The lonely path of the Mew
Copyright- Pokemon and its characters/Pokemon do not belong to me in any sence of the word.
"This could be it. This could be my big opportunity" Robert mused aloud as he strode along a faintly discernible forest path. Suddenly remembering the figure beside him, he quickly added "Our big opportunity." There was no reaction however from the woman walking alongside him. He wasn't sure if she was even listening to him. Mary had become very quiet in the last couple of months. Her heart didn't seem in the job anymore; as if she no longer believed that they could escape from the drudgery of the lower ranks of Team Rocket. Turning his head he looked at the girl draped over his shoulder. Couldn't Mary see that this girl was their ticket out of all this menial labour?
From what he had seen at the clearing, he felt fairly certain that there was something strange about this girl. Perhaps, he thought with growing excitement, she might even be a psychic. He knew how prised psychic Pokemon were and he was hoping the same would be true for human psychics.
His shoulder had started to ache, but he ignored the growing pain and instead concentrated on how he would benefit from the girl's capture. Perhaps he might even gain some extra money as well as a promotion. It would serve as appropriate compensation for all the times he had been ignored in the past. He felt the familiar surge of anger as his mind returned to the memories of his past defeats. It had only been because of his age that the leadership had ignored him, he was sure of it. If he had only joined when he had first been a trainer, he would already be a Captain in charge of a large area. He would be living in a large suburban mansion with an expensive car, instead of tiny Rocket owned complexes, being constantly moved from area to area. Others had only been chosen in front of him simply because of their age. There could be no other reason for it; he was much more skilled than any of the others could hope to be. His mind continued along his long list of past grievances, a subject he had often dwelled upon in the past.
The trees in front of the two Rockets suddenly gave way to a small man-made clearing. In the centre stood the Team Rocket Repository for the Mt Moon area. Despite its grand title the Repository was in fact simply a warehouse. Fashioned with bricks and with a triangular corrugated steel roof, the building had a nondescript appearance resembling those buildings where companies stockpiled resources. Inside it was made up of a single floor compromising of an office, a kitchen, a washroom, and a dorm. Below the ground in a large basement complex held the real reason for the warehouse. Along the walls of the basement was lined cage after cage. Pokemon of every description were locked inside these cages, waiting here till the next Team Rocket transport lorry arrived via the hidden roadway on the other side of the complex. The lorries transported the Pokemon to more secure locations from which they could be given to Coin Exchanges or to Rockets. The Pokemon were kept in cages as some were able to escape from their Pokeballs and in the past these had caused substantial damage. The larger and more dangerous Pokemon were kept unconscious via the use of drugs. Rocket security for the complex was limited only to a handful of loaded weapons, and a number of Pokemon. The security was relatively low as the base was only of limited importance and as yet the police hadn't discovered it.
There was one sentry at watch at the side entrance as Robert and Mary approached. Despite being in the complex for a week already Robert didn't know the name of the young man. There was a strong sense of competition between the Rockets in the base as the teams which caught the most Pokemon, were moved to bigger and better postings. In the whole week that Robert had been at the complex, he had barely spoken to the other Rockets. It didn't help matters that as well as being in competition with him, everyone in the base was younger than him, heightening his feelings of shame and anger.
The sentry at watch was leaning against the wall of the building and was clearly bored. However as Robert closed the distance between them, he noticed the man stand up and take an interest in him.
"Why are you back so early? Given up already?" Suddenly noticing the girl he continued, "Who's that?"
"None of your business. She is my prisoner!" Robert replied, glaring at the man.
"Do you want the whole police force down around our ears? We don't take prisoner's here, get rid of her!"
Robert barely listened to what the kid was saying. He could barely contain the anger boiling up inside him. How dare this youngster argue with him?
"Look," he growled, "this girl is mine and I'm taking her inside here whither you like it or not."
The younger man stared at him for a couple of seconds before relenting.
"She can stay her for the moment but once the Captain returns you'll have to explain yourself to him." Robert pushed angrily past, his shoulder slamming into the other Rocket. The sentry turned to watch as he stamped toward down the stairs toward the basements.
"Where are you taking her?"
"I'm locking her in one of the Pokemon cages. There's no way I'm letting my promotion escape this time"
As Robert and Mary disappeared down the stairs the sentry was left staring with a confused expression.
Lowering my nose to the ground I inhaled the still morning air. Ignoring the different plant and animal smells, I focused on one particular scent. The woods produced a wide myriad of scents and smells but to a nose as complex as mine it was easy to track the one I desired. I was closing in on my Prey; it couldn't be more than a couple of hours in front of me. The thrill of the Hunt infused me with new vigour and I returned to my quick pace through the woods. As I brushed past tree and bush I barely noticed the heads of the animals as they stared out at me. They were no threat and so I simply ignored them. There would be time enough after the Hunt to think about eating. Feeding only distracted me from my overall goal, to complete the Hunt.
