Adapting to an unwanted life

by Swag Striker

A professional biologist uses his knowledge of the adaptative nature of Earth's animals to fight against Pokemon of any kind. He'll need every advantage he can get when he's no longer a human and now has the unfamiliar form of a Weavile. He must get used to it quickly and find the being who did this to him or he'll be stuck like this forever. (Weavile TF)

10. Chapter 10: The Ducklett trio

Chapter 10: The Ducklett trio

A/N: If you guys have any ideas/events that you want to see in the story then let me know. I've said before that this fanfic is being made up as it goes along and if your idea would work then I'll probably implement it, no promises though.

Chapter 10 START

It was lunchtime. Theodore slowly moved his fork, containing a portion of his self-made steak, into his mouth. He chewed, albeit very slowly, as he stared at the tablecloth. Usually, he would beaming from the Pokemon food's great taste, but right now he was too busy thinking of what happened yesterday.

He couldn't believe how he acted. Dancing with Athena, bleurgh, just the word 'dance' made him want to vomit. However, he couldn't find himself doing that, not after how it made him feel. He liked it, like, A LOT. It made him so feel so light, got the adrenaline up, and stimulated him more than any knowledge, any challenge, any form of superiority he had before. He's been looking for a good stimulant for over a decade and no matter what it was, it made him feel nothing. It may have made him feel something at first but then quickly distinguished. It's what happens when you're as great as him.

That's the thing though, how did Athena achieve something that he couldn't do for so long? Were they just obsessions and not true joy? When he danced...What was that feeling called again, was it joy? Admittedly, he was never good at emotions uneless it was manipulating them from others when in his sadistic episodes. He thinks that is why he's been asking so many questions about what he's feeling when he's stuck to this group of three.

Sarah kept kicking her feet as she took huge bites of her shepherd's pie; the workout from yesterday taking so much energy out of her. However, she felt so energized and her breathing had improved a lot, she should do this much more.

"So uhhh Sarah." She turned to her mysterious friend who kept staring at Theodore. "Why is he eating on a table, using utensils no less."

Oh yeah, I forgot not everyone is used to that.

"Honestly, I don't know myself. He started that ever since day one of us traveling, although he does a lot of weird things. I don't really question small things like this and would rather keep traveling. He's my brother though so no matter how weird he is, I wouldn't treat him differently."

"Okay?" He said questioningly before asking himself. "Hey, Theodore." He broke his attention from the tablecloth. "Why do you act so human-like? First, you could write, then wear a scarf, now this. Where do you come from?" He got a deadpan look.

Theodore took out his notebook from under his scarf and wrote.

THAT'S A DUMBASS QUESTION.

"Theodore!"

"No no, it's fine. I asked a stupid question, he's obviously from the snowy mountains. That's where Sneazels and Weaviles like to live since they are ice types." N said. "But I'm asking because his heart is different from other Pokemon not just his actions. It lacks love and joy."

Theodore's eyes widened when he found his hypothesis to be correct. So it was joy! But then that means that I enjoy dancing. He didn't know what to think of that. Is it really so wrong to like it?

They finished eating along with their Pokemon before packing up.

"Ooh, Anubis I almost forgot. We need to check your weight." He stood still as she scanned him.

"This Riolu's weight has now reached optimum."

"Yes! Riolu!" They both beamed at the confirmation of his restored state.

"Good."

"Nice."

"Well done."

He became flustered when everyone started congratulating him. He turned to his older brother.

"So, what do you think?"

"Huh, good I guess." Why does he care what I think?

Anubis beamed further.

After Briaviary and Eevee were recalled they moved through the forest.

"So are we going the right way?"

"Yes, if we move this way for about 20 miles we'll come across a mountain then if we go left from there we'll reach the Skyarrow Bridge which will take us straight to Castelia City. If we keep up the pace we can get there within 2 weeks."

After an hour of walking, they heard the voice of a teenage boy. He was wearing a full-blue tracksuit along with green hiking shoes. His hair was also blue and split into two large spikes protruding on his left and right. He was staring intently at his map.

"Damn it, the map says go left but after 3 days I'm still stuck here. Why couldn't the league have just built a normal route here instead of making us wonder like Slowpokes."

"Hi there, you need some help." Sarah called out. He looked up from his map.

"Hey guys, yeah I'm a bit lost right now. This darn map is such a pain to read."

"Here let me see it." N took the map and after a minute, pointed at the mountain in the far distance. "See there, if you keep walking to that mountain through this way." He pointed at the map again showing the route. "Then go straight west from there using this windmill as a landmark you'll reach Castelia City. It's a long trek though so don't think you'll get lost if it takes you days to get there."

"Thanks dude, you're pretty good at reading maps. You just saved my life."

"It's no problem, anything to help. We're actually going there ourselves, do you want to join us."

"Sorry dude, but Imma run it. There ain't no time to waste when the Gym circuit season is on. Hey, are both of you Trainers!?" He asked excitedly.

"I am, he isn't."

"Nice Pokemon man. What do you say we have a battle." He brought out a pokeball. "It will be a quick 1 on 1."

"Hmm, I don't know." She wanted to use Athena but she had a full training session yesterday. "Theodore, wanna battle?"

He shook his head and pointed a Athena, wanting to see the result of his work.

"Athena, I know you're still fatigued but d-"

"Ra Ralts Ra Ralts!" She stood in front of her.

"Alright, then your Ralts versus my Ferroseed." He threw his pokeball in the air and out came an egg-shaped creature with a steel exterior. Out of it were small green spikes. He had two yellow eyes in his midsection.

"Ferroseed." The two trainers put their bags on the side before arranging the battle to an official one in their pokedex's. This will make it so that the winner gets paid by the loser. Theodore saw them going through the app. So this is how money works through battling, they didn't show that in the anime. They got to their positions.

"By the way, the name's Charen."

"I'm Sarah."

"I'll start things off. Ferroseed, use consecutive Bullet Seeds." The steel and grass type Pokemon, unlike Pokemon who build the seeds in the stomach using the minerals from the intestines and use the back of the throat's muscles to propel them, conjured the seeds in front of his face and sent them flying to Athena.

She smirked at the pace of the seeds despite being named after bullets. After the training yesterday which had stimulated her legs, she easily jumped to the side to avoid the barrage. When they kept coming, she kept dodging.

