Chapter 1: Nowhere Left to Run

Through the window, the snow fell silently. I watched from the warmth and safety of our new shelter. Drinking some hot coffee, it was still not easy to relax. We were basically fugitives on the run from the snatchers. It wasn't that long ago that all the regions went to war with the group known as Team Humana. Team Humana believes that humans are the true inhabitants of this world. They believe Pokemon don't belong. The majority of people disagree, but Team Humana managed to collect enough artillery as well as capture and enslave enough Pokemon to proclaim war.

Some Pokemon trainers (and the like) joined the resistance readily. They knew they had to stand up to Team Humana. Brave souls like my brother marched against them. The Pokemon partners of these courageous trainers agreed to join them on the battlefield without hesitation. Some of us weren't ready to fight, though. I wasn't. I didn't want to risk the lives of any of my Pokemon. I was a champion on the Pokemon battlefield, but on the real battlefield, matches didn't end by choice. They ended by death and destruction.

What would this war prove? The outcome of a war was never fulfilling for either side. Even though the snow was silent, the sounds and flashes of war could be heard in the distance. Each time I heard what I could only imagine was an explosion I held my Pokemon tighter. I was glad they were still by my side, even if we were hiding in a shack that used to be someone's home before the war. Both sides in this war have destroyed many villages purposely or accidentally leaving people and Pokemon homeless or in crowded shelters.

I looked around at all the little cowering Pokemon. They must have missed their homes. I missed my home. My house had been destroyed in the war. I was hiding now with one of my best friends, Ashy. We were hiding from the Pokemon snatchers. These were horrible people who worked for Team Humana. They would snatch Pokemon and fit them with a collar that can be used to control the Pokemon wearing it. If a strong Pokemon tried to resist, the collar severely shocked them into submission. Not only did Team Humana have snatchers, but also the side I considered myself part of, the resistance, they would capture wild Pokemon just to join in their fight. It was wrong! When someone catches a Pokemon it is to build a bond, a friendship. It is to be lifelong partners in this world. It's not just to fight! But that's what war does. It makes people forget what is truly important.

Ashy and I were now hiding with our own Pokemon as well as the wild ones that remained. We were what they called flakes and hoarders. Flakes were trainers who were able to, but refused to take part in the war. I knew the resistance needed our help, but I couldn't help, not this way. My brother hadn't spoken with me in months, and Ashy's father, a great Pokemon champion had all but abandoned his daughter. Her mother would try to keep in touch, but it was getting harder and harder for her mother's Noctowl to find Ashy with the letters. It got more complicated since we decided to be "hoarders." Hoarders were people who took in wild Pokemon to protect them from both Team Humana and the resistance.

Boom! An explosion rocked our little hideout.

"It sounds like the fighting is getting closer." Ashy said. Her purple hair was up in a chaotic ponytail. Normally, she was a well-groomed Pokemon contest champion. Now, she was bending over feeding her Pokemon with half hazard purple hair. Ashy specialized in competing with her cat-like Pokemon. She couldn't get enough of them. Any time she looked at them or talked about them there was a twinkle in her eyes. I hoped that was the way I looked at my own Pokemon.

"Could be…" I responded reluctantly. I was tired of running. It had only been a few days since we ran from our last location and settled in this shack. I was tired of running because each time we fled there was another fight.

"You know what that means." Ashy had walked away from the feeding area and sat on a charred couch nearby. She was wearing her red leather jacket and some navy pants. It was her usual fashionable attire, but it was dirty and worn. It would do for a couple of flakey hoarders, I guess.

"It means we've got to go. I know." I felt my eyes roll. My Luxray looked up from my lap. She must have felt my frustration.

"Luxray, Lux, Luxray." Luxray barked. She was always ready for action. She was my fiercest Pokemon. I passed my fingers through her jet-black mane and sighed. I wished we were back at my house playing in the snow with the others. We were happy then. Would we be happy again?

"Yes, Luxxy, we're going to have to go again." I scratched her head and she closed her eyes. She was a big softy at heart, and she loved when I scratched the top of her head.