I had been created as the perfect hunter. Every Hunt I started I finished, either killing my prey or bringing it back, whichever I had been ordered. Broken, bleeding or near death, if required I had always brought my prey back to my master. But there was one exception to this. One prey I had attempted to hunt many times but always failed. She had disappeared without a trace many years ago. Some didn't even believe that she was still alive, that she had died all those years ago. Since then my master had alerted me to a number of possible targets that had a possibility of being my Prey. While hunting her I had ridden the fierce joyride that was the Hunt only to feel the sharp sickness of failure. I hated that moment, to stare into the face of the prey, the prey that had transfixed my every thought during the Hunt, to see nothing but pathetic human eyes staring back. It was often at this point that I lost control of my anger and unleashed my full power on the former target. And from what I had seen so far I had no grounds to hope that this might be my real prey. It had made no attempt to cover its tracks like I knew that She could. Was I going to fail to find her yet again?
Forcing myself to stop I tried to clear my mind of all stray thoughts. I was loosing focus in the Hunt. It didn't matter if I had failed Hunts in the past; all that mattered was my dedication to this Hunt. Sinking my mind into the blind concentration of the Hunt I moved through the forest again, my nose picking out the distinctive odour of my prey.
They surrounded her. There was a representative of each of the different orders. The large birds hovered just above the ground, and the dog-like creatures slunk just out of her reach, their powerful limbs poised and ready for the upcoming fight. There was only one exception from their circle of legendaries. She was that exception. She was now their enemy
Sensing the attack before it hit, she leapt up into the air, her tail- tail? arching behind her head, ready to strike…
Lowering her head into the cold river, she drank with a greedy intensity, before turning over to lie on the sandy shore. Now that she was no longer parched, she was content to sleep. Finally pulling herself up from the ground, she padded on all four paws paws?? toward the tree line. Extending her claws she climbed the tree with ease and curled herself up between the branch and the tree trunk…
A Mankey took a swipe at her. With practised ease, she pulled her head back, dodging the attack. For the next couple of seconds she played with him, moving out of the way just before any of his attacks could hit. Finally tiring of her game, she outstretched her paw and lifted him high up into the air before slamming him with extreme violence into a tree trunk…
She awoke with a sudden start slamming her head into something hard and unyielding. Rubbing her head, she turned and looked around her. Her heart skipped a beat, as she saw the steel bars surrounding her. The cage was only big enough to allow her to sit half up. Reaching out with her paws, she grabbed the bars and shook them violently, trying to break her way through. After a minute she let go realising the futility of her effort and lay back trying to catch her breath. Taking the time to look outside her cage, she saw that she was in a large room of some kind, but it was hard for her to see in the gloom, the room only lit by the faint light, which shone down through the cracks in the ceiling above. Where was she, she asked herself feeling her heartbeat quicken. Thinking back she remembered walking through the woods when something…
A noise to her right alerted her that she wasn't alone. As she stared into the dark shadow of the cage beside her, she was just able to make out the shape of the Eevee. It was cowering in the farthest corner away from her. She stuck out a paw to comfort it…
Feeling panic growing inside her, she stared at her hand. It was still a hand; it had four fingers and a thumb, it looked nothing like a paw at all. "What's happening to me", she whispered to herself as she rocked backwards. The dreams returned to her as she sat there, frightening her with their clearness and intensity. It was almost as if they weren't dreams at all, as if they were….
No, she couldn't think like that. There had to be some other explanation. Perhaps they were memories of some film or book from her childhood. She was human, not a monster. She was human…
I was getting closer and closer to my prey; it couldn't have passed through here less than three or four hours previous. But it no longer looked as if it was going to be so simple. Two other humans and at least two other Pokemon had joined my prey. There had been a confrontation of some sort between my prey and them. I could still smell the fear and adrenaline from that spot. But it was my other senses, which told a much more interesting story. Something strange had happened in the clearing, the cracks and splits in the ground bore witness to this. From these I was able to sense psychic power. Feeling the excitement grow within me, I wondered if I was really on her track.
The thrill of the Hunt was coursing anew through me. As the Hunt came to an end, its power was accentuated. I had been on the Hunt for many hours now but all thought of rest had been banished. I was buoyant, looking forward to finally ending the Hunt.
As I bounded through the woods my enhanced senses started to pick up the smells of humans. Slowing my pace down, I started to focus my different senses. Pumped with excitement and energy as I was, I tried to force some of it down and think clearly. It was always at the end of a Hunt that you were most likely to make a mistake. I had to analyse the situation carefully and make sure I wasn't going to rush heedlessly into my death.
From what I was able to smell it looked like I wasn't dealing with just two or three humans anymore. On the path alone I smelled at least ten different human scents, apart from my prey, which had passed along this way in the last twenty-four hours. And from what I could tell from the jumble of past scents, the humans seemed to be passing along this way pretty frequently within the last week. As I sat trying to figure out why so many humans would frequent this area of the woods everyday, I suddenly remembered something I had heard a couple of months previous. Apparently Team Rocket had a base near Mt Moon from which they organised their snatch and grab raids. Team Rocket was a petty criminal organisation of which I was neither an ally nor an enemy. If they held my prey it wouldn't matter though, I would do anything to make sure my Hunt was successful. Riled up as I was, I almost charged forward to complete the Hunt now but I managed to stop myself. Though only an organisation obsessed with moneymaking, Team Rocket members could still be dangerous. All were armed with their animal pets and some might even have small arms. Desperate as I was to finish this Hunt, I knew I needed to plan my attack with careful consideration. I couldn't take ten armed humans head on.
