Pokémon BW: Rise of Clarity (book 3 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 7: Abducted

"It's okay," I whispered soothingly. "I won't hurt you, I promise." The tiny Joltik cowered in the corner of the room, his entire body shaking. I made sure to crouch several feet away, but he was still frightened. I felt a burning anger towards those who had made him this way, but I had to keep face to show that I wouldn't harm him. 

"Look, I won't harm you," I slowly outstretched my hand, but he made himself smaller. What really surprised me was that he wasn't even attempting to shock me with electricity. I withdrew my hand, then grabbed a pokeball. I took a couple steps back, then turned away from Joltik, releasing Greninja, then Mawile.

I hunkered down next to them, keeping a watchful eye on Joltik to see what he was doing. "Look, he was abused by a couple people and Pokemon. I don't know if you two could help convince him that we won't do the same thing to him, but it's worth a shot. I... I want to help him overcome his fear if possible, so I wanted him to come along with us on our journey."

Greninja and Mawile shared a look before nodding to me. Mawile went first, slowly walking towards Joltik. She had a bright smile, but when her back jaw twitched, Joltik huddled closer to the corner. Mawile walked back to me with a dejected look on her face. I patted her on the shoulder and looked to Greninja. He nodded and sat cross-legged a couple feet from Joltik. He blew bubbles from his mouth, maneuvering them with his webbed hands, allowing them to dance in the air. Joltik seemed to be mesmerized for a couple seconds before curling up again.

Greninja didn't seem discouraged however. He unwrapped his tongue from around his neck, extending it towards Joltik. He seemed to speak in a low tone and Joltik seemed to shake less. I had no idea what they were saying, but I could feel Greninja's emotions. Loneliness, rejection, despair. But then came joy, acceptance, exhilaration, and a feeling I couldn't quite place... I held my hand to my heart, allowing myself to smile as I closed my eyes, soaking in that feeling. I saw Alex, Robert, Jessie, James, Meowth, Arcanine, and all the rest of my beloved family. 

Greninja had drawn back his tongue and now he held out a webbed hand to Joltik, his head tilted slightly. "Grenin?"

Joltik's shaking had all but stopped as he seemed to glance from me to him. He slowly extended one of his legs hesitantly, then drew it back slightly. His eyes still looked fearful, but he edged forwards just a little, settling the tip of his front leg on the edge of Greninja's finger.

"Gren," Greninja said softly, extending his hand some more to slide it under the small Electric type and pick him up gently in his palm. He used his other hand to rub his back, not even flinching when small sparks spiked from Joltik's fur. He started to shake harder when I scooted closer and I held out my hand just an inch from him, but not touching.

"I promise," I said softly. "I won't ever harm you. I swear to help you overcome this fear." I smiled warmly now. "And should you ever strive to grow, me and my Pokemon will always be willing to lend a hand. No matter what."

...

I knelt down next to one of the crates, narrowing my eyes in disgust at the contents. I was almost certain these were illegal drugs. Team Rocket did its fair share of dealings with similar products, though its main business dealt mostly with Pokemon. I couldn't help but remember what Robert had said a couple days earlier. 

"Even before I left for Kalos, the crime rate in Unova had gone up, especially in the cities..."

Then there were those three who had been beating up Cubchoo and Joltik for fun. I stood, realizing that Unova was a darker place than I had previously believed. 

Robert came over, fitting the lid back on the crate. "We can't do much yet, so once we get back we'll notify the proper authorities."

I nodded, signaling for Greninja to come down from the tree. He leaped down and we all began heading back to the farm. Alex shot me a glance, but didn't say anything. I smiled when she looked away. She tended to have a sense of knowing when something was bothering me. I hesitated, almost ready to convey my feelings on the drug situation, when Greninja stopped dead, body tensing as he went on alert.