"You're in trouble now, kid." a single uniformed Rocket member broke off from the group and approached Simon.
"Hey!" Simon replied, somewhat offended. "I'm not a kid." At Simon's feet, Shadow growled at the stranger with his tail swishing angrily from side to side. Simon scowled at the man. "Come on, Shadow."
The guy, Simon decided to call him Grunt, laughed and drew out a dark-colored Pokéball as he stepped into a small clearing made up of stalagmites and boulders . The Pokéball he held had been painted the same colors as the Rocket's uniform. "How cute", the man commented sarcastically as he toyed with the small sphere, "you named your Pokemon. Hah!" He threw the Pokéball onto the ground. It flashed red before revealing a Rattata. Though small in comparison to Shadow the mouse Pokemon emerged with its fangs bared, ready for battle. It began to claw at the air impatiently. Simon noted that the Pokémon's fur was matted and a lot of scars covered its back. It reminded him of the Sandshrew they'd battled earlier. Only...worse...somehow. With a slight shrug Simon tossed a Pokéball onto the ground. "Brynn, let's go." he called.
[color=E6CB63]*Shrra*[/color] The Sandshrew appeared quickly and turned toward her opponent. It was a good sign, Simon thought. Now to begin with the right move...
"Brynn-"
"Rattata, Quick Attack!" Grunt quickly cut Simon off.
"Ratt!" The mouse Pokemon blurred and then disappeared altogether. It reappeared on a rock three feet away. Then again on another rock. Then back on the ground.
"Wait." 'That wasn't fair!' Simon complained. Grunt smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Simon sighed, discarding the rest of his half-formed protest. 'I guess these guys don't deal with 'fair' very often.' The trainer tried to keep his gaze on the opponent's Rattata but kept losing sight of it as the small animal darted back and forth. 'Gotta slow it down...' Simon decided. It was hard to hit what one couldn't see.
"Brynn, Poison Sting." Simon called. He said it quickly, just in case.
"[color=E6CB63]Shrra! Srrrrrrrrr[/color]" At a lumbering gait Brynn charged the Rattata, her claws dripping with dark poison. Rattata altered its course immediately, trying to evade the sharp claws. It careened off of a rock and shot towards its owner. "Shrra!"
But it wasn't fast enough. Brynn's claws raked across the Rattata's back as it passed. The Pokemon shrieked in pain and tumbled to the ground. Brynn paused but when the Rattata remained unmoving she retreated towards Simon. Grunt moved forward with a scowl on his face. He raised his foot but paused mid-motion with a sudden glance at Simon. He gave the trainer a strange look before glaring down at the fallen Pokémon. "Hey!" the man barked, lowering his foot to the ground.
"Raaaaa." the Rattata answered.
"Get up." Grunt snarled. "And use tackle. Now." Grunt took another step forward, this time in Simon's direction. The trainer tensed instinctively wondering if perhaps the Grunt was going to follow the command himself.
The Rattata struggled to its feet. It took a step, and then another, and broken into an uneven run. Its speed was visibly reduced. Grunt seemed satisfied with the movement and turned his attention back to the fight. It wasn't much of a Tackle. Tired, injured, and probably still sick the attack seemed to do more damage to the Rattata than to Brynn. The Sandshrew turned without effort and took the attack without being moved.
"Brynn, try sand attack." Simon called. 'It shouldn't take much...' He was surprised the Pokémon was still moving. Moving only sped up the poison. A second thought struck Simon 'Why isn't he curing his Pokémon?' he peered across the save at Grunt, who seemed to be getting mad again.
"[color=E6CB63]Shrra.[/color]" With plenty of dirt around creating a mini dust cloud was easy for the Brynn. She spun her own body, causing a blast of dirt filled wind to speed toward her opponent.
"Rat. At. At. Ta." The Rattata cried out in pain each time a chunk of debris impacted its small body. It spun helplessly for a few seconds until the cloud dispersed.
"Raaaaaa." With a final cry the Rattata collapsed to the ground and curled in on itself. Its eyes closed though it continued to make quiet wheezing sounds of pain.
"Good job, Brynn." Simon congratulated his Pokemon in a subdued tone. The Rattata was beaten but it was also very sad looking in its curled up state. Brynn scratched dirt towards the Rattata before waddling back toward her trainer. She accepted the offered Pokémon snack with dignity before vanishing into her Pokéball.
"You dumb punk!" the Grunt stomped his foot on the ground in anger. The man's face turned red and the hand that held Rattata's Pokéball began to shake. If he had a hat Simon was sure the man would have thrown it to the ground.
"Am I a kid or a punk?" The trainer muttered. Feeling a bit of bravado rush up from the victory he called back to the angry man. "Is that all?" Simon asked.
Abruptly Grunt stopped his tantrum. "No!" he spat. Literally, spittle flew from the man's mouth and disappeared into the dirt. Simon recoiled in disgust as Grunt drew another Pokéball out of his pocket and threw it to the ground. It hit with enough force that dust rose up from the impact area. With his other hand Grunt returned the Rattata. He shoved the Pokéball into his pocket without comment.
