FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Tainted Glory

Shadows of Kalos

By Evan Drake

Chapter 1: Gifted

Cassandra

Aquacorde Town was a small town on the southern part of the Kalos Region. With no gyms, or trainer schools, the only reason trainers came to the quiet town was to pass through to visit relatives in the neighboring town, Vaniville. Would-be trainers passed through on their way to Santalune City. A port between “over there” and “somewhere else.” Everyone said Lumiose City was beautiful at night, but Aquacorde Town had a sense of serenity. At night, the town provided just enough light to see by as if in hiding. The streets dead and abandoned.

Walking those quiet streets was all Cassandra could think about instead of the match happening before her.

Her parents were having a small tournament, claiming it was a friendly exhibition to keep their students sharp. Everyone knew it was to prove their dojo was better than their rival’s. Some trivial dispute Cassandra didn’t have the patience nor the solicitude for. Her opponent was some poor bastard from Shalour City, thirty-two years old, been a Pokémon trainer since the age of nine, but still having his ass handed to him by a fifteen-year-old. The man’s Medicham, a psychic-and-fighting-type Pokémon, looked more exhausted than her trainer. Cassandra was bored, and she suspected her Lucario, Lucien, felt the same way. Lucien’s blue fur still carried its usual sheen and his red eyes were fierce behind his black mask.

Cassandra yawned and said, “Lucien, use Aura Sphere.”

“I’m not going to give you chance!” her opponent cried. “Medicham, use Fire Punch.”

The Medicham rushed forward, her fist shrouded in flames just as Lucien tried to start his attack. The crowd tensed.

“Me First,” Cassandra said lazily.

Lucien threw a Fire Punch of his own, connecting with the Medicham’s and preventing damage. Unfortunately for the Medicham, Lucien never stopped using his other paw to form the Aura Sphere. He knew it, the Medicham knew it, her trainer knew it, and the crowd knew it. The match had been won. With a triumphant bark, Lucien thrust his paw into the Medicham’s abdomen, striking her with an Aura Sphere at point-blank range. Normally, a fighting-type move like Aura Sphere wasn’t very effective against a psychic-type, but given the amount of damage the Medicham had already taken, it didn’t matter. The attack launched her off her feet, sending her sprawling along the ground.

“This match is over!” the referee cried. “The winner is Cassandra!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, whistles, and clapping. Lucien turned wistfully to Veronica, Cassandra’s mother, and her Lucario and Lucien’s mother, Lucille. At first glance, it was hard to believe Cassandra was related to the woman. Veronica had very prominent cheekbones and a strong jaw giving her the sharpened face of someone who didn’t play around. It was a persona she took to well as one look was enough to silence anyone and put an end to any argument. Cassandra took after her father so she had a fatter face and the same kind brown eyes rather than Veronica’s penetrating—and often cold—green ones.

Veronica didn’t look the least bit pleased by her daughter’s victory. She instead gave Cassandra the same impossible to read look, making Cassandra wonder what she did wrong this time.

“I am sorry, Master,” Lucien said.

“No, Lucien. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cassandra replied.

“That battle was very easy. I should have achieved victory sooner.”

“It doesn’t matter. You won, and that’s all that should matter.”

“I did not enjoy it.”

“Good. You shouldn’t like beating up someone weaker than you.”

Cassandra almost smiled as she watched Veronica’s face turn into her trademark disapproving stare, lips pressed into a thin line with a reprobating leer thrown in for good measure.

Cassandra turned again to leave and saw her opponent standing just a few feet away. Judging from his confused expression, he heard everything she said. Her happiness in defiance of Veronica’s lecturing drained.

“Were you just…talking to your Lucario?”

Cassandra shrugged and walked past the dumbfounded trainer. She had long ago learned not to explain herself anymore. She felt eyes on her and heard uneasy murmurs weave through the crowd. Other people had noticed, too.

She felt Lucien’s paw on her back. “We should go.”

She walked faster and kept her dead down to avoid seeing their faces. Just as she left the building, she overheard someone say, “She’s so weird.” For a split second, she hesitated, then continued on her way, blinking away the forming tears.

Once they were outside, Lucien spoke again, “Master, would you like company?”

“No, get some rest.” She recalled him to his Poké Ball. “You’ve done enough for today. You don’t need to worry about me, too.”

Rather than go home, Cassandra went to the bridge separating her hometown from Avance Trail and the rest of the world. She lost track of time walking along the edge, every now and then pausing to regain her balance and look at the inky black river beneath her. Whenever she did, she would hold out her leg, balancing precariously on the edge, staring at the watery abyss.

