Riarra
Well-Known Member
Ugh, I wish I had a better idea for a title...
All righty then, I'm working on a story involving a Vulpix and Team Galactic. I know that my writing's not the best yet, so please review to help me improve!
Chapter One: Spacemen
A fox-like animal with six tails scampered easily through the trees, making sure to stay hidden. Her orange fur was an oddity in this place, where the Pokémon who truly belonged blended easily into the green and brown background. The only place that a Vulpix could truly blend into was in a roaring fire. But she had learned to blend by staying in the trees, where the multitude of leaves kept her concealed. In the winter, though, when all the leaves were gone, well, she just did the best she could.
But she could blend, and so she belonged.
This is my home now, she told herself. I don’t want to travel any more. But no matter how many times she tried to persuade herself, she knew that she really did want to see the Sinnoh region, and that she, a Fire type, did not truly belong in Eterna Forest.
But where else could I belong?
Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of laughter. The Vulpix jumped a little, and then clambered through the treetops to see what could be making someone laugh that loudly. She was proud of her climbing skill, but not why she had had to obtain it.
I disappointed him… and he had to leave me here… She quickly shook the painful memories away and searched for the source of the laughter. Practically right beneath her, a boy was playing with a Butterfree. He would swipe his long-handled net through the air, and his Pokémon would spin nimbly on its colorful wings to dodge it with ease. The Vulpix’s large eyes took it all in, and the suggestion of tears appeared in their black depths.
They’re both having such fun… She jerked backward in shock at a sudden realization. It’s both play, and training, too! He’s pretending to be an attacking Pokémon to help his Butterfree dodge better, and they’re having fun! We- we could have trained that way too, and he just…
The Butterfree let out a high-pitched giggle. The Vulpix looked down, and saw that the boy’s laughter was affecting his swipes with the net. As his swings became wilder and wilder, the Vulpix found that she was laughing along with the boy and his Pokémon. She hurriedly silenced herself, and saw the two below her look up in a bewildered manner- had they heard her? Holding her breath, she waited until they looked down again, and then flopped down on the branch she was sitting on. The sight had brought back the painful memories she had been resisting, and she could no longer hold them back.
(Flashback: Lake Acuity Cavern, a week earlier)
It was obvious that the Pokémon Hunter just wanted to continue leaving the cave, but her Trainer wasn't going to allow that- anyone who would kidnap creatures just to make a profit had to be stopped. And so the battle raged on.
“Tangela! Vine Whip, now!”
“That won’t work! Vulpix, counter with Ember!”
She attempted to duck under the oncoming vine, but failed. It coiled around her midsection and lifted her into the air. Panicked, she released a flurry of small flames from her mouth. They landed in an almost perfect ring around the ball of vines that was attacking her. As the fire burned in an ever shrinking circle around the Pokémon Hunter’s Tangela, the Pokémon squealed in fright. Its Trainer simply glared at it, silently telling it to do something.
Suddenly, the vine holding her lashed and released her, and she was thrown against the wall of the cave. Her head spun, and by the time she managed to stand, the Tangela was lying on the floor with some serious-looking scorch marks. She glanced proudly up at her Trainer, and he looked at her with a half-hearted smile on his face.
You look sad… What’s wrong? Is it my fault? she thought, wishing she was able to make a sound, any sound, that he might understand.
The Hunter scowled. He dropped the sack he carried, and turned as if to leave. With his back to them, he muttered, “You beat me through luck, boy. That Vulpix of yours, now… it’ll never be able to be the way you want it to be, the way it’s going…” The man quickly departed.
Her Trainer looked stricken. She hardly heard the words, being more interested in the sack; but he returned her to her Pokéball before she could investigate it. There was a Pokémon inside, and its faint moans sounded weak…
(Eterna Forest, two days later)
They walked through the forest together. It seemed oddly quiet without his usual chatter, but she enjoyed the tranquility. She assumed they were heading south, retracing the route from the Lake to Twinleaf Town, where they lived.
She was wrong. About halfway through the forest, he stopped. She had been going on ahead, and didn’t notice until she heard him call her back. He knelt down to her eye level as she trotted over to him, and his eyes were sad.
“Now, Vulpix,” he said. “You know why Grandpa gave you to me, right?”
She nodded- his grandfather had wanted him to become strong with a Fire-type Pokémon just as the rest of his family had. Due to the rarity of Fire-types in Sinnoh, she had been a gift.
“I thought you did.” He smiled faintly. “But, well, that battle with the Hunter- it was a Grass- versus a Fire-type. You should have been able to win easily, but instead, you were almost beaten.”
