Kitsune ~Beginning

Radic found the rain vaguely annoying. It had been raining for quite some time, and he wanted to continue his way into Celadon city. He wasn't very fond of the rain, but he didn't want to have to wait.
Which, left him with only one option. He didn't want to remain behind Red for longer then he had to. He needed all the time he had so he could catch up to him. Red looked out the window into the dark grey of the sky and the vague mist of rain and fog that covered the earth. He sighed. It wouldn't be fun walking around out there...but what choice did he have?
He got out of his seat near the window and walked to the main desk of the Pokécenter, looking at Nurse Joy, who was typing busily.
"Are my Pokémon ready?" he asked. Nurse Joy jumped, startled, but then turned to face him. She smiled.
"Sure! They're on that tray over there." she pointed to his left and he saw a tray set with three Pokéballs. He smiled back at her. She looked concerned, however.
"Are you thinking of going out in this monsoon?" she said, sounding sincerely worried. Radic smiled nervously.
"Well, yeah! I've got to keep going, or else I'll fall behind."
Nurse Joy looked slightly upset. "You trainers are all alike! No concern for your welfare or your Pokémon's, just concern for victory! You don't are about anything but your rank..."
Nurse Joy sniffed and looked at the computer. She ran a hand under her eyes, and lokoed back at the confused and bewildered Radic.
"I'm sorry...it's a...personal thing. Go ahead and go, if you wish." Nurse Joy turned back to her computer, typing quickly. Radic, confused, just shrugged and grabbed the three Pokéballs.
Ever since he had gotten Callima, Radic hadn't felt the Feeling for a long time. He caught many Pokémon (not as many as Red) but he couldn't find one that gave him that feeling that he and the Pokémon were joined together to one destiny. He wondered if he would ever find another Pokémon that would give him the feeling that he was important and a friend...
Radic pulled on a large raincoat he had taken along with him, and walked to the doors of the Center. He looked out and sighed. Pulling his coat tight around him, he stepped out into the lashing rain.
Nurse Joy wasn't so far off when she had said it was a monsoon. The rain whipped all around him, soaking his coat instantly. Fog swirled around his slow steps in thin ribbons. Radic wondered to himself briefly why he was doing this, and then remembered that he was doing this to get ahead of Red....but how far ahead was Red? Why hadn't he thought of checking at the Pokécenter?
A boom of thunder made him look up at the sky in worry. He hoped it wouldn't get much worse.

~~~

Kitsune cowered beneath the battered leaves of a bush, trying to avoid the rain that pelted down around her. Lowering her ears, she stared out at the crystal droplets that rained around her hide-out.
She hated rain. That was in her nature. Pokémon of her type detested rain, just like she did. She looked out, feeling the heavy depression settle on her heart again. Briefly, in the flashing lights that were reflected off the droplets around her, she saw a face...lined with black hair, with glasses and a sarcastic smile...
Kitsune shook her head.
"Lovely weather we're having...amazing how rain can now induce hallucinations!" Kitsune said in her language. She knew no one was listening. Only herself. But she didn't care. It made the sadness lighten somewhat.
"Here I am...depressed over something that we both agreed to...why?" Kitsune thought to herself, looking up. A drop fell on her nose, and she jumped back.
"When Rain Attacks...coming up next..." Kitsune said sarcastically, but without enthusiasm. Her heart wasn't in it. She felt as if her spirit was gone...the spirit she and her trainer had once shared. The feeling that they were together, and although the world may hurt them, they would never hurt eachother...they would always have eachother...
"Hmmph. That was certainly the truth." Kitsune said bitterly, looking at the ground. "I understand what she wanted...but what about what I wanted? Everyone loves to listen to what I want. I'm surprised I'm not queen of the world..."
Kitsune twitched as another drop of rain fell on her back.
"I'm getting goosebumps from rain. What next? A Giant Snorlax offering me dinner? Ha...I'd like to see that..." Kitsune's voice broke slightly. Her body shook with effort as she tried to stop it from happening again. She looked at her own brown paws.
"I don't miss her...she doesn't miss me either, I'm sure...it's not like her..." Kitsune said haltingly, hearing her own voice stumbling over the words. She watched drops of rain fall between the leaves, and then noticed small drops falling on her paws. She felt warm streaks down her cold face. Another crystal drop shattered on her left paw. She shook her head at herself, trying to laugh, but only emitting a strangled, sobbing noise.
"I'm crying...never thought I'd see the day..."