It's time to go on the offense. Sarah thought.

"Use Confusion." With this, he won't be able to do anything. It will be just like Lenora where Lillipup couldn't use his Take Down properly.

Athena was already in close proximity with her opponent. She shot out a large yellow ring which hit.

"Ferroseed use Iron Head." Sarah smirked, knowing that his Pokemon will end up hitting a tree. Ferroseed glowed and his whole body turned into a shiny steel exterior. To her shock, he rocketed himself and managed to hit Athena.

"What! But I used Confusion, the chances of him landing a hit are low!"

"Ha ha ha. My Ferroseed's special ability is Own Tempo which prevents him from being confused. You're going to have to try a different strategy."

"Fine, I've beaten Lenora so I can definitely beat you."

"Overconfident are we."

"Athena use Psybeam."

"Dodge it." Ferroseed, who was levitating in the air, dropped to hover just inches above the ground, the attack going far over his head.

"Use Iron Head again."

"Dodge it." She did but Sarah could tell that she was running out of gas. Her dodges earlier lacked grace and finesse; making them inefficient. She only learned to properly dodge yesterday and the technique would get better over time, but it was showing its effects in this battle.

"Use Psybeam again." With Ferroseed stopping his momentum after attacking, he was in the perfect spot for an attack. The Psychic attack landed and he stumbled in midair for a second. To the shock of the two girls, he recovered immediately.

Charen saw their faces and almost laughed out loud.

"Don't you know Psychic attacks are not effective against steel types like my Ferroseed. If you really beat Lenora you would know that." Sarah gritted her teeth.

"Athena keep hitting him with Psybeam until he goes down."

"Don't let them, dodge then Bullet Seed."

After her next attack which landed, Ferroseed dodged the one after before shooting out his barrage of small bullets. Athena dodged them except a few at the end which left minor scuffs on her dress. She huffed in place.

"Pin Missile."

"Double Team." Ferroseed's green spike glowed white before shooting out copies of themselves to Athena. However, she split into many clones spread throughout the battlefield. The Pin Missiles spread to hit a clone each and, even though there were more clones than missiles, one of them landed on her.

"Raaaalts!" She screamed as she fell to the floor. Sarah bit her lip. At least she hadn't fainted and is still in the game.

"Let's finish this off with Solar Beam!" Charen said, excited that victory was coming soon.

"Ferro!" His Pokemon hovered towards the sky that rained down its luminescence. A small bright ball was charging in front of him and grew larger as it absorbed the sun's energy. He shouted his name as he sent out the beam.

"Raaaaaaaaaalts!" Athena was still on the floor, but now in a large pit as she struggled to get up. Sarah was now biting the top of her dress.

"Damn, your Ralts is persistent huh. Well, one more Iron Jead should do the trick."

"N-no." Dang it dang it dang it uhhh what do I do? What can I do? She doesn't know any offensive move other than Psybeam which is ineffective. Ferroseed was coming closer to Athena.

"D-do something, blast that spiky egg thing.!"

Athena felt an unfamiliar sensation in her midsection, a fiery feeling that got hotter and hotter but not uncomfortable. It was within an organ between the lungs and the diaphram. It was responsible for producing pure hydrogen and oxygen from the water consumed by the Pokemon. She let it out, the gases being ignited by a spark near the back of her throat.

A swirling flame formed and flew through the air. It grew larger from the oxygen it was consuming, then when it was at its largest form, narrowed its swirling motion and consumed the Ferroseed who was only a few inches from Athena's face.

"SEEEED!" He screamed. He stumbled through the air until dropping with black swirls on his eyes. Everyone stood in shock at what happened until Sarah broke the silence.

"We did it! Uh huh yep that's right, it was us." She celebrated before running to Athena and scooping her up from the crate. She lifted a tiny fist while smiling. "Congratulations sister, you just learned a new move."

She took out her pokedex and scanned her.

"This move is called Mystical Fire."

Another notification popped up showing her earnings of $25 which was pretty small, although it was only a 1 on 1, so she'll take it. Either way, she learned a new move, she learned a new move gaaahh.

"That was a good match." Charen walked over to her, bag over one of his shoulders. "Hopefully we meet again. I'll make sure my Ferroseed evolves and beats your Ralts."

"Hah, trust me, Athena and I will destroy you once again."

"You only got lucky with that weird mystical flamethrower but next time I'm going to win." He ran off into the woods in the direction N pointed.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" She looked around and saw no one other than her Team. Anubis pointed to a group of trees a couple of meters away where he sat on a branch looking in the distance. "Good boy, you look after the bag while I talk to him."

"Rio!"

She took out a potion from her pocket and sprayed it on Athena. The marks and bruises healed a bit, letting her walk on her own.

"Hey guess what N, Athena learned Mystical Firee which I've never heard of before and she absolutely destroyed that Ferroseed and...N?" He was silent and wasn't looking at her. "Why are you here looking all sad?" He jumped down.

"I didn't want to see Athena get hurt." Oh yeah, he doesn't like trainers using Pokemon for battles and I fit in that category too.

Sarah had been thinking about his idealogy for the last two days and while she said that it would be later down the line where she would get her answer, she already knew what it was going to be.

"I'm sorry N, but I'm going to have to disagree with you."

"W-what?"

"Athena, as a Pokemon will heal completely, something we humans can't do as well. She fought and tomorrow she'll be stronger. She just learned a new move. She's growing and that is what it's going to take if she ever wants to turn into a Gardevoir, so if battling is what it takes to complete her growth then how can that be wrong?"

N clicked his teeth. Unknowingly, she mentioned the point he hated the most; evolution. It was one he couldn't find an argument against because as someone who's lived in the wild with Pokemon, he knew there was no way for a Pokemon to evolve other than battling each other and getting stronger. Even ones that require evolution stones like his Eevee have to have a criteria of strength before they can. Some Pokemon couldn't even reproduce without evolving into their second or final evolution.

Theodore smirked and respected her opinion because it made sense. It's literally part of their DNA to do this; to pass on the superior genes and make the species stronger. There's no good or bad to it just nature.

They walked back to get Anubis and her bag.

(With Anubis)

He sat next to the bag.

"Yaaaawn." He rubbed his eyes. It was peaceful, the silence of the forest allowing him to not have any thought.

Rustle*

He turned to the bush on his right.

