Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Pokémon universe, I do however own my crew of Original Characters.

"Most people forget all about the evils in the world, just choosing not to look. When a trainer departs, full of hope and joy they always come back bitter and tired. Tired of facing the evils they never acknowledged. Life has no heroes, only villains."
Brianna Ackerwood, Pokémon Trainer.

Chapter Three

The need to breathe

David got Pollux back after just a few minutes after he finished his lunch, Nurse Joy had let her Chansey look him over while she was working upstairs with Janice and her Chansey deemed him fit for travel. Althea would have to stay some more time, she was fine was but tired. When Nurse Joy came downstairs she did tell him that Pollux's eye was incurable but that it was not necessary to remove it completely.

It was 2:23 when David felt like he needed to go, if he spent any more time at the Center he would forget his goal and go home, wasting his licence and all his hard work. So he said goodbye, promising to call and to visit.

He turned around to wave at the group one last time as he turned around before walking through the doors as they slid closed behind him.

"You're really going now aren't you, Dave?" Daphne asked softly as she stared at her brother with big eyes.

David nodded, "Yes .. or I won't go at all and that would be unfair to me, and Pollux."

"But not to me, and mommy… I'll miss you Dave, who will read me Sentret and Pidgey when you're gone?" she asked with a pained voice as her face turned sad.

"Mom will, or ask miss Diane when she has time. Cole might even do it if you ask nicely."

"But they're not you!" Daphne whined as she gripped her brother's hand with ferocity, finally understanding just how close Dave's department was, and what it brought with it.

"I'll come back you know, I'm not going to disappear," David hushed as he smiled softly at her, "I'll just be away, but I promised I would call, remember?"

The little girl nodded as they neared the sign proclaiming 'Route 110' where David would leave, not for good but for a long time, from her young life.

"Don't tell mom this, it's a secret between just the two of us, but if I win some money I'll send it home, okay? You just have to say you earned it by helping around, you understand that?"

Daphne nodded solemnly as she understood what David meant, their mother would not want him to send them his own money. She never did like it when David worked, so it had to be kept a secret.

"Good," David grinned as he ruffled his sister's hair again and adjusted the straps of his backpack as he stared at her with affection, "I'm going now, you better get home before mom breaks down again. Remember to help her whenever you can and call me if it's urgent okay?"

Daphne nodded again as she felt him let go of her hand and saw him walking away, taking big strides as he forced himself to look forward.

After a few steps David turned around as he waved his hand a single time before saying "Bye, Daphne, be good okay?"

Then he walked further, not looking back so his little sister would not see him cry as ice cold needles protruded his heart. The pain of leaving his family nearly making him vomit as he forced his unwilling legs to carry him forward, away from his home and family.

Daphne just stood there, watching silently as her tiny frame shook with silent sobs. Her young brain never having grasped the meaning of being left alone, always thinking it was something temporary. But temporary merely meant 'not forever', it could take years, but David would return. One day. Maybe.

But now she just watched, watched him slip past the horizon with its trees and grass, watched him leave for his adventure. Watched him bravely walking away, not seeing his pain. And so she waved, to the empty route, as he disappeared from view, before walking back. Head held high, she was the oldest now, she had to be brave and strong now David was gone. Just temporary, she reminded herself as her tiny brain repeated the now familiar word, because he would come back.

David felt the painful needles in his heart slowly disappear as his conscience started berating him. You selfish jerk, why did you leave? What if mom has a relapse? What if they leave the gas on? What if Daphne gets sick and mom has a relapse? What if-

Stop it! He mentally shouted as he grasped his head with both hands, not wanting to doubt his choices. He knew he would fail if he did so, he had to be 100% behind himself or he'd go back home with his tail between his legs.

"Err.. Pollux come out?" David said awkwardly as he decided to let his poor Poochyena out, hoping its presence would distract him from his guilt and homesickness.

With another customary beam of red light shooting towards the ground the slightly less worn Poochyena materialised on the dirt.

He seemed to sniff the air for a few seconds before turning his two eyes, one glaring and the other unseeing, at David. His eyes narrowed considerably as he took in his trainer again, skinny and short. Wearing the very same shoes that got him in this situation in the first place. But the boy was now his responsibility, and he his.

"So uh .. Pollux .. I am David .. your trainer," David mumbled, stumbling over his words as he scratched his head, "And .. eh, we're probably heading towards eh .. Rustboru City I guess, there's the first Gym .. so .. that's it."

