Chapter Two
"Catch me if you can!" The young vulpix yipped gleefully over his shoulder at the oddish. The young grass pokemon was toddling as fast as she could on woefully short legs. The vulpix slowed and play bowed in the fashion of all canine creatures. "Come on! You'll never get better this way!
Suddenly the vulpix was dive bombed from above. The spearow chuckled good natured and fluttered out of reach as the hotheaded vulpix pour flame into the air. "Fight fair!"
"Define fair." The bird teased from a fairly high altitude.
The vulpix barked and turned to the eevee seated up on the hill. He cocked his head quizzically and asked, "Don't you want to play Kolya?"
The eevee ignored his question and continued to stare off towards the forest. He was perfectly still. Calli's other pokemon found it odd that he was always so still. His ears never swiveled and he rarely used his nose. The only thing he did was look around with his odd colored eyes.
The quiet female pikachu, newly caught, walked up to Kolya and tapped him politely on the shoulder. The tan pokemon jerked and turned towards them accusingly. The pikachu jumped back timidly, but the vulpix walked up.
"Don't you want to play?" He repeated. Despite his hot temper he was a caring individual and had the inborn ability to be a good leader. He just couldn't understand why the eevee didn't like being around others. "I'll even be It."
Silence met his request.
"Maybe you are deaf and dumb." The fire fox grumbled.
"Emberz, that's not fair." The oddish protested.
"I know, but why's he always so silent? I've never heard him talk."
"Maybe he doesn't have anything to say." The spearow suggested taking the space beside the pikachu.
The eevee glanced from one to the other, but didn't try to defend himself.
"Hey guys!" Calli chirped coming up over the hill with a packet clutched to her chest. She bounced down beside them ignoring the curious circle and spread the checkered blanket out. She then heaped food out along with a wide grin. "We feast. Great job at the last gym. We really nailed them, didn't we?"
All the pokemon agreed except, of course, Kolya. Calli reached over and ruffled Emberz head affectionately. She then patted Oddball and scratched Sky. Pixie the pikachu jumped sweetly in her lap and she laughed. She leaned over towards Kolya and he shrugged her hand away. Puzzled, but used to his strange behavior she stroked Pixie instead. She missed the hurt and disappointment in the eevee's eyes.
"Hey you!" An angry voice rang out, "This is private property so move your picnic somewhere else."
Calli whipped around giving the gang of teenage boys a hard stare. "According to whom? I asked Nurse Joy and she said this is public property. A public park in fact."
Some of the boys shifted nervously, but the leader sneered and spat. He strutted forward until he was practically on top of them. Carelessly, he let his muddy shoes smear across the blanket and planted one in the pickles.
"Not this part of the park." He leered dangerously. He glanced at all her pokemon and a vicious smile crossed his lips. "Actually, I've decided to give you a chance. Only good pokemon trainers are allowed here. Maybe you'd like to prove your worth with a battle?"
"Depends on the terms. I don't trust you scum to play by the rules." Calli said boldly. Her pokemon had created a semi-circle around her eyeing the newcomers. Emberz was first and foremost while Kolya flanked his left and Sky his right.
"Three on three. Any type. Fight until they're down. No surrender and no quarter given. Fair enough for you?"
"Done. With one other condition. If I win you leave me alone. Then promise not to bother any other innocent trainers. If you win I give you half my earnings from the last gym leader I beat."
Sensing an easy cash intake the leader accepted. He spat in his hand and held it out. Calli, with some hesitation, did the same. They shook then squared off.
"Go ryhorn!" The male youth called out sending his pokeball high into the air. The solid rock pokemon emerged and crashed to the ground making it shake. Calli shook her head at the cheap intimidation and signaled to Emberz. She knew that Oddball had the advantage, but the small plant pokemon wasn't ready for this.
The two pokemon faced off. The rhino pokemon snorted and pawed the ground sending up puffs of dust and pollen. The fire fox danced lightly in anticipation. The rock pokemon gave an ear shattering bellow and charged with his lethal horn pointed at the fuzzy red vulpine.
Emberz waited until the ton-sized ryhorn was directly in front of him before making his move. Rapidly his four paws flew sending dirt and clumps of grass flying into the air. His tails whipped in a fury and then he was gone. All that remained with a medium sized hole in the ground. The ryhorn was still dealing with the two defensive attacks however. Sand grit stuck in his eyes and the six stinging lashes that had slid across his face were distracting.