"Droowww?" When the dust and flash of light cleared a Drowzee was sitting on the battlefield. A large Drowzee. Whereas the Rattata had been small for its species this Pokemon was well past the average weight. It had the same scars across its chest and arms though. Several of them were pink and looked recent. And...it looked like there was a hole in its ear. 'What is that? Simon wondered. He tapped Brynn's Pokéball against his leg while debating his next option. The Pokédex he'd pulled out when digging for Brynn's victory snack beeped twice.
NameDrowzee
ClassificationHypnosis Pokémon
Height/Weight3'03"/71.4lbs
Type
DescriptionIt can tell what people are dreaming by sniffing with its big nose. It loves fun dreams.
"Hmm...Shadow." Simon said slowly.
"Chee!" Shadow bounded forward, his tail held high, without waiting for Simon to finish. Halfway to the Drowzee Shadow turned his entire body around and tilted his head at Simon. "[color=#66]Chee?[/color]" The cry was almost sheepish. But Simon just laughed quietly. "Alright." he relented. "Your turn, bud."
"Cheeeee..." Shadow padded the last few steps forward.
The Grunt seemed to have recovered from his defeat rather quickly. He was now grinning widely. The smug expression was beginning to make Simon uneasy. 'He's so weird...'
"Drowzee. Use Hypnosis. Now." Grunt demanded. The Pokemon flinched before stepping forward and raising both of its arms. "Drowww." it began in a slow murmur. Its arms moved in a series of half-circles. "Ch..ee?" Shadow staggered to right. Then he leaned to the left. And then the Poochyena yawned audibly. "Yeeen...." finally Shadow collapsed to the ground in a small heap. Simon frowned and walked closer. A few feet away he picked out the faintest sound of...snoring.
'Aww, no.' Shifting his weight quickly Simon dropped his pack to the ground and began shoving items aside. 'Awakening...awakening...' He knew he'd seem them in the shop...he'd bought at least one. He shifted more items. Potion. Potion. Antidote. He'd bought awakening...hadn't he?
"Have you had enough, boy?" The Grunt taunted. The arrogant Rocket shuffled his feet in an approximation of a dance. Or maybe it was some kind of bizarre ritual.
"No!" Simon replied as he continued his search. Finally he located the appropriate small yellow bottle. 'Gotcha!' The trainer stood and started towards his Pokemon with the medicine in hand.
"Ah ah ah..." Grunt held up his hand and shook his finger at Simon as though he was a disobedient schoolchild. "Get any closer and this battle's over." Grunt drew his jacket up a bit and tapped something at his side. "You won't like the next battle. Trust me." Simon froze when that something gave off a metallic sheen. 'Not good.' This was Team Rocket. He couldn't forget.
Simon stepped back carefully and hefted the container in one hand. Designed for more than one application, there was a fair amount of liquid in the bottle. 'It might work... He hoped.
Gripping the lid Simon twisted the molded plastic sharply. The cap on the bottle snapped with a tiny sound. The trainer tossed the broken lid into his pack and threw the bottle underhanded towards his fallen Pokemon. The thin plastic bounced upon impact, spraying the medicine on the nearby rocks, the ground, and directly across Shadow's muzzle. 'Bullseye.' Simon sighed in relief. 'Come on....come on....' He began willing Shadow to rise. He raised his hands up as though he could pick up his Pokemon from a far. The trainer waited....and waited.
But nothing happened.
"Shadow. Shadow! Wake up!" Simon yelled and then he shouted. His voice cracked in his panic. 'Come on!
"Drowzee. Use Pound. Now." The Grunt's voice by contrast was almost gleeful. He was entertained by this. Simon glared at the Team Rocket member before focusing on Shadow again. 'Come on...come on....wake up!' he pleaded.
With nothing to stop it's mass the large Drowzee collided with Shadow's smaller body sending the Poochyena into the air. Shadow's body hit the cave wall and fell to the ground.
'Damnit!' "Shadow!" Simon left his pack on the ground and sprinted towards the spot where Shadow had fallen.
"I told you-" Grunt began.
"I don't care!" Simon retorted angrily.
"Stay back, kid" Something clicked but Simon paid the sound no heed as he continued moving towards Shadow.
"I'm not-" Simon grabbed a chuck of rock and turned toward Grunt.
"I said stay-" Grunt raised his weapon.
"-a kid"
"-back!"
And without sound or warning, white light surrounded them both. Simon threw up his arm instinctively while the Team Rocket member cowered and then tried to point his gun blindly. Grunt snarled in irritation. "That the-"
"Shadow!" Simon couldn't see but he knelt down and carefully edged forward with his hand on the ground. He squinted and made out the hazy outline of his friend and Pokemon.
"Yen!" The answering cry started out normal and then became distorted. 'What's going on?' Simon wondered, now fearing for his Pokémon. Now that he had something to move towards Simon stood and resumed walking. The terrified Grunt remained where he was, flailing his gun about like a club.
Gradually the glow dimmed. Simon could see the cave walls, then the nearby boulders. And finally, the outline of...something. Something a lot bigger than his little Pokemon.
"Sha...dow?" Simon asked warily.
"Yen!" The cry was deeper, and rumbled more, but it was with puppyish enthusiasm that Shadow greeted his trainer. Simon was rocked back onto his heels as Mightyena plowed into his leg.
