Trans-Life (Rated-PG)

Started by Muse June 23rd, 2006 11:32 AM
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Muse

'The Underdog Trainer'

Age 32
The Internet
Seen February 18th, 2008
Posted February 14th, 2008
50 posts
17.2 Years
Author's Note: Here ya go, Top::Legend! You told me to put it up and I did! Thankies for the title help! =3

Prologue
Fire Stone

The trio’s laughter rang through the air as they swayed through the streets, waltzing around the other villagers in squealing fits of giggles. People ducked out of the way with knowing grins and rolling eyes as they haphazardly passed by, finally sitting in the shade of a cherry tree and straightening their dresses.

“You lucky fox, Echo!” the dark-haired one, a young woman by the name of Amber, exclaimed, ruffling the fluffy red hair of the girl in the middle, who wore the biggest grin out of all of them. “I have waited for this moment ever since my eyes first met yours...!” she mimicked in a Shakespearean style, erupting in another series of giggles.

The girl to Echo’s right, a younger girl with tan locks, sighed. “I think it’s terribly romantic, coming to you on the festival day like that...It’s so beautiful with the flowers and the people…” She sighed again, waving at a flock of children passing by with various Pokemon masks.

Amber shot the other two a mischievous grin. “If you ask me, the really beautiful thing about this festival is him.”

“Oh, please. Now that he’s unavailable you start drooling over him! Shame on you!” Echo teased, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. “And don’t you have a relationship of your own to take care of?”

“Yes, but now all the jealousy I had for you and Elliot has nowhere to go! If it isn’t let out, I’ll simply explode! Oh, and speaking of which, here comes your fiancé!”

The threesome looked up, all smiling in unison. There Elliot stood, a hand on a hip, his mouth formed into a smile, and an eyebrow raised. “I hope you’re not trying to change my fiancée’s mind about the wedding, you two.”

Echo hopped to her feet and spun to stand by her soon-to-be husband’s side, looping her arm through his, her height completely diminished compared to his. “Nothing could ever change my mind, Elliot! The wedding will go on and we’ll be the happiest family to ever walk the face of the earth!” Amber sighed in mock defeat while Camilla, the girl to Amber’s right, applauded, pleased by their romantic determination to get married.

“So, when’s the big day?” Amber asked. “We have to start planning for it soon, you know.”

The couple looked at one another, curiosity in Echo’s eyes and deep thought in Elliot’s. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk about…You won’t mind if I kidnap Echo for a moment, would you?” The girls all shook their heads, giving him permission to steal away his fiancée. Instantly, he swept her off and she looked over her shoulder at her friends with a goofy grin. When they turned a corner she looked back around, relaxing as he directed her to a vacant bridge.

Together, they leaned over the bridge, watching as the fish ducked beneath the lilypads. She really hated water and couldn’t stand to be near it normally, fearing that she might fall in and never be able to get out, but with Elliot’s arms around her, she felt just fine. Fish were actually rather interesting to her now that she could come close to them without worry.

“You’re always so warm,” Elliot mentioned as she snuggled closer.

Echo hummed happily and smiled. “And you’re always so cool…It’s nice…” They stood like that for a moment, until he tapped her on the head lightly. “Hmm?”

“We don’t really have to plan anything out today, but…there is something I’d like you to have…for when we get married…” Elliot reached into a shirt pocket and pulled out a small folded cloth. Delicately, he unwrapped it, revealing a fiery red stone tied to a necklace. “It’s a Fire Stone , one that belonged to my mother. She – I – We would like you to have it.”

“It’s lovely…” Echo said, entranced by the beautiful stone. She knew that Elliot had no sisters, and that she was as close to a daughter as his mother ever had, but this! This was too much!

Elliot exhaled and rolled his eyes with a sheepish look. “My mom also said that if you didn’t take it, she would ‘be insulted for eternity’ and ‘come back to haunt us in the afterlife.’”