"Ryhorn, use stomp! Cave the little rat in!" The boy yelled out furious.
Calli merely watched with a smile on her face. She and Emberz had spent hours perfecting that move set for their battle against the rock type leader Brock. Even then it had been risky because Brock more than likely had taught his onix dig also. Against this ill prepared amateur victory was almost guaranteed.
Emberz had the sense to end the skirmish quickly. He knew that he had superior speed, but his opponent had weight and power on his side. He spun up through the soft soil and delivered the finishing blow with skilled expertise.
Next it was Calli's Pixie against the boy's Parasect. Unfortunately, the poor pikachu gave in to the poisonous spores falling to the ground twitching spastically and making small sounds of pain.
"Oh, no. Pixie return."
"Hah, down to the last match." The boy sneered still confident. "Unlike you I saved my best for last."
Calli looked at him in confusion then realized that the boy thought Emberz was her best pokemon. A steady grin crossed her face and she flicked her fingers. Kolya, who had been watching the battles with avid diligence, sprang forward eagerly. His whole body was lean and tough. Something that wasn't noticeable when he was seated. Calli felt satisfaction as the boy paled slightly.
"Go Nidoking!"
The light faded slowly, but the ground shook with the ground creature's roar as soon as he emerged. The bony, rough hide was covered and crossed with ugly scars. There was a bellicose look to his eyes and a rough cruelness. He wasn't even pink anymore because hard mud cakes and dust clung to him. His horn was broken at the tip. In short, this was one nasty customer.
"Kolya, do you think you can take him?" Calli asked worried. She was rolling his pokeball in her fingers and biting her lip. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this battle. All the money in the world wasn't worth her pokemon's health, confidence, and trust.
Kolya, once again, declined to reply. His pale eyes glinted with anticipation and his brushy tail was bristled. He let out a hostile snarl to answer the deafening roar and charged.
The large brute was taken by surprise. He grunted at the slight impact when the small eevee slammed into his midsection. Chuckling wickedly he flicked his long claw up and twitched it making the universal sign for bring it on.
This time the normal type was more cautious. He knew he no longer had the advantage of surprise. He would have to tread very carefully.
Feinting left then jumping straight up he pasted the larger pokemon's slow defenses. With a flash of teeth and claws he darted away again. A thin trickle of blood dribbled slowly down the coarse, rocky creature's face. A sadistic, fanged smile appeared as the larger pokemon wiped it away contemptuously.
Emberz and the rest held their collective breath. This was a dangerous game Kolya was playing and it was obvious he was losing. One slight mistake could be his last. Somehow they knew that the Nidoking wouldn't stop once the eevee was down. And his slime trainer wouldn't call him back either.
"I give up!" Calli cried also seeing the circumstances. She started to loosen her belt, but the boy threw up his hands and cried out eagerly, "No can do missy. Not unless you can get your eevee to come back."
"Kolya, return!"
The eevee completely ignored her. He twisted to the right missing being skewered by half an inch. Bouncing back with all four feet he tore at the tough hide again and again. The poison type sneered wondering why the creature before him with so stupid. Obviously, claws and teeth weren't going to penetrate his armor skin.
Kolya paused for an instant. His light pink tongue was panting as he sucked the hot, dusty air in and out rapidly. He cocked his scruffy head and made a strange yip. Dashing forward recklessly he slammed his head into the creature's chest. Dodging a massive swipe he slammed an Iron Tail into the same spot over and over again. With a final Headbutt he leaped back nimbly to survey his handiwork.
With a groan the giant toppled over doing a face plant.
"What the heck?" The boy cried in shock. He rushed over and flipped his massive pokemon over on it's back. A small, cross-shaped cut laid dead center in the hard plate armor. The boy's face turned bright red with unchecked anger, "No way that runt knocked him out! You cheat somehow! I know it!"
Calli looked just as surprised. She turned to look at Kolya. He was calmly cleaning out one of his wounds with his tongue.
"You cheated! Cheater!" The boy stormed and his gang started to take up a chant.
"How?"
