When I wake up, it's to confusing smells and noises. The vibes in the air are completely different than what I'm used to, and that's enough to set me on edge. I can't move, being strapped down to something. As I try to breathe in air, I have the most awful sensation of respirating tubes in my nose. I'm in pain, all over, and when I barely peek open my eyes, the room is in a gradient of white I haven't seen in a long long time.
And yet, for all the panic that's setting in the forefront of my mind, a voice in the back of my head tells me I'm in some sort of hospital facility. A Pokémon Center, most likely, given recent times.
"What in- Joy, the patient is awake!" I hear a voice that prompts me to snap my head in their direction. A large, rotund creature is peering at me, eyes scrunched up. I feel myself getting Worked Up, the presence of another Pokémon triggering all sorts of unpleasant stimuli, and I flex against my bindings. "Joy!" it shouts.
Another voice pipes up. "What the- he was completely conked out and we still gave it enough sedative to keep a Rhyhorn down!" I turn to glare at a pink haired woman with hair in a loop. "Hold him down, Chansey, we need to apply another dose!" She says as she begins fiddling with a syringe.
"Come on, little guy, stay down! We're not here to hurt you!" The Chansey tries to hold me down, short and pudgy little arms reaching over me.
Despite a tiny rational part of my brain trying to tell me that these are hospital workers, the last two years have taught me a much different story. I keep feeling Work Up flowing through me, and after a moment as Joy turns around with a loaded syringe, I'm able to rip off one of the leather bindings that was keeping me strapped down, and I place my paw on the Chansey's face.
I see its eyes widen, and as it reaches for me to try and pull my paw off, I flex, pushing it. By all accounts it appears as though I just gave it a light nudge.
Then the energy releases from my palm, and the Chansey rockets into a wall. I can see all of the muscles in its body seize up, and though it wasn't the one hit ko that I'd hoped for, it wasn't moving well anytime soon. I rapidly start ripping off the respirator forcing whatever gas it was down my throat, and the IV drip out of my arm.
"No… stop…"
With that in mind, I turn towards the shocked Joy. Snarling. "Back the fuck off with that syringe." I growl, beginning to free the rest of my body, Metal Claws springing forth and tearing through the rest of the straps. Alarms start blaring in my ears, adding to the stress I was already feeling. Shit.
The fear I can feel emanating off both Chansey and Joy is disturbed by an onset of determination from the latter, and it's only a burst of Quick Attack that gets me out of the way of a red ray of light. My eyes widen as I realize that she has in hand a Pokéball. My Pokéball. And as the ray starts snapping back into the sphere, I realize that she's just going to try again- and this time I'm in the air, with no avenues for escape.
In a moment, my paws are out again, this time pointed at the woman. I barely manage to restrain my strength enough to not make it a killing blow as this time I feel a hollowness between them. I trust my arms forward, shooting the hollow sphere into Joy, throwing her to the wall and knocking her out.
The ball falls out of her hands, and as I land, I stride towards it. Behind me, I hear a croaking "Stop… Don't…"
I turn to glare at the offending pink blob. "Stop? STOP?! When did others stop just because I was on my last legs? When did my trainer stop sending me out into glorified cockfighting because it was profitable?!" I howl out, turning to stride towards it. "No one gets to tell me whether to stop now!"
I can see electric energy begin to charge in the Chansey, and all my Frustration comes to bear in my fist. "You should have stayed down." I hiss venomously, bringing it down bathed in red energy against the pudgy flesh of the Pokémon. The wall behind it cracks. This time, it's knocked out for real.
I grab my Pokéball then, returning it to its minimized form. As the Pokémon Center's alarms keep blaring, I decide that I've outstayed my welcome, even as I can feel myself out of breath and dazed. It doesn't help that I'm keeping myself worked up, or that I can't recall the last time that I ate.
As I step through the door, opening it with a bit more force than necessary, I hop onto the counter to witness the scene before me. There are a few trainers that are gathered, but none draw my attention, and none seem to have their Pokémon out and about. It makes sense- all of these people's Pokémon are probably injured.
As I howl in threatening, I feel pleasure in watching all of them shrink under my presence, and I begin going for the exit… until someone gets in my way.
