Greetings all. It's been quite a while, probably so long that anyone who reads this story probably doesn't even know who I am (if anyone ever knew before). I told myself I was done writing fanfictions, but an idea popped into my head, but the more I thought about it, the more it developed and I just went with it. But more than that, I think my writing style has improved greatly since my last fic and I wanted to end off on a relatively good note.
Anyway, all that aside, let's get to this fic. The reason I wrote this fic was to deal with a topic that is very much neglected in the Pokemon universe, and that is the Pokemon's domestication. I know there really isn't a place in the main games for this, but the fact that the anime hasn't ever brought anything like this up is honestly really surprising to me. Maybe it's just me, but the idea that a someone can catch an Eevee from the middle of a forest and then bring that Eevee into a Pokemon Center the next day and that Eevee react to things like furniture and computers like it's nothing is just nonsensical. Even a kitten that has been bred in someone's house will react differently upon entering their new owner's house. So how is it that wild Pokemon can be taken from forests, rivers, and mountain tops and then be brought into cities with absolutely no reaction to technology, vehicles, or just freaking buildings in general? Surely at the very least they'd be curious about that kind of stuff. Maybe I'm thinking to deeply into this, but I thought it would be a nice topic to focus on.
Anywho, before anyone gets really into this, this will not be a long multi-chaptered story focusing on the development of this protagonist. In fact, this will be this one chapter that will take place over several periods of time. This is not a story that will be about going from capture to becoming fully domesticated; it is about a character slowly transitioning over time.
Lastly, this is a work of fiction that I thought of on my own. Any similarities to any other works is purely coincidental. I do not own Pokémon in any way.
So without ado, let's get into this.
I'm a creature known as a Pokémon. More specifically, I'm classified as a Pikachu. I'm a small, yellow cute Pokémon with the power to utilize the electricity within my body to use at attacks. My species is quiet and jovial, yet slightly wary of changes in our environment.
I live in my home. It is a vast land of trees, flowers, and small water holes. I love it. My den is a small hole in the back of a thick tree trunk. There are lots of other Pokémon that dwell here. Water-types and grass-types are the most common, but there are also a few bug-types and even fire-types living here. We all live in peaceful harmony.
It's another wonderful day. Nothing unusual, in fact everything is about status quo. The sun is out. There's a gentle breeze. A few flying Pokémon flutter about overhead. As I lay against a tree, eyes half-lidded, I can't help but think how great and peaceful my life is. I sit out gaze at the beauty of the sky all day. No problems, no interruptions, and no changes.
Until now.
I am awoken by a voice.
"Ches-kun, use Vine Whip!"
Before I can even react, I feel a painful smack on my cheek. Disoriented and slightly fearful, I slowly open my eyes to the sight in front of me. I see a human; a male and a rather young one at that. In front of him, a Pokémon. Green and brown, about my height, and also male. Presumably quite young as well.
This is a rare sight. Humans are rarely ever seen here. Normally I'll see one every few passings of the sun or so, but that is normally it. And normally they get out as quickly as they came in. They never stay for very long. I don't know what's going on, my first instinct is to attack and then flee. I release my attack; Thunder Shock, the most powerful move I know.
"Dodge it, Ches-kun! Then Tackle!" The other Pokemon avoids my attack and then slams into me. I fly backwards, colliding with the tree I was previously resting against. Clearly attacking will do no good. I decide to flee instead.
"Don't let it get away! Grab it with Vine Whip Ches!" I attempt to run away, but am stopped by two thin vines wrapping around my body. I begin screaming for help, any bit of assistance from my fellow species. As I try to charge up a last ditch attempt Thunder Shock, a feel something hit me in the head. Suddenly I become engulfed in a bright light and I feel my body becoming weaker. Next, I feel like I am being sucked into a dark void. I can no longer see the forest. I can no longer see the human or the other Pokemon who attacked me. All I see it darkness.
"Alright Ches-kun. We caught the Pikachu."
Nothing. There's nothing. Only darkness. I don't even know how long it's been since I've entered this unescapable world of darkness, but I'm still too weak to even try to move at the moment. Oddly, I have been feeling a bit of my strength returning as I've been laying here, but it's still not enough.
I can barely even remember what happened. All I know is that a human came out of nowhere and had a Pokemon I've never seen before attack me. Why did he do that though? And why did the Pokemon obey him attack me? Nothing is making sense right now. I figure I'll just rest for a bit. I'll need my energy later.
Out of nowhere I get another strange feeling. Just like before when I was sucked into this dark world. I can see a bit of light. Now more. It's getting brighter. All of a sudden…
I open my eyes and find myself in a weird place. I don't even know how to describe the sight before my eyes. I do however, recognize the human male and the small green and brown Pokemon from before. I get down in a battle stance before as I prepare for another attack.
"Calm down, Pikachu. You're healed up now."
His language sounded strange to me, but I believe he was telling me that my strength had been recovered. Come to think of it, I did feel rejuvenated. Almost as if our altercation had never happened.
"Everything is fine now. I'm Calem, and this is my pal Ches-kun." He gestured towards the small Pokemon that he'd commanded to attack me. "From now on, you're part of our team."
Team? What did he mean?
"And I think I'll call you Pika-kun."
This was getting even weirder. This human had said I was part of something called his "team" and now was giving me some sort of new identifier. At this point, I really just wanted to run away. I had no idea where, but anywhere would be better than here right now.
"So I guess I…oh wait, I forgot my bag at the front desk. I'll l be right back." The human ran off leaving me and the other Pokemon behind. Just as I was about to run off, the other Pokemon approached me.
"Even though Calem already handled it, I guess I should formally introduce myself. I'm Ches-kun, the Chespin, newly graduated starter Pokemon at your service." He puffed up his chest and held his head up high.
"What? Chespin? Starter Pokemon? Gradu-what? What's going on? Where are we? Why did you attack me? Answer now!" I demanded.
"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down Pika-kun. One thing at a time. Ok...so I'm."
"What is that? Pika-kun? I don't understand."
