Armageddon: Chapter 3 - "Dissapointment"
#5 of Armageddon [Abandoned, superseded by Acolytes of the Apocalypse]
A new Pokemon series I've decided to write, depicting a human named Richard, who finds a Sneasel that agrees to be his Pokemon. This is a story about their survival in a series of devastating natural disasters. Will they have the courage and strength to survive the incoming Armageddon? Only time will tell.
Hey there! This is a new series that I'll be writing, called "Armageddon"! It's a Pokémon story; 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 the 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"
I think that's about it. Enjoy the story!
Armageddon: Chapter 3 - "Disappointment"
The morning in Fuchsia City was very mild in temperature, and the sky looked like a giant sheet of gray, contrary to the usual high humidity and constant sunlight. Turbulent weather was not common for the area outside of hurricane season; even a light shower was a rare event. Usually, this weather would put those who weren't used to it in a foul mood. However, to the locals, this kind of weather was a welcome break from the monotony of humid mornings and sweltering afternoons.
To Mia, she felt this morning would be different from all the rest; and rightfully so. But not in the way she was expecting.
Mia woke up with a daze; she was cold for some reason, even though she was an ice type, which is a huge contradiction entirely, either way she expected it was her new form getting used to its surroundings. She anxiously opened her eyes and was deeply disappointed at what she saw as she looked herself over.
The same two claws on either hand, the same single feather on top of her head, and the same body she had known all her life. Not a single thing was changed, she looked at the Razor Claw that was now resting on the ground, making a slight indent in the beige carpeting. If this morning were to put anyone in a foul mood, it would be her.
'Had I dropped it while sleeping?' She thought to herself. It was certainly a possibility to consider. Was there a certain amount of allotted time she had to hold it? Did she have to be awake during the evolutionary process? So many questions flew through her mind all at once. But they all led to the same conclusion.
She didn't evolve.
Richard, who was resting beside her, began to stir and Mia flinched in reflex.
"Mhrrrr..." Richard mumbled. His head felt like it was being assaulted with a jackhammer. He opened his eyes; then took a few seconds for his vision to adjust before looking over to Mia who had a look on her face that could only be described as a mix of embarrassment, guilt, and anger. He had never seen her like this before. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the irritation and sadness seeping out of her. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. But whatever it was it wasn't good.
Mia couldn't understand why Richard had that worried look on his face; she shook off the sadness she was feeling and tried to force a smile. It didn't give Richard any further comfort, however.
"I'm not mad at you, Richard. I'm mad about... something else." She said as her eyes dropped back down to the Razor Claw on the floor.
"...And that would be?" He began.
Mia suddenly got worried from the inquisitive look Richard was giving her. It certainly didn't help the situation. "N-Nothing." She stuttered out quickly. "S-so... Did you sleep well?" She asked with nervous voice, trying to change the subject.
"Mia? What are you up to?" Richard replied, he slowly rose from his lying position on the bed, crossed his arms and gave her a stern look.
Mia then got a pleading look on her face and whimpered. She had been found out. "I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd mind if I tried to evolve just a little early!" She exclaimed as she covered her face in shame.
Mia noticed that Richard heaved a massive sigh of relief; she wasn't exactly sure why he looked so relieved, but didn't decide to dwell on it.
Richard, on the other hand, thought this was about something else entirely. He shuddered from the thought, and mentally kicked himself for even thinking of it. Even though this wasn't nearly as bad, he still felt it was necessary to have a talk about her eventual evolution. "Mia, why didn't you tell me you wanted to evolve this badly?" Richard asked, his face showing a sympathetic look.
Mia slowly lowered her claws from her face and looked at Richard, then back down again towards the foot of the bed. "I didn't want you to think of me as selfish..." She said in a sorrowful tone.
"Selfish?!" Richard suddenly exclaimed in surprise, making Mia flinch again. "Mia, you are anything but selfish, you saved my life! If there's anyone here who would be selfish, it'd be me." He added sincerity to his statement by nodding his head once after he finished speaking.
