Torchic slammed its face against the edge of the tent.

  "Almost!" Lucas taunted, giggling at his own Pokemon's misfortune. Despite how much he loved the creature, that didn't stop him from taking his potshots at the tiny chick whenever he could. The method which he used to wind Torchic up was a long stick, with a plush Pokeball dropped on the end. As soon as Lucas started swinging that thing from side to side, Torchic couldn't help throwing itself at it. More recklessly than cautiously too. Which provided all the more entertainment for its trainer as the Fire type leapt after the Pokeball, only to roll to the edge of the tent, its head crashing against the end of the tent.

  Torchic stood up, refusing to be beaten by a simple stick and string. Its talons ground against the ground, taking in a deep breath. Then, it leapt for the plush...only for it to rise out of reach. Torchic once more flung itself against the tent. Lucas giggled once more.

  "Come on, you'll get it eventually!" he muttered. Torchic was not at all amused, its beak flopping down into a pout. But, a pouting Torchic only made Lucas laugh more, rolling around while reaching for his phone.

  "Hang on, I gotta get a photo of you while you look like that!" his hand grabbed at the Rotom Phone, flickering the camera on to capture a pouty Torchic. "Just hold that fac-"

  He never got that photo.

  "Ow, ow, ow!"

  Before Lucas could even react, Torchic had sprung for the much easier target. One which wouldn't move quite as much. That being Lucas' head. The Fire Chick drove him to the ground, his phone flopping onto the floor from his hand, as did the toy in his other hand. Torchic's eye glinted as it laid i's sight upon the stick, diving down and dragging the toy away. Chirping in its victory, it walked around with the plush Pokeball held within its beak, the stick attached trailing by its side.

  Lucas, managing to come out of the scramble uninjured, watched his Pokemon trod around the room like it had won the Ever Grande Conference already. Guess he would have to settle for taking a picture of this moment, rather than Torchic being pouty. Lucas liked this expression more anyways.

  Setting his phone down, the boy's mind drifted swiftly to other matters. "Say, how about we quit playing around and get back to battling?" Lucas asked his partner, who dropped the toy at the mention of battling, its eyes sparkling. That was an easy way to get them into the same headspace. The promise of clobbering their fellow Pokemon out in the wide open route. A passtime they'd gotten relatively used to over the past few days too.

  Ever since that second battle with Ellie, their resolve and fire for fighting had only gotten stronger. Seeing the improvement they made in only a night spurred them further into their conquest of the battlefield. After all, it wouldn't be long until they got to challenge their first gym, so they had to be well prepared! Plus, it was a good bonding experience, Pokemon and trainer fighting side by side.

  Once Lucas let the tent zip open, Torchic dived out at the speed of light, a blur in Lucas' vision before it settled on the ground, running amongst the plains. Slinking his backpack wide over his shoulders, Lucas emerged from the tent. But, there was no sign of Ellie anywhere. Still deep in slumber, Lucas assumed. He had been warned about her sporadic sleep schedule, becoming familiar with it when Ellie suddenly appeared in front of his tent at 6am and beckoned him to get up the previous day. But, today, it seemed she was taking a really long rest. Not that Lucas minded. More time to explore and battle by his lonesome, without bothering Ellie and dragging her along.

  She'd have struggled to keep up anyways. Turns out a blazing chicken has quit a lot of energy to run around. And, a young teenage boy had just as much energy to burn running around too.

  The result? A quick tour around the route, investigating every small rustling in the grass, every mark on the tree, every bird that flew overhead. They found a few interesting fiery marks across the trees, beginning to theorize of an unknown fire Pokemon hiding amongst the route. But, upon further inspection, the marks aligned exactly with how Torchic's Embers were fired. It must've been from their previous battles, off the missed Embers that flew into a tree and had to be put out by Mudkip before anything spread elsewhere. That quickly put a douse on whatever theories they had cooking up about whatever could be the identity of the Fire type. But, Lucas never gave up hope.

  "Maybe it's another Torchic!" Lucas chirped, confident as ever, despite knowing how ridiculous it sounded. Torchic was unconvinced.

  Still, they had plenty of fun wandering around. The few Pokemon they did find strolling the early morning were more than happy to engage in battle. Or, maybe they were just scared of the living fire hazard that walked among them. Either way, Lucas went into battle with a smile on his face, which rarely loosened as time went on. Every battle had been a renounding success! No Zigzagoons, Wurmples, nor Poochyenas could stand in their way! Lucas even had half a mind to begin capturing some of the Pokemon on the route. But, not only did Torchic have more interest in KO'ing rather than capturing, Lucas didn't find a Pokemon that seemed to have a hint of character to them.

  Really, the character he was looking for was any indication that they were particularly fond of Lucas. That's all he needed. But, everytime, a Poochyena would bark, a Zigzagoon would growl, or a Wurmple would...throw up its rear and shake its tail (Lucas was pretty sure that was a taunt, although it ended up making him laugh more often than it made him angry). Maybe it just wasn't his place to catch a Pokemon. After all, Ellie had no interest in catching a Pokemon on Route 101. So, maybe, the good Pokemon were just lying elsewhere. She seemed to have a good idea of what Pokemon were solid for battling, so Lucas trusted her instincts, and put the idea off for now.

  And, pretty much only for now.

  A rustling of the tall grass sounded from behind. Lucas turned on his heel, Torchic shifting its direction to match, perched upon his shoulder. But, at the sound of danger, and the prospect of a battle, it left its position and dived down to the ground. The rustling went silent once more. Then, it rustled in a different part of the grass, Lucas turning once more. It wasn't his imagination playing tricks either; Torchic had turned too. Then, again, in a different spot.

  "Sneaky, aren't you?" Lucas cooed. This wasn't anything like before. Never had he met a Pokemon like this. Zigzagoons could be sneaky with how they stumbled through the tall grass. But, they still left a noticable trail as they moved. Unlike whatever slunk through the tall grass. Lucas began to get excited.

  Maybe it was a teleporting Pokemon! Lucas had seen various Psychic Pokemon have the ability to shift at will and teleport themselves to different spots. They were typically pretty strong too. I mean, you've gotta have pretty good control over your power to shift your entire body! Either way, Lucas couldn't wait to reveal what was underneath. And, he wanted no chances of it sneaking away.

  "Burn away the tall grass, Torchic!"

  At the risk of scaring off the Pokemon, Torchic burned through the grass with an Ember. Specifically in the corners, where the Pokemon was most likely to hide. Instantly, the rustling in the grass became much more pronounced. The tall grass swayed with the Pokemon's movements. Agile, but not quick enough that Lucas couldn't give chase. Watching the blades shift intently, Lucas dived. With his hands stretched out, it grabbed at something. Not like the texture of the other Pokemon he had found. Although, it did have a resemblance to Poochyena fur. It squealed in his grasp, as he pulled it from the tall grass, revealing all to the world.

  His eyes sparkled.

  "Another Torchic!"

  Lucas nearly leapt into the air with joy. Another Torchic! Right here! On his first route! It was destiny after all! Lucas could only imagine the expression on Ellie's face when he showed her another Torchic in his party. But, he was getting ahead of himself. Taking another look at Torchic, it seemed rather different in personality to his other partner. Immediately, it kicked with its talons, trying to wiggle out of Lucas' grasp.

  "Ooo, sorry little guy," Lucas apologized, kicking himself for the rude greeting he had given the Torchic. Too caught up in the excitement of yet another member of the group. His original Torchic (who will now be Torchic A) strolled up to the new one (Torchic Z), its beak sniffing at its form. Torchic A was not impressed in the slightest. Its eyes glared into the new Torchic, knowingly. Torchic Z began to sweat profusely. Glancing between the two, Lucas giggled.

