Chapter 16: The Somewhat Escape
Blade paced back and forth. They were coming for him, he heard them say so, they were coming in an hour. But as he looked over his sickly mother. He simply couldn't leave her. But if he was to escape, today was the day.
Amethyst approached him gently pulling him away. "You should say your goodbyes and get ready to escape."
"I can't, she's…" Blade was cut off
"Yes, she's dying, but the last thing she'd want is for you to suffer that loss again."
Blade thought about it. As much as he hated the idea, he knew the sableye was right. The ice type started walking to the den. He made his way to where Shard was laying. The pink Sneasel was on the ground, coughing every few minutes.
"M-mom" Blade spoke softly.
"Yes Blade?" Shard smiled weakly.
"I…..I have to leave mom….I can't stay, they're going to try to take me away. So.."
Shard felt her smile waver "I understand Blade." She laid up and hugged her son close, knowing this was likely the last time they'd ever get the opportunity to do so. Blade hugged her back, doing his absolute best to not break down in tears. "I love you Blade, now go….get out of here while you can."
Blade held on a few more minutes. "I love you mom…..goodbye." He pulled away and left fighting back the tears that threatened to rain from his eyes.
"Goodbye, my son."
He stepped out of the den looking at Amethyst as he entertained his daughters with a game of tag. They were smiling, despite knowing Shard's condition. Glaive approached Blade. "She isn't gonna last much longer is she?"
"I can't say. She's tough, she'll hang on as long as she can." Blade smiled weakly at the small weavile. "Amethyst is your father?"
"Huh? Y-yeah…."
"Is he a good father?" Blade didn't look away from the happy scene.
"Yeah, he's not much of a fighter, but he tries his best to make us happy."
"Good." Blade looked to Glaive. "Keep your family safe, okay, you're stronger than you think." He looked away and started walking away. He passed by the children and their father.
Amethyst stopped him "Blade, wait." He holds a small strange object out handing it to Blade. "Put this in your mouth and hold onto it, wait until they've moved you, then spit it out and use it." The object was a small circle. "It will widen when you activate it. I can't promise this'll work, but my first daughter promised it could open anything, at least that is what it's supposed to do. She stole it from some humans to give as a show of worth to the person she loved, but the person she chose as her future mate….well he rejected her, so she gave it to me."
Blade took it from him "I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like she was trying too hard to be with someone that didn't love her back."
"She was. But I can't say I blame the guy, she was such a sweetheart when she was little, but when her mother died…..she changed, she became……as sad as it is to say, she became a monster." Amethyst seemed saddened by this. "It was my fault, I was so heartbroken that I became neglectful, and now….with Shard….I'm afraid it will happen again."
"Your fear will be what drives them away. The pain of loss, well it doesn't go away, but for them you have to push through it, for them….that's what mom did for me. She could have been like everyone else, she could have left me to die, but she stayed with me, protected me, she hurt herself to keep me alive….that's what you have to do. If you love them, give everything you can for them. Because they love you, you're their dad, and believe it or not….that means far more than you think." Blade started walking away. "Thanks Amethyst, and don't worry. You're a great father, these kids are lucky to have you." He popped the small disc into his mouth concealing it under his tongue.
"Good luck Blade! Be safe…." Amethyst called to him as his three kids came over.
"Good luck mister!" The two girls spoke in unison.
"You can do it!" Glaive too called out.
Blade waved back at them smiling at their happy faces. In his heart, he hoped to see them again one day. But something Amethyst said made the ice type uneasy. His daughter was rejected by the person she was madly in love with, she became a monster, it reminded him of her, of Crystal.
The Sneasel just walked and walked throughout the facility. Not giving more than a passing glance, and he heard the other Pokémon scurrying around him. Simple, easy lives, they were innocent, free, but still prisoners, though they didn't know it. After a few minutes of walking he sat down.
A quick glance around showed little more than the happy pokemon enjoying their days. Until he saw them. Pangoro, Monferno, and Excadrill. The same bullies from when he first arrived. Beating up a poor zigzagoon. Blade knew he didn't have long. Even so, he had more than enough time. He stood up and walked over casually. "Hey fucknuts! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The three pokemon turned to him and started sprinting at him. He waited a few moments so they'd get closer, then he took off, knowing they would pursue him and forget those they had been bullying. He just had to lead them away. Far enough that they wouldn't be able to remember who they were bullying. They are obviously idiots, they hadn't even realized this was a diversion. And they clearly didn't recognize him.
If Blade was being honest he wasn't surprised he was faster than them. When you've been running for so long, eventually you end up getting faster. They were clearly already exhausted after only a few minutes of chasing and suddenly the ice type stopped in his tracks. The three bullies stopped just behind him, skidding to a halt and panting heavily. The Sneasel turned on his heels and took off running full speed at the three. And just as he came face to face with them, Pangoro went for a heavy swipe with his right arm, but Blade slid under him, hooking his claws into Pangoro's leg. His momentum carried him beyond and pulling the larger pokemon to the ground.
Had he fought them outright they could easily have overpowered him as they did the first time. As it stood however, Blade found his thoughts confirmed, they had no stamina, and this put him at an advantage. He exhausted them already, so defeating them now was surprisingly easy. But before he could continue they got up and ran off. Even without turning around he knew the reason. He simply sat down and waited as the Machamp grabbed him and knocked him out. They finally came to take him away. A bit inconvenient, as he didn't get to finish taking his vengeance. It didn't really matter, they'd get what was coming to them anyway.
*Hours later*
Blade awoke in a small cage, barely his size. He heard water, and saw from a window that he was somewhere in the sea. A glance out the window showed a fast approaching island. Which meant he didn't have much time. Quickly checking his maw, he found the small disc was still beneath his tongue. "They didn't check, their mistake….hopefully." he said as he pressed the small disc to the side of the cage. It widened immensely and a light hum was heard as light traced it's way around the disc's edge. Then it fell forward, and the cage was open. Blade went to pick the disc up and it snapped in half. Single use only it would seem. Leaving it there he began stalking around the ship. The ice type stayed low as he heard voices and boots against the metal of the ship. He found a window, small enough to get through, but there were too many humans for him to escape without a fight. Minutes passed as he watched them finally pull into port.
"Boss wants that damn Sneasel, so go get it outta the cargo hold."
"Yes sir!!"
The door to the room began to open and the humans scattered from around the window. Blade felt his heart begin to beat faster. He had a window of opportunity, literally, and he had to take it now. As soon as the humans had gotten inside he bolted out, diving through the window and sliding across the deck. Without skipping a beat, he hopped to his feet and jumped over the railing into the water below. Bad time to remember he didn't actually know how to swim. He began to panic and thrash until a single thought came to him. Shadow. The thought of the darkrai made him shiver. His cruelty, his power, everything about Shadow seemed cold. His claws chilled and froze solidifying the water between them. The ice type dug his claws into the ice as it brought him to the surface. The warmth of the sun reminding him again of his partner. Despite how cold Shadow seemed on the outside, inside Blade found the kindest, most caring person in the world, though the darkrai had a funny way of showing it.
He was broken from his trance as he heard the humans panicking aboard the ship.
"What do you mean he's gone?!"
"He was just in the cage a few minutes ago?!"
"Boss is gonna kill us!!"
"Send a team to search the island! If we show up without that Sneasel, we'll be begging for death before the boss is done!!"
Island? Blade glanced over and saw that indeed they were docked on an island. A look in the opposite direction showed no sign of any other land masses. He was free, but….now he felt even more trapped.