Echo just laughed. “Alright. Tell your mother to not worry. I’ll accept her gift.” She placed a hand on the stone and gasped. Fire swept through her body, entirely overwhelming. She felt Elliot’s hands leave her arms, either from the intense heat or from shock, felt him catch her before she fell completely, and could feel him kneel down and prop her up against his legs, calling her name. She tried to answer, but the fire incapacitated her throat. The fiery sensation died down, but as it did, she could no longer hear his voice.

Have I become dumb? She wondered. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. He was there, but he wasn’t shouting anymore, not making any sort of sound. He stared down at her with wide eyes, torn between worry, shock, confusion…

And fear?

He stood, backing away slowly, never taking his eyes from her.

“Elliot, what’s—“ she stopped in mid-sentence. Instead of her words, the phrase came out in a soft growl, an animal noise.

Elliot took another step back, tripping over the end of the bridge. He stopped, opening his mouth to talk, but having trouble finding words. “What have you done with Echo…? Where is Echo!”

Echo gaped at him. “I’m right here!” she growled, trying to sound human again. What was wrong with her voice? Elliot took yet another step, turned around, and ran…“Elliot! What’s wrong?!”

When he didn’t come back, she slowly stood, leaning against the sides of the bridge, trying to hold the Fire Stone in her hands. How did it become so…slippery? Something was definitely wrong, and not just with Elliot’s behavior. The bridge had come to her waist before, but now it only came to her neck, at least. Her legs felt so weak, she could hardly hold herself up, and everything was clearer…

She held the stone up to her eyes, and dropped it on the bridge in surprise.

It wasn’t a hand holding the stone anymore. It was a white-furred paw…She released the bridge railing, falling down on all fours and crawled to the side of the bridge. In the water, staring back up at her, was the white Kitsune, Ninetales .

Scooping up the stone from the bridge in her mouth, she ran, not caring who saw her now. Who would recognize the young bride? Who would see the connection between the missing girl and the legendary fox?

Who would ever find Echo Elden?

--------

Three Centuries Later –

Times had certainly changed since those days. She never realized that a Ninetales could live for such a long time, especially without getting caught. Trainers had tried, of course, shocked that a Ninetales would be living in the wild. Vulpix were rare enough, but the evolved form, untrained and uncaptured, was unheard of.

She laughed as she ate her mid-day meal, a small portion of a trainer’s breakfast stolen when he ran away in fright (Scaring new trainers was always fun. She could only imagine the fun a Shuppet or Duskull would have upon finding one). Being human was great and all, but being a Pokemon had particular perks as well, such as the sweet taste of yet another victory against an over-confident trainer earlier that morning. Some she regretted battling, the ties between them and their Pokemon so strong that it hurt to see them run off for the nearest Pokemon center or lose a battle, but some were just snots, in her opinion, and deserved to have their ego popped.

They had been coming more often, as well. News had spread about a powerful wild Ninetales running around Hoenn, and that was drawing the humans in flocks, the ones brilliant and cunning enough to find her few in number.

It was one of these few smart ones that was sitting before her as she chuckled to herself. He leaned up against a tree, a small handkerchief draped on his knee, and a small loaf of bread in his hand. He chewed in peaceful silence, watching the golden light scatter through the rustling leaves. He was an oddball of a human, for certain. Unlike others who would rush in, scrambling through the trees at top speed declaring their newest target at the top of their lungs, or those who would be so scared that they ran away at once…

“Ah, so this is where you’ve been hiding, have you?” The young man answered as he parted the foliage, stepping through gently. The fox looked up from her meal with a bored, yet somewhat interested, expression. This certainly was different. The new trainer raised an arm out of the trees and she inspected to see a Pokeball at the end of that arm, but instead met a small cloth package of some sort. “Mind if I join you for lunch?”

Huh?

Taking Echo’s blank stare as an answer, he stepped in front of a tree and slid to the ground was a satisfied breath. He smiled at the still dumbfounded Ninetales and started to unwrap his lunch. No challenge. No over confident smirk. Not even a simple escape. Instead, he just took a small bite from the bread and relaxed, enjoying the calm breeze. “I hope you don’t mind my intruding. I find that lunch is much more pleasant with company, no matter how quiet.”


