A New Dawn (A Pokémon Story)

Chapter 10

Elfie sat on the floor of her cell, trying to fall asleep. Her head pounded from the journey, making the room appear it was spinning. Koro had already fallen asleep, which was one of the things that Elfie was fascinated about. No matter the situation, she could always fall asleep first with no problems, as if she thought that each time she slept it would be her last. I guess that wouldn't be a problem for you. She decided to give up for a bit and look around at the other prisoners. Most of them were ground or rock types, a Gabite stared at her from across the corridor. They looked at her curiously, claws and arms bound by thick chains. Elfie met the Gabite's eyes questioningly, and he suddenly looked embarrassed. "I...I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep already." 

She shook her head, "No, it's all right." she maneuvered into a sitting position so she could face the Gabite. As she did, she noticed several other things. He had scars all along his body, his claws were filed down and there were several gash marks from tight chains that must have been used to keep his jaw shut. He looked afraid of something, "Are you okay? You...seem upset." 'Upset'? Really? You think he wanted to be here? She scolded herself.

He gave a small nod, "Big situation happened earlier today...Sarge was angry, we did something wrong, so she said." he brought his arms closer to himself, "Whole town. No one knows. No one care."

"But you know what happened?" she asked, desperate to learn any information she can, "You say you didn't do anything wrong, who did?"

He shivered, "Screams. Loud screams. Crying, too. Outside. Sarge tried to bring him in. Crazy; they said. Insane; they said. Demted; they said."

"Wait, demented?" she asked softly.

He gave a quick nod, "Yes. That. Weird word, strange word. Body found. We ask; no tell." he made a motion around his snout mimicking chains, "No know. Want know. You know?"

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I don't know anything." she sighed, "I don't know anything..."

"Oh..." he looked down at the floor, "I go to sleep now. Hope you do, too." he sat down on the ground, curled up.

Elfie nodded, and tried sleeping again. Thoughts clouded her mind no matter how hard she tried not to. She thought about the prisoner, she thought about Koro, she even thought about the town itself. But right before she fell asleep, she thought about her brother. She could barely see him, still looking towards her in fear. Nothing I could do...nothing I could do...he's all alone...

Then she was there again, back in the black void. The heartbeat could still be heard faintly around her from all ends as she floated in the abyss of pure contentment. She felt calmer; able to think. Like someone had fanned away the clouds in her thoughts to let her think clearly. The heartbeat was slower than before, and she allowed herself to be swallowed up in the rhythm. It felt right in every way. I missed you...I missed you...can't you stay with me? A soft and calming voice filled the void, her mind, everything. It felt everywhere at once. Where are you...I want to find you. I don't want this to end. The light came again, trying to pull her back. No. It grasped her legs, seeping into her mind with blinding pain. This time the shadows fought back, pulling the light away, but it wasn't enough. I will find you... She heard a screech in futile agony fading away as the void was filled in light. 

She looked up, awake again. Light from the sun could be seen pouring through the small window. Koro was bent over in a sitting position, and noticed Elfie was awake. "Did...did I do anything when I was asleep?" she asked awkwardly to Koro.

"No, why?" Koro asked, but it was very clear from the tone of her voice that she didn't care about the answer.

A thud was heard at the door and the Darmanitan swung the door open as she walked in. "Jobs were found for the two of you." she told Koro and Elfie, "Remember, a failure to complete the jobs assigned by your officer will lead to-"

"Punishment. Yes, we know." Koro groaned too quietly for her to hear and sat up.

"I will be taking the other prisoner first, then come back to deliver you." she said to Koro, and opened Elfie's cell. She tried to flash an encouraging smile to Koro as she was being walked out, but she was unsure she saw it. 

She was walked out of the building and into the streets. A few of the guards stopped to look at her as she went by; their eyes lingering like needles in her back. She felt entirely exposed, but continued walking through the town. I wonder if the soldiers care about what happens to me...is it just assumed by this tribe to not care about prisoners? Elfie continued to keep her head down and follow the Darmanitan's directions. As she walked around the town, she noticed more of those torches, but much bigger. Every detail was carefully etched in the stone, beauty preserved in small indents of earth. She began trying to speculate to whom they were built for. The three on the bottom seemed to be equally sized, so they must be of equal reverence to the kingdom. After she passed by the totems, she was brought into a building that looked not at all like the others. It was much grander in every way. Small statues of marble stood on the sides of the entryway with rubies for eyes, the door was three times her size; she suspected that it was built with multiple Pokemon's sizes in mind. Smoke could be seen billowing out a chimney made of brick on the side of the roof. Something caught her eye on the door, though. A circlet of Charcoal was pinned to the door with a Figy berry in the middle. Unlike the Figy berries she'd seen, this one was pure white with black spots. It was as if someone burnt the Figy berry to ashes, then painted over it. In a strange way, it was beautiful.

The Darmanitan walked up to the door, and knocked loudly. It sent reverberating shock waves through the door. Tiny pittering of footsteps were heard, and the door swung open to reveal an Eevee. Wait, no, that's not an Eevee? The closer she looked, the less of an Eevee it looked. It was as if an Eevee was born as a Flareon, but incomplete. It was also bigger than her, even if it didn't look fully evolved. Nevertheless, its face was of complete impatience. "Keys." he growled. The Darmanitan nodded, and handed the tiny key over to the 'Eevee'. A second later, she was shoved inside the building with the Darmanitan going back into the streets. The interior of the house was just as majestic as the outside. Large, white marble tablets shown graceful paintings made of ash shown all over the walls. "House needs to be cleaned, top to bottom. Oh, and someone else is here." the Eevee yawned, "Just...try not to bother her." he made his way towards the door, "I'll be back by sundown, okay?" he yelled to someone in the other room. With a slam, he was out the door. 

For a long and uneasy moment, she stood in place; unsure what to do. She cautiously looked over into the room the Eevee was talking about, and saw what looked to be the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen before. It was an evident Ninetales just from looking at it, but their fur was entirely black. Their paws were lined with silver, and the tips of all their tails looked like they were dipped in red paint. They laid down in a relaxed position on the couch, looking half asleep; they didn't seem to notice she was there. Elfie quickly left the room, and took a quick glance at the jobs to be done. Better get to work.