Wolf-Bound

     Miyu felt stiffer than ever. She gracefully shied away from the ranger, hiding behind the hair that covered half her face. She wanted to approach the human, but her consciousness and low self-esteem told her not to. You'll be rejected, It said continuously through her mind. Just like with every other trainer out there. She blinked, hesitating as she put one foot over the other. ...But she seems to want me. Just like Hikaru did. She brought her hands up to her face-it was an old habit she had-and slowly walked over to Kokuei.

 "...G-Gar?" She questioned. Was it even safe to touch this human?

   Kokuei........................... UM.............................. REACTED SOMEHOW!! -brain failure-

OKAY-

   Kokuei sighed heavily; it was REALLY HOT and she was REALLY TIRED. What do I have to do to prove myself to this pokemon? She thought about using her styler on it, but then thought better of the idea. ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES IDIOT!! Rooting around in her pocket, she brought out the two coins she had recently and RANDOMLY recieved, and started rolling them in her hand. She usually needed something to mess with while she thought.

   Kokuei thought and thought and finally- she came up blank. Sighing VERY HEAVILY, she spread her arms and fell backwards, flopping onto the sand. A trapinch immedeatly came over and bit her head, growling. "sigh- I can't give you any reason to trust me, especially after seeing me with those thugs." A thin line of blood trickled from the trapinch's tooth, down the side of Kokuei's forehead. She began to feel inside her jacket pocket. "But please, don't be alarmed. I won't come near if you don't want me to, and I won't force you to come with us." She brought out the pokemon food and held it up to the trapinch, at which it immedeatly smelled her hand and let go, eagerly snapping up the unexpected treat. Kokuei looked up and squinted in the sun. "It would be nice though, if we could be friends someday.."

    The gardevoir winced heavily as the human took the trapinch off her head. She spoke to her in such a nice tone... so soft, delicate, and gentle. Miyu suddenly moved over so the sun wasn't hitting the ranger directly, but she was taking the heat instead.

 "Gardevoir." She replied with a small, hesitant smile as she reached out to her with her charm hand. Please don't run away, She pleaded silently in her mind. I don't want to loose another person.

   Kokuei........................................................

DAMN THESE BRAIN FARTS orz

   KOKUEI Was surprised when the gardevoir stood above her. Honestly she knew that it wouldn't have run away, but it appeared as though it was sheilding her. Gardevoir slowly held out it's hand to her, and Kokuei held her hand out too. Suddenly they were holding hands, and fantastical DuDU DUUUUUU AMAZING MOMENT AWE-INSPIRING MUSIC WAS PLAYING AND- no.

   Kokuei held her hand up too, unsure what to do, but thinking that it was the right thing to do. Her hand brushed gardevoir's and she almost couldn't believe that this wild pokemon was allowing her to touch it, without having been captured with her styler. Without being able to convey her feelings to this pokemon, then why did gardevoir allow her to touch it?

     Miyu let her small smile get slightly bigger as she helped the ranger up. Compared to the hot, furry bodies of her other companions, the gardevoir's soft, leather-like structure was cool and fresh. She was silent for a considerable amount of time as she averted her eyes from reaching the ranger. At last, she finally looked up at the ranger and twiddled her thumbs.

 "You all must be thinking why I'm so open to you," Miyu said, addressing everyone before addressing the ranger. "I bet you're wondering why I chose to help you like I did."

   Rakurai grumbled and flicked her tail. "Well, ya. But I've learned by now to just go with it. Everything wierd happens around my trainer....."

   Dash walked over to her. "I don't really care why your helping us- I'm just happy you are.' He looked solumnly at Kokuei. "With my thick pelt I won't be much help to Kokuei at all in this heat. But you have no fur at all." He panted and wheezed. "I'm getting roasted."

