Elise
It's been two weeks by now, surely. Two weeks since they came and took my mother away. During that time, I was in a confined space, hoping that each time the humans came, they wouldn't notice me among the others.
She'd be back. Mother was strong, the strongest pokémon I knew. She protected us from the humans and pokémon that meant us harm. She'd be back; she'd rescue me. She told me never to give up, so that's what I'd do.
Never give up hope that she'd save me.
I sighed and began grooming myself; I'd done it so often that I was surprised none of my creamy brown fur had torn away and left raw skin. There wasn't much else to do while cooped in whatever enclosure they kept me in. The other options were sleeping or watching the other pokémon as they suffered the same fate. Sometimes, food and water came through a hole in the wall and filled up two dips in the floor meant to hold them. The holes were closed now, making them look like they weren't even there. It'd taken some starvation before I tried the food, distrusting everything in this place, but it didn't taste as bad as expected.
When my mane was flawless, I began on my body. There was no way to see if it was day or night, so I only had my sleep rhythm for reference, though I wasn't sure how good that was, either. I slept a lot while trapped here; it was the only thing that banished the boredom for any time, not to mention the fear. The fear of these humans, of what would happen to me or if I'd ever see my family again.
No, I believed in Mother! If any pokémon in the world could do it, it was her. I just had to stay strong until she got here.
"Damn! Just seeing their pokéballs doesn't give you a good image of how many we got!" Look at them all!" A voice rang through the area outside.
I was almost done with my poofy tail when the outburst startled me. It sounded like humans, which was normal. They often walked past in their white pelts and carrying something or another. What wasn't normal was how loud they were being. I couldn't see them, but I could sure hear them.
"You said it, man! There's hundreds of them! This had to be the bag of our lifetime!" Another voice cajoled. This one spoke fast and sounded younger than the previous one.
It then became quiet. They were still talking; I just couldn't hear what they said. They sounded familiar somehow. I felt my body tense.
It knew what they were and told me to run. Unfortunately, there was simply no place to run, so I sat in my suddenly claustrophobic space.
They came past not much later. The first human was large and intimidating, clearly the alpha of the group, but that one wasn't what had me worked up. I did not know this human, but…
The three younger humans walking behind them were the cause of my distress, and I recognized them instantly.
My heart pounded, and I trembled. It was them. They were the ones that kidnapped her.
They were laughing, looking us over in a twisted look of awe as we sat helplessly, unable to go anywhere or do anything. Were they responsible for all the other pokémon that came here?
I was a crumpled heap in the corner, shaking just as hard as the day they defeated Mother and captured me. They destroyed mine and these other pokémon's lives and were proud of it. I never wanted to see another human again; they were pure evil.
But weren't there four of them on that day? What happened to the other one?
Time had the answer. Lagging behind the rest of the group, one more human appeared. This one I also recognized. They wore a piece of material over the bottom half of their face, along with the rest covering their bodies. They sauntered and observed the pokémon –thankfully passing over me–but there was something different about the half-faced human. Instead of a sick look of pride, their eyes told of… horror? That couldn't be right; I had to be misreading them, but I was failing to see anything in them that was present in those other three humans.
"Never seen you wear that face before! What's wrong, buddy?"
"Yeah! You look like you seen… a ghost?"
The other humans called out, making Half-face stop and look forward.
The look morphed into confusion. "What?" they asked. They didn't seem right in their head, like they were in a fugue.
Laughter erupted, but nothing else came. The human stood there for a few long moments before picking up their feet again, out of my sight.
That was… strange. The day these humans came, they were all elated that they'd found and captured Mother. They all looked much the same now, except that one. Did something happen? Perhaps they had a change of heart?
No, humans won't ever change. They're all vile creatures that stop at nothing to get what they want; Mother told me so.
But why were humans so confusing?
Slowly, my body relaxed after they left. After that ordeal, I was shaken but surprisingly alright, if not exhausted.
