Inspection
"You son of a bitch! How dare you run away before Giovanni arrives!"
The resulting blow of the human's hand against sent me sprawling towards the floor, and Hanya's words echoed loudly through my mind. I could barely stop myself from growling as I slowly sat myself up. The division in my mind was painfully apparent as I tried to keep from breaking down into a mass of tears as well as keeping my mouth shut. My hand went up to my cheek, which had already started to swell slightly.
But before I could pull myself up, the human who had hit me grabbed me roughly by the collar and yanked me to my paws. He, like all the humans I'd had the displeasure of running into, was an utterly detestable thing. His face was squat and ugly, with a haired nose and rotten breath. His eyes were beady and black, while his ears hung far too low. Even his skin was heavily pored, but luckily the rest of his oversized body was covered by the standard garb that all 'scientists', as they called themselves, wore.
He held me close, glaring into my eyes, and I couldn't help but fold my ears back. As much as I hated him, I feared him and the pain he could inflict even more. I couldn't stop myself from whimpering, even though I knew such an action would only spur him to be even crueler. He let go of my collar and hit me again, this time on one of my large ears. The pain was tremendous, and I tried my best to keep from barking in pain, but my eyes betrayed me as they started to water.
"If you weren't so damn expensive and important, I swear I'd have fed you to the Arbok!" he said with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. He drank in my fear, and while I shrank before him, he grew in his own mind. He hit me again, harder this time, and I couldn't catch myself before I hit the steel floor. I winced at the taste of blood in my mouth and only barely managed to contain myself.
I glanced passed the man to see Hanya staring at me. My heart sank slightly. His face was completely expressionless. Not even the slightest hint of anger was there, and I realized that there was no chance of him coming to my aid. The hatred that had been burning inside me vanished with that realization, and I felt empty. "I... I'm sorry..." I whimpered softly, looking down at the floor. My ears and tail sagged.
"The hell you're sorry! If you were sorry, you wouldn't have run away in the first place!"
He raised his hand to strike me again, but his associate, a slightly younger and fitter man, caught his hand. "No, you can't, sir. We received word that Giovanni, himself, will be coming to tour the facility shortly. I don't believe he'll be happy to see a distorted face."
"What?! Giovanni's visit is today?! But it wasn't scheduled until next week!"
"Yes, yes, I know sir, but apparently there was a conflict and he moved the inspection up to today. We were only notified a few minutes ago."
The man glared at me with intense rage. "This is your fault. If we hadn't have wasted all that time looking for you, we would have been more prepared!" His fist tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to strike me harder than he ever had before. But he didn't and instead turned towards Hanya. "You, GA-Zero-One." Hanya stood straighter. "Take him and get him cleaned up before Giovanni arrives."
Hanya bowed, and without a word, picked me up and shuffled me away. We walked wordlessly through the corridors, and I looked up at him. His face was frozen and completely unreadable, and he did not return my gaze. I looked back down and rubbed my sore cheek. The silence was uncomfortable, but I knew nothing that could ease the situation at all. "Hanya..." I started.
"Don't say anything, Kinpa."
I went silent again and looked down. Hanya had not even looked at me once, but yet his command was sharp. We took a turn down another corridor, and all I could hear was the sound of our steps against the metal grating. We entered into a room on the left; a simple washroom and one that I was rather familiar with. I sat upon a stool, but suddenly, I felt Hanya's arms wrap around me. "H-Hanya," I stammered.
"Kinpa, I'm so proud of you," Hanya said suddenly, and I felt him lick the back of my neck. A blush spread through my cheeks. "I knew you were angry, but I could not help you. If I had have shown any sign of anger, you would have probably attacked, and I would have been forced to either kill you or watch as they tortured you to death."
I looked down and felt his arms tighten around my body. He continued to lick the back of my head. "Hanya..." I said softly as he groomed me. "I... I'm going to be inspected, aren't I?"