She tensed. Was he blaming it on her? That Tangela’s movements had been inordinately fast!
“It’s all my fault.”
Oh.
“I was supposed to grow strong with you, but I haven’t. I’m not able to train you right.” The boy’s face was miserable. “You’d be able to grow strong on your own, though, without me messing it up.”
What? But I… I won! What makes you think that we’re not strong? Is it what the Hunter said? That was just a bluff! Right? Her muscles locked, perhaps anticipating what was coming.
“So, you can stay here, and become stronger by yourself.” He pulled her Pokéball from his belt, and, before she could react, said, “Vulpix, I release you.” She froze.
The red-and-white sphere shot a bright blue light from the button in its center, which enveloped her. She felt no change, except the shock of what her Trainer had done.
But- I- We can still train together! You didn’t do anything wrong, we just have to work harder! Together! She stared after him as he walked away with the Pokéball still in his hand, wishing she had a voice to cry out with.
She was still there at sunset, her eyes black pools of loss. She only moved to a tree once a Staraptor tried to eat her.
(End flashback)
She still couldn’t understand why he had left her- surely his bond with her had been stronger than that. Although, there had been rumors about a Trainer with a very strong Ponyta that had only been recently caught. She couldn’t stop wondering if it was him. Maybe he wanted to please his grandfather more than he wanted to stay with me.
“Sp-sp-spacemen!”
She was jolted from her sad reverie by the shout from below. Looking down through the branches of the tree she was in, she could see the Trainer with the Butterfree hastily returning it, a fearful expression on his face. Once his Pokémon was safely inside its Pokéball, he ran for it. The Vulpix turned her gaze in the direction the boy had been looking.
There were three strange humans walking casually through the forest. They didn’t seem to be Trainers- or, at least, not the kind that were usually there. Two of them acted subordinate to the other (strangely enough, that one was different; his hair was a different shape than the other two’s, and it was blue instead of aqua), so he had to be the leader. The atmosphere around them was rather menacing, and their clothing was a bit odd, compared to what she had seen on others. From what she had learned about humans, she could tell that it was similar to what humans wore in outer space, but there didn’t seem to be any reason to wear something like that on Earth.
One of the humans laughed, perhaps at the Trainer’s behavior, and the Vulpix bristled. It was a mean kind of laugh, and she didn’t like mean people- besides, these humans were strange enough to be afraid of, and the Trainer couldn’t really be blamed for running. Below her, the humans had begun to talk about something else. Her curiosity tugged at her, and she bent down to hear better.
“We’re here to get the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs?”
“Yes. They’re being displayed at the Eterna Museum, so this is our best chance to steal them. I’ve got a plan to get them, and you two will take them.”
“Ah. And I don’t suppose you’re going to explain why we need them?”
“Because Master Cyrus needs them for… experimenting.”
“Wow! I actually got a partial explanation! Can you believe that…”
She stopped listening. These people were going to steal the sacred Orbs of the Deities! Each one was a link to the powers of the one of the two Pokémon lords of Mount Coronet, and she had no idea what the humans could use them for, if they got the Orbs. She began to run through the treetops, intent on stopping them. Her own problem was whisked out of her mind by the sudden turn of events.
She began to slow down as the trees grew farther and farther apart at the outskirts of the forest. Jumping the large gaps in between them was slower than running, but she kept going until, at last, she was out of the forest. The Vulpix leaped down from the very last tree and continued to run, the almost uniform flatness of the ground unfamiliar to her (as she had spent all her time in Eterna Forest in the treetops).
The humans were ahead of her, just now entering Eterna City. Buildings rose up around them, and she sprinted even faster to try and catch up.
You cannot possess the Orbs. The might of the gods is not meant to be controlled. I will not allow you to take them. She was not normally a fiery tempered Pokémon (despite her Fire type), but she was mad at those thieves now. Her body temperature began to rise with her temper. The shame she had felt when she had been almost beaten by the Tangela turned to anger. The abandonment she had felt when her Trainer released her became flaming rage. The fear she felt now, at what the humans might do, was pushed aside, and wrath took its place. You will not have the Orbs. I will not let you! I WILL NOT! Her internal flame flared up to spontaneous combustion temperature with her fury. Her fur began to smoke. The heat of her body gave her the energy needed to catch up to the humans, and she entered the city at top speed, gaining fiercely on the trio of humans.
