Hello, everyone. Lonely Riolu here. First of all, I want to say I'm sorry. I have been completely neglecting my Pokémon/Hunger Games fan fiction but I have an excuse! I have a better idea now! It's purely Pokémon so I'm going to feel much more comfortable writing this one instead of the other, which of course means Pokémon Hunger Games is now an abandoned project. I'm sorry to those who wanted me to continue, but my passion for Pokémon is too strong for me to continue mixing it with something I know barely anything about. So, without further ado, let us enter my new story: Absol-ution.
Chapter 1: Where It All Began
Chasing, hunting, hate, murder, being skinned, sold, neglected and abused… My species was, and still is, subject to having all these unpleasant things done to them. Who is behind all these actions, you may ask? Humans, of course. Humans are behind everything bad that I had encountered up until then. I hated them, as you may well sense from how I speak of them. I hated them with a dark, homicidal passion that burned like a dark, violent flame. My soul was filled with hate and murder to which I subjected all humans that happened to cross my path. And all this abuse towards my species for being horribly misunderstood. We Absol have a unique ability to predict natural disasters and weather, which we had tried to warn humans about for centuries. But we were often mistaken for the cause of the disasters because humans figured out that we knew they were approaching.
My name is… Well, I couldn't tell you my name back then because I didn't know it. My parents died in a raid some humans in red suits executed when I was still a cub. I managed to survive because my white fur hadn't grown yet so I was easily hidden by the shadows of the cave we lived in. My parents, with their dazzlingly white coat of fur, weren't so lucky. They… Well, let's leave it at that. I still haven't quite gotten over the whole thing, especially with the adventure I'm about to share with you all, whether I like it or not.
I was running down the rocky slopes Mt. Coronet. It was, much to my dismay, snowy as always. It was perpetual winter all year round and I was lucky enough to at least have a thick fur coat to prevent me from turning into a popsicle. But I had another way of keeping myself warm, though it wasn't as pleasant as my natural garments. It was the occasional human hunting crews that came for me so they could skin me and sell my fur coat for huge amounts of this thing they called money, though I didn't understand what this money was nor did I care because stopping to ask would get me shot between the eyes.
I heard a Houndoom's howl, indicating that it probably a trace of me. Darn mutts, always so compliant to succumb to a human's control as long as they got to kill stuff. Or a juicy stake every now and then. I found it funny back then, as freshly killed Magikarp and Clefairy were obviously superior options! They have this succulent, satisfying taste to them that just drives me insane just with me thinking about it. Oh, I'm drooling. Hold on, I need to wipe my jaw.
So anyway, I was getting tracked and I was getting very desperate. I was tired because this was the third hunting crew that day. Usually there were two at most but that day apparently was "Kill an Absol or be damned to the Distortion World"-day.
Then, out of nowhere, well actually, from behind a tree, a Houndoom jumped right in front of me. I locked eyes with it just before it opened its muzzle and fired a big stream of fire at me. I was lucky to live in this environment because I had to dodge wild predators as well, such as Sneasels. Hate those pesky little nuisances. My eyes blinked and I sidestepped, letting the stream of fire hit the snow instead, causing an avalanche. The Houndoom whimpered and ran. I jumped onto a big rock to save myself from the rolling mass of snow and looked smugly, a look of satisfaction on my face.
"You'll have to try a lot harder than that to fry my fur, you mutt!" I shouted after the Houndoom running for its life. I laughed maniacally and proceeded to return to my small den. But just before I reached my so-called home a brownish streak flew past me and before I knew it, I had a big cut on my face. It didn't hurt that badly but it was bleeding, so much so that there was a small puddle of blood on the ground in front of me after only a few seconds after the cut had been made. I looked around furiously, trying to locate the monster who had ruined my beautiful face. Yes, I'm a male who cares about his face. Shut up, you'll never get a proper mate if you don't start taking care of your features. Anyway, I suddenly heard a human voice to my right and I directed my gaze in that direction. It was a female human in heavy winter clothing and a shoulder bag that could probably fit a year's worth of something the humans referred to as makeup. I had seen a female human wearing a lot of it once. Trust me, it's not a sight for sore eyes. But this particular female seemed mostly authentic. But what caught my attention was the Linoone standing next to her, smirking at me like it had just pulled the funniest prank in the world on me. I projected my hateful gaze in its eyes. The human spoke.