"Hey there." Came out a small chubby duck with light blue feathers. It had the typical yellow beak and flippers. On the bottom half of its body were longer feathers that were darker than the rest. Its wings were relatively small compared to its body. It was a Ducklett. "How's it going?"

"Uhhh it's um going pretty good. How are you?"

"I'm good too." He stared at Anubis in silence. It started to freak him out, especially with those derpy eyes. "And so are they."

"Hey there."

"Hey there."

He jumped in place when two more heads popped out from the bushes on his left. They neared him. He was getting a bad feeling about this, so he used his aura sense and saw their bad intentions.

"So what's in the bag, it seems interesting?" The one who first spoke, who Anubis assumed was the leader of the trio, tried to open the bag. "The humans who come through here carry some interesting things."

"Back off!" He weakly swiped at him to which he jumped back.

"Woah, relax dude, we're only playing with you." They started to circle him.

"Yeah, just playing."

"What's wrong with that?" He lightly growled while constantly turning to see all of the Duckletts. The one behind waited for him to turn then quickly unzipped the bag and grabbed the first thing he could before dodging a punch.

"Ooooohh." He mused at the pan. "What does this do? Is it a water holder?"

Anubis panicked. He charged a Quick Attack and went for a kick. The Ducklett, knowing the attack would come, sent a Water Gun. The blast was compact and strong enough to send Anubis to the ground.

"Thanks for the stuff loser. We'll take good care of it for your trainer."

"Oh nooo." The other two Duckletts carried off the bag and flew into the depths of the forest before he could even get up. The remaining one behind him quickly followed.

"Fuck!" As Theodore would say. He banged his fist to the ground.

The group came back dragging along an annoyed N.

"Hey, where did the bag go?" Sarah asked.

If we chase after them immediately then we can get them!

"Ri Ri Riolu Riolu Rio Lu Lu." He said frantically while pointing at the forest.

"Sorry Anubis, but I don't get what you're saying. Theodore, could you translate please." Theodore facepalmed from what he heard from the canine Pokemon.

"Oh my god, not another distraction, why does this keep happening to us?" He wrote what he said in his notebook.

"What! There's no time to stand here, let's go after them." They all ran in the pointed direction. Hopefully, they would catch up or at least get a sense of direction, but with the forest being so large and them being flying types, it may end up as a lost cause.

After 10 mins, Theodore caught something, a difference in the air. He stopped himself before he could raise his head and sniff the scent of the Ducklett thieves. No, there's no way in hell I'll... but if I don't then they'll get away and we'll be fucked. The scent was a very small whiff that happened to reach him otherwise N would have smelled it instead. This was on him. Honestly, it can't be that bad. Ever since I inhabited this body, its capabilities have been impressive and I'm starting to get used to it. The back of his head, which prevented him from fully accepting the body, was starting to get used to it and treat it like it was normal. Fuck it.

He smelled the tiny whiff and was immediately shocked. He looked towards the edge of the trees where the Duckletts had briefly brushed their wings on. How he knew that? It was like a second pair of eyes.

Inside his nose was the Olfactory Epithelium tissue containing the Olfactory receptor cells. The amount in his Weavile nose was the same as a cat's which is over 10 times the size of a human's. The odor molecules coming from the Ducklett's feathers which smelled of the forest, river, and duck, attached to the receptor cells which then sent signals to the Olfactory Bulb in the brain. The signals were processed and then sent to the other parts of the brain for interpretation.

What Theodore was seeing was like an overlay to his current vision. He was perfectly able to interpret where they went from the scent alone. Holy crap, is this what guard dogs are capable of, I underestimated them.

He called to the team to follow him and after a mile of running, they came to an open hill. The trio were messing around with her stuff and scattered them across the floor.

"Oooh this looks cool." One of them pressed down on the lighter and out came a small flame. His eyes dilated from the majesty of the flame and he was too engrossed to realise he set his friend on fire.

"WAAAAHHH DUDE!" He flapped around in panic, scared the fire would encompass him. "Oh wait, I'm a water type." He sent a small stream of water and extinguished the flame. "We should use that thing on that Venipede nest. It would be funny to see them all on fire."

"Hey Assholes!" Theodore called out. He summoned a Shadow Claw on both hands, intending to shred them to pieces. "Prepare to die!"

"Wait!" N called out. In front of the Duckletts was, strangely, a large amount of grass. N knew of this simple trap used by poachers all the time by baiting a Pokemon in a certain direction. He tried to reach for Theodore and pull him back when he lunged, but they both ended up falling into the trap. They went through the patch of grass that was hiding a large tunnel. The Duckletts were using a trap used by a poacher from a long time ago.

They saw the Ducklett trio laughing at them as they fell to the bottom.

"Athena Psybeam. Anubis Quick Attack."

"Hah, not so fast." The leader used Sarah's pan to absorb the Psycich attack while one of the others flew up to dodge the Quick Attack and threw an open can of beans. It splattered across Anubis's face. The remaining Ducklett used a Water Gun and sent him back to Sarah. She caught him. He wiped the beans and their juices off, staining his arms along with his face.

Sarah growled at the sheer stupidity of all this. The Duckletts quickly put in some of the scattered items in the bag before flying off.

"Dang it! Strawberry cookie heavens dang it!"

Athena held her hand. It's going to be fine, we'll get them. Sarah sighed before taking a few deep breaths.

Alright, let's see where Theodore and N have gone. She looked at the hole and saw that it was very long and followed to the bottom of the hill. They would have to find a pathway up which could take a while or she could forget about her bag. It's them two and they're together so they'll be fine. My stuff is just too important for the journey and I won't be able to afford their replacement.

She didn't feel good about leaving behind her friends but necessity is necessity. She followed the direction the Duckletts flew, hoping that they would stay on the same course. She walked for about 20 minutes.

Her foot fell into a small burrow.

"What the?" She took her foot out and inspected the burrow. Its length carried on but was slanted to the side. "Okay...weird."

After about ten steps, Athena yelped as she found herself having fallen fully into another burrow. Sarah picked her up from it.

"Why are there so many burrows around here, is this some ground type's home like a Drillbur or something?" The ground rumbled slightly and many more burrows that were encased by patches of grass had a green and red insect looking Pokemon come out of them. They were slightly larger than Athena. They wore menacing looks that showed that anyone who came across them would regret it.