"I don't know, but there's no way your runt did that!" the boy insisted closing the gap between them. His fists were curled into tight balls with the knuckles shone white. His jaw was locked and his eyes flashing. His intentions were quite clear. Calli stepped back a step. She wasn't afraid to fight; she did it all the time back home. However, the promise she had made to her mother just before she left rang in her head. Except she wasn't sure how it dictated self-defense.
The boy tried to belt her across the face with a closed fist. She threw her hands up, but she wasn't quite fast enough. The corner of his fist brushed across her left cheek. The boy never got in another swing. Kolya was on him.
The eevee ripped savagely into the boy's hands as the frantic human blocked his face and throat. Bright red blood was spraying everywhere.
"Kolya, no!" Calli screamed rushing over. He turned towards her and she gasped stumbling back. His normally flat eyes were shinning with a killing fever. She timidly extended her hand and swiftly jerked it back as the eevee snapped. His sharp teeth clicked together with a strange preciseness and he went back to maiming the boy.
The kid's gang took off screaming. Calli only hoped the one of them had enough sense to get help. She looked around frantically for a way to pry Kolya off the screaming kid. Her eyes landed on the pokeball she had dropped in her haste to get over there. Licking her lips nervously she sprinted to it.
"Return!" Nothing happened.
Emberz looked up at her in confusion. His six tails were bristled in fear and his normally gay eyes were murky. "Vul?"
"Stop him."
The small fox needed no other command. He sprang forward knocking into the bigger pokemon with his shoulder. Before Kolya could mount a counter attack Emberz loosed a sizable fire spin to hold him. The sheets of flame whirled around brightly in a secure circle.
A sharp whistling sounded in the distance then closer. Officer Jenny and her growlithe rounded a grove of trees.
Calli took the moment to scoop Kolya up to her chest as Emberz let the firewall collapse. He struggled wildly to get at the firedog that was barking wildly at him.
"Officer Jenny, Kolya was protecting me!" Calli protested loudly. She had blood all over her hands and clothes where she had restrained the eevee from laying into the officer's growlithe. Emberz crowded close to her. Kolya lay confused and exhausted in her arms. His brown coat was splashed with red.
The officer shook her head. Her blue eyes flickered over to where the boy was being loaded into an ambulance.
"You better hope that boy survives." The officer remarked coldly. Her eyes slid back to the eevee and she found herself amazed that such a small, normal type could inflict such horrific damage. He had some devils in him that was for sure. His pale eyes rose to meet hers and she felt her heart stop. It was the look of a predator. She wondered how the girl had managed so far, how she couldn't see the killer hiding behind a thin veil of aloofness.
"What happens now?" The girl asked in a scared, quiet voice. She was shaking all over and tears were welling in her eyes. The officer supposed it was shock finally kicking in. She wanted to comfort the child but those strange, pale eyes were still locked on her. They dared her to make a move, mocked her. Instead she contented herself with scooping up the girl's distraught vulpix. The fox pokemon was quivering and making small distressed noises.
"You have to give your eevee over to the city. They will quarantine him to make sure he doesn't have any diseases. Then…" Jenny trailed off uncertain how to soften what she had to say next, "He'll be put down. He's simply to dangerous to continue living."
"Oh." No shower of tears or keening wails. The girl gulped down a lump and tried to hand the normal type over to the officer. She shied back and muttered, "You can keep a hold of him for now, okay?"
The Officer Jenny directed Calli to a marked van. It was label in big, black letters. The young officer assisting Jenny opened the double door with shaking hands. He nodded briefly then scrambled back a safe distance. Calli placed Kolya, now limp and passive, into the metal cage. She could feel the cold metal as her hand brushed the floor. She ran a single finger across the top of his head, the only caress he permitted, then abruptly jerked her hand back. Wrapping her fingers around the cage door she closed it and latched it. Only after she had backed off did her hands start trembling. Accepting Jenny's comforting words and Emberz she turned her back and slowly walked off.
Reviewers:
Joeyz girl: Yeah, just don't think about that stuff ^__^ you'll be better off. I love eevee, it's always been my favorite pokemon. Even before I knew what pokemon was.