The licking came to a halt, and the following silence spoke so loudly that I knew the answer before Hanya even began to speak. "Kinpa... You'll do fine. You're still very young, and your mastery over the language is wonderful. I'm certain that they can't ask for more than that."
I began to shiver, and my swollen cheek became painful. "Why're you lying to me?" I asked. My stomach quivered as it always did when I became upset. I pulled away from Hanya's arms and glared at him. But I could never say that I was angry with him. I hated where we were, but I could never hate him. I understood him, and I understood what he wanted of me. I just don't think I could ever do it.
Hanya sighed and reached for a nearby sponge. Standing to his full height, he reached towards one of the many faucets surrounding the room and wet the sponge. "Kinpa..." he said as he brought the sponge to my cheek. "I would never lie to you if I thought it would hurt you. I'm sorry. It was a slip of character."
"No, Hanya, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked the question that I know the answer too..."
"Kinpa..."
I tried my best to smile bravely for him. Though he was young by human standards, I could imagine how old he must feel. Five years was a long time to live, and I couldn't begin to think he survived such treatment. I thought of his wisdom and I realized that it was up to me to make sure what he learned carried through. "I'm gonna try my best, Hanya!" I said, smiling widely though I was certain that he could see the dread that filled me. "I'm gonna make you proud of me!"
He smiled and felt my cheek, stroking it gently. He leaned forward, and before I knew it, kissed me. Our muzzles interlocked for a moment before he pulled away, and I was left speechless, my rings shining a far brighter yellow than they ever had before. He smiled again and I could see his eyes shimmering. "I'm already proud, Kinpa."
~~~~****~~~~
The shock of Hanya's actions didn't leave me, and I found myself distracted in the middle of inspections. The flicker in my eye, unfortunately, didn't go unnoticed. A rough hand grabbed my chin and forced my gaze. In front of me stood the man known by the scientists as Giovanni, a man of such incomparable power that I could feel it radiating from his body. "Did I give you permission to look away?"
Should I speak? Should I not? The will that I had spent minutes building up had been shattered a while ago. I decided to speak. "N-No sir!" I said, my voice shaky and full of fear.
A hard slap from the back of Giovanni's hand sent me careening to the floor. He had a lot more power than the ones who had struck me before, and to him it was but a simple back-hand. I looked up from my spot on the floor, my eyes blazing with tears and burning with hatred. He glanced down at me, and I immediately averted my eyes. "Did I tell you to speak?"
I knew better now. I slowly climbed to my feet as silently as I could. But another strike sent me to the floor again. "Answer me when I ask you a question!" came the deep booming voice.
"Please stop hitting me!" I cried suddenly, and I heard the entire room go silent. Several scientists, other strange humans, and several others like me and Hanya focused their eyes on me, some in fear, some in amusement, and others in simple shock. My own mind went black for a moment, and I don't know what caused me to continue as I crawled to my paws. "Leave me alone!"
Giovanni's rough hand grabbed me by the neck. "Just who do you think you are? Do you think you're a human or something? That you have the right to simply speak as you please with no consequences?"
I could barely breathe as I grabbed hold of his wrist and tried to pry his hand away, but he was too strong. "N-No..." I whimpered, my eyes squeezed tightly.
In a show of amazing power, the man began to hoist me up in the air, and my heart started to race fast as I felt my paws leave the ground. I scratched desperately at his wrist, but still he held firm. At my full height, he was three heads taller than me and yet he raised me until my head was even with his. "Do you think you're a Pokemon? An animal?"
"N-No..." I forced an eye open and glanced into his cold face.
He brought me closer until our noses almost touched. "Do you think you're my equal?" His face broke into a grin full of such malice than I began to shiver. I shook my head as best I could. I was terrified of him, of his power, of his anger and his ability to hurt me. I hated him, but he terrified me more. He grinned more before tossing me as one absentmindedly tosses an empty can. I landed with a yelped and immediately began coughing as I tried to breathe again. "You're not a human. You're not a Pokemon. You are certainly not my equal. You're not necessary or important. You are not a part of this natural world. You don't have any rights. You exist solely for my desire. Your entire existence is fully dependent on my will. You live because I will you to live. You are merely a thing that I could dispose of in an instant."
