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The Dark Type	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 36309 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Chapter 5: Naming Day
—————
Through the window, the setting sun was starting to be obscured by the distant trees. Katelyn was rooting through cabinets, trying to sort out which pieces of flatware she would take to her new apartment. Her brother hadn’t called or come back in time for dinner, leaving her to wonder what might be holding him up. Her father surprisingly wasn’t as concerned as she was, simply assuming that Iruni was just taking his time at the store.
“Hey Ruby,” she called to the living room, “what time did Iruni leave?”
Ruby was sitting on the couch, watching Tom take over her duty of entertaining the young Sneasel. The Glaceon would create small masses of ice, and effortlessly manipulate them into various shapes and designs. Every now and then Ruby would animate one with her Psychic powers, eliciting a gleeful cry from the young creature.
‘About two hours ago, I think,’ she sent over their mental link. ‘I asked him to get something for me too; he’s probably late because of that.’
“Are you exploiting my brother for his money?”
‘Hey, don’t be like that,’ she said playfully, ‘he offered to pay me back for watching this little bundle of mental static for him.’
“How’s she doing, by the way?”
‘Considering that she’s not trying to claw out our throats at the moment, it could be worse… but, I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t growing on me.’ Ruby jumped down from the couch, and playfully swatted at the ball of ice Tom had just made. Sneasel happily hit it back at her, enjoying the new game that her pink friend had started.
The sound of a slammed door alerted Kate to her brother’s return. She yelled at him from the kitchen, “There you are. About time you got home. You should’ve called if you were going to miss supper.” Without hearing any sort of reply, she went to intercept the slow and steady footsteps coming down the hall. “Hey Gimpy! Why’d it take you so— Hey…”
He didn’t stop. Iruni didn’t show any signs of acknowledging what she said and just kept walking, intently staring forward. Kate looked worriedly at him as he headed toward the living room.
Ruby was alerted to the new presence in the house by her trainer. She halted her game with Sneasel, sensing something odd. The young Dark type turned to see her trainer come into the room and called out to him. Iruni stopped at the sound and looked down to the scene in the middle of the room. The Sneasel held her arms out expectantly, wanting to welcome him home, but he did nothing. After holding a gaze with them for a few seconds, he continued walking, heading to his room upstairs.
Sneasel tried to crawl after him, but Ruby stopped her, “It’s okay, dear. He’s got a lot on his mind right now. You’ll see him in a few minutes, okay?” Saddened, Sneasel agreed to wait in the living room while Ruby went to follow him. ‘Tom, keep the little Sneasel occupied for a bit. The brat’s gone and done something to get himself into more trouble.’
“Of course he did…” he rolled his eyes, “Well, I’ll be here. Go on,” he said.
Ruby got up, and bolted up the stairs to Iruni’s room, keeping close to his heels. ‘Alright you, spill it. You aren’t hiding it at all, you know.’
“So… picked up on that did you?” he asked as he threw his bag from the Poké Mart on his bed, just missing the sleeping Houndour that lay there. He went into his bathroom, turned on the sink, and splashed some water on his face. He held himself over the sink, staring down at the rivulets of water running off his face. “Things just keep getting more and more interesting lately.” he said, a wide smile on his face.
‘Interesting or not, you’d better have a good explanation for what I’m picking up from. You’d better spill it, and I’ll know if you’re lying to me. What happened?’
—————

Earlier…

“Before we begin,” Lance said as he walked, stopping just a few feet in front of him. “I’d like to thank you for joining me here, Mr. Thomas. Or do you prefer; Bartholomew, Bart, Barry?” he extended his hand in a friendly manner.
“I—I… Uhh…” Iruni stammered, shaking his hand, “I usually go by my middle— Wait, wait, wait! What’s going on? You’re the one who called me out here? But you’re the Champion!”
Lance crossed his arms, “Well, now that my introduction is unnecessary, we can talk business.” He motioned behind himself, “First off: as you can see, my Dragonair is currently keeping the immediate area blocked off with a Light Screen in combination with Mist. The nature of my, or rather, ‘our’ business is not meant to fall on the wrong ears. No one will be able to see or hear what will happen here, nor will they be able to enter the barrier. The Mist, along with Dragonair’s Supersonic, will further deter any potential witnesses by distorting their sense of direction, leading them away from here and shrouding us from their vision. We have perfect privacy here. Now, here’s some food for thought: considering all of the precautions I’ve taken to secure a private meeting, what can you infer? I want your honest opinion.”
As he watched the serpentine dragon snake around the perimeter of the area, Iruni could faintly hear the buzz of the sonic deterrent. He carefully considered everything at hand; The Champion calls me out here—by name—and goes to all this trouble to get me secluded to discuss some business with me… I can’t be sure on what that might be though… His thoughts trailed off a few more moments before responding.
“Well?” Lance asked expectantly. “What is your answer?”
“You’re the Champion,” Iruni said, still nervous, “A person of great importance and wealth. So regardless to your business; you’d attract quite a lot of attention to yourself. You called me out specifically—hell, you used my first name, and I try and keep that on a need-to-know basis—with the intent of discussing some proposition or offer with me. I don’t know how you knew where to find me, or how you even know who I am, but whatever you’re here to discuss with me, you’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that we’re not seen or heard at all. That means whatever you’re here to talk about is, to be frank, probably not something that I should know about.”
“Good answer!” Iruni was surprised at the sudden burst of enthusiasm. It seemed his response was amusing to the Dragon trainer, “Despite your inexperience, you were one of the more promising trainers on our list, I’m glad to see what I wasn’t mistaken in coming here.”
“There’s a list? How many other people have been called out like this?”
“Only a handful. This is a very low-profile operation and the plan was for the town’s respective Gym Leader, or one of the Elite Four if necessary, to contact the selected individual. But I requested a personal visit in your case. Being the Champion has its perks here and there.”
