The Last Winter’s Breeze [One-Shot]
Jan 8, 2019 13:14:00 GMT
Post by Cavespider_17 on Jan 8, 2019 13:14:00 GMT
This is a piece for the Extravaganza for Manchee based on prompt four: Future, neo-noir and somewhat post-apocalyptic Unova featuring a bounty hunter (or hunters) tracking down someone with a twisted past, and prompt five: Someone adopting and loving a Pokémon that is typically viewed as "less-than" or "unoriginal" or "trash".
I looked up at the moonlight. It glimmered for a moment before the dusty, ice-cold clouds came swirling over.
300 years of an ice-age ... and yet … some of us still have warmth in our hearts.
My weary eyes dart around for a moment, as I hear the wind brush against the trees. I let out a little smile and allow my arms to slump down by my belt once more. I look at my Poké balls that hang there beside my blood-stained Balisongs knife, sigh, and go to touch the missing forefinger on my right hand. The pain of losing that finger to my first victim still echo in my mind. I remember my partner, Thomas, saving me, and the both of us getting rushed by the grunts. I remember Lium saving us both, back when he was smaller.
I am still not used to the freezing cold, even though it’s been this way since before I can remem-ber. Forever cold. Forever Team Plasma wandering the streets, beating those who they see as op-ponents to their goals. The followers of Team Plasma have been many in number, and they only seem to grow … except in Nuvema Town. I guess the echoes of Black still exist there, through the songs of the people. Even then, every time I wander by it their defences seem weaker.
At least Nuvema Town has held its ground for 300 years, unlike Icirrus City, which fell within a few hours of fighting Colress’s ice machine. Colress … Team Plasma … the Seven Sages …
They never changed … They are worse now … I think ... They have killed all that I have ... almost.
I look back down at the Poké balls. Five are empty. The last one I look into and see the tiny, timid Galvantula looking back at me.
“It always was going to be this way, wasn’t it pal? You and I … at the end of it all,” I whisper to him, “The descendants of the Seven Sages … Five are dead. Two to go.” I smile for a moment. “Then we have to kill … the new leader of Team Plasma… the descendant of Colress, or his bloodline anyway. It’s crappy that they run that way, right pal?”
The Galvantula looks back up at me with an understanding look in his eyes
“Lium?” I say. “No matter how this ends, we have to try. This winter can’t last much longer, be-cause I am tired of eating baked beans.”
Suddenly, he releases himself from his ball and lunges at me playfully, knocking the fez off my head.
“Hey, buddy, be careful with that! It’s my only hat. Even if it’s not built for this weather.” I laugh and take a little scarf out my bag. As I wrap it around him gently, I say, “Here you go Lium.”
“You are a hard man to find, Freddie,” a cold voice says.
I immediately swivel.
Shit!
“Honestly, you have come far, but he knows what you’ve been doing. It’s time to end this once and for all.”
I look up to see myself completely surrounded, with weapons pointed at me at point blank range. I had been snuck up on, an unfortunate side effect of firing a bazooka without ear protectors a few times is damage to one’s hearing.
Of course. Like always, I’m surrounded, and I have no means of escape. I have spent thirty years of my life hunting these fuckers down … and, well, I guess it finally caught up to me, but it's not over. If only Lium … you and I had met earlier, before that day in the snow … we could have ended this sooner.
I remember hearing from the town shop, so I came running to see old man Beard swiping at some-thing sitting on the power socket. I realised instantly what it was. A starved Joltik was desperately trying to drain the power, of the powerless shop. It was obvious it was young, since it’s eyes were still half closed. Without its mother it would die without care and love. Since Joltik cannot survive without siphoning power, as they cannot produce their own electricity yet. It is their food, and the little guy looked weak. I looked around for a few minutes trying to see if I could spot its mother without success.
“Hey, Mister Beard? I got this,” I said, and walked over to the Joltik. “Hey, buddy, you hungry? I was … erm … well, saving this for a rainy day. But it’s too cold for that now.” I laugh a little, and take a low-power battery out my pocket. “Here, buddy. I was going to trade this in for cash, I did find it on a corpse but...”
Since Team Plasma has made running electric items without permission illegal… there goes my torch… oh well it’s worth it for this little guy.
I open up my palm, and slowly but surely the tiny Joltik shuffled over to me. With a little yellow leg, he reached over and knocked the battery towards himself, careful not to touch me, but it rolled back into my palm.
“You a smart fella, huh?” I smiled at him. “Well, I ain’t gonna hurt you, buddy. In fact … I gotta get back to work. So you wanna come? It’s not warm, but there is food.”
The Joltik slowly looked at me, inched cautiously onto my hand, and started to drain the battery of its energy.
“You like them huh?” I say to him as I leave the shop. “How about this? We make a promise: I promise you we will find your mother, and you promise me you will be a brave boy for me.” I smiled some more. “Now how about I name you Lithium? That’s what these things are made of, and I guess you’re gonna be draining them whenever I find them.”
I can feel tears rolling down my eyes as I kneel in the snow.
Sorry, bud. I never managed to carry out my promise. I’m sorry about your mother, but if there is one thing I know … I trust you more than Thomas.
The world flashes white in front of me, and I hear buzzing.
I shoot my eyes open and a white thick stringed web is intertwined over the bodies of the Sage, and his men. It sparks and shocks the twitching bodies.