"No, Richard. You saved me from living a life of depression and inner turmoil. Even if I had lived long enough to become a Weavile, I would've eventually ended my life myself." She continued to stare at the ground for a moment, before she finally looked up at Richard and stared into his eyes with an expression of disparity that he swore would make even Darkrai himself show sympathy. "I was merely only paying a small fraction of all that I owe you for."
Richard was a bit taken aback by her statement. He was in deep thought for a moment. Before he spoke again; "I was only doing what was right. You do not owe me for anything. I bet if anyone else was put in my position they would've done the same thing." His mind flashed back to her nearly getting raped by that Bulbasaur. With no one willing to help her, even Derek said himself he didn't have the guts to do so. This made Richard want to rethink what he said, but before he could, Mia spoke up once more.
"You don't understand..." She raised her voice a little in irritation. "You may be fine with it." She said, pointing one of her claws at Richard. "But I am not." She spoke again, pointing the same claw back to herself. "I can't just pretend that I don't owe you for anything! My conscience wouldn't allow it!" she outstretched her arms in front of her as she spoke. "I can't even understand why you are so kind to me in the first place! You saved me from years of depression leading to an eventual suicide, being raped by a Bulbasaur, and now you are willing to invest precious weeks of your life into seeing me evolve! Why?! What did I do to deserve being treated so well?! Don't get me wrong, I think I'm probably the luckiest Sneasel in the world to find someone that is so kind to me. But... I just can't fathom as to why you don't hate me for nearly getting you killed! The only reason your life was in danger in the first place was because that hunter was after me! I'm the one that should've taken the bullet, not you!" Mia was practically gasping for air by the time she was done talking. She put a claw over her chest to try and help herself relax.
Richard was absolutely dumbfounded. He had no words to say, at all. He just sat there; slack jawed at what she just said. He had no idea all of that was weighing on her mind all of this time. He had absolutely no idea what he should do or even say at this point.
As Mia began to calm down, she glanced over to Richard who was still completely silent. She looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry." She began. "I-I honestly don't know what came over me." She raised a claw to her forehead before lying back down onto the bed.
Richard knew he had to be very careful with what he was going to say. What he says now could possibly be remembered forever. "Mia." He slowly began, putting a few seconds in-between saying her name and the rest of his sentence so he had extra time to think. She took her claw off of her forehead and glanced at him as he said her name. "Despite all of the troubling times we've been through. At the end of the day, we were still able to laugh, smile, and be happy, even after things that would usually tear people apart at the seams. If that isn't something worth fighting for, I don't know what is." His voice was entirely sincere, not wavering one bit after what he said. Richard's confident look on his face backed up his statement even more so.
Mia felt her heart jump at what he said, he was right. Was she really going to let something as simple as a failed attempt at evolving bother her? Especially after the things they've been through? All of those times, Richard was always standing right by her side. Not even taking a moment to second guess his actions, he knew what he had to do to get them out of whatever situation they faced. If she had taken the bullet from the hunter, she now realized she did the same thing he would've done. However, the most important fact of all was no matter how messy a situation became, they always stuck through it to the end... together.
She looked up to Richard with a look of hope in her eyes, and a sly smile. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace so tight, it was as if they were only going to be alive for the next ten seconds.
Richard wheezed a little at the sudden pressure around his mid-section. He felt a sharp pain wash over him. "Careful...still...healing..." He managed to say through gritted teeth.
Mia suddenly withdrew from their embrace. "Oh, um... Sorry." She said as she tried to hide a deep blush formed on her face that even began to show through her fur.
"It's alright." Richard said as he laughed at her predicament. He then realized that the entire conversation was completely derailed, and tried to get back onto the subject at hand. "So, about you wanting to evolve..." he began. Mia instantly looked up at him with a startled look. "If you'd like, I can put you on the fast track to becoming a Weavile." Mia instantly perked up at this. "But, I'm warning you now, it'll be hard work. But if you want to evolve as badly as I think you want to, then we can go for it."
