FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

PRE-STORY NOTES:

Hey there! This is a new series that I'll be writing, called "Armageddon"! It's a Pokémon story; however it has more references to the real world than you may be used to. Anyway, some scenes in this story may be slightly disturbing to some readers. There will also be a few 'suggestive' scenes as well. However, those will be very few and far between. For a lot of reasons, this story is going to be focused on plot development for the most part. Also, keep in mind that I am not the most knowledgeable about Pokémon, so excuse any spelling errors or mistakes in the naming of certain places, items, etc.

Pokémon™ is intellectual property of Nintendo© and Game Freak, Inc. respectively.

Here is some information about story format:

'Character Thought' (Not projected to other characters)

---

^^^Story break or a switch between character scenes/perspectives ^^^

~XXXXX~ Represents a lapse in time. But not a character perspective switch.

'Character Thought' (Projected to other characters)

(Pokémon Speech)

"Character Dialogue"

REVISION NOTES - October 15th, 2013

This chapter has been heavily edited from it's original version. The plot and event arc is still the same, however, many changes in dialog and the descriptions of certain scenes have been changed to allow for a much more enjoyable reading experience.

I think that's about it. Enjoy the story!

Armageddon: Prologue - "Crestfallen"

(Keep... running!) A Weavile yelled to his wife and daughter in-between labored breaths.

They dashed through the forest at incredible speeds in an attempt to escape the poachers trailing behind them. Gunshots resonated throughout the dense forest; several humans were riding on the back of an old pickup truck armed with hunting rifles. The metallic beast had a camouflage pattern, with rust eating away at its chassis. A loud roar from the powerful engine could be heard for miles around.

(I don't... think we can... escape.) The female Weavile responded; her voice was weak and she was exhausted from running for so long.

The male Weavile glanced behind him; the poachers were lining up another shot as their truck pulled in closer.

(We must try and hide in the foliage.) He proclaimed, making an effort to stabilize his voice and pointing one of his clawed hands towards the side of the trail.

(No use, t-they are... too close for us to try and... make an escape.) The female Weavile solemnly replied with a slight shake of her head. They continued sprinting in what was seemingly a feeble attempt at survival.

Their daughter, a shiny Sneasel, was curled up in the mother Weavile's arms; whimpering at the loud noises and the disparity of their situation.

Another gunshot sounded; grazing the father Weavile's maroon headdress. He grimaced at the feeling of several feathers being ripped out of his head. Once the pain subsided, a stray thought passed through his mind. There was only one thing they could do.

(We need... to save... our daughter.)

The mother glanced at him, nodded, and then looked back to her daughter who was nearly in tears. They stopped dead in their tracks; the mother Weavile released her daughter from her grasp and hastily set her on the ground. As she did so, the father Weavile came closer and kneeled before her, saying one simple word.

(Run.) He said to her breathily. (We will hold them off. Just...go!) Fear and desperation tainted the words as he spoke them.

(B-but dad...) the daughter replied in sadness, fear, and shock.

(I know...) He replied, cutting her off. (I just want you to promise me one thing.)

(Anything!).

(Remember what you have witnessed tonight...) He paused for a few moments; taking the opportunity to glance over his shoulder, before re-establishing eye contact with the frightened Sneasel. (I know there are exceptions, but you must make an effort to never go near any human. I know that I've said I had a wonderful time with my trainer. But humans are far too unpredictable; the chances of running into one that is evil are substantial. That is not a risk I want you to take.)

(I understand...) The daughter replied, her voice tapering off.

(We're running out of time!) The mother Weavile exclaimed, pointing to the fast approaching truck with one of her claws.

The father sighed. This was it.

(I'm afraid these will be our last moments together...) His voice began to waver. (Promise me, that you will never forget us.)

The pickup truck was getting much closer now; with poachers in tow. They could see the headlights cast a dull, white glow on the dense forest around them.

(I promise!) She exclaimed, as she hugged him; failing to hold back her tears.

