Running for Freedom
Featuring The Mask of Ice/Masked Man & Maisy
(The Shipping is called Commandshipping apparently?)
Rated T, warning for kidnapping.
[Maisy, the young granddaughter of Kurt of Azalea, was kidnapped and taken to this dark labyrinth, deep in a dark forest, and has a somehow terrible hope of getting away. Will she get away from her captor? A Poke Adventures oneshot.]
Note: The Viz Kids versions of Pokemon Adventures is very different from the Chuang Yi from Singapore, which is slightly more matured and not as edited in panels, actions and dialogue. Message me if you are interested in buying Singapore books.
Made for my bff, a true Masked Man nut. =)
No one's coming this way... Maisy looked around the corner to the other direction, Nor that way. Maisy stayed low to the ground as she ran down the dusty old hallway, not sparing the cracked wooden doors that lined the hallway any second glance although she prayed with all her little heart that none of them would open. If it did, that meant she was caught and that meant she would probably be put back in her cell, behind one of said doors. So she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, shoes in her hands to keep the noise down. Hallway after twisting hallway in the dying gloom of the day that shone weakly through several high up windows that were out of reach for even the tallest of adults, trying to find that one certain place she remembered seeing a month ago, for which she'd had to wait for her window of opportunity. She slid to a halt in the dusty and grime of the tiles and slid to a halt in front of a small hall with pipes sticking out of it, cracks in the plaster webbing out in all directions. She tossed her shoes through the meager hole and started to pry and bend the poles towards her, pressing the flats of her feet against the wall. When one whipped out of her hands and gashed her hand, she didn't say anything, just kept pulling, hoping to get free. Eureka! She scurried through the hall once she bent enough of the bars, and laid on her belly, pulling her self through, squeezing herself to get through to freedom.
She stood up in the dark shadows of the overbearing Ilex Forest, a forest that ran for miles and had a considerable height that loomed over everything, discouraging attempts at deforestation. A casual jaunt through this forest could lead into a lost frenzy for several days that could end in death as the trees became utter disorientating. Instead of being frightened, she put on her shoes and took off down the small hill that this abandoned installation of buildings and hallways took up, and ran through the trees. The things behind her where much scarier. She'd rather died by Pokemon attack, or even a sinkhole or drowning in a lake to go back. In that place, everything was kept out of reach that would leave an attempt at suicide. It'd be best to die out in this wilderness.
All time and space was lost in this behemoth of a labyrinth that threatened to engulf her life. Regardless, she took in on, trying not to get too recklessly, but her fear made her go faster, slapping limbs out of her way, and kicking up clods of dirt and rocks. She felt the unyielding urge that she was going in the wrong direction, but if she started going in circles it would never end and her panic would spiral her out of control. She kept running forward and forward, onward and onward, hoping that she would get to the end of this nightmare. She kept jogging forward, panting and out of breath, with rips on her night clothing. She hadn't even a chance to get dressed, as soon as she saw her chance, she'd had to take it.
Little shivers of fear slithered down her body, impregnating her body with terror as the dull colors of night started to surround her. The sun was setting before as she ran. If night came on, her tormentors would catch her faster. They were enemies that loomed in the night, who did as they pleased under cover of the darkness where people were more likely to fear them. In all cases, it seemed to work, this terror of chase in the night. And now it was working on her.
Maisy almost sobbed in utter relief when she saw a space of light through the trees that she hadn't seen in miles and miles of all this flora. It was a break in the trees, and that could only mean one thing; this forest had an end. She burst out, huffing and leaning on her knees, and unable to believe her luck. She had come out on the side of Ilex that she had yearned for. It was Azalea Town, right where her only living relative was. And there he was, right over there working his tired limbs out. She fondly remembered that he liked to work in the evening where there was less heat to cause him stress.
"Granpa!" Overwhelmed with relief, Maisy raised her hands to wave at her grandfather, Kurt, who was tilling a small garden with his back to her, oblivious to the scene behind him. When he didn't hear her gasping yell, she took a deep breath and screamed, "GRANPA!" With that, Kurt took pause and started to turn.
Black wisps of a cloak suddenly wrapped around her body and obscured her vision right as she saw her Grandpa turn towards her.
"M-maisy?" His questioning tone filled her ears. He never got to see her as she was pulled back into the darkness of Ilex, perhaps to never see the light of day. She closed her eyes, treasuring that last glance of freedom. With a jar of movement she was jolted back to reality. In this darkness that surrounded her, covered by a cloak she knew, all she could do was cling helplessly to the figure that joined her in this wrapping. She could feel her captor holding her body to his chest. It was a long time of continuous running until the figure came to a halt. She supposed he wanted to get into his haven of trees, where no one would chance upon them. With a flip of the cloak edge, Maisy was left to tumble onto the grass. She fell on her side, but quickly rolled onto her knees, her head bent down submissively.
"So where did you think you were running off too little one?" The Masked Man's voice was a dry hiss, low of a pitch but dangerous all the same.
"Nowhere sir." She had to admit, she hadn't thought that he would find her so soon. She was blinded by her own arrogance.
"It sure looked like somewhere." He walked around her slowly. Even if she dared to look up, she wouldn't be able to tell if he was even looking at her. His mask kept his face from all viewers of this world.
"Nowhere sir." Bone white fingers snaked out from his long sleeve, and touched her cheek. He suddenly grasped her and dragged her backwards, and slammed her against a tree.
"Nowhere is right." He hissed his face dangerously close to hers. She had to fight back a whimper from the hard bark biting into her back. She knew that he did not want her to whimper. He wanted her to be a strong little fighter. A fighter just for him. He let her fall to the ground again in front of him, where she was left to kneel. He was silent for a long, long moment, standing still in front of her, but she did not dare speak, "Wasn't it nice of me to let you see your grandfather one last time, before you childhood is whiled away?" He sounded cold, emotionless, bored even.
"Yes sir." She lowered her head, leaning on her hands to keep her face down, "Thank you master."
"You will never see him again." It was a simple declaration of what would be. She really would never see him again, her only blood. There was silence as he regarded her, "... Seeing as this was your first attempt... let it be known. I saw you sneak out of that little crack. I saw you bend the bars, taking up a whole minute. I could have snatched you from where I perched at a window at any time of my choosing. Your dusty footprints left it all for me to see, child. I heard every snap of branch, every turn of rock in your hasty, desperate escape. You will never be out of my reach, out of my sight, out of my hearing. You will never leave." There was silence again as he watched Maisy's shoulders slump slightly. She had never seen him, had never heard him. She had never known he was there, "Welcome back to where you belong, Maisy, my masked child. His hand had withdrew and now a mask slid out of his sleeve and smoothly covered her face. He pressed it to her and leaned down, to whisper in her ear, "Give up all hope. You will never leave this place. You will never leave me." Silently, she followed him back into the forest to let the future with no hope engulf her.