It would be so easy to take just one step, she thought. All I have to do is lean forward, and all of my problems go away. With a heavy sigh, she pulled her leg back and continued her walk along the edge of the bridge. It would be so much easier to just walk into the abyss, but it would be giving all those who called her crazy and a liar the satisfaction of thinking they were right. Then there was her little brother, Patrick. The news would devastate him.

Maybe in a way, they were right. Maybe she had lost her mind. Maybe she was so far in denial, she couldn’t see it. Did crazy people know they were crazy? Even if they did, did it make things better or worse? How did they separate it all; the real from illusion?”

“I guess this is it, then,” a voice said.

Cassandra stopped and searched for the source. She saw no one, but she was certain she heard a voice. It wasn’t as if there was anywhere to hide on the bridge. Her eyes eventually settled on a small brown lump several feet away almost indiscernible from the brown stones it sat on.

Cassandra moved closer and discovered the lump was a Furret. It sat on the edge of the bridge, staring down at the water, its long skinny bunched as if preparing to jump.

“Um, excuse me,” Cassandra said. “What do you mean, ‘This is it?’ ”

The Furret jumped several feet into the air and faced her, its striped fur standing on end as its beady eyes stared at her in shock. “What the—? The hell did you come from?”

“I’ve been walking back and forth on this bridge for a while now. I’m surprised you didn’t see me.”

The Furret relaxed and turned back to the river. “Yeah, whatever. It don’t—Hold on, are you talkin’ to me?”

“You see anyone else around?”

“I guess I really am goin’ crazy if I go thinkin’ a human is talkin’ to me.”

“You wouldn’t be the first. So what are you doing?”

The Furret sighed and glared at her. “I fancy a swim. What do you care?”

Cassandra felt a lead ball form in her stomach. “It’s the middle of winter, you’ll freeze.”

The Furret rolled his eyes and rounded on her. “Look, girl, I’ll do whatever I damn well--”

Before he could finish his rant, his hind legs slipped. He scrambled for a foothold for a moment before sliding out of sight.

Without thinking, Cassandra dove after him. The freezing water paralyzed her. The current pulled her under, shrouding her in darkness, her mouth filling with water.

Something kickstarted her brain, and she began kicking against the water, going toward what she hoped was the surface. It was too dark to tell. She broke the surface, and inhaled deeply, coughing up freezing water and filling her burning lungs with air. Something slammed into her, and she grabbed it on instinct. It was the Furret. He didn’t struggle against her, only lay limp in her arms.

She thanked her luck and began swimming toward the banks. The cold water sapped her strength quickly; each stroke was a struggle, and it hurt to breathe. She pushed against the current as hard as she could, but the river was winning. She was being pushed toward the center. Her strength was draining faster than she expected. It was becoming harder to stay above water. She thought of releasing Lucien or her Braixen, Delphine, but neither of them could handle the freezing water any better than she could.

Something touched her, pushing her toward the bank. She didn’t fight it and instead worked with it. Once she reached the edge of the river, she shoved the Furret out of the water before using the last of her strength to crawl out the water. She fell on her side, her body shaking with cold.

“Damn, Cassandra, what were you thinking going for a swim this time of year?”

Cassandra struggled to lift her head and face the Magikarp poking its face out of the water. She knew that Magikarp. She helped it once when some kids were throwing rocks at it.

“S-S-S-Sorry. I-I-I n-n-needed t-to h-h-h-help—”

“Don’t talk. Just get someplace warm,” the Magikarp said before ducking back under the water.

Cassandra took Delphine’s Poké Ball from the holster on her belt and held it into the air. The ball burst open, releasing the Braixen onto the banks. Looking at the bright yellow fur of the fox Pokémon made Cassandra feel warmer.

Delphine took one look at Cassandra and scooped her into her arms. “Cassy! What happened to you?!”

Cassandra didn’t say anything. She just buried her face into Delphine’s warm fur. It paid to have a fire-type on the team. It felt like hugging a heated blanket.

Delphine reached around, took Lucien’s Poké Ball from Cassandra’s belt, and tossed it into the air. The area was again filled with a dazzling light as Lucien came out.

“Master! What—?” Lucien began.

“No time,” Delphine interjected. “Go get some firewood.”

Lucien ran off while Delphine half-dragged Cassandra further away from the riverbank. It was then Cassandra realized she was still clinging to the unconscious Furret.

“Lemme guess: that’s why you almost froze to death,” Delphine said, annoyed.

Cassandra nodded. She would get an earful from Lucien later, but it was worth it so long as the Furret survived.

