Alice huffed, adjusting her backpack. It had been an hour since she had finally been allowed to depart by Noah. The fussy old man had triple checked her supplies to make sure she had everything ( she could be forgetful, but she wasn't that stupid ), and made her promise to call him once she reached Jubilife City. She appreciated his concern, but his constant worrying was starting to get on her nerves. She was 16, not a child, she could take care of herself.
Alice yelped as a sharp pair of talons skimmed the top of her head, taking a couple of pink strands along with it.
Bad idea, horrible idea, what was I thinking? Alice took a couple of trembling steps backward as the wild Starly circled threateningly overhead.
Earlier, while Alice was traveling on the dirt road to Jubilife, she had sent Houndour out and tried to get it to do a few simple commands. Run, Sit, Roll Over, typical dog stuff. The dark type had simply looked at her like she was stupid, and simply started to groom itself.
That had sent Alice over the edge. How could she even begin to become a trainer when the first damn pokemon she owned wouldn't listen to her? When watching her mother work, even the most temperamental pokemon would at least obey some of the orders given. Alice had assumed she could do the same, and that most caught pokemon would heed orders. What did her mother have that she didn't? While she sat on a log by the road, sending hateful thoughts toward the houndour, which was now lying lazily on its side, taking a nap. She was going to give Jack a piece of her mind when she arrived at the city.
While Alice was thinking of the passionate speech she was going to give her friend, a (clever?) idea took shape in her mind. If the pokemon she had now wouldn't listen to her, she'd simply catch one that did! Around this area, wild Starly and Bidoof roamed. Catching a simple Starly would be simple right? She wouldn't need that dumb dog's help. She was perfectly capable, no matter what mother said.
Alice stood up from her sitting place. Perhaps hearing her move, the houndour raised its head lazily and stared at her. Had it even been sleeping in the first place? Sticking her tongue at the stubborn mut, Alice opened her travel bag. If I remember correctly, I put them… here!
She hadn't expected to have to use them so soon, so the empty pokeballs were quite deep in her bag. She had gotten about five. After all, that was around the amount a beginner trainer got, right? Alice stuffed the shrunken pokeballs into her pocket, and took in the surroundings. There weren't any pokemon in sight for now, but she could hear that annoying chirping she knew all too well nearby. Taking one last glare at the Houndour, who was now looking at her curiously, she crept slowly into the bushes toward the Starly warble.
Sure enough, a few feet away past the bushes, a Starly sat in a small tree, giving off those annoying calls Starly were known for. But…
Shouldn't there be more? Alice thought, observing the bird. Usually Starly traveled groups. They were infamous for gathering in groups and annoying everyone with their constant racket. Many a morning Alice had been woken up by a flock of Starly making noise in the yard. But this one was all alone, and didn't seem to be bothered by that.
Well, there aren't exactly a lot of threats out there, other than other Starly. Alice slowly took a pokeball out of her pocket. I guess it got complacent. Well, easier for me.
Alice carefully aimed at the resting bird. Pokeballs did home in after a certain distance, but it did require a bit of force to maintain its flight. Alice could hear her own heartbeat as she stood still for a few seconds, gauging the bird's reaction. It was none the wiser. She threw the ball, also releasing the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
The Starly jumped in surprise seeing the object heading its way, but it was too late. There was a *crack*, and the pokeball absorbed the Starly and closed. Alice breathed a sigh of relief. That hadn't been so bad-. There was a *pop*, and the Starly was released into the world again.
Alice blinked. Oh, right. There had to be a ding sound if the pokeball worked. The Starly slowly turned around towards its assailant, its beady eyes unreadable.
Well. Alice thought. At least Starly aren't aggressive, right?
Back to the present, Alice ducked as the Starly attempted another dive bomb. Apparently, this Starly seemed intent on proving the pokedex wrong. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her "supposed" pokemon watching her fight to the death. Alice could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her, but it looked as if the Houndour was laughing at her. Its dark eyes seemed to light up in amusement as it watched the scene unfolding before it. Alice felt her face heat up, though it was due to rage or embarrassment she couldn't tell. Was she so pathetic that even her own pokemon was laughing at her?