  "Well, I'll know the difference between the two of you," he spoke, pointing to the both of them. First, he pointed to Torchic Z, "You'll be the nervous one..." Torchic Z's worried expression only worsened as Lucas called attention to its obvious lack of confidence. Then, he pointed to Torchic A. "And, you'll be the jealous one!"

  Torchic A scoffed, turning its beak up and away from its trainer. Torchic Z shifted its talons across the grass nervously, avoiding the glance from its new, all too eager...friend? Torchic Z couldn't really tell at all. His glance seemed warm, yet it still made the Pokemon uncomfortable.

  "Alright, now that it's decided which Torchic's you'll each fit into, I guess it's time to ask...what are you doing out here?" Lucas crouched down, sitting in front of Torchic Z. But, the answer became rather obvious, saving Lucas a long game of charades that, while he did have an interest in playing, he'd rather avoid. Its stomach growled. Hunger. Easy fix!

  "Ah, no problem, I got plenty of berries right in here!" he chirped, reaching into the bulk of his bag for the mound of food he found beneath all the beaten and non beaten Pokeballs. Soon, the bag of berries he kept at the bottom revealed themselves, slinking out of the bag.

  Torchic Z's eyes widened the size of golf balls. Yet, it was still cautious of moving closer. Lucas chuckled, rubbing the Pokemon on the head. It had a rougher texture than his Torchic, but if it were to be a wild Torchic, it would always have a rougher texture than a well groomed and cared for Torchic such as his own.

  "Take what you need!" Lucas insisted, letting the bag spill onto the floor. The boy wasn't quite used to dishing out portions, especially with a new Pokemon, even if it was the same species as his previous one. But, with the monstrous growl from earlier, Lucas suspected that it was a while since it had last eaten. So, large portions of food. Lucas had enough berries to last Torchic for more than a while, after all. So, another Torchic would be no drain to his supplies. Torchic Z picked over the berries, awkwardly bending down to pick them up, its talons wobbling with the weight of its own body.

  "Maybe you can be the clumsy one too!" Lucas joked, although the joke seemed to hurt more than help, as Torchic Z seemed to shrink into itself more, taking its time in retreating down to the ground to retrieve the berries. Torchic A watched from a distance, its eyes occasionally glancing at the scene, but not long enough that Lucas could make consistent eye contact. It was living up to its name of 'the jealous one', for sure. Lucas ended up wobbling over with a few berries in his hand, dropping them onto the floor.

  "Just so you can only be jealous over attention, not food," the boy explained as Torchic A greedily gobbled up all the berries handed to it. A fine exchange, and enough to make it somewhat forgive Lucas' infidelity. Somewhat. Lucas turned away from his present partner, glancing upon Torchic Z once more. It had moved on from the berries scattered on the ground and had started using its beak to cut through the plastic bag of berries, retrieving even more food to satisfy its stomach.

  "You must've really been hungry, huh?"

  Lucas reappeared behind Torchic Z, giving it the fright of its life, its body glowing blue like it had just been hit with a stat-weakening move. Lucas giggled, petting the Pokemon on the head. Now had to be the time. Torchic Z had to be happy enough now that it was being fed a five star course of berries, right?

  Reaching deep into his backpack, Lucas retrieved one of many empty Pokeballs from the bottom of his bag. Torchic Z hadn't noticed it as such until Lucas tapped a finger on its head, beckoning its attention. Torchic Z froze, its eyes being the only part moving, darting between the trainer's smile, and the cold metallic capsule he held in his hand. Sweat brimmed from the Pokemon's form, a detail Lucas was keen to observe. But, it didn't slow down his dreams of his very own Torchic team!

  "I know it's a little sudden, but I was wondering if you would want to come with me on my adventures? You're probably busy in the wild out here, got a family. But, you'd never go hungry again! And, hey! We could even have a cool name like...Torchic Troop! Yeah, like tha-"

  The Pokemon hissed. A sound Lucas hadn't quite heard his Torchic make yet. In his times as a trainer, he'd heard Torchic be angry or annoyed. Most recently, when it squawked in annoyance at being called jealous (even though it totally was). But, not a hiss. That was something worse. Lucas pouted, caught between pressing forward and holding back.

  "C-Come on! It'll be fun!" Lucas continued, eager not to let this golden opportunity slip through his fingers. Starter Pokemon were as rare as a four leaf clover in every corner of the world. Your best shot to own one was through breeders or programmes from the various professors of the world. Letting an opportunity fly by like this would be a mistake.

  Torchic Z looked most displeased at the sight of the Pokeball, its eyes continuing to flicker between the Pokeball and Lucas' still reluctantly smiley expression. Torchic A snuck up behind Torchic Z, inspecting the Pokemon's form closely. Noticing the shadow meshing with its own, Torchic Z glanced back to look at Torchic A. It was trapped. "Just imagine where we-"

  The Pokeball fell from Lucas' hand with a heavy thud.

  Wincing, Lucas held his hand. A clean scratch straight through the skin. More powerful than even his own Torchic had managed to muster with its scratches. A little crimson began to seep from the small wound. Torchic A's eyes widened, leaping into action to defend its trainer. Torchic Z stumbled, attempting to protect itself, feinting a painfully innocent expression. But, Torchic A took no prisoners.

  A bright blazing Ember soared from Torchic A's mouth, shooting across the plain like a bullet. Nothing could quite prepare Torchic Z for the speed of such an attack, hitting straight on the chest, sending the Dark type flying back. Its back smashed against a lone tree, slumping to the ground.

  Lucas' eyes finally glanced up to watch Torchic Z drop down to the grassy terrain below. His eyes widened, heart beginning to race. More than it already was. In spite of the recent attack on his person, it broke his heart to see brother against brother. Especially when he had the power to break up the fight. Running over to meet with Torchic A, he placed a hand over its chest, just as it huffed up to deliver another Ember. Lucas shook his head from side to side, watching for a stir from the other Torchic. Its eyes widened, a deep cyan colour, unlike the polka dot irises found in a Torchic's eyes.

  A blue shine overcame Torchic Z's golden orange feathers. In its place came a black furred beast. Well, beast was a little too harsh a word. Right now, it resembled more of a kicked puppy. Its eyes watered, glancing to its previous brother. Torchic scoffed, steam fluttering from its mouth. It was too good to be true. It had known so from the start. Mostly on unfounded assumptions, but it was a relief to be ultimately proven correct. Lucas was anything but relieved, however, watching its claws cramped up to i's body, ears flickering with guilt.

  "What...are you?" Lucas muttered, bringing out his Pokedex to scan the creature.

  Zorua, The Tricky Fox Pokemon.

  To protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and Pokémon.

  "Transforming?" Lucas questioned, scrolling through the Pokedex for more data. The picture selected in the Pokedex showed a hint of mischief glinting in its eyes, a confident smile hiding amongst its blackened fur and red highlights. But, glancing up at the reality of the situation, he couldn't imagine anything more different.

  Torchic couldn't wait to tear into Zorua again. But, Lucas beckoned it to wait, watching closely for Zorua's reaction. Its body slowly uncurled, ears continuing to flicker. Its legs finally found ground, although the steadiness of the Dark type's stance spelled a different story, jittering with nerves. It seemed not everything was merely an illusion. Its eyes set onto Torchic, meekly crying at the Pokemon. Then, its gaze set onto Lucas. His expression lay mixed, trying to offer an accommodating smile. But, beneath that sat a crimson laden hand, where Zorua's sharp claws had sunk in.

