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The Hunted


"Pokémon: colossal monstrous beings that appeared in the world without precedent. No one is quite sure where they came from. Some say they sprung up from the ground, pests in the dirt like dandelions. Others say they appeared one night where the stars rained down from the sky. Both of these theories have neither been confirmed nor disproven, but one thing is clear: they are completely and utterly hostile.

It is unknown why they attack humans. Years and years of research and field studies done on part of the Survey Corps have yet to confirm their motives. All is known is that Pokémon are attracted to the scent of human beings, and enjoy the taste of flesh. However, it has been discovered that these colossal monsters do not need sustenance to live. It appears that they simply attack just for, dare I say it, fun.

The strength and powers of these monsters has driven humanity to the brink of extinction. As a result of the Pokémon and the threat they pose, the world erected three Walls to hide behind. These Walls are known as Wall Palkia, Wall Dialga, and Wall Arceus.

Along the outer Wall, Wall Palkia, are four towns, built to the north, east, south, and west. These towns are Twinleaf, Littleroot, Pallet, and New Bark, respectively. Their location at the outer edges of the Wall serves one main purpose: to act as bait to draw Pokémon near. The so-called outlier towns jutted out of Wall Palkia like targets, thorns at vital spots along the Wall where the beasts could congregate, making it easier for the Survey Corps to streamline in and eliminate them. These outcroppings were well protected, but if any problem were to arise, it would be in the outlier towns…"


The Wall exploded in a loud boom, with pieces of the structure breaking and crumbling, falling one hundred and sixty-five feet down to the ground below. Large wayward pieces of stone flung out through the air, knocking into townhouses and destroying them on impact. Other chunks rained down on the townsfolk, smashing their bodies, blood quickly pooling under their flattened forms. From where the large Pokémon had blasted a hole into Wall Palkia, a stream of dust, grey and dark and filled with debris, flooded the air. It jetted forward, absolutely powerful, and blew people off of their feet. The buildings found closest to the south facing side of the Wall toppled over due to the force.

The screams of the people around Leaf, if possible, grew louder. They rung loudly in her ears, rattling her brain.

When the Pokémon had appeared, Leaf, like nearly everyone, had been surprised. She had been speechless to be completely truthful. The Walls were built to keep out the Pokémon. And yet, there was one. Staring over at them with its pale blue eyes. Pale blue eyes that looked like death.

The Pokémon hadn't watched them for too long. Perhaps it did not like what it saw. Humanity, cowering behind massive walls, corralled like cattle waiting for slaughter. That was something Blue said a lot. That they were like cattle. And, the world they knew was just a pen.

Either way, the Pokémon, with its jet black wings, had flown back, giving itself some room, before aiming a blast of aura power at the Wall, blowing an enormous hole into it.

For the longest while, Leaf could not move. Her eyes had bulged, nearly out of their sockets and she was frozen in place. Her feet would not lift no matter how hard she tried. Around her, in the town square, everyone was screaming and running. It was not until the first wave of Pokémon appeared that she realized she should not be standing still.

From the hole, they came. Dozens and dozens of them. Pokémon. They flooded in like rats, crawling into Pallet Town. They came in different shapes and sizes. Their looks varied from one another. But, Leaf knew one thing was at least shared between them. They were larger than anything anyone had ever seen, towering over the townsfolk like skyscrapers.

"Run for your lives!"

"They've breached the Wall!"

Leaf felt her feet moving slowly, shuffling backwards away from the incoming Pokémon. They were not close enough to her and her friends to pose a threat yet, but Leaf knew that would not be the case for too long.

Beside her, Blue Oak was wearing an expression of complete shock. His golden eyes had widened and his mouth had parted. The Pokémon had come. They had come for them all.

"We need to go," Blue said, his voice wavering slightly. He was trying to be strong, but Leaf knew him well enough. She knew he was scared. She was too.

Nodding, she turned toward Red, only to see him walking forward, his own look of terror present on his face. He seemed to be moving in a trance. The citizens of Pallet Town were rushing past him, shouting and shrieking for their lives, hoping to make it to the north-side of Pallet Town, where one single gate and a few moored boats waited on the river that ran through to the Interior, a place where the elite lived, protected by the innermost wall, Wall Arceus.