She needed to keep them from reaching the Museum. Her outrage boiled up to her mouth and-
“YOU CANNOT HAVE THE ORBS!”
The three humans whirled in shock. Others, the ones who were just going about their daily business, scattered, fleeing the terrible voice that resonated with such anger.
The Vulpix skidded to a halt, the asphalt of the street shredding into the skin on her paws. I thought I was mute! No sound had ever left her muzzle before- why now? Oh! The second gift! A memory briefly flitted through her mind.
(Flashback: Eterna Forest, the evening of the day of her release)
She was curled miserably in a tree, blaming herself for what he had done. She felt sick inside. Her downturned gaze completely missed the circle of yellow light that was appearing above her.
The light solidified into a Pokémon with a delicate, two-tailed body . Something made her turn her eyes up, and they met with the closed yellow lids of the Pokémon’s eyes. She jumped in surprise, almost falling from the tree, for she recognized it from the old tales.
Bowing (which was not easy to do on skinny branches), she thought, Uxie… I’m honored.
Uxie heard the silent words, and responded in the same fashion. Do not bow to me, little one, for I am in great debt to you.
Uxie explained that the Pokémon Hunter that the Vulpix had battled had been attempting to take it from the Lake. While it had been because of her Trainer that she had battled the Hunter, Uxie said that she was being rewarded because she had been concerned about it (the Pokémon in the sack had been Uxie!), while the boy had not been truly worried. She wanted to protest, but it might have been rude.
Uxie wished to give her two gifts for what she had done, even though it had only been one thing. As it was the Guardian of Knowledge, one of the gifts was the knowledge of all the legends of Sinnoh- which, apparently, would be “very useful in future times”, according to Uxie. The second gift was a secret (which was extremely frustrating), and “could only be discovered in a time of great need.” Uxie insisted that the gift of knowledge was the one meant to clear up the debt, and the mystery gift was to help in a “upcoming time of turmoil”; however, the Vulpix wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t just to keep her in suspense until the time of great need.
(End flashback)
I guess the gift was human speech. Which means that this must be the time of great need. She stepped towards the humans to get their attention. As if a smoking, yelling Vulpix wouldn’t have had their attention from the start.
“That was… the Pokémon that said that?” The speaker was one of the lesser-in-rank humans, voicing the confusion on all three faces.
“Apparently so.” That was the leader. “Now, what was that you said about the Orbs?” He seemed to have experience with talking Pokémon; or, at least, he didn’t show any more shock or confusion.
“You can’t have them,” she said. She lifted all six of her tails to emphasize the statement.
“Oh?” His face was arrogant and calm. The two other humans glanced at him to see what they should do, and immediately mirrored the expression. “And why not?”
“Because the Orbs contain-" She managed to stop herself before she gave something away; she had no idea how much these people knew.
“The powers of time and space, respectively? A direct link to the deities of Sinnoh mythology?” The leader’s expression grew even more smug.
Well. She wouldn’t have given anything away after all. Although, by the looks on the other two’s faces, not all members of this organization (something told her that this was a group of more than three people that she was dealing with) knew the same things.
“Yes,” she said, “and they are sacred. You would abuse their power.” Although she was trying to keep her voice calm, it shook with anger (and possibly fear, too) towards the end of the statement, and her fur was still smoking.
“You know quite a lot, now, don’t you…” the leader muttered. It was not a question. “This could be a useful turn of events.”
She cocked her head nervously. What was he talking about? Her fur began to bristle as well as smoke in response to some evil-human-intention-reading instinct (or something similar), and she began to back away, obeying the unwritten law of creatures with pelts: Trust the fur.
“Catch the Vulpix!”
Oh, no. She couldn’t let herself be captured, but she couldn’t exactly flee, either, not if that would allow the humans to get the Orbs.
The two other humans seemed a bit confused, but both sent out their Pokémon. Twin streaks of light shot from two Pokéballs.
A purple skunk-like animal and a gray feline with a corkscrewing tail materialized. The Vulpix noticed that the Stunky had a fearful look on his face, while the Glameow appeared arrogant and ready to force her opponent into submission. Two foes at once! The Vulpix quailed inside.
“Poison Gas!”
“Slash!”
Stunky spun around to point his rear at her and released a stream of a noxious gas like his life depended on it. The Vulpix threw herself under most of it, only to be met by Glameow’s claws. There was a pained hiss (apparently her fur was too hot to touch), and she was hurled upward.
“Yaah!” The sound seemed ripped from her throat.
“Bite! Bring it back down here!”
“Use Night Slash once it’s in range!”
