Life of a Trainer, Ch. 3: An Unknown Enemy
Story by MLGDraconCraft on SoFurry
Chapter 3 of Life of a Trainer
Hey again, guys! Been a while, but its back! Sorry, just been overwhelmed with schoolwork… Anyways, welcome back to Life of a Trainer, and enjoy.
Roll the film!
Jaden’s P.O.V.
I groaned as I rolled onto my side, waking myself up. My heartbeat sped up as I recognized my old room, which I thought…I had left about three weeks ago? Was it possible that…nothing that had transpired over that time had actually happened? I pulled my hands into fists, hoping that it hadn’t been exactly that.
A knock on the door sounded, followed by a voice asking, “Can I come in?”
“Sure,” I grunted.
The door cracked open. “You sure you don’t want to be left alone?”
“Yeah.”
The door opened fully, and a complete stranger stepped in, followed by a Riolu and a Charmeleon. I raised an eyebrow. “Who…who are you guys? Why did Mom let you in?” I asked, honestly confused.
“Jaden?” the boy said hesitantly. “You…you don’t recognize us? You don’t remember…what happened?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t remember. Nothing seems to fit, though.”
The Riolu leapt into my lap. “You don’t even remember…me?” he said in such a sad voice, I had to feel pity, despite the fact that I had to shake my head.
“Again, no.” My head throbbed, and I felt as if there was a gap in my memory. “Although…there is a space in my memory where there should be something, but…there’s only blackness.”
“Jaden, it’s me, Chris. Please, remember,” the boy pleaded. “Just…try?”
I closed my eyes and honestly concentrated. These people obviously felt like they should mean something to me, and that they were so caring and loving towards me made me feel as if I at least had to try, if only for them.
“Anything?” the boy—Chris—asked quietly.
“Please, Jaden,” the Riolu whispered in my ear. “Please, just remember…I care about you…I care for you.” He hesitated like what he was going to say was incredibly momentous, and I got the feeling he almost didn’t say it. “Jaden, I…I love you.”
In that split instant, every event that had occurred over the past few weeks came crashing down on me—including my mother’s death—with enough mental force to knock me back into a laying position, the Riolu—my Riolu—falling on top of me. I wrapped my arms around him and hung on tightly, reluctant to let go because I didn’t want to forget. Forget…everything. “I love you too, Riolu,” I whispered in his ear.
Immediately his eyes brightened. “He’s back!” he exclaimed.
I squeezed a little tighter. “Yes I am.” My knuckles turned white as I clenched my hands into fists. “And I don’t want to go back,” I whispered to myself.
“You don’t have to,” Riolu whispered back. “You won’t. Not while I’m here.”
I pushed him back a little and smiled at him. “Thanks.”
He nodded. I turned to Chris and Charmeleon. “Let’s get going.”
“You sure?” Chris asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” I said. “Why?”
“It’s just…you’ve been comatose for almost a week today.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m absolutely sure.” I glanced at my legs, still covered by jeans. “I may need some help standing for the first few steps, though.”
Chris smiled. “Okay. At least you admit your weakness. Not many people will do that.”
I sat up and swung my legs off the bed, Riolu jumping to the floor and supporting me best he could being less than half my size as I carefully stood. My legs shook dangerously, but they held. After a few steps, I was fine, just as I’d predicted. Then my hamstring cramped. “Ouch…” I grunted as I stretched it. As I came out of the stretch, I grinned at Chris. “Have any water?”
Twenty minutes later…
“Ah, that’s better,” I said as I stepped out of the bathroom. I winked at Riolu, who was still half-supporting me.
“Ready? Let’s go,” Chris said, and stepped out of the house, Charmeleon following.
I glanced back at the house as I limped after him. “Goodbye, mother…for the final time.”
A single tear fell to the pavement.
Another twenty minutes later…
I struggled to part the tall grass before me as I followed Chris. Even I couldn’t see over it, which was saying something—I’m about 6’5’’. I stopped suddenly, hearing a sound from the forest on the left of the grass. “Hold up,” I called to Chris. “I heard something.”
