Sahib winced as the noise continued from the well. He noted all of the other trainers were there, meaning that something was bound to go wrong. Sahib wondered suddenly if it was another set up from the cloaked men, or if it was something completely different. Sahib looked at the well, and then finally decided that it was time. He was going to venture down into the well, and nothing was about to stop him. As he took his first step, there was a giant flash of bright light.
When Sahib awoke, he groaned and rubbed his head. He looked around at the familiar setting of his old school. Why…am I here? He wondered silently as he looked about. Finally he saw himself. No, it wasn't a mirror…it was a younger version of him. He stared at the familiar face. There was still a bit of childish roundness in his features, and he all in all looked like a kid. Sahib suddenly knew what day he had been transported back to, and he honestly didn't feel like seeing it again.
He kicked a pebble and sat down under a tree by himself. Recess was his least favorite time of the day. That's mostly because he didn't have anything to do, and they wouldn't even let him play with his Pokémon. A tiny sigh escaped his lips as he stared down at the dirty ground. A girl walked up to him and sat down next to him. He grinned slightly at his best friend. He called her that, yes, but in reality she probably had closer friends than he. This didn't bother him though.
"Sahib, why do you always spend time by yourself?" she questioned curiously.
He frowned and thought about it for a moment. The older version of himself opened his mouth at the same time as the younger. "Because no one cares about me," he said plainly, unaware that he was being mimicked by his older self.
"That's not true!" she insisted. "I care!"
"Yeah, but you have other friends, right?" Sahib asked, peeking over at her from his long hair. "I don't."
"So? It doesn't matter how many friends you have!" she insisted.
Sahib stayed silent. He set his chin on his knees. She huffed and stood, clearly upset with his behavior. There were big fat tears in her eyes. Sahib looked up, clearly startled by this. She sniffed.
"Maybe I don't want to be your friend anyway!" she spat at him.
Sahib was taken aback. He didn't understand how all of this had came from such a few simple words. "What…" Sahib began slowly, unsure of how to continue. He chewed on his bottom lip and frowned. "What do you mean?" he finally finished. His expression was careful and cautious.
"You're such a heartless jerk, Sahib!"
"But I—"
That's when the bell rang. She ran back inside, causing everyone to look at her funny as she did. They turned their gaze on Sahib next. His face heated up. He looked at the ground and then slowly got up, heading back inside with the rest of them. Sahib attempted to keep his head ducked, but it really didn't work. He hated how he was so tall. It just made him stick out like a sore thumb.
A few days went by uneventfully. This time was sped up in the memory, making Sahib growl to himself. He hated watching his younger self be ridiculed every day. Laughed at because he was "heartless". Finally the torture was over, and it slowed to when he came home from the third day of being laughed at. He then decided that it was alright to watch, because he missed a few things from his life.
Sahib sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. He looked at the front door of his house and then leapt over the gate, not wanting to meet his parents. He ran into the back and then glanced about. No one was around. After that, he moved to some bushes and slipped under them. Moments later, he was in his most favorite spot in the entire world. It was a hideaway of sorts. There were tall trees all around it, but in the center it was nice and dark and clear. Sahib let out a soft breath and then sat down under one of the large trees. He felt hot tears fall down his cheeks, and that made him feel like a baby.
There was a sharp bark. Sahib looked up, startled to see his father's Arcanine poking its head in the hole. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Arcanine squirmed his way into the clearing and then trotted over to Sahib. He cocked his head to the side curiously and then licked Sahib's face with his rough tongue. Sahib laughed and wrapped his arms around the large wolfish Pokémon. Arcanine lay down and then peered at Sahib silently. Sahib scratched his large furry head.
"Arcanine," Sahib began quietly. "Am I…heartless?"
Arcanine growled sharply, eyes flashing. Sahib decided to take that as a no. He opened his mouth again, and then the bushes rustled once more. Does everyone know about this place now? Sahib wondered to himself.
"Sahib, what're you doing?"
He looked at the familiar sight of his father. His father crawled in and then stood up. Sahib looked up at the tall man silently. Sahib's father was about six feet four inches tall, making him only slightly taller than Arcanine on all fours. He had tan skin that was slightly darker than Sahib's. His eyes were a dark brown, and now there was a soft look in them. He had long black hair that was pulled into a small ponytail. Sahib looked over his attire and noted the grey jeans and black shirt.
"Just…talking to Arcanine," Sahib admitted.
His father's eyebrow rose. He moved next to Sahib and sat down. Sahib looked up at his father, mouth slightly open.
"Oh?" his father questioned, raising an eyebrow. He glanced over at his Arcanine. "And what exactly were you talking about?"
"Nothing…" Sahib mumbled. He ran his fingers through Arcanine's fur. Arcanine barked sharply, eyeing Sahib. Sahib's face went a light pink. "Arcanine," he half whined, poking the large wolf.
"Well?" his father questioned patiently.
"Some kids at school said I was heartless," Sahib admitted grudgingly. Arcanine nodded the confirmative to his father.
He kept his expression composed. You wouldn't really be able to tell if he was mad or not. "Ah…" he said slowly. "Sahib, just because they say that doesn't mean you should believe them." Sahib looked over at his father, tearing his gaze away from Arcanine. "You're not heartless," he finished. Sahib looked to the ground once more, unsure of what to believe. On one hand, it was his father…but on the other hand…didn't parents have to say that stuff? "No, we don't have to technically say that stuff," his father answered, almost as if he had read Sahib's mind.
"Dad, stop having Alakazam tell you," Sahib grumbled.
His father chuckled as his Alakazam suddenly teleported inside. "Well, it was worth a shot, right?" he muttered, looking at his two Pokémon in a fond way. "Sahib, come with me," he said suddenly.
Sahib looked up at his father. His father stood, holding out a hand for Sahib to take. Sahib grasped his father's hand and they stood. Alakazam teleported all four of them out of the clearing, and suddenly they were back inside the house. Sahib followed his father into the basement, where the egg incubators were. They paused just in front of one that was labeled "Larvitar". Sahib noted the cracks and shakiness of the egg and then looked up at his father. His father simply nodded towards the egg. Sahib looked, and watched as the little Larvitar finally hatched, squeaking when it burst from the egg.
"Wow," Sahib mumbled, staring at the Larvitar.
"If you were heartless," his father began, expression darkening. "You wouldn't care as you do for Pokémon. You would use them for your own personal gain, and you would be evil." It was such a simple explanation so he could understand, but it was still something fairly profound.
"Dad?" Sahib questioned.
"Hm?"
"Thanks," Sahib said shortly. His father set a hand on Sahib's shoulder.
Sahib stared at the memory, suddenly remembering what he had forgotten. Sahib had forgotten Larvitar hatching. He had forgotten his father consoling him. He had even forgotten about the Pokémon who had consoled him. Suddenly he felt as if his heart were bursting with light. "I'm not heartless," he muttered to himself. Then, without warning, the memory was sucked away in another flash.
When Sahib opened his eyes, he found that he was once again outside the Slowpoke Well. He felt his face was in a strange look, and noticed that the others were too. I guess they all…experienced it too…he soon realized. Sahib went to take a step forward, and felt something hard underneath his foot. He picked it up and stared at the object. It was a bright orange color, almost like amber. Sahib licked his lips, wondering what the hell it was. What he didn't know, was that it was in fact amber. Old Amber, that is. He shook his head and wrapped it in his sweatshirt before storing it in his backpack. Suddenly there was the strange noise again…Sahib then did it. He took off into the dark abyss that was the Slowpoke Well.