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Tainted Glory

Shadows of Kalos

By Evan Drake

##

Chapter 4: Crowned

Velvet

Blinding light filled my vision, making me groan in pain as a headache raced across my temple. Those headaches were the worst. Even after all this time, I hadn't fully adjusted to life above ground yet. It was the damn sun. As an Espeon, I absorbed sunlight and used it to amplify my psychic abilities. But being born and raised underground with artificial light, I had adjusted but now the sun increased my already considerable power.

I looked around for my sunhat, still trying to blink away the pain, but it was nowhere to be found. Soon my pain was forgotten as rage took its place. Munch knew better, but I wouldn't put it past Nina to hide my hat. If she had anything to do with this, she was going to pay dearly.

After a few moments, my eyes adjusted. I stood in...my room? No, I stood just outside my room, inside the hall where the humans watched us. It still wasn't possible. Pokémon weren't allowed in this hall. Besides, the fire was everywhere, the place was falling apart, and everyone was running, panicking, and screaming for their lives. This place should've been destroyed, but no sign of destruction could be seen. And I got out. The first time I experienced the outside wasn't something I would forget. I remembered the blinding sunlight and the smell of the outside. I was taken in by Liane, me and Nina. She gave us to her cousin, some human called Grey who then gave us to his son, Curtis. We lived with him, pampered and sheltered ever since.

It was real, it had to be. We had been there for months. I remembered Curtis pampering us, his excitement to learn how strong we were, and my disappointment upon learning how weak he was.

But where I stood now was my old room. The same bland walls, the same toys scattered everywhere. What it didn't have was the smell. The old room had a certain odor thanks to the chemicals they used to keep it sterile. This room smelled like nothing at all.

I stepped closer to the mirror. Something lay in the middle of the room. A dark shadow curled on the floor. It looked like me. Not just an Espeon, but another version of me. And it was also not me. Its fur was a dark grey and its limbs seemed more jagged as if its entire body had turned into a weapon.

I tilted my head and pressed a paw to the glass. The moment I did, the Espeon opened a single red eye and looked at me. I froze. It had the same soulless, blood-craving look Dorian had. I remembered that day he went on a rampage. I still had nightmares about it. All those battles, all those Pokémon I killed, all those brushes with death, and I had never felt something like this. I wanted to run as far away from it as I could, but my legs wouldn't budge.

The Espeon slowly rose and started walking toward me, its jagged paws clicking on the floor. Its fur turned darker and seemed to absorb the light around it. I couldn't do anything as it crossed the distance between us. Every part of me screamed attack, run, do something other than stand there and await destruction, but I was lost in its lackadaisical stare.

The one-way mirror began to vibrate, snapping me out of my stupor. I tried to pull my paw back, but it was stuck. I panicked and started pulling until I heard the joint pop out of place. Pain surged through my shoulder, but I continued to try to run away. My paws slid against the floor, the pain in my shoulder worsened, but my paw remained glued to the glass.

The Espeon reached the glass and slowly raised a paw. I stopped my attempt to flee and stared. It couldn't see me. It shouldn't be able to see me. I stood on the other side of that glass wall, so I knew. There was no way, but I knew it was looking right at me. It knew I was there. It placed its paw on the glass in the same place as mine and the mirror wall shattered, showering me in bits of glass.

****

I jumped to my paws, screaming. Blinding light filled my vision, making me groan in pain, as a sudden headache flared. I staggered on the soft floor and fell on my side. I quickly recovered and jumped up again, whirling around for any signs of that Espeon. It wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing me bowed in fear. I wouldn't be easy prey.

But something was off. I wasn't in the hall anymore, but another room. This room wasn't cold and ominous, but warm and inviting. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtain on the far wall. The smell of growing teenager hit my nose and I immediately knew where I was. It was Curtis' room. No matter how many times I saw it, I was amazed at how he got away with being such a damn slob. The various posters cluttering the wall, the useless "figurines" cluttering the useless shelves standing watch over books, old toys, and other things that also served no purpose than to take up space.

In the middle of it all stood Munch. That grey ball of fur was anything but threatening. He hummed to himself as he swept his large brush of a tail across the rug, giant ears bobbing in tune with whatever melody played in his head.

The little Mincinno spun around, arms wide and head thrown back as he reached the dramatic crescendo of his song, and noticed me. His already big eyes grew to an even more impressive size.

"Ma'am, you're up!" he cried. "I-I didn't wake you, did I?"

