A New Life

[.:Inu:.]

And then there were three. A trainer and her Pokemon, not an uncommon sight. The girl gave a sigh of happiness, forgetting what might have happened. Her gaze settled on the small Cubone. Big brother. If only we can see each other. You're probably already at the league, waiting for me. I'm sorry for the delay, I owe you much more than that. If I had been a breeder, I probably would have kept care of that Houndoom much longer. But then again, I wouldn't have met Kuno. My first battle can begin any moment now. I'm not sure if I'm ready. Heh, I'm thinking as if I'm writing you a letter, but I know you'll hear it. Mom gave me a Kinta so that when she evolves, I can write letters to you. Good luck on your adventures, and may we meet soon.

Her Electrike daemon, Reiki, looked up at Kamari with a strange expression. With widened eyes, she realized she was just standing there the whole time. "Heh, sorry, guys. This is just all so new to me."

He nodded, responding, ~You're not the only one. We're going to be on the move for a while, now.~ At his words, the moment finally hit Kamari. She wouldn't return home for what could be years. But seeing Reiki and Kuno the Cubone, it was all right.

Kuno was now ahead, looking behind his shoulder. As he was walking and not looking where he was going, he tripped over something and landed on the ground. He sat up, tears welling at his eyes as he reached his arms toward Kamari. Reiki couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and Kamari picked up the Cubone. They continued on Route One, Reiki thinking, What an odd team.

[rdsr]

Bright eyes peered out of the long grass, watching this trainer closely. A strange girl, with that Cute, over active Electrike and the sad looking little Cubone. The pokemon wondered which was the daemon and which was the true pokemon. She had often watched the trainers who came down this route, enjoying watching them bond with the new pokemon that they had received. Sometimes She wondered what it would be like to have that kind of a bond, to have someone who loved and cared for her.... She'd not felt that kind of care for a long time, Not since her family had been caught and taken away from her... That Hyper little Electrike kinda reminded her of one of the males form her pack, Back when she still had a pack.

Unconsciously the little pokemon had taken a step out of the grass and onto the road in front of the trainer and her pokemon. So caught up in her memories was she, that she almost completely forgot about the trainer in front of her. A sudden unexpected noise made her look up and see the trainer ~Ummmm... Oops?~ The overly thin and scruffy looking electrike had a bit of a blush on her face, embarrassed that she had let herself be caught out like this.

[.:Inu:.]

Reiki's tail gave a slight twitch as he caughta scent. He shook his head, he must just be imagining things. He warned, ~We should start to be on our guard, Kamari. There can be some dangerous Pokemon out here. What if we run into a water-type? I'm not getting out there to battle, and Kuno wouldn't last a minute.~

Kamari didn't take much notice of her daemon's warning, only responding, "Relax, Reiki. We're only on Route One. There can't be any Pokemon too dangerous out here." The Electike snorted, dropping the subject. In a few moments he forgot about the scent he had caught, and was back to his normal self, jumping about happily. Kuno struggled in Kamari's arms until she put him down. He chased after Reiki, then stopped short when he saw the female Electrike.

He tilted his head in confusion. ~Reiki? No, you're not Reiki. You're a different color. Who are you?~ The Cubone held his bone weapon loosely, letting it drag on th ground.

Kamari let out a gasp at the condition of the wild Electrike. "You poor thing!" She took a cautious step forward, not wanting to make the Pokemon flee. With a roll of is eyes, Reiki sighed and muttered, ~You're supposed to battle and catch her, not sympathize with her.~

[rdsr]

~Battle?~ The Electrike looked scared ~Oh no, no no no no no~ Electrike hated battling. All the trainers who fought her just beat her up and then left her. No-one ever bothered the catch her, or make sure she was ok. ~Battles are bad. I get hurt and then I don't find any food~

Thee little pokemon shivered ~I don't get enough food as it is~ she seemed to have forgotten about the trainer for a moment, muttering quietly to herself, but still loud enough that Kuno and Reiki could hear her. ~I don't even remember what its like to have a full tummy. No pack to help me, trainers don't want me~ She looked at her fur unhappily ~Can't even keep myself properly clean any more~ she scratched at her side with one back paw.

Suddenly she remembered the trainer, and whirled, to see the girl having taken a step forward. The electrike whimpered, cringing away from the trainer.

[.:Inu:.]

Kamari quickly stepped back as the Electrike cringed. She hadn't understood a word of what she said. It seemed quite strange to her, understanding Reiki but not one of his kind. The trainer could tell that she was anxious and starved, though. Kamari repeated quietly to herself, "Poor thing. I'd feel bad if I battled her. But how am I to train my team if I don't battle? I'd be wiped out myself. Maybe I should've chosen to be a breeder, instead..."

Reiki turned around, reminding her, ~Are you going to go back on you word now? You owe this to your brother, and yourself. Not all trainers have to battle every Pokemon they see and let them lay in the dust, not even making sure they're okay. Not everyone will force Pokemon into following them, leaving their family, and make them fight battles they cannot win, only to be abandoned in a place they cannot survive. Some trainers can help Pokemon, letting them come along at their own will, caring for them a much or more than theirselves. It doesn't take brute power to win a battle.~[/color]

Kamari smiled. "When have you learned to be so wise, Reiki?" Her daemon lifted his head proudly, most signs of seriousness gone. After Reiki translated most of what the female Pokemon had mumbled, the trainer nodded. Perhaps she could help this Pokemon.