She felt fangs in the scruff of her neck, and was briefly impressed at Glameow’s jumping ability. There was no sound from the cat now to indicate how hot her fur was; it must have cooled off quickly once she was too distracted by the battle to stay angry. And then she was falling, pulled downward both by gravity and by the Pokémon’s weight towards Stunky’s waiting attack.
I’ve got to do something, or they’ll catch me!
She twisted in midair, forcing Glameow between her and Stunky. The latter had already leapt up with his claws extended, and hit his ally before he could adjust his aim. Glameow hissed with pain and Slashed at the Vulpix without waiting for an order. She dodged instinctively and counterattacked with a stream of small flames from her mouth before her opponents could move. They were close enough together that the Ember hit both of them.
“Stuuuunky! (It burns!)” The little skunk staggered backwards and collapsed with a wail of pain, having taken much more damage than he should have. The human who had been commanding him recalled Stunky into his Pokéball with a flash of red light.
“Darn those critical hits,” she heard the human grumble.
Whew! Only Glameow left…
“Fury Swipes!”
Glameow leapt on top of the Vulpix, knocking her over onto her back, and began repeatedly scratching her. The six-tailed fox attempted to guard her face with her forepaws, but had little success.
What can I do?
Desperately, she kicked out with her hind legs. There was a fair amount of power in the kick, and Glameow was sent flying. She sprang back onto all four legs just as there was a loud yowl from several yards away.
“Use Slash, but hit it this time!” The human’s voice was crueler now.
I’ve gotta hit first now! She knew that she couldn’t last much longer.
And she shot forward, a broad streak of white light trailing behind her. At the same time, Glameow was coming towards her with outstretched claws. Before the two combatants made contact, the Vulpix jumped up. She came down on the cat’s back, hitting first with the speed of Quick Attack, and dealing a whole lot of damage. But Glameow wasn’t quite done- she Slashed upward and landed a good hit.
The Vulpix reeled backwards. She had been careless and taken too much damage in the beginning, and now she was almost too weak to stand. The only good thing was that Glameow was in the same condition as she was.
The surroundings started to whirl around her.
No… I-I can’t…
She collapsed. Glameow seemed to be miraculously healed by the victory, and sauntered up to the Vulpix to begin making rude Pokémon gestures at her.
“Glameow, me-ow! Glameow!(That was a good show, there, but not good enough! You only managed to hurt me at all through luck!)” the feline hissed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the human quickly returned her.
I lost! They’ll take the Orbs! Because I- I couldn’t stop them…
A red and white sphere came arcing through the air. A Pokéball! She tried to stand and dodge the ball, but her legs buckled beneath her and it hit her in the head.
“Ow!”
The Pokéball bounced off, opened on hidden hinges, and she felt her body lose its shape. She was converted into pure energy to be stored within. The ball closed.
No! You will not command me! She pushed against the sides of the ball as best as she could with her will (naturally, that was all she had to fight the ball with, as energy does not have muscles). It stayed closed. She pushed again, harder.
This time, the ball shook. She could feel it. But it did not open. She pushed again, and again, harder and harder each time. The ball shook back and forth rapidly, but did not release her.
No! She pushed. I have to stop you- she pushed again- and keep the Orbs safe! She pushed again, harder still and desperate.
And the Pokéball exploded into tiny red and white fragments.
She shot out, first as a bright streak of light, then as a white silhouette of herself, then, finally, as herself, with depth, color, and shape. Her legs wobbled, but she braced herself and looked up at the leader of the humans, smirking a little.
“You’re not getting me that easy,” she said. Around them, the people who lived in Eterna City were getting curious, coming back to see what that shout they had heard had been. The humans who had battled her looked around nervously, and one of them leaned over to mutter in their leader’s ear. She tilted her ears in closer to hear.
“Commander Saturn, that was the only Pokéball we have. Wouldn’t this count as a Toxicroak situation?”
Saturn narrowed his eyes; his annoyance at the incompetency of the others was plain. Her fur began to stand up again in anticipation of what would happen. He reached towards a concealed belt and pulled out a green and brown splotched Pokéball.
No! I can’t battle anymore- I’m too weak-
“Toxicroak, Poison Jab.” His voice was deceptively calm as a somewhat humanoid, blue, black, and red froglike creature materialized from the ball.
All she saw was a blur. Before she could even attempt to avoid it, a red knuckle claw stabbed her in the chest. She flew backwards, and was unconscious before she hit the street pavement.
