Chapter 2

A dense forest lay between me and the nearest settlement. I proceeded as cautiously as I could through the thick trees, sticking religiously to the path and avoiding any encounters with Pokemon. I had never been too keen on hiking or running or pretty much any stamina-dependent sport, so I was entirely unused to walking for long distances. By the time noon rolled around, my feet felt swollen.

The trees above me provided more than adequate shade, for which I was thankful. At least, I wouldn't be adding 'sunburns' to my list of worries. I first glimpsed the city sometime in the early afternoon. I was resting against a tree when I happened to look up. At first, I was blinded by the sun reflecting off the metal, but I shielded my eyes with a hand and managed to get my first look at the distant buildings of Feldgrau.

Seeing the buildings in the distance motivated me to get up and continue walking. I strolled into the city as the sun was sinking. The fading sunlight bounced off the pristine buildings, giving the impression that the city was glowing.

I wandered the streets with my gaze fixed upwards. I had lived my whole life in my tiny hometown and was not used to seeing a building that rose higher than the treetops. When I was finally able to tear my eyes away from the buildings I found myself alone on the street. Unease twinged in my gut. Even in my small town, there were more people out at this time of day. I pressed on into the city. I glanced into empty shops as I went, but I was too nervous to stop and search for people. In the end, I heard them well before they came into view.

The center of the city was the only place left untouched by urbanization. It took the form of a massive grassy park with quaint stone paths running through. Trees dotted the landscape and flowerbeds gave the area a cheerful feel. A large fountain sat in the center of the park, the water glittered in the dying sunlight. On the far side of the field, a huge stone building loomed over a mass of people crowded below it.

Everyone in the area seemed to be looking and shouting at something amid the mob. As I got closer, I was approached by a woman standing apart from the crowd.

"You're new in town aren't you?" the woman asked. Two loops of pink hair fell around her ears and she wore a white cap with a red cross on it, marking her as a nurse.

"Yes, I am." I cast a furtive glance at the crowd of people. "What's going on?"

The nurse crossed her arms and shook her head in disappointment. "I'm so sorry you had to see all this," she sighed. "A Pokemon showed up about a week ago and it's been causing a lot of unrest around the city." She gestured to the mob, "But they finally caught it."

I peered at the mob, trying to see through to the middle. "What will they do with it?" I asked.

A worried expression settled over the nurse's face. "The people here won't purposefully harm it," she said with confidence. "But I can't speak for the trapper they hired."

As if on cue, a man in the center of the crowd made his way to the fountain and stepped up to address the crowd. He had broad shoulders and thick scarred arms. His hair was buzzed in military fashion and he wore nothing but shorts, a purple vest, and a belt with six Pokeballs on it.

As the man began to speak, the nurse sighed deeply. "I can only hope they won't do anything stupid."

"Can't you do something to stop this?"

"I'm a nurse at the Pokecenter," she explained. "My talents lie in healing, not fighting."

"I see." Before I could even think about the words I was saying, I had already offered to help. "I guess I'll have to take care of it then."

The nurse shot me a surprised look and then smiled. "I hope you will, this whole situation has gotten out of hand." I nodded in agreement and the nurse cast a glance up at the darkening sky. "I've been gone for too long," she muttered. "I certainly hope you can sort this whole mess out," she chuckled as she turned back to me. "I'll be at the Pokecenter if you should need me." She gave me a warm smile, patted my shoulder, and left.

I watched her go, already regretting my offer to help. "It wouldn't hurt to at least find out more about what's going on," I reasoned to myself.

The trapper's booming voice filled my ears as I joined the crowd. "-They are notorious for their destructive capabilities," he was saying, "But fear not! The danger has passed, for I have caught the beast!" He leapt dramatically from the fountain's edge and sauntered through the parting crowd to stand next to his prize.

My scoff was drowned out by the deafening cheers that rose around me. The trapper's performance was showy, at best, but the people seemed to buy it.

"Now, before I haul this beauty off," he continued, slapping the top of the cage, "how would you like to see it fight for you?!"

Another great cheer went up and I fought the urge to cover my ears as I pushed my way to the front. I got a glimpse of white fur inside the cage before the crowd shifted and nearly knocked me over. The people moved as one cohesive unit, carrying me with them into the great stone building I had seen earlier. As I passed through the entrance, my eyes caught the sign out front that read, 'Feldgrau Gym'.