Kuno stumbled forward, landing on his stomach. The Cubone sat up, leaving his bone on the ground. He outsretched his arms to the wild Electrike. Kamari opened her mouth to protest, but Reiki shook his head. ~She's too weak to do any serious harm, and she'll be less frightened of one like Kuno. Besides, her electric attacks won't even affect him.~

[rdsr]

Electrike listened with half an ear while the other electrike, Obviously a daemon rather than a shiny, related her words and spoke with his human. Hmmm.... The human had wished to be a breeder. Not many of them came around here, they were almost all trainers, with a few coordinators and even less rangers and breeders. She'd heard about Breeders though, Human's how cared more about the well being of their pokemon than anything else. though this person seemed to be an ordinary trainer, maybe she would hold to the philosophy of the breeders.

The wild pokemon Watched as Kuno fell to his stomach, and then held out his arms to her. Looking at the human and then back at the cubone, Electrike slowly and cautiously made her way over to the youngster. Reaching Kuno, electrike gently rubbed up against him, more like a feline than the canine pokemon she was. circling around him, she sniffed his scent, before turning to face him and allow him to hug her like she thought he wanted to. Electrike gave a strange little rumble of happiness.She'd not had physical contact with someone not trying to hurt her for a long time.

[.:Inu:.]

Kamari couldn't help but smile as the Electrike came towards Kuno. How touching. She had expected the first Pokemon she met to be a vicious one, jumping into battle the moment their eyes met. This was a Pokemon she'd like to have along with her, sweet, even if it would take a while for her to trust others. Not Pokemon bred only for battle with no personality.

Reiki nodded his head, though he didn't quite trust this wild Electrike yet. He had thought that she was just trying to fool them, but she seemed like she wanted to be acknowledged in a peaceful way.

The Cubone's eyes brightened up as the Pokemon rubbed against him. He asked, ~Why you so small? Where you come from?~

[rdsr]

Electrike looked at the cubone. it was obviously still a child, and had probably been raised in the labs. The undersized pokemon gently gave Kuno a lick as she began to answer his question. ~I'm small because I don't eat enough to grow big~ she looked over at the trainer, still wary though Kuno's innocent nature and the fact that the trainer and Daemon had yet to do anything to her was slowly bringing down the level of her fear. ~And I live here. This route is where I was born and raised, and probably where I'll die~ The sigh that followed indicated that she didn't think that time would be long in coming.

Her eyes flicked once more between the Cubone and the trainer ~What about you little one? What's it like? To have a trainer that cares for you?~ She wondered what the trainer would say if she asked to travel with them. It was obvious that she took good care of her pokemon, Form the worry that had been on her face when Electrike wnet up to the Cubone, and to have a pack again, even one that wasn't an electrike pack, was something she dreamed off. To have enough food and people to look out for her.

[.:Inu:.]

The Cubone tilted his head, as if he hadn't quite understood what the Electrike had said. Though he, like all of his species, had lost his mother, he had still been well fed at Pine Labs. Kuno answered cluelessly, ~So why you not eat? We have food. Lots food. Come! Come!~ Kuno waved his small arms happily, rising to his feet.

The trainer nodded and commented, "Yes, we have room on our team for another. Why don't you come with us? We'll take care of you, and Kuno obviously seems to enjoy your company. There's no reason to starve here when you could be cared for with us." Kamari looked at Reiki, expecting him to say something.

The daemon nodded, although having two of the same species would be confusing, even though they were differently colored. Reiki admitted, ~But you will most likely have to battle. As much as Kamari would like it, I don't think you can be a breeder as well as a trainer.~

[Birdybot]

Electrike's eyes widened. What? Where her ears decieving her? This trainer, this girl who'd only just met her, was offering her food?! That was unheard of in her life! It was completely alien to her, a strange thing which just couldn't be! An anomaly! But... this trainer was being serious. She was just going to give Electrike food. She looked at her blatent ribs gloomily. She might know what it was like to have a full belly again... but she was then reminded something which she had learn the hard way against traps. If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't.

But this trainer was so nice! She wouldn't hurt her, would she? Electrike was so hungry, she couldn't decline this offer on mere suspicions of a trap. No, it wouldn't be worth that. However, Reiki's words made her heart drop like a stone. So it was true. They did just want to beat her up. ~No! No, no, no! I won't fight you, I can't! You'll just leave me weak! You don't care, you just want your Pokémon to gain levels and then you'll leave me to starve!~[/color] she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks as her head drooped low and she turned to pad away. Well, she supposed she would have to have died anyway. It was clear that unless she found food soon, she would starve. Even if they did battle her, she would be too weak to do so.[/size]

[.:Inu:.]

Kamari narrowed her eyes with a darkened expression. What a judgement! You'd think she'd been torturing the Electrike instead of helping her! The trainer muttered under her breath, "You've got some nerve to say that after I tried to help you." She glared at the Pokemon, staring at her as she walked away.

