A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long! I don't really have any excuses; too much going on to write much lately. Not to mention going through this work, (and my other works *CoughAScion'sTaleCough*) I realized a LOT of the plot wasn't as tight as it should have been, and I need to rework it. Luckily for this work I only released the first chapter, so no rewriting necessary. Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait~
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own pokemon or every version would come with the option to start with Eevee instead.
A Glimmer in the Dark
A small light in a sea of darkness began to flicker. The fundamental spark of consciousness began to fight its way to the surface. One by one the senses followed the light of the spark, as the small girl came to.
The clacking of shoes somewhere not far off was the first thing to register. As the sound of dozens of footsteps came to her, she followed their rhythm back into the waking world. Soon a layer of words mixed in with the clacking; a low murmur of commotion was also close by, not that she was in any state to hear anything in particular. Then came even more: the clinking of something metallic, beeps from something electronic, and clicks of typing on a keyboard.
As the sounds continued to layer upon one another, the harsh sterile smell of cleaning products found its way to her nose. Her face scrunched unconsciously at the stench as she became aware of her need to breath. Several large breaths only fruitlessly brought more of the tainted air with them. A new jolt of life came back to her as her body desperately tried to pull in fresh air. As a coughing fit began to arise, she was finally prompted to open her eyes.
After a moment or two of haze she found herself staring at a bright white ceiling. A few dim lights lined the rows of ceiling panels. She couldn't say why, but after a few blinks she was acutely aware something was wrong with her sight. She swallowed another breath of tainted air, becoming more and more aware of an awful taste in her mouth.
Where was this place and why was she there? Bits and pieces of jumbled information popped into her foggy mind, only leaving her more confused.
There was a… Pokemon in a desert? No, she was in a desert? There were bikers and a nurse? A boat? At some point she was on a truck right? Was the storm a dream? Was all of it?
"Are you finally coming to?"
Instinctively the child moved her head, only to let out a yelp at the sudden pain. What felt like fire rushed from the back of her neck to midway down her spine before quickly shooting out in every direction along the way. She collapsed back into her earlier position; and though it dimmed, a hot pain still enveloped her.
"Well it's no surprise you're still sore considering the state you arrived in." A young man dressed in white strode casually to her bedside and picked up a clipboard at the end of it. The young girl tried ask where she was, but nothing save for a wheeze came out her mouth. It felt like she should know who-or what- he was; but rattling her young brain didn't bring up the word.
The young man gave her a quick glance before turning back to look at her chart. After a moment of listing off terms she didn't recognize, he turned his attention back to the little girl. He took a small light out of his coat.
"Now I need you to follow this light with your eye."
She did as told, but was quickly perplexed at the lights sudden disappearance as it moved off to the side. After a few more tries he noted something down on the clipboard before moving on to another test.
"What's your name" He asked off handedly as he pushed her up into a sitting position, moving her long brown hair out of the way as he did. The pain in her back was lessened considerably when she wasn't using her own muscles to move, even if the man was being rather rough.
The question processed slowly through her mind before she answered in a haggard breath. "I don't… know?" It came out as much a question as it did a statement.
An irritated look came her way as the man finished hitting something on her knee. "Don't be difficult" he almost spat as he put something into his ears. "Now hold still." She flinched; not only at his harsh tone, but also at the cold item placed on her chest. After a few painful deep breaths he removed the tool and began to write again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered what he was writing, but the pain in her chest told her it wasn't worth asking.
Besides, grown ups only ever write boring things down anyway.
"One more time-" he instructed, getting her attention, "-what's your name?"
She stared at him blankly as the question waded around in her mind. Despite all of her confusion about the situation she was in, she knew this was a simple question with a simple answer. So why wouldn't that simple answer come?
"I am… I'm… My name is…" The phrases came naturally but she couldn't find the word to finish them. "My name is…"
The man frowned and scribbled something else down. "If you can't tell me your name, tell me where you're from."
