Description: A side story that takes place during Alvis’ nap in chapter 6

*CRACK*

Another small tree falls to the floor. The stump remaining on the ground burns with a few embers. As I pull my hand back, any splinters and loose pieces of bark burn to a crisp.

This is the third tree down in two hours and I'm still feeling irritated. The conversation from earlier still reverberates in my brain.

“It doesn't matter, right? How about we just forget about it and put this whole thing behind us?”

It definitely does matter. He hates it here, he hates the pity, and now he hates me. Nah he probably doesn't, but I wouldn't be surprised if he views me as a ticking time bomb now. Even during that last conversation, he looked really uncomfortable.

After taking a minute to just breathe and admire how the colours of the leaves look in the evening glow, I start walking to find a new tree to use as a punching bag.

Things used to be so much simpler, what happened to those days. Walking eastward I find a tree that's pretty small and had no signs of any other pokemon using it as a home. Hopefully no one will miss this one.

It's not like I don't want to move on, but after what happened, how am I supposed to do so this fast?

As I try to sort out my thoughts, I strike the tree. The impact leaves a sizable crater on its side leaving the area sizzling and embers flying around the tree’s bark.

I start punching the tree over and over again. Each punch brings back memories of that day.

Fighting the behemoth of a Garchomp, having bits of skin ripped away with each hit.

The wounds from that fight have healed, leaving scars. Unlike Alvis’ injuries earning him a pity party wherever he goes, these were seen as some type of trophy by everyone else, even though you could barely call that a victory.

I remember how I felt in the moment, desperately trying to find a way to do anything to it, but no matter what I tried it would shrug it off and keep attacking.

The memory of getting hit and slammed into the laboratory wall, my desperate attempt at a Blaze Kick and that thing looming over me, getting ready to kill me, frustrates me to no end.

I don't know what my face looked like at that moment, but in my mind I was content with what was to come next. It would suck that life ended this early but it was just how life would have played out. I didn't have any regrets, only the hope that although I was pissed about being left in the rain and ignored, Alvis wouldn't think I'd hold that grudge in my final moments.

What I expected to hear was the whistle of its claw swinging down followed by either the squishy ripping of organs or crunching of bones, but instead I heard the sound of six consecutive gunshots and the clicking of an empty cylinder.

The Garchomp let out a screech and turned around.

Alvis stood in front of the exit, gun in hand, still bleeding from his previous wound.

The scene that played out while I struggled to get back up, currently powerless to do anything, but watch, is still clear in my mind as if it happened only minutes ago.

I saw him fiddle with the gun before the Garchomp shot him again, the rock embedding itself into his left arm.

This didn’t seem to deter him much as three more gunshots went off. Now traces of blood started to drip from the Garchomp.

It took me a day or two to fully register the thoughts I had in the moment, each seeming more impossible than the last. Alvis is actually staying to fight this thing, he somehow made it bleed where I couldn’t, he’s dying.

I regained enough control of my body to crawl towards the thing as it shot again, this time hitting him in the leg. There was a sickening crunch as it stuck into his right leg and he was knocked off balance, falling to the floor.

Out of ammo and options, Alvis dropped his gun. First looking at the Garchomp, then at me. His face looked so hollow and void of life. It was the same face he had when I met him six years ago.

His mouth moved as if he was talking. I still don't know what he said or if he finished what he was going to say because at that moment the Garchomp fired one last Stone Edge. This one hit him in the head. I remember every single moment of the rock drilling into his eye, crushing half of it while pushing out the other. I saw his head reel back from the initial impact and his body sway back before falling forward, blood splashing as he hit the ground.

I wanted to scream, to run over and cradle his lifeless body, but I couldn't. I wanted to escape this sick joke of a situation, to just wake up from this horrendous nightmare, this couldn't be real, but it was real and I didn’t do anything but watch.

At that moment I felt a boost of adrenaline, a lot stronger than anything I've experienced in previous fights, and used the rest of my energy and consciousness to attack the thing in front of me one last time. I passed out right after, hoping that the blood loss was enough to kill me.

The next time I woke up, I was in neither heaven nor hell. It was the pc system. I haven't been in here too many times since Alvis almost always brought me along to wherever he needed to go, but I recognized the artificial setting from the very few times he needed to go to more aquatic settings.

The first person to come up to me was Taion.

He had a few cuts on him, but shrugged them off in order to find me. Seeing that I'm rarely sent in here, he knew something was wrong.

“What happened out there? Did something happen to Alvis?”

I didn't want to answer. I couldn't answer. The image of Alvis’ body is still fresh in my mind. So I just stayed silent and he eventually got the idea. It was heartbreaking seeing his realization as he went through this exact thing before. Distraught was an understatement, he looked completely done with everything. He left in silence, leaving me to think about what happened, and I did for three months. That was all I could think about. It got to the point where I would sometimes see him standing in the distance, still pierced with multiple rocks, just looking forward with the empty expression he had before he died. That image haunted me both while I was awake and in my dreams. Juno still held hope that he was alive. She said she stopped most of the bleeding, but most of us weren't too convinced, especially me, not after seeing what happened first hand.

