Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

An Uncertain Future	By : Twill Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12846 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Zoroark stared at the now empty house for the second day. Absol had lead them to the small building on the edge of the forest, convinced that this was where Kirlia had ended up. The trail had ended here, though Absol said that her scent had mingled with another human's and was carried off the premise. The ensuing rainfall however had destroyed any other trace they could follow.

It was all Zoroark could do to stop Absol from charging into the house and tearing anyone inside to pieces, even though they both knew that Kirlia was no longer there. “They would come back when they heard what I did” Absol snarled, pacing back and forth menacingly. Zoroark sighed.

“They would come back prepared for us, there would be no way Kirlia would come back alone. We're not invincible.” It was as if they hadn't had the same conversation numerous times already.

“And how do you know they'll ever come back if we don't do something.” Her scythe like tail whipping back and forth violently.

“We have no reason to think they wont, humans tend not to stay long from their houses, I'm willing to wait as long as I need to.” It was hard to contain his annoyance with the unstable pokemon but he couldn't risk riling her up into a frenzy, he had no idea what she'd do. “Kirlia will be back here, and when she shows up then we can plan a course of action from there, we can't afford to just charge in and screw this up. We may only have one chance.”

The fury that had clouded his mind after the first days had abated for the most part. He was dispassionate about the task at hand, it was just something that he must do; he would not let anything interfere with his success. Not even Absol.

------------------------------------------------------

Kirlia froze as her opponent was deposited on the field in a flash of red, the small fox like pokemon appearing on the damp grass. All of the memories and emotions Kirlia had been trying to keep at bay for the past few days broke free in that moment as Abra materialized before her. Rob was saying something but his words didn't register, the only thing she saw was the pokemon in front of her.

Memory overwhelmed her, fear, anger, sorrow all mixing together in a chaotic tempest. She walked slowly onto the field, her vision swimming, thoughts in disarray. Had it been a dream and she was waking up in the basement? Abra's form lit up with psychic energy and released it at her.

Kirlia took the blast full on, not even trying to dodge it. She kept walking. Another, and yet another psychic attack striking her from the only one who had ever loved her. “Why?” she choked out. The psychic attacks continuing as she walked shakily towards him. “You didn't have to die.” Another hit. “You left me all alone, to this.” The next strike knocking her to her knees.

She knew that other things were going on around her, but they were irrelevant, to her, there was nothing but silence and the Abra in front of her. “Why!” she shouted at Abra, still not getting a response from him. And for the second time, she lost control.

Anger raged through her. All of the hatred, pain and torment she had bottled up, Abra's decision to leave her alone, the cruelty Wes and his pokemon had shown her, the unfairness in the world, all of it bubbled up from the depths of her soul and exploded outward.

“You betrayed me!” she screamed. “We were going to escape together, we were going to be free together!”

Kirlia could feel power course into her, her mind expanding to grasp the true power she was capable of wielding. Energy ripped through her body, becoming a swirling vortex of destructive psychokinetic power. The very air around her distorting into a sickening blur of false reality and twisted images. Kirlia's eyes burst to life, filled with a brilliant blue fire as she lifted the now startled looking Abra off the ground.

“We could have been happy!” her shout punctuated by slamming Abra into the ground. “We could have escaped all of this!” She picked him up and slammed him into the ground again, the air whipping around them as if in a storm. “Answer me! Say something!” She sent the energy coursing into her arm, a distorted blue and purple vortex whirling around as she charged a devastating attack.

She continued her advance, Abra on the ground in a daze, struggling with an injured arm to back away from her. “You threw it all away,” she said, standing over the terrified pokemon. She leveled her arm, a miasma of psychic energy, at Abra's face and released it.

“Kirlia stop!” a familiar voice shouted, why would she know a human's voice besides Wes?

Rob had no idea what was going on or what would happen when he touched Kirlia. His attempts to tell her to stop and even return her to her pokeball had been ineffective, the red beam somehow being knocked away by the nauseating swirl of energy that encompassed her. She had been shouting as if she knew the other trainer's Abra, and for some reason hadn't limited her telepathy, broadcasting it to all of them.

All he knew was that if he didn't get her to stop, Kirlia was going to seriously injure her opponent. Or kill the pokemon in front of her... With no other options left to him, he fell into a dead sprint at his pokemon who had somehow wrapped herself in incredible amounts of psycokinetic power. The thought of touching that maelstrom of energy wasn't comforting, but he wasn't going to just sit back and watch.

