FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

"Why would I want to be a trainer exactly?" I ask, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of having to be around this blue turtle for potentially a long time, particularly since he's probably just using me for something.

"Because when we're our own trainers then no other trainer would be able to catch us. We'd be completely free to go at our own pace and only answer to each other." Allen pauses a moment before continuing, "You know, normally when someone offers their name it's generally rude to not offer your own in return."

My mind is thoroughly trying to figure out if in my current situation if I'd be able to simply run away and not have to worry about this turtle anymore, but considering the fact I'm sitting and how fast he moved earlier I don't think I could escape without him at least doing a bit of damage. Currently in the turtle's scent I do not find the smallest trace of anger or fear. Instead he does seem genuinely excited more than anything and so gauging my chances I decide that the best course of action right now would be to go along with this odd creature and maybe make my escape later on.

"I can only offer what I have."

"What do you mean 'what you have?' Are you telling me you haven't got a name, Sunshine? What did your parents call you when you were little?"

Without meaning to my eyes look away from him and instead stare at the ground. It wasn't something I felt particularly interested in talking about with someone who I not only met a few minutes ago but has at the very least threatened to cause me a lot of pain. I did know my parents, or at least I knew my mother. But even still it was not something I wanted to ever really have to put much thought into anymore, especially not share it with anyone I didn't trust. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him raise an arm and open his mouth as if he's about to try and say something further but no words comes out. Instead we stay like this for a moment in this silence between us. My head moves slides across from one side to the other, my eyes going beneath him rather than through him and once my head doesn't really seem willing to turn too much more willingly I force myself to look up and stare at the sky. I watch as a shapeless cloud slowly makes its way overhead, almost getting close to the sun.

"Why me?"

I am slightly surprised that the words managed to work their way out of my mouth and apparently the turtle was similarly surprised since he seems unsure how to respond.

"What?" He finally utters, the words sounding more forced than curious.

"Why do you need me to help you in becoming your own trainer? I'm sure there are others in this area that will be more than willing to put up with your abuse to become their own trainer or whatnot, so why me?"

My body tensed up slightly and I stood up fully, half expecting the turtle to try and attack me again and force me to go with him. He doesn't though and instead we're left with another silence between the two of us. This time he turns around and stares at the sky, not the slightest bit of his attention seems to be on me so if I wanted I could easily just make a break for it now and he wouldn't be able to move quickly enough to stop me. After a moment I come to the conclusion that he's letting me go and so relax my body a small bit and lean down and pick up the small ball in my mouth. I raise my head again and have just lifted one leg to turn and leave when he sounds like he's about to say something again but stops himself a moment. My leg drops back down and I place the ball on the ground in front of me again, not so much out of a courtesy to him than a matter of satisfying my own curiosity for what reason he may have and I figure that if I look like I'm about to bolt he's going to be less likely to tell me anything. Finally his shoulders move up then down as he sighs and he begins to speak.

"In reality I probably could and the truth of the matter is, at least part of the reason I want you in particular is because you are already here." He begins speaking but doesn't turn around to actually face me, "I could probably find a Pidgey or Ratatta that would be willing to do this with me eventually. But finding one that won't run away long enough for me to talk with one will take me hours at least, more so to find one that might be even the slightest bit interested in the idea. You, on the other hand are already here, and have already expressed an interest in the idea of being our own trainer." He turns around and faces me, though I wonder if it's as much to speak to me face to face as to make sure I haven't simply run away. For my part I just sit down and humor him, waiting to see what else he has to try and persuade me besides just being a convenient victim. "But that's only one of the reasons I feel you would be the best choice that I can see."

"And the other would be?" I ask, my head cocking to one side.

I smile inwardly as I notice that this seems to be a subject he seems reluctant to actually talk about, as if it almost pains him to do so.

"The other would be that of everyone in the area your type would be the best choice for a starting pokemon. The normal type Ratatta and flying type Pidgey are not best suited for all purpose attacks. Let alone really be of too much more assistance to coordinate with myself. But a fire pokemon would be great. In almost every situation I can think of there is not a single situation in which neither one of us would be useful."

"Is there any other reason for why we would want to be our own trainers?" I ask, considering his offer after being essentially complimented but not wanting to sound too eager.

"Because as things currently stand," he begins, "we pokemon are not really respected by any human. To them we are on the same level as the dumb animals that they raise and kill for their food. Lower even when you consider the fact that they don't enslave those dumb animals and force them to fight each other. At least not what I've heard at any rate. But if we two choose to fight together as a trainer, if we forced them to encounter a pokemon team run only by pokemon and has no human in the mix then they'll be forced to consider us. And if we can fight on par or even better than them then we'll force them to view us on the same level as they are. I'm sure some will not like us for it but if we do this and do this successfully we might be able to make them make some changes and make life much better for all pokemon, those caught or not. Maybe even get them to remove the slave codes in these balls."

I sit motionless on this for a little while, debating the merits of what he said. I am at least more than slightly interested but decide that it's probably best not to seem to eager. I look past him and up at the sky behind him, seeing a darker cloud starting to approach as I cock my head to the other side and scratch behind the other ear to try as if I had another itch.