Pollux just stared at him with annoyance as the Poochyena barked before promptly walking away, either expecting David to follow or to let him leave.

David hurriedly walked after the tiny grey pokémon, surprised as to how fast he seemed to go, as he let his mind wander again.

He didn't pay attention to his surroundings as they passed the building leading to the Cycling Road, something he had no use for as he had no bike. It was merely the sloshy sound of foots getting stuck in the occasional muddy patch of soil and the constant padding of paws against more dense ground as Pollux seemed to evade them all. And he had only one eye.

The silence stretched out between them, neither human nor pokémon saying anything as they continued their silent trek. They silently passed the place where David caught Pollux hours before, not caring in the least.

"Eh … Pollux, let's stop for a moment," David said as he lowered himself to the grass before unstrapping his backpack as it too was laid down on the grass.

The Poochyena regarded him for a few tense seconds before gracelessly sitting down, one eye following David's every move as his head was turned towards the young boy, lips curled upwards in a silent snarl.

"So, err .. I kind-off want to say something .. " David trailed off as he heard a low rumble coming from Pollux, the sound mocking him. "I eh .. am new to this and all and so are you, probably, so we should .. err, work together?"

Pollux just stared his discomforting stare as the rumbling sound stopped, two lighter-grey ears turning ever-so-slightly towards him.

"And I, err, think we should train, you know, to eh .. get used to each other?"

A slight twitch of the eye told David that Pollux wasn't quite pleased with the answer, Zacharias had done that a lot with Cole when they first met.

"And so .. we can .. eh .. win battles?"

Another, less twitchy, twitch of the eye.

"So .. you .. can win battles?"

No twitch, ding-ding, correct answers, you win.

Another silence followed as David and Pollux stared at one another, the one awkwardly and the other without doing as much as moving one paw.

"I think we should get going again, I .. eh .. want to reach Mauville by tomorrow .. eh .. and maybe train some more?" David suggested as he scrambled up again and stretched his limbs before dusting off his pants.

Pollux shot up the moment David mentioned going, ears perked up and one eye getting a twisted gleam to it as he Poochyena sniffed the air before shooting away, leaving only rustled grass in its wake as it disappeared from view.

"Wait! Pollux!" David cried as he grabbed his backpack and ran after his pokémon, considerably slowed down thanks to the added weight on his back.

"Gull!" David heard coming from his left as he ran towards the cry, frightened by what he saw once he got there.

Pollux had a Wingull in his jaws, its body twitching every few seconds before hanging limply as Pollux carelessly threw it aside before raising his head to stare at his trainer with cool indifference, some blood on his muzzle.

So, his gleaming red eyes seemed to say to David, This is what happens in the real world, can you handle it or will you fall prey to it like so many others?

David gulped as he forced his frozen limbs to move, tears threating to fall from his wide green eyes as his fists shook. A strangled sob came from his mouth as he saw his Poochyena staring at him with the same unreadable expression as before. On shaking knees David walked forward towards the dead bird, gingerly picking it up as some feathers drifted to the ground.

Pollux had killed it. Why? To prove a point? To show him his power? To prove his worth? No, it was something different, something David couldn't grasp as his mind tried to wind logic around it. Everything had to have reason, this had one too.

Another sob broke free as he stared at the lifeless body, he carefully laid it down as his fingers started digging through the wet soil. More sobs followed as the boy cried, just not getting why. Homesickness, fear and sadness all blending together to bring the always so calm boy to his knees as his hands continued digging a crude grave.

He eventually placed the Wingull in it before throwing the heaps of eart back on it. He added more earth to it, making it stand out from the rest of the place.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he wiped his tears away, the words spoken to the Wingull and himself.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again as he picked up his backpack again as his eyes hardened with the realisation.

That's why Robert wasn't that shocked when he returned with a wounded Althea, or the others when they saw her. That's why, because they already know. Pokémon die. Be it for food, training or an accident. To them it was another aspect of daily life, as common as doing the dishes.

He repeated I'm sorry in his head like a mantra, hoping that those words would ease the guilt that anchored itself to his mind. Hoping that it would put his heart at ease, it didn't.