Delphine sat Cassandra down at a clearing near the edge of the bridge. It didn’t take long before Lucien returned, out of breath, with a large bundle of wood and a heavy blanket. Cassandra could only smile at her Lucario.

“Do I even wanna know where you found that?” Delphine asked.

“I borrowed it from a nearby store,” Lucien said as he wrapped the blanket around Cassandra. “I did what I had to. We can return it in the morning.”

Delphine rolled her eyes and pulled out the stick sitting in her fur, igniting its tip. She swept the flaming stick over the bundle of sticks on the ground, igniting the bundle. Delphine poked at the campfire a few times before replacing the stick in her fur.

Cassandra hugged the soaking wet Furret close and let the warmth of the campfire wash over them. She could feel him breathing which was a good sign. She turned to Lucien. “I need another f-favor. Can you g-go to the P-Poké Mart and grab some potions? Make sure no one sees you.”

“Of course, Master.” Lucien disappeared into the darkness.

Cassandra hugged the shivering Furret while Delphine hugged the both of them and kept a watch for any wild Pokémon. This close to Aquacorde Town, it seemed unlikely to run into any wild Pokémon, but a campfire in the middle of the night could easily attract all sorts of things. It was unnaturally quiet as if the whole world held its breath in anticipation of some event. Cassandra just hoped to be nowhere near wherever it went down.

Delphine broke the silence. “So how’d the battle go?”

“F-Fine. We won.”

“Of course we did. Wish I could’ve had some fun.”

“Y-You know that V-Veronica would never a-allow it.”

“Yeah, yeah. ‘We’re a fighting family. We only use fighting-types.’ Blah, blah, blah.”

Cassandra smiled at Delphine’s impression of Veronica which sounded nothing like the woman. She stroked the Furret, hoping to wipe off some of the access water. His eyes were still closed and he was shivering badly. Cassandra wondered about taking him to the Pokémon Center. Of course, she would need to come up with a plausible excuse as to how she found the Furret in the first place.

Just as Lucien returned with an armful of potions, the Furret opened his eyes and began struggling against his savior. It took everything Cassandra had to keep him from running off or hurting himself.

“Whoa, calm down! It’s okay, you’re safe!”

The Furret stopped struggling and looked up at Cassandra then frowned. “You again? Whadd’ya want from me, lady?”

“I want to save you.” She took one of the potions from Lucien. “Here, hold still.”

The Furret’s glare darkened and he smacked the potion away. “I ain’t ask for your fuckin’ help.”

“Watch your mouth when you speak to my master,” Lucien growled.

The Furret faced Lucien. “You want a piece, punk? ‘Cause I got no problems kickin’ your ass, too!”

“Lucien, no,” Cassandra said firmly. She tapped the Furret on the head. “And you need to show some appreciation. We just saved your life.”

“I ain’t ask to be saved. And I ain’t ask to be saved by you.”

“Hey, Cassy, you want me to teach this guy some manners?” Delphine asked.

Cassandra shook her head. “Snapping at us doesn’t change that you wanted to drown yourself. What happened to your trainer?”

The Furret scoffed and turned away. “Never had one.”

“What about family?” Lucien asked.

The Furret stiffened in Cassandra’s arms. “Not one of those, either.”

“What happened to them?” Cassandra asked. Her fingers touched a scar beneath the Furret’s fur. He scrambled away from her and moved to the other side of the campfire. He stared at Cassandra, Lucien, and Delphine, his body trembling from the cold, but it didn’t dampen the rage lingering in his eyes.

Cassandra already had an idea what happened to the Furret’s family. Likely, his family had been killed by a predator or stolen by poachers. The scar she touched accidentally was probably a memento from his failed attempt to rescue them. She felt sorry for him. The anger vanished from Lucien’s eyes. Even Delphine seemed downhearted.

“I-I’m sorry,” Cassandra said. “If you don’t wanna share, that’s fine. But you shouldn’t spend the night here. You’ll freeze.”

“Maybe I wanna freeze.”

Cassandra couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This Furret was determined to die. She had never heard of a Pokémon committing suicide. She was usually the first to mind her own business, but in this case, she just couldn’t ignore it. Pokémon didn’t have therapists, so who else was the Furret supposed to talk to for support?

“Maybe I don’t want you to freeze,” she said.

The Furret tilted his head and blinked in confusion. “Why d’ya care so much? You don’t know me.”

“I know you’re in pain,” Cassandra said. “I know you feel trapped, alone. I feel the same way sometimes.”

“So?” His eyes showed she was getting through to him.

“So, I know it helps to have friends.” She motioned to Lucien and Delphine. “I could be your friend too if you want.”