   Kokuei heard Dash's wheeze and turned around. "Sorry little guy. Return." She pointed at her growllithe and he whooshed inside his pokeball, safe from the intense heat. Kokuei, now sweating insistantly, reached up and took off her jacket. "Man. Like I need this anymore....." She stuffed it in her bag and turned her hat so that the visor was over her forehead, keeping the sun away. "Well, I have water, but to really utilize it I should keep you cool too." She pointed her pokeball at Rakurai. "Return."

   Rakurai saw the red light coming at her and yowled, dodging it. Kokuei looked at her irritably. "Return!!" Rai jumped and dodged it again.

   "Return!!!" She rolled out of the way.

   "RETURN!!"

   "RETURNRETURNRETURNRETURNRETURN!!!!!!!!"

   The now fuming Kokuei turned to Rakurai, sitting on a rock above her. "Rakurai!! If you get out of this sun you'll feel alot better!!!!"

   Rakurai moaned. "I DON'T WAAAAAAAANNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

   Kokuei groaned. "Fine you can stay out if that's what you want. But you're in charge of finding water now."

   Rai grumbled. "Fine by me as long as I'm not stuffed inside that pokeball. Seriously what if you get heat stroke or something. Then what'll we do......."

     Miyu smiled anxiously, sweating nervously as Rakurai fought to be left out of her pokeball. True, no one liked to be in a pokeball, but at least Kokuei was thinking for the best. (-sweatdrop-) What a strange family.

 "Water isn't all that hard to find..." She said timidly as she played with the jingling bracelet on her wrist some more. "A-And it'd be easier for you to dig it up anyways, with your big c-claws and all..."

   Rakurai turned and flicked her tail, sparking. "Ya, I guess..." She slunk to the edge of the ridge and shambled down the slope with feline grace. Kokuei walked to the side and sighed. "I guess we gotta follow her....." She started down the slope after Rakurai.

   A few feet from the top Kokuei felt herself slip on the steep terrain. She tried to grab a hold of a root protruding from the slope but it was no use and her fingers slipped from its sandy surface. The pebbles beneath her feet gave way, and suddenly she was tumbling head over heels towards the bottom of the ravine, rocks digging into the exposed skin on her arms and legs.

     Miyu gasped. "Hey!" Her eyes glowed and she raised her hands. Suddenly, a strange light embraced Kokuei's body. She stopped falling almost instantly and she was levitated back up to ground level next to the gardevoir. Miyu took in a deep breath and sighed, letting her psychic bring the trainer back down safely before giving in to the tiredness that came along with it. She flinched, but stood right back up. 

 "Are you okay?!" She asked, checking the girl for any injuries.

   Kokuei rubbed her head and looked up at gardevoir, smiling. "Thank's I really owe ya one! If you hadn't caught me who knows how scratched up I would be!" She stopped when she saw the pokemon's worried expression. "OH! Don't worry I'm fine okay?" She smiled. "It's alright it's just a few scratches; I've had much worse. Let's get going okay?" She got up and walked after Rakurai, who was watching her with concern. "Come on gardevoir!"

     "Gar!" Miyu responded, quickly following after her new friend.

     It was dark. It was damp. It was something Kamina was not used to. His time spent in the laboratory got him accustomed to human living accomodations, and though he was immune to most viruses that might potentially pose a threat to his fragile being, he wasn't a real pokemon. He wasn't human, either. He was that weird outcast in the middle of nowhere-someone who didn't belong. The one out of the box. The lugia boy trampled through the forest, waiting to find someone (or even someTHING at this point) to find him so he could get out of this mess.

 "I'm a freak of nature, that's why..." He grumbled to himself as he stepped over the tree branch. "No one cares, no one wants to help... It's all worthless to help someone else. Noooo, we have to go experimenting on them and messing with the natural law! We even have to erase his previous memories, how sweet. Well, I'll show THEM! I'll get my memories back... I just know I will. If I don't...."