  The Pokemon soon disappeared into the darkness of the forest, ashes falling from the burn beating near its heart. Lucas reached out for a moment, before the sting of the wound set in. Blood continued to drip. More urgent than chasing a Pokemon that didn't want to be bothered. Zoruahad messed up, and Lucas felt he had too, letting the Pokemon wander away. But, nothing to be done about it now, other than sort out his cut.

  "Come on, buddy." Lucas gestured towards his shoulder with his uninjured hand. Torchic, taking one last glance into the forest to check on Zorua's absence, nodded, springing onto its trainer's shoulder.

  Zorua couldn't run faster if it tried.

  The smouldering burn still ate away at the blackened fur that hung over its chest, darkening what was already darker. Growing darker yet darker, with the ash that spread from the burn mark. Its claws dug against the ground, the tall grass spreading and shredding beneath the sharpness of its paws. Breathing became a struggle. Both through the admittance of its brain to hit the panic button, ragged and hurried breaths entering in and out. But, equally, the exhaustion of running settling into its veins. Soon, its body was forced to stop, collapsing into the tall grass.

  Turning its head, it encountered a Zigzagoon. Zorua stared for a moment, and Zigzagoon did the same, with a more blank expression. Like it didn't quite know what to do. The Normal type tilted its head, a harmless action. Yet, Zorua couldn't help but take it as a threat. Growling, its paw went slashing at the Zigzagoon's face, clawing off a tuft of fur.

  The Normal type cried out, running away at the first sight of danger, not sparing a moment to look back at the Dark type. Zorua held out its paw where Zigzagoon once was, then retracted it back to its body. Then, it settled back into the tall grass with a heavy sigh. As terrible as that felt, at least nothing more would catch the Tricky Fox Pokemon by surprise. It could rest in the grass, clawing aimlessly, waiting for the ashes to fall, and the burn to heal.

  Magically, it did not go away.

  Zorua was still in pain. A lot of it, in fact. Other than the rogue, talented, bully Poochyenas that went bossing around the route, Zorua hadn't really felt the sting of a true burn. Not like that of Torchic's. Its paw went patting at the burn, the sting only intensifying the more it pressed onto the wound. Zorua questioned why it was doing it one moment, only to keep doing it the next. It should've got Zorua out of the tall grass, to feel the pain burning through its body. But, it only settled the Dark type deeper and deeper into the nestle of nature.

  Torchic Troop. Zorua snorted. That human was right. That did sound cool. In a campy sort of way. Too bad Zorua wasn't a true Torchic. Nor, was it interested in being captured.

  Those cold, hard capsules. Ripping apart the route it called home. Too many Pokemon had fallen victim to such devices. The standard red Pokeball was the most common device, and the least dangerous. But, that didn't mean it didn't set off alarm bells in Zorua everytime the Pokemon saw one. Even when clenched by, what was assumed to be, a kind trainer. Even if kind, it meant another left the route, likely to never be seen again. Or, to be thrown into fights it never asked to be a part of. Zorua couldn't trust that human wouldn't be like that. It could only trust home.

  Home.

  Zorua shot up from the grass, wincing with the pain of its burn. Cyan eyes darted from tree to tree, trying to make sense of the place it had come from. Or the place it currently found itself in. But, nothing seemed familiar. Just the usual tall grass, and high rise oak trees. Nothing of significance to help gauge where it was.

  It seemed that, in its quest for food, and its mad dash to be anywhere else than under the threat of being captured, it had ran itself into a corner. Somewhere unfamiliar, too far out off of its usual path of the route, mapped out in the fox's head. Not that it could ask any other Pokemon now, either. It had scared the only Zigzagoon in the area off with a rude scratch to the face, and would now be left to search on its own.

  Glancing back the way it first came, Zorua dwelled upon the thought of that human still remaining there. It would be the easiest way to return to its home, retracing its steps, even if those steps would ultimately be lost in the midst of the swaying tall grass. But, what would happen if Zorua would have to face that trainer? The one it had hacked the skin of. Zorua felt a pit in its stomach remembering the attack. It still didn't feel good.

  Zorua settled back into the grass, and dwelled on the thought for a moment more, letting the burn continue to simmer under the shade of the grass. Then, it leapt from the bladed field, and continued to trod on. The human might still be there. But, at Zorua's weakest moment, he hadn't thrown the Pokeball. So, maybe the Dark type would be allowed passage through. Or, it could slink back into the shadows again. Its illusions would hide it, as they always did.

  Following a trail of ash left by the burn, Zorua wound up right back at the source of their initial fight. A lone berry remained scattered on the floor, eagerly taken up by Zorua, providing some ailment to its burn. Although, it was more like a temporary energy boost, rather than an actual cure. It continued glancing around, attempting to mark where it had last been.

  But, it seemed that there were no clear, tell tale signs anywhere. So, a random direction Zorua went strolling, cursing itself for not bothering to remember a path home. Ordinarily, it would be able to tell its homes direction from the surrounding area. But, following trainers for their food led to it stumbling into uncomfortable, and unfamiliar territory.

  Such as the home of the humans.

  Two tents, with shadows flickering inside of each one. Zorua really had ended up far from home. But, it at least gave a direction not to go. Useful when it didn't have a clue where else to go. The zip started wiggling from one of the tents, and Zorua took it as a cue to hastily leave, diving into the tall grass, disguising itself to fit more cleanly into the field. It continued to run, darting in every direction. But, everytime, it seemed to draw an unfamiliar place. Zorua would've started to panic, had it not found the sign.

  A shattered birch trunk sat in the middle of the route. Completely out of place. Both Pokemon and human agreed. It had long been cut down, yet no one had been asked to remove the stump that remained after the imperfection was cleansed. A blessing for the little fox. It finally knew where it was.

  Diving onto the stump, its claws clawed and grated against the birch wood, small shavings of the tree passing onto the ground. Its cyan eyes made a sweeping glance of the trees in the surrounding area, the fox's tail wiggling from side to side. Then, its paws hit the ground running, soaring towards home. Everything was muscle memory from now on, not having to slow down for a moment to track its way home.

  A long, twisted oak tree. Great and old in age, with a rabbit tunnel buried beneath the roots of the tree. Zorua dived towards the hole, scampering through the enclosed space, dirt and debris messing up its fur and red highlights. It struggled more than it needed to, the hole was big enough to accommodate for its size. But, Zorua couldn't wait to dive deeper, so kept pushing and clawing through beyond what was necessary.

  Its behind quickly found a seat onto the dirty expanse of the lair. Buried deep beneath the ground, with the strong and planted roots as walls to keep the dirt stacks stable. Zorua wondered how the underground hut managed to stay stable, even with the roots that ran along the floor and through the walls. But, as long as it worked for their home, that was all that mattered. Zorua glanced around, eyes scanning the different tunnels that all lead to each of their small rooms.

  Stumbling through another cramped tunnel, it was only a moment before Zorua found itself surrounded by its brother and sister. Each chirped with good spirit, until they saw the burn, slowly eating away at Zorua's fur. Zorua found itself chuckling. It had taken so long, and as soon as it was in the presence of another person, it finally started to realize its pain in all its glory.