One day I was pulled out of the pc. At this point in time I was mentally prepared to face the police chief or possibly a different trainer we would be assigned to stay with. Taion had talked me through the possibilities, so I had an idea of what to expect. I actually found out that if the pokemon so choses, they could just be released if they really wanted to. Of course that was a bit of a difficult process since very few people could understand pokemon and just as many pokemon could write, but that’s what I was going to go with. I was going to refuse the offer to join someone else's team and just live out the rest of my life fighting the strongest thing I could find. It kind of felt disrespectful for Alvis’ last moments to be saving me only so I could get paired up with someone who I can’t talk to and will probably just keep me in a ball 24/7. Especially if it’s Ben.

A few years ago I told Alvis that my dream was to be the strongest. Not even on his team, just in general. I could tell that he found it stupid at the time and I resented him a bit for that. Then I realized that that kind of is a dumb goal; fighting that Garchomp was just a reminder of that. But since it’s what he died for I guess I’ll just live life to the fullest, delusions and all.

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Then the very first face I see after being brought out is his.

At first I thought I was just seeing things again and my mind was really that far gone, but no, it was really him. His left eye was covered with an eye patch and his right leg covered in a brace with metallic lining.

He immediately started talking and I- I didn't know what to say. What could I say?

Just like what ive been doing for the past few months, I continued to keep to myself for an entire week.

Then, earlier today he tried reaching out again, and then I completely blew up at him.

I did it because I still can't move past it, because I still can't help but see him with multiple stones piercing his limbs, because I'm too scared that once I move on he'll be gone again.

But this doesn't justify what I did to him or Jack.

I was given another chance to attempt to fix this…

and I

FUCKED

IT UP

AGAIN

*CRACK*

Tree number four hits the ground.

“To seem is to dream a dream I love, cause one is one is one.”

I hear a voice singing from my right. I instantly recognize the high-pitched, nails on chalkboard voice combined with the dragging of each final word as the purple translucent bastard.

I turn to face the Gengar. As usual he presents a wide toothy smile.

“What the hell do you want?”

He brings both hands to his mouth in mock surprise. “Well that’s no way to talk to a dear old friend such as me now is it?” Kane tucks his arms behind his back.

“I just came to check on dearest Alvis’ precious little attack dog. Or I guess in your case, psychotic monkey.”

Stay calm, this guy lives- or well exists to piss you off.

“Well I’m doing fine, thank you very much. Now can you fuck off please?”

“Ah, ah ,ah. I wasn’t finished,” he says, wagging a finger.

“What else were you gonna say? Do you wanna actually have a match or do we still need to go to the chateau to feel confident?”

Kane floats up to me and stops right in front of my face. I know that poking at his ego pisses him off, even if his expression doesn’t change.

“I also wanted to talk about your behavior.”

Great, now I’am going to get a lecture from this asshole.

“I’m afraid your attitude from the past few days has been rather poor.” He shifts his body forward in a way that seems like he's trying to portray disappointment, but his shit eating smile remains the same as always.

“Uh, okay. Our trainer jus-”

“Your trainer.” Kane interrupts.

He's yours too dumbass. “Anyway he just popped up three months after we thought he was dead, and you told us as much. In the PC, you said his soul definitely passed on. Now he’s trudging around like a walking corpse. How am I not justified in feeling the way I do?”

“Maybe because it’s your fault?”

I stare at him. How I wish I could rip his arms off and shove them up his ass. “How is this my fault? If you are talking about the fight then that was completely out of my hands. You weren't there so i don’t want to hear ‘oh, but if it was someone else they would have done better.”

Kane started to float in a circle around me.

“Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps none of us would fare better against it.”

“So what's your point?”

Kane’s smile got wider and his eyes dilated.

“Maybe he wouldn’t be in this state if you didn’t play hero.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Well from what you said you repeatedly tried attacking the thing and every time you got injured. So~ why even try?”

“Why did I try!? Cause Alvis’ life was on the line! That’s why I tried!”

Kane put a finger up and shook it in front of my face.

“Tsk, tsk. From what you said, you weren’t doing anything to it, so it seems like attacking it to cause a distraction was completely unnecessary. You fought because you wanted to show off. Just surviving wasn’t enough for you.”

“That’s not true! If I didn’t do anything That thing would still be alive!”

“But would it not be handled by the police later? Would Alvis need to come in to save you? Would he be here? Would we be here?”

“I- I don’t-”

“He's planning on releasing you. I hope you know that?”

That stops me.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He wouldn't.

“Oh, I was talking to him earlier. Like I said, you really need to watch your behavior. It's really wearing down on him.”

This mother fucker.

“What the fuck did you same to him!?”

The purple piece of shit hovers above me.

“Only the truth. I just pointed out that you were really bringing everyone down including him with your current attitude. Let's not forget your performance with that grocery bag three months ago and well~ while he didn't want to say it, releasing you is what came to mind”

I could feel my head warmer. There's no way he would actually think that. Would he?

