No More

The Lab

    It looked worn down. White paint peeled off its sides. The door, red with patches of the wood underneath showing, didn't shut completely.

   They stood before this old building waiting. And waiting.

   One of them was named Kazan. He had black hair and red eyes. He was only eight. His younger sister, Kage, was five and his younger brother and sister who were twins, Kuro and Kurai, were just one year old.

   "Mommy?" Kage whined.

   Kage had black hair and yellow eyes. They all had black hair. Kuro's eyes were red and Kurai's were yellow.

   "Just a little bit longer," their mother told them.

   They had been waiting there for over half an hour. Kazan's belly growled. His mother glanced down at him but didn't seem to care. If she had, her arms were full anyways from holding Kuro and Kurai.

   And then the door creaked open. Two men dressed in lab coats stepped out. They nodded to Kazan's mother and one took Kuro and Kurai while the other took Kage's and Kazan's hands. And then their mother began to walk away. She didn't look back and she didn't shed a single tear.

   "Mom!" Kazan shouted, trying to pull away from the man.

   The man pulled him back. And then, he practically dragged them inside.

   On the inside, things were a lot less worn down. It was certainly high tech: a lab.

   "Hound!"

   Kazan turned to see a Houndoom in a cage. There was great anger reflected in its red eyes. It paced around and opened its mouth as if trying to breathe fire but nothing happened. The Houndoom sat and kicked at the collar around its neck.

   "I want to go home," Kage said.

   One of the men laughed as he said, "This is your home now."

   And then he tossed Kage and Kazan in separate cages, locking them behind him. The man with Kuro and Kurai had already gone elsewhere.

   "You can't just lock us in here like animals!" Kazan challenged.

   "You will stay in there quietly, or else," the man told him.

   The man left. Kazan, defeated, sat. His belly growled louder. He looked up and could see the Houndoom watching him. In that moment, it was clear they could understand each other.

   "So you like the Houndoom."

   Kazan looked up to see a woman also wearing a lab coat. The Houndoom growled at her.

   "Growl, and you won't be fed," the woman reminded the dark dog Pokemon.

   The Houndoom stopped growling and sat. The woman walked over to Kazan.

   "Why are we here?" Kazan spat.

   "This is what your grandfather wanted," the woman answered.

   "Our, grandfather?" Kage questioned. They had never even known they had one.

   "Doji," the woman answered. "We have been researching a long time, and it's all for this: to create a gijinka."

   "Create a gijinka?" Kazan repeated.

   "What's a gijinka?" asked Kage.

   "You'll find out soon enough," the woman said. "Now then, I'll go tell the others my choices for what Pokemon you'll be."

   The woman left. Kazan watched as the Houndoom laid it's head down.

   "Kage?" Kazan questioned.

   "Yes?" Kage asked him.

   "If you can help it, stay close to me," Kazan told her.

   "Ok," Kage said.

   There was sure to be hard times ahead, Kazan knew this for certain. What he didn't know was what to do.

   But he did know this: he hated his grandfather.