  Another two Zoruas wandered into the room, standing much taller than the others in the room. The two parents of the family, despite not evolving into Zoroark's yet. They laid their eyes upon their injured child, and one of them cried out. The other nodded, bounding into the next room along. Zorua was laid upon a bed made up of siltry silk, helped by its brother and sister. Their bedding had been a gift from a set of Wurmples, after the Zoruas had used illusions to trick a pack of Poochyenas into leaving. Meant Zorua slept like a baby every night. And, it was a great place to get treated for wounds.

  In came the mother, the stalk of a berry bitten in her mouth. Running over, she dropped it in front of Zorua. Zorua refused. An icey blue berry, with a lime green stalk sticking out of the top. One known to be well equipped to handle any burns that came its way. Zorua knew it was the thing that it needed. Yet, it had a sick feeling staring upon the berry, taken deep from their dwindling reserves. What if one of its family members had come back with an even worse burn after scavenging for food? Zorua hadn't even really done much for them. Rather, just lined its own stomach with all the berries it could before returning home.

  A gentle brush against its paw awoke Zorua from its thoughts. Brother and sister both placed their paws on Zorua's, slowly sliding its limb towards the berry. Zorua, conscious of the eyes that now fell upon it, moved closer to the berry. Then, it gobbled the berry up in one bite. Instantly, Zorua found its brother crashing into its side, before being pulled off by its sister, angrily crying about giving Zorua time to recover from its nasty burn. Zorua's mother soon joined in with this cry of scolding, Zorua's brother shrinking and pouting. But, soon, Zorua joined in with crashing into its brothers side, the berry having worked its magic remarkably quickly.

  Soon, the entire family was caught in a huddle together, crashing into one another, snickering. Zorua found itself trapped and surrounded from all sides. But, in the warm grasp of its family, it still felt it could breathe. Breathe properly, take in the air through its lungs, and smile. Then, its family started to break away from the group cuddle, Zorua's mother watching the burn intently, hoping for it to disappear. It still left a mark. But, it was much better than before. Everything was going to be ok.

  A deep rumbling erupted from underneath the earth's crust.

  Zorua found itself unseated instantly, falling to the floor. Had a Pokemon caused it? Whatever Pokemon it was, it wasn't a frequent visitor of Route 101. There's a reason this route was always brimming with beginner trainers. It was safe, with Pokemon that could very rarely cause a person harm. If it were a Pokemon here, it would have to be controlled by a trainer. And, Zorua could feel it instantly, as its ears flopped to dampen the thundering noise. Whoever this was, they weren't acting in earnest kindness.

  An explosion of dirt and debris erupted before Zorua had the chance to move alongside its family. The oak tree that held down their humble home shattered into sharp shards, flickering across the now open space, as the tunnels completely caved. Zorua's cyan eyes darted to take in the scene, but a thick layer of dust erupted before Zorua could fully set its eyes on anything. Shutting its eyes, but the breaths it was forced to take inhaled the debris into its lungs.

  Coughing and spluttering, Zorua felt the air of the open route breeze against its route. It wasn't in its home anymore, that was for certain. It couldn't possibly be there anymore, not when it felt so open. Something had destroyed it in an instant. Zorua would've taken the time to mourn it, had it been confident in the safety of its family. But, glancing to either side, it couldn't see a single trace of them, other than some stray strands of fur that lined the floor.

  The dust settled. Zorua's eyes glanced upwards. A giant, steel drill head, spinning and whirring into the oak tree. Shattering it at the centre, pierced through like nothing. Something that had lasted for lifetimes of Zoruas, destroyed in only a moment. Then, once the drill stopped spinning, the tree smashed against the ground, another cloud of dust arising as it smashed against the dirt. Zorua's limbs began to shake, threatening to bring all of its weight down. It had made it out of the collision uninjured. So, why did it feel so hurt?

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Zorua's eyes widened. It had only taken a moment to glance to its side. But, when its eyes adjusted to scan the scene, clarity returning to the scene, Zorua's heart sank. Its family. Brother, sister, parents, all covered in the dirt spat up from the underside of the earth. Zorua clawed its way through the dust, beginning to dig away at the mounds that covered over the family's bodies. The chunks of root and wood kept them saddled, chained down to the unstable ground. Even as Zorua poured its very best into freeing them.

  Zorua froze. A mechanical whirring kicked up once more.

  The dust cloud still hung overhead. Zorua couldn't get a full grasp on the full picture just from a glance behind. The only thing it could see was a massive steel shaft arising from the ground, with the figure more humanoid than Pokémon arising from the top. A device, dark and crackling with purple electricity, slipped into the human's grasp.

  Zorua didn't know what it was for. But, its energy reminded it of those hard, metal capsules.

  So, it didn't take long for Zorua to begin running.

  The purple crackling energy surged through the dust, snapping against the debris and cracking open. The form of a net erupted from the device, infused with that same dark electricity, covering the Zorua's. Then, it shocked them into certain unconsciousness, before digging through the dirt with ease, snapping them all up in one swoop. Their fur was crackling, as were their eyes swirling. If they were conscious, they would've cried out. But, instead, Zorua was the only one doing the crying, welping and begging whoever this human was to stop. Their form shifted towards Zorua's cries, leaping off to collect the net of captured Pokémon.

  "Hm, must've missed one," she spoke without compassion, her other hand reaching into a pocket. As soon as Zorua spotted the purple glint shining in her pocket, however, the Tricky Fox began to run. Its lungs filled as it took in the dust cloud. But, it was a better fate than capture. With those horrible humans, taking away its family. Leaping from root to root, dirt foothold to dirt foothold, Zorua arrived on solid ground once more. But, solid ground wouldn't bring much solace. As Zorua would encounter.

  "Hm?" a man turned at the sound of rustling against the plains, marking Zorua escaping from the herd. It should've been a clean capture, but an unclean capture was precisely why the man was there. To ensure none would escape from their grasp. The man's hand reached into his pocket, bringing out one of those worn, cold capsules. Zorua growled. "Migh-"

  The man hadn't the time to finish his announcement, before Zorua had set its teeth into his skin. The grunt yelped in pain, the Pokeball dropping and smashing against the ground. Zorua tilted its head for a moment long enough to see the sharp fangs of another Dark type emerge from the ball. It didn't stay around any longer. Its legs ran without even thinking. Only when it had a running start did those thoughts resume. Where could it go now? A quick glance back. It was being chased. Relentlessly, a blood curdling howl echoing through the trees. But for how long could it hold out until help arrived? Would help arrive? Or would the humans simply pass by their day as usual?

  Zorua's mind picked up the pieces. That human. He'd help. Zorua was sure of it. A weird sense of desperation and trust overlapped to reach that decision. But, it was a decision Zorua needed to make. For itself and for its family.

  It followed the trail of ash.

  "So, do you mind catching me up?"

  Lucas found himself inside of Ellie's tent, having woken up in the time that Lucas spent stumbling the route. She had initially set off from the tent with the intention to give him a stern talking to about running off, again. Luckily for Lucas, he avoided an earful about being irresponsible as soon as he had showed Ellie the wound. Insisting on treating it as soon as possible, she took him inside, where she had set out a small first aid kit kept in one of the many crevices of her duffel bag.

  "Well, I found a Torchic in the grass, and couldn't believe my luck. I grabbed it and..."

  "It scratched you?"

  "Well, it only scratched me when I brought out a Pokeball. Then, Torchic attacked it back, and it turned into another Pokemon." Lucas recalled the moment he saw Torchic's body fizzle away, leaving another form in its wake. One he'd heard about directly from his Pokedex, but was so focused on getting home, that he completely forgot.

  "Turned? Was it a Zorua?"

