Chapter 2 The mystery deepens.
Private Colin Wright woke up much later in the crude hospital on a cot. He almost forgot where he was until he saw the nurse around the corner. He looked down and saw his leg had been bandaged with a splint. He leaned up and found he was very hungry so he pulled out his military rations; a small white nutrition brick and some water. He pulled out his pocket knife while silently thanking god he still had that, and cut of the recommended portion of the white brick. The bricks were fairly new, a tasteless hard food that while was not pleasant to eat, it had all the nutrients and such he would need for the day. He chocked it down and drank only a small amount of water unsure of when he would find more. The nurse noticed he was awake and waddled over. She tried talking to him but the blank look on his face stopped her. So she simply handed him a pair of crutches. It was easier to get up this time and he walked around getting use to using the crutches. All the while in his subconscious his manners and hatred of pokémon were at war. He left with a "Thank you" not sure if the nurse could understand him. His pokémon hating side had lost that battle.
He wondered a little lost through the village but roughly making for the exit to the valley. He was about to move on from an alley when he noticed Nabooru sitting there polishing one of the spikes on the back of her paw. She looked up and saw him there so she got up and walked over.
"So you ready to leave" she asked.
"Yes. I will be heading straight for the border." He said.
"Great. I'll escort you to the exit." Nabooru said. Wordlessly the walked through the village, attracting a few stares. Eventually they reached the exit. "In that cave there you will find your weapons." Nabooru pointed awkwardly with a paw.
"Alright then. Er, Thank you?" Wright choked out, his manners at war with his emotions. He walked towards the cave she had pointed at when he heard a familiar call. A white Noctowl flew down. His distain for pokémon constantly clashed with his mother's love for them. One of the pokémon she kept in her house was this white Noctowl that she used to send letters. His parents had long ago split up over this and he couldn't have been happier. His mom was a nut, claiming pokémon were intelligent so she lived right on the boarder. Still hers were well behaved and there was this wolf helping him for no reason.
"Hoot!" the owl said and held out its leg. Attached to it was a note which Wright read, and wrote a reply on the back. He went to reattach it but Nabooru pushed him aside.
"You!" She shouted. "You're Nyctea!"
"Hoot?" Noctowl said confused.
"Nyctea, it's me, Nabooru!" Nabooru said excitedly. She saw Wright was listening and continued in pokéspeak for a while before looking questioningly at Noctowl. Noctowl nodded and flew off.
"Hey! I was going to use it to send a message!" he shouted, waving the paper around.
"Look kid, you're going to show me where that owl lives!" Nabooru ordered.
"Why should I do that?" Wright asked.
"If you don't I might just kill you." Nabooru threatened. "Now wait here, I need to round up some friends."
"Do I really have a choice at this point?" He asked rhetorically. By the time he had retrieved most of his stuff, Nabooru had made it back, carrying a very old and fraying backpack.
"Alright, are we going into human territory?" she asked.
"Close to it, my mom lives on the boarder." Wright said. There was no point in lying now. "So how do you plan to get there without anyone realizing you're a pokémon?"
"I have an idea." Nabooru said. Methodically she searched through the remaining corpses and collected a set of camouflage that wasn't torn, burned, or blood-stained. She put them on though they fit awkwardly. "See? Now it'll take a second glance to tell I'm not human and by then I'll be able to kill them if I must.
"Yeah, a human with huge ears, a tail, and a wolf head." Wright said. This would never work. Someone would have to be extremely stupid not to see through that.
"Fine then!" Nabooru replied. She removed a gas mask from one of the soldiers and put it on, then grabbed a hat and folded her ears and the four lobes on the back of her head into it. She even grabbed a pair of boots and gloves. They fit awkwardly, but even Wright would agree someone would have to look very hard to see she wasn't human. Finally, she pulled on her back pack. "Let's go soldier boy."
"I have a name!" He protested, but walked off anyway.
"So? As far as pokémon go, they only have one real identification and that's how dangerous they are. They haven't bothered with our names in centuries." Nabooru sighed.
"No! They still do but within the danger classes!"