“What’s so special about my case?” Iruni asked, taken aback.
“To be a well-recognized authority on Dark types at your age is something I’d call ‘special’. Don’t sell yourself short.”
He stared blankly at him for a moment, “I’m no authority on anything… I’m barely out of school, and haven’t won a single badge. Why was I really chosen?”
“You do know that your paper on Dark type Pokémon has been receiving accolades from researchers the county over—and more—right? Nicholas Auburn presented your paper as an extra in one of his assessments, saying you were the youngest Type Specialist he’s ever seen.”
Iruni gaped at him, “He— But that— No, he didn’t tell me! That was just a school paper. Sure, I put a lot of time and work into it, but I don’t think it deserves to be called a study or anything. I mean, I do love Dark types, but I’d never think of considering myself in the same league as Karen or Sidney from Hoenn. Not yet at least.”
“Perhaps not, but the level of prowess you display at your age is enough to get certain people’s attention. When the list of potential candidates was generated; we only looked at the best each region had to offer. Auburn passed your paper onto Professor Oak, from Kanto, to recommend you for this opportunity,” explained Lance.
“Professor Oak has read my paper?” Iruni asked.
“It’s not just him either. I have it on good authority that our very own Karen has read your work as well. She’s impressed. I told you before, kid: Don’t sell yourself short.”
“K–Karen read my paper? And liked it?! Really?” Of the few Dark type specialists in the world, he idolized Karen’s training philosophy and battle technique the most. Apart from being the only one he’d likely meet, her message of ‘training only your favorites’ really struck home for him. “So, Auburn really did think my work was good. Obviously enough to show an Elite Four member... Who else—”
Lance raised his hand, “Let me stop you there. These pleasantries have gone on long enough, now it is time to discuss our business.” Iruni looked disappointed at the abrupt change in topic, but calmed down and allowed the Dragon Master to continue. “Do understand, that due to the nature of what we’re dealing with, I cannot tell you all of the details at the moment.”
“Why not?”
“Because the facts are few and far between. ‘Project Cartographer’ is the title of this operation, and it is still in its very early stages. The reason for this preemptive increase in activity within the operators is because as of late; more signs are pointing to what Project Cartographer was created for. So, rather than wait and see what happens, we’re getting ready, in case things get worse; like they are predicted to become.”
“Wait… So, what exactly am I supposed to do? How am I a part of this ‘project’?”
“That is to be discussed at a later date. If you don’t mind my bluntness, how long are you going to wait until you actually leave this small town? You said you’ve not won a single badge, so I assume you’re on the brink of starting your journey? Do you have a plan yet?” asked Lance.
“Well, the tentative idea was to head west to Ecruteak, then down to Violet to win the Zephyr badge. It seemed to be the quickest route to my first badge.”
“Quite, however I would have you take a different route and destination entirely. The three selected trainers of Johto are to report to Professor Elm’s laboratory in Newbark town. There you will be fully briefed on your role as members of Project Cartographer.”
“It does seem a bit farther than I had hoped… unless I go through Ice Path, then down the mountains of Route 45 and 46. Newbark isn’t that far from that junction, I don’t think…”
Lance watched as the young trainer contemplated his new situation. He was entirely calm and reasoning about what was being laid out in front of him, carefully analyzing what little information he had given him. “Ignore how you’re getting to Elm’s for a second, Iruni—that’s what you prefer to go by, yes? Just when will you be in any shape to leave this place? I see that your left shoulder is in a brace; your left hand is wounded too. You also walked here with a slight limp. How soon can you be ready to leave?”
“Oh, about all that… Well, I’m not sure. My ankle and hand aren’t too bad, but my shoulder was broken during an accident up at the Lake of Rage. It doesn’t help that it’s my throwing arm either, huh?”
“I can see where that’d be an issue,” Lance said. “But as it happens, time is on our side for now. It is not entirely crucial for you to report to Newbark Town immediately. So, you have time to recover from your injuries, but there is the fact that the situation could change at a moment’s notice. The time limit is three months. Report to Elm’s lab in Newbark before April 17th, or we’ll have to move on to our next available candidate.”
“That’s it? I’ll just be—”
“I’m not finished. You still have the option to refuse the offer, if you choose. And the decision does not have to be now,” Lance reached into his cloak, and tossed Iruni what looked like an older generation PokéGear. “That PokéGear is only activated to be able to call the one that I’ll be using. A week from now, both PokéGear will deactivate. You are to call me with your answer within that week. From then, it is up to you to get to Newbark before the 17th of April. Any questions?”
He thought a moment. Turning over the plastic device in his hand, “Just one: If I choose to accept this offer, and report to Professor Elm’s, would this mean that I would have to delay my Trainer career?”
“Actually, no. Project Cartographer operates solely within the boundaries of Johto and Kanto, and leaves you mostly free to do as you wish as long as you do what we ask of you. A Gym badge circuit wouldn’t hinder the mission plan in the slightest.”
He sighed in relief, “That’s good. Wait, Kanto too? Are there three trainers being selected from there too?”
“You are a sharp one, but that’s all the hints you’ll get out of me. So, a week to confirm, and then reach Elm’s before the 17th. Are we clear?”
“Yes sir!”
“You’re just full of good answers, aren’t you? We need decisive people like you in important jobs like this. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest coming here. And now, it is time I take my leave.” His Dragonair coiled its serpentine body around her master, letting him step onto her head. The mist started to fade, and Iruni could see his surroundings start to become visible again. “Oh, and one last thing,” he said, kneeling on his dragon. “Do try and follow HM regulations next time you feel the need to move anything large and heavy.”
Iruni’s shock was evident even through the still-thick fog. He tried to offer a hasty explanation to the champion before he departed.
“It was an emergency, I swear!”
“And I believe you,” Lance called as his Dragonair rose into the sky. “Just a friendly reminder!”
