Chapter Text
*drip*...
*drip*...
Rain pours down on a cold but welcoming world, filled with mystery, treasures, joys, and fears. While not unlike our own, this world is inhabited completely by amazing creatures of all shapes and sizes, each with extraordinary potential. Legend says that some of the strongest amongst them could move the very mountains or shape the depths of space. In this land where dragons soar above the clouds, serpents glide beneath blue ocean waves, and chaos seems abundant, there is still family, empathy, friendship, and love.
These creatures have gone by many names, but they call themselves “Pokemon”.
*drip*...
*drip*...
A small wooden cart makes steady progress through a mud and rock pathway, all while rain hammers the roof and sides without mercy. Cloth bags full of supplies litter the sides of the cart, but can not hide its disrepair, with splinters and broken boards scattered around the outside. Everything was being pulled by two horse-like creatures, one slightly bigger than the other. Powerful muscles were hidden away behind brown fur, orange hooves, and intricate braids flowing from a black and orange mane, a mudsdale. Besides him, a smaller yet still striking creature kept pace. Sharp black and white patterns covered his short fur coat, and the crackle of electricity could be heard coursing through his very bones, a zebstrika. The eyes of both Pokemon showed a desperation for sleep, yet they carried on through the dark. The moon was high in the sky, but even its light could not illuminate the tall pine trees surrounding them that seemed to grow closer and closer to the road.
*drip*...
*drip*...
Inside this cart, surrounded by tools, supplies, and cherished photographs, sat a Pokemon that radiated warmth. While not huge, this creature still could not sit fully upright while inside the cart and had to lie at awkward angles to find any kind of comfort. It resembled a large badger and had long, dark teal fur along its back and the top of its head, which felt like coarse sandpaper. Along its front, face, and stomach was a cream-colored fur that was light and airy, which would feel like velvet if not for the bits of ash and soot that speckled it, a typhlosion. Small scars danced over its entire body, but its left arm showed the most damage with a web of tiny, maze-like scars stretching from its hand to its shoulder. Eyes of soft amber peered out into the cart, still contemplating if moving to this new town was worth it, but this creature was determined to find a new life and escape who it was, and this might be its only opportunity.
*drip*...
*drip*...
This Pokemon was also starting to hate the constant dripping sounds coming from the back of the cart.
A small pool of water had started to collect at the far end of the cart, thankfully not soaking anything inside. The Pokemon had decided that he'd had enough and methodically started searching through all of the bags and crates scattered around him, looking for something, anything to stop the constant dripping. Using the illumination of a hanging lamp, he found a small piece of cork that was larger than the hole in the roof, letting the rainwater through, but with enough force could be used to seal it shut. It took several heavy hits with the palm of his hands, but he finally got the piece of cork to stay in place and block any further dripping. The cool rainwater stung his hands temporarily, but he barely had time to think about it when he heard a muffled voice outside.
“ey…good…there?” was all that could be comprehended.
A small sliding door that could only fit this pokemon’s hand separated the two drivers outside from their warm passenger, blocking most of the sound. He opened the door and was immediately hit with a downpour of rain, stinging his hand and face.
The white and black Pokemon in the front noticed the small door being opened and called out against the wind and rain.
“Hey! Ummmmm, is everything ok? We heard a bunch of banging like you were fighting something back there."
Shielding his face from the rain, the warm Pokemon inside responded, “I’m fine, I’m fine! I was just plugging a leak. Are you two ok? We can stop and make a camp for the night if you want."
The brown and orange pokemon answered in a rough voice, seemingly answering for his colleague. “We’ll be alright, we’ve dealt with much worse storms than this! Besides, we’ve only got ‘round 1 hour left to go, till we make it to Shining Tide; it's not worth setting up any kind of camp."
The zebstrika spoke up quickly after the mudsdale finished. “You really should give us your name, by the way. I know we've been ok for the past few towns, but we're going to be spending a few nights in Shining Tide too, so we need to know who we’re associated with if anyone asks.”
