I thought I might as well publish this since it is my only complete fanfiction. Because it's a one-shot.
I do not own Pokemon.
I woke to the sound of birdsong, and not of jackhammers and shovels. Could it be that the people had gone? I looked down hopefully at my partner and cub, still sleeping peacefully. The cave in which we lived would soon be too small for the three of us, but for now, it was enough to keep us warm and dry. My partner stirred slowly. I smiled. He was truly a creature of majesty; completely unlike any other Absol in that he was a royal red, with eyes of a bright cyan. He was a shiny. Although most shinies were disliked by many, I thought that he was stunning and he was a good father too.
I stretched, flexing my claws and swinging my scythe. I was pleased the noise that had lasted several days had gone but concern controlled my thoughts; my horn was tingling with the anticipation of disaster. I sighed and shook my head as I left the safety of the cave. A new smell filled the air. It was rough and sticky and heavy, like that of a van's tyre. Tarmac. Tarmac beneath my feet. It was fresh and still contained the essence of man. This was the disaster, I was sure of it. I felt infuriation burn in my veins. How could man do this? Anger fuelled my actions as began to shred the road with my claws and horn. I hissed and snarled while I tore a hole in the unnatural substance. Man's stone flew around me whilst I attempted to destroy his road, in the way he had done to my mountain, the Absol's mountain.
But then out of the blue came a screeching hoot and tyres screaming and flashing lights. And nothing. I shrieked as cold metal collided with my flanks and I was tossed to the roadside into the barriers. Rock dust made me choke. I lay silently on the road. Pain festered in my right hind leg. I yowled. Tears of shock filled my eyes. As my vision began to fade, I heard an engine die and a door slam. My stomach tightened as a shadow fell over me. I fainted.
More unfamiliar smells; I woke for the second time that day. I heard all kinds of cries from variousPokémon; the noise was overwhelming. I opened my eyes. My heart skipped a beat. I was in a small room that reeked of medicine. It was cosy and tiled with white, with a rough but friendly green blanket. It had a door made of wire mesh and through it I could see another room with a wire-door, almost exactly the same as mine. In it, another Absol sat staring calmly at me.
"So why are you here? Are you more almost-road-kill?"
I nodded, unblinking and afraid. He sighed.
"You've never been in a rescue centre before, have you? Don't worry, you're in good hands."
Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside and I sat up. A woman in uniform appeared, looking at me.
"Hello!" she cooed. More footsteps sounded and another woman joined her.
"So what do we do with this one?" the first asked.
"It seems she's in good shape, overall, so..."
"Can we release her?"
"No, she has an ID number. See?" She pointed to a piece of laminated paper attached to the door. I was flabbergasted.
"So you're a trainer's Pokémon?" the other Absol asked me.
I shook my head.
"You must be. I was, but he released me. I can't even remember my own ID number."
I looked to the label on his door and read what it said aloud.
"One-Three-Four-Two-Nine-Five-Seven."
"Thanks." He looked up at mine and read. "One-Three-Four-Two-Nine-Five-" He stopped and stared, reading it over and over in his head.
"I-It's the same!" he spluttered. He looked back at me. "No… Y-You can't be…" He suddenly leapt to the door-cage wire with his face pressed close to it, giving the two women a shock.
"Lun! Lun! It's me, Sol!" Confusion wavered in my mind before I realised that I knew his face. But he sank to the floor and turned his head away. "You don't remember do you?"
I shook my head sadly, unable to recall anything, but I was sure he knew me as he knew my name.
"We were thrown out as cubs, you and I. We're brother and sister."
"Sol..." I murmured, still thinking hard.
"So what do we do with her?" the other woman asked.
"We can't find the trainer, so we'll release her once she's proved she can survive on her own." She nodded.
"We'll leave her to settle then." The people walked away.
We waited until their echoing footsteps had faded into the howls and grunts from other Pokémon.
"Why are you here, Sol?" I asked, not yet fully trusting him.
"I was hit by a truck."
"We share a common enemy, then," I growled.