He shouted at her, trying one last time to get her to stop and grabbed her shoulder. Rob had never been touched by psychic energy before, and plunging his arm into the field around her lit up every nerve in his arm. It was an odd sensation, but nothing to prepare him for when he spun her around.

Energy surged through his body and mind as his skin touched hers, entirely overwhelming his senses for a moment, his body freezing up. Behind her he could see that the attack he had tried to prevent missed its intended target, slamming into the ground a foot away. The tall grass crushed int a circle from the impact, perfectly flat against the earth.

Rob shook off the feeling as quickly as he could, his thoughts feeling scrambled, making it hard to concentrate. He was staring at Kirlia who was now shaking in his grasp, his hands on her shoulders. “Kirlia are you okay? What just happened?” The energy she had controlled had vanished at his touch, the blue fire in her eyes dieing out as she returned to her normal state.

“I don't know” her voice scared, and trembling just as much as her body.

“What did you do?”

“I don't know” she replied again, sounding as if she was going to break into tears at any moment. Movement around them jarred his mind back to a semblance of coherency and he looked around. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew were still standing where they had been, looking stricken, the other trainer had meanwhile ran to his downed Abra.

“It's okay, just try and calm down, I'll be right back.” She must have been pretty shaken up about it as she didn't even remember to be hostile towards him, he gave her hair a quick stroke and walked towards the other trainer and his pokemon. He hoped for everyone's sake that it was nothing serious. “Is he okay?” Rob asked as he approached them, Abra already seeming to come to.

“I think he should be once I get him to a pokemon center but... What just happened?” Rob didn't know if the other trainer was angry or just as confused as he was himself. Rob didn't really know what to tell him, he was in just as much shock as the man who was returning Abra to its pokeball.

“I uh, well, I just caught her the other day and I had no idea she was that strong, I guess I just let it get out of hand. I'm really sorry about this, I hope that Abra is okay.” He was subjected to a searching look from the other trainer, and now that he'd made sure his Abra wasn't in critical condition, he seemed a little uncomfortable.

“Right, well, it was a good fight, I have to go get my Abra to the pokemon center, I'll see you around.” The man didn't sound too sincere as he ran off down the path towards Violet City, away from where they had just been battling. Rob sighed, his first victory, although it didn't quite feel like it. Life had been much simpler before he'd started out as a trainer he thought reminiscently as he walked back towards Kirlia, not that he'd change a thing.

Rob returned to Kirlia, crouching down in front of her to even out their height difference a little. “Are you okay?” he asked gently. She hadn't moved at all since he left and still trembled slightly. Wide eyes rose to meet his own, looking into him searching for answers.

“What did I do?” the sound a whisper through his mind, desperate and fearful. He wished he had asked the question first, he had no what to say. He couldn't just stay there though, with those eyes searching pleadingly for answers he didn't have.

“Would you walk with me for a bit?” Rob asked standing, hoping that moving around would give him a moment to think. He didn't have the faintest idea of what she had just done, let alone how to comfort the small psychic type. Kirlia didn't reply but followed close by his side as he set a slow pace towards Violet City, walking along the grassy field instead of returning to the path.

Rob motioned for his other two pokemon to follow as he and Kirlia began walking. Cyndaquil made as if to run to them but Sandshrew grabbed his arm, shaking his head for which Rob was grateful. They followed at a small distance, giving Rob and Kirlia a little space for their talk. Kirlia remained quiet so Rob decided to break the silence. “Has that ever happened before?”

He tried his best to make it sound casual, though he didn't know how well his efforts worked. “Once, sort of,” her voice came through his mind a short time later, terror still very much present. It was distant but not in the defensive manner, more like she was lost in thoughts of something else.

“And Abra,” he hesitated a moment, any mention of her past before made her withdraw completely but after what had just happened. “Did you know one, before we met?”

“We were, he was my... friend.” There was nothing but sadness in her voice now, her fists clenched by her sides but she kept pace with him, feet dragging through the tall grasses. Rob realized even in her forthcoming mood getting answers from her wouldn't be easy, but his thoughts were interrupted as Kirlia's voice entered his mind again. “Is there something wrong with me?”

Rob had no idea what was considered normal for psychic types, but gazing into those large red eyes, desperately looking to him for reassurance, he couldn't give her nothing.