—————

Now…

“So after that,” Iruni said, finishing his story, “he flew off on his Dragonair, and the area cleared up in just a few seconds. It’s like he wasn’t even there,” Iruni reached into his pocket, and removed the PokéGear he received from Lance. “So, now I’ve got a week to confirm whether or not I want to be a part of this ‘Project’ or not.”
Ruby was sitting on the bathroom counter, carefully listening to his story. As far-fetched as it sounded, she detected no deception from him. That worried her. ‘So, what are you going to do?’
Iruni sighed, “I have no idea. That entire meeting lasted about, I don’t know, ten minutes? And I spent the rest of the time wandering around, just thinking on it. And really, I just don’t know right now. A part of me wants to, obviously, but I’m worried that Ri— I mean, we’re not ready for something this big.”
‘Oh? Now what was that? Did I just hear something almost out?’ Ruby asked playfully.
“Don’t bother prying, it’s Sneasel’s name. I’ve been anxious to finally name her, but it didn’t really feel right to just give a name to a wild Pokémon. That’s why I was going to the store, to buy her a Poké Ball. But, I don’t know… with her being as young as I think she is, and with her leg like that, would it be irresponsible to take on something like this?”
‘She’s more mature than you’d expect, you know. She’s very articulate and gathered for only being a month old,’ she paused a moment, but discarded the thought. ‘And her leg can be fixed at the Pokémon Center once you get her in a Poké Ball. I’m sure she’ll be fine. And you’ve got three months to train her and get stronger; you won’t be running to this completely unprepared.’
The amount of kindness in Ruby’s words caught him off guard, “Thanks Ruby. It helps to get another view on this. How’s Sneasel doing by the way?”
She suddenly stood up, ‘She’ll be better once you apologize to her! Don’t just snub her off like that ever again. She’s practically obsessed with you. She never once stopped talking about how glad she was to be here, and how lucky she was that you found her. And you’d better give her that name soon; she’s been dying to know what you’d pick. I like it by the way, it fits her I think.’
“That’s good, and I will apologize, I promise. I’m surprised you’re so protective of her now, earlier you were afraid to go near her.”
‘She sees me as something of an older sister, and that means I have a certain authority above her. Always good to have they young ones learn respect as soon as possible, you know?’
“Of course, you’re being all high and mighty, how didn’t I see that coming?”
‘Because you’re an idiot,’ she said, bounding down to the floor. ‘So, did you pick up that TM?’
“Yeah, they had it. Also, can I ask you a—”
‘Another favor? What am I, your slave?’
“No, it’s that you’re the only one able to help me with this,” he went to his bed, sorting through his bag, and removed the plastic case which housed the precious disk. “If you could, tonight, use Dream Eater on me and try and find out a dream I had a few nights ago.”
‘A dream?’
Iruni nodded, “Yeah, it was strange. I remember feeling like I wasn’t dreaming, but I was. It’s hard to explain, but the thing is, I can’t remember anything it was about. Only that it happened. It’s been really bugging me lately. So can you try and find it in my mind somewhere?”
‘It wouldn’t be too hard,’ she took a moment to laugh at him, ‘but you know… I could just go through your mind right now, while you’re awake, and not have to put you through the agonizing pain of me tearing through your subconscious and ripping out a single memory.’
“I love it when you’re helpful. Yeah, the not-ripping-of-my-mind route sounds a lot more appealing. Can we do it now?”
‘Ugh, so needy. Just sit still, and relax.’ Iruni could feel her mind weighing down on his, ‘And don’t fight me. This won’t take a minute.’
‘Fine,’ he answered back mentally. He sat down on the bed, and relaxed as best he could.
For a few seconds, he could feel the tendrils of Ruby’s psychic powers sifting through his head, tingling as they burrowed farther into his mind. He signaled Ruby as to the night in question; she went in search for the memory. Iruni guessed she’d found it, because she started concentrating on a particular bit, causing him to strain to not reflexively force her out.
Suddenly, she severed the connection, ‘There’s nothing there.’
Iruni blinked, gathering himself after the abrupt disconnection, “Wh–What?”
‘I don’t know how it happened, but there’s a blank spot in your memory the time you say you had that dream. There’s nothing there, aside from tiny bits of half-thought thoughts. Nothing I can read, anyway.’ She withdrew for a moment, thinking to herself, It’s almost as if it… was intentionally erased or already ripped out.’
“But that’s… I know I had a dream that night.”
‘Tough luck, can’t help you.’
Iruni was about to press further, but was stopped when Kate appeared at his doorway, “Hey, everything alright up here?” she asked. Iruni noticed her voice was strained somewhat.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Ruby and I were just…”
‘Bonding.’
“Well, I need Ruby for a bit,” she reached behind her, revealing that Sneasel was clinging to her neck. She squirmed in her grip having seen Iruni, and Kate hastily handed her off. “Here, bond with this. Someone found out she can climb around in the pantry with her arms, and now we’re out of potato chips.”
Iruni and Ruby laughed at that, ‘I thought I left Tom to watch her. Where’d he go?’
“Oh, I think he had something to do with it. His damp paw prints lead to the pantry, so I can only assume this was a ‘group project’,” Kate said. “Ruby, I need your help with sorting out what needs to go with us to Saffron.”
Ruby grabbed the TM case in her mouth, ‘Coming.’ With that, she followed her trainer as Kate left Iruni, Sneasel, and the still-sleeping Houndour alone. As she walked with her, Ruby said, ‘You’re not going to believe what he’s gotten himself into now. Lance really overestimates him.’
Kate sighed, “Great, now Iruni’s going to get swept up in something he’s not ready for. Our Champion needs realize not everyone grows up at his pace.”
—————
Back in his room, Iruni was dealing with apologizing for ignoring Sneasel when he had come home, “I didn’t mean it, Sneasel. Ruby and I just needed to talk for a minute. I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again, ‘kay?”