Again, a simple question. And again, nothing came to the girl. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sort anything out of the haze enveloping her mind. "I don't know where-"
"Doctor-" came a deep voice from the door causing the girl to stop. A doctor! That's what he was! How could she had forgotten that? "The police are asking for you in the front regarding…" his voice trailed off as he gave the girl a side glance. The implication was lost on her, and she simply looked back at him blankly.
"Tell them I'll be there in a moment nurse. I just need to finish a few things here." With that the nurse left the pair. And, after a bit more useless coaxing for a name, the doctor helped her back down before leaving to follow. Before long she was alone with nothing but the bright lights, sickening air, and hazy thoughts.
It had started on a boat… at least, that where her choppy memory started anyway.
A hazy awakening on the waves. A sailor yelling at her for stowing away. A desperate run into the night to a city she couldn't recognize. Diving into an alleyway for cover. A short moment to catch her breath. New panic when no memory would come to her.
More intimidating men approaching her. More Panic. More running.
Jumping into a room on wheels. A loud whistle and movement. Faster. Faster. Faster. A cautious sense of safety. Hunger and curiosity leading her to food and water in some of the many boxes. A restless sleep.
Another whistle. A slow stop. The sounds of people coming. New panic. More running.
Hiding in a warehouse. Four men. Dry laughter followed by angry yells. Two storming passed her hiding spot. A small, weak, brown pokemon being released from its pokeball. An insult. A kick.
"Leave it alone! It doesn't deserve that!"
Hitting the ground from a powerful strike. Her cheek and eye burning. Tears.
"What do you know little brat!?"
Indignation. A fierce look.
"You're an overgrown bully, treating pokemon like that! You should be ashamed!"
A kick to the stomach. A kick to the head. One kick after another.
"Pieces of trash like you deserve each other."
Quiet. Soft cries and soft tears. A push. A fall. Another push. Stumbling. A small pokemon in her arms. Pain.
And finally, wandering.
Everyday she asked about her companion, and every day she was ignored. As her ability to get up and move without pain came back to her, so did the desire to, well, get up and move. And though she was grateful for the care, (especially to black and swollen eye which took longest to heal) she quickly found herself annoyed at her treatment.
"I demand to see him!" She insisted, voice no longer hoarse or quiet. She crossed her arms and pouted as the doctor wrote something down.
"You can't 'demand' to see a pokemon that's not yours" the doctor replied flatly. After a few days of her refusing to answer anything, while making demands herself, left him just as tired at this back and forth as she was. "Maybe if you were to tell me where you got him from-"
"I found him on the street!" she exclaimed, as she had every time this question came up. "I don't like being called a liar!" She wasn't sure why, but she knew being called that was bad. He motioned for her turn so he can test her reflexes. With a swift motion she swung her legs off the bed and towards him. She settled with her legs together, hands cupped in her lap, and back straight. This had been all there was for the past few days: sleeping, eating, doctor visit, rinse, repeat. The only break from the monotony was the two baths she had taken and a few boring books she had read.
"Well if you wouldn't lie or skip questions, I wouldn't be calling you a liar" the doctor spat back, already sick of hearing her. As far he was concerned she was another runaway brat that found its way into trouble and wound up here, like so many others. The only unique thing about her was the fact that she could read, and quite well at that. But just like the rest of them, she refused to answer any questions; most likely for fear of being sent back home or to juvenile detention. Luckily, she wouldn't be his problem for much longer.
If only he knew how badly she really wanted to answer him. But she was just as in the dark as she was about her past, even days later. "I really don't know though" she persisted as he hit her knees. "I'd tell you if I could!" She couldn't remember anything about her home, but she was sure it was a place she wanted to return to. There was a definite longing to get back to the place and people that were there, even if she couldn't remember their names and faces.
"Well, we'll see what we can do about that" the doctor noted with a tone that told her the conversation was done, even if she wasn't. She pouted again, but knew better than to try continue; her few days here had taught it would be useless. So, fed up with asking permission, there and then she decided that she would just have to leave and see that pokemon herself, even if she wasn't one hundred percent sure how she going to do it.