"Geez, what is with you and the questions?" He raised his paws up at me, almost in defense. "Ok, I'm a Chespin and my name is Ches-kun. I was given as a starter Pokemon to that boy Calem, our trainer. That means I've graduated. Or at least I think so." He sheepishly rubbed his head nervously. "And we're in a Pokemon Center. We caught you and brought you here to get healed up. And now your new name is Pika-kun." He finished off with a smile.
I on the other hand was floored. I still didn't know what to make of this situation. Around me were things I'd never seen before, large, soft looking objects where the humans sat, structures that seemed to made of tree with things on top of them, a giant light box with moving pictures! Everything seemed unreal.
"Pokemon Center?"
"Yeah, you know. It's a kind of building."
"Building?"
"Wow, you really don't know anything about any of this do you. I mean, I guess you were born in the wild, so I suppose it's not that weird that you don't know anything about buildings or furniture, or even humans. But don't worry, I'll explain it all to you as we travel, I'm…"
"I don't want to travel! Bring me back to my home! Why did your…what did you call him? Your human, why did he do this to me?
"My trainer, Calem. And that's what new young trainers do. They catch Pokemon."
"Well tell him to bring me back home." I released some electricity from my cheeks to show him I meant business.
"Um, sorry bud, I don't think it works out that way. When trainers catch Pokemon, they keep them forever."
My heart nearly stopped.
"You little…" I was cut off by the human returning over to us.
"Sorry for the wait, guys. Someone had moved my bag and there was a long line over there, so it took forever to ask the nurse if anyone had turned it in. But everything's good now. Let's go eat dinner."
"Dinner?" I questioned.
"Yeah, it's food." The other Pokemon replied. I still had no idea what was going on and I just wanted to go home.
"I need to get out of here." And with that I took off.
"Pika-kun, stop!" The human called. I ignored him and just ran faster. Passing by more strange objects and several humans who were shrieking in terror. I didn't know where I was going. I just needed an escape from this 'building'. An escape from this human. And a return to my home.
"Pika-kun return!" The human yelled again. Once again I ignored him, but soon I felt that trapping feeling from before. In an instant, everything went dark, and I was pulled back into that foreign world.
It didn't take long for me to see the bright light once again and be brought back out into the normal world. In front of me sat…well I don't know. It smelled edible, though I'd never seen any food like it. And it was in…something. Probably human related. And across from me sat…Ches-kin I think he was called? The human sat behind us on a strange…I don't know. I really don't know what anything is anymore.
"Alright guys, eat up!"
"Yay!" The other Pokemon cheered as he shoved the strange food down his thought. "Aw, man Pika-kun, you have to try these PokePuffs."
"PokePuffs?" I looked at the odd round things in front of me. I gave them a quick sniff, and while I'll admit that they did smell good, I had no desire to actually eat them. "I don't think so."
"But they're so good."
"I'll pass." I had more important things on my mind. "Where are we now?"
"Still at the Pokemon Center. This is just the area where we come to eat. I can't remember the name right now, but I'll tell you later."
"Who gathered this food?"
"Uh…I guess some humans cooked it."
"Cook? What's that?"
"Oh, it's when humans take food and put it all together to make more food. I think."
"What's the human sitting on?"
"Oh, it's a big chair, and I think it's called a booth. And in front of him is a table."
"What's this?" I asked pointing to the thing our food was on…or in.
"A bowl. This is how you'll eat most of your meals from now on." After hearing his answer I sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand this. Please, let me go back home. I'll do anything."
"I wish I could help you pal, but I can't. Trainers have to catch other Pokemon."
"Why?"
"Well, they can't win battles with just one Pokemon. Starters like me would get overworked and exhausted. Besides it helps them learn more about lots of other different types of Pokemon."
"Look, I'm sorry if I'm messing up some special human or starter Pokemon tradition thing, but I really can't do this." I'd been stressed out since I as first brought into that strange world and my body was feeling the pain as well. My head was aching, my stomach turning; I was getting dizzier and more confused by the minute.
"It'll be okay Pika-kun. Soon this'll all be normal…"
"Please…don't call me that." I cut him off. My head began pounding.
"Are you alright?" His face became clouded with concern.
"I just…can't…" After that, everything went black once more.
I woke up on a soft fluffy…something. It wasn't like the 'chair' the human was in before. It was much larger and shaped differently. I saw Ches-kin standing in front of me.
"You're awake, finally." He said.
"Ugngh. What happened?"
"You fainted out of nowhere. You really scared me and Calem."
"I fainted?"
"Yeah. We rushed you back to the nurses immediately. You've been out for a few hours."
I was surprised to hear that. I felt like I'd only been asleep for a little while. Suddenly I looked around the room noticing the absence of a familiar figure.
"Oh…where is…"
"Calem went to talk to the nurse to see if he could do anything to help you. He's really worried about you."
I could only hum in response. I really didn't know what to say. Before I could say anything, Ches-kin spoke again.
"Listen Pika-ku…um, er…Pikachu. I know this is probably all happening really fast for you and you probably still don't want to be here, but I wish you'd give us a chance."
"I'm sorry Ches-kin, but I think this is all just too much for me to handle."
"But how will you know until you try it out? It hasn't even been a whole day yet. Oh, and it's Ches-kun."
"Sorry. Ches-kun. I know you want me to be like you and see all of this as normal, but I just can't. I mean, I don't even know what I'm sitting on right now, and you expect me to just keep at this like it's nothing. It's not possible for me." Ches-kun was silent for a while after that. He turned away looking a bit defeated. I didn't really want to upset him. Right as I was about to try to say something to comfort him, he suddenly smiled and spoke up.
"Ok, I'll make a deal with you. If you stay with us for 2 weeks and still feel like this isn't for you, I'll have Calem release you back into the wild. But you have to try it out for 2 weeks. That's 14 days. 14 passings of the sun and 14 passings of the moon."
"But I thought you said trainers couldn't get rid of their Pokemon."
"Well, they can, but it's really, really uncommon. Calem would probably have to do something special to your PokeBall."
"PokeBall?"
