PokeVentures - Honorable Hoenn - Yokai Backstory

Honorable Hoenn - Part Four

"We've been looking for that absol for three days now, Cameron. Do you think it left the area?" The absol by my side barks a little. "Hm? Something going on?" Cameron looks towards the road through the trees. Then I hear it. A motorcycle engine. "It's probably officer Jenny. She's nice; don't you remember?" He barks louder and runs deeper into the forest. "Hey! Cameron!" I run after him, forgetting about Officer Jenny completely as I speed after my Absol. "Wait up!"

Cameron brings me away from the cabin, only stopping when I need to catch my breath. "Cameron, what's going on?"

He turns and looks at me without a sound. "That's not much of an answer." He grumbles and turns away a gain. "Should I already know?" He lets out a huff and nods. "Well I don't know what you're talking about, so..." I hesitate when he growls softly. "Cameron..?" I look around a little and I notice something in the distance. "Is that an Absol?" The shadowed figure vanishes in the trees. "Let's go!" I grin and run after it, forcing Cameron to follow.

The mysterious creature stops and turns around to face us, its white fur bold against the dark greens and browns of the forest. Its red and pink eyes look over at us with a glare. There's a deep scratch in the blue horn on its head. "You're in danger here, Absol. Let me help you." The wild creature growls and attacks with a speed so fast it's hard for me to see. Cameron takes the hit and growls back at his foe. "Counterattack with Shadow Claw!" My absol gets an easy strike on the pokemon, making it yelp and cower away. I quickly throw my pokeball after it, hitting its hip and capturing it in the ball. It shakes and shiver, but the new addition to my team is too weak to fight against it. I grin and pick it up. "I caught it! We need to go to the Pokemon Center right away!" I return Cameron to his pokeball as well and run to the cabin so I can report my success to the elderly couple.

"Yokai! How did the search go? You're just in time for lunch!" Lisa smiles and leads us inside where Rowen is sitting at the little dining table with a plate of food in front of him. "How was the morning search?"

"Successful!" I smirk and hold up the capsule containing my new companion. "I caught the Absol."

"Oh that's great!" The old woman gave me a hug. "You should go to the pokemon center in town. There will still be lunch when you get back, so rush off!" She shooed me out the door and watched as I sprinted down the path.

She didn't bring up Officer Jenny. Perhaps she didn't stop by the cabin at all. I still don't get what Cameron was so worried about.. But he seems to care a lot. Which is nice for once. I guess I need someone to look after me once and awhile.

"Young girl," Nurse Joy says as she walks up to me with my two Absols. "They're both okay now... Before I return them,I need to talk to you about these pokemon."

"I was already lectured once, I don't need another speech from someone who's never even given these pokemon a chance." I snatch the pokemon from her and leave the center with a pout. "Don't listen to them you two. They don't know what they're talking about." As we become separated from the people of the town I let the newcomer out of its ball. The Absol appears beside me and looks up at me with beautiful red eyes swirled with pink.

"Girl wait!" An annoyingly familiar voice yells from behind me.

I turn around and see Nurse Joy running towards us. "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you about something else as well. I need to explain something about the female Absol with the scratch in its horn." She glances at the Absol sitting next to me. "Oh! Yeah, this one! I'm sure you've noticed the unusual eye coloring already. Do you know what that means?"

"No..?" I give the nurse a suspicious look.

"It's a rare virus called 'Pokerus' and since you don't seem to know what I'm talking about I need to explain it to you." I glance at the Absol beside me and pet her head, but I let the nurse continue. "It's not dangerous or anything. It simply helps the infected pokemon grow faster. There aren't symptoms and it usually goes after a few days after infection. It's rare in the wild and only spreads through breeding and fighting."

"So it won't spread to my other pokemon?"

"So long as they don't fight."

"And nothing is really going to happen to her?"

"Nothing serious. Okay? But I want to warn you about carrying Absols in your team. You could get in tro-"

"Don't start with that again! They're not dangerous!" I hug my new Absol tight. "No one has ever given these pokemon a chance."

Just like me.

"You must hear me out. These pokemon could get you arrested or even mixed up in Team Hollow!"

"Who's Team Hollow?"

"A nast team of punks and ass-" She cut herself off a bit before continuing. "Absolutely horrible people. They're judgemental and ignorant. They're just criminals and cowards, yet for some reason they keep growing."

"And they use Absols..?"

Maybe there are others like me and the old couple at the cabin who actually appreciate the lives of these hated pokemon..

"I'm sure they do. They use a lot of dark, steel, and ghosts types from what I've heard and seen, though I haven't seen much."

"Okay. I guess I'll look out for them."

"You better, they're bad news. You wouldn't want to get caught up in their schemes, much less get in the way of their plans. Who knows what would happen then."

"Thanks." I give her a glare, irritated more by her constant chatter. "Bye." I leave with my Absols, done wasting time on pointless conversations. "Now to think of a name for you..." She looks up at me, confused. "Well I gave my other Absol a nickname, I should give you one too!" I smile and pet her again. "You met Cameron in the forest when I found you."

As we approach the cabin the new team member becomes more nervous. She stops a few feet away from the door, hesitant to go inside. "What's the matter?" I pause and hold out my hand. "Just stick with me, okay? I'll keep you safe." I smile and encourage her closer. "See? You're okay. There are some people out there who don't hate you for no reason. They liked Cameron, they'll like you too. I promise." I lead her inside where Lisa and Rowen great us from the couch.

"Is that the one from the forest?" Lisa asked with a gappy grin. "Certainly a pretty little thing." She reached out to the Absol, allowing her to sniff and then lick her hand. "Her eyes are beautiful. I haven't seen anything like that before."

"Nurse Joy said it was something called Pokerus." I sit at the very end of the couch and pet her.

"Ah, yes. It's rare, but a surprisingly helpful virus." Rowen said with a toothless smile. "When I was young I worked in a nursery and I remember someone bringing in a Milotic with beautiful eyes that were red with an ocean blue mixed in. I'll always remember that one."

After spending some time with the elder couple Absol has grown calm. It's only a few minutes until she is laying on the floor on our feet, asleep. "I think a great name for her would be Jessica."

"That's a perfect name.." I pet the soft fur on her back and then free Cameron from his captivity. "Ready for bed Cameron?" He nods and rests his head on my knee. "Me too."

The two older house owners got to their feet and shakily stepped over Jessica without waking her up. "You three sleep well. We're having pancakes in the morning." 

After the door to their room closes I turn off the lights and curl up on the couch with Cameron. "Good night you two.." I look down at Jessica and smile. "Rest up, Jessica.."