She spent the afternoon pondering her grand plan to visit the pokemon, completely unaware of plans being made about what to do with her. But a few hours after her bath, as a nice nurse finished braiding her long black hair, the doctor came back with a bit of news.
"What do you mean they're going to take me away!?" The girl cried as she backed away from him in panic.
"I mean, you're all better now, so the police are coming to take you and… help you find your family" the doctor replied in his usual distant tone. The girl did not miss his mid-sentence pause or the implications. Not this time. She felt a renewed sense of panic wash over her, stronger than ever before.
For all the things she couldn't remember, every fiber of her being told her that the police were not her friends. On the contrary, they were a thing to be avoided at all cost. They were bad, they were scary, and they were coming.
Coming to get her. Coming to take her away to a bad place. Coming to make sure that she could never find family again.
It never occurred to the seven year old to wonder where her fear of the police came from. Instead, she gave into it wholeheartedly, and soon found herself dashing through the medical office fearing for her life.
The sweet nurse had done her best to calm the girl, even giving her a new little brown dress to wear when she left the hospital. But as soon as she had changed and the nurse had left, the girl grabbed the small box with her belongings in it and left her room in a hurried panic.
Running was her first instinct, but upon seeing all the calm employees going back and forth, she swallowed the impulse and began a speed walk down the hall. Trepidation building, and no idea where she was going, she turned corners haphazardly, weaving between doctors, nurses, and patients as she went. But the more people began to notice her, the more the anxiety bubbled it's way back up her throat. With a quivering lip and a dry swallow she picked up speed, and prayed each new door would be her way out.
"Hey, are you supposed to be out here?"
It was an innocent question, from a very nice looking young lady, and yet it caused all of her tension to hit her full force. She froze, eyes wide and heart racing. "I-I-I… I…" she stammered as her mind raced. One onlooker took a step towards her, and the last bit of calm she had shattered. She allowed her instincts take over and, with every bit of strength she had, she pushed herself forward and began a mad dash through the halls.
"Ow! Watch it!
"What the hell?"
"Stop you brat!"
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered signs that read 'EMERGENCY EXIT' and unconsciously began to follow them. One turn, followed by another, and one more; and to her astonishment, she soon found herself shoving through a door to the outside. A loud siren rang in her ears, and the bright desert sun blinded her for a moment, causing her to stumble to the ground. Hot air filled her lungs as she pushed herself up and glanced around.
In every direction she looked she saw water; from fountains strewn about to a river along a sidewalk, the blue water shimmered against the white bricks that composed the town. She would have been awestruck, if not for the uproar behind her. All kinds of people began to flood out the door she had come. In her hazy memory, she recalled that the sirens blaring meant something bad was happening, and that she should leave the area where it was going off. So with a second wind hitting her, she turned and ran off into the streets of the pristine city.
Once her nerves began to settle, she decided to see if she could visit the pokemon she had brought to the center. Afterall, what else could she do; no memory meant no way home, after all. But navigating the bright white city in the daylight proved harder than following a string of street lamps in the dark. And after what she deemed to be too long, she stopped in the shade of a building with a huff.
The city seemed so much bigger now that she could actually look around. Luckily, with her new dress and braided hair she seemed to fit in well enough, despite being a bit scraped up from her fall. No one gave her any strange looks or questioned her wandering. On the contrary, many kids were out playing around in the town. Some playing with pokemon, some playing with each other, and all having fun. A few even waved at her to come join them, but her nerves kept her from getting near them.
Briefly, she wondered if her family could be around here, and a small part of her hoped someone would recognize her and take her home. But something in her quashed that hope quickly. Maybe it was her anxiety, maybe it was the unfamiliarity, but something told her that this was a place that she had never been to before now. So with a heavy heart and hazy mind, she gripped the small box containing her belongings and continued to wander around.
It took a while longer, but she did eventually find her way to center. In the daylight the doors automatically opened for her as she tried to casually stroll in. She kept her back straight as she took long strides towards the desk where a nurse sat with her back to the girl. Once there, she cleared her throat louder than was necessary, causing the nurse to turn to her. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the blonde nurse from when she first came.