  Lucas snapped his fingers. "Yes, that's-"

  He winced. Turns out, snapping your fingers with an injured hand was quite painful. Especially when it was still untreated. Ellie held his hand still firmly, preventing Lucas from moving, even if he wanted to. "That's it. Zorua," he muttered.

  Ellie nodded, spraying the wound with some Potion, making eye contact for a moment. "Zorua's are usually found on this route. They're very rare though, and good at hiding, so you're lucky to have happened upon one."

  "Probably a little unlucky," Lucas joked, twisting his wrist to expose the wound again, before Ellie set it back to how it was.

  "Hold still," Ellie cautioned, Lucas using his other arm to hold his hand in place, wobbling slightly above the ground. With careful precision, Ellie wound the bandage around his hand, Lucas wincing and tensing the fingers in his hand, watching the white plaster spiral around and around, then snap off and be sealed with a small bit of tape. Lucas stretched his fingers and hand out, but the bandage remained sealed.

  "So, Zorua only attacked you after you brought out the Pokeball?" Ellie asked, setting away the kit into her bag.

  "Yeah. Fed it some berries, then brought out a Pokeball to catch it. Froze, scratched my hand, got hit by Ember, and ran away."

  "Hm," Ellie pondered for a moment, before breaking free of her thoughts. She threw the duffel bag over her shoulder, gesturing for Lucas to get out of the tent. Lucas abided, Torchic jumping onto his shoulder, while Mudkip awoke from its nap, trodding along by the two of them. Slowly, they ripped down the tent, continuing to speak all throughout.

  "You think it attacked me 'cause I tried to capture it?"

  "Seems like it. Zorua's probably had plenty of unwanted attention from trainers, or poachers, trying to capture it. So, when it saw you with a Pokeball, it panicked and lashed out."

  "Poor Zorua." Lucas pouted, glancing at his backpack, and the Pokeball he had once held with the intent to catch the Tricky Fox, glistening with the sun's glare into his bag. "Wish I didn't try to capture it. It looked so scared after Torchic hit it with Ember."

  "Don't blame yourself. You were just defending yourself. You couldn't have known it would act like that," Ellie commented, removing the last of the pegs from the ground. Both their tents had been swiftly disassembled, their loads growing heavier as the kits slotted into each of their bags. "You should get it checked out at the Pokemon Centre when we arrive at Oldale. If we move quickly, we'll probably arrive pretty soon."

  "Sounds good to me, right, Torchic?" Lucas raised his uninjured hand to brush the Fire type's feathers, cooing in delight as it felt its soft coat of down ruffled gently.

  A deep rumbling erupted from underneath the Earth's crust.

  Lucas stumbled, Torchic rocking back and forth. Just as it began to topple from his shoulder, Lucas' arm stretched out to catch the Chick as it fell. Mudkip flopped to the floor, its limbs stretched out, growling and glancing around at any threat in its immediate vision. But, there was nothing. And, soon, the rumbling subsided. Ellie glanced to Lucas, and Lucas looked back.

  "What in Arceus' name was that?!?" Lucas uttered, the first to get a word out. Ellie took another look at the scene, marking the lack of cracks in the earth in the surrounding area. Rather, they could just hear the explosive sound of something thudding against the Earth. Far away, in the distance. Then, nothing.

  "Not the foggiest clue," Ellie muttered, helping Mudkip pick itself up from the ground, bringing the Water type safely into her arms, just in case any tremours began to shake the ground again. But, they remained silent, only further adding to her confusion.

  "No Pokemon from this route should be able to make something so strong," she commented. The research from back at the lab had told her nothing was stronger than even a rookie's Pokemon. Bugs, birds and the like.

  "So, maybe it was a trainer? Just doing some...really intense training?" Lucas asked, knowing how unconvincing he sounded. But, he had to come up with some sort of explanation that didn't point to catastrophe. A trainer doing some training was harmless enough, right? But, the more Lucas thought, his heart thudding in his chest, the more he knew there was something else going on.

  "Could be," Ellie admitted, even if the possibility struck her as unlikely. But, every answer she came up with to justify some such thing happening seemed equally as unlikely. A Pokemon from this route, theoretically, could've created rumblings like that. But, it would require insane amounts of strength that Pokemon they faced thus far were eons off of reaching, in addition to an evolution. Something human was another possibility. But, what machine was being used, and what they were doing on Route 101, Ellie couldn't wrap her head around.

  "Seems like it was coming from this direction," Lucas pointed, eyes glancing down to the trail of ash that followed vaguely along the path. The path where he had previously met Zorua. It was one of many Pokemon that resided in this route. And, that rumbling sounded anything but calming. Someone could be in danger. Zorua, a Wurmple, a pack of Poochyena. Or, even fellow trainers. Harry. Or, anyone like him.

  Ellie strolled up behind him, looking through the trees and tall grass towards the direction Lucas pointed. It wasn't anything closeby. Which made it all the more dangerous to chase after. But, a glance to Lucas' expression told her that chasing was what they were going to be doing.

  "You're going to go after it?" Ellie asked, and Lucas glanced back.

  "You're not?"

  "Well, it seems dangerous, whatever is causing it. You sure we'll handle it?"

  "I don't know. But, I do know the Pokemon here will struggle to. So, it's up to us, isn't it?"

  Ellie smiled. It seemed she didn't need much convincing to join his side. Even if she had considered leaving whatever was happening in the distance behind them, Mudkip wouldn't have let her. The Mud Fish growled in her arms, crying for her to join the fight. Ellie gently pet the surface of its fin.

  "I didn't say no, you know?" Ellie told her starter, who settled down as she let it onto the floor. She tightened her duffel bag strap, looking to Lucas. "I'll just ask that you go first. Lead the way."

  "Fine by me!" Lucas took initiative, Torchic chirping on his shoulder. His footsteps stomped against the line of ash, before breaking into a run. Torchic hopped off of his shoulder, its talons kicking by the side of its trainer. Ellie sighed, holding her strap, and chasing after them, lead through the forest into the heat of battle...

  Another of the cubes swung from overhead. Zorua, with only a glance and a moment to spare, dodged to the left, its form barely managing to stay standing. The device smashed open, an electrical net crackling out, sticking to the floor. The fox had lost count of the amount of nets it had to dodge. They had all blurred together into an exhaustion fueled haze. Especially when the Pokemon was running for its very survival. Its very freedom.

  "Just give UP!"

  The voice growling from behind startled Zorua, sending shivers down its spine. But, it was fear it couldn't act upon. Even as it settled into its nerves, it feared what followed behind more than the threat of the man's voice. Especially when a blood-thirsty hound was practically clinging to the Dark type's tail.

  A Mightyena's jaws leapt after the fox, Zorua narrowly ducking to avoid the strike. Its sharp teeth shaved off a tuft of red fluff, falling to the ground, sprinkled amongst the tall grass. If the nets weren't enough, it still had the bloodthirsty dog chasing it down, intent on biting its head off. Zorua's limbs began to sag, exhaustion hitting the mind like a bullet. It brought about thoughts of surrender, and retreat.

  At least then, it could be with its family. In Arceus knows what condition, and who knows for how long. It would be easier than fighting. But, everytime Zorua thought that, another memory of those crackling nets went surging through its mind, providing another bit of fuel to keep its legs kicking forward. Mightyena ran for a Tackle, and Zorua thrust itself to the side haphazardly, avoiding the attack. But, as it attempted to start running again, it felt a metallic tang hit against it' fuzzy tail.

  An electric current ran through its blood, pulsing and shocking the Pokemon to the ground. Its limbs collapsed in an instant. The chase was over.