Mia scratched under her chin with one of her claws in thought for a moment. "What would we have to do? How long would it take?" She asked. Excitement filled her voice as she asked those questions.
Richard chuckled at how excited she seemed to be all of the sudden. "Well, the minimum level requirement for a Sneasel to evolve using a Razor Claw is fifteen. You are level ten, now." He gestured a hand towards her, and Mia nodded in confirmation. "Therefore, if we double our training hours you should be able to evolve into a Weavile within the next couple of weeks." He finished with a confident nod.
Mia's face lit up with anticipation. She leaped off of the bed onto the floor. "Let's get started!" She practically yelled, while playfully slashing her claws around in the air.
"Alright, alright, take it easy. No need to get worked up." Richard said, playfully nudging her shoulder with his right hand as he stood up from the bed, and stretched. "We'll get started as soon as I get done showering. I promise I'll be as fast as possible." He said reassuringly, not wanting to keep her waiting. Richard picked up a fresh towel lying on the neighboring bed. Probably left there by a Chansey sometime during the night. He was a little concerned about what it might've interpreted them sleeping next to each other as, but tried to keep his mind off of it for now. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then walked back over to the bathroom door to close it, but before he did so, he thought of one last thing to say to Mia.
He faked a stern look and glanced at her. "Oh, and by the way. Please, at least let me know if you are going to attempt something as significant as that again." He finished, still giving her the fake stern look and faking a voice to go along with it perfectly.
Mia cringed a little at what he said, and responded with a solemn nod.
Satisfied, Richard closed the door and continued with his shower with a grin on his face.
~XXXXX~
Richard and Mia were back on the same trail from before, silently approaching where they re-met with Derek and confronted the hunter. Richard took a quick glance at the spot where the hunter was laying yesterday, finding nothing but trampled dirt. Although, he could've sworn he saw the dirt take on a slight maroon tint at where the former body laid less than twenty four hours ago. Besides that, there was no sign of the body anywhere.
Mia kept on looking ahead, not wanting to be reminded of the horrific event. The silence between them was beginning to become uncomfortable, so Richard tried to start up a conversation to lower the tension in the air that had finally gotten to him.
"We've only got a mile or so left to go!" He said triumphantly, trying his best to fake a confident pose and voice. Mia was not convinced with his act, and just sighed while still looking forwards to their destination. The question on Richard's mind was gnawing at him for the past hour, before he finally asked it. "What's the matter?" he asked with a little unintentional venom in his voice.
Mia responded by saying a hollow "Nothing." She continued looking directly ahead of her, not breaking eye contact with the trail and the rapidly thickening forest the laid ahead. She knew that was a flat-out lie though. Her mind was revisiting the memories of her parents, all the flashbacks quickly leading up to the moment to where both her mother and father were shot, her nearly being raped, and Richard nearly getting killed. All of which she blamed herself for. She felt an all too familiar wetness in her eyes, but quickly shook it away. The last thing she wanted to do was make another scene in front of Richard. Another several minutes passed by before she suddenly jumped back and snapped out of her trance. "O-Oh shit!" She suddenly yelled while furiously shaking her head from side to side. Richard just looked at her, bewildered by her actions. "S-sorry, I was thinking of something." She continued, before a slight frown formed on her face. All of the events in the past couple of months were really taking a toll on her mentally.
Richard gave her a look of curiosity; he let his hand hover over the solitary Poke ball on his belt, worried for Mia's mentality. "And that would be?" he asked with the same inquisitive tone from earlier.
Mia then slumped in defeat. "Just... the things that have happened since... the incident." She couldn't bear actually saying it. "It has really been bothering me lately." She continued.
"Are you still okay to train? We can wait another day if you want to." He said uneasily.
"Yeah, I think I'll be okay..." she trailed off. A worried look was spread all over her face.
Richard carefully walked over to her and placed a hand on her left shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face. The worried look Mia was showing seemed to soften a little. She always wondered how Richard always managed to calm her down when she felt distressed, or sometimes even distraught. This didn't change the fact that she was still worried. But even so, his actions did have an effect on her.