In one last act of desperation, she glared at the chuckling creature and yelled from the bottom of her heart.
"PLEASE, DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!"
Suddenly, there was a burst of noise. It sounded like a small explosion, like a large firework going off nearby. Alice gawked as a burst of flame shot from the Houndour's mouth and hit the Starly square in the chest. The bird looked as surprised as she did, letting out a startled squawk as the ball of flame hit it. The "opponent" that had given Alice so much trouble dropped to the ground like a stone, a small cloud of dust rising where it had dropped.
Still trembling from adrenaline, Alice slowly made her way to the now charred form on the ground. Holy crap! Did the mutt actually follow one of my orders? That was one hell of an ember! Oh shit, it didn't kill the flying bastard, did it? Alice scanned over the Starly's body for signs of movement. After a moment she caught a slight twitch from a blackened leg. Not quite a pulse but I'll take what I can get. She wasn't touching the little terror until she was sure it wouldn't jump up and peck her eyes out.
Keeping an eye on the immobile menace, Alice dug through her travel pack until she found an empty pokeball. She lightly dropped the ball on the charred pokemon. With a small pop, the pokeball sucked up the Starly, and soon Alice heard the notifying *ding* of the pokemon being secured.
Picking up the Pokeball, Alice felt a mix of emotions, but not in the way she expected. Whenever a trainer catches their first pokemon, it was supposedly a momentous occasion, the first stepping stone to becoming a trainer. She had seen videos online of people even bursting with tears of joy upon the event, but Alice felt no such feelings at the moment. Instead, she felt a wave of nervousness and anxiety the moment she picked up the ball.
Thoughts raced through her mind. This pokemon is my responsibility now. I hold its life in my hands. It's depending on me now.
The memory suddenly raced to the surface of her mind, a familiar one that haunted her memory to this very day.
Her mother's words echoed in her head. "When you get a pokemon, you become responsible for another life. Do you really think I'd give that kind of responsibility to someone as young as you?"
Suddenly, she felt a tug on her sleeve. Houndour was gently tugging on her sweater with an annoyed expression on its face. Shaking the depressing thoughts out of her head, she tugged her now wet sleeve out of the dark type's mouth and glared at her small companion. "What is it?"
The little devil simply stared irritated at my face for a few moments before snorting a cloud of black smoke from its mouth and turning its back to me. God, I can never figure out what this thing is thinking, let alone what it's trying to communicate to me. Alice looked back at the pokeball in her hand. It did help me catch the Starly, so I suppose it's not leaving me out to dry. Putting the pokeball in her pocket, Alice called out to the Houndour. "Thanks, you really saved me there." The dark type's tail perked up, and looking back, gave what Alice could have sworn was a nod of ackI sighed and smiled. Well, it was a start at least.
The rest of the trek to the neighboring town was mostly uneventful and dull. Walk a mile or two, rest, drink/eat, repeat. Alice had feared she would get harassed by trainers itching to battle with their pokemon, but apparently Arceus had decided to spare her that hardship this time. The few trainers she had run into looked as exhausted as she was, and didn't want anything to do with her, let alone a battle. Perhaps the heat was taking a toll on them as well.
However, there was someone who was ecstatic about the heat. Houndour seemed to love it, strolling in the middle of the dirt path, soaking up sunlight like a solar panel. It seemed despite being a dark type, the feisty dog loved the sunlight, getting as much as it could. Alice kept an eye on it during this, making sure the pokemon didn't decide to wander off on its own, but it appeared the moody mut had no intention of doing so, always staying where she could see it.
The sky overhead was already pitch black when Alice could see the sparkling lights of the city in the distance, almost seeming like stars in the night sky. Her destination was so close, however, after the amount of walking she had done today Alice couldn't walk another step. Her legs felt like they were made of lead, and she felt her muscles cry out with every step she took.
"Alright," Alice grumbled, gritting her teeth in pain. "That's enough walking for today"
A form shifted at the corner of her eye, and she looked over to her Houndour companion. The dark type's eyes bore into her, almost mocking her weaknesses for being unable to make it to a destination so close by.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but unfortunately I don't have super muscles like you do, so we're setting up camp for tonight" Alice snapped. The Houndour snorted out a cloud of smoke, but didn't protest. Alice sighed. "Let's just find a place in the forest to set up".