The inside of the gym was one big stadium-like room. The majority of the space was taken up by the dirty battlefield. White lines, hardly visible under the dirt, marked the middle of the field as well as the designated areas for trainers. The ground was dusty and stones protruded out at odd angles.

Dust filled the air as well. I sneezed as the crowd swept me along up into the bleachers that surrounded the field. I took a seat on the highest row. I had a great view of the field, even though it seemed a little far away. The air in the gym was cold, and the electric lights above did nothing to rectify that.

The cage was carried to the far side of the field while the trapper took up his position opposite. Once the exit was sealed and the spectators were all seated, the cage was opened. I squinted down at the field, trying to get a good look at the Pokemon that cautiously crept out to survey its surroundings.

It had a wolf-like, black body, covered almost entirely in white fur. It had a ruff around its neck and chest and a tuft on the top of its head adorned with a single blue-black oval. Its sleek feline face turned towards the crowd, red eyes scouring the bleachers for an escape. A scythe-like tail was held high, on full alert and a crescent-shaped horn arched over its head. The claws on its broad feet dug into the ground when it laid eyes on the trapper.

I watched the Pokemon with interest. I remembered reading about Absols in my parents' research journals. Suddenly, it dawned on me why the people thought they were being threatened. Absols could sense natural disasters before they happened and sometimes they would try to warn people. They had something of a bad reputation, though, as they came to be associated with these disasters.

For a brief moment, I worried about what kind of disaster might be headed for Feldgrau, but I shook that thought away. I needed to focus on what I could do now. And that was saving this innocent Pokemon.

I refocused on the field to see that the trapper had let out a Primeape. The fight was already in full swing and it wasn't looking good. I gasped in disbelief and clenched my fists. Not only were they forcing this Pokemon to fight against its will, but they were also pitting it against a Pokemon with a type advantage.

Scowling, I rubbed my temples trying to think of a way to stop this. Two ideas came to my mind but neither were very good. I hummed with anger as I helplessly watched the fight unfold. I shoved my hand in my bag, frantically searching for something, anything, that could help. I grasped an empty Pokeball and a final idea came to me.

The Absol yelped as the Primeape knocked it into a stone formation and I determined that I didn't have time to think my plan all the way through. Adrenaline rushed through me as I launched myself from my seat and sprinted down the bleachers, taking the stairs three at a time. I vaulted over the short railing that separated the field from the seats. Landing solidly on my feet, I sent the ball sailing in the direction of the Absol. My aim was awful but by some miracle, the ball hit the Absol on the shoulder and bounced. The ball seemed to hang, suspended, in the air as a thousand worries flashed through my mind. I had never so much as seen someone catch a Pokemon before, I had no idea if I was even doing it correctly. A moment later, the ball opened and the Absol disappeared inside. The ball dropped to the ground, clicked once, and was still.

Nobody moved. The drop of a pin would have been audible in the bleachers. The trapper and his Pokemon wore matching expressions as they both gaped at the ball sitting innocuously on the ground.

As nonchalantly as I could, I straightened and walked cautiously around the Primeape to pick up the ball. My footsteps echoed strangely in the silent gym. My gaze jumped from point to point, I was convinced that any second now everything would erupt and I would be bombarded with words or maybe rocks. But nothing erupted. Instead, I picked the ball up and a wave of murmurs washed through the crowd around me. Nobody was sure how to act in this situation, least of all me.

The spectators didn't seem to be bothered by this turn of events, but the same could not be said of the trapper. I took one step forward, planning to make a break for the exit, and saw the trapper.

He stood next to his Primeape, cracking his knuckles. His face was red with barely controlled anger and his lips were pulled back in a grotesque snarl. Now that I could see him up close, I noticed a white letter 'E' stitched into his purple vest.

"I'm going to have to ask you to release that Pokemon, girl," he sneered down at me.

I swallowed, hoping he couldn't hear my heart pounding against my ribs. "Actually, I think I'm just gonna..." I trailed off, trying to sidestep around him, but he blocked me with his body.

He glared, eyes alight with rage, and stuck out a meaty hand, "Give. Me. The ball."

I turned the ball over in my hands, pretending to consider it. I didn't have any sort of plan for getting out of this situation, so I did the only thing I could think to do. A sly smirk made its way onto my face as I looked back up at the imposing man. Then, I bashed him in the face with the ball and took off running for the door.