The Story of Daniel - Chapter 5
#5 of The Story of Daniel
The Story of Daniel - ...
The Story of Daniel - Chapter 5
It had been days since the incident at the mall occurred and the police still had not been able to locate Daniel. Officers thoroughly investigated the parking lot for any clues as to where the boy might have gone, yet all they could find was a small trail of blood leading into the forest. Although at first a little discouraged by this new development, rescue teams painstakingly searched the dimly lit enclosure for him, but it was to no avail; as they came back empty handed every time.
They brought the unconscious man Alex found into the interrogation room of the Ridgewood Police Department for questioning on the first day, and after securely strapping him down, they woke him up with a cup of water to the face.
---Four Days Ago---
*Splash*
Spluttering and drenched, the car thief awakened from his stupor. He squinted in the bright light that was bearing down on him and noticed that two figures were standing in front of him. One was seated, while the other stood silently behind.
"Welcome back." said the seated one calmly. "Sorry about the rude awakening, but I'm afraid that we have some questions for you."
The thief tried to move his arms and legs, but found them firmly bound to the chair. With a look of pure contempt, he spat at the man's shoes. Knowing he was in deep trouble, he tried to put every hateful emotion he could think of into the gesture. Make himself seem tough to his captors. However, the man in front of him made no discernable reaction. He simply looked back calmly, his face still shrouded in darkness.
"Where am I?" the thief said a little too loudly, badly attempting to disguise his nervousness.
"You're in the Ridgeway Police Department; you were brought in after you were discovered unconscious in the parking lot next to, what we think to be, a very serious crime...now, how about you just answer my questions." said the seated man, pressing on casually. He hadn't raised his voice, but there was a certain air of authority in his tone. It demanded respect.
'Damn...cops.' the carjacker thought angrily. 'Now I remember. That stupid kid...the car...well, I ain't gonna any crap from stupid hillbilly cops.'
"Piss off. I ain't gonna answer shit. And hey! Where's my lawyer? I know my rights."
A smug smile lit his face. Although he knew he was clutching at straws, the thief felt sure he just struck gold. The officers wouldn't dare touch him now. It was his belief that cops were just as afraid of lawyers as everyone else was; perhaps even more so. He knew if he wanted a lawyer, then they would have no choice but to give him one. All he would have to do was stay quiet and...
The words were suddenly knocked from his head however, as a cinderblock fist connected painfully with the side of his head.
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SHIT! NOW TELL US EXACTLY WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TODAY!" shouted an angry officer into the thief's throbbing ear. His voice was like a bullhorn, both in loudness and in obnoxiousness.
The punch had dazed the carjacker; however, he still had enough sense left in him to feel the pain. It felt like a sledgehammer just cracked his head open.
"What the fuck! That hurt!" was his only retort.
'Jesus! What the hell is wrong with them?! Aren't there supposed to be limits or something to what they can do?'
The thief was becoming frantic now; his tough guy facade rapidly melting away.
"I hope you can forgive my partner, Jason. He can be a bit rash at times," said the seated officer calmly, as if nothing had really happened. "Unfortunately, we just can't seem to control him...so I'd start talking if I were you." He added warningly.
As if on cue, Jason cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner. The noise reverberated off the concrete walls, making the gesture appear even more ominous to the detained man.
A cold shiver traveled down the thief's spine and he could feel a bead of sweat running down his face. He shot an apprehensive look at 'Jason', and finally understood what it was like to be between a rock and a hard place. He let his head droop onto his chin in a sign of defeat, knowing that there was little chance now that his lawyer would get to the station in time to help him. There was only one thing left to do...
"What do you want to know?" the thief growled.
"Why don't you just start from the beginning, but don't get any funny ideas about fooling us. We found that knife of yours so we know that you were involved. Also, I wouldn't want to make Jason upset if I were you. He gets real miffed about liars." the officer replied craftily, letting the effect of his words sink in.
With another worried glance at the hulking man next to him, the carjacker slowly began to recount the scene in the parking lot to the officers. He tried to make himself seem as innocent as possible during his narration, but the persistent duo eventually weaseled out the truth from him. Of course, Jason was a real help in speeding up the squirming thief's monologue.
