FicWad

Searing pain slices into the blackness that surrounded me, forcing me awake with a sudden jolt. I lay for a moment as my sight unhurriedly comes back to my weary eyes.

The dark ceiling of a cave swims above me and lights reflected from a moonlit pool of water shimmer along its surface. I can hear the sound of night-dwelling Pokémon chirping nearby, while a soft breeze ruffles my hair. My jumbled mind struggles to grasp the concept of a forest inside of a cave, but I also can’t think of where I am or how long I’ve been unconscious for, so I allow that conundrum to slip away.

My left arm burns with pain as fierce as a Houndoom’s fire and other smaller points of injury begin to reveal themselves as I slowly recover my senses. I try to sit up to examine my wounds, but a weight on my chest holds me down. I attempt moving my right hand to push the thing sitting on me away, but I can only lift it a small bit before something forces my arm back to the ground.

An incoherent, soft voice murmurs above my head, and I open my eyes again to see two pink shining orbs staring down at me. They glow brightly in the dimly lit area and it takes me a moment for my sight to adjust, allowing me to finally notice a dark shape connected to the lamp-like dots. Something solid and wet touches my cheek and I focus hard to realize it’s a pointed black nose. There are a few sniffs and the resulting cold puff it exhales smells of dead leaves and soil.

“Nine,” the beast on me speaks confidently to no one in particular.

Nine? I think, pondering the significance of the number at a time like this. “Nine,” I repeat weakly, my voice quiet and barely able to escape my lips.

“Tales!” it says, the pink lights returning to gaze upon my face once more, and now I can make out a slim head with pointed ears. The voice sounds excited to have me respond to its remark, the orbs winking out for a moment as it blinks encouragingly.

“Nine…tales?” My mind buzzes at the words as I try to connect them to meaning. Then it hits me, and I blurt out more forcefully, “Ninetales!”

The fox-like creature seems satisfied with my realization of its species, and it shifts its body weight slightly to allow my chest more freedom, calling out another time, triumphantly.

“Are you one of Sashi’s?” I ask, slowly sitting up at the release of pressure.

It doesn’t answer but instead steps away to allow me full movement. I notice its nine long tails spread out behind it, brushing up against the wall beside me, but not seeming to make any noise.

Now that I’m upright and can see more clearly, I feel a rush of confusion flow through me at the sight. This Ninetales is light purple with dark tips of fur along its ears, paws, and tail tips as well as a small strip around its muzzle in a T-shape. There’s a patch of cream-colored fur on the chin ending halfway down the chest, but the belly is also the same color. There’s a necklace of dark pink, pearl-like balls resting against its long neck fur, but I can see no strings or attachments that are holding them in place. There’s a dash of pink fur running along the edge of its lips, making it seem as though the Pokèmon is wearing a permanent, mischievous grin.

“What kind of Ninetales are you?” I ask, feeling a cold ripple along my spine.

“You can see that Pokèmon?” A voice asks, sounding behind me. I swivel around to glance at a man standing in the open mouth of the cave I currently sat in. His form blocks out part of the light from the moon, casting a dark shadow on the surrounding area and silhouetting his features.

“I can,” I answer, ducking my head slightly in embarrassment. “Is this one of Sashi’s Pokemon?” My question tumbles out in an attempt to prevent any further queries on the subject. Though he was the one to mention the creature, his gaze passes right over it, as if it weren’t there.

“No child, it is not, I’m afraid.” His voice is somber and I feel a prickle of fear at the change in his mood. He walks around to stand in front of me, now blocking out the gaping cave, his bright blonde hair unkempt and scruffy, glows gently under the light of the sparkling water reflections shining on the roof.

Uncertainty begins, as I watch this unknown person move around. Though he is clearly an adult, I know I’m much taller and stronger than him. I snatch a quick glance at the opening behind me to see a night-darkened forest, lake, and softly moving river, though I’m unable to recognize the layout of the trees.

I should be able to hold him off if he tries anything. Let’s just hope he’s not a very fast runner. I think, as I make to stand, moving my arms in front of me, but remember too late about the afflictions my body had suffered. I collapse with a heavy grunt onto the cold stone floor.

The man waits patiently as pull myself back into a seated position. He then sets something cold and wet along my left arm, and I feel the fierce pain on it start to ease a little. The relief is so sudden that I loose my ability to talk for a few moments.

“Where is she?” I question as my mind starts to clear, giving way to snatches of memory of the battle that sent me into this state.

“Who?” The stranger asks with faked ignorance, placing more of the slimy things along my wounds.

I nearly shout the name of the woman who had fought alongside me. “Sashi! She was with me. She’s a small woman with long black hair and-“

“I know who you speak of.” He says with his eyes closed tightly, sounding almost pained. He backs off, having finished his work with surprising speed, and slides down the wall with a grunt to sit on the rocky floor opposite the Ninetales.

“Well, where is she then? And the Pokèmon? She had a Delcatty with her and I have a Mudsdale.”

He reaches into a pocket on his tattered pants and pulls out two objects, a PokeBall and a Heal Ball. He rolls them both across the floor towards me, sighing quietly. Unfortunately, both balls indicate that the owner Pokemon of them are not inside. “Sashi was taken. I wasn’t able to get you both out of the battle, but your injuries are bad, so I had to make a decision; let her go, or let you die.”

My head swims as I listen to the terrible response and an awful realization comes to my mind. “I should have stayed with her,” I say, my voice rising in pitch as my heart begins to pound in my chest, my breath coming out in shallow, horrified gasps. “I knew something was wrong. I felt something coming from the backyard and knew awful things could happen, and yet I left her!”

“Hey, hey,” the man tries to soothe. “It’s alright. You went back to help her, that’s what matters.”

“NO!” I cry, tears beginning to stream down my face. “You don’t understand! It’s just like my parents. I felt something was wrong then, too, but still, I left and when I came back, they were gone! And…and now the same thing is going to happen to her and it’ll be all my fault!”

“NINE!” The forgotten creature from the shadows barks loudly, pulling me out of my dread and making me jump. The sound echoes off the rock walls, shooting out into the forest behind me. I cover my ears as the voice seems to bounce back from within the cave as well, amplified strongly. The man beside me doesn’t even flinch.

I sit in silence for a while, staring at the yawning throat of the pitch-black cave before me, not willing to meet the eyes of the two sitting nearby. Slowly my breath evens out, but I still can’t stop the flowing tears.

“What is your name?” the man asks softly after some time.

“Sam,” I mutter. “Your’s?”

He pauses for a moment as if weighing the answer. The Ninetales stands, walking over to brush its long fur against the body of the blonde adult. The only inclination he shows to being aware of the creature against him is a shiver along his form so fierce it’s visible, even in the dark.

“It’s Māhoe,” He murmurs as if the presence beside him was the convincing factor he needed to divulge his name. “Kai Māhoe.”