We're here on Chapter 2 of Broken Heart, Healing Soul. I'm actually having a lot of fun making this story. I like to thankthe user Storm Dragon Wolf Princess for their comment.Your offer was very kind. Also, can anyone tell me a different word to call a Pokemon trainer other than 'trainer.'
Next, I decided to keep a staggered update schedule. I'll update on either a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
Finally, if anyone sees an error, please tell me. I'm doing this on my phone. Now, without further ado:
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any official Pokemon characters. I do, however, own my OC's.
Navarone then put Verrin's Luxury Ball inside his pack, right next to the other, empty ones.
He looked up and saw Verrin looking at him, his head tilted.
"Vul Vulpix." Verrin said.
"Sorry Verrin, I won't be able to understand exactly what you are saying until I get some PokeTranslators. Are you asking what's in my pack?" Navarone asked.
Verrin nodded and shook his head.
"So yes and no... Is it about the other Luxury Balls?"
Verrin nodded his head in response to Navarone's question.
"Ah, okay. They are all empty. I have them just in case I come across a Pokemon who wants to travel with me." Navarone replied.
"Vul Pix?" Verrin spoke in a questioning tone.
"Why would I use a Pokeball on a Pokemon who wants to travel with me?"
Verrin nodded his head again.
"It's because there are people out there who think Pokemon are just animals, and they will capture a Pokemon against their will. I use the Pokeballs so if a Pokemon travels with me into a city, they won't get captured by a random person." Navarone paused for a moment.
"It's also why I have only Luxury Balls. They are more expensive than regular ones, but it is impossible to force a Pokemon into one. They can just activate the release if someone tries. Besides, if a Pokemon stops traveling with me, I can either give them their Ball, so they can't be captured, or I can get it reset."
Verrin nodded, and then lied down. They both were silent for a long while, simply listening to the rain outside. Navarone gathered his thoughts, and spoke.
"Once this rain stops, we'll head northward to Viridian city. Okay?
Verrin looked at Navarone and tilted his head.
"An old friend of mine, Professor Oak, called me. Another 'trainer,'" This, he said in a annoyed tone, "had mistreated his Pokemon, and was arrested. He wants me to meet him there, although he never said why and I forgot to ask. I also need to restock on supplies. Salted meats, jerky, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, and herbs." Navarone said, in response to Verrin's unspoken question.
"Vul?"
"Are you asking how I know him?"
Verrin shook his head.
"Why I said 'trainer' like that?
He nodded.
"The same people who believe Pokemon are just animals also believe that Pokemon need to be 'trained.' They force their Pokemon to fight others for sport."
Verrin sat up and made an alarmed sound.
"Relax, Verrin. I'm not going to do that. I don't make Pokemon fight. However, if you want to challenge another Pokemon to a friendly duel, then you can, but I'm not going to force you to fight." Navarone said reassuringly.
The young Vulpix calmed down and looked at Navarone thankfully, before laying down again.
"Anyway, even though some people treat Pokemon as animals, more and more are seeing them as friends and companions due to the invention of several devices, such as the PokeTranslators, that allow us to understand Pokemon." Navarone paused to think about what he was going to say.
"Even though few people force their Pokemon to fight, a lot of people and Pokemon enjoy challenging other Pokemon to a friendly duel. No one gets really hurt, and pretty much everyone traveling with a Pokemon has medicine."
Navarone saw that Verrin was giving him a questioning look.
"People will challenge us. Maybe not often, but it will happen. If that happens, are you willing to duel, or do you want me to decline. Nod to fight, shake your head to decline." Navarone said.
The canine both shook and nodded his head.
"You want to decide if you fight them?"
Verrin nodded.
"Alright. If someone challenges us, tap me once to fight, twice if you want me to decline. Okay?"
Verrin smiled and nodded, and rubbed his head on Navarone's leg.
"Alright, these duels work a lot different from fights in the wild. For one, serious injuries aren't allowed. You can knock your opponent out, or hurt then enough that they can't fight anymore, but serious injuries like broken bones, severe wounds, and permanent injuries aren't allowed and can get the person arrested." Navarone explained.