Pallet Town was surrounded on all sides by Wall Palkia. The north facing side, with its single gate, led into vast plains that stretched between Wall Palkia and Wall Dialga. For the most part, hardly anyone lived out in the plains. The land was barren. But, Leaf knew everyone would be trying to flee to these lands. The Wall had been breached, but the Pokémon would at least be trapped inside Pallet Town. As long as the north facing side remained intact, there was no real need to be fearful. Once the citizens pooled into the other side of the Wall, they would only have to wait for the Scouts to come, and soon enough, they would be back to their normal lives.

"Red!" Leaf called.

He was still shuffling against the current of the crowd. He wore a look of absolute mortification on his face and his eyes were glazed over.

Leaf took a tentative step forward, her hand stretching out to reach him. "Red!"

"Red!" Blue yelled. "Where are you going?"

The screams and the shouts and the rush of people drowned out his response. In his trance-like state, Red continued onward, seemingly deaf to what his friends were saying.

"Red!" Leaf tried again. "Stop!"

"My house is in that direction," he said. "My mom…she's all by herself…" He took off running.

Leaf started after him, only to be stopped by Blue and the tight grip he had when he caught her arm. "No, Leaf," he said. "There are Pokémon over there. You can't go."

Leaf tried to shrug him off of her, but his grasp remained steadfast. It was like his fingers were a cage around her wrist. "Let me go, Blue," she complained.

"They'll kill you if you go," he said darkly. "I can't let you."

"No they won't," she said, prying his hand off. "They won't." She turned away in the direction Red went off to, preparing to run, but Blue grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"They won't just kill you," he warned her. "They'll eat you too."

Leaf tugged her hand away with a shake of her head. "I'm going to find Red and his mom."

Without allowing him another second to respond, Leaf took off after Red. She darted out of the town square and down the street that led to their house. People were running up to her in the opposite direction, their eyes alive with fear. A man rammed into her, knocking her shoulder back. He did not apologize when they collided and continued to the north-side of the town. Leaf did not bother to yell at him, and instead clutched her shoulder, nursing it as she surged onward.

She found Red sometime later. He had made it to the lower south-side of town, where their house lied, and was now crouched down, his hands wrapped around a large wooden beam. He was attempting to pull it loose relentlessly, for it, along with the other beams that had once held the house upright, had fallen over, crushed when a wayward chunk of stone from the Wall had collided with it. The walls and roof of their home too had toppled over.

His struggle was patent even as she approached.

Skidding to a short stop, Leaf dropped to her hands and knees. Her heart was racing in her chest, thumping louder and louder as she saw the reason why Red was pulling so hard at the debris. His mother, who was still conscious, was trapped underneath the rubble of their house.

"Leaf," Red said, his voice trembling. "Help me. Help me get this off of her."

"No," Delia said, her voice weak but firm. Her body may have been trapped under the house, but her head and arm was free. She reached and touched Leaf's hand gently, which was starting to shake tremendously. "You two need to get out of here."

Red's eyes were bright with tears. "No. We're not leaving you, Mom."

His hands moved under the wooden beam again pulling it up with all of his might. He struggled and grunted, his fingernails clawing at the splintered wood as he hefted the beam slightly. A shaky sigh of relief passed between his lips when he saw the fallen plank rise from the ground at the result of his desperate efforts. The relief was fleeting, however. The weight of the wood was too great for Red to hold on his own, and the beam fell from his grasp.

Leaf gritted her teeth and leaned forward to wrap her arms around the wooden rafter. It was so incredibly heavy. Even with Red, the two children could not muster up the strength to lift it off of Delia.

Similarly, the splintered wood had started to stab her. The jagged splints dug into her palms, piercing her and drawing blood. Leaf bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. The pain was immense, but Leaf kept trying to lift. Red's hands were worse. Completely gory and coated in thick crimson liquid. Even still, he must have been biting back his discomfort. Perhaps for his mother's sake. He grunted, his muscles tightening as he tried again. It was no use. The beam was just too heavy.

"You have to go," Red's mother told them.

Red shook his head fiercely. "Not without you―"

His words were cut short at the sound of something, of somebody, stomping hard against the pavement somewhere nearby.

Leaf lifted her head, only to see a horde of Pokémon trudging forward. They were closer now and for a moment, all she could do was gawk. A particularly ugly one, with pale skin and navy tuffs of hair sprouting from its head, was marching toward them on two skinny pink legs. Its jaw was curved inward, and it wore a vacuous look on its round face.

Beside her, Red let out a shaky breath; it sounded more like a struggled cry. The tears that welled up in the corner of his eyes had started to stream down his cheeks.

