Here's Chapter 9 of Werewolves of Sinnoh. It's the longest one thus far, and I greatly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read up to this point. Especially WyldClaw, thank you for all your reviews overnight on Thursday/Friday. Woke up to four more in my inbox, that was awesome. Anyway, enjoy!
Current music: Leave Them All Behind - Billy Talent
CODY HARVARD, 19
If there's one lesson I learned from that day, it's that you should always be careful what you wish for.
I suppose I should give a little more context. When I was first locked away in that tiny jail cell, there was no clock. There were also no windows, so there was nothing to remind me of the passage of time. I could almost be forgiven for thinking this was a time hollow.
And so I wanted something, anything, to break up the monotony of being inside this room. I didn't care if this came in the form of forced labor or something equally unpleasant, because at least it would be something. Right now, I was doing absolutely nothing.
When you have absolutely nothing to do, your mind goes places you don't think it's going to. At some point after eating my pitiful midday meal (at least, I think it was midday; it was hard to keep track of time), I imagined myself being expelled from GPU.
If I'm expelled, no other university is going to take me. And even if they did, it would still take forever to fill out all those applications...ah, who am I kidding? They'll never want the legal liability that comes with allowing a were-Lycanroc to attend their school, and really, can I blame them?
My eyes were beginning to glaze over. I was going to fall asleep pretty soon; that much was clear. But suddenly, I heard something that made me sit bolt upright on the weight bench that doubled as my bed.
"You've got the wrong man! I'm innocent!" a desperate-sounding male voice yelled on the other side of the door. It must have been a pretty loud yell, because the doors certainly felt heavy enough to be soundproof here.
"We only arrest someone if there's sufficient evidence!" a female voice, one far more authoritative, shouted. "And even if you are innocent of the first charge, resisting arrest is also a serious crime!"
By the sound of it, a considerable fight was put up by the man who remained faceless to me. I could hear the sounds of fists banging against each other, and wondered if any blood would be drawn.
Yuck...I'd rather not think about that right now.
And this leads me back to being careful what I wished for, because the thought of violence occurring just outside of this room, let alone the sound of it...let's just say that it made me very uneasy about this place, not that I wasn't already.
As soon as I was bailed out of this cell, I would return home with my parents. They weren't going to be happy with me, to say the very least.
I tried to picture my mother's reaction. She'd be relieved to see me, and she'd no doubt be vocal about this, but it would probably be constantly qualified with But I'm very disappointed in you, or, worse still, Do you want to talk about your feelings?
The latter would be worse than the former; if she tried to be her usual lenient, loving self, I'd see right through it whether I wanted to or not. And it would only lead to me feeling more guilty for letting them down.
As for my father, he'd probably just snap at me from the very beginning. In a way, that would be easier to deal with than my mother's likely response.
But as for the violence here...if I eventually go to prison, which I probably will since they saw me bite Bella, it's going to be worse there. Much, much worse.
What felt like hours later, another mediocre meal was handed to me by a police officer. Unlike my usual habits, I ate this one as slowly as I could, savoring bite after bite, because at least it was something to occupy my mind. As soon as the plate left my cell, there would be nothing but sleep to save me from the ennui.
Once the plate was taken back by the police officer, I laid back down on the weight bench, in a pose that a bodybuilder would use when lifting weights. I'd never been much of a weightlifter myself, but I would've given anything for a couple of dumbbells to bench-press.
Ah, well, you know what they say: If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. So true.
As you can probably imagine, the weight bench that doubled as my bed was horrendously uncomfortable. I couldn't toss or turn, or else I would roll right off of it. In addition, I got a crick in my beck almost immediately thanks to the lack of lumbar support.
In the end, I decided that enough was enough, and to just lie on the floor instead. It might not have been very sanitary, but at least I wouldn't risk falling off the bed while I slept.
You might think that it would take a long time for me to drift off, since there was so much running through my mind. If so, you'd be wrong.
I was so bored, and the boredom had caused me to feel so drowsy, that I fell asleep within what felt like only a few minutes.
Almost immediately, I found myself in what looked like a dark, gargantuan cavern. I could barely make out the ceiling, for it seemed to be so far away.
