A Mightyena Named Wolf
Disclaimer : I do not own Pokémon
This chapter has been edited in 2009.
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Chapter 4 ~ Out of the Fire
Will watched the Mightyena as he drank the water. The Pokémon was eagerly lapping the water from the bowl. Several drops of water splashed out onto the floor, but Will did not mind.
This is it, he thought. It's make it or break it time.
"Now, er, Mightyena?"
The Mightyena stopped drinking and looked up at Will. Several droplets of water dripped down from his muzzle. The Mightyena had placed his head too deep into the bowl and has gotten the front of his muzzle all wet. Will restrained from laughing.
"Do you… uh, you know… I have always wanted a Pokémon. As a… as a friend and partner, you know? Do you want to be my partner?" Will looked at the Mightyena hopefully.
Hmm… what's this?
A human… asking for permission to capture?
This was different from what he had expected. Humans don't ask for permission from the Pokémon they want to catch… they just catch them.
What should he do?
To Will's bewilderment, the Mightyena moved towards the window. He stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on the windowsill. He gazed at the setting sun.
All along, he had assumed that he was already captured. He was sad, true, but inside he also felt a kind of relief. Being captured means to lose his pride as a wild Mightyena, but if he was not captured, he would have nowhere to go.
Oh dad… what should I do? Give me a sign… please…
Just then, a helicopter came and flew past the evening sky. The Mightyena had never seen a helicopter before. He was a bit frightened at seeing the foreign object roar across the calm sky. Is this it then? Is this the sign his father has sent from the heavens? It would certainly seem so.
He jumped back onto the floor and stared at the boy. He has his answer now.
He slowly bowed his head, giving a small nod.
"Y-you will?" Will exclaim excitedly.
Will seemed rather surprised at his approval, the Mightyena thought. Perhaps Will had expected him to refuse. For a moment, the Mightyena thought of changing his mind and retain his pride instead. However, he decided against it.
He nodded once more, this time a bigger nod.
"Thanks, Mightyena! I promise I'll do my best and take care of you!" Will said and took out a Pokéball.
"Wait!"
"Huh. . . what?" Will turned around. Who said that? There was no one else at home, let alone his room.
There's only… no… it couldn't be…
"Wait," the Mightyena said again.
Will stared blankly at the Mightyena. It took quite a few seconds for his mind to register just what had happened. Then, he backed away from the Pokémon. "Argh!! You can talk!"
"Yes. Yes I can," the Mightyena said as if it was perfectly normal for Pokémon to talk.
"Wow, that's bizarre," Will muttered. "A talking Mightyena." He seemed dazed at this sudden turn of events.
"You must promise me a few things before you catch me."
"Promise… you?" Will asked.
"One: Don't keep me in the Ball. Let me out."
"Oh, that's perfectly OK."
The Mightyena nodded and said, "Two: Don't call me Mightyena."
"But why?"
"Allowing myself to be caught… that's a disgrace to Pokémon. I am not fit to be called a Mightyena," he explained.
"Does that mean… you don't want to be captured?"
"I don't want to… but I have nowhere else to go."
Will did not know what to say at this. "Er… well, you can stay here without me capturing you, I guess…"
The Mightyena shook his head. "No. It's fine. You can capture me."
"Oh, OK. So… if you want to have a different name… what do you want me to call you?"
The Mightyena looked around the room, and then walked to Will's table. There was a computer and a few books on it. The Mightyena placed his paw on the largest book he could find: a dictionary.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a dictionary. It tells you the meaning of words."
"OK…"
The Mightyena used his muzzle and nosed open the dictionary. The front cover flipped over and hit the table with a small thud. Using his muzzle again, the Mightyena flipped over to the "J" section.
"What's this word here?" Mightyena said, placing his paw on one of the entries.
Will came over and stared at the word. "Juice."
"Not nice." The Mightyena flipped to another section. "This?"
"Umbrella."
"… That's a stupid name for me. This?"
"Verify."
"Too complicated. This?"
"Wolf."
The Mightyena paused. "… Short and simple, I guess. That will have to do."
Feeling bewildered, Will muttered, "Wolf?"
"What?"
"No, I mean, that's the name you want? 'Wolf'?" Will asked.
"Yes."
"OK then… are you ready?"
Wolf bowed his head. He knew what was coming. Though he did not like it, it was necessary.
"OK then, here it comes!" Will tossed the Pokéball and Wolf got sucked inside. The Pokéball moved a little but soon stopped. Will bent down and picked it up. He immediately let Wolf out again.
Wolf stared at him.
"Thank you, Wolf."
The Mightyena gave an unmistakable smile. It was the first time Will had ever seen him smile.
As for Wolf, it felt like it was the first time he smiled as well. Or at least, he could not remember the last time he smiled.