Prologue
Nothing stirred in the dark forest. The moon was pitch-black, as it was a new moon, and no light was to be seen at all. An Noctowl hooted in the night, echoing in the vast forest. Various bug Pokémon scattered in the darkness, as though they were trying to avoid something. The soft patter of rain filled the trees with droplets of water, and nourished the vegetation with the energy they needed to survive. The only way one could tell that there was something alive in the forest was the chattering of the bugs and the sound of something rustling the leaves of bushes and grass along the ground. It was a quiet forest, other than the bugs, and had always been a peaceful place for various activities, like meditation. The humans that lived in the area had always taken care of the forest, as there had been a myth that the guardian of the forest lived there that had taken desperate measures to make sure that the forest was kept safe. As a result, the mythical guardian of the forest disappeared. The humans built a shrine in honor of it, and continued to protect the forest as hard as the guardian did.
But the otherwise quiet forest was interrupted by the shouts and yells of men, frantically searching for something. Beams of bright light shone through the dense leaves, targeting Pokemon one by one. Nets captured them, which were then hauled into boxes to be carried away. Terrified cries issued from the mouths of the Pokemon as the men shoved them into crates, and were taken away.
But in one of the bushes farthest from the group of men, a Zorua hid. It panted heavily, as it was tired from running for hours on end. It studied the group of men curiously, thinking, "I wonder what they're looking for…"
One of the men holding a Houndoom yelled, and motioned to an area that had been untouched by the group of evil men. The Houndoom pushed passed the big bushes with its curled silver horns on the top of its head, searching for what its master wanted it to find. Looking around with its red eyes, and smelling with its nose, it found countless Pokemon, which were then taken away in nets and crates. As it captured them, the Houndoom slowly approached the bush that concealed the small Zorua.
When the Houndoom was a few feet from the bush, one of the men shouted, "It's not here!", and the man holding the Houndoom tugged on its leash. The Houndoom looked back at its master and growled as it motioned towards the bush. The man understood what it wanted, and mumbled a single word that made the Zorua tremble with fear: "Kill."
Immediately the Zorua darted from the bush and fled towards the edge of the forest. The Houndoom chased after it, making the man holding it let go of the Zorua didn't stop running as it passed the numbers of Pokemon being shoved into crates, because it feared that if it stopped, the Houndoom would definitely kill it. But even though it ran as fast as it could, the Houndoom was catching up to it. It would only be a matter of moments before the hound would grab the Zorua with it's horrid mouth. It could already see it coming; The Zorua would be swept up off the ground and be in the clutches of the Houndoom's jaws, and would be torn apart by the its vicious teeth. There was no use in running.
And then, as if by some miracle, a blue sphere lighted up the dark from a distance away,and rushed towards the Zorua and Houndoom. It hit the Houndoom squarely in the jaw, and the force of the sphere made it land on the ground with a thud. It didn't move at all.
The Zorua shuddered, because it worried that there might be something else that would kill him in the near future. He felt a rush of wind nearby, and looked up to see a Lucario staring back at him. Its red eyes looked menacing as the light from the group of men reflected upon it. The Lucario was standing in a defensive position, and the Tricky Fox Pokemon realized that it was trying to protect it. It relaxed, even though it knew that it wouldn't be long before something happened to either one of them.
"Don't be scared," the Lucario whispered to the Zorua. He bore a look of concern as he said it, but the otherwise fearless Pokemon looked back at the group of men. "Everything's going to be okay."
The Lucario turned back towards the group of men, and in a flash of light, moved towards them with incredible speed. Within moments, the men had disappeared, and the Zorua's protector was nowhere to be seen. The Zorua trembled in fear, and wouldn't stop for the next few minutes. But it stopped when it heard something rustling the leaves of the trees. It peeked out from the patch of grass it was hiding from, and immediately regretted it.
The forest was blazing hot, and filled with red and white light. Screams could be heard from both Pokemon and people, and flames licked the tree leaves with an intense ferocity that the Zorua had never experienced before. It started to panic, and began to run away. It didn't get far, though, because the Zorua felt something rush past it and pick it up swiftly. It couldn't remain conscious enough to fully understand what was happening, but the only things it knew was that it was traveling at a supersonic speed, and that the one that was carrying it was the Lucario. It hoped that it was taking it somewhere safe, and out of harm's way.
And then it blacked out.
Hey everyone! Thank you for reading this, as it if my first fanfiction! Please write a review for this story, and be on the lookout for more stories by me!