Taya's Journey, chapter 1, part 1[open]

She walked back over and sat down. "So can we travel together?"

Oshawott, Snivy and Tepig caught up to Zoroark and stood from a distance and watched curiously.

Michael took a cautious step back as the Zoroark sniffed his hand. He was not sure how this pokemon would react. Pawniard looked anxiously at his master, ready for a fight. Michael took a breath and looked to Lyre. "Is this Zoroark...Yours?" He said, trying not to make what fear he was feeling evident. "It's not often someone has a zoroark."

(I'm so sorry I haven't posted in this for so long ;_;)

Lyre turned toward the girl. "I can't stop you from following me, whatever you do with your life is up to you. Though I don't see how we could possibly stand each other after the thrill of it wears off." She said the last bit with a sarcastic note and turned toward Michael. "Yes, the Zoroark is 'mine' for lack of a better term. Though she's also her own and can do as she pleases. Like make sure I'm not in a predicament through use of illusion." Upon hearing this, the illusioned Zoroark by Michael faded away. It seemed Swift was elsewhere.

Swift continued to scent Lostlorn Forest coming from a strange source. Looking up at the Vulpixguarding the boy who seemed to make it. She approached cautiously, sniffing.

After a while, Katsushiro noticed Zoroark was hesitating for some reason. He looked to the side, and saw vulpix was high on alert. He gave a mental sigh. Vulpix had always had a protectiveness about her; though, those who really knew Vulpix would know that there was a mischievous side to her. Katsushiro drew back his hand to wave down the vulpix as to tell her there was no reason to be in such alarm. After the vulpix calmed, Katsu turned back toward Zoroark. "Sorry," he said, feeling a bit responsible for not noticing right away. He once again offered the berries in his hand. This time, however, his ring finger and small finger were not covering the wood marble that he held, and it was free for the taking.

Being given the gesture of calming down, so she did. Vulpix was very social, however, and instead of trying to keep out of attention, it went forward and seemed to wait its turn to kindly greet Zoroark. It sat against Naka's leg, and any sign of defensiveness had completely vanished, replaced with its energetic attitude.

Zoroark took a few more steps, sniffing the hand offered to her. First she gently took the berries out of it and gobbled them with one crack of her sharp teeth. She then noticed the marble. Tilting her head to one side, she sniffed it, coming to the conclusion that this had been the source of the scent.

She backed up a few paces, and the scenery around them suddenly disappeared, being replaced by an exact copy of Lostlorn Forest, it was Swift's way of asking the question as to where the marble came from.

Katsu was happy to see Zoroark had taken the berries. Some pokémon had different taste than others, he knew. Vulpix simply enjoyed the berries and he carried them for her. Katsushiro could almost feel the interest of the Zoroark as its gaze remained at his hand. He had forgotten the marble had fallen from its string.

When Zoroark stepped back, he felt he had offended it somehow. He was about to apologize for the unknown reason when he noticed a change. Everything around him... this no longer looked like the park. It was a forest. It seemed familiar somehow. Where was he, and what happened to the park? He mentally gasped, finally gripping just what he had seen. "This is," he started, looking at the trees around him and to the small item in his hand. The wood ball in his hand was made from that wood. "This is home."

He hadn't realized it, but he had missed this forest. He'd grown up here. While he was greatly into acting, he had enjoyed climbing trees to heights that would fatigue many. If anyone were to try to bully him, all he would do is climb one of these trees, that way they would only pointlessly make unimpressive taunts to get back down. He smiled at the memory.

Vulpix looked around, very confused. Katsushiro looked absolutely strange. She wasn't from lostlorn forest like he was. She had never even been there. Katsushiro's speechless manner looked strange, and he even looked lost in thought. It seemed as if whatever had been created were suddenly important. She didn't make any effort to get him out of this random daze.

Katsu looked back to the Zoroark. He remembered being told something about them. They had the unique ability to create illusions. He realized this was no more than that. There was some part of him that wished this wasn't an illusion.

Swift understood the boy's words, but couldn't speak them herself. Consentrating for a brief second, something appeared in the clearing. It was a Pokemon family, two Zoroarks and two Zoruas. The Zoruas were running amuk while the parents looked amused, but also on alert for the safety of their young.

The vision morphed, this time there was a trainer in the clearing, the family was hiding with an illusion. The trainer left looking disappointed. Another change, one of the Zoruas was now a Zoroark, the trainer came back, this time with others. They found nothing, they left.

The scenery turned dark, the trees without leaves, snow on the ground. The small family was sleeping in the clearing, the remaining Zorua perched in a tree. Suddenly there was light, and a flash of red. The mother disappeared into something thrown by a trainer with a Noctowl on his shoulder. The two Zoroark on the ground below snarled and waited for their illusion to confuse the trainer. The Noctowl flew at one, hitting it and shattering the illusion. Another flash of light, and only the young Zoroark remained.

The trainer had a triumphant smile, and forced that one away too. The young Zorua stood trembling on the branch, but the trainer didn't notice her. He picked up his three prizes, and left her all alone.