"Hey...bud." Still blinking spots from his eyes Simon scratched absently behind Shadow's ears. It was...easier now that he was taller. "You...you evolved." he said.
"Yeeen." came the satisfied reply, accompanied by a pointed nose pressing into Simon's stomach. "You're hungry?" Simon guessed. "Might." Shadow answered.
"Boy!" A harsh voice brought them both crashing back to reality. "We're not done yet, yanno"
"Mi!" Brushing past his trainer Shadow took three steps and launched himself into the air.
Grunt was too startled to do anything but yelp as eighty pounds of angry Pokemon slammed into his chest. The gun flew from Grunt's hand and clattered against some rocks nearby. Slobbering generously onto the man Shadow continuing to growl with his paws on either side of the man's fallen body.
"Nice...doggy?" Grunt squeaked.
"Rrrrr"
"Shadow...hold on..." Simon huffed as he reached the two, his pack slung over his shoulder once again. He looked around for the Rocket's gun but didn't see it. There was a Pokéball nearby though. And empty Pokéball.
"Hey, where did that Drowzee go?" Simon wondered.
"Prob'ly ran off." Grunt muttered from beneath his furred captor. He started to get up but was knocked back down by a heavy paw and sharp teeth.
"...why?" Simon asked. To his surprise he actually got an answer. It may have been the teeth snapping next to the man's ear but the Grunt was sullenly cooperative all of a sudden. He nodded toward the Pokéball on the ground. The one that was painted black.
"We trade 'em off. For training. Or for exercise. Or for money. That un...that un's broken." The man shifted slightly. Shadow's growl made him pause again.
"Broken?" Simon echoed in a confused tone.
"Broken." The Grunt repeated. He made a noncommittal sound. "Don't like to listen. Had to make it obey. Took forever for tha strappin' to work. Still. It's worthless anyway. Keeps running off in the middle of battles." The man's voice trailed off as he began to lose focus of the conversation. "Damn rookie cheated me..."
'Strappin'....' It was a term Simon had heard only once before. When his father talked about how the dockyards used to be run. But surely they didn't....they couldn't..."You beat your Pokémon?"
"Heh..." The Grunt smirked. "Only way to get it to listen." He chuckled quietly, apparently humored by something he remembered.
Simon was speechless. The scars. The open wounds. The way they kept fighting. It made sense now. They hadn't been trained they'd been tortured.
"You...you stupid arrogant...raaaa!" Shadow jumped backwards as Simon hauled Grunt to his feet. Before the man could get his balance the trainer hit him with a solid blow to his jaw. Then another to his face. Simon shoved Grunt into the cave wall.
"What is wrong with you?" He yelled.
"Zeee"
Simon froze, his fist raised and ready to deliver another blow. His free hand gripped the Rocket's uniform, keeping him in place.
"Drow..." From the shadows of a nearby boulder, Drowzee appeared. It was dragging something on the ground as it moved forward. Something metal. The Rocket's gun.
Grunt huffed and spat blood onto the ground. "Knew it'd come back. Brought my gun too. 'Bout time you little-yaah!"
Sharp canine teeth were suddenly latched onto Grunt's leg. Showing his first sign of intelligence Grunt chose to remain silent.
"Ze. Drow. Zeee." Drowzee dropped the gun and began talking, using its short hands to emphasis something. But Simon couldn't understand. Shadow released Grunt with a growl and padded over to the battered Pokémon. Drowzee hesitated as Shadow approached and its arms dropped to its side.
"Miiiight." Ducking his head down Shadow batted Drowzee's Pokéball towards him. Which seemed to calm Drowzee down.
"Dro. Zee. Zee." he finished.
Shadow tilted his head, then turned back to Simon. Grunt had given up struggling and was now trying to staunch the flow of blood coming from his lip.
"Yen." Was Shadow's simple answer.
Drowzee nodded and picked up his own Pokéball. He brushed dust off of the sphere. Along with the dust came several flakes of paint. When he was satisfied with the Pokéball's condition Drowzee approached the two humans.
"Drow!" The Pokémon said firmly, pointing at Grunt. Simon looked at Grunt, and then at the Pokémon. "I don't understand." he said quietly. There was no way he was letting the man go. Not with the gun and the defenseless Pokémon so close.
Grunt chuckled silently but Simon ignored him and altered his grip on the man's uniform. Drowzee shrugged and began muttering quietly. It raised its arms and began moving its hands in a vaguely familiar set of motions.
"Hey! Hey know cut that out." Grunt broke his silence again, apparently knowing more about what was going on that Simon.
"Uh....Drowzee?" Simon said cautiously.
The Pokémon ignored both men. Simon tensed and prepared for...something. Grunt began hurling obscenities and struggling against Simon's hold.
"Don't you do that, you hear? I'm the trainer! I'm the master! I didn't tell you to do nothing you stupid little...Do you know what the chain of command is? Huh? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you...to show you who...." Abruptly the man Simon was holding became deadweight. Unprepared for the sudden change Simon released his hold and Grunt dropped to the ground. Drowzee snorted and lowered its arms to its side again. Shadow padded forward to sniff at the man curiously.
"Um...okay." Simon prodded Grunt with his foot. The man was out cold. "That works..."