  Zorua could feel the net begin to settle around its body, pinning it against the rough earth. The crackling was only a moment of true electricity, but the static remained in its veins. Who knows how many Pokemon had to feel this, for how long? Zorua could hardly stand it for a moment. Especially the vile human cackled, the ugly noise echoing through the trees. Mightyena planted its feet next to the net, snickering. Zorua glanced up to meet its mean expression, only for its eyes to drop as the static surged through its bones once more.

  "Finally..." the man muttered, his gloved hands pressing against the net. Sparks still attempted to jolt through his hands, though were blocked by the gloves. But, that wouldn't do for transporting it back to the drill. The man's gloved hand retrieved a remote from his pocket, aligned with various buttons.

  Pressing the purple button, the net wrapped around Zorua's body, forming a net smaller, more accustomed to the Pokemon's body. Then, at the top of the net, formed a small knot. The net no longer crackled with that pulsing electricity, but it remained sturdy enough to handle Zorua's scratches. The man picked up the net by the knot, smirking at Zorua.

  "Don't worry, you'll be with your family soon."

  Zorua clawed through the gaps, desperately trying to free itself from the shackles of the strangely resistant rope. But, its limbs were far too stubby to reach very far. Zorua's only harm to the man was the bite it had given him earlier, still pulsing with pain. Glancing down at the mark, the grunt thought.

  "Well, maybe you don't have to go back just yet. After all, you have to make up for that bite earlier, don't you?"

  The net dropped with a thud.

  A thumb pressed down onto the red button. Zorua's eyes only had a moment to take in its surroundings, before that same overwhelming pain settled into its limbs. Crackling, purple energy. It continued, as the man refused to let his finger from the button. It was far more pain than he was in from the bite. But, it was justice, in his eyes. Or, maybe, simple pleasure in other's pain. Either way, he didn't stop, until he was forced to.

  "Ember!"

  Before the grunt could react, a firey bullet shot through the air, smashing into the remote. It flew from his gloved hand, surging towards the ground. He dived to the ground to catch it. But, upon contact, it smashed into an open mess of wires, circuitry and plastic. The net suddenly became undone, fizzling into an ordinary bit of rope, loosely hanging around the Dark type.

  Zorua's body jittered, suddenly feeling its limbs have the strength to move. Move slowly, but move nonetheless. Its eyes glanced up to its saviors, but it didn't take in the sight of them for long. It just ran, the crackling electricity jittering, forcing it down to the floor numerous times. But, the humans simply adjusted themselves to stand in front of Zorua, with one looking down. Bright eyes met Zorua's cyan ones.

  The kind one.

  "Are you okay?" Lucas asked, before cringing. Of course it wasn't ok. It was being tortured just moments ago. How could it ever be okay? But, now wouldn't be the time to think about that. Taking a deep breath, Lucas reached into his backpack, as Ellie dived in front of him. Mudkip ran to her aid, both taking in the scene.

  A grunt, with all black on. As scary as it was to make the comparison, she found herself instantly reminded of Team Rocket. The same black uniforms, belts, caps. Their belts brimmed with both Pokeballs, as well as small, metal cubes, surging with purple energy at its centre. A large S stood in the centre of the outfit, turquoise in colour. The man snarled, adjusting some steel cufflets that decorated the ends of his wrists.

  "You shouldn't have done that," he warned, Mightyena running to his side. Lucas glanced back, then back at Zorua. Its body jittered with unnatural electricity. But, it looked similar enough to typical paralysis. So, when Zorua was forced to take a healthy serving of the Paralysis Heal, it proved enough to start its healing once more. Lucas smiled, then grimaced as he looked to the man, shouting back,

  "You shouldn't be torturing this Zorua! What are you even here for?"

  "It won't matter to you, rat," he spat in response. Ellie's brow furrowed.

  "Make sure Zorua is safe," Ellie sighed, taking in a deep breath. Her eyes glanced to Mightyena, its mouth dripping with saliva, growling. Mudkip answered with its own growls, yelping at the Mightyena.

  "Can you handle this?" Lucas asked, and Ellie turned for only a moment. Her hand shook, but she ultimately raised a thumbs up. Lucas smiled, before feeling a gentle paw claw at his uninjured hand. Lucas glanced at Zorua, noticing its paw pointing. Its head gestured deeper into the route, past where the grunt stood. Begging, pleading, crying. Lucas nodded. He didn't quite understand for what purpose. But, it was unlikely there was only a single person at the helm of this. They still had yet to even track what was causing the rumbling.

  So, Lucas stood up, gesturing for Zorua to fall into his arms. Reluctanly, the fox abided, held tightly close to his chest. The man and Lucas made eye contact. He could tell instantly that Lucas and Zorua weren't going to hang around for long.

  "You won't get away, Mighty-"

  "Water Pulse!"

  Before the grunt could finish his command, a sphere of water blasted into his guard dog, sending it hurdling back.

  "RUN!" Ellie cried at the top of her lungs. Lucas jumped with the sound, never having heard her shout so loud. But, it was effective in its message. Lucas didn't waste another second, following Zorua's instructions, slipping past the man. The man reached to grab at Lucas' ankle, but Torchic's fire proved handy once more, burning away at the rubber encased around his hand, forcing his arm to retract. The man snarled, turning his attention to Ellie.

  "I'll deal with you first," the man threatened, as Mightyena leapt back into action with a snarl, not taking a single moment to get its bearings. Its eyes settled onto Mudkip first. Then, without an ounce of hesitation gripping its body, it burst forwards. Its teeth bare, and ready to bite. Mudkip had only a moment to react, attempting to pull away its leg. But, Mightyena was quicker, catching its front leg, biting hard into its body.

  "Tackle!" Ellie retorted, Mudkip smashing its head against Mightyena in retaliation. But, Mightyena's grip on Mudkip's leg remained absolute, even as Mudkip smashed its head against Mightyena's again. Mudkip wailed in pain, agony filled cries echoing through the route. The grunt smirked and laughed, watching his Mightyena fling Mudkip to the ground. Ellie couldn't stand for it.

  The grunt's eyes widened as Mudkip's trainer suddenly dashed forward. Right into danger, where Mightyena could easily maul her for stepping into battle. But, the girl wouldn't be the victim of the attack this time. She'd be the one attacking.

  Her boot went swinging into Mightyena's side. The dog's eyes widened the size of golf balls. Its jaw slack, dropping to the ground, and dropping Mudkip alongside it. The grunt growled. If Ellie was fighting dirty, then he would show no mercy either. Not even towards a child. His fist cocked, he ran into battle, attempting to catch Ellie off guard. But, before that fist could be put to use, a Water Pulse flew into the man's stomach, bursting and sending him crashing to the floor.

  "Mightyena, get her!" the man yelled, picking himself up from the floor. Ellie glanced to her side, seeing Mightyena scamper to its feet. She attempted to dodge. But, much the same as her partner, Mightyena caught her leg. More specifically, biting at her shin. Letting out a scream, she crashed to the ground. Mudkip turned from the grunt, blasting Mightyena with a Water Pulse.

  Mightyena took the hit cleanly, the projectile smashing against its cheek, bursting on impact. The Bite Pokemon went hurdling back, flopping into a neabry tree. But, its victory was short lived. Its attention had moved from the trainer. And, Mudkip would soon pay the price for it. Without a word, the man sprinted up to the Water type. Mudkip was standing one moment. Then, the next, ground against the floor, a boot on its head. The man raised another kick high, winding up to finish the job. A kick sent Mudkip hurdling into the air, preparing to finish the job with a knee. Ellie's body moved without thinking.