The scenery changed, this time showing the Zorua rapidly grow up, evolve, and remain alone in her forest home. Her face changed as it progressed, first full of emotion, and at the end, lacking any. Callous. It then showed another trainer make their way into the forest, Lyre, an alliance was made. Swift left her home for the first time.

Swift bowed her head at the boy, and all but the image of the forest disappeared. It was my home once, but I have nothing to go back to.

Katsushiro didn't notice the Zorua and the mother Zoroark right away. However, they quickly seemed to become the focus of his attention. He didn't understand right away, but he caught on quickly. This seemed like the life story of Zoroark.. at least it showed a negative side. Trainers had tried to capture them, he noticed. Through unsuccessful attempts, the humans increased their numbers. He was unsure whether they were scared, but their style of hiding seemed flawless.

That is, until the trainer with the Noctowl appeared. He remembered Noctowl and Hoothoot were trained to see through illusions, but he thought the illusions of a haunter or some other ghost were the usual type. The illusion of Zorua or Zoroark would be on a much higher level. Yet, the trainer caught the Zoroark as easily as it did. Was the noctowl really so powerful? Katsushiro gripped at his pant legs seeing the Zorua's sibblings being taken, and the trainer who was taking them as if they were stamps to add to a stamp collection. He had to remind himself this was just an illusion to keep himself from reacting.

Katsushiro could feel it was coming toward a conclusion. His time as an actor had given him the mind to predict an end. Nonetheless, it was just as unnerving as the rest. From a small innocent Zorua, it grew to the stone-shelled Zoroark it was now. Then he recognized Lyre, the girl he had met only a few minutes a girl.

Katsu's eyes had to adjust to the normal scene without the illusion as soon as it was gone. He didn't know what to think. Zoroark had lost everything that mattered in Lostlorn Forest to a trainer. After all that, he came along with some wood from the trees. Being reminded was probably the last thing Zoroark wanted. Katsushiro tried putting himself in Zoroark's position. What if he were to watch as his own family were being plucked away? What if all he could do was helplessly watch? He then got a bit deeper in thought. What if he were to go back right now, and find his family were no longer there? What if they were dead or taken away and he was not even there to know? It was too much for him. He dropped to his knees. Zoroark had gone through so much more than he had. Being young, it never came to his mind that disaster could happen. He looked down to the ground quickly, just before two translucent drops fell from his eyes. He was crying more from what he had seen than what he had thought, though. But the thoughts had brought the situation to life. This illusion was a memory to Zoroark, he realized.

As Katsu's knees hit the ground, the marble fell from his hands and rolled away. He made no attempt to retrieve it. "I'm... I'm sorry," he said, through a voice that showed his youth through the crying voice that all young children seemed to have.

((I'm not good at giving dialogue to my characters. @.@ Absolute terrible.))

Swift did not know what to do when she noticed the moisture in the boy's eyes. She had never really showed her story to anyone other than Lyre, and the girl had s completely different reaction. She walked up to the boy and rested her head on his shoulder. It was her way of comforting him, just as her mother would do when she was upset. The sad memories brought moisture to the Zoroark's eyes. She hadn't felt anything in a long time, it felt nice to allow emotions to show.

It surprised Katsu when he felt the Pokemon's chin drop on to his shoulder, but he made no startled movements. His breathing pattern having a sudden pause was the only sign. Katsushiro felt he was being illogical. It was Zoroark's memories, and it was her pain, yet Zoroark was comforting him. He then thought of Lyre, the person he had seen earlier. What if she were to see this right now? She didn't look like the type to take people as seriously as Pokémon, from what he saw. He had managed to stop crying, slowing it to mere sniffing. Though he stopped crying, he didn't remove himself. Katsu couldn't explain the feeling Zoroark was giving him, but it was comforting.

He wanted to say something to comfort Zoroark in return, but couldn't find the words. Something that could lessen her burden. Something to make it less painful. "Can we be brother and sister?" He suddenly said. It was said before he could think about the flaws. He put it together after it was said, and realized there was a mistake. Getting attached to Zoroark would leave him pained when they seperate, as she did stay with Lyre, and he had no intention of taking her away. This could have the same impact against Zoroark, and completely ruin the purpose of it. She could come at any moment and have Swift leave, regardless of what was happening. But then, he thought, what if he were to follow Lyre? Would she allow it? But he didn't know Lyre as well as he now knew Swift. Chances of being rejected was great. He would try to make an excuse to follow her where she was going.

Vulpix understood what happened to Zoroark completely, but Katsu seemed to have some hidden past behind him. Him and Zoroark had barely met, and not much more than twenty minutes pass, and both are crying over eachother's shoulders. Katsu was proving to be very strange, Vulpix seemed to think. She didn't react much more than the quizzical cooing sound, predicting this was something the two of them alone would understand.

Swift's tears seemed to subside when the boy's did. She continued to rest her head on his shoulder, and when he asked the question, she lifted it slightly and glanced into his eyes. They had a hidden energy in them that reminded her of her actual brother, who was quick to climb a tree or pull a prank.

Against her better nature, she nodded yes in reply. The boy needed comfort, and this would bring it to him. It may also eventually fill the giant gap she felt in her chest the day everything was taken. More than just her family was lost that day.