"It's the round thing Calem keeps us in. All Pokemon stay in them after they are captured."
So that's what that was. I'd never even seen it. I was always either in panic mode when I was getting sucked into and sent out of that thing or just focusing on something else.
"So, do you accept?" Ches-kun asked, extending his paw. I was confused by it at first, but I had another question on my mind.
"What if your human Calem refuses to let me go?"
"I'll make him! I'm his starter after all. If I just tell him you're no good, he'll set you off immediately." Admittedly, I was a bit offended by that, though if it was the only way to get me home I could easily live through it.
"What if we get too far from my home?"
"I'll make him go back. Even if we get millions of miles away, I'll force him to get back there somehow." Thinking over his offer, I finally let out a sigh.
"Ok. I'll do it."
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Ches-kun cheered as he hopped around. "This'll be great. I just know you'll love it Pika-ku… I mean Pikachu." I paused for a moment.
"You can call me…Pika-kun. I might as well go by it if I'm going to be with your trainer."
"Really? Awesome! It's a deal then. Pika-kun." He extends a paw again. Confused, I tilted my head and stared at it.
"Oh, you shake my paw with yours. That's how deals are made."
Sighing, I shook his paw. This was a foreign concept to me and now I knew that there would be even more to come.
It had been two days since I made the "deal" with Ches-kun. That's what he said at least. It was still a bit hard to understand the human concept of time. Especially when you spend most of your day in a PokeBall where there is no 'time' at all. I had also learned what a 'bed' was. It was the thing I was laying on when I'd woken up after my fainting spell. Apparently, humans used it as a sleeping spot in a den. There was also the introduction to…close…cloothes, whatever they were called. The things humans wore on their bodies. The human brought us to a store, which is a place where humans can get things they want; at least that what Ches-kun said. He got a new cloothes for his stomach and one for his legs. Ches-kun tried to convince him to get a new one for his head, but the human said no. Then I learned a bit about restaurants. It is a place where humans, and sometimes Pokemon, eat food. I still don't understand why humans just don't hunt for themselves. They must be a very weak species.
Today has been pretty boring. The human had been having Ches-kun and I battle each other all day. He says that we're going to have a very important battle soon and that we need to train up for it. I can't remember what it is called though, or why we're doing it.
I'm resting in my PokeBall now. I still don't really like it in here, but at least I'm not surrounded by new things like buildings and furnitoor, no…furniture. That's what it is. That's the word. Anyway, I've kind of just been laying around with my eyes closed for a while, drifting off into my own thoughts of my new life. Sleeping and thinking are pretty much the only things I can do in my PokeBall. I'm just trying to go to sleep now.
Suddenly, I see the light again. It's getting brighter. I'm being pulled into it.
Slowly, I open my eyes, and what I see before me leaves me almost speechless. Even though the sun is almost gone and it's quite dark out, the scene in front of me is as clear as day.
"My home."
It's true. It was my home, just as I'd left it. I recognized those same flying Pokemon anywhere. But what where we doing here. Was the human letting me go back home.
"Pika-kun, use Thunder Shock!" I looked around to see what was happening only to be doused by a large stream of water. Wiping, the water from my eyes, I looked ahead and barely made out a small blue and yellowish Pokemon. It was coming at me again so I released my powerful electric attack. I had nothing against the Pokemon, I would never harm one for no reason, even if a human commanded it. I attacked merely for self-defense. Also because I was more focused on my home and getting back to my den.
"Great job Pika-kun. Now use Thunder Wave!" I did as told. My Thunder Wave would simply rear the other Pokemon immobile. No harm done. I used it mainly as an escape mechanism. I just wanted to hurry up so the human would leave me alone and I could get back to me home. Check up on things and make sure everything was how I left it. I began to run off to my den. I could very easily make out where it was. I'd lived there my whole life after all.
"We caught it Pika-kun! Alright now, return." Before I could get a reasonable distance away, I began to get that all too familiar feeling.
"What, no! What are you doing?" I felt myself getting sucked back in to PokeBall prison. "What's going on? This is my home! Weren't you…"
I was cut off upon being returned to the land of darkness.
Darkness. One again, darkness.
I'm so confused. I though, I thought I was being freed. Why? Why would he bring me back to my home, just to call me back to this hell hole of darkness?
I can't breathe. I…I…need to get out. I need to be on the outside again. I can't remain in this Pokeball confinement. I need to get out.
NOW!
I didn't even realize I was being sent out of my PokeBall.
Looking around, I'm not sure where I am. There are trees and bug Pokemon webbing everywhere. I must be outside. In front of me stands a human, a female, with a Pokemon in front of her. I'd never seen the Pokemon before, but I got a strange feeling about it. I think it's a water type.
"Pika-kun, use Thunder Wave!" a familiar voice shouted. I looked behind me to see Ches-kun's human standing, and looking quite enthusiastic.
Ignoring his words, I focus more on my surroundings. Where am I? It looks like a place wild Pokemon would live. But still, why are these humans here? And what's going on? Nothing is making sense right now.
"Pika-kun, what are you doing? I said use Thunder Wave!" Ches-kun's human shouted again, this time a bit more irritable.
"Looks like your Pikachu isn't well trained." The female human said. "Surskit, use Bubble!" The water Pokemon sent its attack toward me as commanded. Avoiding the bubbles, I realized that that Pokemon must have been captured by her. But why is it attacking me? Wait, is this one of these, human organized battles with Pokemon Ches-kun spoke to me of?
"Pika-kun, attack it now!" The human sounded quite upset now. I really didn't care that much about him, but I had to defend myself. I used my Thunder Wave to immobilize the opponent Pokemon. "Good job, now use Thunder Shock!" he shouted.
I ignored him again, this time focusing more on observing the other Pokemon. I stood my ground, waiting for the slightest move. If it wasn't attacking me, I wouldn't attack it. I refuse to harm another Pokemon simply because a human asks…no…commands me to. I take orders from no one.
"Pika-kun, what the hell is wrong with you?" The furious human shouted.