I moved forward with my reduced pace until a building finally came into my sight. Keeping in the shadows of the wood, I skirted round the clearing, looking at the base from all angles. When I had finally completed my circle I had ascertained that the base did indeed belong to the Rockets and that they had a guard at each of the entrances. One entrance was clearly for vehicles and the other for personnel. Other than the two guards I knew that there would be at least two other's in the building with my prey. Just in case, I figured that there would be at least two others in the building as well. That left me with seven possible humans to deal with and I estimated that there would be between twelve and twenty four of their pets. Even with all my superior abilities, I wouldn't be able to deal with all of these at once. I would have to use stealth, disabling the Rockets before they got the chance to raise the alarm and make use of their superior numbers. The most dangerous aspect of the attack would be the ten or so seconds it would take me to get to the base across open country. I was fairly limited at long range and this would be when the human guns would be most effective. Once inside the base I trusted that the tight confines would negate their number advantage and my close combat expertise would give me the upper hand. I checked the ground again for booby traps but the ground didn't seem to have been disturbed.
I would attack the base via the side entrance to the base. Despite its longer distance from the woods than the two main doors, I felt that it would be the safer option; there would be less chance of any further defences behind it.
As I waited in the woods, I started to increase my breathing rate, taking shorter and quicker breaths. The additional oxygen helped prepare my muscles for the upcoming action. While I prepared my body, my eyes focused on the ground between me and the side entrance, tracing the route that I would take, making sure that there was nothing I could slip or fall over.
My preparation ready, I coiled my leg muscles before shooting out of the woods, pumping my legs as fast as I could toward the wall of the base. The path I had chosen was to the side of the base, just to the edge of the sentry's eye line. As soon as I reached the wall of the base, I looked up at the guard, prepared to try and dodge his shots. To my contempt I saw that he was in the same position, he hadn't noticed me. It seemed that I had been overestimating my enemies. I moved forward toward him, forgetting in my scorn for the Rockets, to make sure and keep my movements as quiet as possible. My eyes were fixed on the thin wedge of pink skin between his hair and his collar. Just a few feet shy of him I concentrated and two wickedly sharp blades slid out from my forelimbs. At the same moment I stepped on something which broke with a sharp crack, causing the human to turn. Without a second's hesitation, I threw myself forward, crashing shoulder first into his midsection. He fell awkwardly on his side, letting out a single surprised cry. Seconds later my jaws were fastened around his neck and with one powerful wrench I ripped out a large section of flesh and sinew. Without a voice box, he could only gargle as blood filled his mouth. Though still alive, he wouldn't survive much longer. Already dismissing him I moved toward the side entrance door, my heart pounding, supplying my body with vital chemicals which would help prepare me for whatever challenges lay on the other side of the door. Stepping back a couple of feet I charged and threw myself at the door.
Robert was pacing up and down his dorm, impatiently waiting for the captain to return. He had to somehow convince him to keep the girl while he tried to discover how he would contact the people above him. If he told the Captain the secret about the girl he might try and use her for himself. Halfway though his prepared story he was interrupted by a cry. He stood silent for a second listening for any further noises and then was just about to continue when he heard a loud crash and another cry. Seconds later he heard the explosive sounds of gun fire.
He froze on the spot, his imagination conjuring images of the police storming the building. There must be some way to sneak out of here, he thought desperately, running over to the window and trying to force it open. Halfway through the window he paused, suddenly thinking of the girl in the basement. He didn't want to be arrested; at his age it would end any hope he had of progression through Team Rocket. But he couldn't just leave the girl here either; she was his big chance. Cursing his luck, he climbed back through the window. He cupped a Pokeball in his hand for protection, painfully aware though of how useless his Pokemon would be against gunfire. Moving toward the door, he felt his heart begin to thump with alarming swiftness. For the first time, the thought that he could die entered his head. Trying to ignore this train of thought he took a deep breath and raised a shaking hand to the door handle. Easing it open, he poked his head out. There was a strange silence; the kind of silence that is felt when something violent has occurred. When he walked into the main section of the building his eyes widened in shock. There were bullet holes across the opposite wall and the side door had been broken in half. As he took a couple of steps forward he got a clearer view of the room and he felt his heart freeze. Through the broken door, he saw a limp body, still spurting blood into the air. To his left, by the door to the Captain's office lay another body. He turned away quickly from the shredded form feeling sick. A scream sounded from behind him, toward the main entrance and the sound of another shot. The feeling of fear was so great inside him; he felt like trying to find someplace to hide. Giving himself up to the police wouldn't be as bad as dying…
His dream of success suddenly came back to him. If he could just get the girl out of here he would be set up for life. Someday he would be lying surrounded by money and thinking back to his moment.
