Chapter 2
Shadow
runs through the forest, trees and pokémon whipping past him, his
poké ball clenched in his teeth and thoughts running through his
head, "If I can just get back home to my trainer...everything
will be normal again." small tears fall from his eyes as he
runs, Why did they take us away? His legs and paws are growing
tired from running at full speed for so long.
Eventually, he
reaches a lake and stops for a while to rest. Shadow glances around
at his beautiful surroundings, If only my trainer were here, she
would love this place. He couldn't help but think it, and it tugs
at his heart to do so. He misses home, he has no idea where he is,
and he has nothing to help him besides his poké ball and a blue bow,
which now hangs limply around his neck. Shadow collapses on the
lakeshore, staring into his reflection, trying to think of how to get
home.
A twig snaps in the forest.
Shadow is up and alert in
seconds, growling toward the sound, "Show yourself! I know
you're there, just come out where I can see you."
A squirtle
wriggles out of the underbrush and runs over to Shadow, "I'm
sorry, we were passing through and didn't know you were here. Sorry
for disturbing you." It talked rather fast, as if Shadow had
scared it by his address of the bushes. He only hung on one word,
"We?"
"My trainer and I." the squirtle
replies, "Why do you ask?"
Shadow isn't sure if he can
trust the squirtle just yet, "Why don't you get your trainer out
here then? Why let them hide in the bushes?"
The squirtle
obliges, and soon the bushes produce and frayed-looking boy that
looks to be no older that fifteen.
Shadow is convinced, "Do
you know where we are? I'm lost, severely lost, and need to get back
to my own trainer," He nudges the poké ball in front of him,
"There's a city close by here, right?"
The squirtle nods
and turns to his own trainer to repeat what Shadow said.
"Uh,
do you mean Slateport? That's a ways off though." the boy
replies.
The squirtle turns back to Shadow.
"Yeah,
Slateport. But it's far away?" Shadow's ears droop, I didn't
realize that thing was flying that fast...
"I think you
could travel with us. We're heading that way anyway," the squirtle
offers.
Shadow contemplates this for a minute. Do they really
want to help or do they just want the employ of a shiny umbreon?
"Alright, I'll come along, but as soon as we hit Slateport I'm
gone. Kapeche?"
The squirtle nods and relays the
message.
"Okay, Slateport it is. Do you want me to carry your
poké ball for you?" the boy addresses Shadow, he growls in
response and the boy shrinks away, "I guess not. Off we go
then." and the boy leads their small party back into the
underbrush.
Shadow falls in behind the Squirtle as the threesome
hike down the path through the forest. Shadow glances around at the
surrounding trees and pokémon as he walks. Several aipom and mankey
swing from the trees above them, chattering noisily. Shadow tries to
ignore them.
The boy stops and stands there looking even geekier
than he did walking, if that's possible. "I hear something, a
pokemon is near."
Well duh. There's two of them following
you, idiot. Shadow sighs and sits down, waiting for this sideshow
to end and the traveling to resume, he lets his poké ball fall and
roll to his side. Shadow waits patiently as the boy and the squirtle
stand motionless; he begins to wonder about their mental states,
"What are you doing?"
His question seems to startle the
Squirtle who motions for him to be quiet.
Shadow rolls his eyes;
he gathers his poké ball close to him and falls asleep on it.
The
bushes continue to rustle, Shadow looks up out of curiosity.
Eventually, a scratched and bruised pikachu emerges from the
bush.
Shadow springs up, "There's no way. It's too much of a
coincidence." He runs over to it, nudging it gently. Soon it
comes to, looking up at Shadow.
It smiles drunkenly, "Did I
make it?" It topples over, out cold.
He must've landed on
his head... Shadow concludes, nudging his head under the
unconscious pikachu, eventually succeeding in getting it onto his
back. He walks past the two idiots, still standing absolutely still,
watching the bush. Shadow picks up his poké ball and continues down
the path. He passes the squirtle and boy once more, casting his final
insult and leaving them behind. I'll get home by myself then, I
don't need them.
Shadow walks along the path, a determined
look in his eyes. The pikachu lays sprawled across his back, still
unconscious from the rough landing. The two are left alone for the
most part; the forest path is quiet and virtually devoid of pokémon
to bother them.
After a while of this, Shadow begins to feel
tired. His paws start to drag along the ground and his eyes just
don't want to stay open anymore. Eventually his legs buckle beneath
the combined weight of the two pokémon, sending the unconscious
pikachu skidding a few feet from Shadow. They lay there, oblivious to
any and all surroundings.
As the two pokémon sleep, a zubat flits
out from the shadows on the side of the path followed by its trainer.
The trainer wore a black uniform with a bright red 'R' on the front.
The zubat loops back and perches on the trainer's shoulder, she
strokes it casually, "That was a good hypnosis, Zubat," she
coos to it. It squeaks proudly.
Her partner, similarly dressed,
glanced at Shadow and the pikachu, "Nice catch." he
comments.
She looks and gasps at Shadow's coloring, "Dude!
It's a shiny umbreon! Score!" she high-fives her male
companion.
"We should bag 'em before they wake up. I'm sure
the Boss would like the umbreon for his collection."
"Right."
she fishes around for a burlap sack in her side pouch, eventually
finding it and stuffing a still sleeping Shadow inside it. "There.
Let's go."
The two leave the pikachu passed out in the middle
of the path as they sprint down the road toward the fortress.