~XXXXX~
The rest of the day went along somewhat smoothly; none of the battles were really that eventful. Most of them lasting only a few minutes before Mia's opponent would fall to their knees. They kept going deeper into the forest, looking for tougher Pokémon for her to fight in the hopes of getting her to level up quicker. They got what they came looking for as a Raichu jumped out from the bushes, a look of determination in its eyes.
Richard couldn't exactly tell if it was male or female, but didn't have time to elaborate as a massive bolt of lightning whizzed past his face. "Jesus fucking Christ!" He exclaimed in shock, and took cover behind a neighboring tree. Whatever beef this Raichu had with them was clearly showing.
Mia clenched her claws into fists, and looked angrily at the attacking Raichu. (What the hell was that for?!) She yelled in her native Pokémon tongue.
(Human.) The Raichu responded, pointing towards the tree Richard was hiding behind. The Raichu could see something metal poking out from the behind it, but kept his mind on the conversation at hand.
(So, you've got some sort of beef with humans?) She asked. She honestly felt the same way deep down before meeting Richard.
(They captured my mother!) The Raichu yelled defiantly. (I'm going to tear each and every one of them limb from limb until I find her if I have to!) It bunched up its body in anger and a pillar of pure energy shot from its tail into the sky. A large boom of thunder shook the area around them.
Mia knew she would have to think quickly unless Richard wanted another free trip to the hospital courtesy of a massive lightning bolt to the face. (They aren't all bad! Hell, the one you attacked saved my life!) She said as she tried to reason with the raging Raichu.
(And you let that be an excuse to serve him for the rest of your life, like a slave?) The Raichu retorted as it crossed its arms. It quickly looked over to the tree, and noticed that the metal blade poking out from behind the tree wasn't there anymore. The Raichu showed a look of worry, and tried looking around for the human that it attacked.
Mia noticed this. "Richard, stand down. I've got this under control." She said out loud to the air. She assumed the Raichu couldn't understand English. She heard a slight rustling in the bushes to the right side of the path, then a hard *thump* against a nearby tree. She envisioned what happened and couldn't help but giggle out loud.
(What's so funny?!) The Riachu glared at her with intensity in its eyes.
Mia immediately recomposed herself, and then got a serious look on her face. If they were going to get out of this situation, it would either be by fighting or by talking it out. She was going to try the latter before resorting to the former. She knew that the Raichu was much more powerful than her, not only because it was in its final evolutionary form. But it was more than likely also a higher level. Mia was still in her first evolutionary form and more than likely a lower level. (Look, you can't just stand by the side of a trail and wait for unsuspecting people to walk by before attacking them!) She said as she again tried to reason with the angry Raichu. She held one her claws out in front of her and pointed at the Raichu to try to add more meaning to what she was saying.
(Oh, really?) The Raichu got an entertained look on its face. (Says who? You?) It asked as a grin spread across its face.
From the masculinity in its voice Mia could only assume it was male, which explained the Raichu's brashness. She decided to play her trump card, so hopefully he would understand that he wasn't alone in his predicament. She hated explaining the tragedy to others, but knew that she and Richard both would be in deep if she couldn't convince the Raichu to leave them alone. (Okay...) she sighed. (I want you to hear me out on this...) she continued.
(I'm listening.) The sudden strain in Mia's voice got his attention.
(My mother and father were both hunted and killed by several humans riding the back of a pickup truck.) She shuddered as she recalled the painful situation once more, all of the feelings from that moment flowing into her.
(I was left an orphan. I had an uncertain future. I... I didn't know if I was going to survive to see the next sunrise.) Mia was struggling to not let the emotions get to her.
The Raichu kept listening intently, but still looked as determined as ever to keep at his attack as his left ear twitched.
(I took shelter in a shallow cave near the side of the hill, next to Cerulean City. I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep after what had happened the night before.)
(Then I think my actions are perfectly justifiable!) The Raichu suddenly spoke aloud and stretched his arms to both of his sides.