 Kamina sighed and stopped when he camem to a town. It was a small town, not even big enought to be called a town, and it had little people interaction. The residents all looked side to side in a bored and lengthy motion, as if they were asleep and didn't want to get up. Kamina took in a deep breath, and started to walk in. As he walked down the dusty side of the road, attention was immediately drawn to him.

 "Mommy, mommy! Who's that man who's walking funny?" A little girl asked, pointing and shouting at the experiment. "He's got wings for hands!"
 "No no, honey. That's j-just a Pokefan. He must really like lugia." Her mother calmed her.

 "You have no idea." Kamina said, suddenly in front of them. His appearance was intimidating-especially since he was so incredibly tall. His face looked dark and scary in the shadows of his height. The girl cringed and hid behind her mother, getting away from the boy. He simply sighed and looked up at the older woman. "Do you happen to have some food? I haven't eaten in weeks."

 "Weeks?!" The womn gasped.

 "Well, maybe a little bread and water, but that's not really food."
 "Of course you can have some food! Poor boy, you must be starving!"

 She disappeared inside her house before coming out with a couple of boxed lunches. "Here, eat these. they'll help you get better, honey."

 Kamina bowed respectively and took the lunches. He thanked the lady and was extra careful to control his trembling wings that were iching to get rid of the powerful energy of the blast earlier. He headed off, but was stopped by the little girl who was messing with his wings.

 "Hey, get off." He said gently, pulling his wing away from her. "I need that."

 "Is this real?" She asked. "Show me a power! Show me a power!"

 "No, it's not real. I'm not a pokemon." That was a lie.

 "Use aero blast!" She commanded. Kamina did not respond with anything but his feet walking out of the small village. "Hey, wait! Come back!!"
 She tripped, grabbing his arm as she fell. He turned around, but his wings were already raised. All in an instant, the village was destroyed. All the people were either on the ground and unmoving, or coughing violently until their spasms ceased and they were no more. He looked down at his feet and there was the little girl. Her dark red hair was sprawled all over her broken body and her eyes were wide with fear and shock. Kamina's pale eyes widened at the destruction he caused. Why did they do this to him? He didn't want to be a super freak of nature.

 "God, help me." He prayed, tears forming in his eyes. Suddenly, he felt something scratch at his leg.

 "Mow!" He looked down to see an adorable little purrloin pawing his legs. He blinked slowly before crouching down and petting the cat pokemon on her head.

 "You should be afraid of me." He stated, pushing the rubble off her nice fur coat.

 "What's there to be afraid of?" She asked. Kamina was taken aback by this statement. "You're only human."

 "....Wait, I seriously did not hear you just speak."

 "I'm quite sure you did, and this fact surprises me that you can understand me!" The purrloin commented, her eyes just as wide as his were. "What happened to you?"

 The lugia boy sighed. "I don't have much memory besides I was transformed into.... this." He raised his wings just a bit and wiggled the 'fingers' on the end. "I want to help the others who have had the same fate. Like that small child I used to always look after in the lab..."

 The purple feline tilted her head, inquiring him to go on.

 "Right after she left, she... the trailer she was in exploded. I don't know if she's still alive or..." He turned away, not bearing to think of the thought. She shook her fur and rubbed her head against his hand.

 "Do you want some company?" She asked kindly. "I've been looking for a travel buddy, and.... you seem like you're just a bit lonely."

 Kamina was hesitant, but then he smiled and picked up the purrloin. "Sure." He said. "I don't know where we're going, but I'm sure we'll figure it out on the way. How's that sound?"
 "Sounds like a good plan to me!" She said happily, swishing her tail back and forth as she made her way up to his shoulder. "By the way, I'm Yomi."
 "Kamina. Glad to meet ya."

 So, he started to walk off-away from the destruction where he had just met his newest friend.

   Shadow ran through the streets of town, followed by a barrage of pokemon and trainers.

   "I'M GOING TO CATCH IT- DON'T TRY AND STOP ME!!"