It's a girl in a dress. Long flowing locks of blonde hair with twin blue ribbons sticking out of it, in a similarly navy blue dress. Her eyes, however, are filled with the fire of a challenge. Next to her, a young man with a blonde stache and short, spiky hair, shook his head.
"It appears the Riolu you rescued was quite startled, Cynthia. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn't appear that it will come with you quite willingly. Perhaps we should let the authorities handle the murderous Pokémon?" the man comments, and I tense.
Cynthia?
"Psh, no way!" The girl scoffs. "It simply doesn't respect me yet as a trainer because I didn't defeat it in battle and we saved it from those crooks. Are you going to come quietly, or do you want to do an old fashioned Pokémon battle for you to join my team?"
It's at that moment that I see red. This… stupid fucking bimbo knows what I went through for the past three years of my life, and yet she still decides to try and catch me?
Clearly, the man sees it too, because in a moment, I hear the click of a Pokéball. In the meantime, I almost see myself do the things I'm doing in third person, with how angry I am. "Out." My arm snaps out forward, shattering my Pokéball just as I bring the other arm under it. I've never been able to insert my own Aura into the Vacuum Wave to turn it into a proper Aura Sphere, but it doesn't mean I haven't gotten creative. "OF MY WAYYYYYYYYYYY!" I howl in a haze of anger.
"GLACEON, LIGHTSCREEN!" The man screams, and not a moment too late, as I see the Vacuum Wave carry the Pokéball's shrapnel like a shotgun blast towards the girl, whose eyes are wide.
People are screaming, and the lightscreen is nowhere near enough to fully dissipate the energy of my attack when I'm so Worked Up. When the dust settles, I see the girl littered with bleeding cuts, her dress is in tatters, and her hair has come loose.
From the look of fear and confusion her face first morphs into a grimace of pain, but rapidly becomes a renewed mask of determination. "Thanks, Rowes. I thought I was done for for a moment there."
I look at the other trainer's Glaceon, who's shouting at me. "Are you out of your mind?! What do you think you're doing, attacking a human? You could've killed her!"
My outrage, which had momentarily stilled as I realized that I'd nearly killed a little girl, reignites. "Tell her to get out of my way and I'll gladly leave. Or do you want to see if before the cop gets here if I can cause enough damage to send even an icicle like you home in a bodybag?" I snarl, flexing my Metal Claws.
The Glaceon looks suitably intimidated, but doesn't move from where it is, keeping up the Lightscreen.
"I suggest you either get out of its way, Cynthia, or subdue it at once. Glaceon cannot keep a Lightscreen up forever, and keeping it contained in a Center just seems like a recipe to cause trouble for the trainers here."
The girl nods at him, before looking at me. "I see how it is. Well, Riolu, things are simple. Stay inside and let all of the people here leave, and I'll let you go. I can't make promises for the authorities, though, especially after the way you attacked here."
A wordless snarl was my only response. I'm on borrowed time here, get out of my way already!
"That's what I thought. If you decide to walk out of here, instead… you'll have to go through me. If you win, you go free to wherever it is you wish to go. But if you lose… then you'll become part of my team. Deal?"
I just glared at her.
"I'm out of here. Rowan, please evacuate the trainers here." And with that, she walked out. Rowan?
I grabbed my tassels, feeling the mounting headache drill through my skull. After a moment, as the man tried to calm down the people inside, I Quick Attacked my way out.
The blond was standing there, a hand on her hip. "So, decided to fight me, have we?"
I raised my paw and made a "come at me" gesture. I didn't want to fight her, but if I had to curbstomp another Pokémon to get my freedom, then so be it. "Bring it."
"Gabite, Battle Dance!" she shouted, and my eyes widened. Fuck. "Bite!" A land shark twice as tall as I was screeched his defiance against me. No words, only draconic roaring.
Before I could even get my bearings, the beast was on me. "Shit!" I said, disengaging with a Quick Attack-empowered kick to its muzzle, trying to rethink my approach. While empowered by the move, I could run laps around it all I wanted, but it wasn't viable long term and it was faster than I was through sheer size.
"Gabite, stop him from running! Sand Tomb!"
"Running away now that you face a stronger opponent?" Gabite taunted, before bringing down his foot. With a few slashes through the air of his wings, suddenly a whirlwind of sand was tearing into me like sandpaper, and I was having difficulty finding my bearings.
"Gabite, hit and run! Bite!"