The typhlosion paused for a moment in thought, wondering if giving out his name to a couple of pokemon he barely knew would be a good idea or not. He refused to tell them since they started traveling, but these two pokemon have helped him, going above and beyond; they deserve to at least know his name.
“Scorch,” he finally said with a clear mind, “my name is Scorch.”
The mudsdale, clearly struggling against the rain, responded, “Well, Scorch, hunker down back into the cart there, we’ll let you know once we reach Shining Tide, just a little further.”
Scorch just closed the small panel and leaned back against the side of the cart, thankful to have stopped the onslaught of rain pelting his hands and face. His face was dripping with rainwater, so he tried wiping away what he could with his soaked hands, but did not find much success.
Even though he was feeling cold and cramped, Scorch still thought Despite everything that's happened, things finally seem to be ok. A new town where nobody knows me, a new job offer from the head of the town, a chance to help ‘mons in need, and a chance to become someone completely new.
These thoughts comforted Scorch; in a few hours, he would be in Shining Tide, the storm would be over, and he’d get the chance to make a new life. Scorch decided to use this newfound comfort in his mind to try and sleep a little more before making it to his destination.
Scorch slowly closed his amber eyes, gradually shielding them from the light of the lamp.
And surrendered himself to sleep.
…
Something didn’t feel right.
Something felt off, but somehow all too familiar. There was an electric feeling in the cart that sent shivers down Scorch’s spine.
Scorch opened one drowsy eye to notice a singular cream-colored strand of hair on his arm standing straight up as if it were reaching for the sky.
Then another hair followed, then another, then another, then another, until all of his fur was practically standing on end.
Scorch had seen this before; visions of destruction and carnage filled Scorch’s mind, knowing exactly what would happen after this began. These terrifying images clouded Scorch’s thoughts, adrenaline pumped through his veins, and an immense fire blared to life deep inside him.
He didn’t have long… he needed to make every moment count… There was no time to think…
So he just acted…
The roof of the cart exploded in a massive fireball, sending wooden debris flying through the night sky in all directions, lighting the muddy pathway in a destructive orange hue that could be seen for miles. The ashes of whatever supplies once filled the cart began to slowly drift back towards the earth or settle on singed pine tree tops. The two horse-like Pokemon were in complete shock and jerked their bodies away to escape the instant inferno, but were still bound to the wooden death trap they were hauling, the heat of the explosion crawling on their skin that even the cold rain could not quench.
Scorch jumped out of the rising smoke and flame towards the front of the burning cart, towards his two scared guides who were trying desperately to get away but were still stuck. Looking back, all they could see was the raging pillar of fire and the animalistic look in Scorch’s eyes. In one fluid motion, Scorch jumped from his elevated position, an intense fire began frothing at his mouth, and Scorch released that blistering flame directly at the binds that coupled his two guides to the cart but missed the mudsdale and zebstrika entirely, leaving them only with some singed fur. Any further strands of rope or wooden pieces that could be used to link pokemon to the cart were quickly dismantled when Scorch’s landing brought his full weight down on them, at last freeing his guides from the carnage.
The mudsdale and zebstrika had already run far up the road and scattered before even realizing that they were free. Once they were at a safe distance away from the burning wreckage, they both turned around to face the cause of their perils and got into a fighting stance.
“WHAT THE MUK WAS THAT!?” the zebstrika screamed, still petrified but bravely starting to inch his way closer. “A-are you attacking us!? Why!? We didn’t do anything, w-we’re almost to-”
“GET BACK, DON’T GET CLOSER!” Scorch interrupted at the top of his lungs while trying to run as far away from that cart as he could.
There were intense flames still burning on his back, originating from the fire deep inside him. Cool water from the storm tried to land on Scorch’s rough, dark teal fur, but almost instantly evaporated when landing close to these flames. The mudsdale and zebstrika were puzzled as to what was going on, still unsure if the typhlosion barreling towards them was friend or foe, and uncertain of what could have scared him so much.