I got into a more comfortable position, as comfortable as this space would allow, closed my eyes, and invited sleep to come.
He was on top of me again, much to my annoyance. As much as I growled and protested, all he did was clamp his jaws down harder on my neck and dig his claws into my sides.
All I wanted was to eat the food Mother provided and not have to fight for every bite.
"What, are you going to cry to mom again?" he asked, his tone challenging.
That was exactly what I was going to do. "Mom! Get him off me! I'm hungry!"
Nothing. The pressure around my neck soon increased; I couldn't speak anymore and could hardly breathe.
Soft pawsteps approached and mercifully relieved me of the heavy burden that was my brother.
I rolled properly onto all fours to look at her. She was a beautiful creature, the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. She had light blue fur with darker blue markings over her paws, back, and tail; it was plush and pleasant to lay against with its chilly touch, especially on the hot summer days.
Her tail… admittedly looked a little silly. Long and thin, waving like a leaf on a branch, and just barely attached to her body. It looked nothing like mine—big and bushy.
Atop her head was an adornment made of ice; its vibrant purple surface sparkled when the sunlight hit it. Below it were two… things dangling from it. They weren't her ears; those were on top of her head. These things were thinner than her tail and blew freely in the wind.
She'd said she was a Glaceon, and it was one of many forms Eevee could evolve into. Mother was very smart; I knew I wanted to be a Glaceon like her.
"But mom! I'm still hungry!" complained my brother, Vin, as he thrashed about in her grip on his scruff.
Mother put him down, away from me. "Please, just let her have the rest. I need to talk to her," she said, voice as rich as honey, though somewhat exhausted.
Vin growled, asserting himself as he got into a fighting stance. Always like him; selfish, defiant, and itching to fight someone.
Mother wouldn't tolerate this, however. She let out a chilling aura that made Vin and I shiver as snow lightly fell around her. Realizing she was serious, my brother's ears folded back as he scampered away.
Who knew why he thought that was a good idea.
I rubbed up against her fur in appreciation. She was chilly but still delightful to nuzzle. "Thank you, Mother."
She made no effort to return my affections. Her body was rigid, the only movement being her slow breathing.
"You worry me," Mother said, her tone losing all its sweetness to grimness.
Here we go again.
"What will you do when you go off? You aren't a kit anymore; you can't stay here forever."
Yes, yes, I'd heard it many times before, but that didn't change the fact that it wouldn't be so.
I didn't look at her, favoring persistent nuzzles into her side. "Who said it had to be that way? We can stay here and be happy together while Vin goes off on his own."
"…"
My ears folded; silence was the one thing I didn't want to hear. Mother was smart; she knew not just how to survive but how to keep the two of us alive as well. My failure to convince her chipped at my resolve.
"Maybe you don't know it now, but your ideals don't conform to the laws of nature."
She pulled away, leaving a small but impossibly large distance between us. "Danger is always lurking; what will you do when it finds you; no one around to help?" she asked. "You will not survive when it is your time to leave."
Her stone conviction shook me a little, but I held firm. "You are always there to help! You're the best mother anyone could have."
"The time will come when you not only won't be able to stay, but you will not want to stay. Vin is showing all the signs of being ready to leave, he's big and strong, but you're small and brittle."
She broke eye contact. "You can stay for as long as you can, but nature will pull you away. You will be helpless from heeding its call."
That sounded silly. Force me to act against my wishes? Nothing in this world could tear me away from her, but looking up into her deep blue eyes, she had the most somber look on her features. My ears folded back; it hurt to see her like that.
What was worse was seeing her assurance in her words holding firm. She knew her words were true. Did she think… I was going to…
"Mother?"
"Eat," she said, avoiding eye contact.
I turned to the food she'd provided. It was a kill, a small one. Beyond that was indiscernible. Most of it was already gone, taken by my brother.
Working on what was left, I tried to push our conversation out of my mind, but it was impossible. I stared at my food again, torn open, partially consumed, and entirely dead.
Would this be me? Food for some other pokémon?