Paladin Dragoon: Waah, sorry for not replying before! And my chapters start off short, but soon they turn into awful monsters ^^;;;
"Catch me if you can!" The young vulpix yipped gleefully over his shoulder at the oddish. The young grass pokemon was toddling as fast as she could on woefully short legs. The vulpix slowed and play bowed in the fashion of all canine creatures. "Come on! You'll never get better this way!
Suddenly the vulpix was dive bombed from above. The spearow chuckled good natured and fluttered out of reach as the hotheaded vulpix pour flame into the air. "Fight fair!"
"Define fair." The bird teased from a fairly high altitude.
The vulpix barked and turned to the eevee seated up on the hill. He cocked his head quizzically and asked, "Don't you want to play Kolya?"
The eevee ignored his question and continued to stare off towards the forest. He was perfectly still. Calli's other pokemon found it odd that he was always so still. His ears never swiveled and he rarely used his nose. The only thing he did was look around with his odd colored eyes.
The quiet female pikachu, newly caught, walked up to Kolya and tapped him politely on the shoulder. The tan pokemon jerked and turned towards them accusingly. The pikachu jumped back timidly, but the vulpix walked up.
"Don't you want to play?" He repeated. Despite his hot temper he was a caring individual and had the inborn ability to be a good leader. He just couldn't understand why the eevee didn't like being around others. "I'll even be It."
Silence met his request.
"Maybe you are deaf and dumb." The fire fox grumbled.
"Emberz, that's not fair." The oddish protested.
"I know, but why's he always so silent? I've never heard him talk."
"Maybe he doesn't have anything to say." The spearow suggested taking the space beside the pikachu.
The eevee glanced from one to the other, but didn't try to defend himself.
"Hey guys!" Calli chirped coming up over the hill with a packet clutched to her chest. She bounced down beside them ignoring the curious circle and spread the checkered blanket out. She then heaped food out along with a wide grin. "We feast. Great job at the last gym. We really nailed them, didn't we?"
All the pokemon agreed except, of course, Kolya. Calli reached over and ruffled Emberz head affectionately. She then patted Oddball and scratched Sky. Pixie the pikachu jumped sweetly in her lap and she laughed. She leaned over towards Kolya and he shrugged her hand away. Puzzled, but used to his strange behavior she stroked Pixie instead. She missed the hurt and disappointment in the eevee's eyes.
"Hey you!" An angry voice rang out, "This is private property so move your picnic somewhere else."
Calli whipped around giving the gang of teenage boys a hard stare. "According to whom? I asked Nurse Joy and she said this is public property. A public park in fact."
Some of the boys shifted nervously, but the leader sneered and spat. He strutted forward until he was practically on top of them. Carelessly, he let his muddy shoes smear across the blanket and planted one in the pickles.
"Not this part of the park." He leered dangerously. He glanced at all her pokemon and a vicious smile crossed his lips. "Actually, I've decided to give you a chance. Only good pokemon trainers are allowed here. Maybe you'd like to prove your worth with a battle?"
"Depends on the terms. I don't trust you scum to play by the rules." Calli said boldly. Her pokemon had created a semi-circle around her eyeing the newcomers. Emberz was first and foremost while Kolya flanked his left and Sky his right.
"Three on three. Any type. Fight until they're down. No surrender and no quarter given. Fair enough for you?"
"Done. With one other condition. If I win you leave me alone. Then promise not to bother any other innocent trainers. If you win I give you half my earnings from the last gym leader I beat."
Sensing an easy cash intake the leader accepted. He spat in his hand and held it out. Calli, with some hesitation, did the same. They shook then squared off.
"Go ryhorn!" The male youth called out sending his pokeball high into the air. The solid rock pokemon emerged and crashed to the ground making it shake. Calli shook her head at the cheap intimidation and signaled to Emberz. She knew that Oddball had the advantage, but the small plant pokemon wasn't ready for this.
The two pokemon faced off. The rhino pokemon snorted and pawed the ground sending up puffs of dust and pollen. The fire fox danced lightly in anticipation. The rock pokemon gave an ear shattering bellow and charged with his lethal horn pointed at the fuzzy red vulpine.
Emberz waited until the ton-sized ryhorn was directly in front of him before making his move. Rapidly his four paws flew sending dirt and clumps of grass flying into the air. His tails whipped in a fury and then he was gone. All that remained with a medium sized hole in the ground. The ryhorn was still dealing with the two defensive attacks however. Sand grit stuck in his eyes and the six stinging lashes that had slid across his face were distracting.