  "GET OFF!"

  A wide hook angled right at the man's cheek went swinging. A hail mary punch. Her last attempt to save herself, and her Mudkip from a fate she never wanted to see.

  It hit.

  The impact was immediate.

  Stumbling back, the man's legs began to buckle. His eyes shuddered, groaning with even a slur behind that groan. Mudkip glanced back at the man, then Mightyena. Despite its trainers imminent downfall, the dog was still ferociously fighting. More specifically, aiming to fight the girl who harmed its trainer.

  Ellie attempted to stand confidently once more, only for her shin to give way for the rest of her body to fall. It seemed the silence of the moment finally gave time for the pain to set in. But, just as it seemed Mightyena's attack would land, Mudkip dived in front of its trainer. Its own Tackle met Mightyena's. It was quickly losing ground, however.

  Mightyena's momentum was greater, not to mention its strength. Try as it might've, Mudkip was losing the battle of attrition. But, there was two on Mudkip's side. Unlike Mightyena. Mudkip glanced back at Ellie for a moment, huffing in the air around. Her eyes lined up Mightyena, and Mudkip gave up. It was flung to one side, as Mightyena continued to charge at the trainer. But, Ellie was ready for Mightyena. Another hook rocked the dog's world, sending it hurdling against the grass. A Water Pulse soon followed, laying the dog out in a deep sleep.

  "It's not over..." the man muttered, stumbling back to his feet. But, a Water Pulse to the knee sent him hurdling back to the ground. Then, a boot to the head sent him into slumber.

  "It is...now..." Ellie muttered through heavy breaths, coughing and throwing herself to the ground. The bite mark was beginning to show itself in colours of red under her knee, bite marks eating through her leggings. That wasn't even to mention her lungs combusting inside. Coughing and spluttering, trying to bring back the oxygen to her lungs. A quick puff of her inhaler later, however, and she was good enough to breathe clearly again. Mudkip crawled to her side, limping with its leg too. Ellie chuckled, wincing as she flipped her leg, letting Mudkip rest on her lap.

  "Got you good, too, huh?" Ellie commented, Mudkip cooing in reluctant agreement. Ellie glanced at the man, then the Mightyena. A crackling purple energy surged from a device attached to his belt. Ellie reached her hand over, plucking the device, holding it within her grasp. A net device, from what little Lucas and her had seen of it. But, one capable of being controlled by a remote. As well as torturing those within its grasp. Mudkip's head tilted towards the device, clawing at it with a single paw. But, Ellie held the metal cube out of reach, telling her starter.

  "Don't touch it. We don't know how dangerous it can be."

  Ellie was cautioning herself as much as Mudkip, ultimately placing it gently onto the ground, hoping it didn't combust into murderous electricity from the slightest touch. But, luckily for her, it remained in its base form, with that strange energy coursing through the centre. Her hand fed through her duffel bag, retrieving her phone.

  "I'm calling Oldale Police. They should know about this."

  Lucas couldn't run faster if he tried.

  Whatever had caused that rumbling earlier couldn't be good. And, that feeling only strengthened the more that Zorua begged for Lucas to go faster. Even when it knew Lucas was running as fast as he could, it still begged him to keep going. Of course, there was also the detail that Zorua had been willing to go with Lucas in the first place. A pipe dream after their disastrous first encounter. Yet, here sat Zorua, ensnared in his arms, its fur blowing in the wind as they pushed through the forest.

  The ground began to ripple as the trail of ash began to disappear. Zorua scrambled to be freed from Lucas' grasp, but the boy clung on for dear life.

  "Stop struggling, if there's more people like that guy back there, it'll be dangerous for you to run off."

  Zorua answered with more cries, its paw pointing forward, waving up and down. Lucas sighed, continuing to press on. His footing nearly slipped, the cracking of the earth sending rocks and pebbles in his path. But, he arrived to the central site with little trouble. A site that could be described as a chasm.

  A great machine stood in the centre, with dead roots and debris surrounding the body of the large steel contraption. A great tree had fell onto its brothers around, splinters lining the area all around the mess of dirt and rock. Then, sat atop the machine, leaning against a dormant drill, stood a woman. In her hand, she clenched a net, filled with Zorua. Zorua's eyes began to water.

  "That's your family, right?" Lucas muttered, diving into a bush as the woman's head swished around to glance at the surrounding area. But, when nothing appeared, she turned back around. Breathing a sigh of relief, Lucas looked down at the Dark type. It nodded. Lucas sighed, glancing back at the woman.

  She was dressed very similarly to the person who had attempted to catch Zorua first. Same cufflinks, same black outfit, same familiar S shape on the torso. That meant she was working with the man from before. Which likely meant she had as many small nets as he did. I mean, she held one of those electric nets right in her grasp. Just, those ones were filled with Zorua. And, if Zorua was their objective, that meant Zorua was in danger just being close to her.

  But, how far would she go for such a Zorua? Would she become blinded with the prospect of catching the last of the pack, throwing caution to the wind? Lucas glanced at Zorua. It was a lot to risk. His stomach churned thinking of the consequences, should it go wrong. But, they needed something. An opening, to save Zorua's family.

  "I need you to run into the chasm and start barking at her," Lucas instructed. Even Torchic turned at that command, its eyebrows cocked. Zorua looked back, its eyes wide. Had they not been trying to hide, Zorua would've cried so loud it scared the Taillows above. The worst part was that Lucas could not blame Zorua in the slightest. He knew how it sounded. But, it was a distraction that they desperately needed.

  "Please. I have a plan. You just have to trust me," Lucas whispered. The fox's ears flickered, glancing back at the woman, continuing to hold the pack of Zorua. Her wrist twisted, swinging the net from side to side, playing with them as if they were toys. Their unconscious bodies knocked against one another roughly. But, she didn't check for their condition even once. Zorua's blood began to boil, and Lucas rubbed the Dark type on the head.

  "Please," he muttered again. Zorua looked at him for a moment, finally finding themselves in agreement, nodding. Lucas sighed, rubbing it on the head. "Good luck."

  Zorua burst from the bush, sliding down the canyon of dirt and debris, nearly tripping on a root. Barks erupted from the back of its throat, beckoning the attention of the woman immediately. Her eyes lazily glanced up, only to become wildly active upon spotting the Tricky Fox. Her lipstick stained lips stretched into a smile, gazing upon the wild Pokemon. Zorua held nothing back in its voice. It had been told to bark and cause a distraction, of course. But, every cry was one it wanted to let out anyways. Screaming at the woman for the harm to its home, its family, to itself. Not that she knew any of that. Even if she did, she'd have ignored it.

  "There you are! Come to save your family, hm?" her voice was sickly sweet, getting through Zorua's fur and burying deep under its skin. With one swift movement, the net holding the family switched from her dominant right hand to her left. Her right went fishing at her belt, retrieving a small, steel cube. Zorua's eyes flickered with fear as it set upon the device. The woman giggled. "Don't worry, you're right behind them!"

  "Ember!"

  A smoldering flame shot at her gloved hand. Her grasp on the device slipped, flying from the drill into the chasm of dirt and debris. Her eyes glanced around. An ambush. The Zorua was just a distraction to try and catch her off guard. Luckily, nothing had hit her too hard. But, she knew better than to expect a single attack. Her hands dived into a pocket, hearing another cry for an Ember.