"Also, as your 'trainer,' I have to call out how you attack, and when. It's what makes duels rather hard. Both sides need to trust the other. The Pokemon needs strength and reflexes to fight and react, and the 'trainer' needs to be able to think and plan, to make sure they win and that their Pokemon doesn't get hurt." Navarone said.
"You will have to show me what you can do so I can know what to call out, but we'll do that later, before we enter the city, okay?" Navarone asked.
"Vul."
Navarone sighed, then said, "I can't wait to get another set of those translators, so I can finally understand you."
Verrin looked up and smiled, before yawning and laying his head on Navarone's leg.
"Tired? I suppose I did talk for a while. We'll take a short nap, and hopefully it will have stopped raining by the time we wake up." Navarone said.
Navarone then leaned against the wall of the tent, hoping it could support his weight. Once he realized it would, he flipped his hood over his face, and lied there.
As he fell asleep, he let his mind wander to the past, present, and the future.
The last thing he remembered was Verrin lightly snoring in his sleep, and thinking that the noise was rather adorable.
A boy could be seen walking through a forest. The child had almost black hair and piercing blue eyes. He was young, looking around 11. Sniffling could be heard coming from the child, and tears were running from his eyes."Where am I? Where's my mom?" The boy said aloud to himself.
The boy continued to walk through the woods, very obviously lost.After nearly an hour of wandering, a loud boom of thunder sounded. It started to rain, hard. The rain was very cold, and soaked the boy to the bone instantly.The child started to violently shiver, and looked around, hoping against hope he would find shelter from the severe thunderstorm. He saw nothing.The boy then stared running, desiring, begging, for shelter to make itself known. He ran for hours, and it was starting to get dark.Eventually, it was too dark for him to see, and he began to give up. He stopped and sat down, and began crying harder. His tears mixed with the rain running down his face in sheets.A bolt of lightning split the night sky, startling him. He looked up and thought he saw something in the distance. Another bolt flashed, and he saw that it was a cave.
The child thanked Arceus for the cave, and ran towards it. Once he got to it, he ran inside without a second thought, and saw that there was wood piled against the back wall.He walked over to the wood, and saw that it was dried. He thought about making a fire, but realized he didn't have a way to light it, and he had no idea how to make or use a bow drill.
He sat down next to the wood pile, and took his soaked shirt off, setting it on the floor.The cave was cold, but it was dry, and warmer that the rain outside, and his shivering was starting to slow.As he sat there, he heard movement coming from a darker portion of the cave. He began to get scared, thinking it was a wild Pokemon that would eat him.
He was partially right. A Pokemon came out of the shadows, but it was a Pokemon that he had never seen before. It was short, a little shorter than him. It's skin was pale white, and seemed to be wearing a dress of the same color. It had blue hair, and an orange gem coming out of both sides of it's head, at an angle.
The Pokemon stopped and stared at the boy, before looking out at the heavy rain pouring from the sky."P..please don't h..hurt me." The boy pleaded, the cold and fear making him stutter.
The being looked over at the boy and seemed to notice, for the first time, that he was shivering and wet.
It's alright, I won't hurt you.
The boy heard a melodious voice, obviously feminine, say in his head.
"Di..did you say that?" he asked.
Yes, I did. As a Psychic Type, I can communicate with Telepathy. He heard.
"What are you?"
A Ralts. Now, why are you in here? Are you here to capture me? A defiant tone crept into her voice at that.
"N..no. I was c..cold, and its r...rai..raining. I n..needed get out of the r..rain." The boy stuttered, her tone reigniting his fear.
The Ralts stared for a moment, before her hands lit up with a blue glow, and the wood next to the boy was pulled into the center of the cave, and lit it on fire.
"T..thank you."
You're welcome. It would be cruel for me to let you freeze. You really didn't come here to catch me, did you? She asked.
"I didn't even know what you are or that you were me here until you showed yourself." He said.
I believe you.
The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of rain and fire.
What's your name? The Ralts asked.
"N..Navarone. Yours?" He asked.
Lilly.
"It's nice to meet you Lilly." Navarone said.
Likewise.
Navarone slowly opened his eyes as he slowly became aware of the world around him. The first thing he noticed was that it had stopped raining. The second was that there was a weight on his left leg.
