I slammed the gas pedal to the floor as I tried to outrun these freaks. Weird thing for me to say, considering I was the one they were calling a freak. The speedometer read 150 MPH when another shot hit the back of the car.

I looked behind me at my pursuers. I counted seven guys in total…eight if you count the driver. They were all wielding shotguns and driving like maniacs. I was driving reckless just to get away from the, but they seemed to try and cause as much damage as they could.

I swerved to the right to avoid another shot. I knew guns like that could only do little damage to me; the car I was driving on the other hand, was a different story. If they shot the tires, I could swerve out of control and crash. Or what if they hit the gas tank? I could survive a volley of shots, but a flaming fireball of metal…not so much.

As I tried to avoid hitting a nearby stand, I weighed my options. I could try and shake them, but that could put innocent lives in danger. I laughed at this notion. Here I was, being chased by several crazed men in a truck, and I still worried about everyone else getting hurt.

Second option: Try and out run them. That could prove difficult, as Metagross weren't big in the speed department and I had been trained for power before I escaped. At this point, I found myself cursing that Team Rocket for making me what I was: something different and hated by all society.

Third option: Fight. I had been forced to train for combat, but I didn't think I could take on several loaded men on and live. Things seemed bleak at this point…

As the chase continued, I found myself entering onto the highway. Luck was on my side, as this highway proved to be vacant for the time. I floored it as I tried to outrun them. No matter how much I swerved, picked up speed or changed lanes, they continued to tail me.

With option one failing, I quickly needed a plan. Looking up, I saw the sign said "Lake. Next left." I smiled as a new plan began forming. There was a forest by the lake, so if I could make it there before them, I could loose them in the forest.

Taking the next left, I figured I was almost in the clear, when something unexpected happened. All a head was a loud pop as my back tire was shot out. With only three tires, I started to swerve out of control and off the road. As the car rode downhill, I hit something hard; probably a rock, and the car went flying through the air.

Like a scene in a movie, the car went flying through the air. Kicking the door open, I dived out just as it crashed, exploding on impact. The wave of the blast sent me flying back, landing a few feet from the flaming remains of the car.

Still shaken up from the landing, I tried to get up. The blast hadn't caused any damage, unless you counted the car. As I got on my feet, I head the sound of a horn. Looking above the remains of the car, I saw my pursuers still chasing after me!

With option one scrapped, I immediately moved onto option two: run! As I started running, I heard the sounds of "What the Hell!?!" and "Get this shit rolling, he's getting away!" and I also heard the driver yell "You won't get far you little piece of Shit!" Looking behind me, I saw that their truck was stuck in a pothole, causing them to have to hunt me on foot.

Knowing it wouldn't take them long to catch up to me, I picked up the pace. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the forest come into view, but my happiness was short lived as I heard the sound of a gunshot from behind me. Not wanting to wait for them to find me, I raced into the forest.

As I ran through the forest, I could see the sky through the clearings of the trees. It looked like it was almost dusk. If I could outrun these guys till nightfall, there was a chance they would be unable to find me in the dark of night. A small glimmer of hope began to rise up in me, as I continued to race past the trees.

"This forest seems to go on forever…" As those words left my mouth, the horrible images of my dreams came rushing back like a bullet to my brain The endless forest, the twigs snapping behind me, the terrible scream…I fell to my knees as my head started to throb from the sudden rush of images.

I saw myself running through the forest, the dark of night bathing it in blackness. I was panting, always looking over my shoulder every ten seconds. I tripped over a root, as I was unable to see three feet in front of me. Suddenly, a strange light seemed to fill the forest.

I turned around…to see tall towers of flames licking the night sky. Something not far from where I was had suddenly been set ablaze. I fell to the ground, tears streaming from my eyes for unknown reasons. It was then that I heard the noise of a twig snap to my left. I got back up as I heard someone yell, "I found him! He's over here!"

Suddenly fearing for my life, I broke into a run, trying to hide myself in the dark forest. I heard the sound of running behind me, as well as the sound of barking. They had sent the dogs out on me, hoping they would tear me limb from limb.

I looked behind me, to see a glowing pair of eyes coming closer and closer. Before I had time to react, the huge form of a Mightyena leapt from the darkness, its fangs and claws ready to slit my throat. I let out a scream as…

The images suddenly vanished, along with the searing pain in my head. More questions filled my head, like "Who was I running from?", "Why was I crying?" and "What was it that had burst into flames?" Like before, I didn't have answers for these questions.

As I slowly got back to my feet, I heard the sound of running. They had caught up to me and it wasn't even close to nightfall yet! Not wanting to stick around, I quickly tried to make up for lost time.

I heard the sound of another shot and the sound of several Pidgey flying away, scared from the loud noise. I needed to find the ending of this forest…Fast! As I started to run faster, as say an opening in some trees up ahead, answering my prayers. But as I ran into the clearing, my hopes ran dry.

I was not in a clearing as I first thought, but a small patch of earth before a huge river. On the other side of the river, I saw a bigger and taller forest, with a mountain clearly visible in the background.