“Like he would ever actually go through with that. I've been with him since the beginning. You on the other hand were only caught a year-”

“Hmm, you're mistaken.” Kane interrupts again.

“What?”

“I was never caught by him. I am simply-”

“Yes you were. When I came back to the Chateau with him I beat your ass again and he only caught you because you were the only haunter there.”

Although he still jumped his creepy ass smile up I could tell I'm getting to him.

“I wouldn't say that's entirely acc-”

“What's wrong? Too much of a bitch to admit that you lost and were caught.”

For the first time since I knew the bastard, the smile on his face was dying down.

“Hold on now let's-”

“Is that why you never address him as your trainer? Is that why you're always calling him dearest or some other bullshit. You want to delude yourself into thinking that you're still in charge?”

His smile was completely gone. For a moment he doesn't do anything, he just looks at me. Then he gives an annoyed look and begins to speak again.

“You really are just an irritating parasite, aren't you?”

His voice sounds different. It was no longer high pitched and aloof. Now it was a lot deeper and more grainy, as if it was coming through a phonograph.

“Unlike you and the rest of you, tools, I am not some kind of pet or slave.”

Although his voice was calm his eyes were seething with rage.

“Oh wow, did I strike a nerve?”

“Well of course you did. I will not stand such slander. Comparing me to a simple minded failure like you. I agree to help him, when it benefits me. You sycophants always bend over backwards and do whatever he wants! It’s always Alvis says to do this and Alvis says to do that with you guys, don’t any of you want things for yourselves?” The elegance of his speech is gone, replaced with something more sharp and vitriolic.

“You know, you probably wouldn’t be where you are now if he wasn’t your trainer. You would still be wasting away at the old chateau as a haunter. You’d be nothing. The only reason he keeps you around is cause you can perform a cool little magic trick on closed pokeballs, big whoop”

I fully expected this to put fuel on the fire and piss him off even more, but instead he stops for a second.

“What does it even matter, you'll be gone soon anyway. I'll be blunt with you, everyone fights to leave the past and bad experiences behind them. You may be right, I may only have one use, but at least it is something original to me. Even if he finds a shred of usefulness in you that only you can provide, everytime he sees you he will remember that day. The memories of being shot and bleeding out because he didn’t want to let his favorite pet at the time die. That is what you bring back to him. That is all you are. Unlike me, the only reason he's still keeping you around is due to some foolish sentimentality. But sooner or later he will come to his senses and figure out what the true problem is.”

Out of the corner of my eye I could see a dried leaf catch fire and quickly burn to ash. Kane must have also noticed it because his smile returned, but his voice stays the same.

“All of you are just cogs or some other common instrument, pushing and struggling to play a part in a machine. At least the rest know their place and don't think they are anything special, but you, you think that just because you can win some pointless fights it makes you something special, something worth keeping around. You're already being replaced by Blitz in that aspect so why even try.”

I could feel my nails digging into my palms as my hand tightened into fists. Once again Kane takes notice of it.

“Oh what's this? Are you going to hit me?” He looks almost excited. Sociopathic freak.

“I will if you don't shut the fuck up and get out of my face in five seconds”

“Come on then why don't you? Attack me, let’s see what happens. Hitting things is all you’re good for anyway? Come on, do it.”

Fire engulfs my right hand.

“Do it! Let's see you hit something other than a tree! Come on, let's go! Maybe he'll change his mind if you do it! Prove that you're still worth more than just a hammer to throw at problems. That you bring more value as a fighter than mating fodder for ditto! Maybe you can get rid of me for good! Maybe you won’t! So many possibilities! Come on, right here!”

As I bring my arm up, he starts to yell even louder.

“ATTACK ME! HIT ME! CUT ME! PUNCH ME! SLICE ME! KILL ME! CRUSH ME! SPEAR ME! BURN ME! DROWN ME! DISASSEMBLE ME! BREAK ME! ELECTROCUTE ME! STAB ME! DISINTEGRATE ME! MELT ME! CRUCIFY ME!”

I’m going to kill him. Even if he's a ghost, I'l lmake sure there's nothing left of him to find.

“DO IT!”

“Umm excuse me.”

I stop and turn my head.

It's Juno, she stands behind me holding two pokeballs.

“Were going out to route 210 and Alvis wants both of you with him.-”

She extends the small spheres outwards.

“-so if you would”

I look back at Kane who glances at me one more time before floating over to Juno.

“Gladly” he says in his usual high pitched voice.

As he passes me he whispers something

“Remember, you will die alone.”

With that he touched the center of his pokeball and disappeared in a beam of light.

Juno then turns to me.

“Don't listen to em. You know he would never get rid of you. You know that more than any of us.”

I look at the floor, the grass beneath my feet is burnt and decayed.

“Do I really” I think to myself before light overtakes my vision.

…

The next thing I hear is the familiar sound of a Garchomp screeching.