By the time the man's lawyer arrived, they had already gotten the whole story out of him and the two cops figured that the thief would get at least couple of years in jail for attempted theft and murder, yet that still left the question of where Daniel was.
Although they attempted to pry that particular information from the carjacker, the thief claimed that he could only recall giving the boy a nasty lunge with his switchblade before he had passed out.
Either way, the odds weren't looking good for Daniel.
On one hand, he could be seriously injured and lost in the forest. On the other, he could just be lost in the forest. They hoped it was the former. It might be kinder for him if it was a quick end, rather than the alternative of being eaten alive.
However, they were not overly confident that the local wildlife would commit the deed. Rather, they believed there was some horrifying monster that slumbering in its depths.
Although to some this may sound ridiculous, to the residents of Ridgewood, they might as well be marking it on his tombstone.
R.I.P. Daniel Oakfield - 'Eaten by Forest Monsters'
Anything was possible in these woods.
--- Present Day ---
Alex Oakfield was trudging sleepily through the wooden-lined hallways of his house towards the kitchen, still in his morning robe and slippers even though it was almost noon. He fixed himself a small bowl of cereal and tiredly sat down at the table, munching on it quietly as he stared out the window, his eyes unfocused and deep in thought.
He had gotten a leave of absence from work so that he could assist the officers in their search for his son, scouting the forest with others as they combed every rock, tree, and hill relentlessly. Alex had slept very little during this time, often lightly and hurriedly so he was unable to draw much energy out of the short breaks he gave himself.
It was day four of the search, yet still they had not found him.
Alex sighed, putting his spoon down as a sudden loss of appetite overwhelmed him. Today was the last day of the search. There would be no more scouting parties or anything after today, since the doctors would finally claim Daniel to be deceased.
It had taken three days, but a medical official finally had walked up to him while he was in the middle of searching. The doctor had come to discuss the blood they had analyzed at the crime scene. Alex remembered how his stomach clenched horribly when the doctor revealed that the blood was indeed his son's and that judging by the amount of blood loss, combined with the severity of the 'supposed' wound, that Daniel was likely to have already passed away.
"We're sorry, but unfortunately it's just too much to hope for that he may still be alive somewhere." The doctor had told him as woefully as his monotone voice would allow. The air was thick with the musk of the forest and the medical official seemed very out of place, his white lab coat a startling contrast to the dense foliage. "We'll keep looking tomorrow, but I'm afraid that it may already be too late. I'm sorry." He finished rather uncomfortably as he delivered the terrible news.
Alex could only watch as the man exited, now left alone to comprehend the impossible. That he would never again see his son. That he would never again hear him speak or hold him in his arms. That he was gone from him...forever.
An image of Daniel sprawled on the forest floor, gasping for air as he slowly bled out, unwillingly flashed itself through his mind and Alex's legs buckled underneath him. He struggled to find the air that had suddenly escaped him. He could feel his chest tightening up. Tears were streaming down his face as his body began to mourn what his mind could not fathom.
"Honey..." said a quiet, feminine voice next to him.
Alex looked up from his bowl of cereal, his flashback blissfully imploding in his mind's eye. Karen was standing next to him in her robe; it seemed that she had finally woken up as well. Her face was pale and taut, making her look like a much older woman. Her eyes, reddened from crying, were gazing meaningfully into his. No words were needed as Alex stood up to embrace her, allowing the couple to share in each other's emotions through the simple contact.
Karen wrapped her arms tightly around her husband as she shook uncontrollable tears into his shoulder. Alex rubbed her back comfortingly and strived to maintain the image of security and support that he knew Karen needed right now. However, a heart of stone he did not have, and a few unwanted tears managed to squeeze past his tightly shut eyelids.
They held each other like that for quite some time however, it was impossible to tell for how long. Minutes...days...years...it didn't really seem to matter. Eventually, they managed to loosen their hold on one another, enabling them to look at each other properly.
"Alex...what are we going to do?" Karen began shakily. Her eyes were still wet and her voice cracked as she spoke. "How can we possibly keep on going without....without..."
Karen couldn't finish, but she didn't need to. Alex understood all too well. He kissed her softly on the forehead and gave her a sad smile, although he saw no real reason for it. He felt as if he would never smile properly again.