Steeling himself, he headed over to the door down to the basement. Stumbling down the dark stairs as fast as he could, he cursed himself under his breath for not turning on the lights. Half falling down the last couple of stairs he managed to keep his balance and he continued into the middle of the large basement. Despite the faint light from the ceiling, his eyes were still accustomed to the light of the day above and he could barely see the cages, let alone the occupants inside. Turning around, he tried to remember where he had put the girl.
With the dispassionate interest of someone who is concentrating on something else, Susan glanced toward the man who had just entered the room. If her memory served her right, he was one of the Rockets who she had run into in the forest. He must have dragged me here, she though distractedly. Despite this she felt no anger toward him at the moment, there were much more important things for her to consider. She was forcing herself to try and remember where she had come across the dreams in the past. Her dreams were too clear for her just to dismiss and they were all strangely connected. The initial panic she had felt about them had retreated, but she was still determined to discover what had caused them. Regardless how much she tried however, she couldn't seem to recall any more of the strange dreams. The dreams stopped and started suddenly and she couldn't seem to link any of them together.
The thing, she thought as she leaned back against the bars, that scared her the most was the fear that she might be going mad. In all of the dreams she seemed to be someone else. Wasn't it a mental disease where someone had two different personalities, she thought with growing concern? Could she really…
The Rocket had moved forward and had gripped the bars of her cage, startling her back to reality. Her cage was atop another and so was about the height of his chest, forcing him to bend down to stare in at her. His mouth curved into a smile as he looked at her and for the first time, Susan began to feel nervous about her present position. What was Team Rocket planning on doing to her, she thought, panic beginning to grow inside her.
Suddenly she heard a hollow thump from behind the man. As Rocket turned to stare, Susan leaned against the bars of the cage to try and get a better view of whatever had created the noise. It was standing in deep shadow beside the staircase and so Susan only got an impression of a dark shape. With slow deliberate movements it moved forward. Susan let out a gasp as she caught sight of it. Despite having never in her memory laying eyes upon it, she felt that she instinctively knew him. He was four legged and stood about as tall as the Rocket's knee's. In the gloom she couldn't see any of his features or markings but ideas from seemingly nowhere, surfaced in her mind about what these would be. He was the Hunter, she suddenly thought.
Her head started to pound with heavy bell beats, forcing her to collapse clutching her head, feeling as it was going to crack. Image after image flashed before her brain as if the sight of the creature had broken a dam in her head. She had seen his birth, seen his very first breath….
An image suddenly appeared before her brain. It was an image of Pokemon she knew quite well, it was Mew. It stared at her for a second before leaping forward toward her. Seconds later Susan screamed out, her whole body engulfed with pain. She could feel her skin retracting, and stretching over her body, could feel her bones grinding against each other and her knuckles splitting out through her skin, causing blood to spill down her fingers. Inside her body she could feel her organs shifting about as if being pushed and pinched by an invisible force. Twisting and squirming, she thrashed against the sides of her cage, trying to escape from the pain. Unknown to her, green electricity began to spark ominously around her.
The human was slow to react and by the time he had perceived me as a threat, my blades had already slid out. Vaulting forward I smashed into him, hitting him back against the cages. As he fell to the ground I slashed and clawed at him until he was nothing but a bloody mess. My heart was beating at a frenzied rate and my limbs were shaking. When I killed I felt immortal, as if I was the Hunt itself. Though my jaws were slavering I ignored the body of the man and turned instead to the human in the cage, my prey.
Something strange was happening to her, sparks flicking around her shaking body. Her skin looked as if it was bubbling, different lumps were appearing and moving up and down her body. Something long and pink suddenly shot out from behind her and she reared up, her face upturned, mouth wide open in a scream, exposing pointed canines. I recognised that tail and those teeth. Could my Hunt finally be over? Could this be Her?
As I watched with fascination, her body shrank, her human created fur already destroyed by the psychic energy sparking around her. Seconds later it was all over, the human had been replaced by the pink cat. I was just about to move forward, when she let out a high-pitched scream. Psychic energy shone out from her blinding me, and then she shot upward, slicing through the cage above her and the metal roof, disappearing into the blue sky. I was shocked into stillness for a couple of seconds before I realised that my prey was escaping from me. I spun round ready to bound up the stairs only to find that someone was already standing there. It was a human female wearing the colours of a Rocket. In her hand was a human weapon, a gun. While concentrating on the Mew I had failed to hear her come down the stairs.
Without any warning there was the sound of a detonation and the weapon spat its lead projectile at me. Still surprised at her appearance I was unable to dodge. The impact knocked me backwards but I was only faintly aware of this. Pain had exploded through me causing me to cry out. As the blood spilled from my side I stared up at the human that I had somehow missed.
I hope to have a new chapter of this up soon. This chapter is a bit bigger than the others as I didn't really want to rush the introduction of the characters. Can you please review it and tell me what you think of it so far? Thanks to Farla for her advice with this.
