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Title: Lines in the Sand

Author: Shinymonkey8

Chapter 25: Blackie

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Previously:

Alvar woke up underwater, in the middle of an ocean, and had no idea what was going on. He managed to swim to shore, just barely, and severely exhausted, only to be captured by a girl who intended on taking him to a Pokemon Center to heal.

Back at the Rocket headquarters, Giovanni obtained a GPS-like device from Robert so he could track Mewtwo easier, and agreed on letting the scientist along for the exhibition.

Meanwhile, Lyric and Mewtwo started their search for Alvar, having no idea where he was. Their day was unsuccessful and uneventful. At the end of that same day, Lyric surprises Mewtwo by successfully levitating after a very short practice.

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It was a strange sensation—almost like the warmth and nothingness of sleeping, but not quite. It was almost like he still had consciousness, and could move his limbs around in a peculiar world that he couldn't quite sense.

He was inside a pokeball.

It was his first time ever being inside one, and Alvar couldn't see how any pokemon could get used to it. It was so different than anything he'd ever experienced; he didn't even have words to describe it.

It seemed like the world he was in would never fade, until finally, he felt himself being pulled out of the nothingness. He regained his senses—he was laying on a small bed made specifically for pokemon. As he scanned the surrounding area, he saw that he was in a small, but somewhat cozy room. All around him were other beds occupied by various pokemon of different shapes and sizes. There were a few nurses roaming the room, tending to the sick and injured pokemon and there were even what looked like a few trainers standing next to their supposed pokemon. The room was white and red, much like the color of a pokeball.

He had never been to a Pokemon Center—Mewtwo always tried to stay away from them since he never really needed them. Alvar had been told about them, but this was not what he expected.

Upon further inspection of the room, he saw the girl that had captured him standing slouched over in the center of the room, talking to another nurse in a white jacket—similar to all the other nurses about the room. He didn't feel like reading lips at the moment—most likely nothing the two humans were saying was anything important. All he needed to focus on was getting out of this Pokecenter. He couldn't stay here, that was for sure.

He noticed that he wasn't feeling any pain… which was odd. He had been sore as hell… How long was I in that pokeball?

He looked around for a clock but there was none to be found. He guessed that he had been in there for quite a while—all his soreness had faded.

The Skitty tried moving a leg, and winced the moment his muscles were put to work as what felt like a jolt of electricity shot up his nerves.

Maybe not that long…

His arms were the same—very sore. He wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

As if putting an exclamation mark on his last thought, both the nurse and the girl finished their conversation and proceeded to walk to the side of the bed Alvar was lying on. He began reading their lips again. They hadn't seemed to notice that the kitten was awake yet.

(I've never seen a black one before—it's cute!)

(I found it on the beach. It was just lying there and—ran over—captured…)

The young girl was talking at a very fast rate, and the kitten couldn't catch up with what she was saying. He assumed that she was explaining how she had captured him.

(A Skitty on the beach… It's unheard of really…)

(A black Skitty on the beach…)

A black, deaf Skitty on the beach… He thought to himself amused.

The young girl finally looked at him, (Oh, its awake!)

They were all startled, and the nurse quickly put a hand on Alvar's head, apparently to check for a temperature. The Skitty jolted back a little as the nurse's cold hand unexpectedly touched his forehead and winced again in pain as he did so.

(It doesn't seem to have caught any sicknesses—it just looks like it's very sore, that's all.)

The young girl was relieved. (Well that's good. It must have been swimming. I wonder where it came from.)

(That's a good question. What are you going to do with it now?)

Alvar looked intently at the girl. Say let it go… Please say let it go… Please…

(I guess I'm gonna keep it. Who could pass up such a cute pokemon?)

The nurse laughed along with the young girl.

No, I can't be taken by her… I'll never see Mewtwo again—I have to escape…

(Well, it doesn't look like it should have to stay cooped up in here anymore. Just don't make it participate in any strenuous activities.)