She stared at his face for a moment, then glanced over at Karros who, having woken up after Kate’s intrusion, gave her a subtle nod of agreement. She leaned forward on his lap, wrapping her arms around his chest in a hug.
Iruni smiled, rubbing her back, “Thanks… Hey Sneasel, do you want to see your surprise?” Sneasel perked up at that, eagerly nodding. Iruni picked her up, her claws clinging to his shirt, “Hey, let go, this is my shirt.” He felt some pain from the scratches to his back, but paid them little mind. He set her down near the center of the bed, noting that she felt marginally heavier than before, “Wow, you seem to be growing pretty fast. Must be strong genes, huh?”
She didn’t catch what he meant, but smiled at the compliment.
“Well, anyway,” he reached for his bag from the Poké Mart, placing the few kinds of Poké Balls that he had bought out in front of her. He gently woke up his sleeping Houndour so he could join them for what was about to happen.
“Sneasel, it’s customary for Pokémon Trainers to keep their Pokémon a Poké Ball. Normally, a trainer would use what he has on him, or her, in the wild and catch a Pokémon after a battle. We’ve got a somewhat… abnormal situation; I want you to choose which you’d like to be yours.” He watched Sneasel as she eyed the colorful spheres with great curiosity. She went from one to the next, turning her head to see how the light glanced of their surfaces.
Sneasel turned around and looked back up to Iruni, asking some question lost on his ears.
“Oh, I guess I should explain the basics,” he pointed to the first in the row. “This is a standard model, like the one Karros has; nothing too special there. These next two are called Great, and Ultra. Both of these work better than a standard one, giving a greater chance at catching stronger wild Pokémon.
“These two are a bit different; The Premier Ball, and the Umbra Ball. This one,” he said, holding the mostly white sphere, “Is a Premier Ball. And, in a practical sense, it’s the same as a regular Poké Ball, being generally the worst at catching a wild Pokémon, but a Premier Ball is a very high quality model.
“And this one,” picking up the last one in the line, “Is an Umbra Ball. It’s tailored specifically to work better with Dark type Pokémon, as well as a few others. This one is a newer model, I think. I didn’t know about it until today, so I’m anxious to see if they’re as good as they say.”
He set the Umbra Ball back on the bed, leaving the Sneasel to choose from the lineup. She crawled closer, and took a few more glances at them. Sneasel picked up the Premier Ball and carefully examining the pure white sides, tracing the red outline of the sphere with her claw. Ultimately though, she put it back in its place, and picked up one of the three Umbra Balls. She seemed to like it much more, turning it in her hands as the color shifted with the light.
Calling confidently, she held the Umbra Ball out to Iruni and placed it in his hand.
“You’re sure? This one?”
She nodded, sitting up eagerly, awaiting the next step.
“Okay Sneasel, this shouldn’t take more than a few seconds, I promise.”
He turned the ball in his hand, and gently tapped the crimson activator button to the Sneasel’s forehead. A flash of red light engulfed the room, pulling Sneasel into the void of the Umbra Ball. It fell to the soft bed, rumbling violently. Karros stood up to watch his trainer’s second official capture.
Suddenly, the ball burst open, expelling Sneasel back into the corporeal world. She shook her head violently, breathing heavily. She growled and cursed the sensation of being confined. She looked at the ball that had fallen to her side, and slashed it away from her. Iruni caught the ball as it flew back, confused as to what went wrong.
“Sneasel, I know it can be a bit… jarring, but it has to be done. This’ll be better for all of us in the long run, I promise.”
She gave him a sharp look, and hissed defiantly at him, bearing her fangs.
It was a chilling warning, but Iruni didn’t back down. He sighed, thumbing over the two rough scratches that marred the smooth surface of the ball, “Listen, Sneasel please. You just have to let it happen. This is the only way for you to be able to stay here with me. You can’t stay wild and be with a trainer.”
She turned away from him, making a hurt sound as she faced the window.
“Sneasel, if you let yourself be caught, I can give you your name.”
She lifted her head up and turned back to him, eyes wide.
“Yep, I settled on one. But it’s not right naming a wild Pokémon, so I wanted to wait until you were officially ‘captured’. I know you hate the feeling, but you just have to let it take hold once. I promise, as soon as it’s over, I’ll let you back out and tell you the name.”
After some words of encouragement from Karros, the Sneasel nodded in agreement, and repositioned herself in front of him again. Once again, Iruni tapped the Umbra Ball’s activation button to her golden gem, and she was engulfed in the red light. The ball fell to the bed once more, but the shaking was much more subdued this time. The ordeal lasted a few seconds, with an instant where Iruni thought it would break open again, but the ball soon quelled its motion. The center button’s light dimmed and a chime sounded, signaling a completed capture.
“Thanks. Well, a promise is a promise,” he said. Iruni pressed the center button of the ball, releasing Sneasel back into the world. She seemed disoriented, but less so than last time. She looked around, eagerly looking for the human who was now her trainer, when she heard, “Welcome back, Rikalia.”
She quickly turned her head to look at him, eyes wide with surprise. She didn’t say anything in response, but turned completely around to sit properly in front of him. She met his gaze, staring hopefully into his eyes. She made a small murmur; to Iruni, it sounded as if she was trying to mimic the word she had heard.
“‘Rikalia’, or ‘Rika’ for short. It took me a while time to come up with it, but I think it fits. It doesn’t mean anything, not in a literal sense, but if I had to define it, it’d be—you. It wouldn’t fit anyone else; just like Karros’ name. His name is his own. And yours, Rikalia, is now yours,” he reached out, and stroked her pink head-feather. “So Rika, do yo—”
Ignoring her bound leg, she rushed Iruni with a quick and rather forceful hug. She repeated her thanks over and over, despite the fact he couldn’t understand her directly. She gripped his side, nuzzling his chest affectionately. Iruni looked to Karros who was looking a bit prideful at being involved in the process. He nodded at his trainer, and padded over to his new teammate.