“Of course not,” he told her with as much confidence as he could put into his words.

“None of the other psychics ever did anything like that, and the last time...” She trailed off, her voice sounding tormented by her memories. He didn't know exactly what she meant by that, but he didn't press her further, noticing the tears that were slowly running across her white skin.

“You have more power than any other pokemon I've seen.” And sure he had just started out a few days ago, but if it helped her feel any better than he'd use it. “I'm sure it's hard to control, but I'll help in any way that I can, if you let me.” He reached down to stroke her hair, and for the first time since they met, she didn't flinch away from his touch.

It was a subdued group that finally wandered into Violet City. “We've made it, welcome to Violet City.” Rob announced in as cheery a voice he could manage as they walked into the busy downtown section. “Now let's find the pokemon center.” The four of them made their way down the crowded streets towards the large red and white building.

Rob had been to Violet City a handful of times with his parents, the bustle and crowds a stark contrast to his home town. He had always enjoyed himself here, and now he had the freedom to do as he wished with his pokemon along for the adventure. The smile that crossed his face couldn't be helped.

After a quick glance around the crowded atrium, Rob couldn't help but feel a little relieved at not finding the trainer he had fought earlier. A nurse greeted him cheerily as he approached the counter. “Hi, can I get a room for the night?”

“Sure thing,” she said smilingly. “I”ll just need to see your trainer ID.” After handing over his information and signing for the room, the nurse gave him a room key and they headed down the hall. Rob opened the door to the small but pleasant room and dropped his pack heavily to the floor. Cyndaquil raced into the room and immediately jumped up on the bed as Sandshrew inspected their accommodations curiously.

Once Rob had gotten his stuff settled into the room, he was ready to go back out into the city, they still had a good amount of the day to enjoy. “You guys want to go out an grab something to eat?” Cyndaquil looked up eagerly from the bed and Sandshrew poked his head out from the closet he was examining. Kirlia was the only one who didn't look enthusiastic over the idea.

“Can I just stay here?” She was quiet but her voice was more tired than anything else that he could make out.

“Are you sure? If you haven't seen the city it's pretty cool.” He felt a little guilty just leaving here there in the room alone, especially after what had just happened, but wouldn't force her to go with them.

“I'm just, tired.” She said finally and climbed up into the large chair in the corner of the room.

“Alright then, there's food in my pack if you're hungry, and if you aren't feeling good the people here can make sure you're all right. You can trust them.”

“Sure.” Despite being a little more agreeable she was still clearly not fond of them. He sighed as he put her pokeball into the room's safe and grabbed some money from his pack. He considered ruffling her hair on the way out but decided to not push his luck, and with one last glance into the room, the three headed out into Violet City.

Kirlia hadn't really wanted to stay in the room, the city had looked incredible when they had made their way to the pokemon center, but the exhaustion she had been hiding from the fight had come crashing down on her as she had entered the room. She had no idea where that power came from or why she could use it, or why every time she did she lost control.

She had tried to replicate some of the things she had done while under its influence as they walked through the city. She was sure she'd used the ability psychic to lift Abra, but during the event it was as if she had been watching someone else controlling her body, and she couldn't get it to work now. Curling up on the chair she tried to think, but fatigue clouded her mind, and sleep came quickly to her.

Once they were outside, Rob couldn't help but feel better. With so many buildings and people all packed into such a small area there were a ton of things to see. He looked down at his pokemon to see them trying to keep an eye on everything at the same time. He chuckled but his face probably held a similar look. Picking a street at random he started off down it with his pokemon in tow.

They walked around for a while with no destination in mind, just exploring the streets and watching all the other people go about their business. Through complete chance they came across Violet Gym, and Rob decided that he might as well go in and schedule a match with the leader.

“Here to schedule a challenge?” The woman at the desk asked as though being inconvenienced before Rob had even made it to the counter.

“Uh, yeah. What's the earliest that's available?” The woman sighed as she looked up something on her computer screen.

“Morning after next,” still not looking up at him.

“okay, sounds good.” He would have preferred to get it out of the way sooner but the extra time would allow them to do a little training outside town, as well as enjoying their short stay in the city.

“ID,” the lady said again in her bored voice, extending a hand to take his ID from him. She entered his information into the computer and Rob headed out of the gym. He was pretty sure she had never even looked at him through the entire exchange. He hoped Falkner was at least a little more lively. He didn't let the less than friendly woman bring his spirits down though, and quickly forgot about her as they continued down the street.