In that moment, they got their answers…
Time seemed to stop as a blinding white light flashed and a massive bolt of lightning streamed down from the clouds above, piercing the night sky like a spear and striking its target in an instant, destroying what was left of the burning wooden cart. Charred splinters were thrown in every direction, creating a storm of wood and nails more intense than the rain. All four wheels of the cart flew deep into the forest in different directions, smashing against trees and splintering into smaller pieces.
All that remained was a crater large enough to fit the typhlosion and his two terrified guides inside. Scorch had only barely managed to escape the blast radius and was flung several feet through the air before crashing into the stump of a fallen tree. Pain immediately shot from Scorch’s side, which took the full brunt of the impact and was already starting to bruise. The mudsdale and zebstrika were silent in shock, with worried eyes darting back and forth, looking for any signs of additional attacks.
Once the debris had settled, Scorch forced himself to stand up, fighting against the pain in his side and the constant stinging from the rain battering him from every direction. He could hear muffled voices coming from his two drivers, but he was fighting through a haze of blurred vision and ringing ears.
I have to find whoever did this, I have to be ready, they might attack again at any moment, Scorch thought. It took every ounce of mental strength he had, but he willed himself to focus and began scanning the treeline for any signs of activity. Scorch did not become frantic, but with determination, he peered into the darkness of the forest surrounding him for any signs of life.
Slowly…slowly… taking in every detail until…
Scorch noticed the faintest of lights deep into the forest, small electric sparks so faint that on any clear night, they could have been mistaken for moonlight. They only lasted for a moment before fading into the dark, but had already given Scorch ample opportunity to pinpoint where their hidden attacker was hiding.
With intense fires ablaze inside Scorch and erupting from his back, he took off running towards where he last saw those sparks. With steel focus like a predator hunting down prey, he weaved through an ocean of trees and branches, kicking up dirt from the forest floor with each step, even running on all four limbs sometimes to maintain his balance and speed.
As he drew closer to his target, bright electric sparks once again became visible deep in the forest surrounding a figure. The forest was completely silent beside the steady pounding of Scorch's footsteps and the hiss of the rain hitting the tree tops, no distractions between him and his goal. Scorch could not make out any details of this assailant, but the light created from built-up electricity cut through the night like a knife.
Then, in one steady motion, the attacker released that built-up electricity in a bright flash of light, creating a bolt of lightning hurdling with deadly accuracy towards Scorch. The typhlosion only barely managed to avoid getting struck by jumping out of the way onto his already hurt side, with the bolt of lightning striking a tree behind him and blowing a large hole through it. The tingle of electricity still felt like static on Scorch’s fur, but he couldn’t let his attacker get away, so he got back up and continued his pursuit with renewed ferocity.
Several smaller bolts of lightning came streaming through the forest towards Scorch, but the dense trees made an excellent cover for him to hide behind. With each bolt and flash of light, Scorch could make out a new detail of the electrified pokemon he was hunting down.
A tail, a tall body, maybe horns? Those details didn’t matter to him right now, but with each flash of light, he could see that they were running away with increasing desperation, and with each flash, he could see that he was closing the gap.
Scorch was almost in range to start unleashing attacks of his own, just a little more time, just a little closer, and he could unleash a stream of fire to hopefully knock them down. This electric figure was extremely dangerous, so he knew he might only get one shot. The raging fire inside Scorch became white hot, and the fire on his back exploded in renewed heat. Scorch gave off a warm light as he raced through the maze of trees, casting long shadows in every direction that crept along the forest floor.
However, while Scorch was staring down his target, looking for any opportunity to attack, he felt a familiar electric pull that sent his mind into a panic and reminded him how terrifying his attacker must be.