(Good. Now go, or all of this will be in vain!) He yelled as he pointed towards the opposite direction of where the dull white light was appearing from. The poachers were lining up another shot as the daughter took off towards the dense underbrush.

(Don't look back! Just run Mia! RU-) A gunshot resounded, the bullet piercing her father's flesh made a sickening *squish* sound as he hit the ground with a soft *thud*. The mother gasped, and quickly ran to her fallen mate. She couldn't see any sign of life from him, and crumpled to her knees.

The screeching sound of the truck's brakes overtook her senses as it stopped no more than several feet in front of her. The glow of the headlights caused her golden headdress to shimmer like a beacon in the surrounding darkness.

Another gunshot resounded. Then another soft thud, as she also fell to the ground.

Mia did exactly as she was instructed; only taking a brief moment to look back at her dead parents, soaked in their own blood. The poachers hopped out of the pickup truck smiling triumphantly, and haphazardly threw them into a couple of potato sacks. She felt her heart sink as her tears soaked the fur under her eyes. Hesitantly, she turned back around and took off at full speed once more; wanting to put as much distance between them and her as possible.

~XXXXX~

After several hours of traveling, the sun began to rise. The trek through the forest was very difficult, and tiring. Mia observed her surroundings. She was on a steep hill, overlooking the forest she had come from and a fairly large city to the west of her vantage point. The forest that she knew as her home was no longer. On the verge of collapse; Mia needed to find shelter, and quickly.

After nearly another hour of searching, she settled on a small cave nestled into the side of the hill. She peeked inside, hoping that it was abandoned. To her relief, it was. She weakly limped inside of the cave, then collapsed to the ground, curled up into a ball, and cried herself to sleep. The memories of the previous night replaying in her head over and over.

---

Richard hurriedly left the Pokémon center, hoping that he wasn't late to pick up his custom Poke ball from the local Poke-mart. He sprinted through the streets of Cerulean City while accidentally bumping into other pedestrians as they went about their daily business. Richard didn't own any Pokémon yet, but he wanted to make sure that when he did it had a ball worthy of its stature. Contrary to popular public opinion, Richard thought of Pokémon as equals, instead of 'pets' used for battling. It irritated him how some Pokémon were able to do the same things as humans, and even things that humans couldn't. But they were still treated as second-class beings.

However, the 'Class Ranking System' or C.R.S. Did help in that dilemma somewhat. The CRS separated Pokémon into one of five 'classes'. From Class A to Class E. Class A Pokémon usually consisted of loyal, trustworthy, and human-like Pokémon. Such as Gardevoir, Lucario, Gallade, Meowth, etc. and vice versa. The system ranks Pokémon on a threat-to-trust scale, or T.T.S. What that meant, was that if a certain Pokémon species had a high trust rating, and low threat rating. They would be considered A class. If the opposite were true, a Pokémon with a high threat rating and low trust rating was usually considered E class. Pokémon gain certain 'privileges' if they are of a higher ranking class, like being able to hold a job for example. Class A Pokémon could even hold low-ranking positions in political affairs. Even though it was a functioning system, it had its flaws. Such as grouping nearly all ghost Pokémon into E class. Without giving them any proper study.

Even with the system in place, Richard wished all Pokémon were treated as equals, regardless of some bullshit 'threat-to-trust' rating. He knew there were exceptions though. Obviously they couldn't put certain Pokémon like Mewtwo on the A class list. But even the most dangerous Pokémon should be given a shred of respect at the very least. Either way, it wasn't his decision to make. Although it also sickened him how some Pokémon were just considered animals, to be freely hunted and poached for their feathers, hides or horns if they didn't even make it into the E class.

Richard was out of breath from running such a long distance, but he arrived at the entrance of the Poke-mart. He walked up to the counter with a weak smile. An awkward silence ensued as the cashier just gawked at him strangely. Not wanting to dwell for long, he asked for his custom ball. The cashier held out his hand expectantly. Heaving a sigh, Richard paid the hefty price of 1600 Poke dollars. Several minutes later, he exited the Poke-Mart with a slight grin on his face. The custom ball he ordered had a golden upper half and a liquid black lower half. A metallic activator button glistened in the middle. It also had the same abilities as an Ultra ball.