"Oh, wow! An Absol! Oh, it's so cute! And it looks pretty strong, too. Let's catch it, Streak!"
The Linoone, apparently named Streak, nodded and got on all fours and directed its gaze at me. It spoke in a feminine voice.
"No hard feelings, Absol. My master wants you for her own and I'm just following orders. I do hope we can get along after you get used to being her Pokémon."
I think now would be the proper time to mention that I hated, and I mean, HATED tamed Pokémon. Always walking at their precious Trainer's side and talking like being held captive and made to fight for your captor is the best thing in the whole god damn world. Let me tell you, I despised tamed Pokémon almost as much I despised humans because they were the ones holding us captive. Plus they… Well, I guess it would be best if I continued the story.
"No one is going to capture me, you hear? You attempt to capture me and I will cut you in half and tear out your internals." I spoke with a low, rumbling, murderous tone, trying my best to intimidate my opponent, as that is one of us Children of Darkness' most powerful weapon: fear. A frightened opponent is an easy opponent. But this Linoone seemed to ignore my threats and just waited for its Trainer's command. I found it odd, why would a Pokémon need the help of a human to battle other Pokémon?
"Streak, let's start with a Headbutt!" the human commanded. Streak launched at me at blinding speed. I barely had time to react. My eyes blinked again and I sidestepped, allowing Streak to move right past me. I then turned myself around and pounced at Streak. I pulled my claws back to prepare for an attack. Suddenly, the human shouted a command.
"Streak, use Double Team!"
Suddenly, Streak split into tens of clones of her, surrounding me. I gazed around myself, my jaw ajar and my eyes showed my full confusion much too clearly. The clones, or should I say afterimages, of Streak smirked at me and then, out of nowhere, the real Streak attacked me and I got hit with a Headbutt that knocked the air out of me. I landed on the snow and slowly got back up. Streak was looking at me with a satisfied look on her face. But when she spoke she had a hint of concern in her tone. The kind that I hated, like I needed to be pitied.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I too rough on you?"
I got back on my feet and growled, but with no real intimidation in it. I was barely breathing, which in itself was a big surprise for me, having had my insides probably rearranged and having had my stomach caved in. I wasn't bleeding, at least on the outside, but I felt like I was going to cough blood quite soon. I could barely stand and my vision was growing faint. The last thing I heard was the human shouting something I could not make out anymore. The last thing I saw was some red, round object headed straight towards me. The last thing I smelled was the fresh scent of the snow under my feet. The last thing I felt was the round object hitting me on my forehead. And as I lay there, inside it, the last thing I tasted… Was the bitter, venomous taste of defeat. I lost consciousness after a weird click that echoed throughout the object I was in.
I woke up in a strange room, tied onto a type of bed. It smelled… Weird in the room and my head started spinning after a few minutes. It wasn't healthy to be in that room, it couldn't have. I heard some chatter outside the room and recognized a voice. The female human whose Linoone I had battled. How long had it been after that, I wondered? A day? Two days? Maybe a week? No, it couldn't have been that long. I could never have forgiven myself if I took a week to recover from any fight.
Then the door to the room opened and an Audino stepped in. It had a nurse's hat and gloves on and it seemed a bit too glad to see me awake. It approached me without fear, probably because I was tied onto the bed and couldn't really move much. The Audino started poking me in different places. First it poked my cheek.
"Hey! Cut that out!" I snapped, begging for it to work. But the Audino didn't even flinch. Next it poked me in my side. It stung a bit.
"Ow!" I yelled. The Audino kept stopped poking, probably satisfied to have found the location of my most severe injury. Next it took a form and started writing.
"Level?" It said, as if it was asking me.
