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Description
Evolution
Book 1: Kanto Journey

Prologue

The firewood crackled and popped from the heat of the dancing flame, pushing away the darkness of the night air. James sat in front of it, waiting for sleep to overtake him. That way, he could continue his journey in the morning. The black hood of his jacket draped on top of his wild black hair. Both of the barriers -- his hair and his hood -- blocked the ear buds of his headphones from view. The screams and deep growls of his metalcore music rumbled and blasted into his ears, choking off the voices from his past, or at least the music tried to. Sitting on a fallen log, the nineteen year old slumped over with his forearms lying above his knees. James stared at the ground. Gravity pulled strands of clumped together hair that appeared like shredded black curtains bouncing in his peripheral vision as he bobbed his head to music his head usually thrashed to. He tried to swipe the slight annoyances to the side, but the wild hair just repositioned itself once his hand left. James sighed.
His eyelids slowly started to drift down, when his music shut off mid-scream. "What the hell?" he muttered just before he pulled the Zune out of his pocket and looked at the black screen. He held down the play button, but a broken battery appeared on the screen. He growled at the stupid black screen and tossed it in his backpack which leaned against the fallen log to his left. But what did he expect? Did he expect the Zune to last the entire journey, even after his mad dash to escape and his inability to completely charge it before he left? To be honest, it was a surprise the Zune lasted this long with the way he always listened to it. "Stupid piece of shit!" James said, more mad at the loss of his music than the machine. Because with the music gone, nothing now could hold back the-
James shook his head. No, no, I won't think about it. Just focus on a different sound. I'm in the fucking forest, there are plenty of sounds. But he found it difficult to focus on what little sound the forest had to offer at night. And the sounds that were available to him weren't constant enough to push the bad memories back deep inside where they belonged. Eventually, not just the sounds of his past came back to haunt him, but the images, as well, began to appear in the darkness surrounding his camp. James stared directly into the fire and continued to glare at it, even as his eyes began to sting and water. Maybe the pain would scorch the gruesome images away from his mind. That way, he wouldn't have to see their deaths any longer. That way, those emotions he felt would never be conjured up. Because if those feelings were to ever emerge, he feared he could become no better than Them, the ones that-
A twig snapped behind him. James kicked the pile of dirt into the fire, killing the flame, letting the darkness swallow up the light. He whirled next to his open backpack, took out his father's pistol from it, and aimed it in the direction of the sound while crouched behind the log, his elbows rested on top of the log. He breathed slowly and calmly, prepared to fire a 9mm round into the intruder if need be. Silently, he wished he would have grabbed one of his father's bigger guns, maybe one of the forty-fives. If it was one of Them and it became one of those giants, the 9mm bullet wouldn't stand a chance. It would only feel like a bug bite, a bee sting to those monsters. But certainly, those monsters couldn't have been able to sneak up on him if they were in giant form. They would have to be in their human sizes. Surely they wouldn't have a fast enough reaction time to grow before a bullets drilled into their brains. I still have a chance.
The bushes rustled. A small light appeared in the distance, as if it were a lantern being used to dispel the darkness. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. His finger pressed on the trigger a little more, but still not enough to cause the gun to fire. After everything he had been through, after everything he saw and after knowing what sort of monsters he was up against, James should have been a lot more frightened than he was. Yet, he felt calm. Why? Had he already seen the worst of what he could see? Did he see enough violence and horrors to not be afraid of them? He didn't know the answer. All he knew was that he was ready.
A figure stumbled out of the bush. His finger twitched but he was able to stop it from curling too far. Because what he saw appear from the forest wasn't one of Them. It was far too small and it didn't have the right shape. The figure wasn't human, because it was only two feet tall. It was reptilian with red skin except for a white stomach. It looked like some miniature t-rex, with a small lantern-sized fire blazing at the tip of its tail. James knew exactly what it was. It was a pokémon: a charmander.
James sighed with relief. It was just a pokémon. But wait, it was a charmander. Those, like almost all the other "starter" Pokémon, were rare in the wild. Charmander, bulbasaur, squirtle, they were all common pokémon to find in captivity, but rare to find in the wild. This charmander could have an owner. It's more likely to have an owner. If that's true, it's not alone. James watched as the charmander struggled to get back on its feet after it had fallen down. Even if it has an owner, it wouldn't be one of Them. They don't own pokémon.
Once on its feet, the Charmander looked directly at James and began to shiver out of fear. It must have noticed his pistol, and it frightened the creature. It didn't take James long to notice a bruise around one of the pokémon's eyes. This brought back the haunting memories of his old life, the life he knew before it all changed two days ago. Because of this fact, he felt pity for the creature.
