Chapter 4. Trust

oof, I just realized I forgot to use that disclaimer thingy... so here it is:

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, it belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures.

"Willow?!" I exclaimed, shocked.

"A-akira, please don't be afraid..." All of a sudden Willow (or whoever claimed to be Willow) clutched his stomach in pain. He fell over, and appeared to be paralyzed. I figured I would have to help him out first to understand more of his intriguing story.

Willow was blacked out. Unsure, I collected a few oran berries and carefully brought the injured Ditto back to the cave.

I left the cave once again in search of cheri berries, to heal paralysis. Alone, I contemplated on what to do next with my life. Where could I go? I couldn't return home..

Home.

Just the sound of it in my mind and in my mouth formed a lump in my throat. But I knew my experience made me stronger. I was past crying over things. I was going to train and become stronger, both mentally and physically.

After a while of searching, I found some cheri berries and brought them back to the cave. Leaving them next to the fainted Ditto, I laid down, and once more, sleep consumed me.

"Who's Kai?" Willow's voice emanated from above me, somewhere in space.

Rolling out of my slumber and back into reality, I was met by the same dark ruby eyes I had when I first woke up in the cave. Except this time, the body they supplemented was that of a blue Ditto.

Blushing slightly, I shook myself awake. "H-how? What?"

"You talk a lot in your sleep, Akira." Willow seemed awfully comfortable for someone who was injured just the day before. "It sounded like a nightmare..."

"I-it doesn't matter who Kai is," I said changing the topic. I stretched my body out on the cave floor, noticing the sun beginning to rise again. "I still don't fully trust you, by the way." Willow looked down again, guiltily. "Tell me, Willow. Who are you? Why are you here? No. First, start with what happened yesterday."

Gulping a bit nervously, Willow began to tell the story. "Well, as you know, I left the cave yesterday to find some oran berries. In my Umbreon form, I found the tree, but I was attacked by an angry Jolteon, who yelled at me 'You! Leave this forest and don't come back! If you don't leave now, I'll bring the others with me!'"

This made me seethe silently. So they were still attacking Pokemon...

"As quick as I could," Willow continued, "despite being injured, I changed my form into a ground type so the electric type Pokemon would be afraid and hopefully leave me alone. Thankfully, it worked and I managed to scare them away, but I was still injured when you found me."

"But why did you choose to be in an Umbreon form?" I asked.

"Well..." Willow blinked nervously but then steeled himself and replied "ever since i was born in the Ditto nest, not far from here, I have had these red eyes and strange blue skin. It was only natural for me to become an Umbreon, as they have red eyes, and because I thought it would be easier to become friends with you if we were the same Pokemon." I shook my head inwardly. This was not the right way to make friends, but who was I to judge this Pokemon? I barely had any friends of my own.

"My... My family did not accept me. I was so... I was too different from them, i never made any friends because of it." Oh, that explains it, I thought. Willow was pushed away because he was different, so he thought if he were the same as me, a certain bond would be created.

"And so I came here on my own, searching for a place to call home. When I saw you run away from your village, i followed you into the cave because I saw we were both outcasts that had escaped from our prisons. In you, I saw my new beginning. I know perhaps me lying to you is a bad first impression, but i didn't know how else to approach you..." The poor Ditto looked down miserably, and I almost felt sorry for him. "It's okay if you don't trust me, I'd understand... I'm sorry Akira."

Although it hurt my eyes, O looked through the mouth of the cave, past the forest I once called home, and to the bright orange sky that seemed infinite. "Willow." He looked up at me expectantly. "I ran away from home not because i wanted to, but because i was forced. They didn't want me there. I didn't belong."

"The Pokemon that thrive here are electric types. Dark type Pokemon are known for stealing and committing crimes... They attacked me the moment they saw me. I never wanted to evolve into an Umbreon!" My voice raised, and my lip quivered in anger. Just remembering the feeling of frustration and hopelessness... "They saw i was different. They were afraid. My own parents..."

Willow touched my shoulder comfortingly. "Akira, they don't get it. Don't worry about them. They're gone now. Were safe."

"I know..." Two pairs of crimson red eyes met full of sadness, a past neither could forget.

But deep in my heart, I knew someone did get it. Kai understood me. He understood me fully. But the day I left, he was nowhere to be found.

I wouldn't tell Willow about Kai just yet, I knew Willow felt vengeance towards his family, I could hear it in his voice. I didn't feel that way towards my family. We left the cave in search of food, an unspoken bond of trust was formed between us after sharing our stories. Although it seemed Willow and I shared many similarities on the surface, I couldn't help but notice how we were different. He didn't appear to care too much about the family and friends he was forced to leave behind, whereas I still desperately clung onto the promises Kai and I forged together. Perhaps it was time to let go...?

I realized this is a pretty long chapter, compared to the other ones...

Thanks for reading! ^_^

btw, I would like to thank Thunderwolf7226 for reviewing! :D

~Akira