"Oh great…now what?" I was in a bind. As many people may know, Metagross are not very good swimmers. The weight of my legs alone would cause me to sink like a rock. I knew I had to think of something; the hunters were getting closer by the second.

Then…I had an idea. I knew a move called Magnet Rise, which would allow even someone as heavy as me to float above the ground. Maybe I could use it to walk across the lake?

There were only two problems with this plan. One, I had no idea how to use Magnet Rise and, #two, even if I did know, all it would take would be one misstep, and I would sink and drown in this water. There had to be another way…

My thoughts were interrupted by another shot, this one much closer then the last. It was at that moment, that I made of my mind. I would rather try and fail then just give up! Knowing that time was not on my side, I quickly started concentrating.

Being a Metagross, I had a magnetic force coursing through me at all times. Only now, I had to figure out how to command that force at will. I tried concentrating; telling my self "I could float. I could float!"

But nothing happened. I then tried thinking of the soles of my feet, slowly lifting off the ground by the magnetic force, and floating gracefully across the water.

I felt a strange feeling beneath me feet as the thought entered my head. Looking down, I saw that my feet were indeed floating a few inches off the ground! Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer by the minute, I decided it was now, or never.

Staring straight ahead, I slowly stepped into the water. A few ripples spread across from where my foot touched, but my foot stayed safely on the surface of the water. Lifting my other foot, I took another step, still floating on the surface of the lake.

Slowly taking it step by step, I remained on the surface of the lake. Suddenly, I heard a cry from behind me. Turning around, I saw that the hunters had caught up to me, some were gasping that I was walking on water.

Using their shock to my advantage, I broke into a run. Even running, I remained steady on the water's surface. I heard shots from behind me, then a plop as the bullets missed me and hit the lake instead. I looked behind me to see one of the men swear and throw their gun to the ground. I was in the clear!

Or, so I thought. Seconds later, the loud blare of a foghorn filled the air. Turning to the source of the sound, I saw several speedboats heading towards me. They all had the same symbol painted on their bow: a pokeball with a spear through it.

I was about to run, when I heard the sound of a piston firing. I had seconds to react, before something big shot past me, fast. I grabbed it before it sunk below the lake. Looking at it, I saw…a harpoon!? They were trying to harpoon me?!

I knew I couldn't be hurt by bullets, but I had absolutely no idea if I would survive even one shot from a harpoon. Trying again to run, I heard the sound of them fire another harpoon. I quickly dove out of the way, but I flipped over and I was falling headfirst!

Quickly, I pictured floating from the magnetic waves, but from my hands this time. Seconds before I hit the water, magnetism shot from my hands, allowing me to flip off the water, back onto my feet.

Having quickly recovered, I saw the speedboats approaching me very fast. Quickly thinking up a plan, I decided to play a little game of chicken. I started running, but towards the boats. The driver of one of the boats was shocked for a moment, but quickly hit the gas as he participated in my little game.

As we both raced towards each other, the driver grabbed his harpoon gun and fired another harpoon towards me. Moving to the side, I grabbed the harpoon while it passed. With the harpoon in hand, I continued to race towards the bow of the boat. Seconds before I smashed into the front of the speeding boat, I leapt up into the air.

When I was right above the boat, I tossed the harpoon straight down. Pulled by gravity, the harpoon stuck the deck of the boat, smashing straight through to bottom of the boat. Water began to fill the hull, causing the boat to sink very quickly.

Landing back down, the driver quickly dove out as his boat sank beneath the water. With one boat down, two of the remaining three raced forward, harpoons ready. The driver of the fourth boat yelled something that sounded like "Stop!" but the other two didn't hear him.

Both boats started to circle me as they readied their harpoon guns. At the same time, both boats fired their harpoons, hoping to take me out. As the flying projectiles came towards me, I ducked.

Using my arms for support, I laid on my back inches above the water. The two harpoons passed as they sailed over me, and continued to head on course for the boats. Both drivers abandoned ship as the harpoons struck the sides of the boats, creating a huge hole in the sides of the boats that started to fill up until both those boats had sunk as well.

With only one boat left, and considering the fact that I had just taken down three other boats single handedly, the other guy decide to high tail it and run. I just stood there for a minute, expecting him to turn around and fire another harpoon at me, but nothing happened.

"Well…that was easy." With the last boat gone and the hunters unable to fire at me, I ran across the water. This led to another problem: my Magnet Rise was wearing off. I couldn't keep it going forever and if I didn't reach the shore by the time it ran out…

I tried to push that thought from my mind as I started getting closer and closer to the shore. I heard the sound of yelling and swearing from behind me as the hunters saw their catch escape. I smiled. All they had on them were revolvers and shotguns, weapons that wouldn't even make a dent in my armor. Nothing they had could stop me!

I was coming closer and closer to the shore, but it was then that the magnetic force started to decrease, as me feet slowly lowered closer to the water. Every step I took got me closer and closer to the shore, and a watery grave.

"Almost there…" I was less then five steps away from the shore, when it happened. There was no sound, just pain, as something big and fast struck my shoulder. The sudden impact had enough force to knock me from the water, onto the shore and continue rolling. I probably would have kept rolling, had there not been a tree to stop me.

