it was almost white, hung in a long braid down her back. She wore no signs of gang affiliation as far as Kara could see, merely tattered blue rags.
Kara watched as her tall, thin form worked its way around a sharp net of barbed wires. The girl's arm snagged as she ducked under, bleeding instantly. Kara ran forward to help the girl, feeling sorry for her. She may have had few supplies, but a cut that deep out here could be fatal. The girl turned, catching sight of Kara and only then did Kara see the blue gems glowing at her belt.
Claws sprung from the girl's hands. Blue armored patches formed on her body and a pink ridge formed on her forehead. The girl grimaced revealing sharp fangs at the corners of her mouth before jumping back. Landing on all fours, her chest thrust outwards before her mouth opened with a powerful jet of water.
Kara, still in her Liepard form, barely rolled out of the way in time. "Please, I am only trying to help you. You're hurt!" She pleaded the other girl, her tail and ears dropping submissively to show she wasn't a threat. "Please, let me heal you. Then we can go our separate ways if you wish." Taking a chance, she deactivated her gijinka form before the girl. The other girl looked at her with a skeptical expression before doing the same.
Kara immediately began hoping she wasn't a trainer who had lost control of their gijinka soul and ran wild like the Ferals. It was a common precautionary tale, perhaps another legend stemming from truth. People who use the pokemon's powers too much lose their own souls. This girl had a very powerful form from the looks of it, and had evolved her gijinka twice.
The girl walked over and thrust her injured arm forward. She appeared to hesitate, before grunting under her breath, "Ari."
"Excuse me?" Kara gave the girl a confused look, seriously wondering if she didn't remember language.
"My name. My name is Ari." The girl, Ari, bit her bottom lip as she stood in front of Kara. "Now... can you please help me?"