And then I realized that there were small white specks on the ceiling, and then I understood that this was not a cave at all; rather, I was out in the open, and the "ceiling" was actually the night sky, twinkling with stars.
Skylock was not a particularly large town, but there was enough light pollution that not all of the stars were visible at night.. Here, there were so many of them I was basically speechless.
All of those constellations...each of them have a name, and yet I'm totally drawing a blank. What can I say? I've never been much of a stargazer, except for that one fateful night. The night that changed everything.
"Welcome back, Cody" announced a voice that can only be described as "warm." I couldn't tell if it was masculine or feminine, old or young; all I knew was that the bearer of the voice intended to be welcoming.
"Back? I've never been here before" I found myself blurting out. "Do I really recognize this place? Because it doesn't feel like it."
"You might not have been here specifically, but you've heard my voice before. I spoke to you once, about two months ago. Do you remember it?"
I shook my head; then, realizing that a more audible answer was probably warranted here, replied with, "I don't. When your life goes to hell in a single day, that tends to drive everything else out."
"I came to you in a dream, not very long ago. We talked briefly, and you asked me a question that I could not answer. And before you ask it again, note that it's still not time for you to get that answer."
Everything came rushing back to me, and my knees buckled. I fell into a kneeling position, and the ground crunched under my body. And that led me to another realization.
"This is snow!" I exclaimed. "But Skylock, and Greater Pastoria in general, don't usually get snow this early! Certainly not this much!"
There was a flash of golden light, and a giant ethereal Lycanroc slowly materialized into my vision. And then there was a good-natured laughter, one that might be associated with children telling jokes to each other on the playground.
"This isn't Skylock, Cody," the golden Lycanroc told me kindly. That's another thing that struck me: Even in pointing out my mistake, the being was still quite tactful; this rebuke of my belief hadn't been delivered in a scolding manner at all.
"Right. I should have figured that when there are so many more stars here; I can't even number them, let alone begin to name any!"
There was more warm laughter, which stood in stark contrast to just how cold I'd probably be if this wasn't a dream.
"Well, when you visit my domain, you'll get plenty of time to remedy that. But that's hardly the most important matter at hand; contrary to what you might think, we don't have unlimited time while you're in your jail cell."
Great. Thanks for reminding me that I'm in jail right now, not beneath the starry sky. Thanks for reminding me that this is just a dream.
What I actually said was, "What was it you wanted to tell me?" I tried to be as calm as possible, but on the inside, I felt almost indignant. How dare this golden Lycanroc rub it in that I was locked up!
The golden Lycanroc took a few steps back, looked up at the sky, and let out a beautiful howl. It was the same type of howl that had sounded in my dream two months ago.
When it had finished howling, the ethereal being spoke once more.
"Like I said, I do not have much time, so I'll get straight to the point. Cody Harvard, you'll be happy to know that although this may be your darkest hour, there is a place where you belong. It does not matter that you don't understand yet; I reassure you that someday, you will understand."
"So why did you call me here?" I asked. "Did you just want to troll me by making me think I'd get answers? Like, LOL, NOOB!"
There was more laughter from the golden wolf, and I fell to my knees. I realized that my bones were restructuring themselves from a bipedal stance into a quadrupedal one. I also knew that my hair was receding and being replaced by fur.
In the dream, I was becoming a Lycanroc again. Unlike in real life, this process was not painful here; it just ached. Perhaps there was still some residual haziness, the way one experiences most dreams.
Or maybe here, it doesn't hurt to be a werewolf. Maybe this is a utopia.
At some point, the dream started fading into black, and I knew that I'd be waking up soon. Soon, I would have to deal with the repercussions of having given in to my instincts, of betraying one I cared about.
But as the waking world started rendering itself, I recalled what the golden Lycanroc had told me, repeatedly so. I repeated this over and over in my head, because I was determined never to forget it.
There is a place somewhere that I, a socially awkward were-Lycanroc, belong. I will move heaven and earth to find it.
BELLA FOX, 18
When I finally woke up again, I was initially shocked to still be alive. I hadn't heard the sirens that signalled the ambulance coming, nor had I been conscious to watch Azure protect me from further harm.
