Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Piplup POV:

It was a cool, dark night out on the beach. The usual loud sound of traffic and beachgoers was replaced by the calm melody of ocean waves breaking on the shore. The air had a surprising nip to it, and it seemed to be getting colder by the minute.

I had abruptly woken in the Pokémon Center, soaked in my own sweat from those awful nightmares I had been stuck in. There was no sound of any trainers or other humans around, only the occasional footsteps of an Audino could be heard. I figured it was so late at night that visiting hours were over.

I knew that if I fell asleep again, I would slip right back into those awful nightmares. The ones I feared about having every single night. So, I slipped out a window into the cool night air and walked off towards the beach. Hopefully the cold would keep me awake.

Cool sand spread underneath my feet as I walked along the shoreline, stuck in thought about the nightmares. They weren't just nightmares, though; they had really happened to me. Those events had shaped me into what I was now. They had shaped me into who I was now. All the Pokémon who tormented me at such a young age made me believe I was the things they said I was.

A weak, useless, unlovable runt.

I shuttered as a particularly cold gust of wind blew by but felt myself heat up at the thought of him, our so-called 'leader'. He was the strongest out of all of us, so everyone else followed his lead. And thanks to him, I was tormented in every way possible.

I endured daily verbal abuse, which made me fall asleep crying most nights. I was kicked hard in the back, often falling on my stomach, whenever another Piplup wanted to. My food was often stolen, leaving my stomach growling painfully in hunger throughout the night. Sometimes I had to eat grass just to have something in me.

I kicked the sand, growling to myself. I hate them all. The neglectful breeder I was born at, Premium Piplup Purveyors, who did not care about me. All the other Piplup, who constantly teased and picked on me. But the one who hurt me the most, and the one I hated the most, was the leader, my-

"OUCH!" I yelled, being snapped back to reality. Something hard had just smacked me in the head!

I looked down while rubbing my forehead, searching for the object that had hit me. I saw something small at my feet and picked it up and inspected it. It appeared to be a small piece of ice. I looked around, unsure where it came from.

"OUCH!" I yelled as something hit me on top of the head. I raised my other flipper to rub that spot and saw another piece of ice on the sand beneath me. "What is-OW! OW!" I looked at the ocean and saw nothing but splashes and heard a SSSHHHH sound.

"A HAILSTORM!" I yelled. I looked around and saw a rather large cave nearby in the rocky slopes. I bolted towards it while getting beat by the quickly thickening ice fragments. Finally, I reached the shelter and ran inside, no longer being pummeled by hailstones.

I collapsed on my stomach, both winded and in pain.

"Seriously, what is with this weather?!" I fumed aloud. "A popup thunderstorm, a blistering heat wave, and now a freak hailstorm? What is wrong with this place?!"

Suddenly I heard some shuffling behind me, causing me to tense in shock. I realized I was not alone in this cave. I slowly turned in trepidation to see what was in the cave with me.

A pair of bright red eyes were staring at me intensely. The outline of a large bird formed in the darkness as my eyes adjusted. The dark blue crest and ribbon-like tail confirmed what I was seeing.

It was an Articuno.

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