Chris made his way back to me, and knowing me, asked, “You sure it’s a good idea to go in there?”
Glancing at him, I grinned. “Curiosity killed the cat.” And with that, I plunged into the forest.
“For whatever reason, that does not make me any more confident,” Chris muttered as he followed.
I stopped at a relatively clear area, Chris just barely stopping before he slammed into me. “This is where it came from.”
Chris nodded. “What was it?”
“That’s the problem…I don’t know.” I shrugged.
Nodding, Chris stepped back a little. “You can come out now,” I called. A rustling came from the trees above us.
I smiled dangerously. “Unless you’re a coward.”
Just after I finished, a pink streak flew to the ground, resolving into Mewtwo. “You will regret calling me a coward. Send out your pitiful Pokémon to fight me, or be branded a coward yourself…in a much more public way than name-calling.”
“Well.” I breathed a sigh. “I was told you had the most savage heart of any Pokémon. You’re a male, right.”
He nodded once. “Now fight me.”
I glanced at Riolu. “Do you want to?” A sharp nod confirmed my suspicions. Riolu would never back down from a fight. “Alright, let’s go! Riolu, quick attack!”
Riolu seemed to fizzle from existence with an almost animated view of his body separated into small columns and winking out. Half a second later, he appeared directly behind Mewtwo, foot outstretched to deliver what everyone thought would be the gong of death…or rather, KO.
Mewtwo turned and, fast as lightning, grabbed Riolu’s foot. Oh, damn. I thought. He’s way too fast! The ground shook as Mewtwo slammed Riolu into the ground. “No!” I shouted. My hands curled into white-knuckled fists, my nails digging into my skin.
Mewtwo glanced in my direction. “Hah! You thin-blooded creatures don’t even deserve to fight one such as me.”
I whipped my hand around, scattering blood droplets in his direction. Several landed on his arm. “Thin enough?” I growled. “Riolu? Bone rush.”
Riolu put his paws together, then drew them apart, a hint slower than he put them together. A long bone—big enough to be a human’s thigh bone, perhaps?—appeared between his paws, and he grabbed it, holding it in front of him as Mewtwo charged. He managed to block all of the blows with the bone, and when Mewtwo jumped away, threw it at him. It appeared to spell KO.
“Yes! Direct hit!” I shouted, jumping in the air.
“Not…quite…” Mewtwo grunted, struggling to his feet. He put his paws together, beginning one of his own moves.
Damn…_I thought as light began to shine through. As the light grew, it seemed to force his paws apart, a green energy ball forming between them. _Crap! “Riolu! Get out of there!” I shouted, desperately hoping he could summon a burst of energy to jump out of the way.
Mewtwo laughed. “I don’t think so!” The energy ball was now as big as one of those big circular carpets you’ll find in people’s houses, and a nasty grin appeared on his face. Drawing his arm back, he threw the ball as hard as he could at Riolu. The green light seemed to blur and warp as it flew through the air, making it hard to pinpoint where it was—which could explain why it’s such a hard attack to dodge. Riolu attempted to jump out of the way, but the edge proved to be too far away, and it struck him square on the shoulder. It seemed to eat a little bit out of Riolu, then fizzled out of existence. Almost like a delayed reaction, Riolu was kicked back, slamming into a nearby rock. The rock’s front shattered into thousands of pieces, and Riolu slowly tipped forward onto the ground.
Ouch, I thought. That shoulder must hurt like hell, and just seeing him hit that rock made me hurt. “Little idiot,” Mewtwo spat. “That’s the end.”
“Not…ever giving…up to…one…like you,” Riolu coughed, struggling to his feet. The surprise I felt inside would never be betrayed on the surface; I’d practiced my face and body posture, as well as ignoring my emotions, too much to be able to. Riolu put his paws together again, and this time, the surprise showed through, if only a little bit—blue light shone through the gaps. I gasped quietly; Riolu was using Aura sphere! I didn’t even know he knew that move…unless he just learned it. Huh. Unsettling, but useful. When the spherical shape was as big as a tree, Riolu launched it at Mewtwo.