Sarah took out her pokedex to scan one.

"Venipede. Its bite injects a potent poison, enough to paralyze large bird Pokémon that try to prey on it."

Could this day get any worse.

She gulped as the dozen of Venipedes came closer to surround them. Her two Pokemon put up their guards. The Venipedes coiled their small bodies as they got ready to lunge. This was bad, really bad. These guys were young and probably weren't taught yet about the Great Pact and honorable battles. They could get out of this alive but they would be poisoned and she left some antidotes in her bag.

They were all about to jump and her two Pokemon readied their attacks until a loud hiss stopped everyone from moving. A Pokemon that looked like a grey wheel but had a hardened exoskeleton came out. On its body were small spikes and two pairs of larger ones coming from the front and back. Its eyes were the same as the Venipede's but larger.

The Venipedes moved a fair distance back and formed a circle. She scanned the Pokemon.

"Whirlipede is the evolved form of Venipede. Protected by a hard shell, it spins its body like a wheel and crashes furiously into its enemies."

The rest of the Venipedes moved back the instant it hissed, so if this is a nest then this must be the Queen.

"Whirlipede, I'm sorry for intruding onto your nest. It was a mistake. We mean no harm, so if you let us go, we'll be on our way." She held her hands up.

"Ralts Ralts Ralts." Athena said. The Whirlipede still didn't look too happy. She hissed before spinning and jumping in place. Sarah didn't need a translation for she was trying to convey.

"Athena come back. Anubis, you ready to fight?"

"Rio!" He stood forth.

"Then get close with Quick Attack."

The Whirlipede's small spikes glowed before white copies shot out and went for Anubis. It was Pin Missile. Anubis had seen the attack from the Ferroseed earlier and knew what to do. With his increased speed and reaction time from the training yesterday, he dodged, jumped over, and maneuvered around the projectiles.

"Use Brick Break." His fist glowed as he struck the Whirlipede at its front. Sending her back a few yards. The rest of the nest watched in astonishment as their Queen, the strongest Pokemon they knew, was being pushed back. A small crack appeared in her armor. She spun and moved those scales to the floor.

"Whirlipede!" She started to spin, gaining speed very quickly before launching herself to Anubis. He had no time to react to the Rollout. He was struck and was sent flying back. The Venipedes hissed in delight as THAT was their leader.

Anubis got up, the attack was damaging but not too much as rock type attacks were ineffective against him. She didn't stop, preparing another Rollout.

Sarah was thinking. The Queen's exterior is too hard for even Brick Break to do much against She uses that defense as a weapon when she spins. If Anubis knew a ranged moved then we could have chipped her down. I have to get that sorted immediately, but for now, we have to stick with what we've got. Where is the opening...that's it! The only thing that remains still is her eyes, they don't move while the rest of the body does.

"Anubis use Detect. When she comes close use Brick break on her side." He nodded, narrowing his eyes and seeing the details of her movement. Many thoughts came to his head, calculations of her direction, momentum, and how long it would take to reach him. The calculations weren't taken in as numbers, such as her speed being 40 miles/hour, but as an instinct.

She launched and when she was about to strike, he sent a strong right hook, hitting her left eye and deflecting her Rollout. She span to his right, slowly losing momentum before falling on her side.

She weakly got up. Her front pincers glowed purple. Sarah's eyes widened.

"Anubis, you have to dodge that no matter what. If she poisons you we'll be in deep trouble." He waited until she got close and lunged. He stepped to the left and sent a powerful punch on her other eye. She hissed in pain where she landed. She was trying her hardest not to faint.

Everyone stood in silence. She closed her swollen eyes and nodded. The Venipede's, first shocked, shook away their thoughtd before making a pathway for the team. The Queen gave a bow. It was barely noticeable due to her tiny legs but still appreciated.

"Thank you Whirlipede."

"Whirl."

They walked for another ten minutes and found the Duckletts still messing with her stuff near a pond. Thank goodness they didn't go somewhere else. One had opened a Skittle's packet and was vacuuming the sweets. Athena growled at her treat being eaten and was about to send a Mystical Fire their way.

"Wait Athena, let me handle this." They came out of the branches and got the trio's attention. "Listen here Duckletts, my friends are lost, you've messed with my stuff, and we almost got the frontal assault of an entire Venipede nest. Don't you think you've done enough? We're sad and have been through a lot over the past few days, so please return my stuff. There's no need to carry this on."

The Duckletts looked at each other with a stupified expression before their leader walked forward holding her pan.

"Perhaps we have gone too far. I'm sorry for all the mess we've caused, we just wanted to have some fun. It's very boring in this forest when trainers don't come through." He held out the pan. "Here."

"Awww thank you dear." Anubis wasn't buying it. They acted like this toward him too. He used his aura vision and saw the remorse turn into deception. The Ducklett snapped his wing back before Sarah could take it and was about to spray a Water Gun on her face.

Anubis had already charged a Brick Break and punched the Ducklett, his head hitting a tree. He whimpered, staying on the floor while holding his wing. If it wasn't for him being a flying type then that would have been a straight knockout.

The other two abandoned whatever they were messing with and flew into the air. They sent a Water Gun to each of their opponents.

"Athena use Psybeam. Anubis dodge it."

Athena used her attack. The purple rings and the Water Gun actually went through each other and both were hit. Anubis was constantly dodging the Water Guns that kept coming his way.

When I see N I'm going to ask him to have his Eevee teach him Swift. Anubis can't do anything against Pokemon who can fly.

Her attention quickly went back to Athena where the Ducklett used Bubble Beam.

"Use Double Team." She sent clones around the area. The Ducklett came in close and spun, the Bubble Beam attacking and breaking the clones. He looked in confusion as there was nothing left not even the real one. Athena, jumping out from behind a tree, was now in range for Confusion.

"Do it!" She shot out the Confusion and hit him. The Ducklett tried to stay airborne but was confused and couldn't identify his surroundings. His wings didn't follow their usual pattern of motion and he unsteadily crashed into a bush.

That will buy some time. She turned back to Anubis who was getting tired from dodging the consecutive Water Guns. Ducklett's wings glowed. He was about to go in for a Wing Attack. Her eyes darted around, thinking of a way to avoid the attack. If it hit then he would faint. She saw the tree near him.