The Furret moved closer, never taking his eyes off Cassandra. “Why?”

“Because no one else can hear your voice,” Cassandra said. “I doubt other Pokémon really care about this sort of thing.”

“They really don’t,” Delphine said. “If he’s jumping off bridges, other Pokémon would want nothing to do with him.”

The Furret glared at the Braixen, but he said nothing. For a while no one said anything, only the sounds of a crackling campfire and the running river breaking the silence. Cassandra turned to Lucien. As a Lucario, he could read auras and get a feel for the conversation. This was one of the times she didn’t envy him and his ability. Lucien looked at the Furret as if he were something precious that had been broken.

Finally, the Furret spoke. “So, what happens if I say yeah? We become best buddies and start runnin’ through flowers together?”

Delphine snorted into her paw. Lucien didn’t share her amusement.

Cassandra ignored both of them. “I was thinking more emotional support through drinking and battling other trainers.”

The Furret studied her face, likely looking for any signs of lying. She kept eye contact.

“And if I say no? Will you let me die?”

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”

“You ain’t answer my question.”

“No,” Cassandra said firmly. “I won’t let you die. I can hear the voices of Pokémon for a reason. After everything this damn ability has taken from me, I have to get some benefit out of it.”

Everyone was silent. Even the fire seemed to cackle quietly. The Furret maintained eye contact. Cassandra refused to look away. She meant what she said. If she had to strap him to her back to keep him alive, so be it.

Eventually, the Furret spoke again. “Fine, girl. Yes.”

Cassandra wasn’t fully convinced, but it was a start. Perhaps in time, he would see the value of his life.

“Yay, another new Pokémon,” Delphine said lazily. “Cassy, please tell me we’re not spending the night out here.”

“I concur, Master,” Lucien said. “You need a change of clothes.”

“You ‘concur’?” the Furret asked, throwing a quizzical look in Lucien’s direction. “Where’d ya find this guy?”

Cassandra ignored him. “I’ll be fine, Lucien.” She had no intention of sleeping outside. She was cold, wet, and had no supplies outside of the blanket she wore and a few stolen potions. She was already going to catch hell for being out after curfew. She didn’t want to add a cold or possibly hypothermia as well.

She stayed by the fire until she stopped trembling then had Delphine stamp out the flames so they could head home.

“Sorry, Fury, but I don’t have any spare Poké Balls so you’ll have to walk back,” Cassandra said.

The Furret turned to her. “ ‘Fury’?”

“Yeah, I need to call you something,” Cassandra said. “You look like a Fury.”

“He’s been nothing but pissed since we met him,” Delphine mumbled.

Fury smiled.

The walk home was slow and awkward. Delphine insisted on holding on to Cassandra to keep her trainer warm. The problem was the foot-and-a-half difference in height between them. Lucien kept an unnaturally careful watch on their surroundings. It seemed odd since there hadn’t been a Pokémon attack in Aquacorde in over 50 years and there hadn’t been a murder in over 20. The town was the very definition of boring and quiet. But Lucien’s ability to sense auras surpassed any level of hearing, sight, or smell, so Cassandra left him to his devices. Fury stayed close but said nothing. Judging from the way he looked around at everything, she suspected he was in silent awe of his surroundings.

When they got home, Cassandra moved around to the side of the house instead of going through the front door. She would rather wait until morning for her lecture on staying out so late. There was a veranda at the back of the house which Cassandra used to reach her bedroom window.

The window was unlocked as Cassandra left it. She was glad to be back in her room. She decided not to turn on the light and risk anyone seeing it under the door. Even with the lights off, she could see easily from the lights in the yard.

Veronica had been in the room earlier that day. It was clear from the neatly made bed and everything having been put away and wiped down.

Cassandra sighed and started to undress. As much as she wanted to just change into warm clothes and drop into bed, she really wanted a shower after that dip in the river. On top of that, she needed to bathe Fury. All wild Pokémon captured had to be cleaned. She was in enough trouble as it was. Veronica would be furious if she not only messed up her sheets but brought in an unclean wild Pokémon as well. Any other time, Cassandra wouldn’t care, but she knew to pick her battles wisely.

“You two stay here. You, come with me.” She kicked her clothes into the corner. “Before you fight me, if you want to stay here, you’ll need a bath. Veronica will be pissed if I don’t.”

When Cassandra entered the hall, she nearly walked into Lucille, Veronica’s Lucario. The resemblance to Lucien was almost uncanny even with her slightly brighter blue fur. But something in her face gave it away. She had that sign of maturity and grizzledness that only comes from old age. That and she had a piercing gaze that could burn a hole through lead.

