Moonlight's Shadow Chapter 9:

Koja's Confession

Ignoring, the irritated cries of the Chansey nurse who was in charge of the ward, Sami scanned the beds for any signs of Koja. A tiny smile came when she saw that all three of them seemed to be resting peacefully. Walking past Shadow and Inferno's beds she patted them a little before reaching Koja at the end of the room. She pulled up a stool and sat down. For a few minutes there was silence while the trainer mused on what she was going to do.

"It's you…" the voice of the Absol sounded weak and tired and Koja struggled to keep his eyes open, "This, this is an outrage! They stuck all these needles in me… I'm going to make you pay…"

Sami smiled softly before her face hardened, "Koja."

"Yeah? Are you going get me out of this silly place?"

"No… Apparently you were…" the teen struggled to find the right words, "Owned previously by a trainer?"

"And? Make it quick… I need my beauty sleep…"

Sami's eyes softened as she watched the Absol struggle to remain awake. The needles that had been stuck in him were to put him to sleep and to keep him docile were certainly doing their work... She had been told that the Absol was scared stiff and trashing about so there had been no choice but to use them.

"Well… Apparently, I stole you as I kind of tossed a pokeball at you during the battle…"

"Silly human…" but the trainer could tell that the Absol trusted her less now but had mixed feelings.

On one hand, she knew that the Absol desperately didn't like pokeballs and on the other hand, she didn't want him to get any more hurt then his already half critical state. She shook her head and re focused on what she was going to say.

"And when I brought you here to heal up, you were found that you were actually owned by someone else. Not owned by me like if I had just 'caught' you with a pokeball."

"What!" Koja was alert, wide awake.

"Shh… Keep it down… So if I don't offer an explanation or anything… You're not free and… You go back to whoever owned you previously. Which I think is a mistake but…"

"Is he… Is he here?" Koja looked around frantically, "Please say he isn't… Please!"

Sami sighed. It wasn't a mistake as she had thought it'd be. It was logical- Koja was scared of humans but it didn't make sense as he was a wild Pokemon. So, a logical explanation would be that the Absol had a previous trainer who was pretty nasty to him and the Absol somehow got free but was still officially 'owned' by that trainer… What a mess.

"What's wrong Koja boy…" by now Inferno had awoke by Koja's previous outburst, "Gotten into a fit now?'

The Houndoom also seemed quite out of it and was struggling also to stay awake.

"Eh… Where… Where am I?" Shadow's voice, sleepy came across the room, "What's this… thing doing on my leg?" There was fear in the voice, nearly mirroring Koja's, "What's happened?"

Sami's eyes widened and she rubbed her forehead with one hand. She couldn't handle both Shadow and Koja at one time… Inferno was too out of it to even help Shadow and she knew that Ditto would probably cause more confusion to Shadow then assistance. So…

"Zan." Sami whispered into the Cubone's Pokeball, "I sort of need you… To… Well I know you normally don't do these things. But please! Just go kind of explain to Shadow because she's pretty freaked out right now."

The Cubone grunted as he was let out. He walked slowly towards the bed and towards the younger Pokemon. In a single bound, the ground Pokemon had leapt onto the bed. Both Pokemon were uncomfortable though one was also freaked out.

"Umm… Well you ah… Don't need to worry…" started the Cubone.

Sami smiled as she turned back to Koja. Social Skills were something Zan wasn't particularly good at and she knew that comforting and explaining things to Shadow would probably be good for him.

"No… I don't think he's here. You trainer that is…" Sami shook her head, "But please… Can you explain to me? I'm kind of confused right now."

The Absol closed his eyes for a while, obviously in a mental debate whether to explain or not. Finally he opened his eyes slowly. Shadow and Zan were by now done and were watching the Absol. Even Inferno had stirred out from his sleepy state and was now waiting intently.

"All right, I'll tell you." All traces of sleepiness gone, the Absol swallowed hardly and began to speak.

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When you're only a few months old, ninety percent off your feelings are near to or are happy. You world is simple- play, eat, and sleep. But, the world of Koja suddenly crashed down around him on one fateful day.

Maybe, his family shouldn't have left the pack that day to go out as a family. Maybe they should've stayed with the pack. Maybe then Koja's life would have been a lot happier.

But Koja's family did stay within the pack grounds. They traveled out from the mountains and into the forest and his parents let he and his siblings play and swim in the nearby river. It was a warm spring day and every seemed right.

That is, until they heard the voice of a human boy. A growlithe sprang out of a bush on the other side of the river and jumped into the water. Koja's parents called out for their children to return while racing forward.

The others swam easily out of the water, but Koja, being the youngest, struggled to come back to dry land. The river current was strong to a young Absol like himself and he became more and more frightened as he heard the Growlithe swim closer and closer.

