Chapter 3: Pain, Regret, and Honesty
Shadow stood cradling Blade like a newborn, he had sealed the wound on Blade's shoulder, but that didn't change how he was soaked in blood. Every pokemon that had attacked the Sneasel now laid dead, body parts littered the ground, arms, legs, heads, some missing their very tongues. "How cruel of life to treat you this way, unfortunately for them, someone is looking out for you, I suppose I have no choice then. I'll have to take you to the safest place I know to finish your training. But, perhaps taking the scenic route will benefit you more than if I simply teleported us." Shadow carried Blade to the cave and sat him down. They would leave in the morning, at least that's what Shadow had decided.
*Next Morning*
Blade woke up and felt pain shoot up his shoulder. "Ahhhh!" He cried out only to be suddenly, but gently laid back down.
"Relax, you moved too fast, that one bit you quite deep. Try not to hurt yourself"
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!?? I could have died out there!"
"Don't overreact Blade, I told you it would push you to your limits"
"Shadow they could've killed me!! What the hell!?"
"I said, don't overreact. Its a small bite wound"
"Whatever!" Blade stood up and stormed out of the cave. Shadow followed behind him slowly. The sneasel kept walking faster and faster. The more he moved the more the wound reopened and blood started oozing out. He fought the pain and started running leaving Shadow behind.
*Later That Day*
"Fucking asshole almost got me killed" Blade drank from the lake in front of him, but quickly stopped as the blood dripped into the water beneath him, "Arceus damn it, can't catch a break." Blade gripped his shoulder as a small shard of ice closed the wound temporarily. The sun was half down by now and he still hadn't seen Shadow in hours. A rustle came from behind him in a nearby bush and as he turned to see what it was. A Golisopod lumbered through the bushes clearly following the scent of blood which lead to Blade. "Stay back" he said backing closer to the lake. Golisopod closed the distance over several seconds and came to a stop in front of Blade. It raised a claw to cleave the sneasel in two.
Then suddenly it stopped its body frozen and its eyes wide. Ice enveloped its body and Shadow moved in front of it "Are you done being unreasonable?"
"Unreasonable, you almost got me killed!"
"If you couldn't handle it I'd step in and save you, which I did. Don't forget, I made sure you would survive." Blade went to swipe at Shadow only to have his arm shoot with pain from the reopened wound and he winced in pain. "Enough, you will never recover if you keep moving like that." Blade sat down looking away from Shadow and the darkrai reclosed the wound. The two sat in silence for a few hours simply gazing out over the lake. Shadow broke the silence "I'm sorry"
"Huh?"
"For, the training, I…..I shouldn't have pushed you that far it was too early. So, I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter, Shadow. It's passed already, there's no point in me being mad about it."
"Really? Listen, I know I said not to complain, however, that is asking quite a bit considering the situation you were in when we first met. I know it was only a few days ago, but I haven't been fair to you" Shadow was cut off as Blade hugged him. Shadow was rather surprised by Blade's actions, nothing seemed to prompt this emotional reaction. Just as Shadow was going to finish his sentence a quite dreadful sound hit his ears. Blade was crying into the cloak-like veil of his waist. "Oh dear, I didn't think you were that upset, I am terribly sorry Blade."
"It's not that...its just that...nevermind"
"Please I insist that you not hold yourself back"
"The only other person that has ever treated me this nice….was my mother...I just miss her"
"Fret not Blade, I have no intention of leaving you behind."
"Thank you Shadow!" Blade cried into Shadow for nearly an hour before he passed out. Shadow simply carried him as the sun went down, and even through the night. Trees, bushes and shrubs seemed invisible to Shadow in that moment, as if he had but one singular job, to take care of this innocent sneasel. As Shadow floated through the forest he noticed countless pokemon eyeing the sneasel on his back. Some approached only to be quickly scared off by Shadow's mere presence. The day continued with Blade still unconscious on Shadow's back. Finally just as the sun reached its peak Blade woke up "Shadow?"
"I see you're awake at last, how are you feeling?" "Better, where are we?" Blade looked around, realizing they were now far from their previous location. Vast rolling plains as far as the eye could see, tall grass and various pokemon dotted the landscape. There was a noticeable distance that the other pokemon maintained from Shadow and Blade, all of them wearing uneasy faces.
"Why are they looking at us like that?"
"They're afraid of me, everyone always is."
"How come you seem rather, well you aren't nice, but" suddenly at Blade's words the other pokemon backed even farther away.
The sneasel was dumbfounded and Shadow gave a dark chuckle. "Please continue, I just find it humorous that they think I'd hurt you just for that"
"huh, what do you mean….nevermind you just don't seem like the type of pokemon that just does something like that without reason."
"You're right, I'm not, they have however, offended me before enough for me to...educate them in why I'm not to be threatened or attacked."
"Oh, I see...what did you do"
"I ripped his lower jaw off."
Blade was stunned to say the least "Wh-what nohoho way!" Blade laughed a moment until he noticed the other pokemon getting even farther away "Wait, you're serious?"
"Unlike humans and other pokemon, I have no reason to lie, so yes, I am serious. He attacked, I gave him a chance to walk away, he refused, so I pulled his jaw off."
"That seems unnecessarily cruel"
"Well, it had the desired effect clearly, they stay away now."
"But...why do you want them to stay away?"
"They would see me become someone that I'm not, someone lighthearted, someone that wasn't born giving nightmares to others. And besides they already avoided me because of the nightmares, some however, like the aforementioned pokemon, thought they would become renowned for defeating a Darkrai, I showed them the error of their ways, and others hurt my friends."
"If you have friends why aren't you with them now?"
"Though they would have me and everyone else believe otherwise, I know I terrify them. It...hurts……..." Shadow found himself surprised "Hmmm, well that's out in the open now...how odd"
"What's odd?"
"Normally, I'm far more reserved and quiet, and I don't share my feelings so willingly. Hehe, you are quite the enigma Blade."
"Oh uh thanks I guess." Blade blushed from what he assumed was a compliment. 'Why am I blushing he just said something nice to me, it's no big deal?'
"Tell me about your family Blade. I'm aware you would rather not, but it can only help with coping."
"Well, my mother's name is Shard, and she's the most wonderful sneasel you could ever meet. Kind, compassionate, always smiling, always polite. She did everything she could to make my life good, and I know she wishes she could have done more. But I'm glad I had her at all, considering everything else"
"Everything else?"
"Well, ya see because I am a runt my own father hates me. Every chance he got, he'd tell me I wasn't worthy of him, or that he was ashamed at the very thought of me coming from his sack….verbal abuse was only the half of it, the rest was getting beaten if my mother wasn't around."
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, but please start from the beginning."