I guess it’s over. Thank you, Lium … for saving my life…
I look up and see the corpses of my attackers.
“Lium, you learned Electroweb! I am so proud of you! Now … let’s finish this! We can’t unfreeze the world … but we can end this never-ending winter.”
The Last Winter’s Breeze
I looked up at the moonlight. It glimmered for a moment before the dusty, ice-cold clouds came swirling over.
300 years of an ice-age ... and yet … some of us still have warmth in our hearts.
My weary eyes dart around for a moment, as I hear the wind brush against the trees. I let out a little smile and allow my arms to slump down by my belt once more. I look at my Poké balls that hang there beside my blood-stained Balisongs knife, sigh, and go to touch the missing forefinger on my right hand. The pain of losing that finger to my first victim still echo in my mind. I remember my partner, Thomas, saving me, and the both of us getting rushed by the grunts. I remember Lium saving us both, back when he was smaller.
I am still not used to the freezing cold, even though it’s been this way since before I can remem-ber. Forever cold. Forever Team Plasma wandering the streets, beating those who they see as op-ponents to their goals. The followers of Team Plasma have been many in number, and they only seem to grow … except in Nuvema Town. I guess the echoes of Black still exist there, through the songs of the people. Even then, every time I wander by it their defences seem weaker.
At least Nuvema Town has held its ground for 300 years, unlike Icirrus City, which fell within a few hours of fighting Colress’s ice machine. Colress … Team Plasma … the Seven Sages …
They never changed … They are worse now … I think ... They have killed all that I have ... almost.
I look back down at the Poké balls. Five are empty. The last one I look into and see the tiny, timid Galvantula looking back at me.
“It always was going to be this way, wasn’t it pal? You and I … at the end of it all,” I whisper to him, “The descendants of the Seven Sages … Five are dead. Two to go.” I smile for a moment. “Then we have to kill … the new leader of Team Plasma… the descendant of Colress, or his bloodline anyway. It’s crappy that they run that way, right pal?”
The Galvantula looks back up at me with an understanding look in his eyes
“Lium?” I say. “No matter how this ends, we have to try. This winter can’t last much longer, be-cause I am tired of eating baked beans.”
Suddenly, he releases himself from his ball and lunges at me playfully, knocking the fez off my head.
“Hey, buddy, be careful with that! It’s my only hat. Even if it’s not built for this weather.” I laugh and take a little scarf out my bag. As I wrap it around him gently, I say, “Here you go Lium.”
“You are a hard man to find, Freddie,” a cold voice says.
I immediately swivel.
Shit!
“Honestly, you have come far, but he knows what you’ve been doing. It’s time to end this once and for all.”
I look up to see myself completely surrounded, with weapons pointed at me at point blank range. I had been snuck up on, an unfortunate side effect of firing a bazooka without ear protectors a few times is damage to one’s hearing.
Of course. Like always, I’m surrounded, and I have no means of escape. I have spent thirty years of my life hunting these fuckers down … and, well, I guess it finally caught up to me, but it's not over. If only Lium … you and I had met earlier, before that day in the snow … we could have ended this sooner.
***
I remember hearing from the town shop, so I came running to see old man Beard swiping at some-thing sitting on the power socket. I realised instantly what it was. A starved Joltik was desperately trying to drain the power, of the powerless shop. It was obvious it was young, since it’s eyes were still half closed. Without its mother it would die without care and love. Since Joltik cannot survive without siphoning power, as they cannot produce their own electricity yet. It is their food, and the little guy looked weak. I looked around for a few minutes trying to see if I could spot its mother without success.
“Hey, Mister Beard? I got this,” I said, and walked over to the Joltik. “Hey, buddy, you hungry? I was … erm … well, saving this for a rainy day. But it’s too cold for that now.” I laugh a little, and take a low-power battery out my pocket. “Here, buddy. I was going to trade this in for cash, I did find it on a corpse but...”
Since Team Plasma has made running electric items without permission illegal… there goes my torch… oh well it’s worth it for this little guy.
I open up my palm, and slowly but surely the tiny Joltik shuffled over to me. With a little yellow leg, he reached over and knocked the battery towards himself, careful not to touch me, but it rolled back into my palm.
“You a smart fella, huh?” I smiled at him. “Well, I ain’t gonna hurt you, buddy. In fact … I gotta get back to work. So you wanna come? It’s not warm, but there is food.”
The Joltik slowly looked at me, inched cautiously onto my hand, and started to drain the battery of its energy.
“You like them huh?” I say to him as I leave the shop. “How about this? We make a promise: I promise you we will find your mother, and you promise me you will be a brave boy for me.” I smiled some more. “Now how about I name you Lithium? That’s what these things are made of, and I guess you’re gonna be draining them whenever I find them.”
***
I can feel tears rolling down my eyes as I kneel in the snow.
Sorry, bud. I never managed to carry out my promise. I’m sorry about your mother, but if there is one thing I know … I trust you more than Thomas.
The world flashes white in front of me, and I hear buzzing.
I shoot my eyes open and a white thick stringed web is intertwined over the bodies of the Sage, and his men. It sparks and shocks the twitching bodies.
I guess it’s over. Thank you, Lium … for saving my life…
I look up and see the corpses of my attackers.
“Lium, you learned Electroweb! I am so proud of you! Now … let’s finish this! We can’t unfreeze the world … but we can end this never-ending winter.”