  A flash of light, and a Pokemon appeared, tanking the force of the Ember, being blown back. But, ultimately, it survived. The Pokemon was unlike any Lucas had ever seen before. At the centre stood a dark purple stalk, with three pointed teeth, and neon yellow eyes. Then, from that stalk sprouted light blue tentacles, each adorned with light purple spikes. Then, out of the top stuck a large yellow spike. The Pokemon hissed, firing off poisonous needles at the bush Lucas sat in.

  Lucas was thrust back, a splash of poison fizzing away the wood and leaves that made up the bush, revealing them to the woman. Her face stretched into a frown, thrusting her hand forward.

  "Mareanie, Water Pulse!"

  "Torchic, dodge!" Lucas cried, watching as the Water Pulse sailed through the air, straight towards the Fire type. But, Torchic haphazardly managed to dodge out of the way. The Water Pulse still exploded against the floor, however, stinging the Fire type with the water. Lucas gritted his teeth, scooping up Torchic and diving into the chasm, standing side by side with a barking Zorua. The woman's boots clicked against each other, glancing over the side, down at the two. Then, more specifically, at Zorua.

  "Your greatest ally, and plan to take your family back, was to enlist the help of a child?"

  "I'm still a trainer. And, I'm still going to take back those Zorua."

  The woman's face stretched into a smile. "How cute." she fought back a snicker, as Mareanie appeared from behind her, with an already charged Water Pulse. Lucas' eyes widened, diving to the ground, pushing Torchic from harm. Lucas took the brunt of the attack, exploding against his chest, spewing water everywhere. But, it had saved Torchic. Lucas picked himself back up, watching as Zorua began to climb the debris towards the drill. The woman's hand once more shifted towards her belt, picking up another of those devices.

  "Ember!"Lucas repeated. Torchic took less caution with its aim. Gloved hand, boot, knee, wherever. It just needed to hit. And, hit it did, scorching the black rubber that surrounded her knee. The woman cried out, diving down to one knee, her grip once more slipping from the device. She growled.

  "Mareanie, Venoshock!"

  Mareanie let poisonous darts fly from the spikes growing on its tentacles, dripping with venom and piercing through the air. They struck in all directions. Lucas, Torchic, or Zorua. Lucas was lucky enough to dodge all of the darts, all the damage being done was a slosh of poison burning against his trainers. But, his Pokemon weren't as lucky.

  Zorua took the brunt of the attack, so focused on scaling the machine that it hadn't the time to dodge the darts. Poison struck from all sides, sending the sickly Zorua tumbling back to the ground. Torchic attempted to burn through the darts, but one snuck through, inflicting poison on the side.

  "Now, Water Pulse!" the grunt cried, pointing towards Torchic. The Fire Chick's legs started to buckle, the poison beginning to take its toll. But, haphazard as it was, a dodge was ultimately successful, throwing itself to the ground. Lucas glanced back at his partner, then to Zorua. He was the only one unscathed.

  "Torchic, fire off those Embers! Keep that thing distracted!" he yelled. Torchic abided, summoning all the strength in itself, firing off a barrage of fire attacks at Mareanie. The Poison type huddled up, using its tentacles to hide its stalk underneath. But, with each Ember, the strength of the Pokemon began to waver. Lucas glanced to Zorua. It rested on the ground, poison dripping away at its fur, corrosive and rotting away. The Pokemon attempted to stand, only to falter.

  Lucas took in a deep breath, then started running. He climbed atop a root, the mounds of dirt, his eyes remaining fixed upon the giant steel drill. His Pokemon couldn't do it. So, he was the last hope of retrieving Zorua's family. Another root provided a further height, his eyes glancing to the top of the drill. He jumped and reached for the top of the metal. His grasp just barely clinched the side of it.

  The woman stood over him, smirking. Lucas' eyes widened. Her Pokemon acted on its own, fighting back against Torchic without a single human input. Her boot stomped on his hand, holding his fingers against the rough metal. Then, another boot came crashing down on his nose.

  "Too bad..." she mocked. Lucas kissed the ground. Zorua's eyes widened, attempting to run to his aid. But, the poison kept the Dark type down. The thud against the floor attracted the woman's attention. Her eyes glanced to the pools of poison running around Zorua's body. Its fur being eaten away by the poisonous venom. It hadn't even the strength to get up from the ground. Her nose turned up in disgust. Especially as its eyes met hers. Weak, feeble, and begging. A finger met her stained lip, sighing.

  "How unfortunate. Poison burns, and a pathetic battler," she analysed the Pokemon, glancing to her Mareanie. The Pokemon was holding out well against Torchic's onslaught. But, it wouldn't be strong enough to hold on for much longer. Never mind take on an extended battle with Torchic. As lovely as it would to take a starter back as an added bonus, she still had to successfully return the Zoruas first. Sighing in satisfaction, she returned Mareanie. Lucas made eye contact with her. "My mission is complete."

  "NO! EMBER! NOW!" Lucas' voice, coarse and rough, echoed through the route. The woman's eyes glanced to Torchic for a moment, an expectant smile. Like she was toying with the Fire type. Torchic shut one eye, inhaling deeply. But, before it could spit out an Ember, its poison stained side brought the Pokemon down. She giggled.

  "How disappointing."

  With a sigh, she tossed the net down the hatch of the drill. One last wave, and she disappeared down the hatch too. Then, the metallic legs holding the drill up scuttled, the drill head surging downwards, as it disappeared out of sight. Lucas sprinted to the hole, watching the machine disappear down into the hole. Then, as dirt and debris worked to fill the hole.

  Lucas glanced back at the two Pokemon in front of him. Torchic stood once more, only to come crashing down again. Exhaustion matched with poison proved to be a lethal combo. One that Torchic could barely bare without facing unconsciousness.

  "Buddy, you're okay, right?"he asked, shaking his partner. But, Lucas received no response. Only a blank stare into the distance, letting out a meagre groan. Lucas cringed, clenching his fists. Next moment, Torchic was back in its Pokeball. It would be safer in there. And, right now, there was another Pokemon to take care of. One who had just lost everything it had ever known.

  His eyes glanced to Zorua. The Pokemon cried out, weak as those cries were. Its limbs crawled against the ground. Poison continued to ooze onto its fur. Its home ripped apart mercilessly by a machine that shouldn't have ever existed. Its family stolen in the pursuit of God knows what goal. And, now, its health in tatters, barely clinging to consciousness.

  Lucas' knees skidded against the ground, attempting to stop Zorua from moving. But, it continued feebly wandering to the hole in the ground. The ground around the hole began to come undone, as dirt and debris worked to fill the crevice in the earth. Their footing never came undone, however. They could just watch, as the hole was covered up, leaving only the fallen tree as the trace of what once was there.

  "I-"

  The words got caught at the back of Lucas' throat before he could even speak them. Nothing he could say could make any of this better. His partner was poisoned, injured. The wild Pokemon he'd tried to protect, and all of its family, gone. His hands dived into his backpack, retrieving a Antidote. But, even when placed in front of Zorua, the Pokemon refused to drink it. It just stared at the ground in front of it.

  Lucas placed a Pokeball gently in front of Zorua, next to the antidote. Zorua lay, unmoving, but still conscious. Lucas dragged its paw to the button on the capsule. Sucked inside, it gave no resistance to breaking free. The poison pools started corroding at the very medicine meant to heal the condition. Lucas took up the Pokeball before the venom could spill onto its metallic surface. He held the ball close to his chest.

  "Everything will be okay..." he uttered, words that he himself couldn't believe.

  Tears leaked from the Pokeball.