Bereft of Innocence

Chapter 1: Newfound Alliances

"Since the beginning, we've changed in many different ways. In the beginning, we fought with Pokémon, and for the most part, lost. When we got past our differences, many humans took a Pokémon as a partner, and they formed a bond that made each other their Kaishakunin. Humans and Pokémon were on equal footing.

As time progressed, we humans became more ingenious. We took materials from the earth and created things that no Pokémon could ever imagine. They grew afraid, and that is when we began to treat them as animals, rather than equals. We kept progressing, and the bond between humans and Pokémon all but died.

Eventually, we created technology called a 'Pokémon Capsule', which allowed us to contain Pokémon within small capsules that allowed us to call upon them at will. This was the precursor to the famous 'Pokéball', which not only captures the Pokémon, but can also be managed electronically through personal computers. With these technologies in hand, we once again reunited with Pokémon, our bonds stronger than ever.

However, as we used Pokémon in the past to wage wars, we now use them for more recreational means, using their unique abilities to accomplish a various amount of activities, from battling to performing, from construction work to housecleaning; if we found it enjoyable or required help to do a task, we called upon our Pokémon.

Now able to carry a total of six Pokémon, we usually keep the majority – if not all – of the Pokémon within their balls, but as of late, there has been a new rise in the Kaishakunin, although some say that the bonds are not as strong as they once were, due to being stretched out across six Pokémon, instead of just a single one.

Things were at peace for a long period of time, before conspirators decided they wanted to change the world for their own usage. Many trainers stepped up to fight the dictators, and eventually, most of the organizations were defeated. But an effect of this was the worldwide re-definition of trainer law, making the (once very young) trainers wait until they became 18, and an added a stipulation that required trainers may only travel with an official Escort, of which the necessities were defeating the Gym Challenge in a single region."

A slow, singular clap came from behind the boy, his response being to whip around at ninety miles an hour; only to see that it was his family's maid, Yui. He let out a sigh of relief as she silently took the paper from him, reading over it quickly.

"Good job Sozai, you got most of the words right. A little breathy, but other than that, you did well." She handed him back the paper, the young man quickly taking in her French Maid outfit with ravenous eyes. "Hey, Sozai! My eyes are up here." He turned away, blushing slightly. Sure, Yui's form was something to be admired, but it felt too weird to him. He had grown up with her, after all. He was brought back to attention by her giggle. He knew that giggle. It always meant that she had found something witty to say, his attention was rapt as she motioned him to come closer. "Flirting and socializing with the hired help, your parents can understand, even if they don't approve. What would they think if you had bedded with one of them?"

His face flushed red again, and he managed to stammer out, "Uh-I… umm… Yes? No?"

She shook her head lightly, black curls bouncing up and down her face at the movement. "Please, I do have standards. For one you have to be eighteen. Though I guess you'd be on your way to Ohira already by the time you turned eighteen."

The embarrassment faded rather quickly at that comment, and was replaced with a sense of pride. "You know I will, Yui."

"Your parents certainly don't think so."

"Ooh, that stung. Nah, they don't want me to, but what are they going to do? Stop me? Once I'm eighteen, I can do whatever I want," Sozai turned to look longingly out the window, looking at the dense forest just behind the mansion's grounds. It seemed to taunt him every time he even looked out there. He occasionally snuck out, defying the "Leaving Residential Areas" rule, just for a nice walk in the woods. None of the Pokémon there ever threatened him. Then again, there weren't all that strong Pokémon in Murakei.

"What do you plan on doing? There isn't an Escort in miles, thanks to your parents convincing the City Council that an Escort Center would be too much trouble." She came over, hugging him from behind. He smiled at the close contact. Yui and he had always been close, and had grown up almost as brother and sister. There was always that small class distinction, but he ignored it for the most part.

She turned him around by the shoulders, looking at him expectantly for an answer. He took a deep breath, letting it all flow out afterwards. "I'm not sure. I managed to find a breeder in Ohira via the internet, but getting there is going to be an issue. Buying a train ticket in my name would obviously catch the attention of my parents, so that's out of the question."

She paused, looking uncertain. "Well… I could buy a ticket for you. You could give me the money and I'd be able to get it for you."