"Jump!" He narrowly dodged the Wing Attack and landed on a branch. "Quickly, jump onto him and use Brick Break!"

He did. The Ducklett flew in a zig-zag pattern to try to throw him off, but Anubis held on. He smashed his head with a Brick Break. He became disoriented and flew into a tree sending them both to the floor. Anubis quickly got up and raised his guard, but found no need when he saw that Ducklett had fainted.

"Ha ha. I did it!" He smiled from seeing his fallen opponent.

The Ducklett that Athena was facing was still confused. He sent a Bubble Beam into the air which fell back onto him. He groaned before fainting.

The leader had gotten up and saw his fallen brothers and the Pokemon who'd defeated them. He still held on to his throbbing wing. He knew he couldn't fly away, but even if he could, he couldn't abandon his brothers. He pulled them with his beam and remaining wing into the pond, leaving the bag for its beholder.

Sarah quickly snatched it from the ground before there could be any other stupidity coming the trio. Once she realized they really had given up she looked back at her companions and saw their ruffled states. Then she saw her own.

"Ha ha ha looks like it's going to be bath time tonight." The two smiled. They loved bath time.

It was her first time in a double battle and she was proud she won. I'm getting good at this. This battling thing is easier than I thought. Anyway, time to find the boys.

(With Theodore and N)

"Damn it." Theodore said as he got some of the dirt off his fur. "When I see those three I'll eat them, roasted duck will be on the menu tonight."

"Calm down Theodore." N said, his clothes having stains on them. "This is just a minor hiccup. I'm sure we'll get back to the others quickly." He looked back at the hill that towered over them. "We obviously can't climb up through the tunnel. Let's go this way, there might be a pathway up."

They walked along the edge of the higher ledged ground. Theodore was shocked when he walked past a Scolipede eating a Sewaddle, half of its body still being torn apart piece by piece.

"Something wrong?" N asked.

"N-nothing." For the Pokemon lover to be okay with seeing that shows that it's completely normal. They didn't explain this in the anime and I thought that this world was just using cartoon logic, but that hasn't been the case so far. Some things may seem lovey dovey but they could be explained through reason like the fact that Pokemon don't bleed. I tested that out myself and found out why. Actually, that reminds me.

He pulled out his notebook and wrote to N.

WHAT IS THE TOUGH LAYER UNDERNEATH A POKEMON'S MUSCLES. THE PART THAT HIDES THE ARTERIES AND VEINS.

"You mean the hemaguard layer? It's a tough thick membrane that goes over the body, even protecting the internal organs from damage that would kill them if they didn't have it. It can still be penetrated which is why Pokemon faint when it's close to or if it's sustained too much damage. It also stops huge infections. Fainting acts as a safety mechanism."

Now that's an explanation right there. So stuff can be explained scientifically like how Pokemon are able to achieve such powerful feats.

Seeing that the walk would be for a while, he asked a few more questions.

HOW ABOUT THE GREAT PACT

"Wow, you really are from far away. There was a world war from over 400 years ago called the Ashen War that almost destroyed the world and even got some legendary Pokemon involved. After the devestation everyone on all sides had had enough, so there was an agreement between the nations and between humans and Pokemon that there would be no war nor abuse again. Part of the agreement is that both species have to teach their young those rules, so I don't know why you don't know. Even though you're an orphan you should have learned about it from some other Pokemon."

WHO GOVERNS THESE RULES

"Humans have their governments and organizations to deal with it. Pokemon used to have political groups but due to how much we hate politics, it quickly disappeared. Since the Great Pact was being maintained for a long time it was generally accepted that the humans deal with it. The closest thing Pokemon have got are the Swords of Justice."

Theodore was intrigued, he was learning a lot. At first, he thought this world to be simple, but it may be more complicated than he thought.

They stopped moving when they heard the sounds of a battle nearby. At first, they were going to ignore it but a Sawk had jumped out of the trees with a furious Gurdurr behind him. The Gurdurr swung its Girdir at the Sawk who dodged it easily.

"I told you it was an accident, I was training." said the Sawk.

"I don't care! No one attacks the great Gurdurr and gets away with it!" He went in for another swing while the Sawk was about to retaliate with a Dynamic Punch. They stopped their attacks midway. N, moving quicker than anyone could see, had positioned himself between them with his arms outstretched.

"Stop you two, as Pokemon you shouldn't be fighting. You're not even part of each other's food chain. I can sense the turmoil in your heart Gurdurr, but I'm sure that you can solve your issues peacefully. There's no need to hurt each other." The two fighting Pokemon stared for a moment at the human who had the balls to intervene.

"What kind of crummy crap is that? Get out of my way before I turn you into minced meat too!" The Gurdurr tried to go around the human, but N kept getting in his way. He eventually got annoyed and swung his Girdir at him instead. N was spent sprawling across the ground.

"N/human!" The Sawk and Theodore said, rushing to his fallen form.

"Are you an idiot, why would a human challenge a Pokemon into a fight, you'd lose!" Theodore shouted. "Fucking idiot. Completely and utter retard."

"Even when in rage, you should never attack a human, especially for one of your strength Gurdurr. You know what would happen if he died or faced serious injury, you would be killed by their people."

The Gurdurr looked away while clicking his teeth. He realized his mistake.

"Whatever, you losers aren't worth my time." He disappeared back into the trees.

"Are you okay friend?" The Sawk shook N. N held a hand out.

"I'll be fine. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am, but I would have been fine without your help. You didn't need to put yourself in harms way."

"I-" N groaned getting up. "I would rather not see you fighting. I don't like Pokemon battles even amongst wild Pokemon."

"That's a noble ideal N, but please value yourself more. If you're okay then I'll take my leave." Sawk bowed his head before leaving.

N placed his hand on the pokeballs at his side. His Pokemon had sensed his distress.

"I've already said I'm fine." He growled before mumbling. "How many times do I need to say that!"

Theodore blinked. D-did he just glow purple? It was a quick flash that may have been a refraction of the sun.

They slowly walked, N kept a hand on his side where the Gurdurr struck him. He was limping now. Damn, he got me in the right spot. It was taking all of his focus to keep his appearance up, the attack almost destroying it.

Theodore smirked. Seeing his turmoil, this was the best time to test his theory. N has had slip-ups whenever he's talked, sometimes speaking in ways that make him sound like an outsider of the human species, being able to understand Pokemon with accuracy his heart sensing abilities shouldn't allow him to, and that flash of purple was no trick of the light either.