"Oh? Then what kind of pokémon am I?"
"I don't know!" Wright said honestly. "I only know the class A's."
"Of course you wouldn't know what I am. I'm not a class A or any of the classes!" Nabooru said sadly.
"I don't follow."
"One thing about that system, they don't include any once they've wiped them out."
"But you're clearly here."
"I am the last Lucario. All other Lucario were murdered died centuries ago." Nabooru said, crying a bit. "I don't know much about it since there aren't any left from that time."
"Fine by me." Wright said. He didn't really care that much, but he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Something was nagging his mind and he finally said something. "Didn't you say you were bringing some friends?" he asked.
"I am!" She said holding up a small half red and half white ball. Private Wright gave her a blank stare. "They're inside the ball!"
"Sure." He said rolling his eyes.
"Come on, the boarder's far away and I really want to get there." Nabooru said.
"What is so important about my mom anyway?" Wright asked.
"I hope she can help me find my father." Nabooru said and left the subject alone. They continued silently for several hours.
"It's getting dark. We should stop to rest." Wright finally said breaking the stony silence of the forest they were walking through.
"I agree. Let's just find a spot that's hidden from view." She said. They found a small area hidden by bushes. Its size meant they would have to be closer together then either would have liked but then being on the same continent was to close for Private Wright. They settled down and tried to get to sleep. "Almost forgot!" She exclaimed pulling off the mask. "Don't want to get killed in my sleep."
"Yeah." Wright said blankly.
"Here, Naetoru, Shio, Impa, could you act as sentries tonight?" She said as she pressed a little white button on the three of the balls in her bag. (shut it!) In three flashes of light, three pokémon that Wright only vaguely recognized appeared out of no where.
"Nae, Naetoru Naetoru!" A giant turtle with a tree on it's back said to her.
"Lu, Lucario!" She answered back.
"Nae? Nae! Toru!" The turtle said happily. Together it and the other two, a canine, and a weird ghostly figure walked out and took up positions to watch out for anything approaching.
"So now that that is settled, I have a quick question." Nabooru asked him.
"Fine."
"I know your mom, but who is your dad?" She asked.
"It's not really your business but Major Richard Wright." Private Wright said. Nabooru started snickering. "What? He's high up in the command!"
"Yeah, but pardon the pun but, he's a major dick right?" Nabooru smiled. "Still I shouldn't laugh; after all I'm Nabooru Shmit."
"I didn't even know pokémon bothered with last names." Wright said surprised.
"They don't but my dad's human, well obviously not my biological father but I never met him or my mom. So I took the name of the human that raised me!" Nabooru explained. "But I haven't seen him in ten years. I just want to see him one more time."
"Why would a human do something like that? That could be considered a war crime!" Wright exclaimed. "Talk about turning against your own! Talk about a traitor!
"Never talk about Bob like that!" Nabooru snarled, summoning an orb of energy in her palm. "He gave up everything to make sure I was safe. The reason they're with me? He decided it was more important for them to protect me then himself! And I know it's because of him that I can speak English!"
"Alright. I still don't get why though."
"Humans and pokémon haven't always been enemies." Nabooru said softly, dispelling the orb. "I remember when we use to be friends, and team mates. But all that seems to have fallen apart. Keep in mind I was only a month old when I was separated from my surrogate dad. I hate this war. Not just the horrible murders and genocide but because both sides hate each other to the point a compromise can't be reached. I can't believe so many bonds have been broken."
"How could there ever be a bond? Pokémon in general are wild animals. How can you be friends if you don't even speak the same language?" Wright exclaimed.
"Just because someone doesn't look like you or talk like you doesn't mean they are any less sentient. Some humans could understand our language, others learned to paraphrase. And we're speaking the same language right now aren't we?" Nabooru pointed out.
"That's something I've been wondering about. How can you speak English? I though it may have been my moms ability showing up but you switched back there."
