Chapter 16: Beginning a circle.

(From the perspective of the Pichu)

I could feel electricity flowing through every wire of this human construction. Feel its progress to do tasks. It was like a sound too loud to block out, though it was uncomfortable once I had the chance to get used to it. I even could feel weaker electrical currents through it. The nervous system of any living creature is alive with electricity. For every movement made, a burst of electricity had to be sent from the brain to the muscles. And the brain was always alive with electricity; each thought a burst of energy. The complexity of it all was so much that it seemed impossible to understand, but still I was able to see basic concepts within a mind. My parents and siblings just never put the effort in to figure it out.

Changes were happening too quickly to be normal in the ninetales mind, emotions instantly being switched. Kitsune had gone from caring for my safety to think I was a toy. She held me tight for a while till the male human left, which was a little while after the female one arrived. It was then she started to toss me around, always catching me in her jaws before I hit the ground. I was never given the chance to escape.

I stopped struggling because of how hopeless it was but it was obvious why she wasn't eating me. I was too much fun for her while I struggled. Still I'd only survive so long, I needed to escape. I needed help from somebody. I had seen no pokemon here but the ninetales and the skarmory.

I had no one left to ask. Running from danger to danger had finally caught up with me. I had watched my family be killed and eaten by a family of delcatty while one of the skitty's of the family merely toyed with me because it wasn't hungry. I don't remember how I managed to escape that, but I must have done something terrible to it, as it was the only one who didn't chase me as I ran. I escaped them by getting onto this place that floats across water. If I stopped running then, and didn't search for a place to hide then I wouldn't have run into this ninetales.

It was a while before I saw anyone else to try to talk to. An absol staggered around later that day. It looked ill but I had to try. I let out a burst of electricity contain what I wanted to say, hoping it'd understand. Talking like other pokemon wasn't an option for me. Yet all I got for a response was the ninetales clenching her jaws round me, sinking them into my flesh and a yelp from the absol. It was ove—

Suddenly, there was a sound of a human voice, the female one. I couldn't understand the words but it seemed important, so I let my mind drift into focusing on her mind. Suddenly I understood what she was saying, "Kitsune! That's a live pichu! Put it down before you hurt the poor thing."

Amazingly the ninetales obeyed, and I fell to the ground. I did not run. Out there were many things that'd quickly make a meal of me. I just felt like screaming out in frustration with the universe. I let my electricity burst out everywhere.

"Um… I think the pichu is speaking telepathically," there was fear in the ninetales voice, a fear of her mind being open to me. Still she understood, and no one else did, "you didn't hear it did you, Lilac?"

"It just means you can understand electricity," it felt good to have someone to talk to after running so long. It was tiring talking though electricity but worth it, "you're the only one here I've seen who can."

"Pichu, let my human pick you up, it feels like the boat has stopped and you need to have your injuries treated," Kitsune's fear was gone now she knew how I did it. Still she was being nice all of a sudden, "I know the other trainer, Ryan, is probably rushing ahead as we speak to get the pokémon centre prepared for us."

I obeyed. There wasn't much choice. As the girl picked me up I forced my head into her chest to block out the sights and sounds of the world…

…It was all too soon that she put me down on a table. I looked around. It was another human building, presumably the pokémon centre. Beside me, but on the floor instead of on a table, was Kitsune with a bowl of strange round balls of food that humans often gave to pokémon.

"Here have a piece if you're hungry," Kitsune said, and I jumped down to the ground. I quickly grabbed a piece to eat. It was nice but there was something wrong with it. Something about the tone of voice Kitsune had used. I suddenly felt sleepy, and as I drifted off I hear one last thing from Kitsune, "I guess I'll have to eat it anyway if I want my tail to get better."

"The pichu is almost completely mute. It'll never be able to talk to other pokémon in the way they do. Don't worry it's not because of injury, it is merely a variation of the species that is sometimes seen. They only are able to communicate to other pokémon through electricity, usually this means only to electric pokémon, a few non-electric species, but there are the odd occurrence of other pokémon being sensitive enough to electrical fields too, and even one or two humans that can understand it. Since no one reported a lost pichu it is safe to assume this one is a feral one that happened to sneak onto the ship, so technically it's yours now."

I felt what was meant instead of the words themselves again. It was a human speaking, the human who gave Kitsune the food. It felt weirder this time hearing what she meant to say in my head, as I knew some of what I picked up was from before I had been woken up by her actual voice.

"I suppose I'll have to accept that," Lilac sighed. I was in her arms, and I had to look around. Sure enough the ninetales was close by with the bowl of uneaten food held in her jaws. Not that I blame her for not eating it, it was clearly tainted as it caused sleep, the problem was her reasons keeping it at all. "Come on Kitsune, we better meet with Ryan for dinner. By now he'll of thought of how to punish Thorn for injuring your tail."

It took no time to find the other human. There was a strange feeling about him now that I focused on him, but it didn't seem threatening, nor had I worked out what it meant. I didn't try to understand the two human's conversations from the moment Lilac put my down on the ground. How could anything they said of been more interesting than another talk with Kitsune?