"Hurry up!" he shouted urgently, his voice wobbly. He grabbed at the beam again, desperate to get his mother free.

"I'm trying!"

The two of them pulled as hard as they could on the wood but it still would not budge. Leaf's hands were shaking so terribly that she did not think she could maintain her grip any longer. Her heart was pounding in her ears. The sound itself so loud, she almost would not have heard the Pokémon drawing nearer if she had not looked up every few seconds.

"No…" Red's mother began. She reached out and grabbed her son's hand, steadying him. "You've got to get out of here, Red. You have to take Leaf and run."

"No! I won't leave you!"

"You need to listen to me," she said, tears starting to fall. "My legs have been crushed. Even if you two get me free, I wouldn't be able to run. There's not time to save me."

"Stop it!" Red screamed. "We're getting you out. I'll carry you if I have to. Just please!"

"Red, listen to me!" she yelled. Her change of tone startled Leaf and caused her to flinch slightly. "I can't do it. I can't run."

"No!"

"Leaf," Delia said pleadingly. "Make him understand. You need to protect him. Look after him for me. Take him and go!"

"I can't!" Leaf cried.

"Red, go with her! Do you want all three of us to die?"

Red's voice cracked. "No!"

The Pokémon was closer than it was before. In only a few minutes, it would be upon them.

Leaf refocused her attention on the beam, struggling against it with Red again. The two of them continuously trying and trying to lift the fallen rafter. But Leaf was scared. She was so scared. Her hands shook violently. Her body shook violently. Terror was grasping at her. Stretching longer and longer. Traveling through her body and clawing at her throat. A scream was threatening to unearth itself from deep within the pit of her stomach. Even still, she did not want to give up. She refused to give up. She wouldn't leave Red's mother. She wouldn't leave Delia. Blinking back the tears from her eyes, Leaf tried again. It was to no avail.

"That's not going to happen, not while I'm around."

Red, Leaf, and Delia all glanced up to see Blaine, a Garrison soldier, marching toward them. He was a bald older man with a long white handlebar mustache and round-brimmed glasses. He was coming up from behind and was offering the three of them a brave smile. It was strained, especially around his eyes, but Leaf figured he had to appear courageous for them. It was a soldier's duty.

"Blaine," Delia said urgently when he came to a stop before them. "Please, take the children. They need to get out of here."

Blaine knelt down, the brave smile still pulling at his thin and chapped lips. "Delia," he said. "You must've forgotten. We Garrison soldiers are supposed to protect you citizens. What kind of soldier would I be if I didn't protect you?" He chuckled to himself before pulling out his swords.

The dual-blades glowed with a warm red light, glinting in the dimming sunlight, and appearing to be radiating heat. He brandished them and stepped forward, his eyes locked up on the approaching Pokémon with the round belly and deranged smile.

"Blaine, no, please!" Delia called, as the man started running forward.

"Soldiers in the military are trained to kill Pokémon and save lives!" he called proudly over his shoulder. "This one better have a burn heal!"

Leaf watched the Garrison soldier rush up to the Pokémon, only to skid to a sudden stop. His head tilted upward as he stared directly into the monster's face and his arms slowly fell to his sides, the swords in his hands forgotten as he became immobilized by fear.

The Pokémon had stopped and was peering down at him. The deranged smile seemed to grow larger, spreading across its pale face. Its cheeks, decorated with magenta circles on each side, bunched up in its grin.

Blaine seemed to be gawking in terror at the monster, and Leaf feared he would be killed if he remained put in front of it. She did not have to worry for too long, as Blaine quickly stuffed his swords back into the gear strapped to his thighs and turned around on his heel. He dashed over to Delia and the children, plucking Red up and tossing him over his shoulder before grabbing Leaf around the waist, carrying them both away. He appeared to be stronger than he looked, for he held them with relative ease.

"No! No!" Red shouted, struggling in Blaine's grasp. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

Delia was wearing a relieved smile. "Thank you, Blaine."

Leaf did not fight back. Instead, she listened to the wounded cries from her friend as he called for Blaine to stop and to save his mother. Only, she knew it would do him no good. If Blaine attempted to pull the beam off of Delia, the four of them would most likely be killed. The Pokémon was too close. There was no way they could have all survived. Leaf hung her head and the tears that had clung to the corner of her eyes began to fall. A loose sob escaped her lips and she covered her mouth.