All righty then, I'm working on a story involving a Vulpix and Team Galactic. I know that my writing's not the best yet, so please review to help me improve!
MudkipsAreAwesome
Zibdas
Cabbs
Soberheartless
sama
StarMasterWarrior
Zibdas
Cabbs
Soberheartless
sama
StarMasterWarrior
Chapter One: Spacemen
A fox-like animal with six tails scampered easily through the trees, making sure to stay hidden. Her orange fur was an oddity in this place, where the Pokémon who truly belonged blended easily into the green and brown background. The only place that a Vulpix could truly blend into was in a roaring fire. But she had learned to blend by staying in the trees, where the multitude of leaves kept her concealed. In the winter, though, when all the leaves were gone, well, she just did the best she could.
But she could blend, and so she belonged.
This is my home now, she told herself. I don’t want to travel any more. But no matter how many times she tried to persuade herself, she knew that she really did want to see the Sinnoh region, and that she, a Fire type, did not truly belong in Eterna Forest.
But where else could I belong?
Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of laughter. The Vulpix jumped a little, and then clambered through the treetops to see what could be making someone laugh that loudly. She was proud of her climbing skill, but not why she had had to obtain it.
I disappointed him… and he had to leave me here… She quickly shook the painful memories away and searched for the source of the laughter. Practically right beneath her, a boy was playing with a Butterfree. He would swipe his long-handled net through the air, and his Pokémon would spin nimbly on its colorful wings to dodge it with ease. The Vulpix’s large eyes took it all in, and the suggestion of tears appeared in their black depths.
They’re both having such fun… She jerked backward in shock at a sudden realization. It’s both play, and training, too! He’s pretending to be an attacking Pokémon to help his Butterfree dodge better, and they’re having fun! We- we could have trained that way too, and he just…
The Butterfree let out a high-pitched giggle. The Vulpix looked down, and saw that the boy’s laughter was affecting his swipes with the net. As his swings became wilder and wilder, the Vulpix found that she was laughing along with the boy and his Pokémon. She hurriedly silenced herself, and saw the two below her look up in a bewildered manner- had they heard her? Holding her breath, she waited until they looked down again, and then flopped down on the branch she was sitting on. The sight had brought back the painful memories she had been resisting, and she could no longer hold them back.
(Flashback: Lake Acuity Cavern, a week earlier)
It was obvious that the Pokémon Hunter just wanted to continue leaving the cave, but her Trainer wasn't going to allow that- anyone who would kidnap creatures just to make a profit had to be stopped. And so the battle raged on.
“Tangela! Vine Whip, now!”
“That won’t work! Vulpix, counter with Ember!”
She attempted to duck under the oncoming vine, but failed. It coiled around her midsection and lifted her into the air. Panicked, she released a flurry of small flames from her mouth. They landed in an almost perfect ring around the ball of vines that was attacking her. As the fire burned in an ever shrinking circle around the Pokémon Hunter’s Tangela, the Pokémon squealed in fright. Its Trainer simply glared at it, silently telling it to do something.
Suddenly, the vine holding her lashed and released her, and she was thrown against the wall of the cave. Her head spun, and by the time she managed to stand, the Tangela was lying on the floor with some serious-looking scorch marks. She glanced proudly up at her Trainer, and he looked at her with a half-hearted smile on his face.
You look sad… What’s wrong? Is it my fault? she thought, wishing she was able to make a sound, any sound, that he might understand.
The Hunter scowled. He dropped the sack he carried, and turned as if to leave. With his back to them, he muttered, “You beat me through luck, boy. That Vulpix of yours, now… it’ll never be able to be the way you want it to be, the way it’s going…” The man quickly departed.
Her Trainer looked stricken. She hardly heard the words, being more interested in the sack; but he returned her to her Pokéball before she could investigate it. There was a Pokémon inside, and its faint moans sounded weak…
(Eterna Forest, two days later)
They walked through the forest together. It seemed oddly quiet without his usual chatter, but she enjoyed the tranquility. She assumed they were heading south, retracing the route from the Lake to Twinleaf Town, where they lived.
She was wrong. About halfway through the forest, he stopped. She had been going on ahead, and didn’t notice until she heard him call her back. He knelt down to her eye level as she trotted over to him, and his eyes were sad.
“Now, Vulpix,” he said. “You know why Grandpa gave you to me, right?”
She nodded- his grandfather had wanted him to become strong with a Fire-type Pokémon just as the rest of his family had. Due to the rarity of Fire-types in Sinnoh, she had been a gift.