After a few minutes, N groaned while the flashes of purple over his body came back in waves.

"We need to keep *huff* moving."

"Hey N, what's 9 plus 10?"

"It's 19, why would yo-" He realized his error and Theodore grinned wildly.

"I knew it! So there is more to you than what you let on. I have to say, you've done a good job hiding it." N sighed. He shouldn't be letting his emotions get in the way of hiding his abilities.

"It's true, I've hidden that ability. You are one sneaky Weavile I'll give you that. Please don't tell the others about this, I would rather keep it hidden." Theodore nodded. He didn't care why N would hide it.

He groaned louder this time. Oh no, I can't keep it up anymore.

His entire body flashed purple before cracking into pieces and disappearing into thin air. What Theodore saw left his mouth open. He had his suspicions, but seeing it happen firsthand was different.

"H-hi." N said meekly as his muzzle gave an awkward smile.

"YOU'RE A ZOROARK!"

...

They were still walking, the upper layer ground was getting lower and lower. Theodore broke the silence.

"So you going to explain this or..." He was still in his Zoroark form, too tired to build his disguise. It was a good thing because he could focus his energy into healing the bruise on his side. He was no longer limping and could walk normally.

"No."

"Why do you live amongst humans, tricking them, walking with them? It's like you're ashamed of your Pokemon heritage." N slightly growled but didn't respond.

"Yet you dislike the human race as a whole. Are you trying to become one, are you that delusional?" He kept ignoring him.

"You lied to Sarah too. I guess that's all she means to you, isn't it. She accompanied you when no one else would and you spit on her face." N clenched his fist that were ready to be thrown.

"You're a liar and a hypocrite!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Theodore took a step back from the outburst. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HUMANS HAVE DONE TO ME AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY THEN FINE, I'LL TELL YOU!"

(Flashback)

Zorua looked around the bush, careful not to show his red fur. It would be an outlier to the greenery of the forest.

"Come out come out wherever you are." Sang along a voice.

He retreated back after seeing his enemy coming closer. He tried not to breath and crouched as still as he could.

Please go past, please go past.

But he wasn't lucky.

"Got ya!" Pounced the Drillbur onto him, using his claws to tickle where he knew were Zorua's weak spots.

"S-stop Ha ha stop it." The Drillbur stopped but when he got up from the ground he tickled him again, bringing another chorale of giggling. He let him get up properly this time.

"I got you again."

"Yeah, I guess you won, but now that you're hiding, I'll make sure to find you and tickle you to death."

"Ho ho, then we shall see. No one can beat the champion of hide and seek."

"Oh it's on."

"Zorua." A soft and sweet voice called out. It was his mother, a Zoroark who was waving him to come.

"That's my mom. Can we play later?"

"Sure, if my parents let me. You know how strict they are with my training. I wish they were more carefree like your mom."

"Trust me, she's not as soft as you think she is. Ever since dad died last year, she's increased it by double. Anyway, see ya."

"Bye." They went their ways.

Zoroark scooped her son and grimaced at the amount of dirt, leaves, and other stuff that were stuck in his fur.

"Little one, how many times do I have to tell you the importance of keeping yourself groomed. How are you supposed to get a mate when you're as messy as this."

"Moooom." He whined as his ears pinned to the back of his head. "I've already told you, I'm going to become the leader of this village when I challenge him to a battle."

The village was a Zoroak village where there were mostly, you guessed it, Zoruas and Zoroarks. They were welcoming to outsiders but only if they were weak. They didn't want any strong Pokemon trying to take over the territory.

"Are you sure? I did see your friend, Zorua, giving you some subtle looks, I think she likes you."

"MOM!" He blushed. It was deep enough to go through his dark fur. His mother gave a chuckle before backing off.

"Still, those are some good ideals to have."

"Ideals?" He didn't know what that word meant.

"Correct like pursuing a dream, hopes and what could be. When you want to change the world in a way that you think will make it better. If you become leader, how will you make the village better?"

He mused, adorably putting a paw to his mouth as he thought for a moment.

"I know! I will get all the members of the village to make me a giant mountain of oran berries and I will be the oran berry king."

She laughed loudly.

"Okay oran berry king then how would you like some for lunch." She moved to the side revealing a pile of his favourite food.

He started munching right away, quicker than he had ever before. he had been playing with Drilllbur for hours and needed the energy back. His mother, not wanting to be left with nothing, started to eat some too.

After a few minutes when the pile was almost finished, a Zoroark who was the scout, went around the village shouting.

"Poachers! The humans are coming to cage us up and sell us. Quickly everybody run!"

The families around the area, even the other species, stood still for a moment before everything became a frantic mess. The village was a blur of colors as they all gathered their kids and mates before scattering into the forest.

"Shit." He heard his mother say under her breath.

"M-mom, what's happening?" He didn't like the shouting going on as his friends and family were behaving frantically. It scared him. She gave him the sweetest smile ever, but that was what scared him the most. Her eyes didn't hold the shine they usually do, not even close.

"Everything will be okay. Quick, get in my mane." He climbed and hid inside her large red mane that would make him impossible to see. She ran deeper into the forest faster than she ever had before. She wished she knew some sort of speed-increasing ability.

She came to an abrupt stop when she met a poacher; an elderly man with a grey uniform and a mask covering his face. On top of his left breast was the symbol 'G'. Beside him was a bipedal frog-looking Pokemon, a Toxicroak.

"Well well well, what do we have here? I didn't expect to see a Zoroark in this forest. This region has Pokemon which some of the elites in Sinnoh are willing to pay top dollar to get and you appear to be on that list. Toxicroak use Poison Jab."

When the fighting and poison type Pokemon got close, she ducked under his attack and charged her claws for a Night Slash, forcing him to retreat. He snarled at the cut across his cheek.

"Why do you aid this scum. You're meant to be helping your fellow Pokemon brotheren not fight us." This time she wasn't able to dodge his Poison jab. Her skin absorbed some of the Poison and she immediately started to feel its effects.

"Don't you know Team Galactic's goals. The humans' leader, Cyrus, is going to create the perfect world, one with no suffering and endless pleasure. I can finally feel how it is to be the strongest Pokemon without training relentlessly only to fall."