"This is our chance, Surskit use Quick Attack!" Her Pokemon, though weakened, charged towards me. I began charging the electricity in my cheek pouches.
"Pika-kun, dodge it! Get out of there!" I ignored the human's words. My electricity continued to circulate.
The other human spoke, but I could barely understand her words. Sounded something like 'should have traynd your Pokemon before chal-in-jing a jim leeder', or something like that. I couldn't care less about what they were talking about. Right before her Pokemon hit me, I jumped over it. Quickly, I turned around and gave it my strongest electrical attack. It slowly fell to the ground.
At first I felt bad for fainting it like that, but I had no time to dwell on that. I still needed to figure out where I was.
"Ok Pika-kun, return." The human said. I barely had enough time to register his words before I felt myself being sucked back into my Pokeball.
Once again I find myself surrounded by darkness. I don't even know what was going on out there. You think at the very least humans would tell us what they're doing before trying to force us to attack other Pokemon for no reason. Ugh. I'm too tired to think anything more about it. I suppose I'll rest for now.
I don't know how long it was before I was sent out of my PokeBall again. I'm sure it's been several hours, though. Upon being fully transferred to the outside world, as usual, I examine my surroundings. I am met with enormous buildings. Humongous. I'd never seen so many, and especially so large.
"We finally made it to Lumiose City guys."
"Lumiose…" I began before being cut off by Ches-kun's voice.
"Oh boy! We've finally reached my home!"
"Your home?" I looked over to him and was shocked to see to Pokemon I'd never seen before standing at the human's other side. Actually, no. That wasn't true. I'd seen one of them before. The blue and yellow one. It was when we were in…my home.
"Oh yeah, I guess you all haven't been formally introduced to each other." The human said. "Ches-kun and Pika-kun, meet Pour-chan and Lili-chan." He gestured to the blue and yellow Pokemon along with a rather large brown one. They were both female; I could smell it right away.
"All of you wait here. This place is so big I'm going to need a map." The human said. "I'll be right back."
"Hi, nice to meet you." The blue and yellow one said cheerily. "I've already seen you before, but nice to meet you again." She said gesturing to me.
"You're a Panpour aren't you?" Ches-kun asked.
"Yep!" she shouted happily. Before she could speak again, the brown Pokemon stepped forward.
"Um…I'm Litle...oh, I mean…I'm Lili-chan. And I'm a Litleo"
"We already know each other. I battled you so our human could catch you." Pour-chan said, to Lili-chan. My eyes widened in shock.
"Wait, so that means…" I started.
"What is it?" Ches-kun asked, a concerned look on his face.
"I…I…battled Pour-chan and now, she's here. That means I…I…"
"The human Calem must have used you to catch Pour-chan." Lili-chan stated.
"Seems to be the case." Pour-chan said, nodding.
"You're here…because of me." I whispered, staring down at the ground. The other Pokemon didn't seem to catch on to my distress for them began talking amongst themselves again.
"This is going to take some getting used to for me. I've never been outside my territory before." Lili-chan stated. "But I am happy to meet all of you and hope we can become good friends."
"Same to you Lili-chan!" Pour-chan exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'm a recently graduated starter Pokemon. If you ever need help, just ask me." Ches-kun said, paws on his hips and holding his head up high. A typical stature for him.
"Um, ok. Thank you."
At that, the human returned with his map, whatever that was. He told us we were going to visit another human in the city. Ches-kun and Pour-chan seemed really excited about it. Lili-chan didn't really react, and I certainly had no desire to visit a human. Nevertheless, I went along without question. Pour-chan and I rode on the human's shoulders, while Lili-chan carried Ches-kun on her back.
We walked for a long time, passing building after building and human after human. And along with most of the humans were Pokemon of their own. I observed them and couldn't help but notice, that all of the Pokemon were a lot less interested in the surroundings as compared to Lilli-chan, Pour-chan, and I. They acted as if everything they were seeing was just a natural part of life. They must have all been born in human city like Ches-kun.
No. No, that couldn't be. Surely not all of those Pokemon could have been born in cities. Some of them had to have been captures like me and the new female Pokemon. They must have been human owned for a long time if they don't view any of this stuff as strange. I wonder if I'll ever get to that point…
What am I saying? Of course I won't. I'm leaving in 9 days. That's what the bet with Ches-kun was. After 2 weeks I get to leave. It's already been 5 days since my capture. Once it's over, I'm out of here. I just hope my den is still okay and that no other Pokemon has claimed it.
We arrived at the human's dwelling. It was a large building with lots of those light boxes. There were lots of other humans there and they all wore the same types of clothes. They must have been some sort of pack. The human allowed me and the others to wait in an outdoor area of the other human's den. There were other Pokemon there, but they were also captures of the human, so they could not claim any of the habitats as their own.
"So this is where you were born Ches-kun?" Lili-chan asked.
"Yep! Right in there. And I always came out here to play with the other starter Pokemon and the Pokemon that live out here." He replied.
"Other starter Pokemon?" I questioned. I was unaware there were others.
"Oh yeah, there were two others. Humans can have one of 3 starter Pokemon. Me, Chespin, a grass-type, a fire-type Pokemon called Fennekin, and a water-type called Froakie."
"Why you guys? Is there any reason behind it?" Pour-chan asked.
"Um, I'm not sure honestly. Professor Sycamore never really said much about why we were the starters."
"Pro-fess-ur? What's that?" I asked.
"Oh, Pokemon Professors are people who study Pokemon." Ches-kun explained. "Like how we act, foods we like, where we live, evolutions, moves we learn, stuff like that."
"Pfff. How would a human know what we like?" I grumbled. "They don't live amongst us in the wild. They couldn't know anything about us."
"I guess that's why they catch us. To study us." Lili-chan suggested.
"Hmph. Why couldn't they just study us in the wild where we belong? Not in buildings."
"Well, wild Pokemon can be pretty wary of humans. Plus it would probably be hard to keep up with some of them who migrate and whatnot." Ches-kun stated.
"Oh of course. They want to take us out of our comfort zone, so they can examine us in their comfort zone. Humans are disgusting." I spat. The others looked over to me.