"Why exactly I'm not sure. As far as I know, I started the day I was born, switching between English and Pokémon haphazardly. My dad and his friends taught me most of the English I know. The rest I just picked up. Before we got separated he was going to teach me to read too, but he can't now." Nabooru said. "We should stop talking and sleep; I assume we've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow." She added. Shortly afterwards she nodded off but Wright had more trouble, constantly paranoid she would kill him in his sleep.
"Calm now!" His sensible side said. "If she intended to kill you she would have done so already. Plus she clearly wants to see my mom and she won't find her without me." This thought relaxed him a bit and eventually he fell into a light sleep.Chapter End Notes:More to come soon
He wondered a little lost through the village but roughly making for the exit to the valley. He was about to move on from an alley when he noticed Nabooru sitting there polishing one of the spikes on the back of her paw. She looked up and saw him there so she got up and walked over.
"So you ready to leave" she asked.
"Yes. I will be heading straight for the border." He said.
"Great. I'll escort you to the exit." Nabooru said. Wordlessly the walked through the village, attracting a few stares. Eventually they reached the exit. "In that cave there you will find your weapons." Nabooru pointed awkwardly with a paw.
"Alright then. Er, Thank you?" Wright choked out, his manners at war with his emotions. He walked towards the cave she had pointed at when he heard a familiar call. A white Noctowl flew down. His distain for pokémon constantly clashed with his mother's love for them. One of the pokémon she kept in her house was this white Noctowl that she used to send letters. His parents had long ago split up over this and he couldn't have been happier. His mom was a nut, claiming pokémon were intelligent so she lived right on the boarder. Still hers were well behaved and there was this wolf helping him for no reason.
"Hoot!" the owl said and held out its leg. Attached to it was a note which Wright read, and wrote a reply on the back. He went to reattach it but Nabooru pushed him aside.
"You!" She shouted. "You're Nyctea!"
"Hoot?" Noctowl said confused.
"Nyctea, it's me, Nabooru!" Nabooru said excitedly. She saw Wright was listening and continued in pokéspeak for a while before looking questioningly at Noctowl. Noctowl nodded and flew off.
"Hey! I was going to use it to send a message!" he shouted, waving the paper around.
"Look kid, you're going to show me where that owl lives!" Nabooru ordered.
"Why should I do that?" Wright asked.
"If you don't I might just kill you." Nabooru threatened. "Now wait here, I need to round up some friends."
"Do I really have a choice at this point?" He asked rhetorically. By the time he had retrieved most of his stuff, Nabooru had made it back, carrying a very old and fraying backpack.
"Alright, are we going into human territory?" she asked.
"Close to it, my mom lives on the boarder." Wright said. There was no point in lying now. "So how do you plan to get there without anyone realizing you're a pokémon?"
"I have an idea." Nabooru said. Methodically she searched through the remaining corpses and collected a set of camouflage that wasn't torn, burned, or blood-stained. She put them on though they fit awkwardly. "See? Now it'll take a second glance to tell I'm not human and by then I'll be able to kill them if I must.
"Yeah, a human with huge ears, a tail, and a wolf head." Wright said. This would never work. Someone would have to be extremely stupid not to see through that.
"Fine then!" Nabooru replied. She removed a gas mask from one of the soldiers and put it on, then grabbed a hat and folded her ears and the four lobes on the back of her head into it. She even grabbed a pair of boots and gloves. They fit awkwardly, but even Wright would agree someone would have to look very hard to see she wasn't human. Finally, she pulled on her back pack. "Let's go soldier boy."
"I have a name!" He protested, but walked off anyway.
"So? As far as pokémon go, they only have one real identification and that's how dangerous they are. They haven't bothered with our names in centuries." Nabooru sighed.
"No! They still do but within the danger classes!"
"Oh? Then what kind of pokémon am I?"
"I don't know!" Wright said honestly. "I only know the class A's."
"Of course you wouldn't know what I am. I'm not a class A or any of the classes!" Nabooru said sadly.
"I don't follow."
"One thing about that system, they don't include any once they've wiped them out."
"But you're clearly here."
"I am the last Lucario. All other Lucario were murdered died centuries ago." Nabooru said, crying a bit. "I don't know much about it since there aren't any left from that time."