A little further down he noticed the pokemart, and remembering their harrowing trek through Union Cave, there was one thing he needed to get for their return trip. The store was rather busy compared to the one in Azalea Town but it still didn't take long for him to make his purchase. He slipped the HM into his pocket, he could use it later, but they weren't going to have to make the return journey through the cave blind.

After wandering around a bit longer, Rob lead them into a restaurant that had a sign in front saying it allowed pokemon in. The place wasn't big and it was practically empty when they went in. A waitress took their order for him and the three of them relaxed in their seats. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew began chatting amiably, but as usual their words eluded him.

“I hope the food here is good, I'm starving,” Cyndaquil said, looking hungrily towards where the human Rob had given their order to had disappeared.

“When has the quality of food ever hindered you,” Sandshrew replied, waiting much more patiently than his friend. Cyndaquil gave him a “real funny” kind of look before resuming his inspection of their surroundings. “Do you think we should talk to Kirlia?” The question was kind of out of the blue, but he felt bad for her being left at the pokemon center. Cyndaquil sighed.

“Why, because that strategy has been working so well for Rob?” Sandshrew knew that Cyndaquil didn't really like their other traveling partner, but he wanted to at least try.

“You know I heard she saved you In Union Cave, twice.”

“Rob talks too much,” Cyndaquil muttered, but a moment later the waitress had come back with their food and Cyndaquil had completely forgotten about their conversation. Sandshrew chuckled at his quicksilver friend but joined in as their food was laid out before them.

It was late by the time the three of them made it back to the pokemon center. Rob lead his weary pokemon down the hall to where their room was; and after the large meal and less than direct route back, he himself was all set to go to bed.

He opened the door quietly not wanting to startle Kirlia, but she was fast asleep on the plush chair that sat in the corner of the room, sleeping peacefully. He smiled at her as he entered and placed a box of food he'd gotten to go for her on the table next to where she slept. He then headed into the bathroom to quickly get washed up. When he was finished he came back out into the room and shook his head at his other two pokemon.

“If you think I'm sleeping on the floor you've got another thing coming,” he said to them as he marveled at how much space two small pokemon could take up. Sandshrew made room for him without protest and a small smile. Cyndaquil on the other hand got himself picked up and placed on Rob's chest as he laid down. “Always being difficult,” Rob sighed as he lay back, the warmth from his pokemon relaxing him quickly to sleep as Cyndaquil wearily laughed into his chest.

The sun was barely cresting the horizon as Kirlia woke in the morning. It had been a much needed slumber and she felt much better, if not any clearer on what had happened. She'd have never though of missing anything about being locked in that basement, but as horrid as it may have been, things had been simple.

It was as if a calm had come over her though, and despite being no closer to understanding the strange power that she seemed to posses, her mind was slightly at ease for a change. She glanced over at the other three, asleep on the small bed, and then to the window where the sun was painting the sky crimson. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before.

She thought about Rob's pack, but the mere thought of going through his things frightened her, she could just wait anyway. There was however, a small white box that had been placed near her that hadn't been there the night before. On closer inspection she noticed a crudely drawn Kirlia on the top of the container, a small smile unconsciously forming on her lips. It was just an outline, drawn in black, but she thought it was cute none the less. Rob wouldn't have done it would he?

She couldn't image that the box wasn't meant for her though and opened it gently. Inside there were two cylindrical items, accompanied by a smell that she imagined meant they were supposed to be eaten. They were incredible, and Kirlia finished the meal quickly. She had no idea where humans got their food, but it was so much better than what pokemon were given.

She couldn't even find it in herself to be mad at Rob, or care whether it was some kind of trick. It was delicious. There was nothing else to do as the others slept so she created a barrier at the windowsill, just large enough for her to sit on, and watched the sun rise around the surrounding buildings. The sun was completely up by the time Rob started to stir and Kirlia had been watching the growing number of people that began to occupy the streets.

Rob took his time opening his eyes. He was getting used to waking up with a warm lump breathing gently against his chest, it was a nice feeling. Kirlia's shadow stretched across the room as he glanced over to where she watched the outside intently. He scratched Cyndaquil behind the ears as he spoke.

“If you wanted to see the city you should have come with us last night,” he said, Kirlia's head snapping to look at him. She dropped her gaze after a moment though. For a psychic type she sure wasn't hard to get the drop on.