Cassandra sighed. “Hi, Lucille.”

The mature Lucario turned her steely gaze to Fury and said nothing.

Fury turned to Cassandra. “She the silent type?”

“She’s the only Pokémon that refuses to acknowledge I can talk to them.” To Lucille she added, “Can I at least get some sleep before you turn me in? Or at least let me have a shower?” Lucille would likely tell on her anyway, but it never hurt to ask. Lucille said nothing. Cassandra took the silence as acceptance and stepped around the Lucario to head to the bathroom.

After the dip in the river, the thought of getting in water again was unpleasant, so she quickly rinsed herself off. Unfortunately, Fury received a thorough scrubbing. If she didn’t give the Furret a proper cleaning, Veronica would, and he did not want that. He was silent the entire time and tensed when she touched his scar again. She found other scars, but she didn’t ask about them. It was not uncommon to find a wild Pokémon with scars. After the shower, she quickly toweled them both off and returned to her room.

Veronica was waiting for them, sitting on the bed. From the look on her face, she wasn’t happy. Lucille stood next to her, wearing the same disapproving look. Lucien sat in the corner, staring guiltily at the floor. Delphine stood on the other side of the room, arms folding across her chest, throwing dirty looks at pair of mothers.

Cassandra sighed and closed the door behind her. “Can’t we do this in the morning? I’m sure I’ll still be grounded then.”

“Don’t be a smartass,” Veronica warned. “You disappeared after the tournament, and it’s well after curfew. Now, where were you?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and went over to her dresser. “Out. I went for a walk. I would’ve been on time except I had to rescue Fury.” She pointed to the wet Furret at her feet.

Some of the anger left Veronica’s eyes. “It looks fine to me, but why is it here instead of at the Pokémon Center?”

Cassandra swore under her breath. She hadn’t thought of a decent excuse, but if she lied, Lucille would sense it and sell her out. “I…I saw him trying to commit suicide.”

Veronica’s brow rose and her jaw tightened. Cassandra hated that look. It meant Veronica had made up her mind and everything Cassandra said would be under scrutiny. “You saw a Pokémon committing suicide? That’s the best excuse you could come up with?”

“It’s not an excuse,” Cassandra said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. “He jumped off the bridge.”

“And how do you know he wasn’t trying to catch a Magikarp?”

“I look like I eat Magikarp?” Fury asked Cassandra. “How the hell she expect me to catch one? Your mother ain’t too bright.”

“Watch your mouth,” Lucille growled.

“Calm yourself, Lucille,” Veronica said. To Cassandra she said, “It’s too late to argue with you right now.” She rose from the bed and straightened her clothes. “I expect to see you bright and early for training tomorrow.” She threw a glance at Lucien. “Bring that one with you.”

As she left the room, Cassandra called after her. “We just won a tournament, and you already want to start me on training?”

Veronica stopped at the door. Without looking back she said, “Now that you’ve given people an idea of your skill level, you need to surpass it by the time they match it. I will not let you blind yourself with arrogance.”

She left the room. Lucille looked somberly at Lucien before following her trainer.

“I miss somethin’?” Fury asked.

“Veronica is…very caring about her children, or at least that’s the lie she tells herself to sleep at night,” Cassandra said. She finished dressing then flopped onto the bed. “You’ll learn to tolerate her like Delphine does.”

“I wouldn’t call it tolerating,” Delphine said.

“I was talkin’ ‘bout the female ‘mon.”

“That is none of your business,” Lucien growled. He stomped over to his Poké Ball and pressed the button in its center. The ball opened and sucked Lucien inside.

“And you call me Fury.”

Cassandra grabbed an empty Poké Ball from the nightstand next to her bed. “Lucien’s had it rough. Stay away from Lucille if you can. She’ll tolerate you because you’re my Pokémon, but she won’t be nice about it.”

Fury hopped onto the bed. “She ‘tolerate’ your friend, too?”

“Lucien is her son, and the situation is complicated.”

Delphine snorted derisively. “That’s underselling it.”

Fury’s eyes looked distant as if recalling an unpleasant memory. “She mighta had him, but she ain’t a mother.” He tapped the button on the Poké Ball. It opened and he was sucked inside. It wiggled once before the distinct clicking sound, indicating he had been captured.

“I can tell he’s gonna be fun to have around,” Delphine said. “I thought after catching me, you learned your lesson.”

Cassandra dropped the Poké Ball on the nightstand. “Veronica can kiss my ass. I’m not letting a Pokémon die just because my parents might not approve. Good night, Delphine.”