Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the Prologue but we must move on. I will try to update once a week but bear with me when another doesn't show up on time. Please read and review!
The Rats of Gethi
"Mr. Douji, step forward please," the honorable Judge Hawthorn called.
Zokushi, eyes down, walked towards the seat where the old man sat. His black hair with white tips hung down in his dark gray eyes, shadowing his tanned face. He looked up, staring hard at the man who stared equally hard back. The two felt a neutral emotion roar through them before the judge frowned.
"Mr. Douji, you stand accused for armed robbery, assault, and arson. The jury finds you guilty of the first two, however," Hawthorn snarled as Zokushi opened his mouth to speak, "the last one we have dropped the charges on."
The twelve year-old watched as Judge Hawthorn looked up, old eyes staring behind the young one. He turned too as the metal doors opened and a squealing noise filled the air.
Brought in with two guards was what looked like a small sand coloured and gray kangaroo. The black eyes shot around the room, staring at the few people who gathered there. Ears twitched and pressed down the side of the small head. The mouth was sealed with a fireproof muzzle while the paws were strapped together with fireproof bands of metal. Two long feet kicked out in protest, both adorned with long claws. The long and thick tail lashed back and forth, trying to get away from the guards.
"A Roolaze?"
"This is what caused the shop to burn to the ground. It seemingly was startled by your gunshots and let loose an Ember attack on the shop," Hawthorn stated in his flat voice.
"So what are you going to do with me?" Zokushi asked, glaring as the old man frowned deeper. The voice was punk tough and hard, the only emotion in it was anger.
"Since you've been to juvie for more accounts than any twelve year-old, we were considering prison. But," he growled as the boy tried to butt in, "we have changed our minds."
"So then, what?" he asked, relaxing a bit.
"We have decided that you will leave town and enter the Gethi League with that particular Roolaze right there. We will be checking on your progress with every city you enter. It's either that or seven years in prison." The judge watched as the boy he had seen before him so many times stared cold and hard. The eyes had hardened a bit more he noticed.
"I'll take the damn rat," he snarled finally.
"It's decided. Mr. Zokushi Douji will choose the League." The wooden gavel smashed the desk as Hawthorn stood. "You will check into every town at the police station. We will supply you with six hundred Gold pieces, a map, food and water for a month, rope, a PokéDex, a First Aid kit, a bag, extra clothes, and a permit. The permit must be stamped by the police in each town. If you lose it, you will not be issued another one."
Zokushi rolled his eyes. There were other ways to enter a town than a permit.
The judge caught his action but said nothing. "We will make sure you have checked into a town by permit. The police will call us once they check your permit. If we don't hear from them, we'll come looking for you and put you in prison."
The kid didn't answer, just grabbed the black backpack the judge held out to him. His trademark sneer rested on his face as he slipped one strap over his shoulder. The almost teen grabbed the leather rope wrapped snugly around the Roolaze's neck and dragged the Fire Joey out of the courthouse. The two armed guards followed him into the blazing heat.
The town of Morocon was one Zokushi didn't want to see again. The houses made of metal or clay, thatched roofs to keep the blazing heat away. The sun beat the small city at every chance it got. Rivers avoided the area at all costs; all the rivers that had been there were drained of life. A well was the only means of water, stuck in the middle of town.
People glared at him as he walked by, dragging the tiny Fire type after him. Some yelled at him which only made him snarl and tune them out like he always did. People were always breathing down his neck.
"You can continue on without us from here," one stated in a deep voice that rumbled across the land.
"Yeah," he muttered, having a tight hold on the soft leash.
The kangaroo's muzzle and handlinks were removed and the guards stepped back. Both watched as the rebel and the tiny Fire type walked off.
"Until you come back, Zokushi," both mumbled, watching the forms' silhouettes wavered in the intense heat.
"Damn people. Damn world," he snarled, kicking a rock. The sand under his feet shifted slightly, a sea of golden glass. Winds made the waves roll over the landscape, bring the tiny particles up and then down. It reminded Zokushi of the coast that he had seen once. Where colorful fish swam by, this ocean only gave him the rocks that were shaped into ghastly designs. The sand's beating had formed them and made them the faces of time.
He then growled at his "partner" who followed him out of curiosity. The shining black eyes watched him as he crawled after the human on all fours. The paws had small claws that gripped the sand easily. Long feet, perfect for hopping, shuffled across the ocean. Wagging, the thick tail dragged and made snake marks in the sand, giving it the real impression of waves.
"Damn Roolaze," he sneered.
Two feet planted themselves on his back and pushed, knocking the teen forward. Roaring, he turned to find the Roolaze smiling at him. His hand shot out but the Pokémon jumped back, letting out a small laugh at him.
"You little…" he growled, chasing after the Fire Joey. Sand cut his arms and hands as he bolted after the retreating kangaroo. "Come back here!" he screamed.
The boy suddenly tripped, his body flying through the hot air. Zokushi laid in defeat on the ground, sweat coating his face like a sticky skin. He shook his head, sand falling like a veil in front of his gray eyes. Getting back on his feet, he took in the dry air, making his throat hurt.
The squeal in front of him made the boy look up at the Roolaze. The tiny body camouflaged into the sand perfectly, giving him the impression this was a desert Roolaze, a subspecies of the original volcano Roolaze. The other subspecies was the plains Roolaze that completely controlled the plains of Gethi.
"So, you rat. Why don't you go off on your own? I can take care of myself," he snarled, brushing the sand off of his worn clothes. The black pants were torn at the edges and the white short sleeved shirt had stitches in it from rips. Zokushi began to stalk off when the sound of shuffles rose from behind him. He looked behind him, finding the Fire type to be following him. Growling, he tried to jog away from the creature but he followed diligently, hopping after the human.
"Go away!" the boy roared, turning around and running towards the Roolaze to scare it off. The Fire Joey just snorted and jumped high, his powerful feet planting on his chest and knocking Zokushi to the ground. He rolled and lay on his back in the blazing sun, sighing when the Pokémon's head came in view. "You stubborn…"
The kangaroo squealed loudly and hit him with a paw, whining deep in his throat. He stared into the big black eyes, getting a sense of depression in the black orbs. He whined again, rubbing his head against the boy's chest. The coarse fur brushed against Zokushi's neck.
"All right, get off," he growled but it was said in a gentler tone than before. He sat up and stared at the two foot tall Pokemon. "Let's see what this says about you," he mumbled, pulling out the PokéDex. The sleek black design, the size of a cell phone, glistened in the sun. He strapped it onto his wrist and let the soft fibers brush against his tanned skin. The boy pointed the scanner at the Roolaze and watched as it activated.
A picture of him popped up on the screen, the pixels matching each hair perfectly. "Roolaze," it droned out, the voice sounding oddly lifelike, "the Fire Joey Pokémon. Roolaze are quite common in hot places and migrate with their evolved forms. Young Roolaze are born during the rainy season and can be left behind at times. They are considered one of the most abundant of all Pokémon in the Gethi Region."
"And they call you the rats of the Gethi region," he muttered, turning the device off. Standing up to his height of five feet six, he began walking again. The Roolaze followed slowly, keeping a distance from the tall human. "Come on. Don't want the old man to yell at me," Zokushi called. When he didn't scoot closer, he shrugged. "Let's go, Masago."
The two large ears twitched up and a smile found its way on the young Roolaze's features. He hopped forward, shuffling besides the human as the two continued on through the blazing heat.