“I, was tired,” her telepathic voice mumbled into his mind.

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah...” her voice trailing off as she went back to looking out the window. Cyndaquil was sleepily trying to swat away Rob's hand in an effort to get a little more time to sleep.

“Oh get up will you?” Rob said as he lifted Cyndaquil off of him. “Let's not make this a regular thing,” he muttered as Cyndaquil wriggled back into the sheets and murmured something happily at him. “Sandshrew, if he's not up by the time I come back in here, feel free to start your sparring early,” Rob said through a yawn as he entered the bathroom to get washed up.

“Shrew!” he heard his other pokemon reply. It didn't take him long but Cyndaquil was awake and his usual energetic self by the time he finished getting cleaned up. Sandshrew and Cyndaquil were chatting about who knows what, and Kirlia was still at the windowsill, whether to avoid them or if she actually found it interesting, he had no idea.

After a quick meal in their room, the four of them headed out into Violet City. “Sorry for the rushed morning, but if we get all our training out of the way early we can take it easy this evening. I'll make up for breakfast then.” Rob said to his three pokemon as they walked through Violet City. The streets were busy for the time of morning, bustling with humans and pokemon alike.

The sky was clear blue as the group made their way towards the outskirts of the city and back towards Route 32. Rob didn't really think his pokemon needed any more training for the gym fight, but he wasn't about to just waste an entire day waiting around. He was fairly confident he could defeat Falkner had the gym match been today, but a little extra practice couldn't hurt.

It wasn't long before they were away from other people out in the pleasant meadows that surrounded the outskirts of Violet City. Rob found a nice tree to sit against and keep him out of the blazing sun overhead.

“Alright you two,” Rob said to Cyndaquil and Sandshrew, “try not to kill each other, you're just practicing for our first big fight tomorrow.” Rob didn't really give them any direction as he took a seat, resting against the large tree he had picked. He wanted to see what they'd do on their own for a bit. “Sorry I don't really have anything to do for you Kirlia, but you're already much stronger than both of them and there's not really any wild pokemon around.” Kirlia was sitting in the sun outside of the shade of the tree, though it wasn't as far away from them as she normally would have chosen to be.

“It's fine,” her reply came with not even a trace of its normal hostility. Not really friendly either, but he'd take what he could get.

Kirlia watched as Rob's two other pokemon began to fight each other, if it could really be called fighting. It had none of the same look or feel to even resemble Wes' matches, and even her sessions with Abra made the current showing look like play. Cyndaquil or Sandshrew would make an occasional taunt or boast but neither of them were pressing their attacks to an even marginal degree, and most of the attacks were dodged anyway.

Sure Rob had told them to take it easy, but if they were in an actual fight they would get wiped out immediately, and then something she hadn't thought about came to her about their upcoming fight. If Rob did end up losing to this gym leader, which of them would he use for his half of the bet. She quickly found herself becoming more apprehensive about the match. How strong was this opponent, Rob mentioned he would be using flying type pokemon but which kind, how strong were they?

It was a conflicting feeling, she didn't trust Rob but he still hadn't hurt her and even showed her the occasional kindness. This Falkner on the other hand she knew nothing about, what if he was even worse than Wes? She had to win tomorrow. The others might treat this like a game, but she would crush her opponents, she wasn't going back.

Rob watched as his two pokemon fought back and forth. They were more or less just feeling each other out, though they did have a couple of good bouts. It was no impressive training strategy, his pokemon were just as new to this as he was, but he figured if he could at least get them comfortable with using the attacks they did know then they could work on something more advanced later. Maybe he could get Kirlia to help him come up with something. An Idea struck him.

He looked over at her, the sun beaming on her green hair, her crimson eyes seeming to stare into the distance beyond his sparring pokemon. He couldn't tell exactly, but she seemed tense for some reason.

“Hey Kirlia? Did, I mean, before...” He hesitated for a second. For some reason every time he went to talk with her his brain deemed it unnecessary to think before letting words exit his mouth. Bringing up her past had worked exactly zero of the times he'd tried before, but he'd already opened his mouth, he had to say something.

Kirlia's eyes bored into Rob, trying to read him. She could feel the hesitation that stopped him from continuing, tinged with the slightest bit of nervousness. She didn't know why he was feeling uneasy, other than maybe because she almost bit his head off when he tried to pry into her past, though why he would care she had no idea.