(Thanks for taking care of… Him? Her?)

(I believe it's male.)

(Well thanks anyways!)

How am I supposed to get up? I ache when I move any muscles…

(C'mon, Blackie!) She was waiting by the door at the end of the room.

Blackie? I really hope that's not what she actually said…

The nurse, still standing by the bed, butted in, (I think that he is too weak to walk.)

(Well I'll just have to carry him home then.)

Oh, no…

(You could just put him in your pokeball.)

Yes!

(Nah, I'll just carry him. If I'm going to keep him I have to get to know him!)

It was no use. He was much too weak to struggle, and as she scooped him up in her arms, he let out an audible growl to show his displeasure. She didn't seem to notice, and was thankfully gentle with him walking out of the Pokecenter.

The brightness of the sun glared in Alvar's eyes as they exited. The town was an average size, and unfamiliar. It was much smaller than Vermillion—the town he had lived in most of his life, so the lack of excessive skyscrapers and cars was strange to him. There was a PokeMart to the left of the Pokecenter, and farther north it looked as if there was a suburban area packed with small houses like sardines. Trees were abundant, as well as small bushes, and the young girl stopped and bent down to pick a berry off one of the bushes, squeezing the kitten much to tightly as he did so. All Alvar could do was whimper until the girl noticed.

They walked down a friendly looking street surrounded by houses. She turned sharply at one of them—a small, white and tan house with a pointed roof and multiple windows. The surrounding houses were exactly the same color, but this particular house seemed slightly larger than the rest.

She stepped up to the door of the house and opened it, still holding the Skitty uncomfortably in one arm. He could feel his muscles loosening up from use, but he was nowhere near being completely healed.

The interior of the house looked similar to the outside, except that the carpet was a deep brown. It was a fairly basic set-up for a house: Two stairways led up and down at the entrance, the one going up led to the living room, kitchen and bedrooms, and the downstairs led to the basement.

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"Mom, I'm home! And I brought something!"

A voice answered from the kitchen, "Hello honey. What'd you bring?"

She finished climbing the stairs and flopped down on the living room couch, setting down the Skitty she held in her arms. He surprisingly didn't struggle at all—it was probably because he was so sore. "Come here and see! You'll love it!"

A woman came from the kitchen doorway. She was in her mid-thirties and looked like she had been doing some type of work in the kitchen involving water, as her sweatpants and shirt were wet. She stopped when she saw the black Skitty, surveying its surroundings with wide, scared eyes.

"Where did you get that?"

"Don't you like him?"

"Sure, he's cute, but where did you get him?"

The young girl looked at her mom disappointed, "I found him on the beach."

"A Skitty on the beach?"

"Yeah, he was just lying there."

She looked at the small kitten pokemon watching her carefully. "How do you know he doesn't have rabies or something?"

"He doesn't have rabies…"

"Why do you think he was on the beach then?"

The young girl raised an eyebrow, confused. "How does that prove he has rabies?"

"Honey, you can never be too careful with wild pokemon."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't have rabies, Mom."

They both stared at the Skitty, who stared back at both of them with unblinking eyes. The mother broke the silence first, "What's wrong with it?"

"I think it's really sore. It must've been swimming or something."

"Why would a Skitty go for a swim? Something's fishy…"

The young girl rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Mom… why are you so paranoid about everything! Nothing's gonna happen."

The mother only responded by nodding her head.

The young girl continued when she still was silent. She was staring intently at the Skitty, who was staring just as intently back.

"So… can we keep it?"

"…Like in your pokeball, or as a house pet?"

"Whichever one you're more comfortable with."

She contemplated the pros and cons of each decision, and finally responded, "I guess it can sleep in the house for a night. We'll see how it goes."

"Thanks Mom, you're the best!"

She gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek before she turned and ran to her room. Almost instantly, she reappeared, having forgotten that the Skitty couldn't walk on his own just yet.

Her room was pink, with posters plastered all over the walls. It was fairly small, and didn't seem big enough for a girl of thirteen like she was.