----

Seeing no one move to reply to her question, Lyre got to her feet. Swift had been gone for a while, and she was slightly worried something could have happened to her ally. She headed the direction she saw Swift run.

Katsu, cheeks now a bit stained with tears, couldn't stop himself from showing himself to be happy with the response. But then, he had no reason to hide it. He looked to the side at his bag. There was something he was going to do. What was it? He had been in his bag before. That's right! He gave a glance at Vulpix. "I'm sorry; I've completely forgotten." He reached into his bag and took out another berry. Before, he was about to give one of the berries to Vulpix. It was a bit less than what Zoroark had, but it was simply proportioned to Vulpix's size. "Here, Kaguya," he said, laying his hand out and beckoning for Vulpix to take them.

Vulpix took a single stride and quickly took the berries in a way that made it seem to say finally. It nibbled excitedly at the berries. It was obvious Katsu had chosen the right berries for her.

Seeing the satisfaction on the Vulpix's face, Katsu smiled. He made an attempt to stand, but his legs had apparently gone numb. He was not used to sitting on his knees for so long. As soon as he put pressure on his left foot to lift his right, it sluggishly slipped from under him, and he fell on his face, just barely managing to keep himself from falling against Swift. His bag once again fell, and seemingly to make it all the more annoying, his items were once more scattered across the ground. He didn't take much injury besides a bruised knee, but it was painful impact to the ground. He needed a new bag, he told himself, and soon. This one had the will of its own to open up at the most inconvenient times to make him seem a fool.

Swift reacted to catch the boy, but she was too slow, and could only watch as he fell. She reached one of her hands out, offerning to help him up. Her eyes were full of sympathy and concern, there was no hint of the laughter or amusement she would usually have if it were someone she didn't know. Curiosity floated through her mind at that thought. She didn't truely know the boy, and yet she felt as if he was an invaluble companion she would protect with her life. Something she previously only felt for Lyre, even if the girl didn't act it, she had a big heart.


Lyre picked up her pace as she saw the figue of a boy on the ground, with Swift looming over him. "Swift, what did you do?" she muttered to herself, while breaking into a run toward them.

As Katsu picked himself up, he only then noticed Lyre, the girl who was reading on a bench, was running toward them. The bad fall he had taken didn't seem to have great impact on his energy. He straightened himself out, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but then noticed a sense of urgency behind her movement. He couldn't tell if she was focused toward Swift or to him. It could be both, he thought. Was it that Lyre had seen it a bad thing that her partner and him had stood so near eachother? What is he to say? It was probably better if she spoke first, sijce he had no clue of what it was. It could be something simple, after all.

Kaguya was rather uncanny with her organizing ability, more so than you'd expect from a Vulpix. She had gathered everything and stacked the items to appear as if Katsushiro had simply turned his bag upside down, dumped his belongings, and somehow remaining in its neatly sorted position.

Swift stepped back when Katsu got back up. It was then that Lyre finally caught up to them, her chest heaving. She wasn't much of a runner. Looking at Swift and back to Katsu, she sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" she asked the boy. "I hope Swift didn't do anything to hurt you." Swift made a barking sound, the closest thing she had to a laugh, and it only made Lyre even more confused. She truned her confused expression to Katsu, waiting for his reply.

Katsu seemed to mimic Lyre's confused expression for a bit. From the time he had seen Zoroark, or Swift, he had seen nothing that hinted Hostility in her. It took a moment for him to notice their earlier position. He had been fallen over, and Swift was the nearest one. But Swift hadn't tripped him. He remembered she attempted to stop him from falling. The puzzled expression had gone. "I just fell," he said. "Nothing bad happened between us." The words were vague, but it was quite obvious something had happened somehow.

"If you say so," Lyre replied, something in her voice saying she didn't believe fully what he was saying. She had caught her breath, but her face was blazing red, and her leg muscles sore all over. If there was one thing Lyre hated more than the tyranny trainers have caused to Pokemon, it would be running.

Swift returned to Lyre's side, concern in her gaze as she examined her worn out partner. Noticing the concern, Lyre's expression turned confused. "Swift, are you sure you're the Zoroark I know, I haven't seen that expression on your face before. You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine, though are you?" Swift nodded, she didn't know why Lyre was concerned, she felt the same as she always did.

It seemed the exchange between Swift and Katsu had changed the Pokemon somehow. Swift was less battle hungry and more empathetic now, she was starting to become more like her old self.

Katsu quickly picked up the items and put them back in his bag, thanking Vulpix for helping him. For a moment, Katsushiro thought about whether he should tell Lyre about what happened between Swift and him. From the way she was reacting, he thought maybe it would be too fast to tell her right away. If she inquired more, he'd probably tell her though.

He wasn't sure whether to let them talk alone or if he should say something. Now he was uncertain how to go about asking to follow her.

Oshawott, Snivy and Tepig came running over to Taya.

Taya let them on her. "So...I wonder what they're saying."

(Bah, I'm not sure what to do for a parting post in this thread, so I'll just skip right to a new topic~)

[Topic Exit]