Copyright- Pokemon and its characters/Pokemon do not belong to me in any sence of the word.
"This could be it. This could be my big opportunity" Robert mused aloud as he strode along a faintly discernible forest path. Suddenly remembering the figure beside him, he quickly added "Our big opportunity." There was no reaction however from the woman walking alongside him. He wasn't sure if she was even listening to him. Mary had become very quiet in the last couple of months. Her heart didn't seem in the job anymore; as if she no longer believed that they could escape from the drudgery of the lower ranks of Team Rocket. Turning his head he looked at the girl draped over his shoulder. Couldn't Mary see that this girl was their ticket out of all this menial labour?
From what he had seen at the clearing, he felt fairly certain that there was something strange about this girl. Perhaps, he thought with growing excitement, she might even be a psychic. He knew how prised psychic Pokemon were and he was hoping the same would be true for human psychics.
His shoulder had started to ache, but he ignored the growing pain and instead concentrated on how he would benefit from the girl's capture. Perhaps he might even gain some extra money as well as a promotion. It would serve as appropriate compensation for all the times he had been ignored in the past. He felt the familiar surge of anger as his mind returned to the memories of his past defeats. It had only been because of his age that the leadership had ignored him, he was sure of it. If he had only joined when he had first been a trainer, he would already be a Captain in charge of a large area. He would be living in a large suburban mansion with an expensive car, instead of tiny Rocket owned complexes, being constantly moved from area to area. Others had only been chosen in front of him simply because of their age. There could be no other reason for it; he was much more skilled than any of the others could hope to be. His mind continued along his long list of past grievances, a subject he had often dwelled upon in the past.
The trees in front of the two Rockets suddenly gave way to a small man-made clearing. In the centre stood the Team Rocket Repository for the Mt Moon area. Despite its grand title the Repository was in fact simply a warehouse. Fashioned with bricks and with a triangular corrugated steel roof, the building had a nondescript appearance resembling those buildings where companies stockpiled resources. Inside it was made up of a single floor compromising of an office, a kitchen, a washroom, and a dorm. Below the ground in a large basement complex held the real reason for the warehouse. Along the walls of the basement was lined cage after cage. Pokemon of every description were locked inside these cages, waiting here till the next Team Rocket transport lorry arrived via the hidden roadway on the other side of the complex. The lorries transported the Pokemon to more secure locations from which they could be given to Coin Exchanges or to Rockets. The Pokemon were kept in cages as some were able to escape from their Pokeballs and in the past these had caused substantial damage. The larger and more dangerous Pokemon were kept unconscious via the use of drugs. Rocket security for the complex was limited only to a handful of loaded weapons, and a number of Pokemon. The security was relatively low as the base was only of limited importance and as yet the police hadn't discovered it.
There was one sentry at watch at the side entrance as Robert and Mary approached. Despite being in the complex for a week already Robert didn't know the name of the young man. There was a strong sense of competition between the Rockets in the base as the teams which caught the most Pokemon, were moved to bigger and better postings. In the whole week that Robert had been at the complex, he had barely spoken to the other Rockets. It didn't help matters that as well as being in competition with him, everyone in the base was younger than him, heightening his feelings of shame and anger.
The sentry at watch was leaning against the wall of the building and was clearly bored. However as Robert closed the distance between them, he noticed the man stand up and take an interest in him.
"Why are you back so early? Given up already?" Suddenly noticing the girl he continued, "Who's that?"
"None of your business. She is my prisoner!" Robert replied, glaring at the man.
"Do you want the whole police force down around our ears? We don't take prisoner's here, get rid of her!"
Robert barely listened to what the kid was saying. He could barely contain the anger boiling up inside him. How dare this youngster argue with him?
"Look," he growled, "this girl is mine and I'm taking her inside here whither you like it or not."
The younger man stared at him for a couple of seconds before relenting.
"She can stay her for the moment but once the Captain returns you'll have to explain yourself to him." Robert pushed angrily past, his shoulder slamming into the other Rocket. The sentry turned to watch as he stamped toward down the stairs toward the basements.
"Where are you taking her?"
"I'm locking her in one of the Pokemon cages. There's no way I'm letting my promotion escape this time"
As Robert and Mary disappeared down the stairs the sentry was left staring with a confused expression.
Lowering my nose to the ground I inhaled the still morning air. Ignoring the different plant and animal smells, I focused on one particular scent. The woods produced a wide myriad of scents and smells but to a nose as complex as mine it was easy to track the one I desired. I was closing in on my Prey; it couldn't be more than a couple of hours in front of me. The thrill of the Hunt infused me with new vigour and I returned to my quick pace through the woods. As I brushed past tree and bush I barely noticed the heads of the animals as they stared out at me. They were no threat and so I simply ignored them. There would be time enough after the Hunt to think about eating. Feeding only distracted me from my overall goal, to complete the Hunt.