“Before you caught me?” Kirlia finished for him, her telepathic voice calm but guarded.

“Uh, yeah, did you ever fight any gym battles?” He was actually a little stunned, he had expected a much different reaction. She didn't answer him immediately though, instead turning her gaze to the ground, resting her chin on her knees.

“No.” Her reply eventually came, still defensive but softer somehow.

“Oh. You're a very good battler though, did you fight trainers often then?” Rob couldn't imagine her expertise had come from just being sent against wild pokemon.

“I guess so.”

“Did you travel much?”

“No, my previous owner ran the tournaments.” He gave her an interested look. There were few tournaments that weren't very large events, almost all of them televised. And there had been none going on around Azalea town when Kirlia had appeared to him, unless, but it couldn't have been...

“Kirlia, you weren't used in an illegal gambling ring were you?” She didn't answer, but the look that was on her face made him think he was more or less correct. “I'm sorry,” he said gently to her.

“It doesn't matter,” she said, her voice harsh as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

Unsanctioned matches. They were known for their brutality and cruelty to the pokemon used in the fights. They didn't follow the rules that were enforced by the Pokemon League, and often attracted an unsavory sort of people. The League broke up betting rings every now and then, and it always made the news. The penalties for being involved in such activities were pretty harsh.

Rob's fists clenched unconsciously. It was no wonder Kirlia didn't trust him, or any human for that matter. How long had those twisted people kept her, forcing her to fight in their sick matches? He couldn't imagine how people could do that to a pokemon. He was going to say something but was interrupted by Cyndaquil as his starter was sent rolling towards him.

Rob got up and headed to over to Cyndaquil. His pokemon was splayed out on his back panting, though not looking too roughed up for it. He hadn't been doing too poorly considering the type disadvantage but Sandshrew's dig attacks had been giving him trouble.

“You have to dodge those, his ground attacks are going to keep getting you into a rough spot, you have to try and be a little more defensive.” Cyndaquil made some reply, taking Sandshrew's offered hand as he was pulled to his feet. Rob had no idea what it was but Sandshrew shook his head with a bemused smile. “You guys are doing great though,” Rob said to them as he grabbed a bottle of water from his pack and threw it to Cyndaquil.

After a short break, Rob had the two back to sparring. He instructed them to work on their accuracy, or more specifically Cyndaquil's accuracy, as he'd be fighting quick, flying opponents tomorrow morning. Kirlia hadn't moved from staring intently into the ground in front of her as he sat back down against the tree.

He thought about trying to get a little more information out of her but decided against it. He had already made more progress today than the rest of their time since meeting. He didn't want to push her away, at least now he felt like she'd talk to him when she was ready.

Instead he focused his attention on his two embattled pokemon, trying to find any weaknesses that he could give some advice to correct. Nothing jumped out at him though, he felt that Cyndaquil would improve with practice, and this was the best he could offer at the moment. He looked over at Kirlia who still had her eyes on the ground.

“Kirlia, how do you think they're doing?” Rob asked, hoping that maybe she'd have some useful tip, as well as maybe occupying her mind with something else.

“They're too nice.” The reply was delivered coolly, and she didn't look up. Her answer made him cringe though, too nice... So much for helping take her mind off things. The sun had begun to descend from its midday peak when he finally called for Cyndaquil and Sandshrew to halt. The two gladly joined him in the shade as he passed them the water bottle.

“You guys did great,” he said beaming at them. “I don't think we'll have any trouble getting that Zephyr Badge tomorrow.” He let his pokemon rest a bit before they head back into the city, maybe just a little overdue for lunch.

“Well, I said I'd make up for the quick breakfast, you guys ready to go grab something to eat? Kirlia?” Cyndaquil and Sandshrew both looked eager to go, probably starving after fighting all morning. Kirlia on the other hand, well he had no idea if she had been paying attention, at hearing her name though she got up and fell in behind them.

A cooling breeze followed them back into the city, making the walk rather enjoyable. The number of people they passed on the way back indicated that others were taking advantage of the nice weather as well. Two of his pokemon would eat just about anything he put in front of him, he knew that much, but he wanted to see if he could cheer up Kirlia a little after bringing up her past.

“So Kirlia, what kind of food do you like?” Rob asked, hoping to find inspiration for a place to stop as they started to approach the downtown section.