He looked down and saw Verrin sleeping on his leg. Navarone smiled and decided to let the fire Fox sleep a little longer.
Navarone thought about his dream as waited. Not often that I dream about our meeting. It's usually nightmares about that day. Can't say I didn't enjoy the memory though.As Navarone reflected in his dream, Verrin started to stir. Navarone felt the movement and realized Verrin was waking up.
Verrin let out a large yawn, showing his sharp teeth for a moment, before opening his eyes, and saw Navarone looking at him.
"Good afternoon, Verrin. Did you sleep well?" Navarone asked.
Verrin yipped, nodded, and rubbed the side of his muzzle into Navarone's leg.
"I take that as a yes. Anyway, it stopped raining, so I'm going to pack the tent and we'll set out for Viridian City, okay?" Navarone asked.
Verrin nodded and got up. Navarone then got up and began to roll up the bedroll. He attached it to the top of his pack, and picked it up. He then brought the pack outside and set it on the ground, beside the tree.
He then began to take the tent apart. He collapsed the poles, then rolled the fabric up and placed them in the pack.
After packing up the tent, he slung the pack over his shoulder and looked down at Verrin.
"Are you ready to go?" Navarone asked.
"Vul Vulpix!" Verrin said, excitedly.
"Then let's go!" Navarone said, eager to leave after being stuck there for nearly a day.
Navarone and Verrin followed the road north towards Viridian City for several hours. As the day wore on, Navarone finally spotted the city in the distance.
Navarone turned to the fire canine and spoke, "In the city, we might get challenged. If we do, and you choose to fight, I need to know what you can do. Will you show me?"
"Vulpix!"
Verrin then used a variety of fire-based attacks, as well as a few others Navarone didn't expect him to know.
"Safeguard, Inferno, Quick Attack, Feint Attack, Flame Burst, Flamethrower, Roar, Confuse Ray, and Payback." Navarone said.
"You know quite a few attacks, a few of which I didn't think you could do. Those will be very useful if we get challenged. Good job."
Verrin barked excitedly and released a little line of flame from his mouth.
After establishing what attacks and defensive measures Verrin knew, Navarone and his fire fox companion continued toward Viridian City.
When they were only a few hundred meters from the city, Navarone looked at Verrin and said.
"It's getting rather late. We should find a good hotel with room service and stay the night, okay?"
Verrin looked up and nodded his head, signalling his consent.
It took half an hour of asking around, but Navarone learned of a hotel that had room service and allowed Pokemon to stay in the rooms.
The hotel was at least 10 stories tall, and, from the windows, Navarone could see that there were at least 30 rooms on each floor. The name, however, was rather uncreative. It was 'The PokeInn.'
After renting a room for two nights, Navarone was given the keys to Room 173.
"The room service phone is on the desk. Just pick it up and dial 1. Call whenever your hungry." The desk clerk, a cheery woman in her late fourties, said.
"Thank you very much, Mrs?
"April, dear. You and your Pokemon have a nice night."
"And you as well." Navarone said as he and Verrin ascended the stairs. After ascending to the 6th floor, they quickly found their room and entered.
The room was spacious. It had a entrance room with a couple couches and a chair, a doorway leading to the bedroom, and another doorway to the bathroom. All in all, It was very spacious and well designed.
Navarone walked over to the phone and called room service, instructing them to leave it in the entrance.
Navarone set his pack down by the doorway and said to Verrin, "We've been traveling all day. I'm sure you've gotten a bit dirty. Do you want me to bathe you?"
Verrin let out an excited yip and ran into the bathroom.
"I'll take that as a yes." Navarone said, with a chuckle. He followed Verrin into the bathroom and saw him standing in the tub, trying, but failing, to turn the knobs that control the water.
The fact that Verrin knew what a bathtub was and how it worked reinforced his belief that Verrin was not born wild.
He must've had a trainer, but was released for some reason or another. Whoever did it would have made a better choice giving him to another trainer instead. Navarone thought to himself.
"Be patient Verrin, and stop biting the knobs. You'll scratch them."
Verrin stopped trying to turn the knobs himself, and sat down, patiently waiting.