~~~


Although rain pounded all around him, Radic was still alert. You never know what could be hiding in the mists, waiting for an oppurtunity. Radic knew that he was paranoid, and just regarded it as a asset rather then a liability. It helped him stay on guard.
Regardless of this, Radic was pretty lost by this time. It seemed easy to say that you could travel a straight line between two points in the rain, but as Radic found out, it was one of the many things that was easier said then done.
So when he heard soft noises, as if someone was sobbing, Radic was listening.
Accident was next to him, enjoying the rain far more then anyone in the vicinity, when he also heard it. Radic looked at Accident who nodded.
"Do you think someone is hurt, Accident?" he asked. Accident nodded again.
"We should go check...come on! Maybe someone is so badly hurt they can't move...we got to help them."
Accident shrugged at his trainer's over-active imagination and followed him.
In her small hide-out, Kitsune could no longer conceal her grief. She felt all the loneliness and longing that had come upon her as soon as her trainer and her made the agreement. She couldn't keep up her sarcastic facade anymore...it hurt to much, because it reminded her of HER. Kitsune sobbed, her heart hurting her so much that she couldn't even move. She could only sit and take gasping breaths of cold, foggy air and weep.
Kitsune was not prepared to meet anyone. That was what she had least expected, in this cold and dismal and wet afternoon. She was out her so she could be alone, but here she could see a young boy walking around, followed by a Squirtle. Kitsune sniffed and tried to swallow her tears.
"Hello?" Radic shouted, looking around. It was hard to see in the fog and rain, and he could feel his leg shivering with cold. "Anyone out here? We heard you crying, and we want to help! Are you hurt?"
Kitsune watched in silence, wondering mentally whether she should say anything.
"Squirtle squirt!" Accident pointed to Kitsune's hiding place, and he and Radic began moving towards the vague shape beneath the leaves.
Kitsune was seized with panic. Unable to decide whether she should stay or flee, she sat paralyzed. She then resorted to a familiar tactic. She let her sarcastic side take over all her emotions, locking them away and allowing her to regard Radic with no fear.
"Hello there..." Radic said gently, peering beneath the bush at the bright red eyes that looked back at him. "I won't hurt you. Are you hurt? I can take you to the Pokécenter."
Kitsune sat and watched the boy, thinking to herself. She moved forward, so she could see him better. She thought of a particularly scathing remark, and looked at Radic with a smirk.
"Vul vul vulpix, vul pix pix vul pix vul vul pix vul." Kitsune said, smirking with pride at her own comment.
Accident blushed heavily with embarrassment, but Radic could not understand what the Vulpix had said. Accident understood all too well. The red of embarrassment turned into scarlet of fury, and he pointed at the Vulpix with one paw.
Meanwhile, Kitsune as congratulating herself heartily for her comment and found the Squirtles reaction particularly amusing.
"I don't know what you just said, but come out please, and we'll help you get better." Radic said, holding out a hand to the Vulpix.
Kitsune sniffed his hand and made another biting remark, much to Accident anger and Radic's confusion. Accident had had enough. As Kitsune laughed to herself, Accident dashed in and tackled Kitsune, knocking her out of the bush into the rain. Kitsune stopped laughing.
She hadn't expected any physical attacks, and found herself getting angry at the Squirtle. She ignored the rain that now plastered her fur to her body, reducing her inner warmth. She didn't care that if she breathed fire now, it would seriously damage her inner furnace. She felt angry at herself and her trainer for making that agreement, and she had found someone to take the blame for her.
Accident watched carefully. He knew that the Vulpix wouldn't use it's Flamethrower, not when it was raining. It would be pure stupidity on her part. Accident inhaled, preparing for a blast of bubbles.
"Accident, stop! It's probably hurt! We need to take care of it!" Radic said uselessly.
"VUUUULLLL!" Kitsune screamed and let a torrent of flame cascade out of her mouth, sweeping over the Squirtle. That massive barrage had exhausted her last reserves of warmth, and she could instantly feel cold invading her body.
Her flamethrower didn't last long, considering that it was raining. Accident was under the heat for a few seconds, and then it faded.
Kitsune, unable to take the stress, fell on her back and fainted. Accident, who was not very badly hurt, watched the Vulpix carefully. Radic ran up to the Pokémon, looking worried.
"It looks exhausted..." he said, picking Kitsune up in his arms. Her six tails drooped lifelessly over his arm. He looked to Accident. "Accident, you have a better sense of direction then me...do you remember the way back?"
Accident looked thoghtful. Finally,he nodded. Radic looked relieved.
"Led us there!"