He cried out for someone to save him. But his parents did not move. They only watched as the Growlithe picked Koja up by the scruff and carried him away. It was in that moment was it was suddenly pitch dark.

The human boy swore and cursed. But it wasn't long before suddenly, again, light returned to the world and the Growlithe was by the boy's side, looking sorrowfully down at the little Absol puppy before her.

The Absol looked and stared as ever so slowly, he watched his family walk away from in and disappear into the forest. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a white and red sphere coming towards him and he felt it hit him. A second later, the Absol was crying, wailing, shaking, and trembling. He was trapped within a sphere. He was being jostled around, he was scared stiff.

That was his first experience with a pokeball. It was also his first experience with humans. There was deep cut in his heart where his family was meant to be but they were no longer there. He was all alone.

He found out that he was meant to be trained and used to battle other Pokemon. The boy trained him to do attacks and techniques which weren't meant for such a young Absol, let alone any Pokemon. The boy kicked Koja when he was confused, kicked him when he made a mistake, kicked him when he felt like it.

And the boy's friends were not much different. They kicked the young Absol too, or scorned and mocked him. When the Absol met the other Pokemon of the human boy, he was even more confused. They seemed to be emotionless, beaten into obedience. Except the Growlithe who had captured him.

Only she had emotions, even if they were very little. The fire Pokemon comforted him when times were extremely rough and when her trainer wasn't looking. The Growlithe kept a look out for the Absol, making sure he had enough will to live.

But even with the kicking and the beating, Koja somehow evolved into the little runt who could win battles. He was successful in winning in beating Pokemon far older then he. The only joy he had was a twisted one- to knock out another Pokemon and stand the victor.

But deep in himself, the dark Pokemon was a twisted mess of confusion and hate for humans. But one day, one fortunate day when the gods had mercy on the Absol, his pokeball broke. It malfunctioned. The trainer turned away for a second or two to curse at the pokeball and swear at it. This was the time that the Growlithe used to whisper freedom in his ear and send him off in the forest.

The Absol gave his only furry refuge and finally lick and looked back at her sorrowfully as he ran faster then he had ever had before. When he was safe, far away, he heard the angry yells of the boy and he heard the yelps of the Growlithe who put herself at risk to give him his freedom.

He left for home. Not knowing where else to go. He traveled to the woods, past lakes and rivers till he finally breathed the mountain air of his home territory. But the time that he met his family wasn't a happy occasion.

Fake joy was plastered on their faces and the Absol could tell. He wasn't naive anymore like he had been. They mistook him for the runt of the family again, not knowing, not caring what he had gone through. He was teased and mocked for for unhealthy his coat looked. He was scorned for how skinny he was but the last straw came when he was ridiculed on how he was absolutely useless and would never amount to anything by his elder sister.

That returned the fire to Koja's eyes and his instinct taught to him by the human boy to knock out and fight returned. His sister was no match for his superior battle skills and as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, he was stopped by his father.

The pack was fed lies by his parents, about how he brutally tried to kill his sister when the Pokemon herself did nothing. As his father was a highly respected member of the pack, Koja was kicked out. The event was marked by the traditional two scars on his front legs that were in the shape of an 'x'.

His experience left Koja with a fiery hatred for his family and pack and an intense desire to return for revenge one day. His heart was turning into stone- the tender love that the Growlithe had shown him was beginning to be forgotten and there as an everlasting phobia of humans mixed with a hatred for them.

And that was Koja's story.

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There was silence as the Absol finished speaking. No one knew what to say. For what could they say? Sami pondered on what she was going to do. Things were turning into one huge knotted mess that she was trying to untangle but each time she undid a knot, a new knot appeared.

The doors to the ward opened and someone started to walk in. Koja's eyes widened and bolted off his bed and through a nearby window. The glass shattered into pieces and it wasn't long because Koja's form was running, running away. Shadow closed her eyes for a moment before leaping up from her bed. Glancing quickly at Inferno, Zan, and Sami, Shadow dipped her head in a thank you before she too, leapt out of the window and ran to catch up with Koja.

The person who walked through the doors stared at the glass. It was Nurse Joy.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this…"

Sami sighed and put her head in her hands. It was going to be a long day.

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Koja cursed. In pure instinct he had suddenly bolted out of his bed like that. But there was no going back to the Pokemon Centre. He just wouldn't go back. He just couldn't go back.

Beside Koja, Shadow gazed at the Pokemon Centre worried. She wanted to help Sami, but in all seriousness, what could she actually do? If she went back to try and even help, she had a feeling Koja was sure to follow and there'd be a bigger mess. Koja would, against his will go back to his old trainer and it wouldn't be very pretty.

Finally, after the two stood in silence for a while, Koja turned to leave. Shadow follow suit but she turned to gaze at the Pokemon Centre one last time. And in a single bound the Umbreon jumped into the bushes and disappeared to follow Koja.