He gave a small bark and welcomed her with a quick lick on the forehead.
She let go of Iruni, slightly scratching his sides with her claws, and hugged her fiery companion.
“I take it as a ‘yes’ then, Rika?” he asked, scratching her head. He looked down at his shirt, noticing the greasy crumbs and bits of potato chips that now covered most of it. “Rika, look at me for a sec,” he sighed. “I thought Kate was joking… Did Tom teach you where to find our chips?”
Her face still showed remnants of the impromptu snack session. Rika looked into his eyes innocently, offering a meek response to the accusation.
“Don’t listen to Uncle Tom, he’s always trying to give me grief; whether Kate asks him to or not,” he picked her up. “Here, let’s go clean you up.” He carried Rikalia into his bathroom, and set her on the counter. Karros went back to lying on the bed, the interesting activities of the day seemingly over.
Iruni turned on the faucet, and wet a washcloth to clean her face. “Next time, you want some snacks, don’t go and demolish them. You get too messy.”
She said something through the washcloth, grasping his left arm to steady herself.
“You know what, Rika? Now that you’re captured, we can get your leg fixed at the Center. It’d take mu– Ow! Watch… Your… claws?”
Iruni pulled his arm back slowly. A stream of blood was dripping down and slowly pooling on the tile floor. The sight left him stricken with fear, he looked at his arm; four fresh lacerations spewed the terrifying liquid. He fell down as his legs gave our beneath him, arm stretched out toward the counter. Despite how it made him feel, Iruni couldn’t tear his eyes from the crimsons streaks.
Rikalia shook the cloth from her head, calling frantically to find out what happened. She saw her trainer on the floor, paralyzed with fear. She placed her paws on the counter, but almost slipped forward. Looking down, she saw that they were covered in his blood, her ivory claws smeared red. She too was transfixed by the liquid.
“I… I didn’t… No! Not again!” She called out to Iruni, ignoring the language barrier that stood between them, “It was an accident, I mean it! Please, be okay!” she began to cry, not wanting to believe she had hurt him again.
At the sound of her voice he managed to look away, and focused instead on the crying creature, “R—Rika… How did… your claws…? You’re too young to…”
Rikalia heard something clatter down in the kitchen, followed by the sound of Ruby bounding up the stairs. The psychic feline ran into Iruni’s room, and dashed towards the bathroom, “What the? Dammit you, can’t you stay stable for fifteen minutes?” She moved Iruni’s arm aside, and forced her gaze into his. Her forehead gem glowed slightly, and Iruni fell unconscious.
‘Kate!’ Ruby called out mentally, ‘Get up here, now. Your brother’s out like a light.’
‘What happened?’
‘I’ll ask,’ she sent Kate a visual of the scene. Ruby leaped up on the counter, and cautiously approached Rikalia, “Alright you…What the hell did you do?”
“I— I swear I didn’t mean to hurt him! Please Ruby,” she began crying harder. “I didn’t want to hurt him again, it was an accident! I just got excited and, and… this happened…” she showed her claws to the Espeon.
Ruby scrutinized the implements of the recent commotion. Going by what Iruni had told her, they were far too sharp to be of an infant Sneasel. She stumbled back to a thought she had dismissed earlier. Well, can’t hurt to ask, can it?
“Sneasel, calm down. Now, let—”
“Rikalia,” said the troubled Dark-Ice type. “He— He gave me that name just before… before…” she began tearing up again. “I didn’t kill him, did I? He’s not moving.”
“No, it’s okay, okay. You’re fine. He’s fine. Everything will be okay. I get it, you didn’t mean it. Now, this may be an odd question, but… Rikalia,” Ruby got a feel for how to say the name, “how old are you?”
“Wh—What do you mean?”
“When were you born? What time of year? You know, how old.”
“It was… warm outside. Outside my den, at least. That’s what I first remember. But then it got even warmer. Then the trees turned brown and red, and now it’s cold outside.”
The spring then… That means she’s almost a year old! Iruni’ll have more of an explanation once he’s back on his feet again. Kate arrived on the scene then, nearly screaming at the sight of her brother passed out in a pool of his own blood. Karros was roused from his sleep, and went to his trainer’s side as well.
‘He’s fine for now, just sleeping,’ Ruby said, wanting to reassure her trainer.
“What happened?”
‘Someone got a little too excited and clawed up your brother’s arm. It was an accident, but he freaked out like he normally does when he sees blood.’
Kate looked over at the still-crying Sneasel and at the blood covering her paws. She sighed, “You’re one high-maintenance Pokémon, aren’t you?” Kate gave her a gentle pat on the head, “I’m sure you didn’t mean it. He’ll be okay, I promise. Ruby, wake him up, but make sure he stays calm.”
She did as she was told, jumping to the bathroom floor. Ruby sat on Iruni’s chest, bringing her face over his. Ruby relinquished the Hypnosis she had him under and allowed Iruni to regain consciousness.
He groaned a bit, opening his eyes to see a pair of bright purple ones staring back at him, “Uh… Ruby? What’re you…?”
‘Shut up and don’t look away from my eyes, got it?’ A warning that seemed rather pointless, as Iruni felt his body—apart from his left arm—freeze up as Ruby disabled his movement.
“Why’re yo– Ah! What’s going on with my arm?” he asked as Kate began to clean and dress his new wounds. The stinging of the disinfectant and gauze made his bound reflexes itch. “It hurts to move it that much!”
‘Deal with it. Kate’s bandaging up your arm. Your little ‘Rikalia’ over there went a little ‘claw happy’ and gave you some new scars to show off and tell fake stories about. I’m guessing you had one of your little episodes and collapsed from all the blood. I picked up on your heightened fear and panic, and found you up here lying on the floor.’