It took a few minutes to find his knife but after sectioning off a bit of rope Simon managed to tie the unconscious man's arms behind his back. Just in case. Simon shouldered his pack and pulled out his Pokédex.
"I never did get you scanned, bud. Here..." He pointed the device at Shadow.
NameMightyena
ClassificationBite Pokémon
Height/Weight3'03"/81.6lbs
Type
DescriptionIt chases down prey in a pack. It will never disobey the commands of a skilled Trainer.
"Huh." Simon scrolled down to read all of the information. "Shadow it says here that you- Woah!" the energetic Pokémon jumped onto his trainer, sending them both to the ground.
"Yen?" Shadow licked his trainer's neck and poked his nose into his chest.
"Shad-ow..." Simon coughed and pushed at the large body trapping him on the ground. "You're too big to...augh. Shadow...getooff"
The Mightyena huffed loudly in amusement but rolled to one side to let his trainer up. Simon stumbled to his feet, brushing fur off of his clothing before grabbing his pack from where it had fallen.
"It say you chase things in a pack." he said with a laugh.
"Rrrrr?"
"It's what it's says...don't ask me for details."
"Miii..."
"Hmm...well Brynn and Pen are kind of your pack... "
"Yen!"
"Of course me too..."
Throughout the exchange, Drowzee's head turned from human to Pokémon and back again.
"Droww?" it asked, somewhat confused.
Simon's amusement faded as he looked down at the scarred Pokémon. He glanced over at Shadow, who whined softly and pawed at the ground. More specifically he pawed dirt in the direction of the unconscious Grunt. 'I can't just leave it here..." Simon mused. But this wasn't a wild Pokémon he could capture. 'What do I do?' Simon turned to glare at Grunt. 'It's all your fault...' He turned back and noted then that Drowzee was still holding its Pokéball close to its chest. 'Maybe...maybe I can. It's worth a shot.'
"You know...if you want." Simon said slowly, kneeling down on the ground to reach Drowzee's level, "you could...come with us." Simon pointed to himself and then to where Shadow was still standing. He made a circle with his hands, encompassing all of them, and then pointed to the nearest exit-looking area.
"Miight. Miii. Yen." Shadow added.
"Zeee?" Drowzee spun the Pokéball in its hands. A lot of the black paint had been scratched or chipped off due to its actions. The faintest hint of red was now visible.
"It's okay." Simon said soothingly. His pack was beginning to unbalance him. And the rocks on the ground were now digging into his shins. But Simon remained still. Waiting.
Shadow had no such inclination. He padded forward and settled himself down next to the indecisive Drowzee.
"Yen!" Shadow's tongue lolled out and he whined softly. Simon recalled that the Pokémon had been hungry. "Alright...hold on." Still kneeling on the ground Simon pulled out a Pokémon snack from his pack and tossed it gently to where Shadow lay. In two bites the snack was gone.
"Drow?" Drowzee's muzzle twitched and it looked down where Shadow was still sniffing for crumbs on the ground.
Simon dug a second Pokémon snack out of his pack and held it out as far as he could. "You can have one. If you want." he said.
Drowzee looked at the outstretched hand and sniffed lightly. It tried to shift its Pokéball to one hand but since it wasn't minimized the sphere was too big. Drowzee made a quiet sound, a rough groan that made Simon frown. He hadn't meant to bother the Pokémon.
"Zee." In two quick steps Drowzee took the snack from Simon's hand. It dropped the Pokéball at its feet and kept it there by shuffling to one side. It took Drowzee a couple of seconds to devour the snack. While it ate Simon shifted his feet so that he was sitting on the ground comfortably.
"Droww..." The Pokémon sniffed and made the first happy sound Simon had heard from it. He grinned and wiped crumb remounts off of his hands. "Glad you liked it." he replied. Simon pulled his pack shut and spun it around for god measure to make sure it would stay shut. Something bumped against the trainer's leg as he was securing the second shoulder strap. "Hold on bud, I-"
"Zeeeee." The hesitant noise wasn't what Simon was expecting. He turned to see Drowzee with its ears down and it's hands outstretched. And carefully held between its hands was Drowzee's Pokéball.
"Why are you..." Simon stopped and cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" he asked. Simon reached out and put his own hand underneath the Pokéball but made no move to take it from the nervous Pokémon.
"Zee!" This time the utterance was firm and decisive. The battered and darkened Pokéball dropped into Simon's hand. The trainer carefully minimized the Pokéball and closed his hand around it. "Thank you." Simon said distinctly. Very carefully he set his hand down on Drowzee's head. Just for a second, then Simon stood up and shouldered his pack. Making sure that Drowzee could see him Simon snapped the Pokéball into his bandolier. There were flecks of paint left behind on his hands. Simon brushed them off but made a note to have the Pokéball cleaned. It certainly wasn't Drowzee's choice of color. As an afterthought Simon carefully picked up and emptied the Rocket's gun. He tossed the magazine into one pocket of his pack and wrapped the gun up in his torn shirt, shoving the combined bulk as far into the pack as it would go. 'Need to find an Officer Jenny to give these to when we get out.'
"Alright guys." Simon said with a brief smile. "I think it's time to go."