Sozai had to smile at her attempts, but it wasn't to be. "I can't. I've been drawing the cash out of the bank for this Pokémon that I'm buying week by week, just small pieces at a time. If I was to just withdraw a bunch of money this close to my birthday, my parents would be suspicious. They're already keeping tabs on my banking statements."

"Oh…" Yui looked downtrodden, but she smiled afterwards. "Well, I'll find a way to help you, okay?"

He doubted it very much, but he couldn't help but accept her infectious optimism. He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up before accepting another quick hug from the maid. She disappeared around the corner, winking as she did so. Sozai had no idea how to feel about her. Was she flirting? Was she just trying to genuinely help? Yui had always been a little off the wall, and very hard to read. Sozai had eventually given up when he learned this fact, naught for years of trying.

He looked down at his essay, and started to recite it once more.

On his eighteenth birthday, dinner with his parents was awkward. Not a single one had said a word, and they were almost all done with the main course. The kitchen staff came and took away their plates. They seemed almost reverent around his father and mother, but behind their backs, Sozai would often see them send a wink or a grin his way. It was their own way of congratulating him, and it made him feel good.

"Sozai."

It is funny how a name can make an entire room freeze. His father's voice was not overly deep or gravelly; nor was it sweet or mellifluous. It was almost a dull sounding tone, not overly condescending, but it seemed to grab attention. If you weren't already looking at the imposing figure at the head of the table, you would be if he uttered but a single word.

"Father?"

"It has come to my attention that one of your friends – Namaikina, I believe? It has come to my attention that he is… 'Swinging for the other team'? However you put it. I wish you to desist from approaching him anymore." As it were, Sozai would simply nod my head and voice my 'Yes sir', but now… now Sozai was eighteen, and he had rights.

"Father, may I ask you a question after this one?" he grunted his approval as his son proceeded. "Taking in the fact that I'm eighteen, what the hell gives you the right to determine who I hang out with or not?"

Sozai's mother gasped at the harsh words, while my old man simply stared him in the eyes. "You will not go near him, understand?"

He almost buckled. The force of his gaze nearly subdued me, but I fought against it tooth and nail. "No. Why would you care at this point?"

"Prestige. Now, son; do as I say, and you won't be hurt. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT go near that boy."

"Go fuck yourself." He stood up from the table as the dessert trays were being brought in, the head cook looking at me in consternation. As he approached the mahogany doors that would eventually lead to his freedom, he turned slowly, pondering something. "If it was because of the fact that you think I am or would become homosexual, well, you were almost right. Prestige can go jump off a cliff, because I'm bisexual."

Before getting a response, he hurried upstairs, heading to his room. Realizing what he just did, he started breathing rapidly, almost to the point of hyperventilating. He just stood up to his father, disrespected his family name, and announced that he violates almost all of his father's views on sexuality. As much as his parents didn't want him becoming a trainer, his father would definitely kick him out now. Or try to do some Arcean ritual to purify me. He almost laughed at the thought, if it wasn't for the fact that it was a definite possibility.

He opened the door to his room to see Yui sitting on his bed, dressed in her normal clothes. A backpack was packed to the brim in front of her, and she was holding a green train ticket. She held it out to him, and he simply kept staring until she proffered the information herself. "I-um… I took it out of my own savings. I wasn't saving towards anything in particular, but…I thought you should have it."

Sozai shook his head softly, pushing the hand that held the ticket back down. "You didn't have to…"

"Stop it. You're not going to guilt me out of this. I bought this specifically for you. Think of it as a birthday present. You don't return birthday presents." She took his hand and opened it, placing the ticket into his palm, before folding his fingers over it.

"Why didn't you buy two?"

"Silly boy. I didn't have enough money. Besides, somebody has got to stay here to make sure that you come back." She pulled him close and place her lips upon his, holding them both there for a few seconds. She pulled away, giving him a melancholy smile as she left the room, leaving him to look at the pack.

A few minutes of processing what had just happened went by, and eventually he managed to pull out his phone and called a number that he had saved in his contacts. A few rings later, and somebody answered the phone. "Hey, this is Sozai Junsui calling about an order I placed a few months ago. Will she be ready to pick up tomorrow afternoon?" A mumbled response, "Around one o'clock? Excellent."

