Called into Question

By ShinobiWolf

Chapter Three: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

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It took a bit longer to update this chapter because I wanted to make it longer. Wow, I never expected to get so many reviews… My Digimon story I'm working on right now has four chapters and only nine reviews. This fic got eleven from just the first two chapters… This story is suffering from lack of a plotline, so I'm going to bring in Ash and Co. in the next chapter. At least I plan to… Though Kai will still be the main character. Thank you to Frostweaver, Imp is Insane, RHIGHLANDERS, and MoonlitHaze for the last reviews. I've never gotten this many this fast before on any of my other stories. This chapter is double the length of the first chapter, and I plan to make the next one closer to two thousand words. Thank you to everyone who reminded me to make the chapters longer. And a special thankies to RHIGHLANDERS for reviewing twice. I've never had a regular reviewer before.

Strange thought of the update: Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

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Kai-dono, where are we now?

In a forest. Kai didn't mind answering Blader's question. She was just thankful that he wasn't like those children who talk a mile a minute. Kai met one of those once… When she was human, obviously. It took Lina's intervention to keep Kai from bopping the little pest on the head. But on the contrary, Blader was very quiet.

Kai named her little sneasel tag-a-long Blader. She told herself she wouldn't name it; you know the drill. You name something, you get attached to it. But using "hey you" had started to get quite bothersome.

Once he grew accustomed to her scent, he chose to follow her from behind. Blader may have been blind, but his other senses were already starting to sharpen. He kept very close, though. The further he got, the more likely he was to run into something. Sticking behind Kai was the best way to not hurt himself. Not to mention he had taken a liking to calling her "Kai-dono".

Kai stopped in her tracks, never flinching when Blader bumped into one of her hind legs. She adjusted her ears with the direction of the wind, and proved herself right.

There was a river to the west.

The foliage was getting thicker by the minute, so she put Blader on her back in order to travel faster. As soon as Blader heard the river he jumped from Kai's back.

Kai wouldn't go another step. The river must have been a popular watering hole… About a dozen other Pokemon were lined up along both banks. She could handle passing one on the street, or traveling with Blader, but to be among so many Pokemon at once… Ever since she met that Blader, a mysterious sense of guilt tagged along just as he had.

When he didn't hear Kai following behind him, Blader turned around. What are you waiting for?

Kai swallowed her pride and led Blader to the river bank. Or was it fear? She cautiously took a few laps, and suddenly found herself wondering the strangest thoughts. For example, whether or not Pokemon backwash… Drinking from the same source as them at the same time made her insides churn. She continued to drink, while at the same time watching Blader to make sure he didn't fall in.

She drew in her tongue as she locked eyes with a Pokemon directly across the bank from her, a houndoom. He was still drinking, but kept right on staring her down. She recognized his strong build and scarred ebony fur, but she most recognized the misshapen scar where his left eye should have been. She should know. After all, she was the one who gave it to him.

Would he recognize Kai? Though she was hardly human anymore, Pokemon have been known to sense the strangest things. He was the only target of hers to get away, before that accursed white espeon. Kai stood her ground as the houndoom slowly waded into the shallow waters, heading straight for her. She absent-mindedly thought about the scar on her stomach. A souvenir, from said houndoom. Neither one escaped from that hunt unscathed. It took nearly three weeks for the gaping cut on her stomach to fully heal.

Would she be able to fight him now? She never bothered to learn how to train Pokemon, and after her transformation she met up with no hostility whatsoever. The houndoom's fangs and claws were obviously much larger that hers, any human on earth would know that.

She was saved as a gunshot rang out into the night air.

We'll save this for later. The houndoom growled as he bounded the rest of the way through the water. A chill went up Kai's spine as the canine passed just inches from her side. Another shot went throught the air and Kai was brought back into reality. She frantically looked around for Blader, and found him near the forest's edge. She wasted no time trying to get him on her back. She picked him up in her mouth by the scruff of his neck and dashed into the forest. More gunfire. Just how fast was this guy? The last two or three shots grazed the trees behind her.

Pain shot through her left hind leg and she was jerked to the ground. She dropped Blader, but once he shook off the cobwebs he was fine. Kai was not, and he knew it. He could smell blood… Not much, but it stung his sensitive nose something terrible.

Kai-dono! Kai-dono! What's wrong? The scent of blood scared him, and his lack of eyesight only made it worse.

Blader, listen to me… Kai tried and tried, but she could not free her leg from the trap that gnashed its steel teeth into her back ankle. I don't know how you're going to do it, but you have to run.

But Kai-dono, you're hurt…

Kai saw something that she really did not want to see at that moment. The scarred houndoom from before looked down on her not with anger, but with a sort of strained concern. Though it was silent, a moment of understanding passed between the two. He picked up Blader in his strong, but gentle jaws and raced into the forest, all the while enduring the cries of a frantic Blader.

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Kai sunk to the floor of her wire cage. The hunter was not gentle when he picked her up by the scruff of her neck and tore the trap from her leg. Neither did he care which direction the smoke from his campfire was blowing. Her eyes watered uncontrollably as the merciless smoke refused to keep away from her. It burned her eyes, her nose, her lungs, nothing was safe. The airborne ash even stung her leg, possibly torn beyond repair. She could not hold it back any longer. She exploded into a fit of agonizing coughs that burned her throat and lungs even worse. She jumped when an empty can was thrown against her cage. The hunter did not like them to make any sounds whatsoever. Yes, them. There was another with her, in a cage next to hers on the hunter's truck. A young bayleef, if she was not mistaken.

Once the hunter had fallen asleep, the two were free to talk, providing they didn't wake him up. The bayleef was, needless to say, surprised that her cellmate used to be a human.

But, how can such a thing happen?

It's… a long story.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we're in no hurry to go anywhere. Kai laughed bitterly at the bayleef's remark.

I used to be a hunter, as well. The bayleef widened his eyes, but did not move. One night I- I mean, my partner and I were after a white espeon. I don't know how it did it, but it gave me the form I have now.

My mother told me about the white espeon… It's supposed to be very powerfull.

I guess it's punishment… For killing so many Pokemon for so many years…

But you seem to be adjusting well. Kai gave him a sideways glance. That Blader you told me of. He seems to have found a special place in your heart. Surely you are not all bad.

Kai lie down on the cold floor of her cage. How could Pokemon do this? It's like they had some sort of sixth sense that no human could ever comprehend…

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Salty tears pooled on the cage floor. Kai did not know what to do… She had done the same things so many times before she couldn't count. But this time, when that hunter did it, she could do nothing to hold back her tears. She lost Blader, and now she lost the bayleef. How could this happen to her? She thought back on all the Pokemon lives she took. She could remember every face, every species. Before she could only remember a few, all business related of course. She could remember each and every face, before she took their lives… Blader's condition saddened her, but something about the bayleef's death struck something deep inside of her. At this point, she did not care whether or not she became human again. She had to repent for all the lives she took, somehow, someway. She would take being a Pokemon with stride, and leave her old life behind. She finally decided where in life she should be. If she could ever get out of this prison…

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