According to the trainer guide Jack had sent, the best places to set up camp were places a good distance from the main road, but not too far as to lose sight of it. Setting up near the road was apparently a good way to get robbed if you didn't have any pokemon willing to stand guard during the night.. Alice wasn't too picky about her camping spot, and as soon as she found a spot that was relatively comfortable she began to set up her tent.
This feels kind of surreal… Alice thought as she took out her sleeping bag. She had spent most of her life living in a comfortable mansion, and now seemingly out of nowhere she was now camping on her own in the wilderness. She had gone on the occasional camp with Noah in the past,, but that was the extent of her experience. Now, there was no Noah, no mother, just her. Almost on que, Alice heard a low growl, and she turned to see Houndour growling at a small Caterpie, glaring at it with smoke coming from its nostrils as the bug type slowly crawled up a tree. I guess not completely alone, Alice chuckled. She rummaged through her bag, took out a canister of Repel, and slowly walked over to her traveling partner. The Houndour acknowledged her with a glance but kept its eyes on the bug type, not letting it out of sight for a second. Alice had a feeling it was less for her protection, and more out of territorial instincts.
"Hey. I'm going to spray repel around the area. You wanna go back to the ball?"
The dark type tilted its head curiously. Oh right. Probably doesn't know what repel is. Alice made a big show of raising up the can, and spraying the air. A few moments after the repel hit the air, Houndour let out a cry that sounded like a mix between a yelp and a growl and scampered towards the tent. Alice gawked at the seemingly unshakable pokemon and looked back at the can. Guess these really work huh.
Alice was hoping to be able to sleep in after her massive trek, but a shrill scream from outside woke her from her slumber. "The hell?..." She slowly lifted herself out of her sleeping bag. Beside her, Houndour growled as it was woken up from its slumber. Alice crawled over to the entrance of her tent, slowly zipping it open and peeking out into the darkness outside.
Outside the tent, the surrounding area is pitch black, the only illumination being small spots of moonlight that have managed to get through the dense canopy of leaves above. In the distance, the road cloaked in moonlight glowed, the path creating a strange feeling in the girl's heart as she saw it. She truly was on her own.
As if on cue, there was a rumble from the bushes nearby. Alice jumped, feeling her heart jump out of her chest when a figure suddenly exploded from the trees. A pokemon? Alice's first thought was that a pokemon had run through the repel perimeter in a panic, but it soon became apparent that wasn't the case as Alice took in the human figure.
They wore a loose fitting white t-shirt, with black shorts, both of which were covered in dirt. One arm of a backpack hung loosely in the air, moving with the figures movement. It then became apparent to Alice that the figure was a young boy who probably couldn't be older than ten. Taking in the area, the boy turned to her, light dirt smudges coating their pale face, their brown hair covered in leaves.
"S-sorry. Didn't mean to wake you…" The boy mumbled, nervously looking over his back every few moments. "Ran into some aggressive pokemon, ended up having to run for a while."
"I-it's fine..." Alice stammered. This was the first time she had talked to anyone since she had started this journey, let alone a fellow trainer.
Suddenly, a loud bark erupted throughout the night air, making the two of them jump. Reflexively she looked toward the tent, where her Houndour was groggily strolling out, curious about all the noise. But the noise hadn't come from that direction.
The boy in front her began to panic, looking rapidly between her and the darkness of foliage behind him. He finally settled his gaze on her. "Um, I'm really sorry, can I use that tent for a moment?"
Alice blinked. "What?" But the boy had already dived into the tent, making the Houndour snarl in surprise as it jumped out of the way. As the boy disappeared within her tent, the same words still fell from her mouth. "What?"
While she was trying to wrap her head around what had just happened, Alice heard sounds coming from the foliage. Three shapes emerged, making her and the Houndour jump in surprise.
The first was a young woman who looked to be in her 20s. She had neat black hair, and dark shadows under her eyes which contrasted with her pale skin.
The second was an older man. He looked to be in his fifties; his dark brown hair har the slightest touches of gray. Slight wrinkles seemed to be beginning to form on the man's tanned skin.