“I don't understand,” Kirlia replied, still sounding a little distracted. Rob looked at her confused himself.

“Well, like what I got you yesterday, I can't bring that kind of stuff on the road with us but while we're in the city we can get whatever you want.”

“That was the first time I had anything like it,” her psychic voice sent. “It was good.” He couldn't imagine that she ate just pokemon food all the time, but then again...

“Well then, I know where we're going” Rob said resolutely. He didn't know precisely where he was going per se, but he knew what he was looking for.

They wandered the streets for a little while, Rob looking searching for just the right place to go. Cyndaquil poked at his leg, and looking down, saw his pokemon gazing up at him with the most innocent, wide eyed begging look he could muster.

“Don't worry, this will be worth the wait, I promise,” he said to his edacious little fire type. “You'd think I starved you how you act,” he muttered. “Ah, here we go.” Rob found what he was looking for and headed in. It didn't take long to order, and deciding to eat back at his room, they were soon on their way to the pokemon center.

Kirlia felt overwhelmed as she looked over all of the containers Rob had placed out for them. He had gotten all this just because she'd never had whatever kind of human food they were? There was no way they'd finish all of it, even with the four of them.

Rob watched his companions break into the small feast. It might not have been the best food in the world, but the place had offered a nice variety. Sandshrew and Cyndaquil dug in with reckless abandon but Kirlia, who was calm and sure any time she went into battle, now looked lost with the assortment before her.

He ate slowly, sitting back and allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of one of his ideas actually working out. Kirlia's eyes lit up every time she tried a new item. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was holding the fork more like a murder weapon rather than an eating utensil though. The four of them having a good meal and enjoyable company.

When they had all finished, Rob took them to the park that Violet City had, not too far from where the pokemon center was. Rob relaxed on one of the park benches, enjoying the last hours of what had been such a nice day. After a quick warning to not light anything on fire, Cyndaquil and Sandshrew wandered off to explore the area. Sandshrew had seemed to try and get Kirlia to go with them but she just stood and watched as they roamed about.

“Rob?” a timid voice said drifting into his mind. He looked down to see Kirlia's ruby eyes gazing up at his, he hadn't even realized she'd walked up to him.

“Hey, what's up?” Eyes so often filled with sadness or anger now looked into his with something he hadn't seen before.

“Thank you.” The words were soft, barely more than a whisper.

“You're welcome.” He spoke gently and leaned forward to stroke her on the head. A small fraction of the tension she seemed to be harboring left her as his hands ran through her verdant hair. He withdrew his hand and she turned away from him, breaking their gaze and blinking quickly. She moved to sit down on the grass next to the bench he occupied, staring off into the distance.

If he suffered a humiliating loss tomorrow at the hands of Falkner, the trip would still be more than worthwhile. There was something still bothering Kirlia, she seemed tense or nervous about something and he couldn't imagine it was the fight tomorrow, but she seemed to be opening up to him. No matter what had happened in her past, she would make it through.

Kirlia still didn't know what to think. She didn't want to trust Rob, but she hadn't been treated poorly since they met, and after doing everything today for her... Maybe that was his plan? Have her not want to leave and use that as an incentive to win fights, so she wouldn't be lost to another trainer? There could be worse things she supposed.

Whatever he held over her, she would crush her opponents tomorrow. There was no way she would let herself be kept locked up, waiting to be brought out to fight and then be sent back to the darkness. Not if she could do something to prevent it.

The evening passed quickly. Red streaked the sky as Rob lead them back towards the pokemon center. She had walked with him a little through the park, visiting the statues and fountains that dotted area, though she remained silent. She hadn't known what to say. She didn't want to be abandoned to this Falkner, she was stronger than the other two but they had shown themselves to be much more loyal. Her mind raced the entire time. Time and again, the only solution seemed to be to win tomorrow's fight. She wouldn't fail.

When they were back in their room Rob had turned on a strange device that had tiny people and pokemon inside it. He tried to explain that the people weren't inside the machine, but it still looked like they were. Cyndaquil had tried to touch it but there seemed to be a glass barrier over the front.

Kirlia climbed into the chair in the corner of the room and tried to relax, but her mind continued to churn through all of the worries she had about the upcoming event. Long after the others had fallen asleep she remained awake, the harder she tried to rest, the more anxious she became. And when she finally entered her dreams, she wished she had remained awake.
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

An Uncertain Future