He lifted the gun and pointed it upward and away from the Charmander, but it still didn't seem to ease the creature’s fear of him. "It's alright," he tried to assure the pokémon, "I'm not going to hurt yuh."
His words still didn't dispel the fear.
James decided he had to show he meant no harm. He slowly lowered the pistol into his open backpack and lifted his hand away slowly still. "See, the gun's gone. It's okay."
But the charmander continued to stare at the pack with fearful big blue eyes. James imagined it was thinking, "You think I'm an idiot? The gun's not gone; it's in the fucking bag!"
James shook his head, "You can come closer yuh know." But the Pokémon stayed where it was. "Or you can just stay way over there, but I've got food, if you're hungry."
This seemed to peak the creature's interest. James swore that if it had ears, they would have perked up at the word "food".
"You're hungry, aren't yuh?"
Those eyes glistened in the darkness, pleading for sustenance, but fear was still contained in those eyes. It wanted the food, yet it didn't want to go anywhere near James. He couldn't blame the charmander; it looked like it had been through tough times; its trust had probably been evaporated.
"You don't believe me? See for yuhself." James reached into his pack, but saw the charmander crouch down, protecting its face with its small arms as best as it could and cringed. Stupid! The gun's in there. It musta thought I was grabbing for it.
James's fingers fumbled around inside, searching for the bag of beef jerky. All the while, he stared at the charmander and he felt even more pity for the poor creature. Its fear was something he could relate to, because it was a similar fear he used to have in his past life. His fingers found the opening and grasped around one of those long, rough strips of tough, dry meat. Pulling it out, he offered the jerky to the pokémon that was still curled into itself. Eventually, he saw the charmander peek out and stare at the strip of meat with those large eyes that appeared to be filled with hope.
"Yeah, that's right. It's food. It's yours if yuh want it."
It was clear that the charmander wanted it, its eyes were pleading for it, for its eyes glistened with tears, but the creature was hesitant to approach. It just didn't budge.
"Look, it's not a trick. It's just beef jerky. It's alright. You can have it, seriously."
He watched the charmander stare at the jerky at the end of James’s outstretched hand before it glanced up in James’s eyes, then back at the jerky, and then finally back up at James’s eyes. He watched as the creature’s fear began to fade away from its eyes. This confused James. What was it that the creature saw in him? Was it something in his eyes? James didn’t know. All he knew was at that moment the pokémon started to trust him.
The charmander began its approach with very small steps at first, gradually becoming larger. It craned its head forward, sniffing cautiously. But all the while, it stared at the beef jerky, only to look up at James occasionally. Eventually, the tip of the pokémon’s small snout touched the food in James’s hand and sniffed, deciding whether it really was safe or not. James didn’t speak. He didn’t move at all. He was afraid that any twitch he made would cause the charmander to retreat back to the edge of the clearing.
It snapped its jaws down on the meat and quickly retreated back to the edge of the clearing. Once there, it quickly devoured the beef jerky. “I thought you were hungry.” James held out the bag of jerky and shook it. “You can have some more if yuh do something for me.”
The charmander looked up, interested.
“I thought you were someone else, and I ended up kicking out the fire. Could yuh start the fire up again, with you being a fire type and all?”
The charmander approached faster than it did the first time, but it still walked slowly and cautiously. It breathed fire on to the wood and started the campfire again.
“Thanks, have as much as yuh want,” James said, handing the bag to the pokémon. James sat in silence and watched the charmander eat most of the bag quickly. He reached out to pet the charmander’s head. It cringed at James’s touch. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” James stroked the top of the charmander’s head gently, gradually calming it down. “See, everything’s fine.” The charmander lifted its head and nuzzled James’s hand. Half a smile crept up the corner of his mouth. He felt an energy emanating off the creature and entering his hand. He knew what this was. He knew the energy traveling through his arm and entering deep within his body. He knew what it was, even if he had never experienced it before. He knew what would happen if he used that energy. He had to bury it deep inside and keep it there for the rest of his life.
“There you are!” a voice called out from behind James. James spun around to see a large man standing where the charmander had come from. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you little shit.”
The chamander huddled closer to James and clung to his leg. James looked down at the shivering creature. Is this guy its master?
“Get over here. NOW!”
The charmander looked up at James with pleading eyes, before it left his leg and shuffled over to its master with its head bowed low. The man kicked the charmander. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
James got up and walked over to the man who was both taller and stronger than him. The man noticed James and held out his hand. “Thanks for finding him for me, man. I thought I’d never find the little shit.”