"Hey now. Let's not be mean." Pour-chan said. "And being a human owned Pokemon isn't a bad thing." I cringed upon hearing her words.
"You're right." Ches-kun said. "Actually wild Pokemon tend to be pretty jealous of human owned Pokemon like us. Because we…"
"I am not owned!"I shouted, abruptly silencing him. The other Pokemon frowned. But before anyone could say anything, the human returned.
"Alright guys, let's get going." He said. And before any of us could take a step, he sent us all back into our Pokeballs.
I hate it. I hate it in here. There's nothing but darkness. How can those other Pokemon stand it. Ches-kun the human loving Pokemon I can understand, but Lili-chan and Pour-chan used to be wild like me. How can they find comfort in this hell hole? This prison. One thing's for sure; when Ches-kun gets the human to bring me back home, I'll do everything in my power to prevent any other Pokemon in my home to be captured. I don't want any more innocent souls to endure this tragic fate.
I remember when I was free. I used to wake up in the mornings, get a drink of water from the water hole, gather some food to bring to my den for dinner, and just nap almost all day. Maybe I'd see some other members of my species and engage them in play. Now that I think about it, I wonder if any of them have noticed that I'm gone. It's not like I had any friends or anything. Hm, actually…I wonder if any of those Pikachu I knew…any of them that I played with…ever got captured. I rarely saw the same ones multiple times. Ugh. It's painful just thinking about it.
I'm still not the best at telling time, but I'm certain it's been at least a day since I've been outside my PokeBall. I can't stand it in here. I need to find a way to break free. There must be some way. I just need to find it. As I'm lost in my thoughts, I can feel the force pushing me out of my PokeBall once again. The bright light hits me as soon as I reach the outside world. It's so bright I need to cover my eyes. Once they adjusted, I observe my surroundings as usual. Before me I see the human and Ches-kun setting up the boy's false dwelling. What did he call it? A tent? I'm not sure, nor do I care. I turn around and see Pour-chan and Lili-chan, but there's also another Pokemon with them. I'd never seen it before. It was rather large and black and white in color. Sighing I realized, the human must have captured yet another Pokemon.
"Pika-kun, come over." Pour-chan beckoned me. Slowly, I trotted over. Upon getting closer to the Pokemon, I could smell that he was a male.
"Hm?" Was the only response I gave.
"This is Cham-kun. He just joined the team yesterday." Lili-chan explained. I nodded and extended a paw to greet him. Wait, why? That's how Ches-kun greets new Pokemon. I sniff them and give them a small spark with my tail. Why am I greeting Pokemon like Ches-kun? The other Pokemon, Cham-kun, shakes my paw while I'm in my own little world.
"Hello, Pika-kun. I've heard a lot about you from the others. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Hi. I've never seen a Pokemon like you before. What species are you?"
"A Pancham." He said happily.
"Alright guys, breakfast is ready!" the human called out. The other captured Pokemon excitedly ran over to him. I trotted behind slowly. He set out 5 plates of those PokePuff things again. Is this really the only food humans give us? I don't think I've eaten anything but these things since Cal-… ahem, since the human captured me. Not a single berry ONCE. I mean, I don't dislike the PokePuffs; quite the contrary, they're delicious. Hell, they almost make being captured worthwhile. But I could do with something else once in a while.
"These are delicious." I heard Cham-kun squeal happily. "If I'd known about these things, I would have let myself get captured forever ago. I instantly turned to him.
"You…what? You let yourself…"
"Well, I wouldn't say I 'let myself'. It's kind of a weird story. I wanted to be captured, but at the same time, I was a bit nervous about it. I…"
"Why would you do that? Why would you want to leave your home…and be owned by a human." I asked, effectively interrupting him. Cham-kun paused for a second an tilted his head upwards. He looked like he was deeply thinking it over.
"I want to be like the Pokemon on the buildings. I want to be famous." He finally said.
"Famous?" I asked.
"What does that mean?" Lili-chan asked, taking the words out of my mouth.
"It means everyone knows you and everything about you. As soon as they see you, they know exactly who you are." He explained excitedly.
"Is that true Ches-kun?" I figured he'd know the answer; he was raised with humans who must have known what the concept was.
"Well, kind of. Though I wouldn't say that everyone knows everything about you."
"How do you know about that kind of stuff Cham-kun?" Pour-chan asked.
"The Pokemon on the buildings. In Lumiose City. You see them everywhere. I'd see them when I'd explore the city."
"Explored the city?" Lili-chan questioned.
"You mean you'd been in the city before you were captured?" Ches-kun asked.
"Oh yeah, lots of times. I lived right on the outskirts of the city. Sometimes I'd spend days just walking around and checking stuff out before returning to my den with my neighbors." He responded.
"Neighbors?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's the word for the Pokemon that live next to you." He said. I nodded; it must have been a human term.
"So that's why you seemed so comfortable in the city yesterday." Pour-chan said. "You were used to seeing all that kind of human stuff before."
"Yep, and I especially liked seeing the Pokemon on the buildings. I want to be like them and then people and other Pokemon can look at me on buildings."
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to give up their freedom just to be looked at on a building.
"I don't want to just be an ordinary old Pancham. I want to be special. Unique."
"How are you anymore unique now than you were before? You're the same as you were yesterday before you were captured. All that's different is that you just have a name now. And being on a building sure isn't going to make you any more special either. You're still just another Pancham." I countered angrily. The other Pokemon stared at me with shocked looks on their faces. I was probably being unnecessarily harsh, but I didn't care. I sure as hell am not going to look at him any differently from any others of his species just because he gets on a building.
"Th...that's not true. I am different. I'm Cham-kun. Not just Pancham anymore. Maybe you think I'm still just like any other Pancham, but I'm not. I'm Calem's Pancham and he'll always think of me as being more special than any other Pancham.
I was disgusted by his reasoning. My cheeks began generating small sparks of electricity.
"Of course he'll say you're more special. Because he captured you and labeled you!" I spat. "But does that really make you any different from any other Pancham. NO."