He had seen dead pokémon before, but he never saw one die. He never knew that the difference would be so .. different. It had hit him like a ton of bricks, crushing him under its weight. He had pondered of the possibility of seeing a pokémon die but had shrugged it off, he would deal with that when the time came. But now, he found he could not. His heart ached as his conscious shouted at him. You should have been there! You should have helped! He is a killer, YOU are a killer! Murderer!

He continued walking, paying no attention to the rhythmic steps of Pollux behind him as he could feel the Poochyena's eyes staring a hole in the back of his head.

He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts he had, if this was how he felt when he saw an unknown pokémon die how would soldiers feel? Seeing their friends die, their lovers, their pokémon? It made some sense now why some veterans went crazy after returning from the war. He forced himself to make a promise to himself, he would not fall. Not to this, not to any other death. He wanted it, he fought for it, so he would stick with it. There were still younger trainers out there, if they could do this so could he.

David felt a funny sensation at his leg and looked down to see Pollux's tail brushing past it in some weird display of affection. Maybe it was a test, to see if he would break. Maybe he felt sorry. Either way, David didn't know why but it felt good. Gave him new courage.

"No m-more k-k-ii-lling, okay .. Pollux?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse as he wiped his red and puffy eyes again, looking at Pollux with pain, "No m-m-o-re l-like t-t-t-oday, o-o-okay?"

The Poochyena in question turned his head to stare at him with both eyes, inclining his head ever so slightly in a nod before padding forwards again.

"I can do this," David whispered as he balled his hands into fists again, a faint but forced grin on his face as he stared at the sky.

They walked on for three more hours in complete silence, the only sound that of their footsteps against the ground as they walked through the ankle-high grass as the sun was blocked by the Cycling Road. They eventually passed a rundown-looking house with a sign in front of. David, knowing a potential paedophile-hideout when he saw one walked past it with hurried steps, not daring to look back. Pokémon darted through the grass as they heard them coming, their steps loud enough to hear from a distance in comparison to the silence on the route itself. David didn't care, his mind silently shoving the incident from earlier to a box, locking it and shoving it in the darkest part of his memory in an attempt to forget.

It didn't work completely but it was the best he could do. Pollux shot him some glances every now and then and even brushed his head against David's hand once in what David thought was an apology. It had lifted his spirits for a few minutes a basked in the feeling of affection coming from his pokémon. It felt nice, maybe this was how Cole felt with Zacharias. Like someone cared, someone else than your friends or family. He couldn't help but grinning, for one moment the lifeless body of the Wingull completely vanishing from his mind as he smiled a true smile. Knowing things could only get better from there on and that he and Pollux would be fine. Maybe this truly was a test, of fate. Thrown at them to see if they could overcome it and come out stronger, David though as his smile turned into a grin, and we passed it.

"We can do this," he said as he raised his fist into the air and uncurled his fingers, a few stray rays of sun shining at them from under the raised platform of the Cycling Road giving them an orange-y hue.

He smiled again, they really could, as he walked away. His heart feeling lighter, the Wingull's death feeling quite less haunting as he convinced himself that they could. As he breathed in the air again, he felt his spirits lift for one tiny second he was free and happy before crashing back to reality, believing he could take on anything fate threw at them.

Pollux just stared at his trainer with an odd mixture of pride, he had ran face-first into the hurdle but had crawled over it in the end. He truly did not care for the pitiful human, he only knew him for a few hours, but he was his. And a Poochyena takes care of what is his, otherwise they would not function as a pack. Pollux may not have been part of a pack for a long time but the urge to care was still there, ingrained in his DNA like the need to breathe. And the boy was pack, any other pokémon that the boy might catch in those silly devices would be pack. And even if he had to drag them through hell and back, he would take care of his pack.
Because he had to, just like he had to breathe.


A/N.

Chapter three, because David wanted attention too. I think it's quite heavy, but it had to be done. I don't believe in 'The power of friendship will save the world', never did, so this will be different. I don't think an Oddish will just faint when hit with a flamethrower. Just like a Raticate would not survive a body slam from a Snorlax or worse, a Wailord.

David had to face death. He just had to. Pokémon die, will die and he had to see one do so. He is just 14, this will haunt him for quite some time no matter how mature or calm he is. In my opinion it's still quite a calm reaction to seeing something die. I would freak out and run back home. Also, his false security of being able to handle it all after this is false, he will not. He has much to learn and go through but he will get stronger one day. Not now, not in two weeks, but one day. He will have to, I have much planned out for him.

Anyway, thank you for reading and please do review.