"Mom! Mom, no!" Red screamed. His voice was becoming hoarse. "Stop it! We need to save her! We can't leave her!"

Delia was reaching her hand out toward them. Even as Blaine carried them away, running as fast as he could, Leaf could see Red's mother was crying heavily. "I love you," she called, her voice wavering. "I love you."

"Mom! Mom!"

Red started hitting Blaine on the back with balled fists. He would not relent, even as his mother dropped her hand, bringing it to her mouth instead as she wept. They were further from her now, but Red continued to fight. Blaine ignored him all the way through. The Garrison soldier was determined to save them. To save somebody.

The Pokémon was standing over their destroyed house now. It reached down, yanking the rubble and fallen beams out and flinging them behind it into the air carelessly. It then plucked up Delia, holding her firmly in its white hands.

Red's mother was lifted into the air, clasped between ball-like fingers. She was struggling in the Pokémon's grasp, pounding against the monster to try to get free. It was no use.

"No! Mom! No!"

Delia was pulled closer to the Pokémon's face, before it brought its other hand and wrapped it around the upper portion of her body. It tugged on her until her spine snapped from being stretched so harshly. She fell, lifeless, against the Pokémon's fist.

The Pokémon then moved its mouth forward, jaw widening and teeth glinting in the setting sunlight like daggers. It lowered Delia's body into its mouth before taking a massive and sharp bite into her. Her blood sprinkled out from between the monster's teeth and ran down its white hands, dripping onto the ground below.

Red had stopped screaming and shouting, and was instead staring dumbfounded as his mother was swallowed whole by the Pokémon.

Leaf whimpered and bit down on her lip as she watched the woman who had cared for her, who fed her, who provided her a home, become rendered nothing more than food for a horrible, mindless beast. She turned away, sniffling as her tears continued to fall.

"No…" Red gasped. "No…"


Within mere minutes, the entirety of Pallet Town was in disarray. The cloud of dust had settled and with it, the true destruction and horror was revealed. It was red everywhere. The town was dripping with blood. Thick, dark blood. It stained the streets, puddling around bodies crushed by the chunks of stone that had fallen from the Wall. The pavement was painted with crimson, decorated with loose limbs, arms and legs, hands and feet, that had been severed by the teeth of the invading Pokémon.

The screaming was ongoing. The running had yet to cease. Nearly everyone was heading north to the boats, hoping to get to safety. There were Pokémon everywhere. They chased after the citizens of Pallet Town, slowly, as the large beasts were sluggish at the cause of their massive size and the obstacles the townhouses and buildings provided for them. But, many of the townsfolk were caught and plucked up from the ground, only to be ripped apart or devoured.

"Drop everything you have! There's no time to gather your belongings!"

"We need to make room for as many people as possible! Get rid of everything but the clothes on your backs!"

"Keep moving!"

Blue stared out into the crowd waiting on the docks with a nearly expressionless face. His fingers were curled tightly around the side of the boat as he scanned the mass of people. His grandfather was seated beside him on the bench, his hands clasped tight at his coat as he held it together.

"Stupid girl," Blue muttered under his breath. "Stupid, stupid girl."

Samuel Oak glanced up at his grandson. "Blue," he began chidingly.

Blue ignored him, his eyes remaining locked up ahead. He folded his arms across his chest and scowled. Leaf was a fool. A damn fool for running off after Red like that. There had been Pokémon in that direction, and yet, she decided to go. Both of them had. They had little sense. Most likely the two of them were short a few brain cells. But, not Blue. He knew the dangers of Pokémon. He knew what they could do. His father's left arm, delivered to his mother by the Scouts five years ago, told him as much.

Scoffing at the memory, of his mother, who wept for weeks and weeks afterward, who kept the arm at her side, even as it began to rot, who neglected him, who abandoned him to his grandfather, Blue clenched his hands tighter around the side of the boat. Anger was threatening to rise to the surface, but he knew better than to let it consume him. Wherever his mother was now, it did not matter to him.

He refocused his attention to the docks. The Garrison soldiers were filing in as many people as they could to the three boats waiting in the water. They ushered everyone along, seizing any personal items before tossing it away.

In the distance, he heard the thunderous and animalistic sounds of Pokémon, mixed with the shrieks of the people who were unfortunate enough to become their victims.

When he brought his eyes back to the crowd, he saw her. Them. He saw them. Leaf and Red. They were being ushered forward by a Garrison soldier. Blaine, if Blue's memory could serve correct.