"C'mon Vin! Leave me alone!" I protested. He was feeling rough today, so now I found myself on my back beneath him. Pinned.
We were deeper in the forest from where we lived. The trees were much denser than the clearing where Father dug our den. The other pokémon were friendly enough, so there were no issues if we wandered a little.
Vin laughed as he continued to harass me. "C'mon Vin! Leave me alone!" he mocked.
That did it. Mustering all my strength in my legs, I pushed his body off mine and stood up.
"Wow, is my sister finally showing some fight?" he asked, amused.
He loved to bully me, having an easy time with my more diminutive body.
Vin got into a crouch, ready to pounce again before an intense whoosh of cold wind pushed through the trees.
What was that?
Both of us forgot what we were doing, ears perked and looking all around for the danger, yet there was none to be seen.
Then it happened again. Another wave of chilly air passed through us, this one making me shiver. This felt too familiar...
Vin, though I couldn't believe my eyes, started to panic. "That came from the direction of the den! Mom might be in trouble!"
My heart nearly stopped. Mother? In danger? Those words didn't sound right together. She'd handled countless pokémon before, though I'd never seen Vin act this way.
Doubt began to prevail; there was nothing Mother couldn't handle, right?
I was presented with a decision I didn't want to make. My instincts told me to hide, but I wanted to help Mother. Caught in the weight, I did neither for the longest time.
Vin must've seen my indecisiveness; that or I'd been sitting there for a long time. "Hide!" he whisper-shouted.
I didn't need to be told twice; I scampered away and into a bush nearby. It wasn't a moment too soon, either. The sounds of laughter and conversation became audible and quickly grew closer.
Oh no, those were human voices!
"You have to admit, that was a damn nice shot."
"I don't have to admit anything. Let's just get back so I can treat Pride for frostbite."
From inside the bush, I watched as multiple pairs of legs strode past my hiding place. In total, there were three humans.
Obviously, they had met and fought Mother, but what happened? They were still standing; did they capture her? No, that's not possible. Mother is much more powerful than a human… but what about three?
I knew to stay hidden, but my anxiousness for Mother's safety quickly overrode, and I chanced a peek. Three humans walked side-by-side through the underbrush, talking about human things I didn't understand.
Then I saw her, carried over the shoulders of a large human, bruised and bleeding in many places.
Unconscious, defeated.
A twig snapped behind me, and I pulled back into the bush faster than I could gasp… perhaps too fast. The leaves rustled as they were disturbed. There was nowhere to run; I could only hope they didn't spot me.
I watched another pair of legs pass over the grass before my hiding place.
And then, they stopped.
I was as silent as the dead, shaking like the land was trembling. Even as the feet turned to point my way and stepped closer, no sounds came from me but my intense heartbeat.
Then the bushes parted, and a human head appeared. The bottom half of its face was concealed behind some material, but its two eyes found mine.
This was it. I was going to die. Mother's words from a few days prior rang through my head. My last moments were spent feeling like an idiot for not accepting the truth her words held. I wasn't strong. I couldn't fight, and I wouldn't survive one. I was nothing without Mother, and the world tore her away without a care.
But my last moments lasted a couple seconds longer, then a couple more. The human did not move or do anything beyond look into my eyes. What's happening? I have nowhere to go; a successful kill was all but assured.
"Hey, Ghost! The fuck are you looking at?" came a yell from the left, one of the humans that'd already passed.
They didn't move, only stared for a moment. "Nothing," they called back to their friends before getting out of my bush and walking away.
And just like that, they were gone. I hoped the others would leave me be.
But I knew they wouldn't. This was a dream, a dream of the day I was captured. Even though I knew everything that would happen, the same horrors still befell me. To stop that which had already happened was not a power I possessed.
Right on time, a large, blue and black pokémon thrust its head through the greenery. Its face, covered in frost and powdered snow, wasted no time conveying how unfriendly it was. Its glare was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.