The third of their group was a large Mightyena. Its red eyes were focused on the Houndour, a snarl beginning to form on its lips, and its muscles were tense under its glossy fur.
Before anyone could speak, the older man stepped forward, putting a hand on the Mightyena's back. The large dog seemed to relax slightly, but kept its eyes glued to the smaller dog.
"My apologies," the man said, a stern expression on his face. "We didn't mean to startle you. It's rare to see trainers camped out so close to the city."
"I-it's fine," Alice grumbled out, her heart beating out of her chest. Who were these people? Why did that boy dive into her tent? Was she in danger right now?
"We're looking for someone," the woman spoke up, her eyes scrutinizing Alice's every motion. "A boy. Brown hair. Preteen. Have you seen him?"
It took all of Alice's willpower not to look at her tent. "I think so? Something running past here woke me up. I heard… whatever it was, go that way." Alice pointed past her tent, further into the forest.
There was a momentary pause, and Alice felt her heart beating out of her chest as the woman continued to scrutinize her.
"I see!" The middle aged man stepped in between them, putting a hand on the shoulder of his companion. "Thank you! We'll get out of your hair now. He began walking towards the direction Alice had pointed, lightly pushing the woman along with him, whose eyes were still narrowed in suspicion. The Mightyena strolled after them, pawing at its nose every so often and whining as if something was stinging it.
Alice didn't move until the group was well out of earshot, her heart still beating rapidly even though the danger had passed. That woman had definitely known Alice had lied, but they had left anyway. In hindsight it had been a really stupid thing to do. For all she'd known they were a dangerous group of criminals that would've gone as far as to hurt her or worse in order to get what they wanted. But some part of her hadn't wanted to tell them.
Alice slowly walked towards her tent. As she approached, there was a slow *zip* sound as the shelter she built was opened from the inside. The boy carefully peaked his head out, looking from side to side. He glanced at her. "Are they gone?"
"I think so," Alice grumbled, eyeing the boy suspiciously. "Though next time, I suggest asking before you dive into someone's tent to hide. Don't think they'll be as nice."
The boy smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that," He crawled out of the tent and took in his surroundings, his eyes darting nervously from bush to bush.
"I told them you went that way," Alice pointed behind the boy, at the depths of the forest behind the tent. "Might want to get going. Don't get me mixed up in this shit any further."
Guilt flickered briefly on the boy's face, and he looked away in embarrassment. Quickly walking to the edge of the clearing, he turned around one last time. "Sorry. And thanks. I owe you one. Though we might not meet again-"
"Just go!" Alice snapped.
The boy flinched and fled into the foliage. Once she could no longer hear him, Alice breathed a deep sigh of relief. Whatever that situation had been, she wanted nothing to do with it anymore. "Why did I even help that kid anyway?" Alice grumbled to herself, opening her tent. In reality, she knew very well why she'd helped him. After a while, she could very well be the one running away from people trying to drag her back home.
Meanwhile, a group of three were taking a breather not too far from Alice's camp. The older man relaxed on a log, petting his Mightyena as it sat upright next to him. The woman on the other hand was standing, arms crossed and looking in the direction of Alice's camp.
"Hector, remind me why we let that girl lie to us?" The woman asked coldly, still staring into the distance.
"Because we're supposed to be keeping a low profile," the man named Hector responded, scratching his pokemon behind the ears. "Threatening a young girl is not keeping a low profile."
"I didn't say anything about threatening her. If we just pressured her a bit-"
"It'll be fine Reina," Hector looked at his companion, a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "The boy won't be able to run forever. All the exits out of this route are covered. At this point it's just a game of patience."
Reina kicked the ground in front of her. "I'm sick of this 'game of patience'. I want to head back already."
"At least this mission is a lot less dangerous than the others."
"That's exactly the problem," Reina gave her companion a nasty grin. "Why the hell do you think I joined?"
Hello all! I forgot to do one of these for the first chapter, so here it is! This is my first attempt at any kind of fanfiction, so I hope you all will be understanding as I bumble my way into progressing this story! I hope you enjoyed this second chapter!