   "YOU?!! HA!! AS YOU CAN SEE, TEPIG ANDI WILL BE THE ONES TO CATCH IT!!!!"

   "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!!!! AN UMBREON IN UNEVA!!!! I'VE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING AS THIS!!"

   "It must be INCREDIBLY Rare... Imagine- A pokemon of Jhoto in Uneva! And a wild one at that!"

   "This will make the headlines!"

   "Go Braviary! Use AERIAL ACE!!"

   Shadow heard the command and his heart skipped a beat as he heard the beating of wings. He ran faster, only to trip on a rock. As he fell a massive force slammed into his side, knocking his breath away. The force of the wind swirling around him lifted him into the air and threw him into an alley, where he fell into a pile of black trash bags.

   Shadow lay unmoving on the pile of bags, his dark fur blending in with the black plastic of the bags. His band of pursuers ran past, taking a look in the alley for the rare umbreon. The alley suddenly looked much darker, and shadows hung upon everything in weird places, as if the sun had disappeared. Seeing nothing through the darkness, the crowd moved on in their wild goose chase.

   Shadow lay on his side and moaned. The lights on his pelt glew in the darkness like black holes, spreading darkness wherever the eerie 'light' shone. He remembered a time when his pelt shone bright in the darkness, lighting his partner's path wherever they went. He felt miserable now. Wherever he went his world would never again be bright like it was before. And besides, I have to escape from my fans first. Standing up he leapt over the wall of the alley and ran off into the city, hoping to stay out of sight for a while.

     "Saya!" Tracie growled, batting the blaziken's head a few times. "That's not nice! Now apologize to the poor pineco!"

 "Awww, do I have to?" He moaned, tossing his stick away to the other end of the place. There was a small pineco in the dirt, covered with the gross stuff. Saya had decided that it would be funny to scare it to death, but ended up getting reprimanded by Tracie. Again.

 "Yes you have to!" She growled. "Did you think about the poor pineco's feelings when you hurt him? Now say sorry!"

 He groaned once more in protest, but didn't complain any longer when Tracie threatened him with a charge of ice beam. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry."

 By the time they had finished their bickering, the pineco was mostly cleaned off and slowly inching away from the other pokemon. So much for fun. After a few more minutes of pointless fighting, they finally gave up and continued on their journey. A bunch of people in the city they were passing looked at him funny, as if they were wearing some odd costume. But then again, you didn't see an ice type and a fire type walking around very often. They were just complete opposites. Suddenly, they heard a hoard of trainers and ducked into a corner to hide from all the commotion. When they were gone, the two pokemon looked out and blinked. What just happened?
 "There must be something big going on," Tracie repeated what Saya was saying in his head. "otherwise they wouldn't be running like that. I wonder what they're chasing after?"

 "I dunno, but I'm gonna find out!" Saya said, storming out of the alley and beginning to search the place. Jeez, what a dummy. If he was gonna search the WHOLE ENTIRE TOWN, that would take all night, and maybe another day or so just to get through it without people chasing him down. You're so dumb, Saya. Tracie commented in her mind. But I bet you already knew that, didn't you?

   "Move, MOVE!!"

   "I can't move as fast as you Slash!!"

   "Then someone cover him! I'll carry the little one- here..."

   Slash took the pichu that the quilava had been carrying, allowing it to turn around and cover the slowpoke. Slash continued running to catch up to the other pokemon. Furret turned and looked at him worriedly, an azumarill on her back, hanging on by its tail. "Slash, has the whole town turned up to chase us?" She was incredibly fatigued, and her coat was covered in dirt. The small pokemon on her back appeared to be hanging on by shear willpower alone.