"Ryhorn, use stomp! Cave the little rat in!" The boy yelled out furious.
Calli merely watched with a smile on her face. She and Emberz had spent hours perfecting that move set for their battle against the rock type leader Brock. Even then it had been risky because Brock more than likely had taught his onix dig also. Against this ill prepared amateur victory was almost guaranteed.
Emberz had the sense to end the skirmish quickly. He knew that he had superior speed, but his opponent had weight and power on his side. He spun up through the soft soil and delivered the finishing blow with skilled expertise.
Next it was Calli's Pixie against the boy's Parasect. Unfortunately, the poor pikachu gave in to the poisonous spores falling to the ground twitching spastically and making small sounds of pain.
"Oh, no. Pixie return."
"Hah, down to the last match." The boy sneered still confident. "Unlike you I saved my best for last."
Calli looked at him in confusion then realized that the boy thought Emberz was her best pokemon. A steady grin crossed her face and she flicked her fingers. Kolya, who had been watching the battles with avid diligence, sprang forward eagerly. His whole body was lean and tough. Something that wasn't noticeable when he was seated. Calli felt satisfaction as the boy paled slightly.
"Go Nidoking!"
The light faded slowly, but the ground shook with the ground creature's roar as soon as he emerged. The bony, rough hide was covered and crossed with ugly scars. There was a bellicose look to his eyes and a rough cruelness. He wasn't even pink anymore because hard mud cakes and dust clung to him. His horn was broken at the tip. In short, this was one nasty customer.
"Kolya, do you think you can take him?" Calli asked worried. She was rolling his pokeball in her fingers and biting her lip. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this battle. All the money in the world wasn't worth her pokemon's health, confidence, and trust.
Kolya, once again, declined to reply. His pale eyes glinted with anticipation and his brushy tail was bristled. He let out a hostile snarl to answer the deafening roar and charged.
The large brute was taken by surprise. He grunted at the slight impact when the small eevee slammed into his midsection. Chuckling wickedly he flicked his long claw up and twitched it making the universal sign for bring it on.
This time the normal type was more cautious. He knew he no longer had the advantage of surprise. He would have to tread very carefully.
Feinting left then jumping straight up he pasted the larger pokemon's slow defenses. With a flash of teeth and claws he darted away again. A thin trickle of blood dribbled slowly down the coarse, rocky creature's face. A sadistic, fanged smile appeared as the larger pokemon wiped it away contemptuously.
Emberz and the rest held their collective breath. This was a dangerous game Kolya was playing and it was obvious he was losing. One slight mistake could be his last. Somehow they knew that the Nidoking wouldn't stop once the eevee was down. And his slime trainer wouldn't call him back either.
"I give up!" Calli cried also seeing the circumstances. She started to loosen her belt, but the boy threw up his hands and cried out eagerly, "No can do missy. Not unless you can get your eevee to come back."
"Kolya, return!"
The eevee completely ignored her. He twisted to the right missing being skewered by half an inch. Bouncing back with all four feet he tore at the tough hide again and again. The poison type sneered wondering why the creature before him with so stupid. Obviously, claws and teeth weren't going to penetrate his armor skin.
Kolya paused for an instant. His light pink tongue was panting as he sucked the hot, dusty air in and out rapidly. He cocked his scruffy head and made a strange yip. Dashing forward recklessly he slammed his head into the creature's chest. Dodging a massive swipe he slammed an Iron Tail into the same spot over and over again. With a final Headbutt he leaped back nimbly to survey his handiwork.
With a groan the giant toppled over doing a face plant.
"What the heck?" The boy cried in shock. He rushed over and flipped his massive pokemon over on it's back. A small, cross-shaped cut laid dead center in the hard plate armor. The boy's face turned bright red with unchecked anger, "No way that runt knocked him out! You cheat somehow! I know it!"
Calli looked just as surprised. She turned to look at Kolya. He was calmly cleaning out one of his wounds with his tongue.
"You cheated! Cheater!" The boy stormed and his gang started to take up a chant.
"How?"