I had been created as the perfect hunter. Every Hunt I started I finished, either killing my prey or bringing it back, whichever I had been ordered. Broken, bleeding or near death, if required I had always brought my prey back to my master. But there was one exception to this. One prey I had attempted to hunt many times but always failed. She had disappeared without a trace many years ago. Some didn't even believe that she was still alive, that she had died all those years ago. Since then my master had alerted me to a number of possible targets that had a possibility of being my Prey. While hunting her I had ridden the fierce joyride that was the Hunt only to feel the sharp sickness of failure. I hated that moment, to stare into the face of the prey, the prey that had transfixed my every thought during the Hunt, to see nothing but pathetic human eyes staring back. It was often at this point that I lost control of my anger and unleashed my full power on the former target. And from what I had seen so far I had no grounds to hope that this might be my real prey. It had made no attempt to cover its tracks like I knew that She could. Was I going to fail to find her yet again?
Forcing myself to stop I tried to clear my mind of all stray thoughts. I was loosing focus in the Hunt. It didn't matter if I had failed Hunts in the past; all that mattered was my dedication to this Hunt. Sinking my mind into the blind concentration of the Hunt I moved through the forest again, my nose picking out the distinctive odour of my prey.
They surrounded her. There was a representative of each of the different orders. The large birds hovered just above the ground, and the dog-like creatures slunk just out of her reach, their powerful limbs poised and ready for the upcoming fight. There was only one exception from their circle of legendaries. She was that exception. She was now their enemy
Sensing the attack before it hit, she leapt up into the air, her tail- tail? arching behind her head, ready to strike…
Lowering her head into the cold river, she drank with a greedy intensity, before turning over to lie on the sandy shore. Now that she was no longer parched, she was content to sleep. Finally pulling herself up from the ground, she padded on all four paws paws?? toward the tree line. Extending her claws she climbed the tree with ease and curled herself up between the branch and the tree trunk…
A Mankey took a swipe at her. With practised ease, she pulled her head back, dodging the attack. For the next couple of seconds she played with him, moving out of the way just before any of his attacks could hit. Finally tiring of her game, she outstretched her paw and lifted him high up into the air before slamming him with extreme violence into a tree trunk…
She awoke with a sudden start slamming her head into something hard and unyielding. Rubbing her head, she turned and looked around her. Her heart skipped a beat, as she saw the steel bars surrounding her. The cage was only big enough to allow her to sit half up. Reaching out with her paws, she grabbed the bars and shook them violently, trying to break her way through. After a minute she let go realising the futility of her effort and lay back trying to catch her breath. Taking the time to look outside her cage, she saw that she was in a large room of some kind, but it was hard for her to see in the gloom, the room only lit by the faint light, which shone down through the cracks in the ceiling above. Where was she, she asked herself feeling her heartbeat quicken. Thinking back she remembered walking through the woods when something…
A noise to her right alerted her that she wasn't alone. As she stared into the dark shadow of the cage beside her, she was just able to make out the shape of the Eevee. It was cowering in the farthest corner away from her. She stuck out a paw to comfort it…
Feeling panic growing inside her, she stared at her hand. It was still a hand; it had four fingers and a thumb, it looked nothing like a paw at all. "What's happening to me", she whispered to herself as she rocked backwards. The dreams returned to her as she sat there, frightening her with their clearness and intensity. It was almost as if they weren't dreams at all, as if they were….
No, she couldn't think like that. There had to be some other explanation. Perhaps they were memories of some film or book from her childhood. She was human, not a monster. She was human…
I was getting closer and closer to my prey; it couldn't have passed through here less than three or four hours previous. But it no longer looked as if it was going to be so simple. Two other humans and at least two other Pokemon had joined my prey. There had been a confrontation of some sort between my prey and them. I could still smell the fear and adrenaline from that spot. But it was my other senses, which told a much more interesting story. Something strange had happened in the clearing, the cracks and splits in the ground bore witness to this. From these I was able to sense psychic power. Feeling the excitement grow within me, I wondered if I was really on her track.
The thrill of the Hunt was coursing anew through me. As the Hunt came to an end, its power was accentuated. I had been on the Hunt for many hours now but all thought of rest had been banished. I was buoyant, looking forward to finally ending the Hunt.
As I bounded through the woods my enhanced senses started to pick up the smells of humans. Slowing my pace down, I started to focus my different senses. Pumped with excitement and energy as I was, I tried to force some of it down and think clearly. It was always at the end of a Hunt that you were most likely to make a mistake. I had to analyse the situation carefully and make sure I wasn't going to rush heedlessly into my death.
From what I was able to smell it looked like I wasn't dealing with just two or three humans anymore. On the path alone I smelled at least ten different human scents, apart from my prey, which had passed along this way in the last twenty-four hours. And from what I could tell from the jumble of past scents, the humans seemed to be passing along this way pretty frequently within the last week. As I sat trying to figure out why so many humans would frequent this area of the woods everyday, I suddenly remembered something I had heard a couple of months previous. Apparently Team Rocket had a base near Mt Moon from which they organised their snatch and grab raids. Team Rocket was a petty criminal organisation of which I was neither an ally nor an enemy. If they held my prey it wouldn't matter though, I would do anything to make sure my Hunt was successful. Riled up as I was, I almost charged forward to complete the Hunt now but I managed to stop myself. Though only an organisation obsessed with moneymaking, Team Rocket members could still be dangerous. All were armed with their animal pets and some might even have small arms. Desperate as I was to finish this Hunt, I knew I needed to plan my attack with careful consideration. I couldn't take ten armed humans head on.
