Finally, an update. Sorry for disappearing, my life got in the way. Expect faster updates than this one, hah.

Anyways, I would like to give a huge thanks to Farla for giving me a quite detailed review. Hopefully I can do this story more justice now. Remember, comments and critique are always welcomed.

An Ironic Destiny

Ch.4

An Uncomfortable Introduction

A freezing gust of wind blasted against Rain, hard ice threatening to cut the pads on his paws as he carefully maneuvered as best he could. Keeping his head low, he watched his legs move mechanically, trying his best to ignore the frigid conditions. Trudging onwards, he had been walking for what seemed to be hours. With but only the objective of moving forwards, he mindlessly walked through the endless field of cold. Finally, the blizzard subsided. In an almost ethereal manner, clumps of puffed snow began to fall gently from the sky, in almost complete contrast to the blizzard.

Rain stopped.

His eyes widened at the sight of a magnificent ice blue bird, flakes of snow falling from its wings. It glared at Rain, its presence meaning this was no light matter.

"Why are you satisfied with this?" its commanding voice boomed, sifting the snow around Rain's paws. Curiosity crossed his face as he failed to understand the context. This act of ignorance only made the bird's voice grow louder. "You naïve fool!" Its words boomed through the cold air, echoing so loudly as though there were more than one of it.

Rain then understood that it spoke of his role reversal, dipping his head to the ground.
"I…" He recalled the moment he stepped out on the hill, the foundation upon which he built his dreams throughout his life. He remembered the uncomfortable realization that it wasn't the same. He recollected his attempt to force compliance upon himself. The moment he discovered Mel was in the same situation.
"It doesn't matter what happens, I'm still on the same journey." Bravely stated, there was an underlying layer of fear, amplified by his shaking voice.

The bird lashed its wings open, freezing winds whipping Rain as he fell to his knees. "You're going to give up your dream to an imposter just like that?" Its words stung. "To journey as a trainer is quite different from being a pokemon, much more than you would ever—"
Rain's face grew cross, rage flashing through his body. He yelled louder than he knew he could, every sensation of cold focusing itself in his chest. "Then what business do you have with me?"

A long pause took over, the narrow look produced by the icy menace masking a pleasured grin. "Nobody ends up like you for just any reason." It began flapping its wings, a strong wind pulsing against the ground. "Be cautious of who you trust…" It paused as it prepared to soar into the air. "…Largo."
Rain only grew angrier as the bird began to fly away. The core of ice in his chest stung him, pressing his aggression as he rose to his feet again. The blizzard resumed, his words caught in the storm.
Strong winds from the storm caught him off guard. The blasting storm sent him flying through the air, unable to tell whether or not he was ascending or descending. He continued to tumble through the air, shutting his eyes. His tumbling turned into a straight fall downwards, hitting cold, solid ground.

Rain awoke with a startled gasp. Breathing heavily, his anger subsided as he remembered where he was. The sound of wind beating the tent they slept in mirrored the winds of his dream, the cold core he acquired remaining. He relaxed, resting his head back down. The stuffy tent was a suffocating warm, soft breathing and Largo's snoring reassuring him. The Smeargle they had caught earlier rested beside him, tail carefully placed on a piece of paper. Rain began to recall the words spoken by the pokemon in his dream. Why was it so instinctive to battle? He hadn't even questioned the thought until now, having taken orders by himself.
Shooting a reflexive glance at Largo, Rain felt a chill go down his spine. His conversation in his dream echoed in his mind. Shaking his head violently, he attempted to dismiss the dream as nothing. Though it wasn't working, he proceeded to lower his head, once again attempting sleep.

"So it's for painting stuff?"

Rain cocked his head sideways as he speculated the Smeargle's tail. "It seems kind of impractical to me." The Smeargle was taken aback somewhat by the comment. Stating his words with assurance, he replied with a simple enough answer.
"It's natural if you're born with it."

The troupe had packed up their temporary lodging, nearing Vermillion City. Baine wore a drained look on her face, actively avoiding eye contact with Rain. Concerned, he knew better than to talk to her in this mood. She was especially touchy when she was upset.
A sudden inquiry from the Smeargle interrupted Rain's thoughts, whipping his head around in surprise.

"I'm sorry; I never got your name…?" The beagle asked.

"Oh, it's La-" He cut off, glancing back to his friend. Taking a short moment's pause, Rain reluctantly returned his attention to the Smeargle. Faking a smile, he finally confirmed his name. "Rain. It's Rain." Having officially forfeited, the least he could do is socialize with the guy. "How about you, what's your name?" He shot the question back, genuinely curious as to whether or not pokemon gave each other names in the wild.

"I never had a real name before now, but I guess it's Cible now." He responded with a hesitant voice, giving a wayward glance to Largo. Contrary to their encounter in the forest, he seemed a little coddled. Carefully wielding his tail with his left hand, Cible seemed hesitant to leave paint anywhere.

"…Well it's a strange name, I'll give you that!" Rain chuckled, garnering a smile from his new acquaintance. He's a tolerant guy, at least. As he continued to observe the Smeargle, the mark on his back caught his attention. What was a well-printed green paw print was slashed out with a thick, messy scar of red paint. Giving a concerned frown as he winced at the mark, Rain raised the subject for discussion.
"The mark on your back doesn't seem like it's very common…" He remarked out loud, carelessly treading onto another subject. "You know, you don't seem to mind being captured very much, either." There was a moment of silence between the two, the only sounds penetrating the quiet being their footsteps and the few words exchanged between Largo and Mel. They continued walking, guilt slowly climbing its way through Rain. If he had touched something sensitive, that might make his situation that much worse.
Finally, Cible responded.

"I, uh…" He paused again for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should speak. His head was lowered to the ground, deep in thought. "The mark on my back means that I'm a traitor."

"A traitor?" Rain mused, perplexed. "Traitor to what? Why?"

"Smeargle live in clans and colonies, like a big family. Art, especially in my former family, was a sacred topic. While everyone had the same idea about it, I was… Different."

Silence took over again for a moment; Rain unsure of what to say. He wanted him to continue, but had no words to add. Baine was definitely in earshot of this; though it was strange she hadn't chimed in or at least approached them. Cible shortly resumed his story, silence having been the smarter choice on Rain's part.

"In the end, I was marked a traitor, and was banished from my clan. I wandered around aimlessly for days, trying to think of a way to open their narrow-sighted eyes…" His tone of voice got somewhat hostile. Cible paused for a moment, collecting himself again. "I never thought of anything, and then you showed up."

Rain gave a sympathetic look to Cible whose expression revealed nothing but smiles. Once again thrown off, Rain was hit with yet another question.

"How about you? Were you a lab pokemon or something?"

Rain's jaw locked up. Though the question was sincere, it was going to be difficult if not impossible to tell him the truth. Deciding to try and avoid answering, he stammered over his words. "I don't- I can't really…" Rain trailed off, cut off by Cible.

"It's fine. After what I've been through, I think I can handle whatever you can tell me. You might as well; we're going to be around each other for a while."

Rain figured he was right. Difficult as it would be to tell him, he might as well. Taking a sharp breath, he told him everything since the day before.