"Miiii"..."Droww."
"Hey!" Simon replied, somewhat offended. "I'm not a kid." At Simon's feet, Shadow growled at the stranger with his tail swishing angrily from side to side. Simon scowled at the man. "Come on, Shadow."
The guy, Simon decided to call him Grunt, laughed and drew out a dark-colored Pokéball as he stepped into a small clearing made up of stalagmites and boulders . The Pokéball he held had been painted the same colors as the Rocket's uniform. "How cute", the man commented sarcastically as he toyed with the small sphere, "you named your Pokemon. Hah!" He threw the Pokéball onto the ground. It flashed red before revealing a Rattata. Though small in comparison to Shadow the mouse Pokemon emerged with its fangs bared, ready for battle. It began to claw at the air impatiently. Simon noted that the Pokémon's fur was matted and a lot of scars covered its back. It reminded him of the Sandshrew they'd battled earlier. Only...worse...somehow. With a slight shrug Simon tossed a Pokéball onto the ground. "Brynn, let's go." he called.
[color=E6CB63]*Shrra*[/color] The Sandshrew appeared quickly and turned toward her opponent. It was a good sign, Simon thought. Now to begin with the right move...
"Brynn-"
"Rattata, Quick Attack!" Grunt quickly cut Simon off.
"Ratt!" The mouse Pokemon blurred and then disappeared altogether. It reappeared on a rock three feet away. Then again on another rock. Then back on the ground.
"Wait." 'That wasn't fair!' Simon complained. Grunt smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Simon sighed, discarding the rest of his half-formed protest. 'I guess these guys don't deal with 'fair' very often.' The trainer tried to keep his gaze on the opponent's Rattata but kept losing sight of it as the small animal darted back and forth. 'Gotta slow it down...' Simon decided. It was hard to hit what one couldn't see.
"Brynn, Poison Sting." Simon called. He said it quickly, just in case.
"[color=E6CB63]Shrra! Srrrrrrrrr[/color]" At a lumbering gait Brynn charged the Rattata, her claws dripping with dark poison. Rattata altered its course immediately, trying to evade the sharp claws. It careened off of a rock and shot towards its owner. "Shrra!"
But it wasn't fast enough. Brynn's claws raked across the Rattata's back as it passed. The Pokemon shrieked in pain and tumbled to the ground. Brynn paused but when the Rattata remained unmoving she retreated towards Simon. Grunt moved forward with a scowl on his face. He raised his foot but paused mid-motion with a sudden glance at Simon. He gave the trainer a strange look before glaring down at the fallen Pokémon. "Hey!" the man barked, lowering his foot to the ground.
"Raaaaa." the Rattata answered.
"Get up." Grunt snarled. "And use tackle. Now." Grunt took another step forward, this time in Simon's direction. The trainer tensed instinctively wondering if perhaps the Grunt was going to follow the command himself.
The Rattata struggled to its feet. It took a step, and then another, and broken into an uneven run. Its speed was visibly reduced. Grunt seemed satisfied with the movement and turned his attention back to the fight. It wasn't much of a Tackle. Tired, injured, and probably still sick the attack seemed to do more damage to the Rattata than to Brynn. The Sandshrew turned without effort and took the attack without being moved.
"Brynn, try sand attack." Simon called. 'It shouldn't take much...' He was surprised the Pokémon was still moving. Moving only sped up the poison. A second thought struck Simon 'Why isn't he curing his Pokémon?' he peered across the save at Grunt, who seemed to be getting mad again.
"[color=E6CB63]Shrra.[/color]" With plenty of dirt around creating a mini dust cloud was easy for the Brynn. She spun her own body, causing a blast of dirt filled wind to speed toward her opponent.
"Rat. At. At. Ta." The Rattata cried out in pain each time a chunk of debris impacted its small body. It spun helplessly for a few seconds until the cloud dispersed.
"Raaaaaa." With a final cry the Rattata collapsed to the ground and curled in on itself. Its eyes closed though it continued to make quiet wheezing sounds of pain.
"Good job, Brynn." Simon congratulated his Pokemon in a subdued tone. The Rattata was beaten but it was also very sad looking in its curled up state. Brynn scratched dirt towards the Rattata before waddling back toward her trainer. She accepted the offered Pokémon snack with dignity before vanishing into her Pokéball.
"You dumb punk!" the Grunt stomped his foot on the ground in anger. The man's face turned red and the hand that held Rattata's Pokéball began to shake. If he had a hat Simon was sure the man would have thrown it to the ground.
"Am I a kid or a punk?" The trainer muttered. Feeling a bit of bravado rush up from the victory he called back to the angry man. "Is that all?" Simon asked.
Abruptly Grunt stopped his tantrum. "No!" he spat. Literally, spittle flew from the man's mouth and disappeared into the dirt. Simon recoiled in disgust as Grunt drew another Pokéball out of his pocket and threw it to the ground. It hit with enough force that dust rose up from the impact area. With his other hand Grunt returned the Rattata. He shoved the Pokéball into his pocket without comment.