“But, Rika couldn’t have… Her claws aren’t nearly—”
‘I thought that too, but your arm and the blood on her claws suggest otherwise.’
“But she’s…” thinking back on it, he remembered how she had hurt his sides when she hugged him, and how she made such deep scratches on her Umbra Ball. “I thought she was only about one month old.”
‘Not according to her. Rikalia said she remembered being born the spring, so she’s almost a year old, if she’s right. How’s that sit with you? Are their claws sharp by then?’
Through his fuzzy mind, Iruni thought back to his research, “Yeah, their claws get sharp around six to seven months old. They have to stay near their parents to help survive, and are usually fully grown by one year of age.” He saw Ruby back away from his line of sight, to trade places with Karros. He offered his concern by licking his trainer’s face—an act that is much more irritating when you’re unable to move. “I’m fine, Kar. Please, I’m okay.” He whined and gave him another lick before letting going back to his room.
“Hey, can I move yet Ruby?” he said to the ceiling. In his peripheral vision, he could see his sister, but Ruby had yet to reappear. “This seems really unnecessary,” he had been hearing Rikalia’s cries for him since he had woken up; he didn’t want to worry her anymore.
‘Not if you’re going to freak out again. There’s still plenty of blood on the floor, I doubt you’ll be able to keep yourself together.’
“Then just bring Rika to me. She’s worse off than I am right now.”
‘What do you think I’ve been trying to do? Do you know how hard it is to get her down from here without being able to levitate her?’
After a few unsuccessful tries, Ruby, with Rikalia holding onto her neck, jumped down to the floor, next to Iruni. Making sure he knew not to look at the floor, or look at his left arm, Ruby lessened her control, and let Iruni’s head and right arm fall back under his control.
Rikalia scrambled over to his side, and hugged his neck. Seeing him awake and not angry with her gave her a great sense of relief. She nuzzled his face, apologizing as fast as she could.
“Easy Rika, calm down. I’m fine,” he rubbed her head gently. “I know you didn’t mean it. You’re okay.”
“You know, you really should be more careful,” Kate said with a sigh, finishing her work. “You can’t be out in the wild and get incapacitated by your own Pokémon. Looks bad on you.”
“I know… I get it. But this wasn’t exactly something I was expecting, you know? Now, can I at least sit up, Ruby?”
‘Go for it,’ he felt her influence on his body leave him, ‘Just don’t look down. Kate still needs to mop up.’
Iruni shook slightly at the mental image. Heeding her advice, he turned away from where the most blood had gathered, and set Rikalia in his lap. She wasn’t entirely over her ordeal, but much better than before. “Rika,” he said kindly, “look at me.”
She did, still crying a bit. He wiped her face with his hand, “Stop crying, okay? I’m alright, see?” he held up his bandaged arm. The bleeding had been minor compared to his hand, and left him with very little pain. “Kate fixed me up, so I’m all better now.” She nodded, and gave him a short hug before Iruni broke it, “Rika, show me your claws.”
Reluctantly, she showed him her paws and extended her claws. She was nervous when he examined them with his hand, fearful of hurting him again, but he assured her that he was being careful.
They’re sharp alright. Definitely fully developed; her paws are even starting to show some white fur, he thought, cringing slightly at the blood that still clung to her claws. That alone would make her… at least ten months old. But, he analyzed her figure, and considered her weight; she’s tiny for her age. Something might be wrong with her growth. What if she’s a runt? No, they’re usually much smaller. She has been gaining more weight lately, but this is still serious.
Rikalia gripped his hand, getting his attention. She asked something he didn’t understand.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said, snapping out of his mental daze. “Rika, Ruby said you told her you were born in the spring. Is that true?”
“The spring?” Kate asked. “She looks a little small to be almost a year old, don’t you think?”
He turned around, but quickly regretted it. Kate had a handful of bloody paper towels that she was piling into a garbage bag; he tried to forget the sight, “I know. It’s…” he looked down at the Pokémon in his lap. She was beginning to look worried with the sudden change in topic. She made a questioning murmur at him, pawing at his shirt.
“It’s okay, Rika,” he held her paw, “I’m just worried about how little you’ve grown. If you were born in the spring, we may need to do something very soon. You look healthy to me, but I don’t want to risk anything. Once I can find my legs, we’re going to the Pokémon Center, alright?”
She nodded, but didn’t sound any agreement. She curled up in his lap, clinging to his side.
“Cheer up Rika, I’m sure you’re fine. If nothing else, we can fix your leg tonight.”
Rikalia responded contently, grateful for the reassuring comment.
Iruni gently stroked her back, wondering if anything major could be wrong with her. I hope not. But still, she’s way too small for her age. He kept going over his notes in his head. It was possible that her growth had been stunted due to a lack of proper nutrition, or genetics, or random chance. I’ll have a nice long chat with that nurse; I wonder if she knew? Why would she lie about that?
—————
After he had time to recover from his ordeal, and get a late dinner, Iruni set out to the Pokémon Center as soon as possible. He walked briskly in the cool air, the sound of the wet snow sloshing beneath his shoes. He cradled Rikalia in his arm, carrying her comfortably as she gripped his coat. The sky had taken on a moderate covering of clouds this evening. The last traces of sunlight outlined them in pink and red, a few stars could be seen in the darker edge of the sky. He was being followed by a pink-furred feline, whose steps were rather awkward as she tried to avoid the snow on the ground.
“Why’re you coming again?” Iruni asked.
‘Because I’m as interested in this as you are, believe it or not.’ Ruby had caught up with him not too long after he left, insisting she be a part of the venture. ‘I want to find out why this nurse lied to you, or see if she’s just incompetent.’
‘Just admit it; you’re worried about Rika. I know you like her,’ he said mentally.