"We'll just have to...for Daniel." He said comfortingly. "Don't worry...It'll be alright. We'll take it slow...day by day..."
They were false words, but he knew that Daniel wouldn't want them to fall to pieces like this. He wouldn't want them to throw their lives away because of him. Somehow, they needed to make it through this.
They had to be strong...for Daniel's sake.
Everything was dark and quiet. Daniel felt so peaceful and relaxed; his body just seemed to be floating. He couldn't remember ever feeling so calm, so...tranquil. He didn't want the sensation to end. Suddenly, he heard an angelic voice calling him through the darkness.
It's time to wake up Daniel. Come on, get up already.
However, he didn't want to 'get up' and tried to shut out the voice, its tones disrupting the space around him like ripples on the surface of water. The voice went quiet and soon the void around him began to settle, the feeling of serenity washing over him once again.
Unfortunately, before he could even begin to enjoy the sensation, something warm and furry began poking him on the side of his head. This startled Daniel enough to jerk him awake, eyes opening and closing rapidly as they attempted to filter the bright light rapidly invading his vision.
"About time! I thought you'd never wake up." said a cheerful voice next to him.
Daniel turned his head slightly to glare at the infernal creature resting next to him, whom was still poking his head relentlessly.
"You're killing me Mira." Daniel grunted, batting away her paw as it tried to jab him again.
The Quilava, however, only smiled cutely as she watched her trainer struggle to throw off the shackles of sleep.
"Sorry." she said giggling a little. "Couldn't resist."
Daniel let out a sigh as he rolled himself up into a sitting position and took a quick look around the room for his backpack. He saw that it was still draped around the hook near the door and remembered that he had left it there when he had arrived at the Pokémon Center yesterday.
Due to Daniel's own exhaustion, forcing them to travel much slower than normal, it had taken the two most of the day to reach the Pokémon Center. In fact, it was getting very late by the time they got there. Daniel could only just see the last rays of the sun disappearing over the treetops; only an orange afterglow left in its wake.
Entering through the sliding glass doors, Daniel's tired eyes sought out the iconic Nurse Joy that he knew inhabited every Pokemon Center. Currently, she was typing on the computer behind her desk, her bored expression seeming to represent the uneventful day she obviously had. When Daniel approached however, her expression brightened somewhat; he could tell that she was clearly glad for something to break the monotony.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center" she said giving her traditional curtsy. "How may I help you?"
Daniel was unable to suppress a yawn and his body cried out for rest.
"I think just a room for the night will do." He said groggily, trying to keep himself awake a little longer.
"Alright, I just need to see you're pokedex and I'll give you your keys...umm, is you're Quilava alright?" she asked concernedly, glancing at the Pokémon on Daniel's shoulders.
He turned his head to look at Mira properly. Her eyes were gently closed and her head hung limply off his shoulder. Small, rumbling snores issued from her open maw
Daniel figured that she must have fallen asleep along the way.
"Yes, I think that she's just tired. It's been a long trip." Daniel said to Nurse Joy, smiling apologetically.
After handing over his pokedex, the nurse ran it quickly through her computer. A satisfied 'ching' rang from the machine and Nurse Joy looked up happily.
"Well alright, your I.D. checked out okay so here is the key to your room. Just go up the stairs and it's the third on the left."
He took the key and pokedex gratefully, saying thank you before tiredly lugging himself and Mira up a flight of nearby steps. Daniel then walked down the hallway while counting out the number on the doors as he passed.
"Number one...number two...number three, here we are." He said exhausted. He slid the key into the slot and unlocked the door. He pushed it open and skillfully slid the backpack off his shoulders so that he wouldn't wake up Mira in the process. Daniel was too worn-out to examine the room well, but he did spy a series of hooks on the wall to his immediate right and latching his bag onto one, he proceeded wearily towards the bed.
It didn't look like much, an average twin size that wore clean, simplistic blue sheets and only one white pillow. To his tired eyes however, it looked extremely soft and comfy. Daniel gently took Mira off his back and rested her on the bed as he climbed in. He was so tired that he didn't bother undressing.