"Droowww?" When the dust and flash of light cleared a Drowzee was sitting on the battlefield. A large Drowzee. Whereas the Rattata had been small for its species this Pokemon was well past the average weight. It had the same scars across its chest and arms though. Several of them were pink and looked recent. And...it looked like there was a hole in its ear. 'What is that? Simon wondered. He tapped Brynn's Pokéball against his leg while debating his next option. The Pokédex he'd pulled out when digging for Brynn's victory snack beeped twice.
NameDrowzee
ClassificationHypnosis Pokémon
Height/Weight3'03"/71.4lbs
Type
DescriptionIt can tell what people are dreaming by sniffing with its big nose. It loves fun dreams.
"Hmm...Shadow." Simon said slowly.
"Chee!" Shadow bounded forward, his tail held high, without waiting for Simon to finish. Halfway to the Drowzee Shadow turned his entire body around and tilted his head at Simon. "[color=#66]Chee?[/color]" The cry was almost sheepish. But Simon just laughed quietly. "Alright." he relented. "Your turn, bud."
"Cheeeee..." Shadow padded the last few steps forward.
The Grunt seemed to have recovered from his defeat rather quickly. He was now grinning widely. The smug expression was beginning to make Simon uneasy. 'He's so weird...'
"Drowzee. Use Hypnosis. Now." Grunt demanded. The Pokemon flinched before stepping forward and raising both of its arms. "Drowww." it began in a slow murmur. Its arms moved in a series of half-circles. "Ch..ee?" Shadow staggered to right. Then he leaned to the left. And then the Poochyena yawned audibly. "Yeeen...." finally Shadow collapsed to the ground in a small heap. Simon frowned and walked closer. A few feet away he picked out the faintest sound of...snoring.
'Aww, no.' Shifting his weight quickly Simon dropped his pack to the ground and began shoving items aside. 'Awakening...awakening...' He knew he'd seem them in the shop...he'd bought at least one. He shifted more items. Potion. Potion. Antidote. He'd bought awakening...hadn't he?
"Have you had enough, boy?" The Grunt taunted. The arrogant Rocket shuffled his feet in an approximation of a dance. Or maybe it was some kind of bizarre ritual.
"No!" Simon replied as he continued his search. Finally he located the appropriate small yellow bottle. 'Gotcha!' The trainer stood and started towards his Pokemon with the medicine in hand.
"Ah ah ah..." Grunt held up his hand and shook his finger at Simon as though he was a disobedient schoolchild. "Get any closer and this battle's over." Grunt drew his jacket up a bit and tapped something at his side. "You won't like the next battle. Trust me." Simon froze when that something gave off a metallic sheen. 'Not good.' This was Team Rocket. He couldn't forget.
Simon stepped back carefully and hefted the container in one hand. Designed for more than one application, there was a fair amount of liquid in the bottle. 'It might work... He hoped.
Gripping the lid Simon twisted the molded plastic sharply. The cap on the bottle snapped with a tiny sound. The trainer tossed the broken lid into his pack and threw the bottle underhanded towards his fallen Pokemon. The thin plastic bounced upon impact, spraying the medicine on the nearby rocks, the ground, and directly across Shadow's muzzle. 'Bullseye.' Simon sighed in relief. 'Come on....come on....' He began willing Shadow to rise. He raised his hands up as though he could pick up his Pokemon from a far. The trainer waited....and waited.
But nothing happened.
"Shadow. Shadow! Wake up!" Simon yelled and then he shouted. His voice cracked in his panic. 'Come on!
"Drowzee. Use Pound. Now." The Grunt's voice by contrast was almost gleeful. He was entertained by this. Simon glared at the Team Rocket member before focusing on Shadow again. 'Come on...come on....wake up!' he pleaded.
With nothing to stop it's mass the large Drowzee collided with Shadow's smaller body sending the Poochyena into the air. Shadow's body hit the cave wall and fell to the ground.
'Damnit!' "Shadow!" Simon left his pack on the ground and sprinted towards the spot where Shadow had fallen.
"I told you-" Grunt began.
"I don't care!" Simon retorted angrily.
"Stay back, kid" Something clicked but Simon paid the sound no heed as he continued moving towards Shadow.
"I'm not-" Simon grabbed a chuck of rock and turned toward Grunt.
"I said stay-" Grunt raised his weapon.
"-a kid"
"-back!"
And without sound or warning, white light surrounded them both. Simon threw up his arm instinctively while the Team Rocket member cowered and then tried to point his gun blindly. Grunt snarled in irritation. "That the-"
"Shadow!" Simon couldn't see but he knelt down and carefully edged forward with his hand on the ground. He squinted and made out the hazy outline of his friend and Pokemon.
"Yen!" The answering cry started out normal and then became distorted. 'What's going on?' Simon wondered, now fearing for his Pokémon. Now that he had something to move towards Simon stood and resumed walking. The terrified Grunt remained where he was, flailing his gun about like a club.
Gradually the glow dimmed. Simon could see the cave walls, then the nearby boulders. And finally, the outline of...something. Something a lot bigger than his little Pokemon.
"Sha...dow?" Simon asked warily.
"Yen!" The cry was deeper, and rumbled more, but it was with puppyish enthusiasm that Shadow greeted his trainer. Simon was rocked back onto his heels as Mightyena plowed into his leg.
