An Affectionate Friend
Story by Cedricdream on SoFurry
Just wanted to start a series of pokémon stories that may or may not be related to each other.
This one in particular features a trainer (of unspecified gender) who encounters the Legendary Beasts in the basement of the Burned Tower. I think I might have some small crush on Suicune. It'll be showing up in my writing more frequently, at least until I get my feelings out of my system. Bear with me. XD
The Burned Tower... Looking at it made me feel sad. An old man told me about the incident involving it and how it used to be called the Tin Tower. It was pretty depressing to think that its destruction was from a force of nature and reminded me that nature doesn't actually take sides. Even so... looking at it also made me feel curious. I had been feeling nervous about my upcoming gym battle and decided a short detour would be a good idea.
Surprisingly, the tower was still populated with pokémon, and I even saw some trainers in the distance. As tragic as the scenery was, I took comfort in the fact that life always seemed to find a way. Among them was Morty, the gym leader, and a brown-haired man dressed in purple and white clothes. Morty spoke for a short bit before returning to his gym. The other man said his name was Eusine and that he was after the contents of the room below. I didn't hear the other things he said about it, and feeling curious I went down there and got a closer look, only to see three large beasts (one yellow, one brown, one blue) sleeping in the center. The moment my feet touched the floor, they awakened.
The yellow one had sharp and thick claws and teeth. Electricity sparked from its body every so often, and it looked as though it carried a thundercloud on its back. Its blue tail resembled a lightning bolt, and in its red eyes I saw an energetic spirit. Before I could respond, it leaped around the room in an awesome display of agility before leaping out of the tower with a sharp cry.
Next was that brown-furred one. Power radiated from its being, and smoke billowed from its back, reminding me of a volcano. Its paws had black rings that looked to be struggling to contain the sheer strength it possessed. Wasting no time, it leaped out of the hole with a cry that resembled a roar that shook the ground.
The most unforgettable of them all, and the only one left, was the primarily blue beast. Its twin, ribbon-like tails flowed forward gently, as if it always had a tailwind (no pun intended). Its purple mane resembled the rarely seen northern lights, and the single horn on its head resembled a crystal. I had been expecting it to run off like the others as it leapt about, but to my surprise, it approached me. In fact, I ended up falling onto my back as it closed in on me, eventually standing over me. I was afraid I would be attacked for trespassing and I raised my hands and braced myself, only to feel something cool and damp bump against my face.
"Huh?" I opened my eyes and saw tenderness that could rival my mother's in its red eyes. Tentatively, I reached out a hand and received another surprise when it licked it.
"Do not be afraid." A soft voice called out to me, as if from nowhere. I would have been startled were it not for this unusual sense of calm that pervaded my mind.
"You?" Immediately my thoughts went to it, and to my further surprise it nodded in affirmation. The voice sounded like a low, short growl, but somehow I could understand it perfectly. The blue-furred creature lied on me as it nuzzled me again in what felt like an imitated hug. For some reason, I was more shocked by how heavy it was and its warmth as opposed to why it was doing this. It likely would have fallen asleep on me were it not for the footsteps from the room above.
"Until we meet again." With a low howl this time, it stood up and leapt out of the room, startling everyone just like the previous two. Eusine helped me up and soon joined me and spoke excitedly about the trio, calling them pokémon. He mentioned their names, but only the third one, Suicune, stuck to me. I tuned him out, thoughts focused only on that one pokémon he seemed to be after.
Why was it being so friendly to me? Did I have something it desired? Most importantly, how was I able to understand what it said perfectly? Whatever the reason was, I knew that I had its attention. I was mostly anxious at the fact that such a pokémon was interested in me, but at the same time I was excited.
It wasn't until I reached Cianwood City that I saw the legendary pokémon again. My starter and I walked to the northernmost point of the beach and sat down at the top of the hill. My plan was to think of a way to defeat Chuck and get his gym's badge. Before I could get deep into my thoughts, however, we heard a thump behind us.
"Hello again." Needless to say, I was confused as to why I could understand what Suicune was saying. I turned around and was promptly bowled over by it. My friend, surprisingly, did nothing, allowing the legendary pokémon to tickle me with its muzzle. In no time at all I was reduced to a laughing fit. Mercifully, Suicune backed off eventually, and I saw what looked to be a smile on its face.
"It's nice to see you again," I said as I stood up. "I wonder though... why me?" Unfortunately my question went unanswered, the pokémon instead deciding to bound across the sea. I suddenly heard someone gasping for breath behind me, explaining why it left.
"You saw it too, didn't you? If I had only been a bit faster..." Eusine took a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "It seems as though Suicune senses your ability as a trainer."
"Really?"
"No doubt about it. Pokémon such as that only appear to us under unusual circumstances, and it looks like you're the trigger."
"I'm nothing special."
"Oh, but you are. Perhaps if I battle you, I can be recognized by it as well." He pulled out a poké ball and stood back. "Have at you!" With a smirk, my friend stood forward, happy for the change of pace.
Investigating the patch of land at the base of Mount Mortar seemed like a good idea at the time. The thin yet thorny branch in the way fell to a clean Cut from one of my friends. I was too focused on the three Apricorn trees we discovered to notice the legendary pokémon that lied in wait. As soon as I took one step, I felt a large body crash into me, sending me into the waiting rock wall back first.