One hair on his cream-colored chest began sticking straight out, drawn by a static pull, then another, then another, until all of his fur was practically standing on end again, except they were not pointed towards the sky… his fur, leaves, anything that wasn't tied down was all being drawn towards one point… The electric Pokemon in front of him.
Whatever attack this pokemon was planning was about to be ten times as powerful as the lightning bolt that destroyed the cart.
“No, no, NO!” Scorch yelled as he immediately started slowing his pace. Caught between his desire to find out who attacked him and self-preservation. He had never felt this way battling any other electric pokemon…
except one many years ago…
This can’t be her; she’s been dead a long time, but no one else should be able to do something like this, right? So who is this?!
Light began to gather around the electric Pokemon ahead of him as electrified sparks were discharged under the immense power being collected. Scorch decided to take one last good look at his assailant before running for cover. Short yellow fur and what appeared to be a red gemstone at the end of their tail were all that Scorch could make out. That was going to have to be enough to find whoever they were later. Scorch could feel the electricity in the air surrounding him; it was overwhelming.
He had to escape this attack somehow, so when he found a small divot in the earth protected by fallen logs, he took his chance and used this natural barricade to shield himself from the electric pokemon gathering power. The logs were weathered and rotted, but right now, this was Scorch's best option if he was going to survive. He shut his eyes in anticipation and held onto the earth. The steely focus that was once present was now replaced with desperation and fear, as the typhlosion came to grips that this might be his end.
Each second felt like an hour… until Scorch could no longer feel the magnetic pull… when Scorch no longer felt the crackle of electricity surrounding him… and the attack was released.
Night turned to day with intense light as a massive ball of electricity exploded like a rising sun. Uncontrollable lightning decimated everything it touched, leaving burning streaks across the forest and leaving the ground a smoldering heap of glass. The initial pressure wave knocked down rows upon rows of trees and changed the landscape of the earth forever. The loud blast and crashing debris left Scorch’s ears ringing and had him clutching his ears to try and protect them.
Scorch dared not open his eyes and dared not remove his hands from his ears for what seemed like an eternity, but when he slowly began to feel the sting of cold rainwater against his fur again, he knew that it was over and that he had survived.
Scorch gradually opened himself back up and opened his eyes to view the stormy night sky above him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that he had been holding his breath throughout the ordeal. As Scorch began to climb out of the small trench, he found that he was on the border of the explosion; if he had been just a few tree rows closer to his attacker, he would have been fried to a crisp. The trees above him were contorted to unnatural angles with burn marks from lightning strikes up and down every tree trunk that he could see. Most of the pine needles and branches were blown away, meaning that there was no longer any tree cover nearby to shield him from the storm.
Where there was once a thriving, endless sea of trees, there was now only empty, barren, and burning land. The earth that wasn’t melted into glass crumbled away into a crater large enough to swallow several buildings. Scorch looked on in awe as he was still trying to process the fact that he was still alive.
Scorch saw no trace of the electric pokemon who unleashed such devastation; there were no sparks of light as far as he could see, just darkness and destruction. Scorch stopped to listen but was only met with silence and the hiss of the falling rain.
There was nothing else that he could do, as worried as he was that this pokemon was someone from his past or if they might hurt someone, he may never get the opportunity to find out. So with a defeated expression filling his amber eyes, Scorch turned back towards what forest was still standing, and slowly made his way back towards the main road.
His thoughts were empty, and his eyes were devoid of life, a husk of his former self, as if he was still processing the events that had just taken place.
Trudging through the mud and fallen limbs of the forest floor, Scorch thought Those two drivers I hired are probably long gone, but I hope they’re ok.
Scorch sighed, letting the weight of the day fall off his shoulders, if only for a moment.
I no longer have anything since the cart was destroyed, no place to sleep, no supplies, no food, no money, and no tools to work with whenever I make it to Shining Tide… if I actually make it there.
Scorch began to find smoldering wooden splinters and rusty nails underfoot, so he knew that he had to be getting close to the road again. He stepped onto the mud and rock road, and a new wave of rain hit him, as he was no longer shielded by the tree cover.