"I don't know, but there's no way your runt did that!" the boy insisted closing the gap between them. His fists were curled into tight balls with the knuckles shone white. His jaw was locked and his eyes flashing. His intentions were quite clear. Calli stepped back a step. She wasn't afraid to fight; she did it all the time back home. However, the promise she had made to her mother just before she left rang in her head. Except she wasn't sure how it dictated self-defense.
The boy tried to belt her across the face with a closed fist. She threw her hands up, but she wasn't quite fast enough. The corner of his fist brushed across her left cheek. The boy never got in another swing. Kolya was on him.
The eevee ripped savagely into the boy's hands as the frantic human blocked his face and throat. Bright red blood was spraying everywhere.
"Kolya, no!" Calli screamed rushing over. He turned towards her and she gasped stumbling back. His normally flat eyes were shinning with a killing fever. She timidly extended her hand and swiftly jerked it back as the eevee snapped. His sharp teeth clicked together with a strange preciseness and he went back to maiming the boy.
The kid's gang took off screaming. Calli only hoped the one of them had enough sense to get help. She looked around frantically for a way to pry Kolya off the screaming kid. Her eyes landed on the pokeball she had dropped in her haste to get over there. Licking her lips nervously she sprinted to it.
"Return!" Nothing happened.
Emberz looked up at her in confusion. His six tails were bristled in fear and his normally gay eyes were murky. "Vul?"
"Stop him."
The small fox needed no other command. He sprang forward knocking into the bigger pokemon with his shoulder. Before Kolya could mount a counter attack Emberz loosed a sizable fire spin to hold him. The sheets of flame whirled around brightly in a secure circle.
A sharp whistling sounded in the distance then closer. Officer Jenny and her growlithe rounded a grove of trees.
Calli took the moment to scoop Kolya up to her chest as Emberz let the firewall collapse. He struggled wildly to get at the firedog that was barking wildly at him.
"Officer Jenny, Kolya was protecting me!" Calli protested loudly. She had blood all over her hands and clothes where she had restrained the eevee from laying into the officer's growlithe. Emberz crowded close to her. Kolya lay confused and exhausted in her arms. His brown coat was splashed with red.
The officer shook her head. Her blue eyes flickered over to where the boy was being loaded into an ambulance.
"You better hope that boy survives." The officer remarked coldly. Her eyes slid back to the eevee and she found herself amazed that such a small, normal type could inflict such horrific damage. He had some devils in him that was for sure. His pale eyes rose to meet hers and she felt her heart stop. It was the look of a predator. She wondered how the girl had managed so far, how she couldn't see the killer hiding behind a thin veil of aloofness.
"What happens now?" The girl asked in a scared, quiet voice. She was shaking all over and tears were welling in her eyes. The officer supposed it was shock finally kicking in. She wanted to comfort the child but those strange, pale eyes were still locked on her. They dared her to make a move, mocked her. Instead she contented herself with scooping up the girl's distraught vulpix. The fox pokemon was quivering and making small distressed noises.
"You have to give your eevee over to the city. They will quarantine him to make sure he doesn't have any diseases. Then…" Jenny trailed off uncertain how to soften what she had to say next, "He'll be put down. He's simply to dangerous to continue living."
"Oh." No shower of tears or keening wails. The girl gulped down a lump and tried to hand the normal type over to the officer. She shied back and muttered, "You can keep a hold of him for now, okay?"
The Officer Jenny directed Calli to a marked van. It was label in big, black letters. The young officer assisting Jenny opened the double door with shaking hands. He nodded briefly then scrambled back a safe distance. Calli placed Kolya, now limp and passive, into the metal cage. She could feel the cold metal as her hand brushed the floor. She ran a single finger across the top of his head, the only caress he permitted, then abruptly jerked her hand back. Wrapping her fingers around the cage door she closed it and latched it. Only after she had backed off did her hands start trembling. Accepting Jenny's comforting words and Emberz she turned her back and slowly walked off.
Reviewers:
Joeyz girl: Yeah, just don't think about that stuff ^__^ you'll be better off. I love eevee, it's always been my favorite pokemon. Even before I knew what pokemon was.
Paladin Dragoon: Waah, sorry for not replying before! And my chapters start off short, but soon they turn into awful monsters ^^;;;