"Fine by me." Wright said. He didn't really care that much, but he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Something was nagging his mind and he finally said something. "Didn't you say you were bringing some friends?" he asked.
"I am!" She said holding up a small half red and half white ball. Private Wright gave her a blank stare. "They're inside the ball!"
"Sure." He said rolling his eyes.
"Come on, the boarder's far away and I really want to get there." Nabooru said.
"What is so important about my mom anyway?" Wright asked.
"I hope she can help me find my father." Nabooru said and left the subject alone. They continued silently for several hours.
"It's getting dark. We should stop to rest." Wright finally said breaking the stony silence of the forest they were walking through.
"I agree. Let's just find a spot that's hidden from view." She said. They found a small area hidden by bushes. Its size meant they would have to be closer together then either would have liked but then being on the same continent was to close for Private Wright. They settled down and tried to get to sleep. "Almost forgot!" She exclaimed pulling off the mask. "Don't want to get killed in my sleep."
"Yeah." Wright said blankly.
"Here, Naetoru, Shio, Impa, could you act as sentries tonight?" She said as she pressed a little white button on the three of the balls in her bag. (shut it!) In three flashes of light, three pokémon that Wright only vaguely recognized appeared out of no where.
"Nae, Naetoru Naetoru!" A giant turtle with a tree on it's back said to her.
"Lu, Lucario!" She answered back.
"Nae? Nae! Toru!" The turtle said happily. Together it and the other two, a canine, and a weird ghostly figure walked out and took up positions to watch out for anything approaching.
"So now that that is settled, I have a quick question." Nabooru asked him.
"Fine."
"I know your mom, but who is your dad?" She asked.
"It's not really your business but Major Richard Wright." Private Wright said. Nabooru started snickering. "What? He's high up in the command!"
"Yeah, but pardon the pun but, he's a major dick right?" Nabooru smiled. "Still I shouldn't laugh; after all I'm Nabooru Shmit."
"I didn't even know pokémon bothered with last names." Wright said surprised.
"They don't but my dad's human, well obviously not my biological father but I never met him or my mom. So I took the name of the human that raised me!" Nabooru explained. "But I haven't seen him in ten years. I just want to see him one more time."
"Why would a human do something like that? That could be considered a war crime!" Wright exclaimed. "Talk about turning against your own! Talk about a traitor!
"Never talk about Bob like that!" Nabooru snarled, summoning an orb of energy in her palm. "He gave up everything to make sure I was safe. The reason they're with me? He decided it was more important for them to protect me then himself! And I know it's because of him that I can speak English!"
"Alright. I still don't get why though."
"Humans and pokémon haven't always been enemies." Nabooru said softly, dispelling the orb. "I remember when we use to be friends, and team mates. But all that seems to have fallen apart. Keep in mind I was only a month old when I was separated from my surrogate dad. I hate this war. Not just the horrible murders and genocide but because both sides hate each other to the point a compromise can't be reached. I can't believe so many bonds have been broken."
"How could there ever be a bond? Pokémon in general are wild animals. How can you be friends if you don't even speak the same language?" Wright exclaimed.
"Just because someone doesn't look like you or talk like you doesn't mean they are any less sentient. Some humans could understand our language, others learned to paraphrase. And we're speaking the same language right now aren't we?" Nabooru pointed out.
"That's something I've been wondering about. How can you speak English? I though it may have been my moms ability showing up but you switched back there."
"Why exactly I'm not sure. As far as I know, I started the day I was born, switching between English and Pokémon haphazardly. My dad and his friends taught me most of the English I know. The rest I just picked up. Before we got separated he was going to teach me to read too, but he can't now." Nabooru said. "We should stop talking and sleep; I assume we've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow." She added. Shortly afterwards she nodded off but Wright had more trouble, constantly paranoid she would kill him in his sleep.
"Calm now!" His sensible side said. "If she intended to kill you she would have done so already. Plus she clearly wants to see my mom and she won't find her without me." This thought relaxed him a bit and eventually he fell into a light sleep.Chapter End Notes:More to come soon