“I thought you did.” He smiled faintly. “But, well, that battle with the Hunter- it was a Grass- versus a Fire-type. You should have been able to win easily, but instead, you were almost beaten.”
She tensed. Was he blaming it on her? That Tangela’s movements had been inordinately fast!
“It’s all my fault.”
Oh.
“I was supposed to grow strong with you, but I haven’t. I’m not able to train you right.” The boy’s face was miserable. “You’d be able to grow strong on your own, though, without me messing it up.”
What? But I… I won! What makes you think that we’re not strong? Is it what the Hunter said? That was just a bluff! Right? Her muscles locked, perhaps anticipating what was coming.
“So, you can stay here, and become stronger by yourself.” He pulled her Pokéball from his belt, and, before she could react, said, “Vulpix, I release you.” She froze.
The red-and-white sphere shot a bright blue light from the button in its center, which enveloped her. She felt no change, except the shock of what her Trainer had done.
But- I- We can still train together! You didn’t do anything wrong, we just have to work harder! Together! She stared after him as he walked away with the Pokéball still in his hand, wishing she had a voice to cry out with.
She was still there at sunset, her eyes black pools of loss. She only moved to a tree once a Staraptor tried to eat her.
(End flashback)
She still couldn’t understand why he had left her- surely his bond with her had been stronger than that. Although, there had been rumors about a Trainer with a very strong Ponyta that had only been recently caught. She couldn’t stop wondering if it was him. Maybe he wanted to please his grandfather more than he wanted to stay with me.
“Sp-sp-spacemen!”
She was jolted from her sad reverie by the shout from below. Looking down through the branches of the tree she was in, she could see the Trainer with the Butterfree hastily returning it, a fearful expression on his face. Once his Pokémon was safely inside its Pokéball, he ran for it. The Vulpix turned her gaze in the direction the boy had been looking.
There were three strange humans walking casually through the forest. They didn’t seem to be Trainers- or, at least, not the kind that were usually there. Two of them acted subordinate to the other (strangely enough, that one was different; his hair was a different shape than the other two’s, and it was blue instead of aqua), so he had to be the leader. The atmosphere around them was rather menacing, and their clothing was a bit odd, compared to what she had seen on others. From what she had learned about humans, she could tell that it was similar to what humans wore in outer space, but there didn’t seem to be any reason to wear something like that on Earth.
One of the humans laughed, perhaps at the Trainer’s behavior, and the Vulpix bristled. It was a mean kind of laugh, and she didn’t like mean people- besides, these humans were strange enough to be afraid of, and the Trainer couldn’t really be blamed for running. Below her, the humans had begun to talk about something else. Her curiosity tugged at her, and she bent down to hear better.
“We’re here to get the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs?”
“Yes. They’re being displayed at the Eterna Museum, so this is our best chance to steal them. I’ve got a plan to get them, and you two will take them.”
“Ah. And I don’t suppose you’re going to explain why we need them?”
“Because Master Cyrus needs them for… experimenting.”
“Wow! I actually got a partial explanation! Can you believe that…”
She stopped listening. These people were going to steal the sacred Orbs of the Deities! Each one was a link to the powers of the one of the two Pokémon lords of Mount Coronet, and she had no idea what the humans could use them for, if they got the Orbs. She began to run through the treetops, intent on stopping them. Her own problem was whisked out of her mind by the sudden turn of events.
She began to slow down as the trees grew farther and farther apart at the outskirts of the forest. Jumping the large gaps in between them was slower than running, but she kept going until, at last, she was out of the forest. The Vulpix leaped down from the very last tree and continued to run, the almost uniform flatness of the ground unfamiliar to her (as she had spent all her time in Eterna Forest in the treetops).
The humans were ahead of her, just now entering Eterna City. Buildings rose up around them, and she sprinted even faster to try and catch up.
You cannot possess the Orbs. The might of the gods is not meant to be controlled. I will not allow you to take them. She was not normally a fiery tempered Pokémon (despite her Fire type), but she was mad at those thieves now. Her body temperature began to rise with her temper. The shame she had felt when she had been almost beaten by the Tangela turned to anger. The abandonment she had felt when her Trainer released her became flaming rage. The fear she felt now, at what the humans might do, was pushed aside, and wrath took its place. You will not have the Orbs. I will not let you! I WILL NOT! Her internal flame flared up to spontaneous combustion temperature with her fury. Her fur began to smoke. The heat of her body gave her the energy needed to catch up to the humans, and she entered the city at top speed, gaining fiercely on the trio of humans.