Mewtwo, just like Riolu, was unable to dodge. However, he knew it, and crossed his arms, forming an X, and blocked it. When the sphere fizzled out, his arms were mangled to the point of being unrecognizable, but he was unharmed otherwise. Damn, why didn’t Riolu think of that? I was unable to fathom how Mewtwo did it, but he was surviving. With his speed, Riolu should’ve been more than a match for Mewtwo; however, I should’ve expected to have a tough fight against a legendary. I smiled.
Not for long. Riolu crossed his arms as Mewtwo sprinted towards him, appearing to fizzle in and out of existence as he ran close to the speed of light. After Mewtwo threw the first punch, he seemed to be unable to stop until his chest was heaving.
Finally, he broke away from Riolu, who, for the most part, seemed fine. Then, his arms fell to his side, and he ever so slowly fell forward. “Teaches you not to mess with me,” Mewtwo gasped.
“Riolu!” I shouted. “No!” Tears came to my eyes, and I whispered, “Not so soon after almost losing you…” Mewtwo glanced in my direction at that last part—until we all, including Chris and Charmeleon, had to shadow our eyes as a blinding light emitted from Riolu. “No…” I gasped. “Riolu’s evolving!”
As Riolu slowly stood and grew larger, I could almost feel his DNA morphing into Lucario. I smiled as the radiance around him grew fainter until it was gone, and standing there was the most handsome Lucario I’d ever seen. Not saying much.
“No!” Mewtwo growled. “How is this possible? I—oomph!”
He was stopped midsentence by Lucario, who had used Bone rush again, and was continuously whacking the legendary Pokémon with the bone. Mewtwo was beaten to the ground, and seemed to have been overcome. At the very last second, though, he grabbed the bone, pushed—causing the bone to poke Lucario in the stomach, winding him—and jerked it back, pulling it out of Lucario’s grip. He then used it as a crutch, helping him come to a standing position. “This isn’t over,” he growled, beginning another attack.
“Why do you continue to fight us?” I asked suddenly, stopping his attack.
He stared at me, then shook his head and changed it to a glare. “Because no one loves me! All my life, ever since I was created from the genes of Mew, I’ve been experimented on, tested, and battled constantly. All anyone ever wants to do is capture me.”
“That’s probably because you’re a legendary Pokémon, but continue,” I said.
He scowled at me. “I don’t need your permission to continue, and I don’t need you interruptions. Got it? ... Okay, good. Now, like I said, all anyone ever wants is to capture me. As you can imagine, it gets annoying, and when you called me a coward…that just flipped the switch. I guess it was partly my fault, but you need to understand—I’m who I am, and I was made for battling.”
I could tell that his heart was softening, and so I pressed my advantage. “No one was ever made only to battle! Each and every one of us had different talents, and sure, I’ll admit, yours might be battling, but that doesn’t mean you have to fight all the time! I understand that you feel like this life was nothing, but God made us each with a purpose! Every single one of us was made with love in His mind! No one was made only for battling, even if we have our strength in battling!” I paused to catch my breath. “My talent…I don’t know yet. But I may know a little how you feel, especially if you’ve lost someone… I remember it so clearly, as if it was yesterday. About two weeks ago, I lost my mother. It was some incurable disease, and it was only a matter of time. She was on steroids that slowed down its progress, but the day she died, they mysteriously stopped working. She died that night. I barely managed to make it home before she died…it was that night that I met God. He showed himself to me, giving me a respite from the grief. It was then that I realized…each of us is special. I realize that it might be hard to believe now, but there is a brighter future in store for all of us. When I fell asleep after losing her, I went into a coma for a full week. When I woke up, I didn’t remember anything that had happened in the three weeks prior to my mom’s death. I didn’t remember Chris or Charmeleon here—” this I said gesturing to them “—and worst of all…I didn’t remember Lucario. I think it was harder for them than it was for me. I couldn’t remember them, so I didn’t feel anything, but they…remembered me, and cared about me, so my not remembering them hurt them… You have a future in front of you, Mewtwo. It’s up to you to find it.”