And quiet he had been, staring off into the distance with those sea green eyes looking almost wistful. Echo found it funny, the way he acted. Surely it was all a ruse. All of a sudden, he would stand up, shout a command at some tame Pokemon, and try and catch her like so many others. He was really good at acting, however…Too good…

The trainer glanced down at her for a moment and gave a knowing smile. “You don’t need to worry about me. This place is too nice…I wouldn’t want to take you away from such a good place…Although I do suggest that you figure out how to deter any more trainers from finding your home. A ‘No Trespassing’ sign might suffice.”

Echo didn’t back down. She wanted to know why he was here in the first place! Something about just wanting company didn’t seem right…The fox scooted closer, raising an eyebrow before the man went back into his silent thoughts. She wanted answers and she wanted them right now! She would’ve been satisfied with a battle! The trainer looked at her and shook his head in exasperation at her curiosity.

“I guess I might as well tell you, eh? Maybe you can give me some advice. You are a…girl Ninetales, right?”

The Ninetales stiffened, puffing out her chest in a huff. He just laughed.

“I suppose you are then! Well, you see…” The trainer’s cheeks started to turn a pale shade of red. “There’s this girl.”

And suddenly, the young man’s life story came spilling out, starting from when he met the said girl. Both were born and raised in Fortree City, a city that Echo had visited on special occasions. They went to the same school, had been friends however, even became friendly rivals when they were old enough to receive their Pokemon League license.
However, as they grew older, the young man had decided that maybe he didn’t like her as just a friend. Maybe more. Maybe even girlfriend and boyfriend. But, as most similar situations turn out, he had no clue as to how to tell her his feelings. It was all quite sappy business, in Echo’s opinion. She had to roll her eyes as he described how strongly he cared for her, but what an utter failure he had been at telling her such.

“So, here I am, telling my story to the world, or at least this small part of it, and seeking advice from a Ninetales,” he ended.

The Ninetales stood, contemplating his story, and sat just in front of him. She shook her mane to shift the fur underneath her chin, revealing a fire red stone hanging from a string necklace. Gingerly, the man took the stone in his hand and admired it until Echo slipped out of the necklace. He glanced up at the fox in revelation.

“So…this is how you became a Ninetales…It’s rather warm to the touch…” he observed and held the stone out to the fox. She shook her head and pushed the stone back. “I don’t understand…this is yours. Why would you give it to me?”

Echo frowned and shook her head. Humans these days were awfully dense! She placed a paw on the stone, pointed to the trainer and then in the general direction of Fortree City. The man stared at the stone for a little while until realization dawned on his face.

“A gift…I give her a gift…Something really special…” He looked up at Echo. “Can I give her this?”

Echo gasped, snapped up the stone, and backed away. You go get your own gift! She expected him to look disappointed, but he just laughed.

“I was just kidding! It’s obviously very important to you…I will take your advice though.” The trainer stood, stuffing his empty handkerchief into a pocket. “It was nice meeting you. Maybe we can meet again someday. You’re always welcome to visit. Just try not to get caught before then, alright?”


Echo had no troubles avoiding capture. She hadn’t had any trouble before, but now it was all too easy. The flow of eager trainers had all but halted, with only a few appearing a month instead of a few a day. Suddenly, she was left alone. She could explore her home more, find more berries, and discover better shelter for the rain. For once, it was actually peaceful.

Peaceful and boring!

The fox sighed, staring at the pile of fresh razz berries in front of her nose, inhaling the scent of the juice. With every rustle of the leaves she glanced up hopefully, but then lowered her gaze back to the ground when nothing broke through the trees.

She had to admit it. She was lonely. For what was probably the first time in a hundred years, she was lonely. Almost without knowing it, she placed a paw over the necklace, grateful for the warmth it gave…

You’re always so warm…

She ran. She had somewhere to go for the first time in three hundred years.

End Prologue