The evening train from Murakei to Ohira was rather empty. In fact, Sozai didn't even know why there was a evening train. It didn't bother him enough to ask however, and he enjoyed his relative solitude in peace. It wasn't a terribly long ride, but it was long enough that he was left with his thoughts.

Does it count as running away from home if you're 18? He chuckled at the thought, and quickly decided to call it independence. He was currently on the dinner cart, preferring the open spaces to the enclosed private boxes that most passengers rode in. It also allowed him to see some of the serving staff, which sent a pang of sadness through him.

Yui… when would he get to see her again? He didn't know what came over her when she kissed him… it wasn't like he didn't want her to, but what had prodded her to do so?

The train pulled into Ohira North and he departed quickly, wanting to go to a Pokémon Center and rest. The streets weren't familiar to him, and he didn't want to be caught out here alone at night. The crisp night air prodded him on as well, sending shivers down his back. He nodded to the conductor as he left, and was on his way.

It took him roughly 10 minutes to get to the town center and to the Pokémon center, where he was greeted by the nurse. She nodded politely to him as he entered, and proceeded to ask if he needed anything.

He rubbed his eyes a bit before asking, "Do Pokémon Centers still offer board for traveling trainers?"

She nodded again, a little more ecstatically. "Of course we do. We just need to slide your trainer card, and the room and breakfast is free."

Smiling, Sozai handed her his trainer card, and she swiped it, waiting for the information to come up. When it did, the corner of her mouth turned down slightly, and she seemed to be thinking. "Is something wrong, nurse?"

"Well, I only see one thing. Happy birthday, by the way. But it says that your hometown is Murakei, correct? And that you have no registered Escort…" she turned towards him, giving him a stern look.

"I believe that it is allowed for trainers to travel in between cities in public transportation, yes?" he responded firmly. "And besides, it should also say that I have no registered Pokémon, so please tell me why I would risk traveling in miles of forest without any protection?"

She nodded, handing him back his trainer card. "Sorry for the doubt, I needed to verify that you weren't doing anything illegal. Come to Ohira to pick up a Pokémon and an Escort?"

"I have indeed. I ordered a specific Pokémon from a breeder in town a while ago, and she should be ready to pick up tomorrow. I have an appointment at the Escort Center day after tomorrow."

Her face darkened progressively as he went on. "Pokémon breeder? Which one?"

He blinked in confusion a couple of times, before responding, "I think his name was Bukimi Yaro."

"Be careful." She paused for a second, looking down at the counter before looking back up with a smile on her face and continuing, "Your room is room 114, down the hall and on the left. Have a good night!" Handing him a card key, she went back to doing something on the computer, leaving Sozai more than a little confused.

Figuring that she wasn't going to say anything else to him, he went down the hallway, before sliding the key into the door and waiting for it to register before opening the door. It was a fairly simple room, with a bathroom on the right as he walked in. There was a single bed and some chairs, both with floral patterns on the fabric. A small AC was in the corner along with a desk, and opposite the bed was a fairly large television. It looked exactly like a hotel room, but for free.

He dropped his pack down beside the bed, and undressed before lying down and flipping on the TV, letting the background noise lull him to sleep.

He awoke to the same conditions around 10 o'clock, deciding to grab a shower before going on about his day. As he turned on the water and let the warmth was his aches and pains away, he thought about what he was going to do. Based on the nurse's response to the Pokémon breeder that he acquired, he assumed that Bukimi Yaro was a bad name around here. Probably illegal, but what could he do? Not show up? They had his information, and Sozai was fairly sure that without a Pokémon, he'd be an easy target.

No good options here…

He turned off the water, stepping out onto the frigid tile floor. He quickly dried himself off, putting on a new set of clothes for the day. He spared a glance at the clock next to the bed, seeing that it was now close to eleven. He grabbed a piece of paper from his previous day's pants pocket, and looked at the address on it. He stuffed it into the pocket he was wearing today before turning and exiting the room, leaving his stuff in there. He walked out into the main foyer, where he had met the nurse. There were now a few trainers running about with their Pokémon, enjoying the breakfast that was apparently served until noon.