I shook my head and took in my surroundings to make sure that other Espeon wasn't lurking somewhere. That dream was so strange. I had never had anything like it before. There were nightmares from the past, but nothing like that.

"Is, Is everything all right, ma'am?"

"I'm fine," I said a little too forcibly. I hopped off the bed so he couldn't see my annoyance at anger. "Anything I should know?"

As if to answer my question, my ears swiveled towards the TV.

"The problem is all of these legacy trainers are setting the bar far too high for the average trainer to keep up," the TV announcer said. A skinny man with a large head and the fakest toupee I had ever seen.

The camera switched to who I assumed was the co-announcer. Another skinny man but at least this one had all of his hair. Judging from the way his gaze shifted and the weak smile on his face, the conversation had gone in an unexpected direction.

The lollipop man continued his rant without prompting. "Take the Harris family for example. It's been a year since Curtis Harris completed the entire League Challenge using only an Espeon. And now every trainer is trying to follow in his footsteps. Less than 30% of trainers who registered in the last year have even one gym badge because they're trying to finish the challenge with a single Pokémon."

"Well, yeah, but the League has said multiple times that this 'Single-Pokémon Challenge' is not an official challenge," the co-announcer said.

"As if that makes a difference. The problem is, legacies have yet another reason to lord themselves over the average trainer and make them work even harder for just a shred of recognition."

I snorted and used my psychic abilities to change the channel. Recognition was a lie, an illusion, and I would have no part in it any longer. Those fools didn't have the right to complain anyway. The "League Challenge" was a joke. None of those trainers stood a chance against me. They played around, took chances, and made obvious mistakes. Sloppy.

The TV changed to an image of another human, this one a woman, standing in front of a massive crowd. Countless candles illuminated the sea of humans in the night. From the look on her face, it wasn't a happy occasion. I wouldn't normally care about such a thing, but so many humans gathered in one place piqued my interest.

"I'm standing in Shalour City where thousands have gathered in remembrance of the horrific event that took place just a few weeks prior," the reporter said.

The camera panned to the scene behind her as she droned on. Even more people were gathering, all of them carrying little flames. "As you know just a few months ago, hundreds of people and Pokémon died mysteriously in what was easily the most deadly event in current history. Authorities still have no leads to the exact cause, but they have confirmed that it was not a biological cause that did this."

"Hey, aren't you from Kalos, ma'am?" Munch asked.

My ear twitched as I dug my paws into the carpet. I had forgotten he was here. "I was."

"Do you ever think about going--?"

"No. I have no intention of going back."

It was another forceful reaction, and that kind of weak responses should be beneath me--are beneath me. Absolute control was a requirement.

It was just that place, Kalos. The place where I was "born". I hurried out of the room before I slipped up and let Munch see any more of myself he didn't need to. By the time I reached the living room, I had calmed down somewhat but the bitter taste of that place lingered in the back of my throat. I coughed as if that would somehow dislodge the memories of pain and torture like coughing up a hairball. As expected, it did not.

The curtains were open, letting the sun's bright rays shine through the window. I hissed as a splitting headache formed and sought comfort in the shadows behind the sofa.

Something soft fell on my head. I looked up to see my sunhat sitting on my crown.

"Rough night?" Nina asked. A second later, the Nidorina landed in front of me. The luxurious life had made her fat. Her blue body closely resembled an oran berry with legs and the spikes on her already round ears and back seemed dull. Even her beak-like muzzle had become rounder. "I heard you moaning in your sleep."

"I slept fine," I said.

She stared at me, those dead red eyes somehow reading me despite her lack of psychic ability. I hated it and I hated her for it.

She dropped onto her wide rump and scratched her bulging belly. "So what happened?"

I sighed. If I didn't know her I would have sworn the slow drawl of her voice was sarcasm. Unfortunately, I did know her and knew she was serious. Of course she was. As if I wanted to talk about my feelings.

"It's nothing," I said. "Just something on the TV annoyed me." Not a complete lie, but I would be damned if I just opened up and spilled my secrets like some emotional weakling even if Nina was the only one who would understand.

One of her large ears twitched. "You talking about that whole League Challenge thing?"

"You know about it?"

"Yeah, the other humans are upset because they can't do it."

That made me smile. "Of course they can't. They don't have my prowess."

"If you say so."

Her tone gave away that she didn't believe me. But it was more than that. She knew I didn't boast. We knew how strong we were. I remembered when we first got here, she wanted to battle everyone we came across. But she quickly became quiet. She stopped volunteering to fight and she began lazing about and stuffing her face with sweets.