Navarone looked around the bathroom and saw towels and washrags in the cabinet. There was a variety of shampoos, soaps, and conditions for the use of both humans and Pokemon with skin or fur.
"I think I know the answer, but do you want hot water?"
Verrin barked and nodded his head.
Navarone reached over and turned on the water. He adjusted the temperature until it was hot, but not boiling.
He grabbed the shampoo and poured some into his hand. He then rubbed his hands together until it formed a nice lather, and washed Verrin's coat of fur. Afterwards, he repeated the process with conditioner. All the while, Verrin had his eyes closed, enjoying the water and the attention.
Once Navarone was done, he dried Verrin and his hands off with one of the towels, before putting it in a basket meant to store dirty clothes.
Navarone opened the door and smiled as Verrin ran out and jumped onto the bed, quickly falling asleep. Navarone then walked over to his pack and grabbed a set of spare clothes, before going to take his shower.
After finishing, he woke Verrin up and they ate a dinner of steak with a salad on the side, although Verrin didn't eat the salad.
After room service came and took the plates, they quickly fell asleep on the bed.
Navarone woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned and got out of bed. He grabbed his phone and checked the time, surprised to see it was ten in morning.
Must've been because I was sleeping in a real bed again. Navarone thought as he walked to the front room and answered the phone.
"Navarone, I thought you said you'd be here yesterday!" Navarone heard a familiar voice 'greet.'
"Actually Professor Oak, I said I'll be here when I'm here, barring anything unexpected. As it so happens, Verrin and I got stuck in a rain storm, and only arrived as it was turning night." Navarone said, in an amused tone of voice.
"Verrin?" Oak inquired.
"A young Vulpix I found trying to take shelter under a tree. After saving him from the rain, he agreed to travel with me." Navarone answered.
"Be that as it may, why aren't you at the Pokemon Center now?" The Professor questioned.
"That is my fault, two months of sleeping on the ground, I overslept once I had an actual bed." Navarone replied
"Understandable, I suppose. Although, now that you are awake, will you come here?"
"Yeah, let me wake Verrin up and we'll head over."
"Good, I'll see you in a little while."
"Wait, Professor Oak, why did you want me to come? I forgot to ask last time." Navarone asked.
"I'll explain everything once you get here, okay?" Oak said.
"Alright, fine. Now you have me interested. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Professor Oak said, right before he hung up.
Navarone signed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He turned to go wake Verrin, only to see he was already awake and looking at Navarone.
"Did I wake you up?" Navarone asked.
Verrin shook his head.
"Well, that's good at least. Are you ready to go?"
Verrin nodded.
Navarone and Verrin walked out the door and down the stairs before going out the front door.
They arrived at the Pokemon Center of Viridian City fifteen minutes later. They entered and saw a woman with long pink hair wearing a simple pink and white dress. Next to her was a man with white hair wearing khaki pants, a blue shirt, and a lab coat.
"Nurse Joy, Professor Oak." Navarone greeted.
"Ah, Navarone, right on time, as you said. At least the second time." Professor Oak said.
"And you must be Verrin." Said Nurse Joy as she bent over to scratch behind the fire fox's ears, much to his evident delight.
"Nurse Joy, can you take Verrin and make sure he is healthy?" Navarone asked.
"Of course dear. Come along Verrin." Nurse Joy replied.
Verrin looked at Navarone, who smiled and nodded, before following Joy.
"Alright, Professor, why did you call me here?" Navarone asked.
"First of all, here are a set of translators. You might find them useful." Professor Oak handed Navarone a pair of clip-on earrings, shaped like Pokeballs.
"Thank you, now, what happened?" Navarone asked impatiently.
"Three weeks ago, Officer Jenny received an anonymous tip about a abusive trainer. She followed the lead and, a week ago, found and arrested a man named Apollo for intention mistreatment of his Pokemon, of which there were three." Oak paused to take a breath.
"Their names are Liz, a Shiny Gardevoir, Melody, a Buneary, and Harmony, a Riolu. The Gardevoir is around 24, whereas Melody and Harmony are young, around 10 and 12, respectively."
"What are their conditions?" Navarone asked, trying to stay calm.