He sat down after grabbing a plate of various foods, looking around at the surrounding trainers. Most of them had at least one Pokémon out, and few of them had more than one. He only spotted a single person that didn't have one out, but he didn't pay much attention to him. There was a variety of Pokémon there that he hadn't ever seen in person before. His hometown was nice and quaint, but sorely lacking in variety.

He noticed that most all of the trainers were accompanied by someone older than them, and normally with a more powerful looking Pokémon as well. He recognized them as the Escorts, and he smiled internally. I'll have one too, soon…

He finished his plate and dumped it into the wash bin, and returned to the front counter. The new nurse greeted him in the same way as the one last night did, and he told her that he'd be staying for a few days until he got situated. She made a note in her computer, and Sozai was off.

The streets of Ohira weren't crowded per se, but it was a large city. And with every large city, there would be lots of people. The address he was supposed to go to didn't have a bunch of people around it, and Sozai could understand why. If Murakei had a bad part of town, it would be nothing compared to this. People looking out of shutters at you, roguish Pokémon combing the debris, and Sozai thought he even saw a group of humans holding a set of guns looking out from an alleyway at him.

Then of course, the 'breeder's' workplace itself was a warehouse. What seemed to be an old abandoned warehouse. Nonetheless, he got up the courage to go and knock on the door. He waited a few minutes, and was about to knock on it again when a slat in the door slid back and revealed a set of eyes. "What do you want?"

"Sozai Junsui. Came to pick up an order." He attempted to say it with confidence, but he was sure that the man behind the door could hear the fear in his voice.

"Good. I'll have it out in a second." The small hole in the door closed, and Sozai waited a few minutes before the entire door opened, revealing a rather large man holding a small black Zorua by the scruff of the neck. It seemed to be struggling, but when it caught sight of Sozai, it froze, eyes growing wide. "Just take a Pokéball and catch her. She won't cause you no trouble."

The Zorua's new trainer pulled out a black and yellow ball, with a 'U' insignia on it. He tapped her on the forehead gently, before she was sucked in. It didn't even make an effort to get out, and the ball let a little beep to know that she was successfully captured. "The agreement was 1,000,000 ¥, correct?"

The shady man who Sozai assumed was Bukimi nodded his head solemnly. "In cash." He added. Sozai took out his billfold and started counting out the bills, until the man was satisfied. Sozai started to leave, and he called out, "You know, I'm feeling generous today, since you didn't try to pull any stunts. I'll make sure the boys don't jump you on the way out. Just remember who got you that Pokémon, got it?"

Sozai nodded, bile rising in his throat. He passed by the same alleyway he had beforehand, and saw the group of men with guns looking out and waving mockingly as he exited what seemed to be the scariest place of his life.

He spent the rest of the day walking around the better parts of the city, often staring at the Pokéball in his hand. He wondered how the little Zorua would take being under his control. He didn't know Bukimi's breeding methods, nor did he want to know, but what he did find curious was the Zorua's reaction to him. What would it be when he let her out of her ball tonight?

I hope she doesn't hate me… I don't think I could train a Pokémon that hated me…

He was walking down the street towards the Pokémon Center when he saw a gift shop. It wasn't particularly anything fancy, but he decided to check it out anyhow. He browsed through the wares for a few minutes before seeing a silver bell with black lace ribbons. He shook the bell, and it didn't seem to ring, so he asked the cashier how much it was.

"That old thing? Been there for a coupla years now. I'll give it to ya for 50 ¥."

"Do you take Poké?"

"Trainer money? Yeah, just slide your card."

Sozai eventually made it back to the Pokémon Center, after stopping to eat at a restaurant for dinner. The sun was setting as he came in the front doors, and the nurse that had been on duty last night was on duty yet again.

"I'm assuming you managed to get your Pokémon?"

"You could have told me who I was dealing with. All I knew was that he was a breeder. I didn't know he was illegal."

"He isn't, technically. The police can never pin him on anything. But everyone knows he takes part in the black market."

Sozai let out an exasperated sigh. Not me, apparently. "Either way, I got her. I'm going to try and coax her out of her shell before getting her a checkup tonight, see if everything is fine. She seemed scared to death of me when she saw me."