"Hey...bud." Still blinking spots from his eyes Simon scratched absently behind Shadow's ears. It was...easier now that he was taller. "You...you evolved." he said.
"Yeeen." came the satisfied reply, accompanied by a pointed nose pressing into Simon's stomach. "You're hungry?" Simon guessed. "Might." Shadow answered.
"Boy!" A harsh voice brought them both crashing back to reality. "We're not done yet, yanno"
"Mi!" Brushing past his trainer Shadow took three steps and launched himself into the air.
Grunt was too startled to do anything but yelp as eighty pounds of angry Pokemon slammed into his chest. The gun flew from Grunt's hand and clattered against some rocks nearby. Slobbering generously onto the man Shadow continuing to growl with his paws on either side of the man's fallen body.
"Nice...doggy?" Grunt squeaked.
"Rrrrr"
"Shadow...hold on..." Simon huffed as he reached the two, his pack slung over his shoulder once again. He looked around for the Rocket's gun but didn't see it. There was a Pokéball nearby though. And empty Pokéball.
"Hey, where did that Drowzee go?" Simon wondered.
"Prob'ly ran off." Grunt muttered from beneath his furred captor. He started to get up but was knocked back down by a heavy paw and sharp teeth.
"...why?" Simon asked. To his surprise he actually got an answer. It may have been the teeth snapping next to the man's ear but the Grunt was sullenly cooperative all of a sudden. He nodded toward the Pokéball on the ground. The one that was painted black.
"We trade 'em off. For training. Or for exercise. Or for money. That un...that un's broken." The man shifted slightly. Shadow's growl made him pause again.
"Broken?" Simon echoed in a confused tone.
"Broken." The Grunt repeated. He made a noncommittal sound. "Don't like to listen. Had to make it obey. Took forever for tha strappin' to work. Still. It's worthless anyway. Keeps running off in the middle of battles." The man's voice trailed off as he began to lose focus of the conversation. "Damn rookie cheated me..."
'Strappin'....' It was a term Simon had heard only once before. When his father talked about how the dockyards used to be run. But surely they didn't....they couldn't..."You beat your Pokémon?"
"Heh..." The Grunt smirked. "Only way to get it to listen." He chuckled quietly, apparently humored by something he remembered.
Simon was speechless. The scars. The open wounds. The way they kept fighting. It made sense now. They hadn't been trained they'd been tortured.
"You...you stupid arrogant...raaaa!" Shadow jumped backwards as Simon hauled Grunt to his feet. Before the man could get his balance the trainer hit him with a solid blow to his jaw. Then another to his face. Simon shoved Grunt into the cave wall.
"What is wrong with you?" He yelled.
"Zeee"
Simon froze, his fist raised and ready to deliver another blow. His free hand gripped the Rocket's uniform, keeping him in place.
"Drow..." From the shadows of a nearby boulder, Drowzee appeared. It was dragging something on the ground as it moved forward. Something metal. The Rocket's gun.
Grunt huffed and spat blood onto the ground. "Knew it'd come back. Brought my gun too. 'Bout time you little-yaah!"
Sharp canine teeth were suddenly latched onto Grunt's leg. Showing his first sign of intelligence Grunt chose to remain silent.
"Ze. Drow. Zeee." Drowzee dropped the gun and began talking, using its short hands to emphasis something. But Simon couldn't understand. Shadow released Grunt with a growl and padded over to the battered Pokémon. Drowzee hesitated as Shadow approached and its arms dropped to its side.
"Miiiight." Ducking his head down Shadow batted Drowzee's Pokéball towards him. Which seemed to calm Drowzee down.
"Dro. Zee. Zee." he finished.
Shadow tilted his head, then turned back to Simon. Grunt had given up struggling and was now trying to staunch the flow of blood coming from his lip.
"Yen." Was Shadow's simple answer.
Drowzee nodded and picked up his own Pokéball. He brushed dust off of the sphere. Along with the dust came several flakes of paint. When he was satisfied with the Pokéball's condition Drowzee approached the two humans.
"Drow!" The Pokémon said firmly, pointing at Grunt. Simon looked at Grunt, and then at the Pokémon. "I don't understand." he said quietly. There was no way he was letting the man go. Not with the gun and the defenseless Pokémon so close.
Grunt chuckled silently but Simon ignored him and altered his grip on the man's uniform. Drowzee shrugged and began muttering quietly. It raised its arms and began moving its hands in a vaguely familiar set of motions.
"Hey! Hey know cut that out." Grunt broke his silence again, apparently knowing more about what was going on that Simon.
"Uh....Drowzee?" Simon said cautiously.
The Pokémon ignored both men. Simon tensed and prepared for...something. Grunt began hurling obscenities and struggling against Simon's hold.
"Don't you do that, you hear? I'm the trainer! I'm the master! I didn't tell you to do nothing you stupid little...Do you know what the chain of command is? Huh? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you...to show you who...." Abruptly the man Simon was holding became deadweight. Unprepared for the sudden change Simon released his hold and Grunt dropped to the ground. Drowzee snorted and lowered its arms to its side again. Shadow padded forward to sniff at the man curiously.
"Um...okay." Simon prodded Grunt with his foot. The man was out cold. "That works..."