Now that my escape avenues were cut off by the hurricane winds preventing me from moving outside of the eye of the sandstorm, I couldn't run. So I did the next best thing- waited for my opponent to strike. Crossing my arms in protection of my head and torso, I felt around for the aura of my opponent, and was not disappointed to find it circling behind me before taking off in a mad sprint.
"I might have to take a hit…" I murmured through grit teeth. I could feel surprise color Cynthia's emotions, a moment before Gabite struck.
"Got you!" Gabite hissed, diving for me. "Gabite, wait!" Cynthia shouted, but it was too late. I raised my arm in protection as I felt the dark type energy sink into it. Though the pain was excruciating, I smirked as I managed to grab ahold of its mouth from the inside through the teeth.
"...but you're going to have it so much worse!" I said, grabbing the top of Gabite's snout with my other paw and heaving. The land shark's expression became comically wide as he was bodily lifted off the ground. Strength surged through me once more as I bodily lifted more than twice my own weight, before violently judo flipping the dragon into the ground with the strength of his own attack.
A moment later, I flung a Vacuum Wave through its still-open maw for good measure as I saw it try and get up on shaking legs, feeling satisfaction in the way it exploded into its mouth and caused the beast to collapse. A red beam recalled the Gabite into its ball,
My own legs were shaking too, I knew that much. My vision was blurry, and that was without the currently raging sandstorm. Staring at my arm, I just saw a mess of red.
I just needed to get out of here, and I'd beable to find my way somewhere I could be free. Away from this place. But I needed to get out of the sandstorm for that to happen.
Just needed to get out.
One foot after the other.
Just…
….
Cynthia watched, tense, as her Gabite fell and the Riolu stayed standing. Thankfully, however, as the Sand Tomb began to clear, she saw the Riolu sway side to side before falling to the ground. The vice grip in which she was holding on to Gabite's ball relaxed; Budew was completely out of it still, and Gabite had been tired when he fought. Then again, she didn't presume Riolu was at 100% either.
As she fished around in her pockets for another Pokèball with which to catch the Riolu, however, she was beaten to the punch as a Heal Ball flew towards it; it shook once, twice three times, before clicking shut and flying back to the one who launched it.
"A marvelous showing." Rowan commented as he used the ball's locking function, preventing the Riolu from escaping.
"Thanks? I didn't need you to catch it for me, you know." Cynthia frowned.
"I apologize; I was speaking to the Riolu. You, Cynthia, showed a ham handed attempt to catch a Pokèmon who clearly wanted nothing to do with you with no care both the people and Pokèmon with you at the Center, your own health, and that of your Pokèmon. I will be transferring this specimen to a place it is more suited to."
"But- it's mine! I beat it!" Cynthia protested. This guy had the gall to not only lecture her, but also try and steal the 'mon from right under her nose?!
"Have you?" Rowan challenged. "As I have seen with my own eyes, the Riolu defeated your Gabite, and you have no more Pokèmon with you; from your own agreement with it, you should have let it go free, and at best, it succumbed to its own fatigue after beating you at your own game.
By now, Cynthia's fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles had gone white, but Rowan's glare and harsh judgement left no room for argument. "Fine." she spat. "I'll just get stronger. Strong enough that you won't be able to nab any more Pokèmon from under my nose."
Rowan pinched the bridge of his own nose. "Come, we should return to the Pokèmon center to get your cuts treated. The police should have handled the situation, by now."
As Cynthia swallowed the bitter taste of defeat, she glared at the pink and cream colored ball on Rowan's belt, she felt her adrenaline fade, and with that came the sting of the several cuts on her as it finally settled in her mind that Rowan was right; after clearing Team Might's goons out of their hideout and beating both Gym Leader Charon and Lieutenant Gardenia with Gible and Budew's efforts, she had felt invincible.
Clearly, she needed to redouble her efforts.
As they entered the Pokémon Center, several people stared at them inquisitively, buth neither Cynthia nor Rowan were in the mood to talk. As Rowan sat her down to patch her up, she brooded, hissing in pain sometimes when the disinfectant he applied stung. Still, after they were done an officer approached her, a Hoothoot hopping after him.
"Ah, miss Cynthia! Thank you again for your assistance in defeating those Team Might crooks." The man smiled, prompting her to snap her eyes up at him as she realized she'd been recognized. "And thank you for helping deal with the commotion, Mr. Rowan."