"Cool it Pika-kun." Ches-kun said harshly. I was about to say something to him, but decided to turn to my meal, which I'd barely touched, instead. I was too repulsed by Pancham's attitude to continue on with him any further.
"That reminds me," Pour-chan began. "You never explained what you meant when you said you let yourself get captured.
"Oh yeah, that." Cham-kun started again, his voice now more sedate. "Well, like I said, I want to be famous. So I knew I'd need to be captured by a human to by my trainer to help me become famous."
The other Pokemon nodded.
"So once I decided what I needed to do, I had to find the right human."
"How did you do that?" Lili-chan asked. "What makes 'the right human'."
"Hm, it's kind of hard to explain." He stated, scratching his head. "I just got a certain feeling when I looked at Calem leaving out of Lumiose City. I don't know what it was, but his aura really pulled me to him."
"That's interesting." Pour-chan said.
I tuned out the rest of their conversation. It's obvious that this Pancham is full of crap. All humans are the same, just like Pokemon species. There's no special aura or anything. I'll be glad when the human Calem sends me back home and I won't have to put up with these guys anymore.
We were in the hotel room of a new town we'd just arrived to as the sun was setting. Cam-free-ay, or was is camping-fay. Ugh, whatever. I was sitting on the floor, under the bed while the other Pokemon were on the bed itself. The human boy was standing in front of the glowing picture box watching arranged Pokemon battles.
I just stared out the window from the floor; looking at the beauty of the wilderness. Something I used to be able to do every day, but now can only do once human Calem decided I can be let out side of the hell that is my PokeBall. I wonder…if I can run away. Wait until the human lets me out of my PokeBall one day, and run as fast as I can. Then I'll hide somewhere they won't find me. And after they get tired of looking for me…I'll be free. And I can go back to my home.
"Mind if I sit here?" A loud voice snaps me out of my trance. It's Ches-kun.
"Fine." I reply, not really paying attention to him.
"Nice night isn't it." He says.
"Mmm." Is the only response I give. Before he can say something else, the human Calem calls out to us.
"Hey guys, I'm going to go get some food for us. You're in charge Ches-kun."
"You got it!" Ches-kun responded, even the human could not understand him. Actually, the other Pokemon tended to do that too. They'd tell the human when they were hungry or if the heard a strange noise or something, but the human never understood. Well sometimes he could guess what they were implying, but more often than not he didn't. I had no idea why they did it. I've never bothered. Any time I communicate with the human, it's with my electricity.
The sound of the door closing snaps me out of my thoughts. The human's words remind me of something that's actually been brewing in my head for a while.
"Why do they name us?"
"Huh?" Ches-kun questions.
"The humans. Why do they name us?"
"Oh, well I think a lot of people do it to differentiate us from other Pokemon. So if two trainers who have a Chespin are battling each other, they can tell which one is theirs."
"But it doesn't change what they look like. They're still seeing 2 of the same Pokemon in front of them."
"Hm, I guess you've got a point there. But I still think it gives at least a little bit of differentiation."
"So humans can't even be bothered to differentiate their Pokemon from another of the same species without giving them a meaningless title. How pathetic."
"Well not all trainers name their Pokemon. Some are fine with just calling them by their species name. I think some trainers like Calem do it just to make us seem more individualized. Ya know, more special." I sighed upon hearing his response, thinking back to my conversation with Cham-kun earlier that day.
"A name doesn't make us more special. We're still the same as any other Pikachu or starter Chespin."
"I know you feel that way, but I think we really are different." Ches-kun said. I closed my eyes and laid down, ready to start ignoring him. "Ok sure, maybe we are still the same individuals as before we started traveling with Calem. But I don't feel like the same little Chespin that was in Sycamore's lab for all those years. I may still be a Chespin, but I'm not just Chespin. I'm Ches-kun too."
"You're a Chespin with the name Ches-kun. You're not different." I said closing my eyes. Ches-kun stood up and walked from under the bed.
"Whatever." He stated as he prepared to leave. "Say what you will, but I think we're all a bit different. Even you." My eyes flew open in surprise, and right as I was about to say something to him, he had already climbed back on top of the bed.
Me…different? That's preposterous. I haven't changed in the slightest. Okay, maybe I know a few more words and can tell time, but that's it. I'm still the same wild Pikachu as I was before, regardless of the fact that the human Calem has given me a name. Hmph, I wish I at least could have been caught by a human who doesn't bestow such useless monikers on their Pokemon. Speaking of that devil, the human Calem walked back into the room as I was in the midst of my thoughts.
"Alright fellas, food's here." He said, holding up a bag that I presumed was full of PokePuffs. That seems to be the only food for captured Pokemon. Regardless, I'm not hungry, so I'll just skip dinner. The others flocked over to Calem as if they hadn't eaten a decent meal in weeks.
"Pika-kun?" I heard Ches-kun say.
"What's wrong, Pika-kun? Aren't you hungry?" the human Calem, asked. I simply turned away from him. Apparently the fact that I didn't rush over there wasn't a big enough hint that I had no interest in food at the moment. "Alright then, we'll save you some for later." He said.
As I was about to drift off into sleep, I could hear someone approaching me. Opening my eyes, I saw a yellow paw placing a PokePuff in front of me. Pour-chan then turned and walked back over to the others.
"Thanks, Pour-chan." The human said. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of mumbling. I tried to examine my surroundings, but it was quite dark. The PokePuff Pour-chan left was stilling sitting right in front of me. I realized something; I was out of my PokeBall. The human Calem didn't send me back in there for sleeping. He rarely ever did that. In fact, I think it's only happened once before. Crawling quietly from under the bed, I notice that the others are asleep at the part of the bed where the human Calem's feet are.
Out of nowhere, my stomach made a noise. I was craving food. Though I suppose it's not that strange. I did skip the dinner meal. I quickly gobbled up the green treat sitting in front of me before dashing over to the table in the center of the room. There sat a bag of, what I assumed were, the remaining PokePuff's the others had left for me. A quick sniff proved I was correct. Taking the bag into my mouth, I eyed the room, looking for any kind of exit. Luvkily, the window had been opened a bit. Not much, but enough for me to sneak out. Moving hastily, yet steadily, I made my escape.