~~~


Nurse Joy sat by herself, typing at her computer. She could hear the rain pounding above her and the light chattering of the many trainers who were spending their nights here so the storm could pass. She felt happy. This was when she felt the most content...helping others. That's why she became a Nurse anyway. She raised a cup of hot chocolate to her lips, sighing.
"NURSE JOY!" someone screamed, and the chocolate that was about to go into her mouth instead spilled all over her pinafore. She jumped up in time to see a boy wrapped in Raincoats drop a Vulpix on the counter.
"You've got to help it! It may die!" he screamed. His hood slid back just enough to reveal his brown hair and green-brown eyes.
"Radic, what in the world are you-"
"Please, help it! I found it in the rain, I think it's hurt!" Radic said, looking at her imporingly. Nurse Joy walked over and looked at the sodden mass of brown and red fur. She had to agree with Radic, it didn't look like it was in good shape. But curiously, she noticed it's only ailment was it's lack of heat...other then that, it seemed in good shape. She picked it up, ignoring the water that dripped from it onto her dress.
"I'll take care of it, don't worry. Go take a seat and I'll tell you when to come up." she said, walking away with the Vulpix. Radic nodded and walked to a couch. He peeled off all his raincoats, hanging them up, and sat down. He couldn't shake the shivering he was feeling, and it wasn't because of the cold. Although the sheer surprise of the situation didn't let him fully comprehend it, he understood now.
The Vulpix was one of the chosen...the same feeling from Nova, Accident, and Callima had swept over him, and was over-whelming him on the couch. The Vulpix HAD to be okay...it had to...

~~~


Radic was snoozing on the couch when he heard Joy's voice calling him from what seemed like far away.
"Radic! Radic! Please come to the front desk!" he heard her voice cry. Radic stretched, trying to wake himself up properly. He yawned, staggered to his feet, and waked forward, approaching the desk.
"The Vulpix is fine, Radic...physically." she said. She held the Vulpix in her arms. Radic noticed that she barely moved. It seemed like she was even trying to stop breathing. Her eyes were half-closed and she didn't appear to be staring at anything. Nurse Joy put her down on the table, and she flopped over and didn't move, only breathing.
"Are you sure she's okay?"
"She's perfectly fine, but she refuses to eat or say anything or anything...she's in a state of deep depression."
"Depression?"
"Radic, I don't think the pain this Vulpix is in is from her body. It's from her heart...something happened to her...and she's so distraught she doesn't want to move or do anything."
Radic looked at the red Pokémon on the counter, regarding her carefully. The Vulpix, in accordance to her own species, had luxuriant red fur and bright clear Red eyes. She was an exceptionally beautiful Pokémon, but it was dampened by the sad and forlorn look on her face.
"I suggest you try and cheer her up. After all, you brought her in here...see if you can make her eat." Nurse Joy said. She turned to her computer and began typing again. Radic, not knowing what else to do, reached down gingerly to pick up the Vulpix. She didn't move or protest as he slid his hands under her now warm and soft fur. He walked away from the counter, looking for someplace where he could talk to the Vulpix without being interrupted.
He spied a place near a window, where most people avoided because the claps of thunder made the windows shake worryingly. He decided there he would try and discover what bothered the Vulpix so. He sat down on a small chair there and held the Vulpix in his lap. She seemed to have fallen asleep while he carried her. Not knowing what else to do, Radic gently stroked her back, waiting for her to wake up.
Kitsune didn't want to be here...her healing process reminded her of her trainer. Everything did. She didn't want to be here without her. She didn't want to live without her by her side. She couldn't hide it behind her sarcasm...she wanted her friend back...she didn't want to be without her. Kitsune was vaguely aware of the boy picking her up and carrying her somewhere, but she didn't care. She fell asleep, not wanting to remain concious. She, fortunately enough, had a dreamless nap. She awoke to the pleasant feeling of someone stroking her back. She turned weakly and saw it was only the boy. Sighing, she put her head on her paws.
"Hello. My name's Radic." Radic said, unable to think of anything better to say. He now felt awkward that she was awake.
"Vul." she said listlessly.
"Um...If you want, you can tell me what is making you so sad."
Even Radic could tell that the Vulpix was not laughing because it was happy.
"But first I need a translator." Radic looked through the three Pokéballs and thought. He was sure that the Vulpix wouldn't want to see Accident again, so he had two choices.
"Nova, come out for a second."
Nova hopped out of his Pokéball prison and sat on the table. He brushed off his jacket, straightened it, and then noticed the Vulpix. Without fully knowing why, Nova felt jealous. The Vulpix looked at Nova, confused.