"Oh my goodness it's you! You're okay! Are you allowed to be walking around already?" The nurse's questions came so fast that the surprised girl couldn't catch half of what she said. She seemed to realize the problem though, and soon paused to let the girl speak.
The doctors words echoed in her head; "You can't 'demand' to see a pokemon that's not yours"
"U-um I'm okay…" The girl finally replied. "C-Can I see the- er, my pokemon please?"
"You're pokemon?" The nurse gave her a quizzical look. "If you mean the Eevee you brought in before, we found it wasn't registered to anybody. It's already been placed with a foster trainer while the police look for its owner."
"W-Well I'm it's owner," The lie rolled right off her tongue. "and I want him back."
The nurse's lips pursed as she looked the girl over. "You're way too young to be a trainer."
Without missing a beat the girl shot back, "It's my daddy's, but it's mine too-! S-So I want him back!" She hadn't meant to raise her voice, but she felt her nerves creeping back up. She had worked so hard to get him here, to get him treatment, and now she couldn't even see him! This was the one thing she had to look forward to; she had nothing else! All she had was him- and she had thought all he had was her! If she couldn't remember her family, couldn't go back home, then shouldn't she at least be able to see the pokemon she rescued?
A strong grip on her shoulder caused her to jump. She looked up and locked eyes with a man dressed in blue. Unlike the doctor, she had no problem recognizing what he was.
"So the pokemon belongs to your dad, huh?" the police officer noted more than asked. She gulped loudly and tried to pull away, but his grip was tight. "Why don't we talk more about your dad at our office sweetie?"
At least fifty alarm bells rang in her head as he grabbed her arm before pulling her away. "Ah- no! Let me go!" She desperately began to struggle. She did her best to push his hand off of her shoulder and dug her heels into the ground; but neither did her any good. "Let me go!" Her hand slammed onto his arm, to no avail. The officer said something, but she didn't hear a word in her panic.
As he pulled her outside, she felt tears sting her eyes and blur her vision. She inhaled sharply before screaming, "I don't want to go! Let me go!" This didn't help slow his pace at all, as he dragged her towards another two officers that had been waiting nearby, ready to help catch the little girl if she decided to run again.
What her screaming did help though, is drawing a lot of attention to her. Everyone nearby turned to look at the spectacle, and no one was happy at the sight of a child being dragged around by three officers. It didn't take long for a few of the local parents to step up and demand to know what was going on, followed by a few more; others began to take out their phones to record the display. The police found themselves trying to calm the crowd, but the girl's pleas for help made it hard for them to justify themselves, even if they did genuinely want to help. One officer tried to talk to the girl and assure her that she was going to be okay, but she just pulled away and continued her scream.
Truth be told she had noticed the crowd gathering, and that her crying had made them stop, so she continued to do everything she could to make a scene. She felt the officer's grip on her tighten, causing her to yelp in pain. For a brief second, she glanced up and met his gaze; the furious look in his eyes sent chills down her spine. His grip constricted her arm causing her to yelp and cry out again, but he simply began yanking her along.
"Forget this! Let's just get going you two" he nearly screamed. The two exchanged a glance before following along; but trying to avoid the crowd only seemed to make them angrier. Quite a few moved to block them, and, his temper flaring, the officer moved his spare hand towards a pokeball on his belt. He only stopped when a short man, round man made his way to the front of the crowd.
"My my officer, what could be causing such a commotion in our little city?" the man almost cooed to the officer.
The officer flinched. "N-Nothing mayor, just taking this troublemaker in for questioning."
"You're hurting me!" the girl cried from his side, pathetically trying to push his hand off her own. "I just wanna see my pokemon!" The officer shot her another look prompting a fresh round of tears to spill forth from her eyes.
"Now now, this all doesn't really seem necessary does it gentleman?" the mayor questioned as he walked up to the group. He stopped in front of the crying girl and motioned for him to let her go. He reluctantly obeyed, but stayed close in case she decided to make a break for it. The mayor reached into his silver vest pocket and pulled out gold handkerchief for the girl. She flinched a bit before letting him wipe away a few tears. "Hello little miss. No need to cry anymore; I won't let anyone hurt you."