Daniel had fallen asleep almost immediately, his body finally shutting down for the night and allowing his muscles a well-needed rest. Just as his mind drifted off however, Daniel felt the warm body of Mira wriggle its way up the bed, before finally nestling somewhere around his chest. He could have sworn that he heard her let out a small croon of contentment, but he didn't think much of it and soon embraced the comforting darkness of sleep.
Now, bright morning rays shone through the open window and, for a moment, he doubted how he could have possibly slept this long while bathed in such a strong light. Fully refreshed, Daniel rose from the bed and decided to have a look around. He could now clearly see that there was much more to the room than he had originally presumed, for although it wasn't very large, it did seem to contain a rather exceptional amount of conveniences, including: a TV, cabinet, a small refrigerator with refreshments, and a fully stocked bathroom.
Walking into the bathroom, Daniel realized that it was rather large compared to the rest of the room and briefly wondered why, until quick glance into the bathroom drawers answered his question. They were stocked with not just human soaps, but also filled with Pokémon shampoos and conditioners; obviously, the size of the bathroom was to accommodate the trainer's Pokémon as well.
Looking into the mirror, Daniel became uncomfortably aware of how filthy he was. He saw that his hair was in shambles, ends sticking out in every which way and making him look like some sort of lunatic escapee. His clothes, he also noticed, were also very grubby.
Dirt coated his shirt and pants in multiple brown splotches and Daniel suddenly hoped that there would be a clothing store in Jubilife City. He was still wearing the same clothes he had arrived in and it was getting kind of disgusting wearing the exact same thing every day. He knew he must have smelt god-awful so he went over to the bath and turned on the water, readying himself for a good, long soak.
Mira took no notice of Daniel as he shut the bathroom door, already fully immersed in examining the mini-fridge, which was about a head shorter than she was. She had never been in a Pokémon Center before, or any other building for that matter, having spent her entire life in the wild and she was understandably quite fascinated by her new environment.
Curiously grabbing the metal handle, she pulled open the door to the mini-fridge, only to shut it quickly afterwards as a cold chill sent shivers down her spine.
'Arceus that's cold ! Why the hell would anyone want this ?!'
With a scowl of contempt, she then turned away from the freezing contraption and continued her explorations. For the next fifteen minutes, Mira walked around and examined the rest of the room and all of its strange décor, making sure to shoot dirty looks at the fridge every so often, just in case it decided to freeze her again.
She plucked playfully at the strings in the carpeted floor, admired the rather plain beige wallpaper, and upon investigating the lamp on the nightstand, found extreme pleasure in pulling the string attached, making the light bulb click on and off repeatedly.
After doing this for several minutes, she then spied an odd, black rectangular object on the counter. Mira went over for a closer look. It was rather small and thin and it had many colorful buttons decorating the top. She gently picked it up with her paws and cautiously pushed an invitingly large, red button on the device, wondering what would happen.
Unfortunately, she found out quite quickly as the large TV next to her burst suddenly into life, filling the room with noise. Mira let out a frightened squeal, dropping the remote, and sprinted towards the bed where she nose-dived under the covers. In her haste, she had miraculously pressed the red button again, shutting off the TV and allowing quiet to return to the room.
It took her a few minutes to calm down enough to look out from under the covers. Everything appeared to be normal and she was just about to consider getting up before another sudden noise made her cover herself again. She heard a door open and close and then... "Hey Mira, I thought I heard something. Where are you?"
Relief washed over her as she realized that it was just Daniel and she hurriedly threw off the covers to say that everything was all right. However, the words died in her throat as she got a good look at him, her face suddenly becoming very hot despite being a fire-type Pokémon.
Instead of being fully clothed, as she had presumed, Daniel was now clad in nothing except a thin white towel that draped around his waist. Deeply embarrassed, she wanted to look away, yet her body refused to listen and she continued to gaze blushingly at his dripping wet figure. He was still looking around the room for her, but she did not dare make a sound.
"Oh Mira!" Daniel said after finally spotting her on the bed. "There you are. I thought I heard something, are you alright?"
With a scarlet blush, unnoticed by Daniel, Mira shook her head, quickly fixing her eyes to the ground in case Daniel would notice something odd in them.
However Daniel was apparently satisfied and, with a sigh, he walked back into the bathroom to finish drying himself off, giving Mira a few moments to settle her rapidly beating heart while she stared out the window. She never before appreciated just how beautiful the forest was.