"Harmony and Melody are relatively okay, other than being malnourished. It seemed that Apollo didn't care to much to feed his Pokemon."
"And Liz?" Navarone questioned.
"A fair bit worse. It seems that every time one made a mistake, Apollo would beat them. However, whenever he was mad at the two children, Liz would distract him and take the beating."
"It seems that the only reason Melody and Harmony are alive is because Liz would take the beating and find food for them, even if it meant going hungry herself."
"She's just like Lilly." Navarone whispered to himself.
"As much as it pisses me off, Apollo was arrested. What do you need me for?" Navarone asked, louder.
"Due to the rising number of territorial dark types in Kanto, it's not safe to release them into the wild. They need a trainer, and I trust you to take care of them more than anyone else." Professor Oak said.
"Are you sure that'll work? I'm pretty sure they'll hate most humans after that." Navarone said.
"That's why I had Verrin brought to them, and asked Nurse Joy to ask him to explain how you are, and why I spoke to them mself about you. They might not trust you, but they trust me, and I trust you." Professor Oak said, triumphantly.
"You little sneak, you planned this." Navarone feigned annoyance, but couldn't keep his smile off his face.
"So? Will you do it?" Professor Oak asked nervously.
"Yes. Yes, I will. If you can get them to come with me." Navarone said.
"You got a deal."
Verrin walked into the hospital part of the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy just finished explaining to him the situation, and asked him to tell the three Pokemon about Navarone, to which he agreed.
He rounded a corner and saw them. A Buneary, a Riolu, and a Gardevoir. The Buneary and Riolu, Melody and Harmony, were young, and were obviously starved recently. Their ribs were showing, but only barely, and they seemed to be improving quickly, shown by their bright eyes, smiles, and quick movements.
The Gardevoir however, was in much worse condition. She very obviously starved more than the other two, and nearly every part of her was covered in bandages, several of which had red spots.
As Verrin walked close, the Gardevoir said, "Melody, Harmony, go play with Nurse Joy. I have to talk with the Vulpix."
"But Liz!" Melody started.
"No 'but's. Go. You can come back later." Liz said, firmly.
"Fine, we'll go find Nurse Joy." Harmony said, obviously unhappy with it.
"Thank you." Liz said.
Melody and Harmony ran out of the room, and Verrin watched, surprised that they aren't depressed or traumatized.
Verrin looked back at Liz and said, "You took very good care of them. They seem like nothing happened. The only evidence is quickly being removed."
"They are only children. I couldn't let them be beat. I tried my best to make sure they were well fed, as well. Even if it wasn't perfect. Now, why are you here?" Liz asked.
"My trainer, Navarone, is the one that's going to take care of you now-if he agrees at least. Nurse Joy and Professor Oak wanted me to answer any questions you had about him."
"Why can't we just be let go?" Liz asked.
"Too many violent dark types around here now. I almost died from one a few weeks ago. A Houndoom." Verrin replied.
Liz sat silently for a spell, then asked, "How does he treat you? Be honest, please."
Verrin didn't hesitate to reply, "He is very nice. He found me during a rainstorm, and I would have died if he hadn't saved me. He took me into his tent, fed me, and make sure I was okay. He doesn't make me do anything I don't want to."
"My Pokeball had a release, so I can go in and out as I please. He told me if we get challenged, it is my choice if I fight. He treats me like an equal, not a pet, unlike some others."
Liz looked at Verrin for a moment, then spoke, "He really is nice then? Nothing like Apollo."
"Nothing."
"Why is he so nice?" Liz asked.
"I'm not sure. He talks in his sleep, so I know he knew a Ralts named Lilly, and someone named Grace, but I don't know who they were to him. Maybe they had something to do with it." Verrin paused for a moment.
"Will you come with us, Liz?" Verrin asked.
Liz looked out the window for a long moment, then answered.
"We will, but if he tries to hurt us, I won't hesitate to defend myself." She said, with an edge in her voice.
"I understand, and I promise he won't hurt you." Verrin said, firmly.
And Chapter 2 is done. First of all, 4,000 words. Second, I know Dark Types aren't in Kanto in the games, but this is a bit more realistic. All types are able to travel to other regions on their own.