She needed to keep them from reaching the Museum. Her outrage boiled up to her mouth and-
“YOU CANNOT HAVE THE ORBS!”
The three humans whirled in shock. Others, the ones who were just going about their daily business, scattered, fleeing the terrible voice that resonated with such anger.
The Vulpix skidded to a halt, the asphalt of the street shredding into the skin on her paws. I thought I was mute! No sound had ever left her muzzle before- why now? Oh! The second gift! A memory briefly flitted through her mind.
(Flashback: Eterna Forest, the evening of the day of her release)
She was curled miserably in a tree, blaming herself for what he had done. She felt sick inside. Her downturned gaze completely missed the circle of yellow light that was appearing above her.
The light solidified into a Pokémon with a delicate, two-tailed body . Something made her turn her eyes up, and they met with the closed yellow lids of the Pokémon’s eyes. She jumped in surprise, almost falling from the tree, for she recognized it from the old tales.
Bowing (which was not easy to do on skinny branches), she thought, Uxie… I’m honored.
Uxie heard the silent words, and responded in the same fashion. Do not bow to me, little one, for I am in great debt to you.
Uxie explained that the Pokémon Hunter that the Vulpix had battled had been attempting to take it from the Lake. While it had been because of her Trainer that she had battled the Hunter, Uxie said that she was being rewarded because she had been concerned about it (the Pokémon in the sack had been Uxie!), while the boy had not been truly worried. She wanted to protest, but it might have been rude.
Uxie wished to give her two gifts for what she had done, even though it had only been one thing. As it was the Guardian of Knowledge, one of the gifts was the knowledge of all the legends of Sinnoh- which, apparently, would be “very useful in future times”, according to Uxie. The second gift was a secret (which was extremely frustrating), and “could only be discovered in a time of great need.” Uxie insisted that the gift of knowledge was the one meant to clear up the debt, and the mystery gift was to help in a “upcoming time of turmoil”; however, the Vulpix wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t just to keep her in suspense until the time of great need.
(End flashback)
I guess the gift was human speech. Which means that this must be the time of great need. She stepped towards the humans to get their attention. As if a smoking, yelling Vulpix wouldn’t have had their attention from the start.
“That was… the Pokémon that said that?” The speaker was one of the lesser-in-rank humans, voicing the confusion on all three faces.
“Apparently so.” That was the leader. “Now, what was that you said about the Orbs?” He seemed to have experience with talking Pokémon; or, at least, he didn’t show any more shock or confusion.
“You can’t have them,” she said. She lifted all six of her tails to emphasize the statement.
“Oh?” His face was arrogant and calm. The two other humans glanced at him to see what they should do, and immediately mirrored the expression. “And why not?”
“Because the Orbs contain-" She managed to stop herself before she gave something away; she had no idea how much these people knew.
“The powers of time and space, respectively? A direct link to the deities of Sinnoh mythology?” The leader’s expression grew even more smug.
Well. She wouldn’t have given anything away after all. Although, by the looks on the other two’s faces, not all members of this organization (something told her that this was a group of more than three people that she was dealing with) knew the same things.
“Yes,” she said, “and they are sacred. You would abuse their power.” Although she was trying to keep her voice calm, it shook with anger (and possibly fear, too) towards the end of the statement, and her fur was still smoking.
“You know quite a lot, now, don’t you…” the leader muttered. It was not a question. “This could be a useful turn of events.”
She cocked her head nervously. What was he talking about? Her fur began to bristle as well as smoke in response to some evil-human-intention-reading instinct (or something similar), and she began to back away, obeying the unwritten law of creatures with pelts: Trust the fur.
“Catch the Vulpix!”
Oh, no. She couldn’t let herself be captured, but she couldn’t exactly flee, either, not if that would allow the humans to get the Orbs.
The two other humans seemed a bit confused, but both sent out their Pokémon. Twin streaks of light shot from two Pokéballs.
A purple skunk-like animal and a gray feline with a corkscrewing tail materialized. The Vulpix noticed that the Stunky had a fearful look on his face, while the Glameow appeared arrogant and ready to force her opponent into submission. Two foes at once! The Vulpix quailed inside.
“Poison Gas!”
“Slash!”
Stunky spun around to point his rear at her and released a stream of a noxious gas like his life depended on it. The Vulpix threw herself under most of it, only to be met by Glameow’s claws. There was a pained hiss (apparently her fur was too hot to touch), and she was hurled upward.
“Yaah!” The sound seemed ripped from her throat.
“Bite! Bring it back down here!”