“So,” Mewtwo said, “It sounds as if you’re assuming that I need God. But I don’t! I don’t need anyone!”
My heart ached for him. “Mewtwo…from what you’re saying… It sounds as if you have no one to love you, and that’s hurting you. If that’s the case—”
“Which it isn’t,” the legendary interrupted.
I continued on as if it hadn’t happened, “—if that’s the case, then…I love you, Mewtwo. I really do.”
Then is when I saw his heart melt. It wasn’t completely soft yet, but I had broken him. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest. “Your destiny isn’t here,” I said, tapping his head. “It’s here.” And I tapped his chest where his heart lay. Then I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him. I felt his breath hitch as he put his arms around me.
He never shed a tear, but what he did do is say, “Will you capture me…uhh…”
“Jaden,” I said.
“Will you capture me, Jaden?” he asked.
I smiled. “Of course.” I didn’t pull away, but rather let go with one hand, grabbed a Pokéball, and tapped Mewtwo on the back. He transformed into red energy and was sucked into the ball. I could tell he wasn’t fighting it as the ball rocked once…twice…three times… Pop! He was mine.
I immediately let him back out. “I still love you. It’s not weakness when you admit you need someone. Instead, it is courage.”
Mewtwo smiled back at me. “Thank you.”
I nodded. “Chris,” I called. “Let’s go.”
Five hours later…
We had just set up camp near the edge of the forest, and the Pokémon were fast asleep one of the tents—well, except for Lucario. Chris had set up his own tent, and is also fast asleep. I smiled across the fire at Lucario. “How did you like fighting Mewtwo?”
“I looked at it more as a chance to prove myself to you than to battle,” he said quietly.
My smile melted away. “Lucario, you don’t have to prove yourself to me,” I said. “You’ve already done it plenty of times. Don’t think you haven’t.”
He glanced up at me, then looked at his paws. “I know, but I can’t help feeling as if you are expecting something more from me. It’s weird; I wouldn’t be able to explain it even if I tried.”
“Don’t try,” I said. “And the only thing I’m expecting from you is trust, but everyone expects that.”
“Okay,” he said, looking back up at me.
“Thanks.” Then I hooked a finger, a clear ‘follow me’ gesture. Curiosity filled Lucario’s eyes, but he got up and silently followed me.
I followed a dim path through the forest that I had cleared earlier for just this moment. It led straight to a clearing.
I grunted as I hopped over a rock. “Yep,” I said, “this’s the place.”
Lucario glanced questioningly at me. I grinned at him. “Could you stand across from me?” He agreed and took several strides, then turned and faced me. “Now I want you to close your eyes.” He did so. “Now just wait.”
I took a few deep breaths, the smile fading. It’s now or never, I thought. I slowly walked towards him until I was directly in front of him. His extra inch forced me to look up a tiny bit, but that wouldn’t bother what I was about to do. Slowly, I took his face between my hands, and ever so slowly brought my head closer to his until they were inches apart. I could feel his breath against my face. Last chance to back out, I told myself, but I never would. Letting out a shuddering breath, I closed my eyes… And in one quick motion, pressed my mouth to his. I sensed his eyes fly open—you know, I think there’s some sort of connection between our minds now—as I passionately kissed him.
Seconds passed, and right when I thought he would reject me, he kissed me back, pressing against me. We sighed and melted into each other, sinking to the ground.
After that embarrassing ten minutes…
I smiled at Lucario as we walked, hand-in-paw, back to the campsite. I smiled as we quietly climbed into the tent with the other two Pokémon and fell asleep.
¡Hola, mi amigos y amigas! ¿C _ ó _ mo est _ án? _ _ Yo está bien, y estoy cansado __ . _
That was just to show off. ^.=.^ As you will find out, if you haven’t already, I’m a prideful man. Anyways, I’m expecting some sort of feedback, whether good or bad, and that is something I won’t show pride in—I know I can make mistakes.
Anyways, this was the third chappy of Life of a Trainer, and I continue to think that I wanted to say something that I’d forgotten to say.
Momentine!