"I'm not a thing...." My voice cracked as I picked myself. My eyes were blurry with tears, but I wiped them away with my forearm. "I have a name."
Giovanni grinned. "Really? And what would that be?" he said with a chuckle.
"Kinpa."
"And who gave you this name."
My face dropped. There was no way I would let Hanya take the blame for my actions. "I... I did."
"You faltered. Who gave you your name?"
"I did!" I yelled, my hands clinched. My eyes blazed at him, but yet he seemed completely unfazed.
"It was me, sir." I looked with horror as Hanya stepped forward and knelled. "Forgive me for my intrusion, sir. I did not know it was against the rules. I will accept any punishment that you or your servants see fit."
"In exchange for what?" Giovanni asked, his grin ever wicked.
"I ask nothing in return."
"You would do whatever it took to rectify the situation?"
"Yes sir."
"You would accept the punishment of death?"
"Yes sir."
"You would standby and watch its death?" Giovanni pointed towards me, and I glanced worriedly at Hanya.
"Yes sir," Hanya said, not looking up.
The man smiled and I grew more worried. "You would carry out the order yourself?"
If Hanya flinched, I didn't see it. My eyes grew wide and I stared at Giovanni with a mixture of revulsion and fear. "Yes sir."
Giovanni tilted his head slightly, surprised at the answer. "I see, then. You would be GA-Zero-One, then. You are said to be the most loyal of the creations from this project. I must say I'm impressed." He turned towards the scientists, whose breath had been held for far too long. "Shall we continue? I'm quite eager to see what else you have."
The scientist visibly relaxed and escorted Giovanni away, and the chamber gradually emptied until only Hanya and I were left. I fell to my knees and broke into a mass of tears, but the comfort I wanted, the sturdy arms, the warm fur... it never came. I sobbed in complete isolation until the chambers darkened, illuminated only by my blue glow.
The resulting blow of the human's hand against sent me sprawling towards the floor, and Hanya's words echoed loudly through my mind. I could barely stop myself from growling as I slowly sat myself up. The division in my mind was painfully apparent as I tried to keep from breaking down into a mass of tears as well as keeping my mouth shut. My hand went up to my cheek, which had already started to swell slightly.
But before I could pull myself up, the human who had hit me grabbed me roughly by the collar and yanked me to my paws. He, like all the humans I'd had the displeasure of running into, was an utterly detestable thing. His face was squat and ugly, with a haired nose and rotten breath. His eyes were beady and black, while his ears hung far too low. Even his skin was heavily pored, but luckily the rest of his oversized body was covered by the standard garb that all 'scientists', as they called themselves, wore.
He held me close, glaring into my eyes, and I couldn't help but fold my ears back. As much as I hated him, I feared him and the pain he could inflict even more. I couldn't stop myself from whimpering, even though I knew such an action would only spur him to be even crueler. He let go of my collar and hit me again, this time on one of my large ears. The pain was tremendous, and I tried my best to keep from barking in pain, but my eyes betrayed me as they started to water.
"If you weren't so damn expensive and important, I swear I'd have fed you to the Arbok!" he said with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. He drank in my fear, and while I shrank before him, he grew in his own mind. He hit me again, harder this time, and I couldn't catch myself before I hit the steel floor. I winced at the taste of blood in my mouth and only barely managed to contain myself.
I glanced passed the man to see Hanya staring at me. My heart sank slightly. His face was completely expressionless. Not even the slightest hint of anger was there, and I realized that there was no chance of him coming to my aid. The hatred that had been burning inside me vanished with that realization, and I felt empty. "I... I'm sorry..." I whimpered softly, looking down at the floor. My ears and tail sagged.
"The hell you're sorry! If you were sorry, you wouldn't have run away in the first place!"