However, this Pokeball was very expensive, but he figured the investment would be worth it... hopefully. Richard stared at the ball for a few moments, admiring the shine it gave off when in direct sunlight. He clicked the activator button; effectively shrinking it down from Baseball to Ping-Pong ball size, and then stored the ball in his belt. Richard continued walking from the Poke-mart to the city limits. Hoping he could find a Pokémon that would be willing to come along with him on his travels, although that was nearly impossible, considering no creature would want to be captured. But he has witnessed it happen before on several occasions. He was just hoping to get lucky.

The streets of Cerulean City were rather empty, not many people were walking around today. Richard just silently shrugged to himself and considered it was more than likely due to being a Sunday. This was his first stay in Cerulean City in several years. He didn't recognize several new buildings from when he was here last time. It surprised him out fast the city had grown in his absence. Richard looked upon his childhood fondly. 'Oh what I'd give to have the careless life of being a twelve year old back.' He sighed. He was nineteen now, and nothing was going to change that.

Fast approaching the city limits; the paved roads turned into dirt, and several pathways branched out from them that lead deeper into the rapidly thickening forest. He decided to make his way towards a steep hill in the distance; an interesting looking cave that he wanted to take a look at jutted from its side. Richard quickly glanced towards the sky while shielding his eyes. With what he could make out, he assumed it to be around noon; so he wasn't at a very high risk of being ambushed by a wild Pokémon, or so he hoped, anyway.

~XXXXX~

A few hours had passed without incident. The cave he spotted was in view directly in front of him. Armed with his custom ball, he took a cautious peek into the cave. What he saw made his heart instantly drop, and his eyes grow wide. It was a shiny Sneasel. But, it didn't look like the typical shiny of its species. The feathers that grew out of the Sneasel's head and lower back were gold. However, its fur was a pure snow white, and its claws were jet black. He couldn't get a good look at its eyes, but the two jewels protruding from the Sneasel's chest and forehead were also the same jet black of its claws. The only difference being in the shine that they gave off in the dim light that poured through the entrance of the cavern.

Richard was sympathetic towards the creature; it was huddled in a corner, its arms held over its knees while sniffling and sobbing with its eyes shut tight. Obviously, the Sneasel seemed to be frightened. But he also knew how clever and dangerous Sneasel were, so he decided to keep his distance for the moment.

---

Mia was consumed by fear; she didn't know how she was going to survive the night. She could defend herself from some of the smaller Pokémon, but if a wild Ninetales came along, it'd be all over. She decided it would be best to get out of this cave and find a safer place to hide. She slowly opened her eyes, and jumped back against the cave wall in surprise.

A human was standing in front of the entrance, a sympathetic look in its eyes. It was wearing a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans with more holes than she could count. Long, black hair parted away from its green eyes. From the looks of it, the human seemed to be roughly around six feet tall. In all honesty, it didn't seem all that threatening compared to the hunters she had encountered earlier.

Mia knew that she couldn't trust it though. Not after what they did to her mother and father. Mia extended her claws, and stared at the human with rage in her eyes. The human took a step back in fear. He held his arms out in front of him and kept on shaking his head, using his body language to tell her that he wasn't going to hurt her. Mia glared at the human with her golden eyes in skepticism, and lowered her claws slightly. Taking her father's warning into consideration; she couldn't tell if this human was evil or not. But something about it felt a little... different. She couldn't put her claws on it, but something about this human made her consider at least giving him a chance. She then lowered her claws to her sides. Noticing the human gave a sigh of relief. Mia couldn't help but smirk at the fact that a creature a little more than twice her size was afraid of her.

