Prologue
Part I - A Storm to Herald Change
The moment when dark rumor becomes reality is always chilling.
Screaming and hating the trainer ordered one of his charges to attack the Seviper coiled across from him. Lashes made of vine beat into the serpent's thick scale hide, the trainer's words cutting and slicing away what glowing optismism the pokemon had left.
I stood frozen under the umbrella held tightly in my hands, rain cascading around me as if to shield me from the brutality. Clad only in my black work uniform, thick-soled and sensible sneakers, full-length pant with leather belt, button-down shirt with long sleeves, I felt as if I were a mourner pondering the death of this relationship.
With a final acid comment the trainer turned away from the serpant, carelessly dropping a black and yellow sphere into the muck behind him. His Grovyle companion walked behind him one step and to the right, as if a dutiful wife. Together they faded into the monochrome horizon of the storm.
A full minute passed before I dared to take a single step further down the slick muddy path, closer to my home and the motionless Seviper. It is said in most situations the first step is the hardest, but as I stood there I disagreed. Many have told me that they find my courage to be borderline insane, but that is because they do not understand how I view the world.
After that single step, I saw the world through the tears pouring from the sky and the tears flowing down my face.
The Seviper unmoving against a backdrop of a heartless world, suffocating itself with a silence known only to those who have no words for what they feel. A tableu that I could not simply walk by as I know others have, claiming it is no business of theirs. Call me a bleeding heart, I care not, for I witnessed an act that I saw as unforgivable.
"Seviper...do you want me to help you?" My second step followed.
The pokemon did not react physically, nor did I hear any verbal response. I took that as a sign that it would not object to me moving closer. Still, I stepped deliberately and loudly until I was quite sure I was within striking distance. I could see now that the slitted eyes were focused on the sphere the trainer had tossed.
"I'm going to share my umbrella with you, Seviper. In order to do that I have to be right next to you. If you don't want me to be there, please let me know." I made sure to project my voice so I was sure it could hear me. After a twenty second count, I was true to my word. Though there was no way the umbrella could fit the entirety of myself and the serpent underneath it, I made sure that both our heads were covered.
There we stood for a long while, until the rain stopped.
Author's Note: [chuckles] I realize that this first chapter is short, and I will say that the Prologue parts will probably continue to be so. When I begin the first arc, the chapters will be much longer than this (around 2500 words at least) as I find it harder to keep a chapter short than make them longer.
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