(I'm not finished with the story.) She said with a mild tone of annoyance. (Anyway, a human appeared near the entrance of the cave. After the incident, I honestly hated humans, and rightfully so. I wanted so badly to tear him to shreds, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He felt... different, from the hunters I encountered the night before.)
(What does this have to do with anything that's going on right now?!) The Raichu yelled out as he smacked his paw against his forehead in anger.
(I'm telling you this so you can understand that just because one human does something horrible, doesn't mean that the rest will!) She desperately explained, knowing the Raichu could explode at any moment, like a ticking time bomb.
(You got lucky! You got lucky and you know it!) The Raichu replied. Seething with rage as he pointed at Mia with one of his paws.
(Even if I did get lucky, that still doesn't justify your actions! All you're doing is being selfish, only worrying about your problems and not anyone else's! How would you feel if you suddenly got attacked by a hu-...) Mia cut herself off. The look on her face showing a major realization as her eyes grew wider.
The Raichu grinned. (Now you know exactly why I'm doing this!) He yelled triumphantly.
Mia looked down at the ground, her claw rested against her chin in thought. A few minutes had passed in complete silence, both Pokémon remaining stationary in the middle of the dirt path.
(He doesn't have your mother...) She mumbled.
(What?) The Raichu replied, not having heard her.
(He doesn't have your mother!) She exclaimed as her body shook violently with anger.
The Raichu looked at her suspiciously. (Prove it.) He simply said.
Mia looked to her left, and then her right. "Richard, wherever you are, could you come out here for a second?" She asked sheepishly to the air around them.
An instantaneous rustling in the bushes right next to the Raichu gave way to Richard, with his katana in hand as he stood up. A few miscellaneous twigs were tangled in his hair. "Yeah?" He replied, trying to act like he wasn't about to ambush the Raichu.
"Hand me the Poke ball belt." Mia said as she held out one of her claws.
Richard looked at her curiously, but complied and took off his Poke ball belt, then handed it to Mia. Mia then looked over at the Raichu and raised the belt over her head.
(Only one Poke ball, and it's mine.) She hissed. Her voice carrying a very harsh tone.
The Riachu approached Mia and inspected the belt. He then sighed in defeat.
(Fine... whatever. Just leave me alone.) He said sadly as he slinked away towards the surrounding lush foliage.
(Hey!) Mia said aloud in surprise and lowered the belt from its raised position. (Wasn't it your mission to kill Richard not even a couple of minutes ago?!) She asked with a hint of sarcasm.
(What's the point? I don't think I'll ever find her. This has been the ninety-eighth trainer I've attacked. I - I give up.) The Raichu left the trail and entered the dense forest, and disappeared as fast as he had appeared with a miserable look on his face.
Richard had a perplexed look on his face he kept staring at where the Raichu entered the forest, wondering why the Raichu so easily stood down after trying so hard to kill him. He looked over to Mia, and extended one of his arms. Mia carefully placed the belt back in his hand, before he re-attached it to his waist. "What was that all about?" Richard asked with genuine concern in his voice.
"The Raichu was trying to find his mother that had been recently captured. But this was the ninety-eighth time he has attacked random trainers. He thinks it's the only way to go about trying to reunite with her." Mia explained. "He has a beef with humans because he apparently thinks that if one human does something, all the rest will follow suit." She continued as she rolled her eyes.
Richard has a bit of a confused look on his face, but looked to still be concerned about the downtrodden Raichu. "Shouldn't we go after him?" He asked after a few moments of silence, looking back towards the place where the Raichu left them.
"I think he's long gone by now." She replied while nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders.
"Hm... well, then I guess there isn't much we can do." He replied as he rubbed his hand against his unshaven chin.
"It's getting pretty late too. Wanna call it a night?" He asked as he looked over to Mia.
Mia nodded. She was pretty tired from the rigorous training.
"Alright then. Let's head back to town." They both turned around and began heading in the opposite direction back towards Fuchsia city in order to get some well deserved rest.