She examined him a little, trying to inspect his features for any sign of a threat. Though, after a tense stare down she came up with nothing. Mia remembered that her father taught her how to speak in a human's language. Her mother was against it, but her father insisted on it in case she became a trainer's Pokémon, if Sneasels and Weaviles were to be considered Pokémon in the future, that is. Mia didn't want to be a trainer's Pokémon, but her father explained that once you were captured. It was not your choice. Mia contemplated about how she could talk her way out of this, without resorting to killing the human.

"W-what do you want?" she spoke in a small and timid voice. This shocked the human, and he nearly fell over from the sudden realization that she could speak his language.

"Uh-m... you can speak English?" he replied with his jaw slightly ajar.

"E...nglish?" Mia replied with confusion.

"My language." He responded in a plain tone.

Mia nodded.

"So, may I ask what you are doing here? I thought Sneasel's enjoyed colder climates." The human asked in confusion.

"Well... I guess we can live in both climates." Mia stated while shrugging her shoulders.

"I see..." The human paused for a moment, as if in deep thought. He took in his surroundings, peering around the various stalagmites that jutted from the hard ground. He quickly reaffirmed his eye contact with her, and asked an unexpected question.

"...Why were you crying earlier?" It asked in a hushed voice.

Mia suddenly raised her claws again and almost attacked the human for bringing back the memories of what happened to her parents the night before. However, she managed to fight her urges and keep herself in check. She closed her eyes tightly and drew in a shaky breath. Before re-opening her eyes and staring at the human with a serious expression. "M-my parents were killed. By humans on a big metal machine." She said slowly, and began sobbing as tears started clouding her vision.

"Oh... I'm...terribly sorry." Several seconds had passed in silence, save for the occasional sob or whimper. The human spoke again "...You look injured." The human said, pointing out the deep scratches on her torso.

"It's nothing." Mia responded with distress while wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"No, it is something, you are bleeding pretty badly." The human replied in somewhat of a serious voice.

Mia looked down and found several drops of blood on the floor, and several more traveling down her body. She choked out a small gasp.

"If you want, I can take you to a nearby Pokecenter. I know that Sneasel's and Weavile's aren't considered Pokémon. But I'm sure they would help."

Mia visibly flinched at his statement, and rigidly looked back up to him. "We... aren't considered Pokémon?" For whatever reason, hearing that from someone else, especially a human, made it feel like entirely new information.

The human shook his head. "If you were, your parents more than likely wouldn't have been killed by poachers." He said in a low and sympathetic tone of voice.

Mia's face then quickly lowered towards at the ground as she bore a tortured expression. "...Why?"

"I wish I could answer that." The human responded as he took a step towards her.

Mia didn't react. She could only think about what she would be doing right now if they were considered 'Pokémon'. She would be swimming in the lake with her parents, laughing and playing in the water, like they would always do on a day like this.

Mia couldn't hold it in any longer, and she broke down and fell on her knees. The loud wails from her pierced the walls of the cave.

---

Richard couldn't help but feel empathy for the disheartened Sneasel. He knew how devastated she felt. Her parents were killed, all because of some stupid law that they had created. He approached the Sneasel very cautiously. Wanting to comfort the creature, but he knew one swipe of those claws could mean disaster, but he decided to take the risk. Ever so cautiously, he came within arm's reach of the Sneasel that was still on the floor, crying. He then carefully picked her up and held her close to his chest.

To his relief, the Sneasel seemed accepting to his attempt at comforting her. The Sneasel wrapped her arms around his neck, using her claws to grip the back his shirt, and cried into his shoulder. The Sneasel's weight was causing him to lose his balance a little, but he quickly recovered and was stable on his feet. All the while he was still cradling her in his arms. He didn't know what to do at this point except slowly rub her back and do the best he could to comfort her. After what seemed like hours. She finally calmed down enough to speak.

"I-I just w-want m-my parents back." She said, still sobbing.

"It will be alright." Richard assured her. After a few more minutes, Richard spoke again.

"Would you like me to take you to the Pokémon center?" He asked in a comforting voice.

Mia nodded.

"I'm Richard, by the way."

"M-Mia." Her timid voice breaking up between sobs.