Together, Blue's friends were pushed along, toward the front of the crowd. They were children. It did not surprise him to see that they would be prioritized over the dozens of adults who were waiting anxiously to be placed onto a boat.

As Blue watched them step aboard, he realized there was something wrong. They wore solemn and despaired looks on their faces, not to mention the bloodshot and redness of their eyes. He tore away from the side of the boat, meaning to meet them.

"I wouldn't," Gramps warned. "They've most likely been through a lot just now. They'll want their space."

"You don't know what you're talking about, old man."

Blue shoved his way forward until he reached Leaf and Red.

"You too look like shit," he said. "Where's your mom?"

Red was staring down at his feet, unable to meet his gaze.

"She's…gone," Leaf answered for him. Her eyes were puffy and her hands looked like they'd been skewered, punctured all over with streaks of blood all across her skin. Much of it had clotted at the wound sites.

Blue seized her hands and brought them up for inspection. "What happened?"

"I hurt my hands," she told him.

"And, Red?"

Red kept his eyes lowered. His hands looked worse than Leaf's and his body had started to tremble, like a cold wet dog. Blue was not sure if he was hearing correctly, but it sounded like his friend was crying; he was sniffling miserably every so often.

"Same thing," Leaf said.

Blue squeezed her hands lightly before letting them drop. "I told you not to go. I told you―"

Just then, the gangplanks began to rise. The Garrison soldiers waiting on the edge of the docks lifted the wooden bridges up, tugging them inward, and stranding many citizens on the stone riverbed. Cries and shouts of disapproval began to ring out.

"What are you doing?"

"What are the rest of us supposed to do?"

"The boats are at full capacity," a Garrison soldier told them. "I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do." He turned toward the boat's captain. "Push off now!"

The boats then started lurching forward, rocking suddenly on the river. They were headed directly for the dark tunnel waiting for them at Wall Palkia. An iron gate started to rise in the water, ready to receive them once they neared. It would close and lock as soon as the three boats passed through, Blue knew. A secondary barrier would be lowered as well.

Made out of the same hard material as the Walls, the barrier would keep out any Water-type Pokémon hoping to swim past. The Walls were made out of a mysterious material, partially stone, partially something stronger that was impervious to any elemental and power attack a Pokémon would think to use.

"Don't leave us!"

"There's still room!"

A few of the townsfolk began to charge, leaping off of the docks as they tried to throw themselves onto the boats. Some could not clear the distance and landed in the river with a splash while others barely managed to get their hands on the side of the wooden vessel, hanging onto the edge as they worked to pull themselves up and to safety.

Closer to the single gate leading out to the lands on the other side of Wall Palkia, the soldiers of the Garrison were readying cannons, training them on the approaching Pokémon.

It was a small wonder why the boats had set sail without fitting as many people as it could. Because, truly, Blue could see just from glancing around him that there was still enough space for more people. The Garrison wanted to get moving though. The Pokémon were closing in. If they waited any longer, no one would be saved.

The Garrison soldiers started to fire an array of cannonballs at the monsters. It really did little. Cannons were used as temporary solutions. Distractions for the Pokémon that blinded them and stalled their movements. To truly cut them down, a person would have to slice open their napes.

Still, the Garrison did as best as they could. Firing and firing and firing some more. The cannons took a while to reload, another reason why they were not used very often. In the moments were the soldiers prepared more balls, the Pokémon drew closer with hungry eyes and deranged smiles.

That was when the inner gate began to lower.

Immediately, the soldiers twisted their necks back and gawked. It was their only way out. Their only way to escape. Least to say, many of the cannons were abandoned as the soldiers, especially some of the younger ones, began making a break for it.

"I'm not being left behind!"

"Retreat or die!"

"What are you doing?" Wattson, the soldier from earlier, demanded. He watched his comrades fleeing and followed angrily. He gripped one of them, holding him still.

"They're closing it," the soldier explained. "They aren't going to let the Pokémon through the inner gate. We either run now or stay here and die."

Wattson looked disgusted with what the man had to say and released him of his hold, throwing him aside. He turned back to the incoming Pokémon and readied his swords.

"Everyone who's left," he began. "We stay and fight. We're soldiers, goddammit. We're supposed to protect humanity!"

A short hoorah was heard from the few who remained as the older man's side.