Reiki looked up at her. It wasn't often that her personality changed so suddenly like that. She absolutely loathed when people came to quick conclusions like that. He chuckled. ~You obviously know nothing about my Kamari. She would never attack a helpless Pokemon! If you think that she would, go ahead, walk along! No-one wants to be around someone who makes judgements on people based on others! Kamari's not like other trainers. You don't seem to have heard our conversation, so just move along. And good luck to you that the next person you meet won't finish you off!~

Kuno lowered his arms, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. ~Why you leave? What did we do?~ The Cubone looked at Reiki, obviously searching for an answer.

[Birdybot]

ooc// You might want to post in your two tournament threads or you'll have zero points at the end of this month.

ic// Electrike felt a blow of hurt as they acted like they'd been insulted by the worst possible means, shouted, and walked off. Why? Why did they act like that? They'd only been talking to Electrike, it's not like they'd actually helped her, they'd just offered her food and then said she'd have to battle. She sighed as Kamari walked off, hanging her head. She would usually have growled at a daemon snapping at her like that, but she wasn't in the mood to do much right now, and was fairly used to it. That was pretty much what every human said after beating her up.

Well, she had been perfectly right when she'd said that. Reiki had told her to battle, and then they'd left. At least they hadden't beated her up first. A tear dropped to the ground, but she furiously wiped it off her cheek. She sat down, resting her head on the earth, Hunger knawed at her belly, and judging by each blatent rib, she didn't have much time left. A day, tops. Well, she supposed she'd have to face facts now. Well, everything had it'd time, and she supposed that this was hers. Kamari was gone, and so her last hope had sparked out. She closed her eyes, hoping death would come quicker. She was abandoned for the last time, and was slowly beginning to loose conciousness.

[.:Inu:.]

Kamari walked away stubbornly, but she felt like someone was ripping her heart in half for leaving the Electrike there. Reiki followed, shaking his head with a growl. Should he be blamed for warning her of what would happen? Everything had risks, and this was just one of them. If she could not deal with that, it was not their fault. The daemon looked back at the Electrike. ~Hmph. Does she expect us to treat her like royalty and do everything for her?

Kuno looked at Kamari and Reiki, then at the female Electrike. He crawled toward her, poking her flank with his nose. With confusion, he said, ~You no feel right. Reiki?~

The daemon looked at the Cubone, beckoning him to come forward with a swing of his head. He murmered, ~There's nothing more we can do here, Kuno. It's best that we be on our way.~

The Cubone refused to move, so Kamari turned around and looked at him. "What is it, Kuno?" He pointed at the Electrike with his bone. Kamari lowered her head. The wild Pokemon had seemed like she was ready to give up. There wasn't much to do about that, but Kamari walked forward anyway.

The trainer said with a sigh, "You're never going to get a second chance at a good life if you just give up like that. You'll never know what good fortune the world can give to you unless you really look for it."

[Birdybot]

Electrike looked up, stunned that they had actually come back. She had been fighting back tears, something which became even harder when she heard the stern tone with which the trainer spoke to her. ~I'd love to trust you, I really would! But, you see, it's not you, it's other people. Sometimes I have thought I'd had good fortune, and gone with a trainer, but all of them have beaten me and abandoned me. One time I was even taken to a lab. They were going to test a super-disease on me, but they were found out. That was probably the most fortune I've had, that they were closed down before they killed me horribly. They acted similar to you are now, but they turned out to be not so nice. So, do you see? See why I don't trust people?~[/color] she asked, her voice sounding as though she was pleading and desperate.

However, it looked like the so far unlucky Electrike's luck was getting worse, anyway. Here she was, explaining to the trainer who, although she didn't know this, would care for her and love her, when something came along to ruin that. A streak of green flashed along, and a Scyther stood over her, glaring at Kamari and brandishing gleaming scythes. Electrike howled in fear, and then Scyther lifted her, not taking care and making her wince in pain, and shot off again into the bushes. Electrike's yowls of pain were heard, but grew fainter. Scyther wasn't doing any good to her. Kamari should check it out; if not for Electrike, then for the oppertunity to fight a rare Pokémon.[/size]

[.:Inu:.]

Kamari kneeled down, blinking rapidly to fight back tears. She had never known a Pokemon could be treated so badly. She had thought that Kuno and the Houndoom had had the worst of it. The trainer realised with cold horror that she would be no better. She would have to battle, she would have to be stronger than other trainers.

Reiki sensed what Kamari was feeling and rubbed up against her. The daemon whispered, ~We'll figure it out as we go. For the future, though, don't listen to what your brother tells you.~

As Kamari reached into her bag to dig out a Pokeblock or two, something sped by and stole the Electrike away. Reiki growled, and the Cubone looked hurt. Kamari nodded to the both of them. "Come on! We can't let it hurt the Electrike!" The team ran forward, Kuno in Kamari's arms, as quickly as possible.

Kamari called out, "Where are you, Electrike? Now listen, you who took her, come back here! What did that poor Pokemon ever do to you?"