Once I had stopped rolling, pain shot from my shoulder and from the bump I had just gotten. Raising my hand, I tried to locate where I got hit. As I did that, I felt something wet touch the back of my head. Raising my hand infront of my face, I gasped.

Blood. I was bleeding! Pulling up the sleeve of my cloak, I surveyed the damage.

I saw a huge bullet wound in my shoulder, blood running down my arm profusely

What ever had hit me had had enough force to not only drill its way through my armor, but had also had enough force leftover to send me flying.

Looking across the river, I saw the hunters laughing, aiming a huge sniper rifle down my way. They must have fired an armor piercing round, but those were illegal except for the military! These guys meant business!

Not wanting to be used for target practice, I ran into the forest. As I ran, I used me teeth to tear off some fabric from my cloak. Tightly wrapping it around my shoulder, it acted as makeshift gauze, stopping the bleeding.

At this point, I was running on instincts. Know that I knew they could pierce through my armor, I was scared for my life. I continued to race through the forest, hearing the sound of a tree falling from another shot. I had to lose them, before they were able to cross the lake!

I stopped for a minute to catch my breath. I need someway to escape them, but what… Suddenly, something grabbed the back of my cloak. I jumped back, thinking it was the hunters, only to hear small laughter. Turning around, I saw the purple hand-tail of an Aipom.

The Aipom was holding onto the branch, laughing its head off from its little prank, which Aipom were best known for. Then, an idea hit me. Maybe I could get this Aipom to help me!

"Hey! Aipom!" the Aipom looked up as I called its name. Being a Pokemorph, I could speak both human AND Pokemon fluently. This little guy didn't know this, as he responded with "Who is this weirdo?"

"Who you calling a weirdo?" The Aipom almost fell of the tree as I answered his question in fluent Pokemon. He quickly recovered and hanged infront of my face using his tail.

"You can understand me?"

"Yes, and I'd like to ask a favor of you." The Aipom seemed to consider it for a moment, before asking, "What's in it for me?"

"Hmm…if you help me…pull a little prank on a bunch of guys, I'll give you this." Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a slightly bruised apple. It had been knocked into my car when I had smashed through that fruit stand a while back. In the heat of the moment, I grabbed it and placed it in my pocket.

The Aipom's eyes lit up as it saw it's favorite food. Without even a second thought, it grabbed the apple from my hand and proceeded to munch on it.

"Alright…I'll do it." Was his response between chews. "What do you want me to do?"

"You see, some guys are about to arrive at the shore. I want you to try and stall them as long as possible and, if you can, throw their guns into the lake."

"Gun!?! You never mentioned there would be guns!"

"You don't have to worry. They're only after me, and besides, their guns are only good for long distances. You'll be fine!" He still seemed unsure, but he loved a good prank so he decided to go along with it.

As he swings away, I continued my run through the forest. Halfway through, I thought I heard the sounds of yelling and screaming coming from the entrance.

"For a little guy, he sure works fast!"

Several hours later…

I had been running through the forest for hours. Night had fallen and I hadn't heard the sound of those men for quite awhile. I was exhausted, having run for hours with no rest and nothing to eat. What was more was that me bleeding had continued, flowing down my arm. I needed to stop…and rest.

Then, the sound of thunder roared above me. I now needed to find someplace to stay, away from the rain. Trekking through the forest for a few more minutes, I saw something I thought I would never see.

Light, lights of a house to be more precise. It was a small house, though it looked more like a cottage. It was located on a small hill, a trails walk from the mountain, I had seen in the distance. Maybe they would let me stay the night… I was too tired to figure out a better plan, so, wrapping myself up in my cloak, I walked up to the house on the hill.

The rain suddenly kicked in, as it quickly started to pour harder and harder. Wanting to get out of the rain, I quickly made my way to the door. Raising my other arm, I knocked on the door. I heard the sound of a woman's voice saying, "Now who could that be?" accompanied by a man's voice yelling, "Coming!" Moments later, the door swung open. The man looked maybe in his 70s or 80s. He also seemed shocked to see me at the door.

"Pardon my appearance, but you could you please let me use one of your rooms for the night?" The man still looked unsure about letting me in, but he gestured me to come in anyway. While walking in, I saw a lady of about his age poke her head out from the kitchen.. His wife.

"Who is it John?"

"It's some boy who looks like he's been through some rough times. He's asking us if we could spare him a room for the night." The wife stepped out of the kitchen as her husband closed the door. She took one look at me, and seemed to take pity on me. Who could blame her?

"Why of course you can stay the night! We have a spare room upstairs, you can stay there for the night. "

"Thank…you." Was my reply as I made my way to the stairs.

As I walked across the room, the sound of dripping could be clearly heard. At first, the couple though it was just the rain dripping off my clothes. Then they looked where I had been standing not moments ago, and saw a puddle of not water, but blood.

"Boy…are you okay?" asked the woman, obviously worried for me.

"Me…I'm…I'm………" It was at that moment that, whether it was from exhaustion, lack of food, or loss of blood, my body finally gave out. My vision became blurry as the world started to swim before my eyes. My feet gave out beneath and my whole world became pitch blackness, as I lost consciousness.

End chapter.