I sat down on the field of grass right outside of the hotel. There was a rather large hole of water in front of me. I'm not sure what it was called, but I believe the humans swam around in them for fun. I pulled out two PokePuffs in each paw and began eating. I could have eaten inside, but I wanted some time to think to myself.
I think it's been a week. That means just one more until I'm free again. It's going to feel so good returning to my home. I only hope my den hasn't been destroyed or claimed by other Pokemon. Taking a bite out of the PokePuff, I realize that eating those will probably be the only thing I'll miss. They are pretty delicious. And I suppose I'll also miss napping on a nice, soft bed. But at least I'll never have to be in that vile, heinous PokeBall anymore.
"Mind if I join you?" I nearly choked as I turned to see who had spoken. It was Lili-chan.
"You can do whatever you want. I can't control you." I grunted, swallowing another PokePuff. "What are you doing out here anyway?" The Litleo sat down.
"I could ask you the same question." She chuckled.
"I got hungry. And you?"
"I woke up from a dream and noticed you weren't in the room anymore. Then I followed your scent out here." She purred. "Is there a problem with that?"
"I've no problem." I responded.
"So what's up then? Why'd you come out here to eat?"
"If I would have eaten in there, everyone would have woken up." I quietly growled.
"Ya know, you're kind of weird." Lili-chan stated abruptly.
"Excuse me. ME? You're calling me strange? How so exactly?" I demanded.
"You're such a loner. You've got 4 other friends to talk to, yet you're always off on your own. It's like you ditch us any opportunity you get."
"I just told you I didn't want to wake everyone up."
"Pika-kun stop, you know…"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I yelled, cutting her off completely. Now I was concerned I really had woken someone up. I quickly covered my mouth with my paws, turning to Calem's window to see if he'd heard anything. After a moment with no changes, I figured he was still asleep. I sighed to myself in relief.
"Now do you see how weird you are?"
"No."
"Why don't you like your name? I notice that you tend to get annoyed whenever someone refers to you." Lili-chan asked.
"Why do you care so much?" I grunted, laying down on my stomach.
"I'm just curious, because I can't think on any reason why any Pokemon would get so worked up over something so minor."
That made me angry. I could feel electricity circulating through my cheeks. "Maybe I don't like it because, I don't want a name. Because I never wanted a name. Because having a name, only reminds me each and every day that I got captured by a human!" Once again I ended up inadvertently raising my voice.
"Why does it bother you?"
"I literally just explained it at you're still asking me?!"
"No, I mean why does it bother you that Calem captured you?"
"Are you kidding me? Are you actually asking me that? Let me ask you this. Why doesn't it bother you that Calem captured you? Did you really like being taken from your home, from all that you knew for your entire life? Do you like going into cities and buildings with nothing but humans and their glowing picture boxes and tables and beds. Do you like having to be forced to go from city to city, day by day, just because a human wants to and makes you go there? Because I don't know about you Litleo, but I don't like any of that stuff!"
For a while, Lili-chan was silent. She stared at me for a while, then looked up at the sky, then closed her eyes and lied down on her stomach as well.
"Have I ever told you about my life before I was captured?" I was a bit stunned by her answer. Not only because she completely ignored my rant and my questions, but because I realized that I didn't know anything about her and was now suddenly curious.
"No. No, you haven't." She smiled upon hearing my words.
"I don't know where I was born. Well, I do, but I don't know what it was called. It wasn't a forest like where you and Pour-chan are from though. It was just my home."
I nodded, urging her to continue.
"I lived with my parents and siblings."
"You…you had siblings?"
This time she nodded. "Yep, about 5 of them I think. I'm still not good with counting."
"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. This whole time, I've just been moping ever since my capture. But I didn't leave any family behind. Maybe a few friends, but not siblings or parents. I can't believe it. You must feel so…so…" I couldn't even think of a word to describe how I thought she'd feel. Instead of filling in the blank for me, she continued.
"I wasn't the youngest of my pride, nor the oldest. But I was still very new to hunting and being on my own. My parents really wanted all of us to be independent; especially my father."
I listened on, greatly interested in what she'd say next.
"One day, I went out early in the morning to try some hunting on my own. I went out farther than I'd ever ventured before. And on that day, I encountered Calem and Pour-chan."
Suddenly the gears in my head began turning. I pretty much knew what happened next.
"Calem pulled out a little red box and pointed it towards me. I didn't know it then, but I now know it was his Pokedex machine. He got the information about me and used Pour-chan to battle me."
"What did you do? Did you run for your home or stay and fight?" I asked, eagerly.
"At first I wanted to run, but I remembered my father's words about becoming strong. So I stood my ground and fought as much as I could. But I was no match for a water-type with a human guiding her."
"And…you were captured." I said, my voice laced with sadness.
"The last thing I remember before being caught, was hearing the cries of my parents voices."
"You heard them?!"
"I guess they went out looking for me and heard the battle taking place. But as you can see with me here, they weren't fast enough to prevent me from being caught."
"I can't believe it. I can't believe Pour-chan and Calem just tore you away from your family like that. Did they not care that you were so young? Did they not see your parents crying out in shock? Man when I get my paws on that human I'll…" At this point my entire body was sparking.
"Hold it Pika-kun." She cut me off. "First of all, it isn't their fault. They probably didn't know how young and inexperienced with the world I was. Calem was just acting like a normal trainer and Pour-chan was obeying orders like a trainer's Pokemon. Second of all, if I recall correctly, you also aided in capturing Pour-chan didn't you?"
I paused in shock. I'd completely forgotten about that. I was so excited to be in my home that I hadn't even been focusing on what had been going on in front of me. And because I hadn't been paying attention, Pour-chan had been captured and taken from our home.
"It's all my fault. Pour-chan is stuck sleeping in hotels and battling humans instead of swinging freely in trees because of me." I suddenly felt disgusted with myself. My actions were just as bad, if not worse than Pour-chan's.