"Why have you kept the tainted food?" I spoke through a jolt of electricity into her fur. There was the yelp of surprise from a mightyena, still Kitsune wouldn't let anyone hurt me so it wasn't worth paying much attention to that, "how do you intend to make it safe to eat?"

"I'll tell you if you do a little favour for me," she was suddenly right in my face baring her teeth and growling quietly, her tongue licking her white fangs. Some of the growling was from her stomach. It wasn't a favour she was really asking for. It was an alternative to being dinner that she was offering, "sneak as much of it as you can into the skarmory's meal."

Easy. I used to steal food without notice, so giving food should be just as easy. I picked up a piece in my food and turned to run with it to Thorn. It no longer seemed easy, everyone was watching, ready to spring to save me from Kitsune. I could not act when they were expecting something. At least not in the way I first hoped.

I dived back behind the bowl, and began pushing it towards the skarmory. It was hard work to move something that big, and certainly slow. No time to tell Kitsune what I expected from her. I had to rely on her to act how any carnivorous pokemon acted when its food was being stolen. I was not let down…

"Hey, that's my food!" she barked, as she pounced on me, picking me up in her jaws. It felt like she was really going to bite me in two for a moment, but I resisted panicking. She tossed me away. I was helpless in the air till there was the feel of metal talons grabbing me. It was quite a shock to me when I saw that Kitsune had her head in the bowl, slowly eating a little of the food. I then heard her mutter with her mouth full, "nobody steals my food, especially to try giving it to a sadistic skarmory. Next one to try it will feel the full force of my power… not like anyone would stay conscious long enough to see."

"You're still weak from your failing at Rustboro, so stop talking so tough. Maybe a night without dinner will kill your attitude. Nothing else seems to," Thorn laughed, as he held me. His grip tightened, though only because he was more focused on Kitsune than me. He leapt. Ramming Kitsune out of his way would probably have been easy anyway, but it was made easier by her muscles all relaxing at the last possible moment before impact. I could sense it, Thorn couldn't. He fell right into the trap and began scoffing the food. He had finished all of it before even starting to feel the effects.

"Thanks Lilac for teaching me that trick, it always carries the element of surprise," Kitsune yawned as the skarmory collapsed to the ground, with me barely able to struggle from its talons even when it was out cold. The tainted food had taken its toll. Kitsune slowly curled up on the ground, slowly dropping to sleep. Thus I was alone. No one else here could understand me. All I could do was listen, as the two humans came running to tend to the sleeping pokémon.

"Lilac," Ryan spoke, as he crouched down beside Thorn, "I understand Kitsune did this to get revenge, but I have a feeling she's planning something more. There must be something to do to allow us to have warning as to Kitsune's next move; it's difficult to know what to do. Perhaps leaving them both out of their balls would be best, if only we had something to make that safe for Thorn."

Yes, I could see the problem. Within a pokéball Thorn would be just as helpless as he was while in an induced sleep, with the difference he'd be easier to take to a place where the rest of the revenge would be harder to interfere with. Putting Kitsune in a pokéball wouldn't work either; it'd only take one of the pokémon here to let her out for her to implement whatever she had planned. And I knew of at least one pokémon that'd do it.

"Don't worry; I'm sure we can find a bell to tie to her neck. That'll make sure that we hear her whenever she tries to move. As long as one of us is a light enough sleeper to be woken by it everything will be fine. The more pokémon around, the more likely one will be woken… I'd prefer to have a locked room to put one in, but that isn't going to be a possibility so we'll have to manage with what we have."

So many other pokémon around, one of which would have to be safe to snuggle with through the night. There was a strange one with paint oozing from its tail approaching me. It was certainly smaller than most of the other pokémon around, and looked rather cheerful.

"Hi, want to be friends?" its voice had a tone of friendliness, matching its words. For it being willing to be friends with me was enough. I jumped at it and I was certain I was asleep before impact…

There was movement. I snapped awake. Even in the dark I could see the ninetales walking over to the skarmory, her tails wagging slowly with malicious intent. How did everyone else sleep while such emotion filled the air? A small bell tied round her neck sparkled in the low light though it remained silent, the reason for which was probably linked to its deformed shape and the fact there was a fading red glow to it.

I could do nothing but watch. I couldn't risk going against her, I would only live till I ceased being amusing for her. Still, there was no hate emanating from her, as if she would be willing to accept friendship once they were even. Nothing would change the fact she intended to make Thorn suffer and she was smart enough not to make it possible for anyone willing to interfere even know till after it was done.

A blue glow came off her tails as she sat beside him; the tails' movements seemed to become more controlled, less natural. The glow began to arc off the tails, swirling together into orbs of unnatural fire. There were only a few such orbs, but they grew. Each one became large enough to totally engulf me. A scary thought, even if the fox didn't intend to use them on me. One mistake could send one my way.

The orbs of fire floated down on to the skarmory's side. It didn't take long for the feathers to start to glow red, slowly melting— Whack! I didn't even see Kitsune prepare such an attack, but I saw it hit. One glowing white tail that splashed the partially melted metal around… Even if Kitsune was willing to be friends after this, I doubt Thorn ever will. It'll lead into a circle of vengeance, always growing stronger without end till one of the two is no more.