"Sounds more like something is bothering you," I said.

"Those fights were boring. I don't get how you find fun in them."

"I don't, but it's something to do." She had me there. I hated the boring fights, but it was that or grow fat like the rest of the pampered Pokémon in this condo. I'd rather stay busy and focus on building my power. Sooner or later someone will come along who can challenge me.

The door opened and Curtis came into the room. Seeing him always reminded me of a young one who hadn't yet learned to walk. According to the humans he had what was called "baby face." I didn't quite get it, but then again I wasn't entirely sure what a baby looked like. I had never met one. And what did it matter anyway?

"Oh, Velvet, you're awake," he said. "Perfect timing. Someone just challenged me to a battle while I was at the store. I told him I had to go get my Pokémon and he promised to wait." He dropped his bags by the door and hopped over us on his way to the bedroom. "I just need to go grab your ball, okay?"

"He didn't even wait for my reply," I said.

"You're going to say yes anyway," Nina said.

"That's not the point. He's getting full of himself. Has he forgotten that I'm the reason he's no longer the family loser?"

Nina scratched her belly and stared down the hall. "He'll never forget."

Curtis returned with my ball in one hand and his "trainer bag" in the other. I had no idea why he insisted on carrying that thing around. He hasn't used it since Nina and I became his new Pokémon. I noticed Munch's Poké Ball clipped to Curtis' belt already.

I entered the boy's mind to inquire about it. It was much easier than trying to point to it and hope he got the hint like Nina did.

"Why is Munch coming along?"

"Huh? Oh! Munch needs the experience. Besides, he likes watching you battle."

I sighed and used my psychic powers to pull the ball out of Curtis' hand. Having an audience wouldn't kill me. It's just being watched reminded me too much of that place.

****

I was released from my ball under the blinding sun. Lucky I was wearing my hat before I went in. It still didn't stop the ache in the middle of my forehead. How anyone put up with daylight was beyond me.

Even before my eyes adjusted, I heard the jeers and threats from the other trainers.

"Yeah, Scizor, kick that stuck-up Espeon's ass!"

"Legacy Pokémon are pampered pussies!"

"Show 'em how a real Pokémon battles!"

So Curtis was set up again. This trainer didn't want a battle, he wanted a spectacle. This wasn't about proving his strength but embarrassing others. Just like those simple-minded fools on TV, all he cared about was putting a legacy in their place.

Too bad, the legacy he chose to face was me. Ironic given that I wasn't one of these "legacies" the humans hated so much. I was bred and raised to be a fighter, but I wasn't born into a family of trainers. I wasn't coddled and I wasn't pampered. But their ignorance wasn't my problem.

As much as I hated the idea of this being a waste of time, I wanted this to be like the others. An easy win. A hard battle would be satisfying. Someone this petty and disgusting didn't deserve to satisfy me.

The freckled teen that was to be our opponent grinned evilly. Next to him was what I assumed to be my foe. It almost resembled a human, if humans had smooth red bodies that appeared more metallic and large pincers for hands. A Scizor, a powerful and popular bug-type Pokémon.

The Scizor looked at me and smirked. "This little Espeon is who I'm fighting? Come on, at least give me a challenge!"

"Kick his ass!"

"Put him in his place!"

"Stupid legacy bastard! You're no better than us!"

My ear twitched at that. I could fight him with my eyes closed. As if he could put me in my place. In that moment I knew I would enjoy watching him squirm.

Their petty insults and empty threats faded into silence. They meant nothing. They were nothing. All that mattered was the opponent in front of me.

"Let's dethrone a Champion, Scizor," his trainer shouted. "Use X-Scissor!"

Crossed-attack. Left side.

Scizor moved with impressive speed, but not impressive enough. The premonition of what he was going to do played in my mind's eye before he even took his first step. True to the vision, he circled left and tried to attack my blind spot.

I yawned and told Curtis the command he should give me to make everyone think he was in control. "Velvet, use Reflect," he said in what I assumed was meant to be a convincing tone. It sounded more like a suggestion.

The attack collided with my barrier, stopping it cold. I whirled on Curtis.

"What was that? I said give me a command!"

"But...But I did."

I blocked another attack, this one coming from my right side, but I kept my eyes on Curtis. The Scizor was not important. "If you're the trainer, act like it!"

"But you told me never to yell at you."

"I told you not to talk back. When we're in a battle, the humans need to believe you're the one making the demands. I gave you one job to do!"