It was the same dream over and over. At this point, it was just pure torture. Arceus must've enjoyed watching me writhe in my sleep, but I couldn't help but think this was a message.
If I ever got out of here, I wouldn't be weak anymore. I would become strong, but how does someone do that?
Over the next several weeks, it was mainly much the same. Sleep, eat, groom, and back to sleep. Whatever the humans had planned for me couldn't have been much worse than the crippling boredom and loneliness.
But something interesting happened; the strange, half-faced human began coming by, not every day, more like every two or three. They looked not just at us but all over the large room like they were examining it.
It was so ironic; it was almost funny. My captor had become the most exciting thing in my life.
"Ghost"
It'd been three weeks since our induction. During that time, we had no tasks. They didn't want us out for a while with the public on high alert after their big score, leaving me with plenty of time to think. Unfortunate, because there was nowhere else for my thoughts to go besides the pokémon held prisoners.
Their faces haunted me; there was no other way to put it. I might've had nightmares about them if I could sleep. Many of them held this certain sadness that I didn't quite understand. They shouldn't have felt sadness; they should be angry, frustrated, resenting towards those who wronged them. Some were, but only a whispering minority.
They were locked away. Taken from their homes, their lives as they knew them stolen. Why wouldn't anyone be angry about this? The answer eluded me until one night it found me: most of those pokémon were trained; they missed their trainers.
The realization hit me like a head-on collision. I remember walking down the empty hallways that night and stopping dead.
I was hurting people, more than just people, and for what? For reasons that have no relevance here. I was being used through and through. How could I have been so blind? Maybe I'd known and just didn't care, but it felt like a line had been crossed.
Every day, I visited the pokémon holding block. No one stopped me, so I guess Ryker gave us full permission to loiter there. I took note of everything; the schedules of the people and pokémon, how the room was laid out, every entrance and exit, and where the control room was. On one occasion, I even saw a cage opening; the thick glass slid away into a compartment above the holding space.
And now there I was, walking some ten or so miles to meet with someone. He was probably the closest thing I could call a friend, but he doesn't make friends, only associates.
Of course, he chose a place on the opposite side of Arceus-damned Spin City, but I didn't mind too much. My convictions destroyed my complaints before I had them and pushed me forward; this is what I had to do.
It was late afternoon when I left, giving me enough time to meet him at sunset. At times, I got glimpses of downtown: casinos, fancy bars, strip clubs, and smoke shops—everything rich assholes need to entertain their basic desires. The only things missing were the drug deals happening in the alleys.
It took about two hours to get there without stopping. The meetup place was an overgrown park of some sort. I spotted Xander sitting on a bench reclaimed by moss, lichen, and thick grass. He was clothed in simple shorts and a t-shirt. When he saw me, he smiled.
Boy, was that a contrast to everyone else I'd met.
Xander stood up and offered his hand to shake. He was of definite Johtoian heritage based on his facial features and accent. He was also a bit on the shorter side, standing five-foot-eight by my estimate. Overall, he wasn't much to look at, but none of that mattered; what did was what he could do.
"It's good to see you. How can I be of service?" he asked in a firm voice. Straight to the point; I liked that about him.
"I'm here to cash in some favors," I said noncommittally. I didn't know how he would react to the full-scale of my request, so instead, we worked up to it.
Xander let a momentary flash of worry slip onto his face. "Some favors, you say? How many are we talking here?"
I stood there, hesitating for just a moment. "All of them."
He stared at me incredulously. "You know how hard I hoped you'd never need those?" I said nothing, shifting irritably. He sighed, preparing himself. "Alright, what can I do for you?"
I continued to hesitate on my request. Was this the right thing to do? If I went through with this, my life wouldn't be the same between one moment and the next. Would I even be able to survive?
Does it even matter? What is my life on the scale of what I was about to say?
I felt… bolstered. Regardless of the outcome, this was the right thing to do. Instead of pushing the rogue thought away, I watched. They've taken everything from me, and I'm still staying down like one of their obedient pets?