"When mine are done feeding, call all of yours out. They'll eat, then we'll feed the wild ones and head out." Ashy said. She got up again and filled some more food bowls for my Pokemon. I watched her upbeat movements in amazement, but then again, at least she knew where her parents were. I had no idea. People who weren't Pokemon trainers (like my parents) were herded into large shelters, but the stories I've heard say some of those people had been kidnapped and brainwashed by Team Humana. Every day I wondered about my brother and my parents. Ashy knew it. She usually left me alone during those slumps, but sometimes she was the one who lit the fire under my butt.

Ashy called back most of her Pokemon into their poke balls. She left out Espeon and Liepard, her two strongest. It was dangerous for anyone to venture outside without the protection of Pokemon, especially flakes and hoarders like us. It was also dangerous to keep them all out too. Liepard was fast and agile, and Espeon was a great defensive Pokemon, so it was smart to keep them out.

I finally got up away from the window. The snow was falling faster and the wind was howling. Luxray bounded out of my lap and sniffed for her bowl.

"Beauty." I called for my Ninetales who was out of her poke ball resting by the makeshift fire that we had made. Her brilliant golden fur shimmered by the light of the fire. She got up and elegantly pawed toward her food bowl with her tails dancing in the air behind her. Beauty was my first Pokemon and she held an extra special place in my heart. We also had a special relationship because she was able to communicate with me telepathically. Right now she could only connect with me and other Pokemon, no other humans.

I called out my other Pokemon; Blissey, Togekiss, and Roserade. They all happily found their food and began eating and talking like long separated friends. It was always a challenge for my biggest Pokemon, so I called him out last. Poor Dragonite had to always duck down and scrunch up uncomfortably in order to be inside. He never knew what I was calling him out into. Fortunately, we had been here for a couple days, so he knew to be ready.

Once they were done eating, I called back all my Pokemon into their poke balls. Then I sent Dragonite out. He sat down and bent his neck bringing the food bowl up to his mouth. "Eat up, buddy." I smiled. He was a big Pokemon, and a tough one at that, but he was also one of the gentlest creatures around. He rarely complained about the cramped conditions.

While Dragonite ate, Ashy and I prepared some leftover food for the wild Pokemon we rescued. They rushed over to the food and gobbled it up, many of them letting out calls of thanks. They all seemed so content. How could anyone think what we were doing was wrong? These Pokemon deserved a good life wild and free or with a trainer who actually cares for them. They didn't need to be raised for war.

I walked away to get my coat and gloves, which I had left in the room that may have once been the kitchen. On the way back I stopped and momentarily looked at my reflection in a soot-covered mirror hanging on one of the walls. I wiped away some of the soot and stared. I looked ragged. My green hair was all over the place. My clothes were torn up and dirty. This war was taking its toll on my appearance as much as my emotions.

"Neito!" Ashy called in a sort of hushed panicky tone. "We should go now." She was pointing to the window. I looked outside and could see there were several Houndoom and Mightyena sprinting and sniffing through the snow. They weren't wearing collars, so that meant they were a scouting group sent by the resistance. The armies were heading this way. That also meant that there could be some Team Humana troops nearby too. There had to be a reason for them to move this way. We had to move quickly and quietly if we wanted to escape unseen.

"I wish one of you had the ability to make us invisible!" Ashy joked with Espeon and Liepard. Somehow we always got caught, but we usually got away unscathed. We both had strong Pokemon that would do anything for us.

"Dragonite, you know the drill." I said.

Dragonite nodded. He was our main method of transporting the smaller wild Pokemon. The ones who could fly, flew behind him. Some of the bigger wild ones had to fend for themselves like the Deerling that joined our group. With one swoop, Dragonite took them all into his embrace. He lowered his wings and crouched through the doorway, breaking off a little wood as he went. I followed right behind him. As soon as he got out, he stopped. I had to squeeze by him. I knew there had to be a reason for his hesitation. At the door there was a group of Mightyena and Houndoom growling angrily at Dragonite.

Dragonite growled back. We should have left sooner, I thought, but I had no time to hesitate. Normally, Dragonite would have blasted them away, but he didn't want to risk the wild ones getting in the line of fire. I grabbed two of my poke balls from my belt. I knew just who to call for this situation. This wasn't the first time we had run into these Pokemon.