Azure...you might have saved me. Not for the first time, either. I owe you my life twice over, and that is a debt I can never repay.
As though she were reading my mind, the first words my Pokemon partner spoke to me when she saw that I'd come to were the following:
"Bella, you know that I'd give my life to protect you if that's what it took. I would die for you if all other options had been exhausted."
I was sweating so much I could barely see, but I knew that Azure was the one speaking. Her voice was deep and serious, yet soothing at the same time. So far as I was concerned, only she could pull off this balance so masterfully.
"Don't do that" I croaked, noticing that my throat was parched. I'd never done this, and would never do this, but it was not unlike how I'd imagine it feels to eat a bunch of pollen.
"Don't do what?" Azure asked me, rubbing a towel across my forehead. "You need to be more specific, Bella."
I groaned as I opened my eyes to their fullest extent. Doing so was quite painful, since there were bright lights above me and it felt like someone was stabbing an ice pick into my brain. I'd never experienced such a terrible headache.
"You don't have to sacrifice yourself for me, Azure," I insisted as forcefully as I could in this weakened state. "The life I'd live afterwards...well, suffice it to say that it wouldn't really be worth living. There is no life without you."
"You got along just fine before I came along" the female Lucario responded matter-of-factly. "If there was life before me, then surely there's life after me as well."
"Azure, I think you know better than anyone else the place I was in before I met you."
As soon as I finished that sentence, there was another stabbing pain in my head, and I was forced to close my eyes.
I could hear Azure gasp. "Oh my Arceus, I sense an aura of severe pain. I'll - I'll get the nurse right now!"
Nurse? Wait, am I in a hospital? What happened to put me here?
I knew that I'd been through a near-death experience, but I couldn't quite remember what it had been. Thinking intensely made my headache worse, and so I tried not to do that. But oh boy, it was tempting.
A few moments later, the lights in the room were dimmed, and I felt a lot better. It seemed as though the brightness had been the problem, and I was able to recall more of the events that had occurred before I'd passed out.
The Lycanroc...it was attacking me, which is why I released Azure from her Pokeball. But she was too late, wasn't she?
Opening my eyes again, I felt my head begin to throb once more. This time it wasn't nearly as intense, so I was able to sit up and take in more of my surroundings.
Sure enough, I was in a hospital room. The lights were fairly dim, and the shades had been shut, which I was very happy about given my newfound photophobia - sensitivity to light.
My whole body ached and was covered in sweat, as though I had the flu. There was one extremity that ached more than any other, and that was my left arm. In addition, it felt hot to the touch.
Getting a look at this arm, I was arrested by just how red it looked. Even the parts that weren't covered in sutures were the color of a Cherubi. The wound itself was ghastly, a giant itchy patch just in front of my elbow.
"Don't scratch it", Azure told me. She was still in the room, which made me think she must have used the call button to summon the nurse. "The doctors say that this could cause the wound to become infected, and we don't want that, do we?"
I rolled my eyes. "No kidding."
Seconds later, Nurse Joy entered the room. I could tell that she was a Nurse Joy because of her characteristic pink hair, teal eyes, and customary white cap with the Pokeball logo on it. And that raised some serious question marks, because I'd thought that Nurse Joy only took care of Pokemon.
When I voiced this to the nurse, I expected her to...well, honestly, I didn't know what I expected her to do. Perhaps she'd snort and tell me I must be dreaming.
That's not what she did, however. Nurse Joy simply frowned.
"You are in the Pokemon Center, not the human hospital. And there is a reason for that; until a year or two ago, it was thought wise to bring bite victims to a normal human hospital, but it's been found that they recover faster from the initial bite if they're treated as Pokemon."
Now it was my turn to frown. "Why am I being treated as a Pokemon? I'm not a Pokemon."
Nurse Joy shook her head. "How do I say this delicately? You're not a Pokemon right now, but you will be."
If I hadn't been lying in bed, I shudder to think of how badly I might injure myself when I fell to the ground. What the nurse was telling me simply did not compute. It didn't make sense, unless…
"Are you saying that werewolves, or were-Lycanrocs, are real? Because if so, one of them bit me last night. Isn't that why I'm here?"