Curtis flinched as I deflected another one of Scizor's attacks from above. Another vision flashed through my mind of him attempting another sneak attack from behind. "I'm sorry!" he said.

"You're always sorry! And straighten up! I will not be seen taking orders from a coward!"

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Scizor shouted.

I said nothing. I didn't wait for a command from Curtis nor did I bother to send him one. A single Psychic attack was enough to launch Scizor flying and slam him against a tree far outside the battle zone. The attack had more force than intended. That was another thing about battling in the sun, I could never gauge the strength of my attacks properly. But it didn't matter now. His pitiful attacks had gotten on my nerves anyway.

No one spoke. No one cheered. No one cursed. I faced the crowd and studied the faces of the cowards who thought themselves fit to judge me. Just like that time. I could see them in their white coats, scribbling away at their tablets and making observations. I felt the hot bright lights bearing down on me, the stench of blood filling the air and coating my fur.

"Velvet?" Curtis asked.

I blinked and realized where I was. This was a battleground in the middle of a park, not the Arena. Not back in that place.

I relaxed and ignored the crawling feeling under my skin and the sense that Espeon from my dream was standing behind me. Turning away from it all I walked off the field.

"Where are you going?" Curtis asked. "What about--?"

"There's no point. His Pokémon stand no chance and I'm in no mood to play."

By the time I reached the edge of the park, my temper hadn't calmed. It was so aggravating. At least back at Arena, there were worthy opponents or maybe it was having their lives on the line that made them try harder. Was that it? These Pokémon didn't bother trying because they didn't care about the consequences? Where was the fun in that?

The further I walked, the more it nagged at me. Why was I so upset? What did I care if they were weak? It just made my life easier.

"Velvet, wait up!" Curtis cried.

I stopped and waited for him to catch up. Honestly, he was so out of shape. Even after all that time on the road, his body refused to toughen up. Reminded me of Munch in a way.

After catching his breath, Curtis kneeled before me. "You're a Pokémon, so you can't go walking off like that. People will think you're unregistered."

"I fail to recognize how that's my problem. I'm getting tired of humans leaping to these wild accusations."

"Come on, Velvet, just make my life easier, please."

I wanted to tell him, no, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was an idiot but everyone expected otherwise of him. Those humans today only wanted to embarrass him. It was always like that. No one wanted to prove their strength, they just wanted to teach him a lesson he didn't earn. Even after two years together, it was a foreign concept how they could blame him for something he hadn't done.

Even now, the puffiness around his eyes was evident. He had been crying again. Most likely one of those trainers had made very harsh demands.

"Fine. But I want to battle stronger opponents. From now on, no more challenges from weaklings."

A bright smile adorned his wide face. "Deal. But how do I know who's strong enough for you?"

"You'll know. Now I wish to eat."

"Well, it's getting kinda late, and I don't want to miss my--"

I stared at him until he gave in. We both knew he didn't have a curfew any longer.

"Okay, okay, where do you want to go?"

"Someplace new."

I loathed surprises, but I was also tired of humans eager to ask for autographs and snide insults in hushed voices. For once I didn't want to be recognized.

He must have had a place in mind because his face lit up at the mere mention of a new place. "I know just where to go! C'mon!"

I didn't know where he was leading me but decided to let him have this one. He led me down an alley to a small place. A small neon sign shaped like a teacup hung over the door.

"I heard so much about this place," Curtis said. "It's supposed to be really good."

I would be the judge of that, but I followed him inside.

The place was dimly lit but held a very calm and intimate atmosphere. It was quiet, peaceful, even though the place was packed.

A young man, but clearly older than Curtis, dressed in what I assumed was work clothes--humans liked to dress that way to announce themselves--approached us. "Welcome to Café Sonata," he said. "How can I help you?"

Before Curtis could reply, the lights dimmed, drawing attention to the single spotlight illuminating the stage on the far side of the café. Someone stood on it. At first glance, it looked like a short human, but it was a Pokémon I had never seen before. It had long green hair, and pale skin white as a sheet. They had beautiful green eyes and rounded hands.

Music began to play and the Pokémon started to sing.

I hear you buzzin', a fly on the wall

In through the window and up through the hall

Flyin' in circles, just tryin' to land

I see you hurtin', I do what I can

But I won't save you

Her voice was captivating. All eyes were on her, no one daring to speak. I could only stare as the strangest feeling of calm and sadness washed over me. I began to approach the stage, not caring who noticed or if it was against the rules.