She placed the Skitty on the bed in the center of the room and stood before him, smiling proudly.

"This here beautiful cavern of awesomeness is my room. I sleep where you're lying right now and…"

The Skitty she was playfully speaking to wasn't listening. His head was turned away from her and he seemed to be inspecting the room.

She kept her energetic mood and tried getting his attention. "Hey, Blackie."

The kitten didn't turn his head.

She lost her smile and raised her voice quite a few decibels. "Blackie!"

After another lack of response, she had to poke him in the shoulder to get him to finally turn his head, surprised.

Now having his attention, she playfully asked, "Wow, Blackie, what's wrong with you? Are you deaf!"

The kitten was staring at her slightly creepily, and then he nodded his head as if he had understood her. Sure, pokemon could understand humans, but… That meant it was deaf…

"Well how the hell can you hear me now then?"

The Skitty swiftly raised a paw and motioned to his mouth. It took a few moments for her to understand, but when she did, she widened her eyes in realization.

"You're reading my lips! You can do that?"

He just nodded, an unreadable expression on his face, like he was lost in thought, but trying to hide it.

"So you're a black, deaf Skitty who likes to swim?"

The Skitty nodded his head. She was amused and didn't bother hiding it. "Well, how do you like my room?"

He looked around again at the colorful pink room, and turned back to her, not moving his head any direction.

The silence simmered in the room as the young girl tried to decipher what the Skitty was thinking. He had stopped staring at her and was now focusing on standing on four legs. He succeeded, even though his face was twisted in pain and his legs were shaky.

"You must've taken quite a swim."

He tried taking a step forward on the bed, but collapsed. He got up on his feet again and this time, managed to take a few steps. After a few more steps, he froze in place, staring down at his shaky legs.

"I'm sure you'll be fine by tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to the park, so if you are feeling better, you could run around and play with other pokemon. I might even be able to catch some." She then realized that since the Skitty wasn't watching her lips, he couldn't hear her at all. She shook her head at her own stupidity.

As if the last sentence she had spoken had reminded her, she went over to a far corner of her room and grabbed something off of a desk. The movement caught the Skitty's eye, and he watched her as she returned with a pokeball in her hand.

"You should meet my other pokemon if you're going to be living here."

She pressed a button on the red and white ball, and in a flash of light, a Cyndaquil appeared on the bed beside the Skitty.

As soon as the Cyndaquil saw the kitten, he jumped back and growled.

"It's okay! It's my new friend! Boy, are you jumpy today."

The Cyndaquil seemed calmed by these words, and it sat on its haunches and greeted the slightly nervous Skitty, "Quil!"

The kitten only stared nervously back at the pokemon. After a few moments thought, the young girl realized that the Skitty couldn't understand the Cyndaquil whatsoever. Pokemon language was created in the variance of syllables and letter length in the same word: the pokemon's name. That meant there was no way that the kitten could read its lips.

The Cyndaquil turned to look at the young girl, with a helpless and confused look. The kitten was still staring warily at the pokemon now on the bed with him.

"I don't think he can hear you. He's deaf."

The Cyndaquil, understanding, turned back to the Skitty, who had abandoned staring, and was slowly walking around the bed on shaky legs. The silence that had fallen over the room was awkward to the young girl, and she attempted to break it.

"Well… I'm not doing anything else the rest of the day, so…" She glanced around the room and her eyes widened as her cell phone caught her eye.

"Crap! I told my friend I'd call her an hour ago!"

She zoomed over and snatched the phone up. Walking out of the room she began to dial a number, closing the door behind her at the same time.

The Cyndaquil rolled its eyes and turned back to the Skitty, who had abandoned walking and was now sitting. The Cyndaquil outstretched a paw to the Skitty, knowing they couldn't communicate. Slightly surprised, the kitten accepted the gesture, and shook paws with the Cyndaquil.