“He’s your charmander?” James asked.
“He sure is. Won him at a contest.” The man looked down at the cowering creature. “If only it understood who’s boss. It should learn to respect its master.”
“Please,” James heard a faint voice whisper. James looked down. This time, he saw the charmander’s mouth move as it pleaded. “Help me.”
The man kicked the charmander again. “Shut the hell up, you ungrateful beast.”
“Please, help,” the charmander wheezed.
“Yeah, yeah. I know you’re a fucking charmander. So, stop saying your own name!” The man raised his hand to smack the poor creature, but James grabbed his wrist.
“Stop!” James said.
“He’s my damn monster. I suggest you let go of my wrist now, stranger.”
“I can’t let you hurt that charmander anymore.”
The man smirked, just before he drove his free fist into James’s stomach. James let go and hunched forward. The man kneed James in the face, causing James to fall down on his back. When James’s hazy world became clear, he saw that the man was grabbing the charmander, ready to drag him away. James grabbed the pistol from his bag and pointed it at the man. “Let him go!”
The man turned and let go of the charmander as soon as he saw the pistol. The man raised his hands in the air.
“Run!” James said to the charmander and it did so without hesitation.
“Hey, buddy, let’s just calm down now.”
“I’m not your fucking buddy. Shut the hell up and don’t fucking move.” James aimed the shaking pistol at the man’s chest.
The man didn’t argue and stared at the gun.
Everything fell into silence, allowing James to think. Now what the hell do I do. I just can’t let him go. He’ll only keep looking for the charmander and continue beating him. Killing him is the only way I can keep that charmander safe. But could he really kill someone, even if the man embodied everything he hated?
The man must have sensed James’s hesitation. “What are you going to do to me?”
“You’re not going to hurt that pokémon ever again.”
“So, you’re going to kill me?”
James noticed that the man had been stepping towards him, because the man was now closer. “I said don’t fucking move!”
The man stopped.
Just do it. Just kill the fucker. James pulled the trigger, but no explosion. No bullet erupted from the gun. The safety was still on. How could he be so stupid?
The man tackled James, just as James flipped the safety off, but he also lost a handle on the pistol and it fell out of reach. The man sat on James’s stomach and clasped his hands around James’s neck. The hands tightened. James tried to breathe, he tried to escape, but the man was too strong. James tried to kick his legs, but the man pinned them down with his own legs. His lungs screamed, his throat compressed, his eyes felt like they would burst from his head.
I reached out for the gun, but it was too far out of his reach. He abandoned that attempt quickly and reached out for the fire. Maybe he could grab some fire wood and use it as a weapon. But none of that was in reach either. He continued to reach. Black dots popped into his vision and started to expand, threatening to engulf him in a shroud of darkness. The energy from deep within him grew stronger, but James tried his best to bury it again. He couldn’t use it, no matter how desperate he became, because there would be no turning back, no way of reversing the effects it would have. But if he didn’t use it, he would die, the man would win, and the charmander would continue having a miserable life filled with beatings.
James focused on the energy and willed it to the surface. He called upon it and flames from the campfire flew to his hand. James smacked the burning hand on the side of the man’s face. The man’s skin singed and he screamed, tumbling off James. James whipped the fire off his hand and felt the transformation beginning, but he had to deal with the stranger first. James jumped on the man and with one hand around the man’s throat; he pounded the man’s face with his other hand. The transformation became painful. He tightened his hand around the man’s throat. His nails dug deep, blood seeped. His nails grew into claws. James looked at his other hand, seeing the claws form from his fingers and his skin turn red.
James screamed. His teeth popped out of his mouth allowing sharper teeth to grow in their absence. His jaws stretched outward. Bones shifted, cracked, and popped. He rolled off the dead man and curled up, clutching his transforming head. His shoes and socks ripped. He looked down to see red feet that still had a slight resemblance to human feet, but each had three, dinosaur-like toes. A tail grew from the bottom tip of his spin, running down his pant leg, but he smelled something burning. He pulled his jeans of and tossed them aside. Sure enough, a small flame burned at the tip of his tail.
When all the pain subsided, James crawled away from the clearing to the stream he saw not far from the campsite. He stared at his reflection, but no longer saw himself staring back at him. A charmander face looked back at him with his hood and his eyes, but not his hair; his hair was all gone. He felt the face, and could feel his hand. It was his face. He tried to will the energy to change him back, but it was no use. The process couldn’t be reversed. He was stuck as an anthro pokémon for the rest of his life. Unless the man he sought could really help. He has to know about this. He has to be able to help.