The next day was the day they took me to the forest clearing, as part of my rehabilitation training. I was overjoyed to feel grass again and I rolled in it like a Skitty, staining my snow-white fur with a natural green and tumbling around with leaves in my paws. Although a collar adorned my neck, I felt strangely free, like nothing I'd felt before.
"Crystal!" One of the women from yesterday tugged at my leash and laughed. They had given me this name as I couldn't tell them my real one, and to tell the truth I rather liked it. It reminded me of the stars in the sky before the people made their artificial lights that almost swallowed their presence.
"Come here, Crystal!"
I trotted up to her with reluctance and sat in front of her, ready to obey. Before I was taken here, I would never, even in my dreams, have listened to a human, but my ordeal had given me new respect for the creatures. They puzzled me more than ever now; they almost kill me only to revive me. Whatever went through their minds?
I looked up at the girl expectantly, waiting for the first test. She turned around, smiling.
"Okay, we're ready!"
"Okay!" came a reply from somewhere between the trees. The second woman emerged, tugging at another leash. To my amazement, another Absol appeared with her, resisting the lead only half-heartedly.
"Sol! It's you!" I cried happily, leaping to my feet. He stopped resisting when he saw me.
"Oh, Lun!" he barked, relieved to know it was me.
The people lead us together and we sniffed and pawed at each other, just confirming the other really was who we thought.
"Hey, they seem to get on," one woman proclaimed, "let's get one to the second test then."
But she didn't have time to say what the test was, for earth-shaking footsteps emitted from the forest. I gasped and Sol readied himself, though the humans didn't seem to notice.
"What's wrong?" The one on my lead looked worried.
"I bet it's just a disaster," Sol's holder joked. We, however, were too concerned for humour. Our muscles tensed and I growled nervously.
"W-What is it, Sol?" I stammered, digging my claws into the soft earth.
"Another Pokémon. A big one, at that," he snorted, grimacing.
"Eugh, I don't think this is normal," my holder whimpered pitifully as a silhouette faded into view. Sol, was right, it was huge.
A sauropod-like creature burst through the trees, knocking some down in the process. It was brown and covered in giant leaves. From its jaw hung yellow banana-like fruit and two fern-leafed wings sprouted from its back. It snorted furiously like a moving oak.
"Tropius! Please!" But the monster swung its head like a mace and smacked the woman in the stomach, flinging her straight into a tree several metres away. Satisfied that she was badly hurt, the Tropius focused to us two Absol. Sol's holder ran in but received nothing more than a good kick to the head. The animal roared as it did so and for a split second, I could understand it.
"Begone, with you humans! What have you done?"
I suddenly realised that its eyes were filled with tears and knew it was here to avenge the death of one of its own. But if it loathed the humans, what would it do to Pokémon appeared to be allied with them? The beast towered over us, like a colossal tree, glaring with fury and sorrow.
"NO! You don't understand!" I yelled to it, though I knew it didn't have the voice of a hunter like me. It started with a stomp, swiftly followed by slashes from my own horn. Sol clawed at its flanks and it replied with a flap of its wings that hurled razor-sharp leaves at our faces. His face adorned with cuts, Sol charged and pounced. He missed as the Tropius flew several feet in the air and free-fell upon him. Sol howled in pain but struggled out from beneath its body, grimacing. I ran in again but he blocked me.
"No, Lun. Cover your ears."
I did as was told, lying on my stomach with my paws firmly pressed to my head. I watched him as he stood in front of the beast. He opened his mouth but nothing came out, yet I knew the words he sang. They rung through my head, right now…
I sing a song to silence you,
In doing so, it hurts me too,
Silence is deafening, let music flow,
Slowly let your conscience go,
Thoughts will tumble into sleep,
A mindless wander in the deep,
I sing to you a Perish Song,
How can music be so strong?
As he ended the Tropius fell to its knees and lay its head upon the grass.
"Sol! I galloped up to him with concern.
"Go now, Lun," he said with a sad smile on his face. He promptly collapsed unconscious by the Tropius. I gasped, fighting back my tears. I turned away. I knew where I was going. Home.