Blue scoffed and brushed his hair from his eyes. They were fools, all of them. Staying to fight was useless. Those cannons would do nothing, and the majority of those Garrison soldiers haven't wielded a sword in years. The blades that stuck out of their gear were used more as ornaments than anything else. Being stationed so far from any actual 'action' made them lazy, weak, and unprepared.

And they were.

They were truly and utterly unprepared.

As the boat floated further down the river and toward the awaiting tunnel, Blue caught sight of a true monster. It was different than the Pokémon from before, which had since disappeared after firing that aura sphere at Wall Palkia. This one walked on four legs and was dark blue in color. A sauropod it was, with silver horns and fangs jutting out, long and sharp-looking, from its face. On its back was some sort of wing-like structure. It fanned out, glinting metallic in the sunset.

The Pokémon was quite a few yards away from the gate. There were certainly more creatures in front of it that posed more of a threat to the Garrison. However, as it soon turned out, the dark blue Pokémon would become a much larger problem.

It charged forward immediately, its four legs, powerful and tipped with metal claws, slamming hard against the ground, leaving deep indentations in the pavement. It looked as if it were charging for something.

The soldiers of the Garrison realized that something was Wall Palkia within seconds after it started running. They commenced firing the cannons at it, hoping it would somehow stop. It was to no avail. The cannonballs bounced off of the Pokémon's body as if they were made out of nothing but air.

"Retreat!"

"Close the gate now! It's charging us! It's charging the gate!"

The soldiers started scrambling, but the Pokémon was too quick. Even as the gate began to lower, as fast as it could, the dark blue Pokémon was faster. Approaching rapidly, it opened its mouth wide, roaring loudly, and firing a blast so hard at Wall Palkia that it caused ripples in the air around it.

The Wall exploded just as greatly as it had before, when the flying Pokémon with the pale blue eyes had appeared. A cloud of smoke wafted into the air and all Blue and his friends could do was watch, with baffled expressions, as their home, Pallet Town, fell.


Five hundred.

That was the number of people who had managed to flee from Pallet Town when the outcrop fell to the Pokémon.

Five hundred refugees in counting, flooding into the cities located at the outer edges of Wall Dialga. There were many more to come. Within the next few days, since a hole had been blown into the inner wall of Wall Palkia, the Pokémon streamed in, traversing the flatlands in search of humans to devour. They terrorized the small villages, destroyed the farming towns. The central government called for a quick and hasty evacuation of any and all persons living in the flatlands or in the three remaining outlier towns.

Behind Wall Dialga, everyone retreated. The Wall was thicker, stronger. It would hold back the Pokémon. It had to.

But, the cities attached to the edges of Wall Dialga were not built to contain so many people. There was not enough food or resources to go around. The refugees were looked down upon and scoffed at. They were thought of as pests, drainages on society. The people who lived near Wall Dialga were fairly richer than those who lived near Wall Palkia. It was expected such animosity would be generated. And, even then, there was already a famine going on. Many people were already hungry. With the addition of so many people, many more began to starve.

Mankind was truly being pushed to its limits. Some many lives had been lost that day when Pallet Town fell. An estimated ten thousand was totaled, including the additions of casualties from the towns found between Wall Palkia and Dialga. As the first month since the attack passed, the central government made another ruling. This time it called for the deployment of citizens, of refugees, to go out into the flatlands and attempt to work the fields for food. It did little. The lands were barren and cold. The soil was frozen and dry. Nothing would grow, but it was not like that was new information.

Three months later and another ruling passed. An attempt to reclaim Wall Palkia was put into place. All refugees old enough to fight were sent out into the flatlands, armed with guns and swords and cannons.

Perhaps it was a good idea in theory, but it turned out to be a poor mistake. Every civilian sent outside of Wall Dialga was slaughtered by the Pokémon. One of these being Samuel Oak, Blue's grandfather. He had since been caring for the young boy and his two friends, acting as their guardian. When he left, he had Blue promise him to look after the others. Blue was the oldest, so responsibility had been left up to him. He had to be brave and strong for Red and Leaf. He had to be.

With Red retreating into himself, remaining silent and never uttering a word to anyone, Samuel Oak had stressed the importance of taking care of him especially. The poor boy had been traumatized.

Leaf was better off. The terror she had witnessed first-hand did not damage her psyche as severely as her foster brother. Within a few days, she was back to her usual self, albeit with a semi-vacant look in her eyes.

But now, Samuel Oak was dead. And Blue was responsible for two people. Two people who were the same age as him.