The girl sniffled a bit as she looked him over. His bright red coat and silver vest practically shimmered in the sun, and the traces of gold on his cuff, and elsewhere on his outfit, stuck out too. She looked back up at him, a few hiccups popping up as a result of her crying. "Y-You (hic) w-won't…?"
His warm smile reassured her. "No dear," he said softly, "I promise." He reached his hand out to her, and she hesitantly took hold of it. The mayor turned back to the crowd. "See now everybody? This is under control. I promise to handle everything regarding this girl personally!" His voice was light and sounded like it could give way to a hearty laugh. The crowd seemed to visibly relax at this, though some still seemed angry about the whole affair. The mayor turned back to the girl and whispered "just keep your head down, don't say a word, and keep hold of my hand, alright? I'll take you away from all this." She nodded, quick to take him up on his offer. So far he was one of only two people to be nice to her; and any chance to get away from all the commotion sounded good to the nerve racked child.
So with the quieted child in tow, the mayor made his way through the crowd, reassuring the angry and thanking the happy for their concern and support. To his dismay, many continued to follow, and for the first time the girl realized just how many people were filming them. She heard the sound of cameras, and quite a few people tried to gain her attention. Some called to her and some asked her questions, but she did as was told and kept her head low and mouth shut. This person was nice to her, and she didn't want to do anything to ruin that.
And after a bit of walking, people slowly stopped following. Bit by bit people began to leave them alone as they walked; and before she knew it, the mayor told her she could look up. A beautiful mansion met her eyes; it was all white with waterfalls falling from the roof and into rivers that surround it like a moat. He gingerly lead her over a small bridge and into his home. The interior was a bit lackluster compared to the outside, putting function over form, but it seemed cozy enough to the girl. He lead her through a door and to the kitchen table.
"Please sit! You've had quite a day; and it's not even four o'clock!" the mayor exclaimed before giving a laugh. She couldn't help but smile and quickly took a seat at the table. His friendly tone, bright smile, and boisterous personality couldn't help but ease her fears a bit. He first poured her a glass of milk before heading to the fridge to make her something to eat.
As she sipped up her drink, she took a moment to glance around, the kitchen. She noticed, unlike the vibrant exterior and cozy front room, the kitchen was strikingly bare. There were a few extra appliances, a blender and toaster and etc, but no extra knick knacks or flashy items. Before she could wonder why someone would work so hard on the outside, but not the inside, he placed a large sandwich in front of her. "Bon apatite" he said with a large smile.
If he had asked, she wouldn't had said she was hungry; but with the food in front of her she suddenly felt her stomach growl. Despite that, she slowly sat upright and placed a napkin on her lap first. She sheepishly to took a half of the sandwich, mindful to keep her elbows off the table, and began to peck at it slowly, taking small bites.
The mayor watched her quietly for a moment before speaking up. "You have very nice table manners." She swallowed a sip of milk before giving him a curious look.
"Um… Thank you?" she replied, confused at the comment.
He gave her another wide smile. "You're very welcome!" She went to take another bite of her sandwich, but a loud pokemon cry caused her to freeze.
Could it be…?
"Ah yes, my other little one must be hungry too." The mayor went into the fridge again as she slid off her seat and darted into the front room.
There, at the base of his stairs, she saw him. His fur was clean this time, and he showed no trace of his injuries, but he was definitely the little pokemon she trekked through the desert with.
He flinched a bit as she ran up, but a glimmer in his eyes told her he remembered too. She quickly scooped him up into her arms and snuggled to him.
"You're okay! You're okay!" she cried as she lifted the small pokemon over her head. It chirped happily at her as she spun them around. The Mayor walked in and smiled at the pair.
His words barely reaching her, the girl nodded along as the mayor explained how he obtained the small creature; there was more, she knew, but she couldn't be bothered to listen to any of it.
He was safe. He was healed. He was back with her.
And that was all that mattered.