"What's a Level?" I asked, as I didn't know. I guess it was human terminology.
"Moves?" It said, again as if asking me.
"The he-?" I was interrupted by a very hard slap on my cheek. The Audino stared into my eyes, and I won't lie, I was legitimately scared. I was shivering under its empty gaze.
"No swearing. There are young Pokémon here, good sir. Now, moves?"
"How am I supposed to answer if I don't know what you're asking me?" I replied.
"Alright, your Trainer's Pokédex will keep track of those."
I flinched as the Audino mentioned my Trainer. That's right. I was now in captivity, stripped of my freedom and made into a human's slave. I was ashamed of myself, but at the same time I was livid. I started squirming in my ties, growling ferociously.
"I am no one's slave, you hear? I'm a wild Pokémon and will never be tamed! I belong in the wild and nothing's going to stop me from returning there! I'll kill every single one of you if that's what it takes to get free! I'm stopping at nothing to regain my freedom!"
The Audino stood there, seemingly unaffected by my threats. It just kept examining me.
"Mmph!" I grunted as it forced my jaws open. I was trying my hardest to close them and maybe bite the Audino's head off in the process but it held my mouth open regardless.
"Subject's fangs are in top shape." I grunted very audibly after the Audino let my jaw close again. Then it started fiddling with my fur.
"Hey! Stop that! It took me hours to groom that fur! Hours!"
"Subject's fur coat is in impressive form for a wild Pokémon. Fur is thick and firm, and has a glimmering shine to it." I was flattered at these words but still had no intention of warming up to this violation of my personal space. Next the Audino started examined my legs.
"Subject has very strong legs, no bones broken and no lack of muscle mass." I was getting very irritated by this predicament.
"Hey! Don't touch that!" I suddenly snapped.
"The subject is also male."
It was a complete nightmare to lie in that bed. It had been a whole day and all I could think of was escape. That, and murder and freshly killed Magikarp. Then, suddenly, the door opened and a human walked in. It was the girl who had captured me. I was literally fuming as she approached me, and as she reached me and tried to pet my head, I barked very threateningly and she withdrew her hand in fear of not having it anymore. I smirked maliciously and she looked at me, first in disappointment and then in happiness. I was confused when her face went from what it first was to this… Happy grin.
"You're not going to let me off easily, are you? Well, that's good. I like a challenge. You are going to make a great battle partner. How are you feeling? My name is Rosa. Rosa Ryo. What's your name?" I merely growled at her. She smiled and then put on a more ponderous look.
"What should I call you? You say your name is 'Grrrr' but I don't want to call you that. Instead, I'm going to call you Riku. Yeah! You look like a Riku, even! That's settled then. Your new name is Riku. Hope you like it!" I bit my fangs together and growled again, but to no avail. She was too entranced by her choice of name for her newest prisoner. After that I was near breakdown. I had been humiliated, captured, inspected in all possible places, stripped of my confidence and now a name that I had no say in was forced on me. I felt, I won't lie, pathetic. I usually had an air of confidence and intimidation around me, but right then and there, I felt like burying my face in my paws, never to lift it up again. But alas, that wasn't an option, as in a couple hours I was lifted off the table and taken into a room upstairs. The human I was now a slave of, Rosa, carried me in and put me on the floor, giving me a look of… What's the word? Right, sympathy. A look of sympathy as she watched me sniff around and trying to find any conceivable method of escaping. I wasn't about to let myself be held captive if I had anything to say about it. Then, I heard a voice. It came from the direction where the bed in the room was.