He raised his hand to strike me again, but his associate, a slightly younger and fitter man, caught his hand. "No, you can't, sir. We received word that Giovanni, himself, will be coming to tour the facility shortly. I don't believe he'll be happy to see a distorted face."
"What?! Giovanni's visit is today?! But it wasn't scheduled until next week!"
"Yes, yes, I know sir, but apparently there was a conflict and he moved the inspection up to today. We were only notified a few minutes ago."
The man glared at me with intense rage. "This is your fault. If we hadn't have wasted all that time looking for you, we would have been more prepared!" His fist tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to strike me harder than he ever had before. But he didn't and instead turned towards Hanya. "You, GA-Zero-One." Hanya stood straighter. "Take him and get him cleaned up before Giovanni arrives."
Hanya bowed, and without a word, picked me up and shuffled me away. We walked wordlessly through the corridors, and I looked up at him. His face was frozen and completely unreadable, and he did not return my gaze. I looked back down and rubbed my sore cheek. The silence was uncomfortable, but I knew nothing that could ease the situation at all. "Hanya..." I started.
"Don't say anything, Kinpa."
I went silent again and looked down. Hanya had not even looked at me once, but yet his command was sharp. We took a turn down another corridor, and all I could hear was the sound of our steps against the metal grating. We entered into a room on the left; a simple washroom and one that I was rather familiar with. I sat upon a stool, but suddenly, I felt Hanya's arms wrap around me. "H-Hanya," I stammered.
"Kinpa, I'm so proud of you," Hanya said suddenly, and I felt him lick the back of my neck. A blush spread through my cheeks. "I knew you were angry, but I could not help you. If I had have shown any sign of anger, you would have probably attacked, and I would have been forced to either kill you or watch as they tortured you to death."
I looked down and felt his arms tighten around my body. He continued to lick the back of my head. "Hanya..." I said softly as he groomed me. "I... I'm going to be inspected, aren't I?"
The licking came to a halt, and the following silence spoke so loudly that I knew the answer before Hanya even began to speak. "Kinpa... You'll do fine. You're still very young, and your mastery over the language is wonderful. I'm certain that they can't ask for more than that."
I began to shiver, and my swollen cheek became painful. "Why're you lying to me?" I asked. My stomach quivered as it always did when I became upset. I pulled away from Hanya's arms and glared at him. But I could never say that I was angry with him. I hated where we were, but I could never hate him. I understood him, and I understood what he wanted of me. I just don't think I could ever do it.
Hanya sighed and reached for a nearby sponge. Standing to his full height, he reached towards one of the many faucets surrounding the room and wet the sponge. "Kinpa..." he said as he brought the sponge to my cheek. "I would never lie to you if I thought it would hurt you. I'm sorry. It was a slip of character."
"No, Hanya, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked the question that I know the answer too..."
"Kinpa..."
I tried my best to smile bravely for him. Though he was young by human standards, I could imagine how old he must feel. Five years was a long time to live, and I couldn't begin to think he survived such treatment. I thought of his wisdom and I realized that it was up to me to make sure what he learned carried through. "I'm gonna try my best, Hanya!" I said, smiling widely though I was certain that he could see the dread that filled me. "I'm gonna make you proud of me!"
He smiled and felt my cheek, stroking it gently. He leaned forward, and before I knew it, kissed me. Our muzzles interlocked for a moment before he pulled away, and I was left speechless, my rings shining a far brighter yellow than they ever had before. He smiled again and I could see his eyes shimmering. "I'm already proud, Kinpa."
~~~~****~~~~
The shock of Hanya's actions didn't leave me, and I found myself distracted in the middle of inspections. The flicker in my eye, unfortunately, didn't go unnoticed. A rough hand grabbed my chin and forced my gaze. In front of me stood the man known by the scientists as Giovanni, a man of such incomparable power that I could feel it radiating from his body. "Did I give you permission to look away?"
Should I speak? Should I not? The will that I had spent minutes building up had been shattered a while ago. I decided to speak. "N-No sir!" I said, my voice shaky and full of fear.