It took a few minutes to find his knife but after sectioning off a bit of rope Simon managed to tie the unconscious man's arms behind his back. Just in case. Simon shouldered his pack and pulled out his Pokédex.
"I never did get you scanned, bud. Here..." He pointed the device at Shadow.
NameMightyena
ClassificationBite Pokémon
Height/Weight3'03"/81.6lbs
Type
DescriptionIt chases down prey in a pack. It will never disobey the commands of a skilled Trainer.
"Huh." Simon scrolled down to read all of the information. "Shadow it says here that you- Woah!" the energetic Pokémon jumped onto his trainer, sending them both to the ground.
"Yen?" Shadow licked his trainer's neck and poked his nose into his chest.
"Shad-ow..." Simon coughed and pushed at the large body trapping him on the ground. "You're too big to...augh. Shadow...getooff"
The Mightyena huffed loudly in amusement but rolled to one side to let his trainer up. Simon stumbled to his feet, brushing fur off of his clothing before grabbing his pack from where it had fallen.
"It say you chase things in a pack." he said with a laugh.
"Rrrrr?"
"It's what it's says...don't ask me for details."
"Miii..."
"Hmm...well Brynn and Pen are kind of your pack... "
"Yen!"
"Of course me too..."
Throughout the exchange, Drowzee's head turned from human to Pokémon and back again.
"Droww?" it asked, somewhat confused.
Simon's amusement faded as he looked down at the scarred Pokémon. He glanced over at Shadow, who whined softly and pawed at the ground. More specifically he pawed dirt in the direction of the unconscious Grunt. 'I can't just leave it here..." Simon mused. But this wasn't a wild Pokémon he could capture. 'What do I do?' Simon turned to glare at Grunt. 'It's all your fault...' He turned back and noted then that Drowzee was still holding its Pokéball close to its chest. 'Maybe...maybe I can. It's worth a shot.'
"You know...if you want." Simon said slowly, kneeling down on the ground to reach Drowzee's level, "you could...come with us." Simon pointed to himself and then to where Shadow was still standing. He made a circle with his hands, encompassing all of them, and then pointed to the nearest exit-looking area.
"Miight. Miii. Yen." Shadow added.
"Zeee?" Drowzee spun the Pokéball in its hands. A lot of the black paint had been scratched or chipped off due to its actions. The faintest hint of red was now visible.
"It's okay." Simon said soothingly. His pack was beginning to unbalance him. And the rocks on the ground were now digging into his shins. But Simon remained still. Waiting.
Shadow had no such inclination. He padded forward and settled himself down next to the indecisive Drowzee.
"Yen!" Shadow's tongue lolled out and he whined softly. Simon recalled that the Pokémon had been hungry. "Alright...hold on." Still kneeling on the ground Simon pulled out a Pokémon snack from his pack and tossed it gently to where Shadow lay. In two bites the snack was gone.
"Drow?" Drowzee's muzzle twitched and it looked down where Shadow was still sniffing for crumbs on the ground.
Simon dug a second Pokémon snack out of his pack and held it out as far as he could. "You can have one. If you want." he said.
Drowzee looked at the outstretched hand and sniffed lightly. It tried to shift its Pokéball to one hand but since it wasn't minimized the sphere was too big. Drowzee made a quiet sound, a rough groan that made Simon frown. He hadn't meant to bother the Pokémon.
"Zee." In two quick steps Drowzee took the snack from Simon's hand. It dropped the Pokéball at its feet and kept it there by shuffling to one side. It took Drowzee a couple of seconds to devour the snack. While it ate Simon shifted his feet so that he was sitting on the ground comfortably.
"Droww..." The Pokémon sniffed and made the first happy sound Simon had heard from it. He grinned and wiped crumb remounts off of his hands. "Glad you liked it." he replied. Simon pulled his pack shut and spun it around for god measure to make sure it would stay shut. Something bumped against the trainer's leg as he was securing the second shoulder strap. "Hold on bud, I-"
"Zeeeee." The hesitant noise wasn't what Simon was expecting. He turned to see Drowzee with its ears down and it's hands outstretched. And carefully held between its hands was Drowzee's Pokéball.
"Why are you..." Simon stopped and cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" he asked. Simon reached out and put his own hand underneath the Pokéball but made no move to take it from the nervous Pokémon.
"Zee!" This time the utterance was firm and decisive. The battered and darkened Pokéball dropped into Simon's hand. The trainer carefully minimized the Pokéball and closed his hand around it. "Thank you." Simon said distinctly. Very carefully he set his hand down on Drowzee's head. Just for a second, then Simon stood up and shouldered his pack. Making sure that Drowzee could see him Simon snapped the Pokéball into his bandolier. There were flecks of paint left behind on his hands. Simon brushed them off but made a note to have the Pokéball cleaned. It certainly wasn't Drowzee's choice of color. As an afterthought Simon carefully picked up and emptied the Rocket's gun. He tossed the magazine into one pocket of his pack and wrapped the gun up in his torn shirt, shoving the combined bulk as far into the pack as it would go. 'Need to find an Officer Jenny to give these to when we get out.'
"Alright guys." Simon said with a brief smile. "I think it's time to go."
"Miiii"..."Droww."