"Augh..." Needless to say, the surprise impact left me a groaning, pained mess. My clothes were torn slightly and I was sure something had been broken. Suddenly I saw something red, and when I realized it was my own blood, I nearly became hysterical. Before I could completely panic or black out, I pulled out my pokégear and called a hospital. Minutes later I found myself in a ward, painkillers coursing through me.
"I... I don't know," was the answer I said when they asked me to specify what happened. "It happened too fast for me to identify much. All I know is that something large crashed into me."
"Hmm... it's likely that some unfortunate pokémon got trapped by the fast-growing tree," one of the officials assumed. "You must have been run over by one that was especially desperate. Fortunately, you're safe and sound."
"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where's my friends? I'm sure they're worried sick."
"Your pokémon are in the waiting room. If you'd like, I can bring them in." The officer stood up and walked out, but stopped at the doorway. "If it helps, we found a few strands of blue and white fur on you. Nothing's coming up in the database, so we're assuming it was some overzealous, wild azumarill."
"Oh, all right. Thanks."
"At any rate, you should be free to go by tomorrow. Problem is you'll need to wear a sling for your left arm." When he left the room, I tried moving said arm, only to wince in pain. I lied back and thought about the incident. In my memory, I managed to spot a pair of familiar red eyes. I immediately concluded that the offending pokémon was Suicune, who had somehow gotten trapped in there.
"If that's true... it's definitely heavier than it looks."
I didn't see Suicune again until I began my journey through Kanto. The moment we spotted each other at Vermillion City's docks, however, it promptly fled before I could call out to it. I wondered if it was feeling guilty from the earlier incident, even though I had recovered long afterward. This time I was glad that Eusine showed up and offered some advice.
"It looks like it's searching for a place to call home," he said. "Hmm... what sort of place in Kanto could be considered the ideal setting for it?"
"The sea? A windy area?" I suggested.
"Could be. I haven't seen a decent map of this region yet, so I wouldn't know. I'll keep your suggestions in mind. Good luck." With that he continued his pace into the city. I pulled out my pokégear and checked my updated map. The southeastern part of the region was my next stop... at least, after I defeated the gym leader here.
This time my hunch was correct. I looked near the windmills and spotted the Aurora pokémon lying on the water. This took some effort since it was blending in with the sea and rocks. It was basking in the sunlight with eyes closed, and as much as I didn't want to disrupt it, I wanted to clear things up.
"Suicune?" I called out. "It's me." It opened one eye and looked at me.
"You are... looking for me?" It sounded as though it felt guilty about what happened to me. I found myself quickly missing how affectionate it had been and was determined to take this opportunity to resolve things.
"Yes. Why did you run from me? Why did you want be so close to me before?" Suicune's eyes darted left and right, as if it had to make sure no one else was around. I didn't see the point of this since we were the only ones in the area, but I wasn't about to say anything. Eventually, it stood up and spoke again.
"I would like to speak in another location. I promise to explain further." Just as before, it ran off in its usual graceful manner, and Eusine arrived on the scene a moment too late.
"I think I've figured out Suicune's patterns," he announced. "I know now that you're the one meant to be its trainer. I shall stand down, knowing this. However...!"
"What is it? Is there something wrong?"
"I just can't go on without taking a closer look. Suicune seems to be headed for the highest point of the region... and based on the map of Kanto, that happens to be just due north of here."
"I see. That makes sense, all things considered."
"If I'm right, I'll stand by and watch. It seems you two are meant to be together. What kind of person would I be if I tried to mess that up?" He smiled and gave me a thumbs up before leaving.
I ended up arriving at the northernmost route in the dead of night. The setting couldn't have been more perfect: clear night sky, waves dancing along the shoreline below, few witnesses... In fact, the only other person that stood with me was Eusine. Before I could say anything, we heard a low growl from a ledge above us.
"I am here," I heard the legendary pokémon said. It leaped down, landing directly in front of us. For the first time, Eusine was actually nervous. I couldn't blame him, despite our differing magnitudes. I took a deep breath to calm myself before asking.
"Is it true? Did you really choose me?" The question probably made Eusine feel jealous, but if he was, he didn't let any of us know.
"Since the day we met." As usual, only I was able to understand the sounds it made, though it was likely Eusine understood as well. I still wasn't sure why, only that it did, and to be honest the why didn't matter anymore. It seemed confident we were meant to be together, but I had doubts.
"Do you really think I could be a worthy friend?" It made a sound that reminded me of laughter and padded closer to me. This time I walked forward to meet it and was nudged to the ground as a result. Suicune pressed its considerable weight onto me as it nuzzled me. I ran my hands through its soft fur and sighed in comfort.
"I should be asking you this. I never meant to harm you as I did before."
"N-no problem. I would like to be friends, Suicune." With that, the Aurora pokémon stepped off of me and sat down. I stood up and embraced it as best as I could. I looked at Eusine, who was smiling at us. "Eusine, want to join us?"
"Oh, me? I-I don't know. I don't want to--" He stopped himself when he noticed Suicune nod at him. He took a few tentative steps forward and pushed a gloved hand on its chest. To his surprise and amazement, the pokémon closed its eyes and leaned into his touch.
"You feel nice," the legendary hummed.
"What was said?"
"Suicune likes it."