"Do you want to tell Nova what happened?" Radic asked, trying to sound encouraging.
She told him what happened, alright. Nova turned an angry red, and then re-considered sending a thunderbolt into the impudent Vulpix.
"Pika pichu pika pikachu..." he said scornfully, waving a paw at Kitsune. Radic was aghast.
"Nova! Don't say that! I'm trying to cheer her up!"
The Vulpix didn't seemed to disturbed and just made another comment. Radic was forced to recall Nova to stop him from going out of control. Without another option, Radic let Callima out.
Callima sat on the table, blinking her bright eyes.
"Okay, maybe you'll like Callima better. Won't you tell us what's wrong?"
"Parrrrass?"
The Vulpix again said something highly insulting. Radic could tell by how Callima began snapping her claws together. But Callima kept her temper, and placed a claw over the Vulpix's paw.
"Parrrras parrrras parparrrras parrrras." she said. The Vulpix looked stunned.
"Vul vul vulpix, pix vul pix pix vul?" it asked. Callima turned to Radic and asked permission to talk with the Vulpix alone. Radic, not sure what else to do, nodded and leaned back, drifting off to sleep.
As soon as Callima knew Radic was asleep, she turned to the Vulpix.
"He listens to you?" Kitsune said in her language. Callima could understand it, but to her it sounded as if the S's were extended.
"Yes. He cares about me. He's my trainer."
"I had a trainer. She cared about ME, that's for sure...left me out in the rain. A fire Pokémon loves rain."
Callima could easily see through the facade that Kitsune was putting on.
"My name is Callima. What did your old trainer call you?"
"It doesn't matter much, but my name was Kitsune."
"Why were you left out there?"
"My trainer and I were going to have a picnic." Kitsune said spitefully. Callima looked skeptical.
"Tell me the truth. I want to help."
"No you don't. If you did, you would have left me out there like me and her agreed." Kitsune said, half under her breath. Callima could barely catch the few sentences.
"What agreement?"
"The business contract for the Pokéball smuggling ring, of course." Kitsune said with the same type of malice. Callima fought to control her temper. She knew getting angry was just what this hurt creature wanted.
"Stop pretending like it doesn't hurt." Callima said, getting angry in spite of herself. "You were abandoned, right? I've heard stories and such...It hurts! Don't pretend like it doesn't by covering up everything with sarcasm!"
"I wasn't abandoned, okay?" Kitsune stood up, looking angry. "We made an agreement! It was for our own good!"
"What agreement?" Callima said. Kitsune was fed up with trying to hide anymore, angry at the fact that Callima had said she was actually "abandoned".
"I learned everything I know from my trainer, including all my jokes and mannerisms and everything! We were a very morbid pair." Kitsune said with a odd smile. "But we just kept getting more and more depressed because of eachother, and eventually we agreed that for our own safety, we should split up. Does THAT sound like Abandonment!?" Kitsune said, nearing tears.
"No...it sounds like she cared about you." Callima said seriously. Kitsune scoffed at this.
"Fah! If she cared, she wouldn't have left me alone. I needed her! She knew that! How could she have cared-"
"Listen...do you want her to die?"
Kitsune was stunned by this question, then replied quickly. "No, stupid. I cared about her."
"If you stayed, it's more likely she would have killed herself...so it's better you're here."
"I'm taking advice from a crab with mushrooms on it." Kitsune said, sounding upset although she tried not too. "Why should I listen to you?"
"Do you have any other option? Radic could have let you die in the rain, but he didn't. He cares about you. Come with us."
"Come with YOU?" Kitsune said, the distaste in her voice evident.
"Yes...if not because Radic cares about you, but maybe Radic will run across your trainer and you'll be reunited. It's a better chance then going in the rain and dying."
Kitsune made a face as if she were trying to swallow something unpleasant. But in the end, she had no other real option.
"Fine. Tell your trainer that I want to come and my name's Kitsune. Nothing else, understood?" Kitsune said seriously. Callima nodded.
Radic woke to Callima pulling on his shirt. He yanwed and looked. The Vulpix sat on the table, looking more lively.
"Good job, Callima." Radic said happily. "Do you want to come with us?" he asked the Vulpix. She rolled her eyes.
Callima grabbed a pen and wrote in VERY shaky script what Kitsune had told her to.
"Kitsune, eh? Okay then! Here." Radic took a Pokéball from his belt and placed it on the table. Kitsune rolled her eyes, said something spiteful, and tapped the button.