"This offer is not one we extend lightly; you're either in, and in for the rest of your days, or the door is open, and I trust you know the way out."
This was the illusion they fabricate, the illusion of choice. If you've made it there, there was only one way to go, further down the hole you've dug. They created dead-end scenarios for those they corrupt, leaving them with no feasible way out even if they sought it, like the one I found myself in now.
Xander stood staring at me, waiting patiently. He was a busy man, but for me, I knew he had time.
I spoke up with finality. "I need you to blow something up."
Xander stood silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes at me. "I gotta say, I thought you were better than this."
That was strange to hear from him. His business thrived on dirty deeds; he never asked questions. I shook my head. "No, no, it's not like terrorism. This is more of a…" The next few words I found strange and difficult to say. "rescue mission?"
"What could be so important that you're dropping all my debt on me at once?"
"You know that building outside the city? The one that looks like a warehouse in the middle of nowhere?" I asked.
Xander flinched. "I thought that was a building owned by Diamond Labs."
"Technically, yes," I said. He knew full well who they were; I didn't doubt that he did business with them regularly. "Is that an issue?"
"No, no!" he said, shaking his head. "It's just that I don't have anyone on the inside there, so building access is something to consider."
"I can handle that," I said quickly.
"Alright, do you have the building layout? We'd need to get our plans straight."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, worn from use and information scribbled all over it.
Xander took another few moments to examine the map before grinning. "What am I saying? You're always prepared."
I walked down the middle of the road to the complex. There weren't any cars coming this late at night, so there was no worry about being caught on the way. With me were two people Xander sent to carry out my plan; who they were, I didn't care. Each of them carried heavy backpacks.
We said nothing, letting the sounds of the night carry us as the building came into view. Before we could get in, however, we had to walk past the guard booth. As luck would have it, my favorite guard was on duty tonight.
The three of us approached the window; Smoky was too preoccupied with his shoes to notice. A nice, thick cloud of smoke poured out through the open window and into the night sky.
I took my fist and pounded on the window, startling him.
"Fucking..! What do you want? Who are these clowns?" he asked, words full of contempt and carried on more cigar smoke.
I said nothing and vaulted the counter through the window. Smoky stood up in alarm. "What do you think you're doing?"
For being a guard, it was apparent he wasn't versed in confrontation. He allowed me to draw my weapon and was slow in drawing his own: a handgun.
He tugged at the holster but seemed unfamiliar and untrained with it. With one swift swing, the hard plastic of my baton came across his temple. Smoky dropped the gun and fell on the floor.
As much as I wanted to kick more of his teeth out, he wasn't what I was here for. With one more blow to the cranium, he was out.
I hopped back out the window, coughing and gasping for fresh air. I nodded to the others and walked them through the front door.
Elise
My eyes cracked open, and a yawn escaped me. Another nap, another reminder that this was real. I was stuck here, waiting for whatever it was they wanted to do to me. Part of me wished they would just do it and let me meet my fate.
I sighed. Oh well, what could be done about it? Only waiting —hoping— for Mother to come and save me and all these pokémon.
But, with each passing day, more and more doubt seeped through the ever-growing cracks in my confidence. Mother was powerful. That much stood regardless, but she fell to four humans. How would she be able to succeed in a place that was crawling with them? Did she even know where I was? I didn't know where I was!
A human passed by and interrupted my thoughts. It was half-face, the same human that came by frequently. This time, however, they didn't meander. Where there used to be careful observance, there was intention—in their hand looked like a weird black stick. I watched as they headed up to what the other humans referred to as the "observatory."
My fur stood up. I began feeling like I would when watching Mother fight an aggressive pokémon. Whatever was going on, I didn't like it.
My eyes were dialed in on Half-face as they stood, waiting for something. The wall before them seemed to part in two. They marched in, and the walls closed behind them. Just like that, they were gone.