The sky was blue and cloudless as Daniel and Mira left the Pokémon Center. Both were now looking considerably cleaner and better groomed as Daniel had also forced Mira into a bath, much to her displeasure (Aaaghh! It's so COLD!), and the duo were now well on their way towards Jubilife City.
For a while, they both walked in silence, admiring the scenery as they passed and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes, Mira would tire of walking and hop on Daniel's shoulders, however he didn't mind, and the two would continue their silent trek with her riding him. It was around noon when Mira decided to break the ice.
"So...what town are you from?"
Daniel started. He had been silently debating with himself on whether this world was closer to the anime or manga version of Pokémon when she spoke and didn't quite hear her.
"I'm sorry...what?" he said distractedly.
"I said...what town are you from?" she replied questioningly.
Daniel suddenly experienced a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hastily fought to remember the town he was pretending to be from.
"Oh...um...I'm from...um...Sandgem town! Yes, I'm from Sandgem town!" he replied in, what he hoped to be a convincing voice.
He looked back at her reassuringly, but her expression was hard to read. She watched him closely for a little bit longer before returning her gaze to the road.
"Hmm...that's odd." She spoke indirectly to him.
Daniel was a little unnerved by her tone. "What? What's odd?"
"Well...it's just that I've lived near there for quite a while and I don't ever remember seeing you there."
The sinking feeling in Daniel's stomach intensified.
"Well...I kind of...moved recently."
"Really?" said Mira, ears perking up in interest. "How long ago?"
'About a week ago' said a truthful voice in his head. "Oh...about a few months ago. I was in a hospital for most of that time so I can understand if you didn't see me before."
The last bit was more or less a downright lie, but he seriously doubted that Mira would rather hear the truth. He didn't want to scare off the only friend he had made by revealing that he was from another 'world' just yet.
However, Mira seemed even more disconcerted at this news. "You were in a HOSPITAL?" she replied loudly, a look of horrific shock on her face.
"It wasn't as bad as you think." He added hastily, trying to rectify his tactlessness. "It was just...just..." but he lost his train of thought.
He had just spotted two red, gleaming somethings shining from a bush up ahead. He stared at them intently, and he could have sworn that they were staring back.
Suddenly, they flashed brightly for a moment and before he could make any sense of it, his vision began to blur and swim in and out of focus. He tried to call out to Mira, but his mouth wasn't cooperating with him, only managing to open and close soundlessly. The world now felt very off kilter, and his feet gave out from underneath him.
Then, just as quickly as it came, the feeling vanished. He felt perfectly normal, but something still didn't feel right. He looked up and realized what was wrong.
It was night.
His mind reeled and he stood up quickly, trying to understand what had just happened. He looked around for Mira before realizing she was nowhere in sight.
"MIRA!" he called out desperately, yet only an echo returned. The hair on the nape of his neck prickled uncomfortably.
Daniel had never been afraid of the dark, but something was different this time. He could almost feel the darkness surrounding him, clawing towards him like some monstrous creature. He was scared. Primordial fear gripped his soul without reason and he took off running down the path.
The tree's menacing branches seemed to reach out towards him as he went. Their blackened bark and barren limbs making them appear even more foreboding. It was like a scene from a nightmare. Daniel sprinted down the path with all his might but it was as if he wasn't really going anywhere. The path in front of him just seemed to stretch on and on with no end in sight.
Eventually he collapsed, his legs too tired to continue. He couldn't do anything. It was all hopeless. He could feel the darkness closing in on him. It was getting closer and closer...
"Daniel! Daniel! Wake up! Please, say something!"
Mira was crouched next to Daniel trying to shake him awake. He had collapsed onto the ground, pale and white-faced a few minutes ago, a cold sweat now dampening his handsome features.
She was clueless to what had happened. She believed that he had been fine only moments before, but now he was out cold on the ground.
"Daniel! Please, get up!"
"Don't worry, he won't wake," said a voice behind her.
Mira turned around just in time to see a Ninetales steeping out into the clearing. Her luxuriously cream fur danced unnaturally in the light afternoon breeze, making her look stunningly beautiful. She was smiling, as if admiring her own work.