Blue was uncertain of how he would manage.

But he would try. He would certainly try.

That was easier said than done. Though Red and Leaf did not give him any trouble, Blue found it difficult to get up most days. He could not sleep at night. It grew increasingly worse each and every time he closed his eyes. A single dream, a nightmare, would play over and over for him. It kept him awake, thrashing in his sleep, afraid of what he was seeing.

The dream featured his grandfather, as he was before he died. It was because of his appearance that Blue found it hard to sleep. He was being haunted by a ghost. A ghost who told him things, who showed him things he could not understand. Images of clear liquid and syringes and knives and blood and stones swirled around him, making his head spin. Blue failed to comprehend the meaning behind the dream, but it kept reappearing. Every night.

One morning, when the sun had still yet to rise in the sky and the world around him was dark, Blue sat up heaving. There was a sharp pain in his chest, and he felt like he was being stabbed and whoever was holding the knife was twisting and twisting the handle for good measure. He gasped when the ache began to become agonizing, his eyes starting to well up with tears.

His fingers slid to his shirt, dipping under the hem and rising to the center of his chest where he pressed down on his sore skin. He began rubbing it, hoping to assuage the pain. It only seemed to make it worse. His chest felt tender and every time he pushed down on it, the stabbing sensation grew more excruciating. It was as if something was stuck beneath the surface of his skin.

He soon decided to leave it alone. Anything he hoped to accomplish in rubbing it only seemed to generate more pain.

When he glanced around the warehouse, the place where many of the refugees lived for the time being, Blue's eyes swept the room until they settled on his friends. They were huddled near one another, with Leaf draping her hand protectively over Red's shoulder. The chestnut haired boy had curled himself into a ball and was hugging something tightly to his chest. Even in the moonlight, Blue knew what it was. The yellow fist-sized crystal he had found quite some time ago.

Leaf told him it had been left to Red by Pikachu. A parting gift of some sort. Blue scoffed at the explanation; he did not believe it for a second. Pokémon did not know compassion. They were mindless. It was pathetic for Red to cling onto something so inane. And, considering what happened with his mother, Red should know firsthand what a Pokémon could really do. But, Red persisted in keeping the crystal. It provided him comfort, or so Leaf claimed. Blue would not know for sure. The boy was so silent these days. It was as if he were mute.

Sighing, Blue settled down on his back once again. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying the pain in his chest would stop.

It never did.


Red was absentmindedly rubbing the crystal in his pocket as he waited for Blue to return. His stomach was growling, not as loud as it had when they first arrived behind Wall Dialga, but the noise was bothersome to him all the same. Beside him, Leaf was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes focused ahead of her as she anticipated Blue's arrival.

Food rations were being distributed this morning. Blue had left earlier, before either of them had awoken, to get their share before it ran out. A new shipment was said to have come in. The Garrison soldiers did not seem too pleased to be assigned rationing duty, but from what Red saw back in Pallet Town, they were better utilized in this way than being tasked with protecting the civilians. It was a botched attempt, what they did. He did not think he could ever look one in the eye and say he felt safe. He wouldn't trust one with his life. They were cowards who could not fight even if their life depended on it.

Just then, Leaf gasped excitedly and Red knew Blue was coming back. He lifted his head and saw the golden-haired boy stalking towards them, three loaves of bread in his arms. He wore that cocky grin of his. The one he always wore.

"Look what I got," he said.

"One for each of us," Leaf observed. "Better than last time. How early did you get up to wait in that line?"

Blue shrugged. "Early enough. Here." He passed the two of them a loaf.

Red took his share with tender hands before tearing off a piece and bringing it to his mouth. As he ate, he tried to keep his attention on the bread. He knew Blue and Leaf were watching him. That's all they ever did. Watch him with wary looks, as if any moment he would shatter. It was funny though. They just assumed he was so very fragile. Never once did they seem to realize he was already broken.

The three of them ate in silence before they retreated back into the warehouse, where dried food was once stored. That was before the influx of refugees. Now it was crawling with parasites.

And he was one of them. He was a leech on society. All of the refugees were. They sucked on the sustenance, draining the resources. They were burdens and pests. Crowding the cities, causing trouble, making a mess. Parasites on society they were.

Nothing but parasites.