"Pika-kun, do you know why I told you all of that?" I shook my head, still staring at the ground in shock.
"Because even though I had to leave my family and my home and everything else, I am perfectly happy being Calem's Pokemon."
"But why? How? What about your family?"
"My family wanted me to become strong and independent. Calem can help me get stronger by battling with me. Even if they never see me become really strong and evolved, at least I'll be living up to wishes they had for me."
"But don't you miss them?"
"Of course. I miss them every day. But I have friends now too, and they keep my spirts up each day as well."
"Ugh, I don't know if I could live being taken away from my siblings and parents. You're something else."
"You've got that right!" a loud voice shrieked. Lili-chan and I turned around in shock, only to be met by a familiar blue and yellow water-type.
"Pour-chan, what are you doing out here?" Lili-chan asked as I calmed myself down from the surprise.
"I was about to ask you two the same thing." She said with a smirk.
"Nothing that concerns you." I grunted. As usual, Pour-chan took no offence to my cold comment.
"Just talking." Lili-chan said calmly.
"What about?" Pour chan asked. "And why out here?"
"I just said it didn't concern you."
"Just how we all ended up together. Calem using you to capture me." Upon saying that, Lili-chan glared at me. "Using Pika-kun to capture you." I froze.
"Ah, so that's it. Man, I remember those days as if they were yesterday."
I wasn't surprised by Pour-chan's response. She's never cared about being captured as much as I did. Heck, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she and Cham-kun liked being owned by Calem. Still, I was feeling guilty about having a part in pulling her out of her original life. For all I knew, she could have left friends and family behind just like Lili-chan.
"Pour-chan… I, I'm so sorry. If I had only been paying attention to what was going on that day. You'd still be…"
"Oh put a sock in it Pika-kun." Both Lili-chan and I were shocked by her words.
"Wha…"
"Pika-kun, when will you realize that being a trainer owned Pokemon isn't that bad."
"It's bad for us. Wild Pokemon who'd known nothing about the world other than the habitat in which we lived. Having to be introduced to stores and machines and clothes. It's an entire life change. Maybe it isn't bad if you're someone like Ches-kun who's lived with all this your whole life. But for us, it like entering a whole new universe." Lili-chan and Pour-chan looked at each other, then back at me.
"Pika-kun, Ches-kun has it just as hard as we do." Pour-chan stated very seriously. Honestly, I'd never heard her speaking in a tone other than joy.
"What?! How does he have it hard? None of this is new to him. The only thing that's different about him is that he graduated and got a kid to watch over." I said furiously.
"That's not true." She continued. "He's having to experience being out in the wild. Maybe not for long periods of time, but it's still different for him. And he's having to experience interacting with wild Pokemon for the first time with no boundaries. Not watching them from in the safety of a laboratory. Not to mention that he's under the command of human child who's just as inexperienced as he is."
I let everything she said float around in my brain. Thinking on it, I realized that she was actually right. Everything that's happened to Ches-kun since graduating has been just as new to him as my experiences since being captured. This entire time, I'd been thinking of Ches-kun as some stuck up, know-it-all city Pokemon who just wanted to brainwash wild Pokemon into being like him. But he hadn't done anything like that. In fact, he'd been trying to make me as comfortable as possible since we first met. He even promised to give me the opportunity to return to my home if I so chose to.
"I'd…never thought about it like that."
"Of course you haven't. You've been too focused on being upset over being captured. You never gave Ches-kun or Calem a chance." Pour-chan said with a light chuckle.
"It's only recently that I've heard you refer to Calem by name." Lili-chan said.
They were right again. I used to only refer to Calem as "the boy" or "the human", or even "human Calem". In fact, I don't even remember when I started calling him by name. It must have been recently.
"See Pika-kun, it's not that we don't care about our old lives, homes, friends, or anything like that. It's just that'd we'd rather focus on what's going on now and what our futures will, rather than moping over the past." Lili-chan summed up.
"We've just been hoping that you'd start doing the same."
Again, it was true. The only thing I'd been thinking about since I'd been captured…is when I'd be released. I never even tried to become friends with Ches-kun or the others. And I knew literally nothing about Calem. I suppose I could have tried to make the most of the time I had…and try to make the most of what time I have left before I go. If I decide to go at all that is.
"It's getting late. Let's head back inside before the others start looking for us." I said.
"Sure thing Pika." Pour-chan said, right back to her old cheerful self, as she bounced back to the room. Lili-chan and I trotted along behind. As we walked, I thought to myself. I don't know where I'll be next week. Whether I'll be back in the wild or still with Calem. But what I do know is, I'm going to make the rest of this week the best that it can be. No more moping, whining or complaining. I'm going to do whatever I can to enjoy these next 7 days. For my own sake, for Calem's, and especially for Ches-kun's.
Yes, that's the end. Sorry for those who wanted a happy ending of Pika-kun accepting the others and becoming friends, or those who wanted him to go back home. I wanted this to be open ended for a few reasons. One, it's nice so that people can have their own interpretations of what happened at the end of the week. Two, once again, I feel like this is a very complex topic that can't be so easily solved that quickly. Pika-kun could lighten up and become friends and more accepting of being owned by Calem, but still not feel comfortable enough to remain with them for the rest of his life. It's not a simple conclusion for me, therefore I didn't give a definite ending.
Also, I know I kind of jumped around a lot in this story. Like I said, it was never meant to be a slow and steady progression. It was meant to show development and domestication over time. I also realize that Pika-kun struggles with a lot of things in this story; including learning about human concepts like clothing, time, and cities, along with being owned, the concept of uniqueness, along with a few other things. I'm sorry if that was all a bit much, but I thought that the story solely focusing on Pika-kun learning about buildings and the like would be boring, so I included a few more things. I also get that Pika-kun's knowledge of human concepts tends to vary, like he knows what colors are, but not so much about numbers and counting initially. Yeah, I really can't explain that other than the fact that it's really hard to describe color without actually mentioning color in some way. So yeah:/
All of that said though, I do hope everyone enjoyed this fic.