I moved forward with my reduced pace until a building finally came into my sight. Keeping in the shadows of the wood, I skirted round the clearing, looking at the base from all angles. When I had finally completed my circle I had ascertained that the base did indeed belong to the Rockets and that they had a guard at each of the entrances. One entrance was clearly for vehicles and the other for personnel. Other than the two guards I knew that there would be at least two other's in the building with my prey. Just in case, I figured that there would be at least two others in the building as well. That left me with seven possible humans to deal with and I estimated that there would be between twelve and twenty four of their pets. Even with all my superior abilities, I wouldn't be able to deal with all of these at once. I would have to use stealth, disabling the Rockets before they got the chance to raise the alarm and make use of their superior numbers. The most dangerous aspect of the attack would be the ten or so seconds it would take me to get to the base across open country. I was fairly limited at long range and this would be when the human guns would be most effective. Once inside the base I trusted that the tight confines would negate their number advantage and my close combat expertise would give me the upper hand. I checked the ground again for booby traps but the ground didn't seem to have been disturbed.
I would attack the base via the side entrance to the base. Despite its longer distance from the woods than the two main doors, I felt that it would be the safer option; there would be less chance of any further defences behind it.
As I waited in the woods, I started to increase my breathing rate, taking shorter and quicker breaths. The additional oxygen helped prepare my muscles for the upcoming action. While I prepared my body, my eyes focused on the ground between me and the side entrance, tracing the route that I would take, making sure that there was nothing I could slip or fall over.
My preparation ready, I coiled my leg muscles before shooting out of the woods, pumping my legs as fast as I could toward the wall of the base. The path I had chosen was to the side of the base, just to the edge of the sentry's eye line. As soon as I reached the wall of the base, I looked up at the guard, prepared to try and dodge his shots. To my contempt I saw that he was in the same position, he hadn't noticed me. It seemed that I had been overestimating my enemies. I moved forward toward him, forgetting in my scorn for the Rockets, to make sure and keep my movements as quiet as possible. My eyes were fixed on the thin wedge of pink skin between his hair and his collar. Just a few feet shy of him I concentrated and two wickedly sharp blades slid out from my forelimbs. At the same moment I stepped on something which broke with a sharp crack, causing the human to turn. Without a second's hesitation, I threw myself forward, crashing shoulder first into his midsection. He fell awkwardly on his side, letting out a single surprised cry. Seconds later my jaws were fastened around his neck and with one powerful wrench I ripped out a large section of flesh and sinew. Without a voice box, he could only gargle as blood filled his mouth. Though still alive, he wouldn't survive much longer. Already dismissing him I moved toward the side entrance door, my heart pounding, supplying my body with vital chemicals which would help prepare me for whatever challenges lay on the other side of the door. Stepping back a couple of feet I charged and threw myself at the door.
Robert was pacing up and down his dorm, impatiently waiting for the captain to return. He had to somehow convince him to keep the girl while he tried to discover how he would contact the people above him. If he told the Captain the secret about the girl he might try and use her for himself. Halfway though his prepared story he was interrupted by a cry. He stood silent for a second listening for any further noises and then was just about to continue when he heard a loud crash and another cry. Seconds later he heard the explosive sounds of gun fire.
He froze on the spot, his imagination conjuring images of the police storming the building. There must be some way to sneak out of here, he thought desperately, running over to the window and trying to force it open. Halfway through the window he paused, suddenly thinking of the girl in the basement. He didn't want to be arrested; at his age it would end any hope he had of progression through Team Rocket. But he couldn't just leave the girl here either; she was his big chance. Cursing his luck, he climbed back through the window. He cupped a Pokeball in his hand for protection, painfully aware though of how useless his Pokemon would be against gunfire. Moving toward the door, he felt his heart begin to thump with alarming swiftness. For the first time, the thought that he could die entered his head. Trying to ignore this train of thought he took a deep breath and raised a shaking hand to the door handle. Easing it open, he poked his head out. There was a strange silence; the kind of silence that is felt when something violent has occurred. When he walked into the main section of the building his eyes widened in shock. There were bullet holes across the opposite wall and the side door had been broken in half. As he took a couple of steps forward he got a clearer view of the room and he felt his heart freeze. Through the broken door, he saw a limp body, still spurting blood into the air. To his left, by the door to the Captain's office lay another body. He turned away quickly from the shredded form feeling sick. A scream sounded from behind him, toward the main entrance and the sound of another shot. The feeling of fear was so great inside him; he felt like trying to find someplace to hide. Giving himself up to the police wouldn't be as bad as dying…
His dream of success suddenly came back to him. If he could just get the girl out of here he would be set up for life. Someday he would be lying surrounded by money and thinking back to his moment.