I needed to know who this Pokémon was, but I didn't dare try to enter the mind of one of the band members and throw them off rhythm. I scanned the memories of the customers closest to me, but their minds were too focused on past regrets and their own feelings to get anything useful.

Before I could glean anything helpful, the Pokémon ended her song, the music faded, and the lights came back on. The room filled with soft applause and the Pokémon bowed briefly before turning away.

I had to take a chance. I wasn't letting her go without anything to show for it. I did the boldest thing I had ever done, I jumped onto the stage. "Wait, that was beautiful."

The Pokémon turned to me. "Oh, thank you so much for your kind words. But you can't be--"

"Whoa, whoa! Who let this stray in?" a human cried. She wore the same style clothes as that other human but she was much older. Her age made no difference. I was not a stray and she would not refer to me as such.

Curtis quickly ran to the stage and stood in front of me. "I'm so sorry! She's mine! I wasn't watching her and--"

The woman poked a long, ringed finger into his chest. "Look, little boy, we serve trainers here but Pokémon stay in their balls, got it? This is a classy place."

"Hold on, Maria, I'm sure the boy meant no harm."

The voice came behind. I turned and noticed one of the band members standing before us. He was much older, maybe middle-aged, but human ages were beyond me. He wore oddly casual clothes for his uptight demeanor. Square-rimmed glasses sat near the edge of his nose. I had seen humans with a similar look, trying to act cool. But this man pulled it off. The singing Pokémon cowered behind the man's leg.

"I got rules to follow, Sam," Maria said. "Today it's one trainer and an Espeon. The next, it's 20 trainers and this place reeks like a Pokémon Day-Care. No one wants to smell that while they eat."

I frowned but chose to let it slide that woman said I smell.

"Look, I'll vouch for the kid," the man said. "If he breaks anything, you can take it out of my pay. Besides, his Espeon is clearly a fan, and I'm not one to turn away someone who appreciates good music."

Maria snorted. "You musicians get on my nerves. Fine, but this is the only time. If I see that Espeon in here again, I'm throwing it and you out on your asses."

Thankfully she walked away and left it at that because I really wanted to see her try to make good on her threat. Maybe I would visit tomorrow.

"I'm real sorry about her. Some people are just wound way too tight," Sam said. He held out his hand to Curtis. "Call me Sam. And this here is my music partner, Meloetta."

"Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Curtis Harris and this is Velvet."

"That's such a lovely name," Meloetta said. "You have a very kind trainer."

He wasn't the one who named me but she didn't need to know that. Part of me wished she did though.

Before I could say anything else, and much to my annoyance, Sam kneeled next to me. At least he didn't try to pet me like most people did. "We rarely get Pokémon customers, so do you mind if I ask how we did?"

I turned to Meloetta. "I loved it. Did you write that yourself?"

"I did. I feel a little bad though since humans can't understand the lyrics but at least I can translate my feelings to them through the music."

"I bet your music is quite powerful in battle."

Her eyes widened. "Battle? Oh no, no, no. I would never battle. Sam isn't a trainer, he's a musician. It's a good thing, too, since I don't like to battle."

A Pokémon who didn't battle, but sang? It wasn't new to me. I was aware of the existence of house Pokémon, but to hear her admit she didn't like battling was a new one. Everyone liked battling even the ones who weren't good at it.

"Our Pokémon seem to be hitting it off," Sam said. "It's nice to meet a fan, but Meloetta and I have to get going. It was nice meeting you Curtis, and you, Velvet. Listen, we come back here every Thursday, so feel free to drop by if you want to hear her perform again." He leaned closer and lowered his voice but I heard him clearly. "And next time we'll sneak your Espeon backstage so Maria doesn't find out." He winked and walked away.

Meloetta waved as she followed her trainer offstage. I could only stare at her. It was so strange. I had never encountered a Pokémon that had such an effect on me. Was it her voice? Her beauty? No, it was something else. Her grace, her confidence. When she sang, she poured herself into it. She focused only on the song. Being on stage was where she wanted to be, not where she needed to be.

It reminded me a lot of when I used to battle. There was only me and my opponent, nothing else. But lately, it's just been a joke. Most opponents couldn't even grab my attention. Just like that battle today. It was a joke and a waste of time. Even back in the facility, the humans acknowledged my power and praised my accomplishment. But here, here there were only ingrates in denial who couldn't accept their ignorance and powerlessness.

But hearing Meloetta sing reminded me of what it felt like to feel that sense of accomplishment again. That feeling of being where I wanted to be.

I couldn't wait until Thursday so I could feel it again.