   Slash pulled a scowl and put the pichu at his paws, where it looked up at him with wide eyes. "Ya, I'm afraid it looks that way- or very close to it." He turned to the rest of the frightened and bedraggled pokemon. "We've run into a town with a lot of trainers guys; there must be some competition going on or something. He turned to delcatty, and a couple more of his trusted pokemon. "You will come with me, and we'll give these guys and the little ones some cover. We'll need strong pokemon that origionate in this region, or can usually or even occasionally found here." The pokemon nodded. Slash went on. "This will allow those weaker or 'rarer' than ourselves to escape during the fighting."

   The pokemon nodded and stretched, in anticipation of battle. Slash turned to stantler, who had a group of small pokemon clinging to its antlers. "Can you carry one more?" Stantler nodded and bowed his head as the pikachu nudged pichu towards his magnificent rack. Pichu looked at the antlers and hesitantly clambored on, spurred by its fellow pokemons' encouraging words. Slash put his ears back and bared his teeth, his fur bristling. "Now lets go kick some trainer tail!!"

   "YA!!"

     There was a big BANG in the street.

 "What was that?!" Tracie asked worriedly. She looked around frantically as Saya ran out into the street. Everything seemed to be nice and quiet... Too quiet. Where were all the people? "I have a bad feeling about this...." Tracie's remark was etched into both of their minds as a HUGE dust cloud started to show itself in the distance. The glaceon squinted so she could get a better look and noticed that they were all Pokemon!

 "They must've been what those trainers were after!!" She exclaimed, jumping off Saya's head to run towards the hoard.

 "H-Hey, Trace! Waaaaaiiiiit!!!" Saya yelled as he ran after her. At that moment, he was cornered. He didn't know what had happened except that there was a pikchu on his head. The pikachu charged, and shot a lightning bolt at several of the people in the crowd-including the blaziken! The fire pokemon stood there and blinked for a moment before falling down to the floor, electricity crackling from his fur in a burnt fashion. Tracie bounded over to him and sniffed the blaziken's head before pronouncing him alright. She looked up and gazed upon an oddly-colored pikachu. He had a ragged yellow coat, piercing red eyes, and black stripes upon his back that resembled lighting bolts. Weren't those supposed to be brown? She asked herself, blinking in confusion at the pikachu. A trainer suddenly picked her up, in hopes that she would cooperate and be his pokemon. Screeching, she gave him the cold shoulder with an ice beam to the boy's collarbone that extended to his shoulder. She wriggled free, only to have a pokeball thrown at her face. It bounced off her head and landed on the floor. Tracie growled at the person who threw the ball, who was just as surprised as she was.

 "Why isn't it working?!" He gasped, pulling out a crabby's pokeball. "Crabby, use bubble beam!"

 The beam was shot at the glaceon, but she spat back with another ice beam that froze the bubbles before they were able to hit her directly.

 "Get away! I don't belong to any of you!!!!" She growled, deflecting a master ball that was thrown at Saya's head. NOW she was pissed.

   Slash leapt the stream of trainers and dashed around the corner, leaving Bayleaf and Monferno to guard the alley in which the weaker pokemon were hiding. The pikachu dashed out into the streets followed by a pod of pokemon and their trainers, all determined to capture him. Leaping onto a strange blaziken's face, he bristled and his eyes shone with electricity. Every stranger is an enemy!  Sparking eratically, Slash yelled and let out waves of thunder, shocking both the blaziken and the pursuing pokemon. He jumped to the ground as the fire starter fell to the ground behind him. He bristled and turned back to face the oncoming pokemon, electric sparks humming from his cheeks, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks. Right in front of him, a glaceon was fighting the whole crowd of trainers before her.

   The glaceon bristled as a pokeball flew towards blaziken, and hit it away with her tail. Another pokeball hit her cheek, and as she turned around a second hit her neck, knocking her breath away. Slash watched the scene in confusion. Is she a captured pokemon? A swish of air tickled his ear and Slash jumped away as the pokeball hit the sidewalk where he had just been standing. Hopping back onto all fours, he charged his cheeks and rushed the trainers. "HEY, PICK ON SOMEONE ONE-TENTH YOUR SIZE!!!!" He jumped and grabbed one of the trainers around the face, and bit his neck. Still gripping the struggling trainer in his teeth, Slash let out a massive thundershock, zapping all of the trainers and pokemon surrounding the glaceon. The crabby rolled onto its back, smoking.