"It was our pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go use the phone to talk to Professor Lucas and see about making a transfer."
Cynthia swore softly under her breath at that, as Rowan left her alone with the cop. "You're welcome... it was nothing really..."
"I disagree." A female voice behind her drew gasps all around the room, and the back of her mind tingled in not-quite recognition. "To put yourself on the line for the sake of this city not once but twice shows great courage and even greater strength."
Cynthia spun around to come face to face with a woman she instantly recognized; donning a sleeveless pink turtleneck, a white beret and black, tapered leggings with high heel pink shoes, she could recognize this person anywhere.
"Champion Hikari, sir! I mean, ma'am, I mean-" the policeman began stammering, which was just about how Cynthia herself was feeling on the inside, just hidden with a bit more dignity.
"It's alright, officer. Just resume your work." The woman, Dawn freaking Hikari- the *champion* said, a smile on her face.
"Yes ma'am!" he said, excusing himself with a salute as his Hoothoot did much of the same with its wing before vanishing in the room behind the counter.
"Are you two Lucas' assistants?" Cynthia's head snapped back to the champion, seeing that in the meantime, Rowan had approached again as well.
"Indeed, we are. Would you happen to know the professor then, stranger? Why do you ask?" Rowan asked with clear suspicion written on his face, causing Cynthia's own eyes to widen.
What did this idiot think he was doing?!
Reaching over to karate chop her adult companion's head, she hissed into his ear. "What the hell, Rowan?!"
"Cynthia! Why are you- ow, let go of my ear, for Arceus' sake!" he tried to swat her away.
"It's the freaking champion, Dawn Hikari! Watch how you talk to her!" she whisper-shouted in his ear, and she saw his eyes widen. Did this dumbass really not know who she was?!
Grabbing her hand to make her unhand his now red ear, he bowed deeply to Dawn. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, ma'am. Due my interests being almost entirely academical in their-"
"Pffft-" he was cut off by a snort of laughter.
"Beg pardon?" Rowan snapped up, looking at her in confusion.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Suddenly Dawn, previously the picture of composure and power doubled over laughing, nearly falling on the ground as tears streamed down her face.
Cynthia and Rowan stood there awkwardly, for a good fourty seconds, waiting for the woman to recover from the hysterics. Eventually, she managed to get herself together. "Oh man, you two really make for an entertaining duo. I'm sorry for laughing at you-" she said, despite still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "but you looked so serious there." She smiled. "Still, from what I've heard of what you both did, I can safely say that Lucas made the right choice with you two. Come! Let's not take up space here in the Center where there's people that need it more."
With that, she turned around striding out of the Center, and the two of them glanced at one another.
"Did you transfer it?" Cynthia asked, equal parts bitterness and curiosity.
"I did." He confirmed, and she sighed, brushing hair out of her face. "But-" he added. "I have also told the professor that, once the Pokémon's health is ensured, to allow you a discussion with the Riolu, and ask it to join your team before it is released to the wild."
Cynthia's gaze snapped upwards. "But- you said-"
"I said that you acted far more recklessly than the situation deserves. That has not changed. All I have given you is a chance to make up for your mistakes- if the Riolu also agrees that you are worth its time. I do not believe in people being sorry, I believe in people being better."
At that, she nodded earnestly. Oh, she was going to be better, definitely.
As they climbed up the staircase, they saw Dawn standing under the massive statue of a immense-looking Pokémon.
"Ah, you've made it. I was starting to think that I'd need to send some of my Pokémon to ferry you up here," she teased, before returning serious and looking back at the statue. "This ancient Pokémon… even its likeness truly radiates power, huh? Team Might certainly seemed to believe so."
"Is that why they were in this town? To research the ancient Pokémon?" Cynthia asked.
"That's what I'm inclined to believe. You see…"
Hoo-wee. I've never had to work on an OC-insert that starts from an AU basis of my own device. Worldbuilding is fun.
If you wish to support my writing, you can check me out on the place of patrons where I post five chapters ahead. Alternatively, you can always PM me in private if you wish to commission something written where we can hash out the details. Otherwise, a review is still more than enough, and I can't be thankful enough for it.
Drink water, stay awesome. Nick of Name, out. :)