Scorch had gotten used to being in the rain, even though it still stung all over his body. He had no fight left in him, so he just stood for several seconds letting the rain shower him, until a familiar rough and raspy voice called out to him.
“You there! You still in one piece? Get over here and out of the rain before you make yourself sick!”
Scorch was surprised to see the mudsdale again, slowly lumbering out of the forest on the other side of the road. Scorch couldn’t see any injuries, but exhaustion was written all over his face and body.
Scorch was stunned, fully expecting to be on his own after the cart got destroyed.
“w-what are you still doing here? Where's your friend?” Scorch asked.
“What and leave you behind?” the mudsdale grinned, but was still clearly fighting sleep. “We told you that we’re gonna get you to Shining Tide, and Arceus willing, we’ll get you there. Just don’t go runnin' off by your lonesome again!”
Both Scorch and the mudsdale chuckled, letting both pokemon relax for the first time in hours.
Scorch answered back, “ok, yeah, no more adventures for tonight."
The mudsdale began lumbering back into the woods where he came from, with Scorch following right behind him, both being eager to escape the storm.
While they were walking, the mudsdale spoke, “Us ground types don’t like the water too much, and I know you fire types aren’t big fans of it either. I’ve got a small shelter going near the road, it's just made from a few stone edges, so it’s not exactly comfortable, but it's dry."
“Thank you so much… ummm” Scorch paused, trying to think if he’d learned the mudsdale’s names during their travels. Luckily, the brown and orange pokemon caught on and interjected.
“You can call me Ruckus, and my buddy’s name is Zip, he’s probably already asleep in the shelter. He was pretty tuckered out, but he went out to try and salvage what he could from the cart, so he hasn’t had much of a break. He did manage to find a couple of bags of yours that survived both your firework show and…well, whoever sent that lightning bolt."
News that some of his equipment might have survived sparked the first bit of joy Scorch had felt for hours, but he would have to more thoroughly go through everything in the morning because he was about to collapse from exhaustion. Despite his fatigue, Scorch tried making a mental note of the names of his two four-legged guides. They have shown him so much kindness, but he’s barely done anything in return.
Ruckus pulled back some brush with one of his hooves to reveal a small clearing with a steep hill. A mass of large pointed stones jutted out of the hillside in what looked like a scrambled mess, almost like a pincushion, but after a closer look, Scorch could see a deliberately made roof to protect against the rain, four walls, and an opening just big enough to fit the large brown and orange Pokemon leading the way. The rough and jagged stones jutting out of the earth to create the shelter would not be a welcoming sight to most, but it looked like a slice of heaven to Scorch after being in the rain for hours. There were a few cloth bags scattered outside with the tools and equipment that could be salvaged from the cart.
Ruckus entered the makeshift shelter first, then Scorch peered inside to see Zip, still soaked from the rain, already curled up into a ball, sound asleep against the cracked and pointy stone wall. All three pokemon were so caked in dirt that they were almost unrecognizable. Zip’s distinct white and black fur was muddled and distorted, the bright orange of Ruckus’s hooves had long turned a shade of brown to match the rest of his body, and Scorch’s hands and feet felt heavy with the amount of debris that was stuck to them.
The floor was damp, with only small patches of grass acting as barriers to the mud. This is not going to be a comfortable night for any of us, is it? Scorch thought as he watched Ruckus slowly lower himself into the mud and curl himself into a circle right next to his partner.
Scorch soon followed, as uncomfortable as everything looked, Scorch practically melted into a comfortable position where he could still see the storm raging outside.
His mind still raced with thoughts about the electric pokemon who attacked them.
Who were they? What do they want? That last attack reminds me so much… so much of Ophy… but she’s long dead…
Scorch finally curled up, closed his amber eyes once more, and let sleep completely wash over him.
I came here to forget my past…
...But I could never escape it, could I?