Nurse Joy, tears visibly forming in her eyes, nodded.
"So that means I'm going to become one?"
The nurse nodded again. "I'm terribly sorry that it's come to that. It's always horribly sad when this happens to anyone, but I'm sorry to say that you are indeed a were-Lycanroc now."
Please. Somebody, shake me until I wake up from this bad dream. I can't live like this. Just when everything seemed to be going well…
"I know this is a lot to process, Bella," Nurse Joy told me in a soft voice. "But we'll be there to help you through it, as will your family."
The nurse went over to check my bedside monitor again, and I began thinking about the many implications of my injury.
A werewolf! Or, were-Lycanroc, either works here. But what's not going to work is being one of them at college!
I could almost picture it right now. Eventually I'd get out of this Pokemon Center and head back to GPU. It would no doubt be common knowledge that I was the victim of that beast who'd taken a chunk out of my arm.
Prior to this event, I'd been one of, if not the most popular students at the university. All of the guys had wanted to talk to me, and it wasn't uncommon for them to sit next to me at meals without permission. In most cases I would have granted it, but it would have been nice for them to at least ask.
I wasn't going to be the most popular student anymore. I didn't mind this part so much; ironically, when everyone wants to get with you, you end up feeling even more lonely. You wonder if your "friends" are really your friends, or if they're just talking to you because they want something from you.
To sum it all up, while I was looking forward to no longer being the most popular GPU freshman, I wasn't looking forward to becoming the least popular.
Or maybe they'll want to hang out with me anyway, since they'll want to know what it's like being a werewolf. Maybe I'll be even more popular than ever.
I thought about my boyfriend, Alec. Our relationship was most likely over; the new developments regarding my condition would blast our bond into smithereens. If so, it was really just as well; there was no trust in the relationship, and a relationship without trust usually isn't worth saving.
If Alec's going to leave me for something I had no control over, he wasn't a very good boyfriend anyway. Yes, that's the right way to look at it.
My internal reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. Nurse Joy opened it, and we were greeted by a hulking police officer who looked as though he ate way too many donuts.
"Oh...Officer Cobbler, I've been waiting for you to come," Nurse Joy told the cop. "I know you don't normally visit medical facilities, but I'm sure Bella wants to hear the news."
"News?" I asked. "What news? Also, please don't talk about me as though I'm not here. I can hear your every word!"
Officer Cobbler (how could that be his real name?) clamped a hand over his mouth. He looked embarrassed at first, but a few seconds later he released it, chuckling good-naturedly.
"Ah, yes. Sorry about that, Bella. I also hear that Azure here saved your life."
The female Lucario had been so quiet that I'd almost forgotten she was in the room. She smiled sheepishly. "I did my best."
I hate when they talk about me like that, as though I can't take care of myself. I'm not eight, I'm eighteen!
Regaining my composure, I was able to ask my question again, this time in a much calmer tone.
"So what happened? No offense, Officer Cobbler, but why did you come here? What news did you want to bring me?"
"None taken," the cop replied. Scratching his trace amount of beard scruff, he frowned. "It's not so much that I want to bring you the news; it's more that I feel an obligation to. You have a right to know who bit you."
The pace of my heartbeat quickened to no small degree as I fully processed Officer Cobbler's words. I remembered hearing that many victims of assault knew their assailants prior to the event; was that the case here?
"Who was it?"
"Once the suspect was taken to a local hospital - a hospital, mind you, not a Pokemon Center - he was injected with the antidote. This won't make him harmless forever, but it did cause him to revert to his human form. From there, he was identified and promptly suspended from Greater Pastoria University."
So it was a fellow student. There was an imposter among us. A seemingly ordinary student who hid the fact that he was a werewolf. Honestly, in his position, I'd probably try to hide it too, but I would NEVER bite another student.
Officer Cobbler took out his smartphone and scrolled down, evidently through a series of notes that he'd put on there. When he looked up at me, he had a certain expression on his face, one that said This has got to suck - I'm so sorry.
"Your assailant was a nineteen-year-old student, originally from the town of Skylock, named Cody Harvard. Do you know him?"