"I'm going to have to take you in this Poke ball. I don't think I'll be able to carry you all the way there."

"B-but, we aren't considered Pokémon." She replied while pushing her head off of his shoulder and staring into his face.

"That's true, but Poke balls still work on certain animals, even if they aren't Pokémon." He reassured her.

"Well, I guess..." She trailed off

"Alright, let me set you down and see if it works." He said again, pulling out the custom Poke ball from his belt.

Mia nodded, and reluctantly let go of Richard. He then offered the elegantly painted ball to her. She cocked her head to the side with confusion for a moment, before understanding what he was trying to do. She nodded and tapped the metal activator button in the center; revealing a brilliant white light that captured her within its confines. She was surrounded by darkness, but she also felt odd warmth around her. It was comforting, in a strange way.

Before she knew it, she was once again out of her ball, and released onto an examination table in a Pokémon center. An enthusiastic female human with a white dress and red hair, and a hat that had a strange red plus shape on it came into the room. Richard was visible through the glass next to the doorway, passively sitting in the lobby.

"Why, hello there!" The nurse exclaimed while leaning forward with her hands on her thighs.

The sudden exclamation made her jump.

"Uh- h- hi..." Mia said in a nervous voice. 'Why does this human seem so happy to see me?'

"The gentleman over there told me you could speak English. Which, from your previous response I have concluded to be true myself! I'm Nurse Joy, by the way." She said in the most upbeat tone known to existence.

Mia could only flash a quick, nervous smile, as the nurse began her examination.

~XXXXX~

After the examination, Nurse Joy once again trapped her in her ball, then took her over to a healing rack, placed her ball in, then closed the glass cover. The machine made a slight whirring noise as the Poke ball inside briefly flashed yellow and then returned to its normal color scheme.

Only a few seconds passed after she was once again standing in front of Richard, who smiled warmly at her.

"So, are you ready to be released?" He asked.

"Released?"

"Yeah! I said that I would release you after we got you healed up." Richard said as if to remind her.

Mia only looked up to him; her eyes seemed to bombard him with thousands of questions. But he knew exactly which one was the most important.

"You want to stay, don't you?"

Mia shrugged.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. I'm all in favor of you staying if you want. I could use a companion on my travels." Richard said in a warm voice.

"Just let me know when you've made your decision." With that, Richard casually strolled over to the newspaper rack and took one off of the stack, the plopped down into one of the many chairs in the lobby and began to read.

"If you are hungry, there is food in the cafeteria. They only serve human food, but I'm sure you won't mind." Nurse Joy said as she suddenly appeared.

"Um... I guess." Mia nervously replied. Slightly insulted by what Nurse Joy had said.

"Great! Follow me this way!" Nurse Joy excitedly replied, as she led Mia into the cafeteria.

---

Richard continued reading the paper when a headline caught his eye. 'Several animal species now considered Pokémon' it read. Below it was a list of Pokémon; he read through the list and found both 'Sneasel' and 'Weavile' to be on the list.

'I guess that explains why the Poke ball worked.' He then began trying to find out what class of Pokémon they were. "Hmm, D class." He spoke quietly to himself. "I guess the claws don't help much." He chided, and quietly snickered. Richard folded the paper and set it on the table beside him, and went to see Mia in the cafeteria.

Richard opened the cafeteria doors to see her sitting alone at a table eating some assorted berries from a bowl. He couldn't help but chuckle at the way she ate the berries, stabbing the berries straight through the center, and then pulling them from her claws using her teeth. Richard approached a 'Self-Serve Coffee Station' and poured himself a cup of coffee and added some cream and sugar. Some people walking by gave him some curious stares for drinking coffee at 9 pm. But he didn't care.

He approached the table and sat next to Mia, who flinched a little at his sudden unannounced presence, but still continued to eat her berries.

"So, have you made your decision?" Richard asked.

Mia looked over at him, and a smile crept across her face. Her golden eyes glistening with resolve.

"I'm staying."