A hard slap from the back of Giovanni's hand sent me careening to the floor. He had a lot more power than the ones who had struck me before, and to him it was but a simple back-hand. I looked up from my spot on the floor, my eyes blazing with tears and burning with hatred. He glanced down at me, and I immediately averted my eyes. "Did I tell you to speak?"
I knew better now. I slowly climbed to my feet as silently as I could. But another strike sent me to the floor again. "Answer me when I ask you a question!" came the deep booming voice.
"Please stop hitting me!" I cried suddenly, and I heard the entire room go silent. Several scientists, other strange humans, and several others like me and Hanya focused their eyes on me, some in fear, some in amusement, and others in simple shock. My own mind went black for a moment, and I don't know what caused me to continue as I crawled to my paws. "Leave me alone!"
Giovanni's rough hand grabbed me by the neck. "Just who do you think you are? Do you think you're a human or something? That you have the right to simply speak as you please with no consequences?"
I could barely breathe as I grabbed hold of his wrist and tried to pry his hand away, but he was too strong. "N-No..." I whimpered, my eyes squeezed tightly.
In a show of amazing power, the man began to hoist me up in the air, and my heart started to race fast as I felt my paws leave the ground. I scratched desperately at his wrist, but still he held firm. At my full height, he was three heads taller than me and yet he raised me until my head was even with his. "Do you think you're a Pokemon? An animal?"
"N-No..." I forced an eye open and glanced into his cold face.
He brought me closer until our noses almost touched. "Do you think you're my equal?" His face broke into a grin full of such malice than I began to shiver. I shook my head as best I could. I was terrified of him, of his power, of his anger and his ability to hurt me. I hated him, but he terrified me more. He grinned more before tossing me as one absentmindedly tosses an empty can. I landed with a yelped and immediately began coughing as I tried to breathe again. "You're not a human. You're not a Pokemon. You are certainly not my equal. You're not necessary or important. You are not a part of this natural world. You don't have any rights. You exist solely for my desire. Your entire existence is fully dependent on my will. You live because I will you to live. You are merely a thing that I could dispose of in an instant."
"I'm not a thing...." My voice cracked as I picked myself. My eyes were blurry with tears, but I wiped them away with my forearm. "I have a name."
Giovanni grinned. "Really? And what would that be?" he said with a chuckle.
"Kinpa."
"And who gave you this name."
My face dropped. There was no way I would let Hanya take the blame for my actions. "I... I did."
"You faltered. Who gave you your name?"
"I did!" I yelled, my hands clinched. My eyes blazed at him, but yet he seemed completely unfazed.
"It was me, sir." I looked with horror as Hanya stepped forward and knelled. "Forgive me for my intrusion, sir. I did not know it was against the rules. I will accept any punishment that you or your servants see fit."
"In exchange for what?" Giovanni asked, his grin ever wicked.
"I ask nothing in return."
"You would do whatever it took to rectify the situation?"
"Yes sir."
"You would accept the punishment of death?"
"Yes sir."
"You would standby and watch its death?" Giovanni pointed towards me, and I glanced worriedly at Hanya.
"Yes sir," Hanya said, not looking up.
The man smiled and I grew more worried. "You would carry out the order yourself?"
If Hanya flinched, I didn't see it. My eyes grew wide and I stared at Giovanni with a mixture of revulsion and fear. "Yes sir."
Giovanni tilted his head slightly, surprised at the answer. "I see, then. You would be GA-Zero-One, then. You are said to be the most loyal of the creations from this project. I must say I'm impressed." He turned towards the scientists, whose breath had been held for far too long. "Shall we continue? I'm quite eager to see what else you have."
The scientist visibly relaxed and escorted Giovanni away, and the chamber gradually emptied until only Hanya and I were left. I fell to my knees and broke into a mass of tears, but the comfort I wanted, the sturdy arms, the warm fur... it never came. I sobbed in complete isolation until the chambers darkened, illuminated only by my blue glow.