Eddies

Chapter 9: Azil.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 9

Chris didn't know if it was Raikou's presence that scared everyone off, or the overcast hazy weather which made a stroll through the park untenable.  Either way, the place was deserted.

They found their way to a small rotunda, taking shelter under the wide eves of the building just as the heavens opened.  Hidden in an out-of-the-way corner of the gardens, it offered the trio some privacy, as well as a haven from the downpour. 

While Skyy stared at the pouring rain glumly, picturing the disaster it would make of his fur on the way back if it didn't relent before they left, Raikou didn't seem to care one way or the other.  Charging his body, electrical arcs raced across his huge form, sending the water striking him hissing into steam, which hung around him like a hazy cloud.  An in-built rain deflector would be very handy, thought the lucario dryly, wishing his aura had a similar effect on the elements.

Chris had his rain coat on, the camo poncho covering him to the knees.  While he'd offered it to Skyy before they left, when the lucario refused to wear it on the grounds it looked stupid, he donned it himself.

"Sure you don't want it?" he said to his friend again, tugging on the lightweight plastic firmly, but received a stubborn shake of the head in reply.

Grinning at the lucario's recalcitrant attitude, Chris dropped to a bench, pulling the charmander's ball from his belt clip, and tossed it idly from hand to hand.  As Skyy join him he turned to Raikou and said to the big legendary "Umm, don't get me wrong, I don't want you to leave us.  But since the rain isn't affecting you, what do you think about slipping off for a few minutes while we release this little guy, and explain what's happening?"

At Raikou's puzzled look, Skyy chuckled, and said "What my human friend here is trying to say so subtly, is the charmander may shit his scales if the first thing he sees after being released is your scary face.  Personally, if I was released from a ball expecting to battle, and saw you staring down at me, I'd try getting right back in my ball pronto!"

Raikou considered the request a moment before nodding, heading into the rain and disappearing into the dense brush behind the rotunda.  For such a massive creature, Chris was astonished he could move so stealthily when he chose.  Then again, being a cat-form had its advantages, after all. 

Once he'd gone, Chris checked that Skyy was ready, and activated the button.  The pair watched on as the small orange reptile appeared in the beam of red light, battle ready as he stood, tail raised and arm outstretched.  When the odd location finally registered, confusion flashed across his face, and he looked around wildly for his trainer.

As he became increasingly upset, Skyy moved forward, talking to the charmander in pokespeak.  Hearing the lucario talk in that manner made Chris smirk, but he quickly wiped the grin from his face as the charmander became more stressed, tail flame flaring as he stepped back from the lucario in fear, shaking his head wildly.

Chris stepped forward as the lucario raised placating hands towards the distressed pokemon.  Squatting down before it, he brought himself eye to eye, calmly attempting to reassure the little lizard that all was well.  When his attempts also failed, he turned to Skyy in concern, as the lucario looked on grimly.

"OK, what's the deal here?" he whispered to his friend, who spoke back quietly "He's worried about his trainer, and thinks he's going to be in trouble.  He shouldn't be out of the ball unless he has an errand to do, or it's time to train or battle."

Chris frowned, turning to the charmander, and said "Hey, look.  Your trainer was hurting you.  The gym leader made him leave.  You have been taken from him, and Jasper asked me to look after you.  If you want, I can release..."

He got no further, as the pokemon, whose eyes were widening as he shook his head in steadily increasing panic, began darting his eyes around, looking for a path to escape.  When Chris reached out to him, he took a swipe at the human, narrowly missing gouging his arm with averted claws.

Holding his palms up placating, Chris sat back on the ground, giving the creature space to move.  The charmander, now breathing heavily, pressed back against the wall of the rotunda ready to bolt.  Chris sighed, and decided on a different tactic.

"Alright, I understand you're worried.  I'll tell you what.  If you give me a few minutes to explain to you what has happened, and you still want to go back to your trainer, you'll be free to go, OK?"

The charmander paused, considering his offer with eyes wide.  Eventually, he nodded slowly, but didn't relax as Chris filled him in on the situation.

"You remember that you were fighting Jaspers raichu, right?" 

When the pokemon nodded, he said "OK, well, you were hit with a final electrical bolt, and knocked out.  So, the raichu won the match"

At this the charmander darted his eyes to Skyy, who nodded solemnly, before the little lizard groaned and dropped to his rear on the timber deck, putting his head in his hands.  After a few moments, he gave a huge sigh, and looked back at Chris, nodding to continue.