CODY HARVARD, 19
If I could have done this, I would have preferred to stay in that dream forever. While real life is no doubt far more important than fantasies, nobody can dispute the fact that I'd much prefer fantasy to reality.
Alas, when I woke up, a plate of grits had been left in front of the door. As I sat up in order to reach said "food", my neck, as well as the rest of my body, felt extremely stiff, no doubt from having slept on a cold, hard floor.
Note to self: Never sleep in a jail cell again. Also, never bite anyone again. I wonder if they ever caught the asshat who bit me?
I shook my head, even though it hurt to do so thanks to my sore neck. I couldn't worry about the legal fate of my assailant from five years ago. They weren't the person on trial today.
Harboring a high level of dread, I bolted down my pitiful plate of grits. It wasn't much, and it wasn't particularly appetizing, but the fact remained that I was hungry. I didn't have the good sense this time to eat slowly.
Within minutes of finishing, there was another knock at my door. My heart sank, since I knew what this must mean.
"Mr. Harvard, it's time for your arraignment hearing. Please follow me into the courtroom."
The voice was undoubtedly male, and it sounded rather gruff, as though the bearer was sick of leading criminals to and from their hearings. If I were in his position, I probably would have been as well, so I didn't have any right to be upset.
I opened the door and found a large, bald police officer in the hallway. He brandished a pair of handcuffs, and I once more allowed him to place them around my wrists. I wanted to demonstrate that I wasn't afraid, because if I was innocent, then what did I have to fear?
I'm not innocent. I'm guilty. Everybody knows I did it, so why should I show this bravado? Quite frankly, I should be quaking in my boots!
Part of it probably had to do with not wanting to give the police any satisfaction. If they were trying to break me down, I was determined to show them that it wasn't working, even if on the inside, I was scared out of my mind.
Anyway, the police officer led me down the hallway, past a large number of other cells, and into a separate wing of the building. When I'd been on the outside of this precinct, I hadn't been able to see the full extent of the structure, so I was rather shocked to learn that it was this enormous.
"Here's the courtroom. It's almost time for your case. Wait here, and do not say a word. You got that?"
I nodded to show that I'd understood, and then the cop told me to sit down in the chair beside the door to the courtroom. I did as I was instructed, even though it was hard to sit down slowly when my wrists were cuffed to one another.
The next ten minutes were some of the longest minutes of my life. I didn't say anything, and neither did the officer who'd led me here. This only added to my consternation, for even a couple words would have relieved some of the tension. Alas, I had to stay silent like a good boy and wait my turn to enter the courtroom.
My parents are going to be there, aren't they?
I didn't ask the officer this question aloud, but I was fairly certain that the answer was yes. I shuddered to think about how they must feel about me now.
When it was time to enter, the officer led me into the room. Almost immediately, I was blown away by the interior.
I'd never been much of an architectural connoisseur, but the courtroom was made of wood and stone rather than cement. It seemed as though it were unable to decide whether it was natural or man-made, and in a way, I liked that aspect of it. The room itself was gigantic, with an ornate chandelier in the center of the ceiling.
Of course, I didn't allow myself to marvel at the courtroom's design for very long. As I was shown to the defense table in the middle of the room, I caught a glimpse of my parents in the spectators' section.
I hadn't seen either of them for two months. Even though it had been "only" two months, I almost didn't recognize either of them, for both seemed to have aged several years during that time.
My father's bespectacled face had quite a few more wrinkles than had been there when he'd dropped me off at GPU. I wondered how many of them had appeared just since the news of my suspension from said university. He pursed his lips as he saw me, as though he had a hard time believing what I had become.
My mother's face looked much the same as that of my father. She looked more sad than angry, because she knew that whatever the outcome of this case, my life would never be the same again. It was as though the initial bite, as well as the first time I'd passed my condition on to someone else, were the two most important events, those that would chart the course for the rest of my life.
And these are going to be some rough waters indeed.
The judge, as it turned out, was an Inteleon. This was surprising in and of itself; even though Pokemon could perform most human occupations, I'd never heard of one being a judge before. I supposed there was a first time for everything; I just wished that this particular first could have come under better circumstances.