Steeling himself, he headed over to the door down to the basement. Stumbling down the dark stairs as fast as he could, he cursed himself under his breath for not turning on the lights. Half falling down the last couple of stairs he managed to keep his balance and he continued into the middle of the large basement. Despite the faint light from the ceiling, his eyes were still accustomed to the light of the day above and he could barely see the cages, let alone the occupants inside. Turning around, he tried to remember where he had put the girl.
With the dispassionate interest of someone who is concentrating on something else, Susan glanced toward the man who had just entered the room. If her memory served her right, he was one of the Rockets who she had run into in the forest. He must have dragged me here, she though distractedly. Despite this she felt no anger toward him at the moment, there were much more important things for her to consider. She was forcing herself to try and remember where she had come across the dreams in the past. Her dreams were too clear for her just to dismiss and they were all strangely connected. The initial panic she had felt about them had retreated, but she was still determined to discover what had caused them. Regardless how much she tried however, she couldn't seem to recall any more of the strange dreams. The dreams stopped and started suddenly and she couldn't seem to link any of them together.
The thing, she thought as she leaned back against the bars, that scared her the most was the fear that she might be going mad. In all of the dreams she seemed to be someone else. Wasn't it a mental disease where someone had two different personalities, she thought with growing concern? Could she really…
The Rocket had moved forward and had gripped the bars of her cage, startling her back to reality. Her cage was atop another and so was about the height of his chest, forcing him to bend down to stare in at her. His mouth curved into a smile as he looked at her and for the first time, Susan began to feel nervous about her present position. What was Team Rocket planning on doing to her, she thought, panic beginning to grow inside her.
Suddenly she heard a hollow thump from behind the man. As Rocket turned to stare, Susan leaned against the bars of the cage to try and get a better view of whatever had created the noise. It was standing in deep shadow beside the staircase and so Susan only got an impression of a dark shape. With slow deliberate movements it moved forward. Susan let out a gasp as she caught sight of it. Despite having never in her memory laying eyes upon it, she felt that she instinctively knew him. He was four legged and stood about as tall as the Rocket's knee's. In the gloom she couldn't see any of his features or markings but ideas from seemingly nowhere, surfaced in her mind about what these would be. He was the Hunter, she suddenly thought.
Her head started to pound with heavy bell beats, forcing her to collapse clutching her head, feeling as it was going to crack. Image after image flashed before her brain as if the sight of the creature had broken a dam in her head. She had seen his birth, seen his very first breath….
An image suddenly appeared before her brain. It was an image of Pokemon she knew quite well, it was Mew. It stared at her for a second before leaping forward toward her. Seconds later Susan screamed out, her whole body engulfed with pain. She could feel her skin retracting, and stretching over her body, could feel her bones grinding against each other and her knuckles splitting out through her skin, causing blood to spill down her fingers. Inside her body she could feel her organs shifting about as if being pushed and pinched by an invisible force. Twisting and squirming, she thrashed against the sides of her cage, trying to escape from the pain. Unknown to her, green electricity began to spark ominously around her.
The human was slow to react and by the time he had perceived me as a threat, my blades had already slid out. Vaulting forward I smashed into him, hitting him back against the cages. As he fell to the ground I slashed and clawed at him until he was nothing but a bloody mess. My heart was beating at a frenzied rate and my limbs were shaking. When I killed I felt immortal, as if I was the Hunt itself. Though my jaws were slavering I ignored the body of the man and turned instead to the human in the cage, my prey.
Something strange was happening to her, sparks flicking around her shaking body. Her skin looked as if it was bubbling, different lumps were appearing and moving up and down her body. Something long and pink suddenly shot out from behind her and she reared up, her face upturned, mouth wide open in a scream, exposing pointed canines. I recognised that tail and those teeth. Could my Hunt finally be over? Could this be Her?
As I watched with fascination, her body shrank, her human created fur already destroyed by the psychic energy sparking around her. Seconds later it was all over, the human had been replaced by the pink cat. I was just about to move forward, when she let out a high-pitched scream. Psychic energy shone out from her blinding me, and then she shot upward, slicing through the cage above her and the metal roof, disappearing into the blue sky. I was shocked into stillness for a couple of seconds before I realised that my prey was escaping from me. I spun round ready to bound up the stairs only to find that someone was already standing there. It was a human female wearing the colours of a Rocket. In her hand was a human weapon, a gun. While concentrating on the Mew I had failed to hear her come down the stairs.
Without any warning there was the sound of a detonation and the weapon spat its lead projectile at me. Still surprised at her appearance I was unable to dodge. The impact knocked me backwards but I was only faintly aware of this. Pain had exploded through me causing me to cry out. As the blood spilled from my side I stared up at the human that I had somehow missed.
I hope to have a new chapter of this up soon. This chapter is a bit bigger than the others as I didn't really want to rush the introduction of the characters. Can you please review it and tell me what you think of it so far? Thanks to Farla for her advice with this.