"Now, when you were unconscious, your trainer came over and began hurting you.  He kicked you a few times hard, and we had to stop him, OK?"

The charmander's eyes went wide at this, but he didn't seem to think they were fabricating the story to fool him.  Chris pursed his lips, and said "I get an impression from your reaction that he's done this before to you?"  At that, the charmander again slowly nodded, causing Chris to tighten his lips grimly.

"Alright.  So, after we intervened, the gym leader came over and told your trainer he had to surrender you because he was abusing you.  Later, he gave your ball to me to look after, and you've been in the regenerator since yesterday.  Understand?"

After a moment, the charmander nodded, before breaking into a barrage of pokespeak, arms waving wildly as he tried to make his point to the confused lucario.

Skyy turned to Chris, and told him "This is pretty jumbled up, but from what I gather he's saying, he can't leave his trainer, as if he doesn't win more battles, he can't evolve.  He wants to continue battling, and win!  He doesn't want to be released, and insists we let him battle"

As the charmander paused, Chris turned a doubtful look at the pokemon, confusion written across his face.  The small red creature stood resolute however, and the human sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hand.

"So, you're telling me you like battling?  You want to do this?  You don't want to be released?"

"CHAR!" said the pokemon, nodding vigorously.

"Crap!" said Chris, turning to Skyy and shrugging his shoulders.  "That was unexpected!  The last thing I thought he'd want is that!  What the fuck do we do now?"

Skyy looked a little bewildered, before turning back to the charmander and asking, this time in English, "Do you have a name?"

"Char!" said the charmander helpfully, nodding again as he pointed to himself.

Chris looked puzzled, until Skyy said "His name is Azil, apparently."

Chris said "You worked that out from what he said?"

Nodding, Skyy replied "Yep.  I'm surprised you couldn't", and received a droll grin from his friend.

"Yeah, well I speak English, a bit of German, and even a few words in Idiot, but I didn't understand a thing there.  OK, Azil, truth is, I don't go with the whole battling thing.  I don't agree with it at all.  Life's been pretty fucked up and violent enough with us lately that fighting each other for no reason seems superfluous.  However, I'm not going to force you to stay here if you choose otherwise, or get in your way if it's the life you want.  So, I make you the offer, if you want to stay with us for a while, I'll work on finding you a new trainer who can help you get where you want.  If you want to leave at any time, I'll make sure we help you do so.  Fair?"

Azil thought about it, before nodding vigorously.  "Char, char cha charmander!" he said, and Chris nodded in agreement.

"Yep.  You said it dude", he chuckled, and the charmander smiled toothily.

Pointing to himself, Chris said "Alrighty, you probably gathered my name is Chris.  The lucario is Skyy.  Now, there's one more member of our group you'll need to meet..."

Looking around, Raikou was nowhere in evidence.  With a frown, Chris readied himself to call out for the big legendary, when he was blown off his feet by a powerful jet of water, landing against the railings where he struggled to breathe.  Sky jumped upright, looking frantically for the source of the attack, only to be wrapped in the coils of a giant snake pokemon, which constricted tightly around him, causing him to cry out in pain.

Azil jumped at the initial attack, diving over the rotunda railing to land in the muddy garden bed below.  Pressed tightly against the timber fretwork, his frantic breathing echoed through his ears as he strove to work out who was responsible for the violence.

As the water blast subsided, Chris drew in air, pulse pounding in his veins as his oxygen-starved lungs clamoured for breath.  With his vision clearing, he could just make out two blurred silhouettes entering the rotunda; shapes that became unpleasantly recognisable as they drew closer to him.

"Herro arshole!" slurred the male, words muffled by the heavy bandages wrapped across the middle of his face.  The woman simply scowled down at them, both her blackened and normal eyes glaring at the lucario, who struggled in the tight coils next to him.  When Chris made to stand, the reptiles face moved before his own, large fangs dripping venom exposed to his view as it hissed warningly at him to stay still.

The male dropped down before him, inching close to glare at him.  Chris managed a chuckle, buying time by laughing in the Team Galaxy members face as he retorted "Hey fuck face!  Look like someone really fucked your face this time, fuck face!"  The blow to his cheek sent stars through his vision, but Chris smirked sarcastically at him regardless. 