“Use Night Slash once it’s in range!”
She felt fangs in the scruff of her neck, and was briefly impressed at Glameow’s jumping ability. There was no sound from the cat now to indicate how hot her fur was; it must have cooled off quickly once she was too distracted by the battle to stay angry. And then she was falling, pulled downward both by gravity and by the Pokémon’s weight towards Stunky’s waiting attack.
I’ve got to do something, or they’ll catch me!
She twisted in midair, forcing Glameow between her and Stunky. The latter had already leapt up with his claws extended, and hit his ally before he could adjust his aim. Glameow hissed with pain and Slashed at the Vulpix without waiting for an order. She dodged instinctively and counterattacked with a stream of small flames from her mouth before her opponents could move. They were close enough together that the Ember hit both of them.
“Stuuuunky! (It burns!)” The little skunk staggered backwards and collapsed with a wail of pain, having taken much more damage than he should have. The human who had been commanding him recalled Stunky into his Pokéball with a flash of red light.
“Darn those critical hits,” she heard the human grumble.
Whew! Only Glameow left…
“Fury Swipes!”
Glameow leapt on top of the Vulpix, knocking her over onto her back, and began repeatedly scratching her. The six-tailed fox attempted to guard her face with her forepaws, but had little success.
What can I do?
Desperately, she kicked out with her hind legs. There was a fair amount of power in the kick, and Glameow was sent flying. She sprang back onto all four legs just as there was a loud yowl from several yards away.
“Use Slash, but hit it this time!” The human’s voice was crueler now.
I’ve gotta hit first now! She knew that she couldn’t last much longer.
And she shot forward, a broad streak of white light trailing behind her. At the same time, Glameow was coming towards her with outstretched claws. Before the two combatants made contact, the Vulpix jumped up. She came down on the cat’s back, hitting first with the speed of Quick Attack, and dealing a whole lot of damage. But Glameow wasn’t quite done- she Slashed upward and landed a good hit.
The Vulpix reeled backwards. She had been careless and taken too much damage in the beginning, and now she was almost too weak to stand. The only good thing was that Glameow was in the same condition as she was.
The surroundings started to whirl around her.
No… I-I can’t…
She collapsed. Glameow seemed to be miraculously healed by the victory, and sauntered up to the Vulpix to begin making rude Pokémon gestures at her.
“Glameow, me-ow! Glameow!(That was a good show, there, but not good enough! You only managed to hurt me at all through luck!)” the feline hissed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the human quickly returned her.
I lost! They’ll take the Orbs! Because I- I couldn’t stop them…
A red and white sphere came arcing through the air. A Pokéball! She tried to stand and dodge the ball, but her legs buckled beneath her and it hit her in the head.
“Ow!”
The Pokéball bounced off, opened on hidden hinges, and she felt her body lose its shape. She was converted into pure energy to be stored within. The ball closed.
No! You will not command me! She pushed against the sides of the ball as best as she could with her will (naturally, that was all she had to fight the ball with, as energy does not have muscles). It stayed closed. She pushed again, harder.
This time, the ball shook. She could feel it. But it did not open. She pushed again, and again, harder and harder each time. The ball shook back and forth rapidly, but did not release her.
No! She pushed. I have to stop you- she pushed again- and keep the Orbs safe! She pushed again, harder still and desperate.
And the Pokéball exploded into tiny red and white fragments.
She shot out, first as a bright streak of light, then as a white silhouette of herself, then, finally, as herself, with depth, color, and shape. Her legs wobbled, but she braced herself and looked up at the leader of the humans, smirking a little.
“You’re not getting me that easy,” she said. Around them, the people who lived in Eterna City were getting curious, coming back to see what that shout they had heard had been. The humans who had battled her looked around nervously, and one of them leaned over to mutter in their leader’s ear. She tilted her ears in closer to hear.
“Commander Saturn, that was the only Pokéball we have. Wouldn’t this count as a Toxicroak situation?”
Saturn narrowed his eyes; his annoyance at the incompetency of the others was plain. Her fur began to stand up again in anticipation of what would happen. He reached towards a concealed belt and pulled out a green and brown splotched Pokéball.
No! I can’t battle anymore- I’m too weak-
“Toxicroak, Poison Jab.” His voice was deceptively calm as a somewhat humanoid, blue, black, and red froglike creature materialized from the ball.
All she saw was a blur. Before she could even attempt to avoid it, a red knuckle claw stabbed her in the chest. She flew backwards, and was unconscious before she hit the street pavement.
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