   Slash let go and dropped to the concrete when the trainer fell to the ground. The pikachu dashed to the glaceon, turning around and baring his teeth. Sheilding the glaceon from the barrage for an instant, he yelled over the commotion. "You already belong to someone don't ya? Sorry about hitting your friend, we're all just trying to get home." He noticed a glimpse of red at the corner of his vision, and knew the blaziken was coming around. Looking through the crowd, Slash called to one of his friends. "RAPIDASH!!"

   The blazing horse galloped over, flinging an attacker off its back. Slash pointed behind him with his tail. "Grab that one and lets get him back with the others; I'll cover you!" Rapidash whinied and threw Saya onto her back, beginning to run along the wall towards the back alleys. Slash turned back to glaceon. "Follow me!" He ran after rapidash and shocked the people in her way, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure that glaceon was still following.

     Tracie dodged another pokeball before freezing someone's hand and running off alongside the pikachu. What an oddball he was, but she was thankful for his willingness to help her. She sped on past, but she ran out of breath quickly since she was so used to sitting atop Saya's shoulders. Not to mention that she hadn't had a decent meal in a while. She glanced around and spotted a familiar passageway up ahead.

 "Hey!" She yelled to the mysterious pikachu, gaining speed so she could run right beside him. "I know a shortcut."

   Slash looked back at her oddly, and had to dodge another pokemon attack. His fur sprang up in defence and he let out a thunder wave, paralyzing the staravia who had attempted to peck him. He looked at glaceon inquizitably. "Shortcut to where?"

     "You want out of this city, right?" She questioned. "The best way to go if you don't want to get noticed is down that way." she pointed towards a never-ending alleyway with her nose. "No one goes down there, and it's where me and my friend came through when we first got here. It goes through a cavern, but we should be fine."

   Slash thought about that for a second and then stopped glaceon as she headed towards the alleyway. "Wait." He looked around, but most everyone was busy battling other pokemon for the moment. Slash nodded in the direction which rapidash fled. "Follow me."

   Slash led glaceon to the alley, where they were immedeatly intercepted by bayleaf and monferno. Monferno recognized him and relaxed, but then bristled again when he saw glaceon. "Slash watch out- there's an ice type behind you!" Bayleaf shivered with the thought of ice and brought his vines out, readying his razor leaf.

   Slash stood up and held up his paws. "No no no! Guys, this is a friend. She and her friend were getting attacked too."

   Bayleaf lowered his vines and sniffed at glaceon, then brought them in all the way. Monferno stepped to one side and let them pass. Once in the alleyway, Slash took a turn into an abandoned store with a broken door, which looked barracaded. The pikachu turned to a hole in the wall and beckoned to his new commrade. "This way." Once inside they were greeted by wary glittering eyes, glazed with exhaustion.

   Inside the store the shelves were lined with pokemon, and others hid under the counters. The large pokemon huddled in the corners, and the strong ones stood in the middle of the floor, turning to the newcomers, ready to defend their fellow pokemon. Slash's cheeks sparked in the half-light. "Guys, it's me. It's alright." The pokemon relaxed a bit, but still stood tense incase anyone came in uninvited.

   Slash turned to glaceon. "These are my friends. We are all refugees from a lab in Uneva, which exploded in an accident. Some of us have been experimented on and are already fatigued enough without extra travel. Here the strong help the weak and we are trying to go back to our own various regions. I'm one of the pokemon in charge of getting everyone home safely." He looked at azumarill and furret sadly, and turned his gaze back to glaceon. "So you see, I have to get everyone out of the city; not just myself."