And Red hated it. He hated everything, everything about his life now. He hated being a burden. He hated the looks the citizens threw him. The looks the Garrison soldiers threw him. He hated feeling hungry most days. He hated having to wait for rationed food that tasted like garbage. He hated feeling trapped and weak. He hated it.

Everything was ruined at the cause of the Pokémon. His mother was dead and there was no changing that. He had watched her die. He had not been able to save her. He had not been able to save himself. It had been all Blaine. Damn the bastard for tearing him away from her, for arriving too late. If he had gotten their earlier, if he had tried to lift the beam with them, Mom would still be alive.

Red felt himself starting to anger. Rage was boiling deep within him.

Blue and Leaf were engaged in one of their many conversations when Red tuned in. They were talking about the soldiers and how antsy they've gotten. Blue was griping like usual, so Leaf was assuming the role of active listener. More often than not, that was usually the role she played with Blue.

"He stared at me like I straight up murdered someone," he was saying. "I understand everyone's a bit hungry these days, but the guy needed to relax. All I did was ask for three loaves. I explained to him they weren't just for me."

"He gave them to you," Leaf pointed out.

"Yeah," Blue said. "But I could tell the guy was still suspicious of me. Like I was really going to eat three loaves of bread all by myself. I'm hungry but not that hungry. These things taste like crap."

"It's rationed food," she said. "It's not supposed to taste good."

"Whatever."

"The man was hungry, Blue," she said. "Garrison soldiers give up their food for us. You should have some sympathy, or at least some gratitude."

"They don't deserve it. They've been freeloading all of their lives."

"It's the least we can do though," she argued. "They're protecting us―"

"Protecting us?" Red asked, scoffing. "Is that what you call it?"

In turn, both Leaf and Blue gawked at Red, surprised to hear their friend break his self-imposed vow of silence.

"Those soldiers aren't protecting us," he continued angrily. "Wall Dialga is protecting us. All the Garrison does is loaf around like fat cows. They can't save us. If a Pokémon were to break through that Wall, we'd be dead."

"Woah, Red," Blue said. "Cool it with the animosity."

"No," he spat. He glared his friend and former neighbor in the face. "We don't need to give them anything. We don't owe them anything. Their nothing but cowards. When push comes to shove, all they do is run away. They ran away from the monster that killed my mom. They ran away from the dark blue Pokémon that broke through the inner wall of Wall Palkia. They don't do anything but run!"

"Blaine saved us," Leaf reminded him. "He saved us from that Pokémon. Without him, we would be dead."

"With him, my mom is dead!"

"That isn't true," she cried.

"He could've saved her, but he was weak. He was a coward. He stared that monster in the face and froze."

"Wouldn't you?"

"No," Red snapped.

Leaf scrunched her brows together, frowning deeply. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I wouldn't freeze. I would fight. I would kill the beast. I would save my mom."

Blue rolled his eyes. "Is that so?" he asked sarcastically. "Months after not speaking and all you have to offer is a tirade about the Garrison and how you would've supposedly killed the Pokémon that ate your mother? Get off your high horse, Red."

Red scowled. "Get off yours. It's not just a tirade."

"Then what is it?"

"A promise."

"A promise for what?" Leaf asked, confused. "You make little sense."

"A promise for vengeance," Red said with clenched fists. "A promise to kill them. The Pokémon. All of them. To not be a coward."

Blue folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah right. How's that going to happen?"

"With the Scouts," he said plainly. "I'm going to join the Survey Corps."

"No, you're not," Blue said, his voice rising.

"Who says?"

"I do," he said. "I promised Gramps I would protect you two. I'm not letting you join the Scouts."

"You'd rather live the rest of your life in fear? As a weakling who depends on cowards for protection?"

Blue did not falter. "No."

"Then, why stay here?" Red demanded. "Why stay here and die?"

"Joining the Survey Corps is a death sentence," Blue told him. "You set foot outside of these Walls and you're dead."

"That isn't true."

"Yes, it is."

"Not if you're strong enough," Leaf said. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet, low like a whisper. "If you're strong enough, you can survive."

"Not you too," Blue said, groaning. "It isn't just about strength."

"It's about speed and accuracy," she said. Her eyes were shining with something Red could not quite place. Hope? Determination? Her voice was starting to rise again. "And luck."

Blue threw a displeased look in Leaf's direction. "Something none of us have."

"Strength and speed and accuracy can be learned," Red argued.

"And?"

"And, as far as luck goes," Leaf added. "We've survived this long. I'd say we're pretty damn lucky."