"Beauty, Luxxy," they appeared out of their poke balls. They growled and flashed their teeth at the resistance Pokemon. "You two know what to do."

They both nodded. Both of them firmly planted their paws on the ground through the snow. A raging fire emerged from Beauty's mouth. Beauty hit three of the Mightyena with a heated fire blast that melted all the snow in its path, while Luxxy struck some of the Houndoom with thunder that shook the ground. Once the other Pokemon were stunned and weakened, Beauty and Luxxy began running at full speed away from the shack. The idea was to draw the resistance Pokemon away.

It worked, with the exception of one. An Absol crept out from behind one of the other incinerated homes within the abandoned village. Dragonite looked at me with a soft mumble as if to ask whether he should escape with the wild ones or stay to help me. "Go." I said. He flapped his wings a few times then soared high up into the sky past the snow clouds until I could no longer see him. His movements caused Absol to charge toward me. Absol must have seen it as a threat. I reached for a poke ball just as Absol pounced, but suddenly in midair Liepard attacked Absol and they both came crashing down. I breathed a sigh of relief. Ashy had come out just in time.

"Great job Liepard!" She said as she burst through the doorway. "Now use scratch!"

Yeah, great job Liepard, I thought as I wiped my brow. That was too close.

Liepard's nails extended and glowed with powerful energy. She slashed Absol across the face. Absol let out a terrifying scream and attacked with her scythe sending blasts of energy our way. Ashy and I had to duck and dive into the freezing snow as one of the blasts practically demolished the shack we had been in only moments ago. Without Ashy's command, Espeon instinctively ran to help her friend, Liepard. Many of Espeon's strong psychic attacks would be ineffective against Absol, so I watched from the ground as Espeon hit Absol with a glowing iron tail. Liepard also struck Absol again with a scratch attack. Espeon and Liepard were attacking Absol left and right with terrific speed and power.

While they kept Absol busy, I reached out to help Ashy up. She got up and checked on Deerling who had ducked on her other side. Deerling was fine, just scared. We began running away, but Deerling ran in the wrong direction. Sadly, there was no time to chase Deerling. We had to just keep running. This was the scariest part. We had no idea where there could be stationed troops or hidden scouts, but we had to do it for the Pokemon. We ran through the gusting snow and refused to be stopped. The freezing air burned our eyes and the snow practically blinded us, but we had to get away for our sake and theirs.

"Espeon! Liepard! Come on." Ashy called back. In an instant her two friends flanked us on either side.

I had hoped they had worn out Absol to exhaustion, but I didn't have to look back to hear that she was still chasing us. I could hear her claws crunching on the icy layer of snow that had fallen a few days ago. We just kept running forward. We had to run. I looked over at Ashy who had a smile on her face as she ran. This was exciting, wasn't it? It was thrilling. I was scared, but invigorated. Then…

"Nine!"

"Lux!"

Beauty and Luxxy had joined us. Beauty ran along my left side near Liepard, and Luxxy ran along Ashy's right side with Espeon. The formation was complete. There was only one problem, I could hear more crunching behind us. There was still one Mightyena, one Houndoom, chasing us along with Absol. I looked quickly at Beauty. Her red eyes began to glow as she activated her telepathy.

{We defeated the others quite easily, but we had a hard time shaking these two.} Beauty shared with me. That must have meant that they were stronger than the others. The three of them also seemed completely in sync. I wondered…they must belong to the same trainer!

"Oh no!" Ashy shrieked.

From either side of the woods came intimidating male and female Pyroar. Their fiery manes were unmistakable, even through the whipping snow. They were both heading right toward us. My heart nearly stopped. I was trying to devise an escape plan, but my brain seemed fried. We were basically surrounded. We were going to have to fight. We could take them on. I was feeling confident. Even if Dragonite stayed in the air, I think we could do it. Then I heard a flapping above our heads. I looked up expecting and hoping to see Dragonite, but instead it was a large purple and black Noivern! This was turning into one of our worst escapes yet! Someone was stalking us. They knew we were here. This was no coincidence. It wasn't the luck of a random group of resistance scouts. This was a powerful team of Pokemon belonging to a skilled trainer.