"What happens if we don't do so well?" I ask.

"Then nothing. We'll still be free and unable to be caught by any trainer. Depending on how badly we do they may try and make a rule that will prohibit more pokemon from becoming their own trainers or they might just attribute our failure as being simply because we are of two types that would under normal circumstances be fighting to the death at every moment. As such they would be expecting us to be fighting and might attribute our loses to our own internal arguments. So are you in or not?"

I sit there for a moment with an expression on my face like I'm using every last drop of brainpower trying to think it over then stand up with a large grin on my face.

"Okay, why not." I state in a cheerful tone.

"Then let's go," Allen responds, starting to walk in the direction he was heading when we first met. I lean down and pick up my little trinket and follow afterwards.

As we walk I find myself holding my head up high, as if the ball in my mouth was some sort of prize. When we reach the point where I had helped tip him over again so that he was upright he stops and starts looking around for something. Not knowing what he is looking for I place my ball down and sit down, letting him continue his search.

"Those were some pretty words you were saying back there," I state idly.

Allen turns and faces me and gives me a long hard look before speaking up, "Did you even understand a word I was saying back there?"

"Nope," I grin.

"I don't believe this. If you couldn't understand what I was saying then why did you decide to join up with me?" He counters, looking and sounding more than a little annoyed.

"Because I thought it would be fun." I chip in.

Allen doesn't even respond and instead continues looking before giving a cry and standing up, another of the ball things in his hand as well as some sort of elaborate ring.

"Here we go. Now I can leave this place. Though before we continue you'll have to get inside that thing," he inclines his head towards the ball.

"How do I do that? I am much larger than it is. I doubt I will be able to fit without breaking it," I reply, looking at my own ball with curiosity, trying to wrap my brain around how the turtle could think that something could fit inside an object it can carry in its mouth.

Allen stares at me again and then sighs. "Just press the button twice and it'll suck you up and you'll find yourself inside the ball and before you ask you do need to be linked to a ball in order to become a trainer. Not going to explain why because you probably wouldn't understand it anyways."

Not really trusting him completely I rotate the ball so that I can see the little button on it and press against it with my nose, half expecting it to do nothing. Once the button is pressed the ball grows considerably larger to a size that though still much smaller than I am, though it is now larger than I could comfortably hold in my mouth. Startled I quickly pull my head out and stare at it a moment, my head cocking from one side to the other, seeing if it'll do something else.

"Don't worry," Allen adds, "You'll be perfectly fine. I promise that I will let you out as soon as it binds to you. And don't fight it, else it won't work."

Still unsure of myself I allow my curiosity to overcome me, wanting to know how this thing will react with a second press. As soon as my nose presses it a second time, instead of the ball growing even bigger a reddish light shoots out and hits me in the face and immediately I can feel myself being sucked in. I cry out in shock as I feel the light absorb me and pull me inside bit by bit. Within a second or two I've been completely absorbed by the red light and find myself suddenly in very dark place. I cannot breath in here nor do I feel any of my extremities nor move anything. It is like I had become the light that had sucked me up and as I can feel something pressing into my mind I start to panic. Even though in this state my mind has no physical form I can feel it and I can feel something alien pushing its way in, changing some part of who I am in some way or another. I start to struggle against it and try to get myself free. I can feel the invader start to pull away as well as apparently feeling the integrity of the ball begin to weaken but then I remember that Allen said that I shouldn't fight it and I do need to do this. Using every last bit of willpower I calm myself and try not to think of the thing pressing into my head. Finally I can feel it no longer moving and just from how it feels and pulses the same way this shapeless, mass-less body of mine is pulsing, I know that it has become firmly rooted in there and will not be easily removed.

And then nothing. Now that it's a part of me I can no longer do anything, not even try to get free. It's like I've been stuck in some kind of cage only this is much worse. For starters in a cage one can move around or do something. In here all one can do is wait as a formless, mass-less thing and hope something happens. What's worse is that some of the information that was placed in my head when the invader was getting in tells me that if my ball is destroyed, especially with me inside, that I shall die as well, which is very much not a comforting thought since I had let a water pokemon talk me into doing this. And just as I am beginning to think that perhaps I will never let out something changes. The inside of the ball becomes very bright and then the walls disappear and I find myself, back in my body out in the open air. I gasp for a few breaths trying to soak in the freedom that has been returned to me, not wanting to ever have to go back in that thing if I can help it.

"I thought I'd never get out of that thing," I gasp.

"Sorry about that," Allen states, not so much looking apologetic but rather dismissive.

"Something came up that I couldn't immediately release you. Though while you were still there I found it quicker to simply carry your ball and reach the edge of the town with you still in it."

Deciding that I didn't want to respond to him I turn my head and I see the town. I had been by this way earlier and it reeks as much of humans as it does now, in fact the scent is the exact same as it was before. Pretty similar for sounds. But for whatever reason, the scent seemed more important. As did the sounds. Though they seemed to be unimportant by themselves it was somewhere in this place that my journey will become and will be the first step for me to become some great person or a great failure. Either way it begins in this town.