"So you're doing this willingly!? Shameful twat, you were so weak you had to resort to following their orders and become scum."

The Toxicroak did not like what he heard.

"Sludge Bomb." A disgusting ball of purple sludge hit Zoroark who was having trouble moving. She fell back and Zorua, who was gripping as tightly to her mane as he could, fell out, revealing himself to the Team Galactic grunt.

In his eyes appeared a dollar sign. He could see it now. After selling a Zorua, who were the number 3 on the list of the elites, he would immediately be promoted to an executive of Team Galactic and he would be amongst the first to enter the new world.

"Quickly, get that Zorua!"

"NO, RUN!" But he stood there motionless. This wasn't an honorable battle amongst Pokemon, this was someone who wanted to inflict pain for his disgusting ideals.

He broke out of his frozen form when his mother used a Hyper Beam against the approaching Toxicroak. He ran.

He ducked, weaved, and jumped over any obstacle. He did it with ease after living in this forest his entire life. He kept huffing as the world around him became a blur. he couldn't feel the wind cool down his skin as it began to sweat. The only thing he felt was the burning sensation in his lungs.

For a moment, he looked back. He was heartbroken. He saw his mother, having fainted, be dragged across the ground, and then thrown into a cage. It was at the back of a small safari truck. The grunt stamped at the ground from losing such a prize but at least he got the mother. He couldn't hear his shouting nor did he care. There was only one thing that he cared about.

Mom! He ran back, fighting against the instinct that told him otherwise. After a few meters, he was blocked when a Simisage was sent sprawling across him. He turned to the attacker to see another Toxicroak. When turning back, he saw that the truck had left. He ran in a random direction, using all the energy his legs could muster. He was no longer thinking as his survival instinct went overdrive.

He stopped and darted away when he saw other poachers battling and capturing the local Pokemon. He didn't stop to see if he recognized them, the only thing he could do was his mother's last word. RUN.

It had been over an hour or at least he thought it was when he fainted to the ground in complete exhaustion.

He woke up to the comfort of his mother's fur. Mom...so it was a nightmare. He shook away his drowsiness and quickly escaped from her arms despite his legs aching really badly. He wanted to tell her about the nightmare and how horrible it was. Then she can sing him a lullaby and he'll go back to sleep in peace this time.

Except she wasn't there. He removed the comfortable blanket and looked around the room. It was a very nice living room that had fancy furniture, a classic carpet and walls, and a fire place made of bricks. He looked around.

"Mom!" He called out but heard no response. He kept calling her from around the room but there was still no response then it dawned on him. Everything was real. His mother being taken away, his home destroyed, everything.

He broke down crying. It was 40 minutes later his ears perked up from the opening of the door. He snarled and got into his fighting stance when a human with intricate green, a red monocle and wearing a classic suit entered the room.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I almost thought I was too late when I found you. How are feeling? I bet you must be hurt from that leg injury of yours."

He looked at his front right leg to see a large gash with blood leaking out. When did that get there?

"I'm Ghetsis. And you must be Zorua little one." He tried to put a hand to his head but quickly retracted it when he tried to bite it. It didn't help when he angered him by unknowingly calling him his mother's given nickname. "It's okay, I'm one of the good humans. You can trust me."

"You lie. Humans are all evil." As the adrenaline from earlier was wearing off, the pain in his leg increased. He stumbled when he couldn't lean on it anymore.

"If you don't let me look at it then it'll get worse. The hemaguard layer's been broken and you'll get an infection."

He didn't listen. Over the next week, Ghetsis kept trying again and again to no avail. Zorua didn't eat nor let himself be checked out. The wound was becoming stinky while pus started to ooze out despite the scab that formed.

He collapsed. This allowed Ghetsis to finally treat his wound and he did so with the most tender care he could despite Zorua's resistance. He gave him an oran berry from his hand and Zorua's stomach betrayed him when he gouged it down. He started to eat thereon but didn't let Ghetsis touch him. It was a week later when he would.

"See Zorua, I'm your friend, I don't want to hurt you." He stroked his head. He began to trust him, his Pokemon instincts making it easy for the human to gain. "We should give you a name, how about N."

"Zor?"

"Yes, it's short for Natural. Because of how your blue eyes remind me of nature."

"Zorua!" He liked that name. He unconsciously leaned further into his hand.

Yes little one, you will be perfect for my plans.

Over the next three months, Ghetsis had been helping N with his human disguise. It still wasn't perfect and had some mishaps let alone the fragility of the illusion. He had shown him a drawing of a small human that looked like a child version of Ghetsis. It was starting to feel like he was his father.

Afterward, he started English classes that were really hard for him. It hurt his throat at the end of each class and gave him headaches when reading. The words were originally blurry and difficult to associate meaning to but over time, he did it. It took a very long time for him to get it done but if it meant keeping his father happy then he would happily do it.

He was then introduced to his two human companions who were children like him. At first, he didn't trust them and stayed away from them as possible, but then learned they were trustworthy. He learned that not all humans were evil and they were diverse in their behavior and characteristics.

After a few years of being with them where they all treated injured Pokemon who Ghetsis brought in, he realized that humans and Pokemon just weren't meant to be together, not after hearing their stories of how they were abandoned by their trainers. He evolved into a Zoroark and Ghetsis was beyond excited. He was finally able to have enough control to maintain a strong disguise.

He wanted to use it to get revenge against Team Galactic in Sinnoh, but the TV had shown their crimes, and every single member, including the smaller ones, was given the death sentence.

He couldn't rest peacefully despite his life's ruiners being dead. As Ghetsis taught him and what he had seen himself, he had to separate humans and Pokemon.

He was crowned king of Team Plasma and will be the one to liberate Pokemon from suffering any longer. He walked down the hallway of the old abandoned castle where they held the ceremony. He heard Ghetsis talking to some of the highest members of Team Plasma and hid behind a wall when he heard his name being called out by one of them.

"N becoming the king of Team Plasma!? Really Ghetsis, he's not even a human. This will never work." Ghetsis glared at the older man.

"I'm telling you it is. Him being a Pokemon will help him more to believe the ideals I've put into his head. We need a role model who genuinely believes in the crap we spew to get more members for our mission. I can't do it and neither can all of you. With him in the palm of my hands, our plans to take over the Unova region will happen earlier."