I didn't look away from the spot they just were, waiting for multiple minutes without anyone reappearing. I wondered what—
HISS
My paws left the ground as I jumped. The transparent material of my prison made an awful sound as it began moving away. Not only mine, but for the pokémon across from me, and the ones next to them...
Questions of what, why, and how rushed, too fast to grab a single one. My first rational answer was that I was asleep again. This was a dream. There was no escape. I was destined to know nothing but this chamber.
BOOM!
Something sounded like it exploded elsewhere, and the room was completely dark. Only briefly, though. Quickly replaced by sharp red lights and harsh shrieking - some kind of alarm?
Pokémon scrambled everywhere with their newfound freedom. Those that could took to the air, while the others did whatever they could to reach the ground safely.
More explosions, lights flickered, and hundreds of pokémon ran about. Somewhere in the fray, humans were shouting over the ruckus.
I didn't think this was a dream anymore.
I wanted to hide, ball up in the dark corner of my space until the madness ended. I wouldn't be able to make it out even if I tried. All these pokémon were trying, but it wasn't getting any less crowded. I didn't know where to go, and if no one else knew either, we didn't actually have a way out.
Through these feelings, I forced a peek outside. I saw much the same as in front of me: pokémon ran all over the room. It was a stampede. Amongst them were the humans and their pokémon fighting those who'd escaped.
Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw them, the half-faced human, as they tore through the pokémon.
My first instinct was to duck away. There was no longer a barrier between us, so what could I do if they came after me again?
But… the way they moved, forward, through the crowd. They weren't trying to handle the situation like the other humans. They moved with purpose, trying to flee. They knew a way out.
The muscles in my body were rigid. Terror had its cold, iron grip on me, and I didn't know what to do. Of course, I wanted to leave, but at the same time, I didn't. It was safer here, in this little space. I could hardly hear myself think through the blaring alarm and the pokémon shrieking, so why try?
But then I thought of Mother. Her message reminded me that I wasn't strong, brave, or cunning; I was weak, meek, and unable. She wanted better for me, but it wouldn't just happen. I had to work for it, and right now, that meant taking chances. It was scary, but it had to start somewhere. If I ever wanted to see my family again, I had to move forward. But with my only chance to escape leaving my sight, I had to make a decision here and now.
So I took the chance I had.
I forced down my fears and doubts as I joined the fray, moving through tight paths in an effort not to lose the human. Easier said than done when you're my size moving through a sea of legs.
I weaved my way through in pursuit, avoiding all the stampeding crushing hazards. Soon, I saw Half-face take a turn and out of the crowd. The area where they went was well concealed behind stacks of items, almost like it was meant to be a secret. The way led upward; were we underground?
I couldn't keep eyes on the human, we were going up in a tight spiral, but their footsteps echoed through the area and assured me they were still ahead.
Before long, we reached the end and breached the surface. I hadn't realized I'd tuned out the alarm until it abruptly stopped when our exit closed behind us, completely sealing it inside.
As suspected, it opened to a large flatland beneath the cloudless night sky. It was barred off by a giant see-through wall of human construction designed to declare and protect territory, if I were to guess.
There was a noise behind me. Instinctively, I ducked around the side of the structure in time for more humans to burst from the building right where I'd just been. The siren leaked out as if to alert me one last time.
"You're not getting away!"
Oh no, those were the other three. They were looking for me and mere paces from my position. I couldn't back away anymore; my rear pressed against the perimeter wall.
"There he is! I see him, I see him!"
They found me. They… Wait, he?
"C'mon guys, let's have some fun with him!"
I peeked around the corner, and to my amazement, the three humans sprinted away from me and after Half-face. Weren't they all a pack? Why were they hunting one of their own?
I shook my head. That didn't matter right now. I paused to examine the landscape more. The land was flat and bare, nothing like my home in the dense mountain forest.
More problems: I didn't know where I was or which direction to find home. Mother wasn't here to guide me back this time, and I didn't know my way around a fight if I got into one on the way;
What am I going to do?