The elegant Pokémon's appearance was so unexpected that, for a few moments, Mira could only gaze back at her mystified.
"What...what do you mean he won't wake up?" Mira asked finally, yet still very nonplussed.
The Ninetales continued to smile cheerfully, "It's okay, I used my hypnosis to put him out," she then looked at Daniel contemptuously, "He should be experiencing a rather unpleasant dream right about now," she turned back to Mira. "So, what's your name?"
Mira just gaped at her, not really understanding what was going on. "Umm...I'm Mira, but...but...why did you...?"
Now it was the Ninetales' turn to be puzzled. She looked at Mira incredulously, "Why? You mean you wanted to be enslaved by him?"
She let out a barking laugh as if the idea was ridiculous, but saw that Mira was still looking at her disbelievingly.
"Listen, it's alright. You don't need to stay here anymore with him," she said consolingly, as if trying to get Mira to understand something very simple. "You're free."
"Free?" Mira repeated back uncertainly.
"Yes, free!" said the Ninetales looking pleased that Mira was catching on. "You can go back into the wild, go and see your family, your friends. You can..."
"But...I don't want to leave." Mira interrupted.
The Ninetales opened her mouth then closed it. Her mind had gone fuzzy and she just stared at Mira dumbly, not expecting such a surprising answer.
"But...wha...I'm sorry, I don't..."
"I like being with Daniel," Mira said simply to the dumbfounded Ninetales. "I think he's really nice."
"Nice? But...but h...he captured you," said the Ninetales exasperated. "Surely you must feel a little angry at him for dragging you from your home like that?"
"Actually, I joined him," replied Mira coolly.
The Ninetales just gaped at her. It didn't make any sense to her. No sense at all. Her own trainer, a long time ago, had been viciously cruel to her. Making her sleep outside, often forgetting to feed her, and always forcing her to battle until she passed out. Why would any Pokémon willingly join those...those...monsters?
Instinctively, she thought back to the day when she had escaped her master's imprisonment.
It was cold, damp, and raining. She had heard the Nurse Joy in Eterna City warn her master of the approaching bad weather, but being stubborn, he refused to listen.
A chilling wind suddenly howled through the trees of Eterna Forest. It made her shiver and curl up into a tighter ball, desperate for warmth. Her master was sleeping contentedly in the tent next to her and she dearly wished that she could shelter inside as well.
Earlier that day, they had gone up against another trainer. She had lost spectacularly against her opponent, a very powerful Kadabra, but her master found this as no excuse for defeat. This was simply her punishment; being forced to endure nature's cruel elements, while her master snoozed away in his warm, dry tent.
Her body felt frozen. She knew that she was miserable, but was too numb to feel it at the moment. It was always like this. She resented her master deeply, yet could do nothing as long as he held her in captivity. It was her deepest wish to one day escape him. To be free once more.
'Why? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?' she asked herself repeatedly.
Suddenly, the wind picked up. The intensity of it blew away the pegs holding down the tent. Now, freely billowing around with the wind, the blanket unexpectedly engulfed her, trapping her within its folds. The wind was so powerful that it lifted her and the tent off the ground.
Now carried by the gust, she flipped over repeatedly in midair, losing all sense of direction in the process.
Everything was confusion. The wind screamed in her ears, the blanket fluttered around her bindingly, time seemed to lose meaning as the seconds grew into minutes, and something small and hard was bouncing around the cocoon of blankets alongside her.
Then...'thump'...she had hit a tree. She could hear the small something shatter beneath her, but she wasn't too concerned at the moment. The wind had died down, thankfully, and by the small, yet angry voice of her master, she could tell that she had traveled a great distance.
Detangling herself from the remains of the tent, she looked down, and discovered what had shattered underneath her. It was a Poké ball. Her Poké Ball!
For the longest time, she stared at it. The broken symbol of her confinement.
She then heard her master's voice, but it was like listening to it through a long, dark tunnel. "Valeria! Get back here, NOW!"
Valeria looked up and saw her master far out in the distance. She looked at him, then at the destroyed Poké Ball, then back again. A funny sensation of warmth was spreading throughout her body. It was as if a balloon was inflating inside her chest, filling her up with happiness.