He stopped breathing as his body froze. It took a moment for his brain to process. I-I've been used this entire time. Da-no Ghetsis lied and programmed me to be a cult leader. The mission he said to me and the other members of Team Plasma was a lie to help him grow his cult and gain power.

He didn't want to believe it. The one who he considered his father had manipulated him for his own disgusting desires. He ran as quickly as he could, removing the ornaments and the crown, out of the castle. He had to tell Anthea and Concordia immediately.

They were in shock too and didn't want to believe the Zoroak sitting in front of them, but now everything made sense. The only Pokemon coming to them being abandoned despite the amount of trainers out there, how they were isolated from the world and stuck in the mansion, and how Ghetsis forced his fake beliefs onto them. They and the Pokemon they were looking after had moved to a far away mansion that was once abandoned but they managed to fix it.

"What will you do from here?" Anthea asked him as he put up his disguise and was leaving through the gates.

"His beliefs may have been fake, but he proved them true. He and Team Galactic took away everything from me and my Pokemon friends and it has to end. The two species will never be compatible, so I will do my best to stop him and complete my mission."

(Flashback ends)

"So that's why I hide because humans lie and manipulate to get what they want. I know there are people like Sarah who would never take advantage of us like that, but there will always be those who will."

Theodore yawned before rubbing his eyes. Fucking hell, is this guy still talking and how far did those twats go from here anyway? They had found a pathway and reached the hill where they fell from. He used his sniffing abilities from there and followed the trail that smelled like Sarah's lavender perfume.

I can't deny his claims though, my species is pretty shit isn't it, but that's what makes it so fun. If what you need to do is something horrible to win then do it because winning is all that matters.

N stopped limping long ago, but couldn't put up his disguise. It requires a huge amount of dark type energy he didn't have at the moment. It would take a day of recovery to get it back. Sometimes he wakes up early just to go into his normal form and recover the energy.

They soon heard three sets of footsteps and were relieved to find Sarah come back with her belongings, although they were all quite ruffled. She's going to demand to find another river by the end of the day.

"There you are. Finally, this whole thing was such an annoyance and oh who's that with you Theodore? Where's N?" She saw the black fox like Pokemon next to him. She wanted to cuddle with him after seeing his large fur, especially around the chest area and his large red mane. "Hi there, I'm Sarah and you are?" She approached him and that's when N realized.

I'm a Pokemon and there's a human coming towards me.

He saw the predicament. The hand that was about to grab him and throw him into a cage or maybe she wanted to abuse him and then capture him in a pokeball to be sold as a slave or maybe it was just pure abuse for her own sick desires, he's seen that happen to a few Pokemon before.

It was that day again. He heard his mother scream into his ear. RUN!

And he did, leaving behind the startled team. He didn't notice that the pokeballs from his side had opened up and his two companions, having sensed his huge amount of distress, jumped onto him and held him down before he could go further.

"Let me go! We're going to be taken away!" He tried wrestling his way around but Braviary's size and Eevee's strength didn't let him.

"Calm down N!"

"Yeah dude relax, nothing's going to happen to you. It's just Sarah, she's your friend remember."

He wasn't listening although he stopped moving due to how tired he was. Sarah watched in worry.

"W-what's going on?" Theodore quickly wrote down.

THAT ZOROARK IS N. HE'S SCARED A HUMAN HAS SEEN HIS HUMAN FORM AND IS GOING TO HURT HIM.

"N is a Zoroark!" That actually explains a lot, but still, why would h- no, my friend is in trouble and I need to help him. I can think about that after.

She tried approaching once again and got a glare from Braviary and Eevee. They were startled when they saw her sternly glare back.

"You won't be able to help him like this, I need to talk to him. I'll force myself to him if you don't let me." The two Pokemon looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them before they backed off, but still remained within a few meters.

She crouched to the Zoroark who was now holding his arms over his head.

"N, it's me Sarah, your friend."

Friend? Sarah? That name felt familiar. Through the depths of what he was feeling he recognised the name. It was of the sweet girl who showed compassion to her Pokemon even willing to risk her own life for theirs when she went after Team Plasma. She was the one who didn't avoid him due to his ideals and truly considered him a friend and didn't just say to save themselves from an awkward conversation.

He removed his arms from his face and sat up. She was heartbroken after seeing his face full of tears. It was like Anubis again; lost, alone, and abandoned. She helped him change and she would help N. She went to wipe them. His eyes focused on her hands as they came closer. A burning feeling went across his body.

She going to hu-no, she is my friend. The burning sensation disappeared when her hand wiped the tears from his muzzle. The anxiety left.

"See didn't I tell yo- woah your furr is so soft." She stroked his chest fur. "It's well kept."

"Of course, mom said to always keep it well groomed." She was startled when he spoke English despite being in this form. "Thanks Sarah, I needed that." He hugged her to which she reciprocated. It was after a few minutes that they broke it. "I'm guessing you want an explanation huh?"

"Yes, but if you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to."

"No, I should. I shouldn't keep lying to a friend." He returned his Pokemon, thanking them.

They sat in a circle, getting comfortable for the long story. Theodore dozes off since he's already heard it. He explains how he was attacked in the village, and how his mother was sold as a slave. He went through his experience in the mansion and explained, after a moment of careful thinking, that he was meant to be the king of Team Plasma, but left after his father's betrayal.

He waited for their reactions and was surprised when they jumped on him, giving him a massive mesh of arms.

"B-but I lied to you all. I even kept away that I was a member of Team Plasma. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No way." Athena said. "Friends never abandon each other."

"I agree, it's against a Riolu's honor to leave an ally."

"I don't care who you were or what you are. You're my friend N and I will treat you as so."

He was stunned. She's a human and I'm a Pokemon yet it feels like we can truly be together. He wanted to cry again from the passion the three showed.

"This is nice and all, and I would love to see you guys keep kissing each other, but I would like to get along with the journey, so if you don't mind, let's go!" Theodore said. They got the picture and tidied themselves up before going through the forest again.

Chapter End

Lusamine: I've decided to change N's backstory into something cooler and to have a more connected reason for his ideals. Seeing what happened to his mother would make anyone understand why he doesn't like the human race as a whole. For couples, I don't having anything planned at the moment, but if I want to learn how to write romance in the future then I will add it. What would you like to see for romance, who would be a couple, maybe an OC?