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Night had almost fallen, and the Skitty had spent the entire afternoon in the bedroom with the Cyndaquil. The young girl had been away talking to the friend the entire time.

The fact that he couldn't talk to the Cyndaquil really made the afternoon dull. He explored the room he was in, but besides that, there wasn't much to do besides try and sleep off the soreness in his limbs.

Finally, the young girl came back in the room. It was nighttime, and the girl looked like she was getting tired already.

(Did I leave you two in here all day?) She looked at them, quite guiltily. The Skitty was still lying on the bed and the Cyndaquil had wandered off to the corner.

Yeah, I am definitely getting out of here tonight, Alvar thought with a smirk.

Hopefully I can get out… It will be tough since I have to get past the doors. I need a plan.

He quickly thought of one, and put it to action. It was nighttime anyways.

The young girl was yawning as he hopped off the bed and began pawing the door that she had subconsciously closed.

She came out of her yawn, and saw the kitten's action.

(Do you need do go out?)

Alvar nodded his head excitedly. He did need to go relieve himself, but that wasn't the reason he wanted out.

She opened the bedroom door and followed the kitten down the stairs to the front door.

(I don't have a litter box or anything, so you'll just have to go outside.)

She opened the front door, freeing him from the house, finally. He bolted out, but not too fast, to make it look like he wasn't escaping. He frowned when he saw the Cyndaquil right behind him. If it was with him when he escaped, then it could probably tell the girl somehow. Even if she knew he had run away, she wouldn't follow him, right? She had only known him for a day.

Besides, what right did she have to take him off of the beach like she had? Sure, trainers captured pokemon all the time, but that didn't make it right. Taking a pokemon from its home could cause shock, even depression, especially if the pokemon was young. Trainers just disregarded that fact like it didn't matter.

There's not much I can do about it, Alvar thought. Humans have been capturing Pokemon since the Ancient times.

There wasn't anything to contain the Skitty in the front yard, so he waited for the young girl to close the front door before trotting to the street nearby. The Cyndaquil stopped at the street edge and stared at Alvar, as if wondering whether the Skitty was actually running away.

The kitten stopped and turned back to face the Cyndaquil, quizzically. Even though they hadn't talked, maybe a small bond had been created between them. The Cyndaquil was frowning, as if disappointed or sad that he was betraying the fragile trust of the young girl that had been so kind to them.

They couldn't communicate, save the emotions that showed through each other's eyes. The Skitty's eyes portrayed certainty, but at the same time, nervousness, and fear—maybe even some guilt. The Cyndaquil's eyes were shrouded in confusion and shock—it couldn't believe that the Skitty could get up and leave that easily. It was almost as if he had no heart.

After an awkward moment of the two staring at each other, Alvar tried convey how sorry he was through his eyes.

He was sorry. He felt bad about leaving this girl who cared about her—who only wanted to give him a good home, but he already had a home. He had to find Mewtwo and Lyric.

Mewtwo and Lyric…

He had had a lot of time to think about what happened, and he eventually came up with the conclusion that Mewtwo must've teleported him while he was sleeping. The reasoning behind this was unknown. If something was interfering with Mewtwo's teleportation, than that could be the reason behind him appearing underwater. Mewtwo had been teleported to Lavender Town—he must've gotten lucky…

But… Why wouldn't he wake me before he teleported me? And… was I the only one he teleported?

The first thing he was going to do was return to the church. With luck, they were already aware of his lack of presence, and might have even been looking for him.

Resolved, he took one last look at the Cyndaquil before turning his back and walking away, leaving behind the quaint house. He didn't look back—he knew he was doing the right thing.

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End of Chapter 25

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I am getting a betareader, so my updates are going to come slower now. This is for the best, as it will improve my story a great deal. Also, I'm starting a oneshot that's probably going to turn into a longfic. I think you all are going to love the idea… But yeah, some of my time will go into that.

This chapter is an Alvar-fest, which is cool. He needed some character development.

Thanks for reading, and please review!