There was no need to think long; the answer was simple, as much as I didn't want to accept it. Those humans found my home; they were probably the only ones that knew the way back.
I didn't want to take these chances, but what other choice was there? I'd have to convince one of them to escort me home and keep me safe, but how? From what I knew about humans, they couldn't understand us.
But they were the only ones that could do it, and they were getting further away…
Evaluations were failing me, taking me in circles, wasting time. I ran after them toward a massive human community that was a good trek away. The pack of humans hollered and laughed as they chased Half-face. Excited, as if hunting prey.
After a while of running, the structures grew in size and detail. The community was massive, evident from many treks away, with the countless towers at its core competing to reach the highest in the sky.
"No way- we can keep track of him- in there…" the larger human said, the energy from the thrill gone as they gasped for air.
"Our pokémon are nice and rested; they won't have trouble tracking him in there. C'mon, Pride, go get 'em!"
One threw a spherical object, and out came a red light, which to my horror, formed into the same blue and black pokémon as that day. Humans could just keep pokémon in those… things? Living pokémon? What weren't they capable of?
"Hey, c'mon buddy, you go, too!" the last human shouted, throwing another sphere. This one formed into some flying, white bug pokémon.
Heeding instruction and full of stamina, the pokémon blistered off in pursuit of Half-face, who had since disappeared into the thick of human construction.
These three were merciless; there was no chance they'd be willing to help anyone. I ignored my own fatigue and dashed past these humans to follow Half-face.
"The shit that thing? Is that an Eevee?"
Their confused banter continued as the grass beneath my feet was again replaced with hard, unnatural materials. Unlike the one I was kept in, the human structures here were in disrepair, many even on the verge of collapse.
No time for that, however. Luckily, this place seemed empty enough that I didn't fear losing them. Weaving through the gaps between buildings, I finally caught up to them.
Half-face was out of breath, stopped in another one of these gaps with the pokémon stalking closer; they were easy prey.
Suddenly, the human whipped around —something in their hand— and a sharp pop accompanied something green flying toward the bug pokémon. It was caught off guard and too close to react before getting hit. It gave a terrible shriek before falling out of the air. It's strange, but it seemed… asleep?
The large feline pokémon did not like this. It pounced the human, taking them down and viciously biting their left shoulder. Half-face screamed into the pokémon's mane and dropped their weapon. The green things scattered everywhere in the fall.
Grunts, growls, and more muffled screams filled the area. I didn't favor Half-face's chances in this fight; exhausted, pinned, wounded. This pokémon was going to kill them.
All the while, I was a scared little bystander. I knew it was now or never. My chances of getting back home were about to die with this human; this was my last chance.
With resolve I didn't expect, my paws propelled me toward the two, preparing to tackle and fight the larger pokémon. Closer and closer I got until I made impact!
The force they received was, quite frankly, pathetic. Even trying my best, I'd barely managed to jolt their body and grab their attention. They growled at me, those wicked eyes baring through me before… rolling into their head?
The human pried the jaws out of their shoulder and pushed the pokémon off, the body flopping on the ground with a thud.
Were they dead? I checked the pokémon; they had one of those green things stuck in their neck, which had turned transparent. The ones lying on the ground looked like a Beedrill's stinger that delivered its poison but much thinner; some human invention. Lower down, their chest rose and fell. Not dead, only unconscious.
I looked at the human. His bloody wound and torn fabrics caught my attention first. The state of it worried me; it seemed pretty severe by my assessment. Having no clue how to treat injuries on humans, I could only hope they knew how to keep themselves from bleeding out.
They were also looking me over, appraising me. A slight tinge of fear went through me at their gaze but was cast away when they did me no harm.
Maybe they really would help me!
They didn't seem to take me as a threat either, so they began collecting their weapon and green stinger things. They seemed hurried; their friends would no doubt be here shortly.
Before I could try and ask for help, they ran off again. I didn't want to go further into this place, but I seemed short of choice lately, so I ran after them.
They didn't say thank you.