"Please sit down, defendant" Judge Inteleon, as I will refer to him (I never learned his real name), instructed.
I did as I was told, and then the judge cleared his throat. As Judge Inteleon prepared to read his remarks, I could feel the glare of dozens of people and Pokemon on me.
It felt as though they were staring into my soul, like they were opening me up on an operating table and trying to figure out, Okay, so what makes up Cody Harvard? A little bit of this, a bit of that, but how dangerous is he really?
"This is Indictment number 1495, levied against Cody Matthew Harvard, a single count of first-degree assault that occurred on the evening of October 31, 202X. The trial will examine whether or not the defendant bit Isabella Sophie Fox, a fellow student at Greater Pastoria University, while in his Lycanroc form. This is…".
One of the presiding officers stood up from his chair. "Your Honor, there is video evidence of the crime being committed. There is the injury on Ms. Fox's left arm, and there is also the fact that the lycanthrope, who just so happened to be on campus that night, was later identified as Cody Matthew Harvard the instant he became human again."
Judge Inteleon raised an eyebrow. "What is the point you are trying to make, Officer Cobbler?"
I could barely resist the urge not to laugh at such a ridiculous name, but I also knew that being seen showing any emotion at all couldn't help my case. I'd seen enough legal dramas on TV to know that the jury would watch my every move. And if this case was being broadcast live, so would the general public.
Apart from hurting Bella, or someone else I cared about, one of my worst nightmares would be exactly this: The whole world, knowing that I'd done it. There was nowhere to hide, not even if I managed to escape to Alola, for in the age of the Internet, news spread at a blistering pace.
Who am I kidding? I'm not going to see Alola, ever, if I'm locked up for the rest of my life.
Officer Cobbler responded to Judge Inteleon, sending my mind back to this courtroom, to the here and now.
"I am suggesting that, quite frankly, the evidence in this case is extremely lopsided. So much so that if I had my way, there wouldn't even be a trial. What need is there to examine the facts again, when we already know what the facts are?"
Judge Inteleon shook his head, frowning sternly at the officer.
"This case is less than two days old. It may be that new evidence comes out that the defendant acted in self-defense, or that there were other mitigating circumstances. Either way, every case must go to trial, Officer Cobbler. You know this well."
Officer Cobbler looked embarrassed for a moment, but then he doubled down. "I've seen the girl's wound, it's ugly. Clearly we should make sure that the culprit is held accountable, shouldn't we?"
Judge Inteleon shot Cobbler a death glare. It didn't come with any audible words, but the message was still conveyed effectively: Drop it, now.
There was a lot more legal terminology that I barely paid any attention to. Perhaps I should have been more invested in it; after all, this was my case being litigated, and it had major implications for my life. But I couldn't bring myself to care about the legal language.
All I could really think about during this time was the pair of looks my parents had given me. All parents expect the best from their children; at a minimum, they expect that their offspring will be better-behaved than I was.
The fact that I'd neglected to refrigerate the wolfsbane, knowing that this might make it useless, did not exonerate me. After all, the word is right there: Neglected. I could have taken that one simple action, thereby swallowing my pride, and then I would not have put myself and Bella in this mess.
At a certain point, the judge and the prosecutors agreed on the amount of my bail, which was a sizable sum. It seemed to me that both sides expected me to be convicted, and believed that I was a high flight risk. Like there's anywhere I'd escape TO! How can they possibly think I'm a flight risk?
If anything, hearing that my parents would have to put up fifty thousand dollars (yes, that's right, fifty grand) to release me from jail made me feel far worse. Bella Fox wasn't the only victim of my crime; my loving parents, who'd done nothing wrong than allow me to walk in the woods on the wrong night, would now have to spend all that money to keep me home until the trial.
When Judge Inteleon said that I could walk over to my parents again, I should have been happy. I should have been grateful for that one element of normalcy that I'd be able to hang onto until my fate was decided by the eventual jury.
But I wasn't.
I hope everyone liked the chapter. And don't forget, if you want to contact me off this site, my Discord tag is Lucas the Lion#7822, and the profile picture is the same as it is on FFN.
Also, stay safe.