The man was shouting again, but Valeria wasn't listening. He was no longer her master. With a boundless joy, she yipped out exuberantly and loped away into the forest, away from her cold and bitter life, and away from the shouting man forever.
Valeria smiled blissfully in memory of that moment, recalling how good it had felt to be free after such a long time; playing in the forests, eating berries by the river, and running.
God how she had missed running. Her master had never let her run ahead of him, always forcing her to restrain herself and walk slowly beside him. It was torture.
It was after a while, but she realized that she probably wasn't the only Pokémon who had suffered like her. She had only known her master, however as far as she was concerned, all humans were just like him.
It was this thought that seemed to light a fire in her belly. Immediately, she made it her mission to free as many Pokémon as she could find. Thankfully, her powers of hypnosis were especially useful in this regard, allowing her to lull an unsuspecting trainer to sleep easily while she released their Pokémon. This time, however, the trainer's Pokémon was inexplicably trying to remain with him.
'She...joined him?' the Ninetales thought, aghast that anyone would make such a decision.
The Quilava suddenly spoke, making the Ninetales jump a little in surprise.
"Who are you anyway?" Mira demanded, still standing beside the unconscious form of her trainer.
"Me?" she replied distractedly. "My name is Valeria, Val for short."
"Well Val, are you going to wake him up or not?" said Mira expectantly.
For a moment, the Ninetales was confused. "Who?"
"Daniel of course!" she said fiercely.
Val looked over to the hypnotized human. He was still slumped on the ground, his eyelids flickered and he wore a pained expression due to the nightmare he was still having.
"Why should I?" she snarled back, her animosity towards the human unwavering.
"He hasn't done anything to you!" Mira pleaded. "Why do you hate him so much?"
"It's not just him," Val said quietly, still leering scornfully at Daniel. "All humans are bad. They are evil, vile creatures. It's in their natures to destroy, and this one is just the same."
"That's not true!"
Val looked up. Mira's tail was flaring in anger. Val stepped back cautiously, fearing that she had crossed some invisible line.
"I may not know many people, but Daniel is the kindest person I know! He saved my life, given me food and shelter...," small tears began to water in her eyes. "...he accepted me like family, and all you do is lay blame on him for something he never did!"
"I don't expect you to understand!" Val retorted angrily. "Although you may have been fooled into thinking they care, I still know the truth! The humans' only capture us to extort us...to use us. They fight for only themselves and no one else...," Her voice shook with anger and sorrow. "... not caring who they step on or push aside to get ahead in life. Nothing else matters to them!"
A thick silence fell. Both Pokémon now merely gazing into one another's eyes, each trying to understand the other. They were both wondering the same thing. Why?
Then..."Is that what happened to you?" Mira asked quietly.
For a moment, Val didn't respond, only staring back at Mira blankly. Then, with the slightest amount of movement, she nodded her head.
"I...I'm sorry," Mira said. "...but that still isn't any excuse for what you are doing."
Val remained silent, so Mira continued. "I'm not saying that what your owner did was right, but punishing others for your trainer's mistakes isn't right," her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "...especially, when you don't even know them."
Val's face was stony. She looked at the ground and was at a loss for words. Her tails hung low, and she felt a burning shame that seemed to eat at her heart.
She still didn't really trust humans, but thought that perhaps she had acted unfairly. After all, she barely even knew this 'Daniel' and she was already trying to steal his Pokémon away from him.
'He may actually be a nice guy' said a very small, optimistic voice in her head.
She paused, as if unsure of how to proceed. "I'm...sorry..." Val mumbled.
Looking once more at the human, Valeria contemplated what she was about to do. Then, with a twitch of her tail, she undid the hypnosis.
Almost immediately, Daniel began to stir. Mira took notice and hurriedly rushed to his side, about to help him up. Turning back towards the Ninetales, she intended to thank her for waking him. Yet, she was gone. Mira thought that she could hear the rustling of leaves on her right, but when she turned to look, the brush obscured her vision and made it impossible for her to see into the dense forest.
A feeling of the deepest sympathy rose within Mira, and she wondered what would become of Valeria now that she was gone.
"Wha...what happened?" mumbled Daniel, pushing himself up with great effort. He looked around confused, as if he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing.