The nurse smiled sadly at him, "That's usually the response they get coming out of 'breeding' farms like that. Usually the only human being they've ever seen is their breeder, and don't know what to do when they see another one. May I ask what Pokémon it is?"

"A Zorua."

Her eyes widened a bit. "Bukimi is the only breeder around her that can get a hold of one of those. And even then it's hard. It must have been rather expensive."

He caught onto her hint, and decided to ignore it. "It was. Now if you excuse me…"

"Of course."

Holding onto the Ultra Ball that held his first Pokémon, he entered his room. He noticed that the room had been cleaned while he was away. He placed the Pokéball onto the bed, sitting down cross legged on the floor. He pushed the release button, and the small black fox came out in a flash of red light. It was curled in a ball, sleeping. Its sleep was short lived, however, when it realized that Sozai had started petting it on the head.

It jolted up, running away from Sozai's hand, and staring at him intently. Sozai had plenty of practice calming down Pokémon from the forest behind his house during his teenage years, and the Zorua wasn't much different.

"Shh shh shh… It's alright little one, I won't harm you." He held his arms open, as if he was about to embrace the little fox in a hug. It didn't budge from its spot, but it seemed to loosen up a bit, as if it wasn't expecting what Sozai was doing.

"Little Zorua, come here. I want to meet you. Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." He continued, humming slightly to put it at ease. He moved one of his arms closer to the Zorua, who didn't run away, but took a tentative sniff at his hand. She licked it slightly before reaching a shaking paw to one of Sozai's fingers, pressing against it.

"Will you come here please? I'd just like to get to know you…" The Zorua came close, within his arms reach. It refused to come any closer, but didn't move when Sozai's hands came closer to its sides. He rubbed her down a little bit, making the fox let out a little rumble of approval.

He moved his hand up her neck, where she tensed slightly, before relaxing again as he moved his hand further up, towards the back of her ear. She mewled happily, pressing into his hand. He snuck a hand under her stomach, and gently lifted her up. Seeing what he was doing, she started to struggle again, but he held her to his chest letting the fox rub against it trying to escape.

He held her there for a few minutes before she stopped struggling, and the small fox looked up at Sozai as if she didn't know what was going on. "I know you had a tough life in that place…" the fox visibly shuddered at this, "but from now on, you don't have to deal with that. I'll be with you, and I won't let it happen again."

She kept staring him in the eye, before a small amount of water trailed from the corner of her eye down her muzzle. Sozai raised a thumb to wipe it off, and gave her a comforting look. "Now, what should I call you?"

"My… my name is Shoku…"

Author's Note:

Well, here is the first chapter of the journey I'm working on. I'm discarding all Pokémon that are coming in from Gen VI, because well… they aren't all released yet. However, Gen V and below are all fair game.

Let's discuss some things I want you to know about this story. As you can tell from the rating, this will get both very violent and very sexy at times. If you don't like that, deal with it. You don't have to keep reading. But if you're willing to look past the sex I have planned, I'm going to put in 'Scene Skips' for those who need them. Basically, before a sex scene is going to start, I will have a small intermission that says "Sex is coming" and will basically tell you to CTRL-F "Sex is over" to pass over it. That way if you want to read but don't want sex, it helps you too. Now, concerning the world, there is a few things I need to tell you.

One: I use a lot of Japanese Terminology. If you see a Japanese Term or a name, and you have no clue what it means, ask me, and I'll tell you. Some of them are pretty funny translations, some of them are actual names, and some just don't mean anything.

Two: This is in a region called Mazaasu, where there used to be an absence of Pokémon, for some reason. Once humans started populating the giant island, Pokémon came with them, and from all the regions. That's why there are all the generations there.

Three: I have a specific money system that I use. I live in America, so I convert something's price here into the Yen Value (¥) for price in Japan. However, in this story, trainers have two possible sources of money. The cold hard cash, and the digital money from their trainer cards, called Poké. Seeing as not every trainer has the ability to fund their own account, the League gives every new trainer a stipend of 3,000 ¥ to begin with. They earn money by battling others for money, and by selling their own items. Almost everywhere has Poké converters, seeing as most revenue for a city is created by the trainers that go through it. Think of Poké as debit, and ¥ as cash.

Well, there we go. This chapter: 4,325 words long. Planning on making them larger.