"That the best you got, pussy?" he sneered, tensing as the fist drew back for another go.  However, the arm was grabbed before the blow descended, as the woman confronted her partner angrily.

"Idiot!" she snarled, pulling him back and rousing on him roughly.  "If you knock him out, we won't learn where the pokeball is!"

When the guy relented, sending him a glare of hate, Chris sneered at him, praying that Raikou would come back soon enough to intervene in the increasingly ugly incident.

"Yeah, fuck face!  Shiner eye there has it right!  Mess with me, and you'll never find it"

Glaring at him, the woman instead nodded at the Arbok, which tightened its grip around Skyy, causing him to cry out in pain.  The smirk dropped from Chris's face, as she leaned closer, nasty smile crossing her bruised lip to say "I didn't say your pet here wouldn't be hurt, though.  We don't need all of you alive.  Now, where is the ball?"

Leaning forward to spit in her face, Chris snarled "Hurt him, and you're both fucking dead!", to which she calmly wiped the saliva from her cheek, before striking him a roundhouse that sent him sprawling.

As her colleague objected, telling her to heed her own words, Chris put his tongue to his cheek, checking for loose teeth and said "Damn, if your pussy friend fuck face there could punch like that, he'd lose his world's biggest pussy status!  Sure you're a chick?"

When the male snorted in amusement at the quip, the pair began squabbling in earnest.  Chris sat back up, taking advantage of their distraction with a smirk returning to his face, while his inner thoughts raced madly.

Raikou!  Where are you?  We need some help here!

Their fight continued for long moments, the huge snake staring at the two in confusion, unsure how to proceed.  Out of the corner of his eye, Chris spotted a tell-tale flicker of red flame behind the railing as Azil stood on tip toes staring through the bars at the confrontation in fear.  Seeing his new trainer being attacked in such a violent manner scared him half to death, and he was all set to bolt away.  At least until a niggling doubt crept into his mind, halting him in mid step.

He took you away from the bad human; the one that kept hurting you, it whispered.

Shaking his head violently, Azil shuddered, but the voice persisted.

He helped you.  Promised to release you.

Was kind to you.

What sort of coward are you to desert him now?

Coward!

Azil shut his eyes tightly, tears leaking past the lids to run down his orange cheeks.  It was always the fear that drove him.  The fear of losing; of being beaten.  Fear of the often terrible wrath of the trainer who owned him.

His old trainer, the whisper reminded him.  Not this one!

As his eyes opened, the small lizards hands clenched into fists, claws biting into his palms as a look of absolute resolution crossed his face.  Without further thought, he took an almighty leap, vaulting the rotunda railing to face the pair of humans who were hurting his new friends.

As team galaxy stopped their bickering with surprise, turning to face the new threat, the little pokemon took a position before Chris.  Shielding him from their view, he took a battle stance, claws at the ready.

"Char!" he said quietly, before curling his fingers several times, beckoning them towards him.

The woman stared at him incredulously, before letting out a bark of laughter.  The other male human leaned down towards him, slurred voice saying "And how do you think you'll stop us, little guy?" a smirk creeping past his bandages.

One that turned into a shriek as sharp claws raked across his face, sending him tumbling to the deck spurting blood through the fingers raised to stem the flow.

The woman let out an oath, jumping back past her groaning partner to grab at her pokeball belt, ready to release something to attack him.

The ball of fire from the charmander's mouth that enveloped her was more than effective.  She was blown, smoking and burning, over the railing into the wet garden beyond, where she could be heard howling in pain, rolling to extinguish her clothing.

Turning to the now-fearful Arbok, Azil narrowed his eyes as the huge snake released its grip on Skyy, backing away from the injured lucario to retreat into the water logged gardens.  Once he'd gone, the charmander nodded, pleased with his success, turning to Chris and reaching out with a paw to see if he was alright.

The blow from behind sent him sprawling, as the jolteon released by the male human sent a powerful bolt of electricity through his system, causing his muscles to spasm in agony.  Hitting the timbers hard, he tried to rise, only to be struck by blasts again and again until finally, too stunned to continue, he dropped to the deck in a steaming heap.

The Team Galaxy male rose slowly, hate filling his face as he stared down at the charmander.  Blood flowing from his shredded cheek and eye socket dripped gore down his face.