"Oh, don't feel so nervous. You'll get used to it eventually." I turned around and saw the Linoone, Streak, lying on the bed, obviously enjoying herself and the comfy mattress. My eyes lit with hatred and I pounced on the bed, my hackles straightening and my mouth twisting into a mean snarl. I would have cut her throat out, I definitely would have, but before I could do anything I was being sucked into the object Rosa had thrown at me to capture me. I had heard them call it a Poké Ball. In a matter of seconds I was back in the metallic ball, in the darkness, which I enjoyed to a surprising extent. But I was still looking around frantically, as I hadn't been awake in this Poké Ball before. I had been unconscious when I had been carried to the Pokémon Center. There was not much there, just the metallic structure of the ball and a surprising amount of space. I hesitantly took a step and, I guess to my pleasant surprise, I was free to move inside the ball. Then, I heard Rosa's chatter, no doubt directed towards Streak. Just the thought of that Linoone disgusted me. But, even with all these negative thoughts, I still managed to find her… Fascinating, to say the least. After all, she had managed to defeat me. She must have been a strong fighter, even if her Trainer was giving her commands. I was sure she was perfectly capable of holding her own. But I quickly brushed those thoughts aside and went back to despising her and Rosa with all my power.
"Do you think Riku will be able to get used to adventuring with us? I mean, he doesn't seem like the most compliant Pokémon alive. Oh! I know! I bet if he met the whole gang, he would soon warm up to us and we could make him into our new friend!" Rosa's enthusiastic babbling just made me wish she would shut up for once. I don't know exactly what Streak thought of this idea but I'm sure she agreed completely. I, on the other hand, found it to be a horrible idea. I decided to go to sleep, as it was getting very late. I would put on my jerk in the morning and make sure no one would come to like me. I was not going to get integrated into this mess and I needed to find a way to escape.
The first night was very… Odd. At first I was sleeping fine, but then my dream started to change into a darker environment. It formed into some old ruin with torches indicating what I assumed to have been an entrance but what it was now was something that seemed like some poor Pokémon had used Explosion there. I carefully approached the ruins and went in with my claws ready to kill anything that dared step in my way. At first it was silent, not even the wind was blowing, but suddenly I heard something, like a ghost floating by. I whirled around and saw a Pokémon I had never seen before. I seemed to be made out of a black cloth, had a red collar around its non-existent neck and had a long, white streak of cloth flowing behind it. It seemed to only have one eye, or maybe the other one was hidden behind that white cloth. Its hands were very harmful-looking, with three appendages on each hand that looked like a cross between a finger and a claw. It came closer and I backed up, but eventually I bumped into a wall. I growled and showed my fangs to scare the creature off but it was no help. Is it me, or was nothing afraid of me then? But as I thought that I had met my end, the Pokémon, instead of cutting my head off, spoke to me. His voice felt very silenced, as if he had a very bad cough and tried to speak with the ailment.
"Ah, you have found your way into the Ruins of the Night. This is where I reside. I don't get many visitors but when I do, oh am I happy to have them. What's your name, son?" I hesitated, as I knew nothing about this person. I was definitely taking a defensive stance at that point, but chose to speak until it was unnecessary. I didn't want to fight him for some reason. I felt… Afraid, I guess that's the best way to put it.
"I don't have a-", I said, but then remembered the name Rosa had given me. I didn't want to admit it but I actually found my new name to be quite fitting. So I answered his question.
"My name is Riku."
"Ah, you have a fine name, my child. My name is Darkrai, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed courteously as he introduced himself.
"Your child?", I asked, confused about his words. He looked me in the eyes.
"All Dark-type Pokémon or as you call them, Darklings, are my children. I am the start and the end of the darkness." Suddenly, a bright light lit up near the ruins. Darkrai started acting strangely, like he needed to get out of there.
"Darn. My nemesis is here. I need to go. But before I go, I want to say something. Please do visit me here whenever you please. You are a Darkling, and as such you can come here whenever you please. Just set your thoughts on this place and you'll find yourself here." He started to melt through the floor.
"I look forward to your next visit, my child." He said this just before his head disappeared under the ground. I didn't have much time to process what Darkrai had said before the light got closer and brighter. It blinded me and I woke up in shock. I looked around frantically but found myself inside my metal prison. I sighed heavily and lay back down. Darkrai's words still echoed in my head…
Thank you for reading the first of many chapters of Absol-ution. If you liked it, please review so I'll know if there's anything I could improve on. For now, this is the Lonely Riolu signing off. Have a wondertastic day, you all!