‘You sure you didn’t say you wanted me to go ahead and try out my new TM on you tonight? Because that’s what it sounds like to me…’
Iruni caught the message, “Fine, fine… I suppose company is never a bad thing.”
‘Also proof that Rikalia’s actually older than what that nurse told you she was,’ she added.
“That too. But aren’t you supposed to help Kate pack?”
‘She’s fine. Azula’s finding ways to help out and Tom’s been drafted in my place to make up for letting Rikalia get into the snacks.’
He grinned in satisfaction at that, “About time he’s doing some work,” He rubbed his Sneasel’s head, “and not teaching you bad habits on how to get in our pantry.”
Rikalia pouted, crossing her arms.
“Hey, it’s alright Rika. No one’s mad at you,” he reassured her. He looked down, but she still wore a worried expression. Rikalia pawed at his chest, asking a question he couldn’t understand. “What is it Rika?”
‘She’s asking if she’ll be alright. She’s seen you worrying about her; you’re scaring her.’
“Oh Rika…” he said, petting her head. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong, but I just don’t want to leave anything unchecked. It’s probably just me being overly cautious.”
‘Says the kid who went out in a huge snowstorm after being in an accident days earlier.’
Iruni ignored Ruby’s comment, “I promise, you’ll be okay, alright?”
She nodded, but her expression didn’t soften. She merely hugged his chest for comfort.
—————
Iruni sighed as he leaned against the reception counter inside the Pokémon Center. He looked around at the nearly empty lobby, listening to the ambient sounds of medical equipment off in the distance. The late-evening light was rapidly dwindling outside, the street lights outside having already been on for several minutes. Rikalia shifted in his arms, trying to shake off some of her anxiety. His sister’s Espeon, sitting on the counter next to him, yawned out of boredom.
‘Do you even remember the woman’s name?’ Ruby asked to break the silence.
“If I didn’t Ruby, this would be a big waste of time, wouldn’t it?” The sound of footsteps behind them drew their attention.
“Excuse me, sir?” a nurse ask as she walked up, “I’m sorry for the wait, can I help you?”
He turned, “I hope so. Is Nurse Lena working tonight?”
“Oh, let’s see…” she said, looking down at a card on her desk, “She is. I think she’s in the back attending to a patient. Is there something I can help with?”
“Would it be okay for me to see her? She offered to give my Sneasel a checkup the next time I came in.”
Seeing no reason to turn him down, she led the group to an empty room to wait. Iruni set Rikalia down on the bed, and Ruby jumped up join her. It was a few minutes before they heard a pair of footsteps approach the doorway “He’s right in here.”
“Oh, it’s you two! I wasn’t expecting to see you back again so soon,” the voice came from the same nurse that Iruni woke up to on the night of the snowstorm. She walked over, making note of the Espeon that now accompanied the trainer, and greeted the two. “What brings you in so late? Well, not as late as your last visit at least.”
Iruni laughed a bit at her joke, but quickly focused, “Well, I thought I’d come in and have you give my Sneasel a checkup.”
“Ah, that sounds fine. Have you officially caught her yet?”
“Yes. Her name’s Rikalia. I caught her today, actually,” he said. He produced her Umbra Ball, “I was wondering, since she’s able to be recalled, can we use the recovery machine to fix her leg?”
“That shouldn’t be too much trouble. Go ahead and recall her, and I’ll take her ball for a few moments. That’s a fine name, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Iruni nodded, and looked down at the Dark type clinging to his arm, “Rika, I know you hate it, but I have to put you in here, okay?” She whined in protest, but Ruby said something to help calm her.
“I promise you’re going to be alright Rika. This will only take a few minutes, and your leg will be all better. You want that right?”
Rikalia eventually relented, nodding to her trainer. Iruni tapped the button, sending out the recall signal. The ball rattled a few times after the flash of red light dissipated, but soon came to rest.
“Are you sure you caught her? Normally the recall process isn’t so violent,” Nurse Lena observed.
“She just really hates it in there; it took us two tries to get it to work. I probably won’t keep her in it unless I have to,” he said, handing her the ball.
Nurse Lena turned and walked to the recovery machine on the opposite end of the room, and placed the containment sphere in an open slot. “So, how’s little Rikalia doing these days? Not too much trouble, I take it?”
“Actually, there’s something about that,” he said, walking up to the machine. “Miss Lena, Rika’s not really three weeks old, is she?”
She faltered, “Now what makes you say that? Don’t you trust a professional opinion?”
“Professional or not,” he pushed back the sleeve of his jacket, revealing his bandaged arm, “these don’t lie. I’ve got more elsewhere too, but that’s beside the point. I may still be a bit inexperienced, but I know my Dark types. Sneasel develop their adult claws around six to seven months after birth, and begin show white fur on their paws at ten months. When she rejected the capture the first time, she even managed to scratch up her ball,” he said, pointing at the window of the recovery machine; the two distinct claw marks were visible to the two of them.
“My sister’s Espeon, Ruby, also helped with this little discovery.”
‘That’s right,’ she said, ‘Our little claw-happy princess in there says she was born in the spring, almost making her a year old. So, why don’t you just come clean, and tell us what’s going on?’
“In more polite terms,” Iruni interjected, “I just wanted to know why you just didn’t tell me in the first place. It wouldn’t have mattered to me.”
She sighed, “Well, I wasn’t expecting to have this happen so soon, but it was inevitable considering how Sneasel develop.” She rested a hand on the machine behind her, “Yes, while I was examining her for the first time, I was able to discern her correct age. Her claws were nearly fully developed, and I could tell she wasn’t as clumsy as what I had guessed her to be.”
“That’s something else: Why is she as small as she is? In the few days I’ve had her, she has gotten a little bigger, but she’s still far below a normal size for her age.”
“I know now that my earlier actions were unneeded,” she walked over to a computer and asked him to follow. “This is a record of the wild Pokémon being admitted to this Center in the past year.”