Daniel then saw Mira staring intently at some bushes up ahead. "Hey...Mira, you okay?" he asked drunkenly, oblivious to the fact that_he_ was the one who was lying in the dirt and just had been under a spell.
He felt clammy and very sweaty, as if he had just woken from some horribly vivid dream. Thinking that this was the case, Daniel tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. Unfortunately, like trying to catch smoke, its memory was drifting away and only the fleeting sensation of darkness and solitude remained with him.
"I'm fine, what about you?" someone spoke next to him. He turned to look.
Mira had crept up next to him when he wasn't looking and was now peering up at him. From her worried expression, Daniel guessed that he must look terrible.
"Oh...um, yeah. Don't worry about me, I'm just fine." He replied wearily. He could feel some strength returning to him and he made to stand up, only to fall on his backside.
He could hear Mira stifling a giggle and then felt her furry paws pulling his arm up. With her help, Daniel eventually was able to stand on his feet, albeit a little shakily.
"Mira what happened to me?" he asked once he was standing.
"C'mon...I'll tell you on the way." She replied with a sigh. She chanced a glance into the forest once more before trotting down the path, Daniel walking casually in her wake.
For the next quarter of an hour, Mira recounted her side of the story to Daniel. He listened attentively and grew continuously astonished as her narrative progressed, eventually drawing a 'wow' from him after Mira finished.
"Wow...I mean, just...wow..." Daniel's eyes were wide with shock and wonder. "So...this, Valeria just...hypnotized me?"
"Yep." Mira said.
"To get you...to leave me and...join her?" Daniel said; he wanted to be certain that he understood everything that happened.
"Right."
"But, you told her off..."
"Uh-huh."
"And she just...left?" he asked disbelievingly.
"I think so." she replied, although she wasn't too certain. It was true that she hadn't sensed the Ninetales anywhere, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
"I feel kind of bad for her." spoke Daniel suddenly.
Mira turned her head surprised. "You do?"
She believed that Daniel's reaction to the situation would have been much angrier.
"Yeah...I mean, she's been alone for so long, and judging by how she hates humans, it must have been a rough life for her." Daniel spoke with compassion and sympathy, and to Mira, his words sounded very true.
For the rest of the way, they walked on in silence and, although none of them said it, both secretly wished that they could have helped the poor Ninetales. The two imagined that she was probably far way by now, holed up in some place by herself, all alone and miserable.
How wrong they were.
Valeria was currently feeling perplexed rather than miserable, as she quietly pursued Mira and her human along the path to Jubilife city. She crept behind them stealthily, closely observing them and staying downwind to avoid detection.
All her life, she had thought that humans and Pokémon could never coexist peacefully together and certainly never become friends, yet the evidence to the contrary was staring her in the face.
Her mind was still aflame with thoughts and emotions; she just couldn't see what was so special about that human. Val peered through the brush look at him for again for the tenth time.
He was too far away for her to get a good look, but she could nevertheless tell that he was reasonably handsome. When he was unconscious, Val never really examined him properly and now saw that he was of tall stature, fit, but not overly muscular and appeared quite relaxed, despite the recent events that occurred.
Val shortened her distance with a few silent bounds and continued to watch with interest. She was beginning to notice something odd between the two.
Both Mira's and the human's mouths were moving. Opening and closing at intervals, as if responding to what the other said. It almost looked like a conversation.
Valeria snorted in amusement. She greatly doubted that this was the case and fancied for a moment that the human could talk to Pokémon.
'Ha! That would be something!'
Looking back at them, she realized that they had gone silent. Terrified she had been discovered; Val stopped in her tracks and crouched low to the forest floor, ready to escape at any moment. However, her fears were unfounded, as both Mira and the human resumed walking. They had not noticed her.
Sighing with relief, she carried on her pursuit with renewed caution. Her mind, however, eventually returned to the interesting human she was tailing.
The fact that he confused her so much was infuriating. Everything she had ever believed of humans, all their evil and corrupt ways, now felt thrown into question because of him.
Valeria couldn't walk away like that. She had to know the truth, had to find some proof that she had been right all along about humans.
However, as she looked again upon the distant back of the teenager, she couldn't help but feel the icy chill of doubt creep across her mind...what if she was wrong?
To be continued...
*P.S. Reminder to please comment! I would love to know what u think.*