Meantime, his female colleague struggled back up the stairs, skin scorched and blistering, and with most of her facial hair singed off.  She released a swift kick at the prone form, sending it flying.  As Chris made to intervene, the nearby jolteon hissed, narrowing its eyes at it stared at him balefully

"You little bastard!" the Team Galaxy human spat, "You're fucking dead!"

Drawing a folding knife from his pocket, he released the blade; a loud snick sounding as it locked into place.  Swaying as he came forward, he made it almost half the distance to the shuddering charmander, when a deep rumbling growl vibrated through the area.  The Team Galaxy pair froze, slowly turning to view the mountain of fury standing behind them which had approached so stealthily.

Raikou shuddered as he stared down at his prior tormentors, rage enveloping his entire being.  In a frantic bid to protect his trainer, the jolteon leapt forward, showering Raikou with electrical energy, but the huge legendary barely blinked, shrugging off the attack as inconsequential.  With a swipe of his huge paw, he sent the feline pokemon flying.  It crashed against the main support post of the building, impacting hard enough to split it crossways as the entire structure shuddered under the onslaught.

Returning to the two humans, he took one menacing step forward, and then another, as the pair retreated in fear.  Raikou roared then, a screaming peal of fury, full of the pain and hurt they'd caused him; the air shuddering with the awful sound.  When they turned to escape, he rushed forward to loom over them.  Spine arched as his fur stood on end with static, a massive charge began building within his frame as he prepared to deal his captors a fatal blow.  Within seconds, he was ready to unleash agonising death on his tormentors, only to be stopped by Chris, who rested a hand on the clenched shoulder, saying softly "Don't...."

Rounding on the human, Raikou hissed "Why?  Why should I let them live?  This filth tormented me; trapped me; hurt me!  They don't deserve to live!"

Chris moved his hand to Raikou's cheek, turning the head to stare into his eyes.  "Don't do it, because they're filth, and they don't deserve to live.  You're not.  Don't soil yourself dealing with them."

Raikou stared at him, sensing the understanding there, but still surprised as his anger slowly receded.  It seemed like an eternity he paused, but only moments passed before he nodded, dropping his head tiredly to gaze back at his captors with angry eyes.

"I let you live because Chris is my friend, and he asked me to let you live" he hissed at them softly, as they stared into his face tearfully.  "But I do not forgive."

Chris rubbed the big neck affectionately, and said "No, no-one expects that.  But thank you."

Leaning into the caress for a moment, Raikou nodded again, before turning steely eyes to the pair.  "If I see you again, I will kill you.  If you bother my friends again, I will kill you.  Do you understand?"  At their frantic nods, he looked satisfied, and roared "Leave!"

They left.  The pair may have been idiots, but they weren't completely stupid.

Perhaps it might have been better if they'd detained the pair for the authorities, but Chris wasn't going to test the benevolence of the huge pokemon any further.  Rubbing the densely furred neck, Chris left the legendary after a moment to help a wincing Skyy to his feet.  "You OK?" he asked his friend, getting a nod in return.

"Just a bit banged up, but I'll live, as usual" said the lucario dryly.

Chris then turned his attention to Azil, who had sat up and was regarding the legendary with huge eyes. 

"Umm, Azil?  This is Raikou." Chris said, as the charmander nodded.  "Char!" he said, and Chris rolled his eyes to Skyy, who grinned and said "He said, I know who he is!"

Shaking his head, Chris squatted before Azil, and told him "He's one of us for the moment.  Like you, he needs friends.  But he can go at any time.  So, after your rescue, you're welcome to stay with us too, OK?"

Azil nodded, and turned to Skyy, rolling out a long string of pokespeak to the surprised lucario.

Skyy turned to Chris, looking a bit confused, and said "OK, that was a bit rushed, but he's saying he'll come with us for a while, if we'll accept him."

Chris nodded, and turned back to the now silent Raikou.  "It was the right thing you did today, my friend", he said, and the legendary nodded, eyes down cast.  Chris noted his expression, and said "Cheer up.  If there's one thing I know can brighten a bad mood better than pancakes, its ice cream.  My shout!"

Skyy looked hopeful, then stared out into the sheeting rain beyond the pergola eaves as his ears dropped at the inevitable.  Giving Chris a wry grin, he said "I'm going to get soaked for this, aren't I?" and as the human nodded with a smirk, he sighed.  "Oh well.  It is for ice cream, after all...."

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