“Wh–wh… why?”
The list was varied, save for the last three months, “It was strange, until we found out what was happening. Sneasel were being found, either dead or on the verge of starvation throughout Ice Path. At first, we thought it was random, but the numbers started increasing drastically. Trainers kept reporting, and like you, bringing in any young ones they found alive…” she paused, “Not very many made it.”
Iruni staggered back into a chair, stunned, “What happened? What’s been causing all this?”
“The Sneasel and Weavile population in Ice Path has been gradually decreasing over the years, due to over hunting of the local Swinub in the caves. The adults have been moving on to more prosperous hunting grounds, like Mt. Silver. From what our research can tell us, the parents have been abandoning their young if they seem weak. Other families won’t take them in, and they soon begin to starve to dea—”
“Stop it! I get it!”
The room fell silent for a few moments.
Ruby was the first to speak up, ‘Hey, you alright Iruni?’
He ignored her, “So… Why did you lie to me?”
“Well, I could tell that she—Rikalia, I mean—was much older than the previous ones that have been admitted, but she was still far from healthy. I thought that if you knew she was an infant, you’d take to caring for her easier. I couldn’t stand to let any more of these poor creatures d— suffer; especially one who had already grown so old on her own.”
“You think Rika’s parents abandoned her too?”
She nodded, “It looks like it. She’s malnourished, but she looks like she was able to fend for herself for a good while. You mentioned that you found her alone, outside of Ice Path, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. He was calming down a bit, remembering the night he found Rikalia, “There weren’t any markings on the trees, or any signs that other Sneasel or Weavile lived there. She was very aggressive when I first found her; she must’ve had a hard time alone… Ruby, did she say anything to you about her parents? Or her life before I found her at all?”
‘No. I think I asked once, but she avoided talking about it. She just went back to saying how glad she was that you found her.’
“I’ll ask her about it later. Would you want to help before you leave?”
‘Yeah, sounds like a plan.’
“Miss Lena, is Rika going to be alright? She’s not permanently stunted or anything is she?”
“It is a possibility, but not a likely one. You mentioned that she has grown a bit in the few days you’ve had her, so that’s a good sign. This recovery session will help as well, but it won’t fix it automatically. If you train her and care for her, I’m sure she shouldn’t have any lasting effects from her ordeal.”
Slouching in the chair, he leaned his head back, and sighed in relief, “That’s good…”
“You know, if you hadn’t found her when you did—”
“No more, please. I get it…” He sighed, “I get what you’re saying. But let’s not talk about this anymore.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, I came here looking for good news and I got it. Rika’s going to be fine, so there’s no sense in dwelling on what could’ve happened,” he stood, offering his hand, “Thanks for all your help, Miss Lena.”
“Allison is fine,” she took his hand, but pulled him into a hug, “And I am sorry. I can tell you care for your Pokémon very much, I shouldn’t have said those things so lightly.”
“I— Thanks.”
‘Hey now… Rikalia might get jealous if she saw this little scene, wouldn’t you think?’
‘Shut up Ruby…’
After a less-than-comfortable separation, the three waited for Rikalia’s recovery to finish.
“There we go, all done.”
She ejected Rikalia’s Umbra Ball from the machine, and returned it to Iruni. No sooner did it touch his hand than the excitable Sharp Claw Pokémon erupted in a flash of light. She clung to his neck, nuzzling him under his chin.
“Nice to see you too, Rika. Remember; careful with your claws! Now, let Allison over there help get that cast off you.”
Rikalia let her grip loosen, holding onto his shoulders. She looked up at him and asked him a question.
“Ruby? A little help?” asked Iruni.
‘Think genius. What was the whole point of us coming here in the first place?’
“Oh, I’m dumb,” he held his Sneasel in his arms, rubbing her head, “You’re perfectly fine, Rika. There’s nothing wrong with you, and if all goes well, you’ll grow up without any problems.”
Rikalia gave an excited response, the look of worry and anxiety she wore was completely replaced with relief and joy.
“I’m glad too, but let’s get this over with,” Iruni handed her off to the smiling nurse; who was immensely amused by the display she had just witnessed, “And be nice. She’s a friend: we don’t claw at friends, got it?”
Rikalia pouted defiantly, but allowed it. Ridding the cast from her leg was a short and simple process. The recovery machine had healed her broken bones without flaw, but she was a bit clumsy on her feet after her time of resorting to crawling. Standing on the medical table, she tested her leg, measuring the flexibility of her joints. Satisfied, she decided to jump off the table, and then from the ground, she leaped up onto Iruni’s back.
“Hey! Watch the claws! Did Tom teach you this too?” he thought back to the sight of Kate arriving in his room with Rikalia in a similar fashion. “I think time away from him will do you some good.”
Rikalia responded with some sort of disappointed remark.
‘Ha!’
“What’d she say?”
‘Oh, nothing.’
“Why do I bother sometimes…” he placed a hand on the joined arms around his throat. “Rika, let go of my neck, it’s time to go.”
She clambered up onto his shoulders, dangling her legs over his chest.
“I’d think you’d want to try and walk beside me, but this is fine too.” She nodded, and waved at Ruby below her. “Well, if we’re done here, we should head back. Kate still needs your help Ruby.”
‘Don’t you mean our help? You’ve still barely done anything these past few days. Also, when are we going to talk to Rikalia about what happened to her?’
‘Let’s not spoil today, whenever we get a chance tomorrow, we’ll talk about it.’ Iruni turned to Allison, “Well, thanks for all of your help today. I really appreciated it.”
“You’re very welcome, Iruni. Please come again if you need anything else.”
“I will. Thanks again,” he said as he turned. He left the Pokémon Center, with Rikalia riding on his shoulders and Ruby following close behind.
—————
To Be Continued…
—————
- 4
- 5
- 6
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The Dark Type