Chapter Sixteen
Umay was looking at Jo half defiant and half unsure of herself. Her luminous golden eyes were locked on the larger flareon, but she neither retreated nor made any threatening moves.
"I just want to know how you did that! It's not that hard a question. Are you sure your brains aren't rattled?" Jo snapped, rolling her eyes and sitting down with a heavy thump. Her tail still was fairly naked, with only peach fuzz covering of frizzy yellow. The skin was still discolored and most of the nerve endings were so crispy that she probably would never have much feeling.
"I told you," Umay snapped back, fully ready to take this argument to the next level with her temper, "I'm not going to tell you!"
This didn't settle well with Jo. The fire type snarled pushily, she was used to getting her way, or at least answers. The fact that this new member, being female didn't help either Kolya thought to himself, was presumptuous enough to think that she didn't have to tell. Well, it was probably rubbing the older eon raw with annoyance. To have such an ego.
Damon tried instead. He had adopted his 'I'm the Leader Here' tone, but managed to keep it out of his language. The first thing the slight dark type had insisted on was that no one spoke improperly when addressing her. An odd request, but one Kolya didn't have trouble complying with. Neither did Denzel or Karis who never said such things anyway. Unfortunately, the two most volatile members did seem to be rather attached to their speech patterns.
The odd thing about the umbreon, despite her firm temper, was that she was usually quiet and alone. Kolya could remember doing the same thing, so maybe she would come around. Yet it seemed to be in her nature to be apart from others. Just like Tynan. He wondered if it was a trait that dark types assumed after they evolved.
"We need to know if you are a liability because of this condition. It endangers the team to with hold such important information." Damon growled, stalking around. His toes had healed crookedly, but aside from looking odd they didn't hinder or hurt him. The dent in his face made him look even harder, which usually was confirmed when he opened his mouth. Usually. Right now, the patient glare he was being given wasn't sitting any better with the jolteon than it had with Jo.
"Fine," She sighed softly, "No, it doesn't affect me except at certain times of the month. It has to do with an old injury I sustained as an eevee. It never healed properly, even with all the care I was given."
Before Damon could go on Denzel stepped in politely. Kolya was sure that the umbreon felt they were all closing in and ganging up on her the way they were taking turns. He had distanced himself slightly, as usual, and was leaning against the wall. He never had anything to add during the meetings, but it was usually keenly interesting to listen to.
"I suppose these times correspond to your lady times?"
She snorted and Jo rolled her eyes brashly, "Lady times my ass. How about that bloody hell of a time that tears out your innards, giving you cramps so bad you're doubled over?"
Kolya wasn't sure what they were referring to and his puzzlement must have shown.
"Jyotika, that is hardly polite to say in front of several males." Denzel reminded cheerfully. He inclined his head to Damon who was pretending he hadn't heard, and Kolya who was utterly clueless.
"You can tell me if you'd like, that way everyone doesn't have to know. I'll make sure you don't do any heavy fighting then." Karis offered and Umay looked utterly relieved. The two had become fast friends within the short few days that their new teammate had been around. Jo was more on the fringe, probably still waiting for the first battle before extending any welcome.
Damon shook his head and changed the subject, "Since we all healed well enough, and Tynan has been replace, we have been booked for battle in two days. This one will take place in the early morning. The team is making its debut so I don't know jack about them."
"Great, so we can wipe the floor with their sorry asses." Jo shook her head.
"I do not know. Underestimating an opposition is far from wise." Denzel cautioned. Karis nodded in agreement. "Perhaps they are a new team of rookies, however, I would guess they have fought on the circuit before. Either the individuals' old teams were cut down leaving them an only survivor, or they were transfer such as Tynan was."
"I agree, we don't know what the f-… what to expect." Damon nodded grimly. Karis giggled as his almost slip and Jo snorted at his sudden urge for discretion and proper manners.
"We'll take it like always." Karis supplied easily, a trace of her battle mode showing through her smile. "That's the way it is I guess."
That seemed to end the conversation and the six stood with their thoughts.
It could be an easy, pushover team, but they have to have at least one all-star. You just didn't go into battle without fighters. That was throwing your money to the wind and your property to the blooded killers. There was no justification in what they did. There were choices, Kolya had come to realize over the last few days locked up with himself, they didn't have to fight for nothing.
One could argue that they fought because they had to, that they were slaves. But even as slaves they had choice, although crippling an opponent rather than killing them outright was hardly a kind act. And they were expected to fight until they could fight no more. Hesitation earned a premature trip to Hell.
Then again, death was another option. Not one Kolya particularly liked. Being alone with his thoughts was hardly new, but having no one around and nothing else to do, they tended to go far deeper into things than he'd like. He'd never considered these things before and he was starting to wonder just how much pondering Denzel did before he opened his mouth on a subject.
"Hey, are you always so silent, it's almost like you aren't here at all." Umay offered and settled down beside him.
She trusted him more than any of the others. Except maybe Karis. He supposed that was because of his abrupt laughter on the evening they met, or maybe because they shared a room. He was always aloof, yet polite.
*I listen.* He offered, still paying half a mind to the conversation that had struck up between Denzel and Damon.
"Listening is good. Aren't these guys your friends though? It seems that way at least. Or are you just teammates?"
Rather than admit that the strange, ragtag group he had found himself with felt more like family than anything else, he agreed, *Both.*
"I suppose they're decent enough. I miss my old team though, and my sister. She's a flareon like Jo." Umay said, opening up for the first time.
Karis, as curious as always, had pressed for details about life with a trainer and seeing the wide world. She hadn't gotten much of an answer, and being sensitive to others' feelings, she dropped the issue almost entirely.
*You miss them.*
"Absolutely. Chris, he was the best trainer any pokemon could ask for. We'd already blown through seven gyms. Toasted them." Umay said with a satisfied smile, "But these people stole me while we were in the back at the Pokemon Center. I don't know what happened to everyone else."
*I'm sorry.*
"Not your fault, don't worry about it." She said dismissively. By then everyone was looking at her, waiting. It wasn't often they had new things to hear about the outside world. They were all curious, even if they didn't show it.
"Go on, what was it like?" Karis pleaded from her spot next to Jo. The older flareon was looking just as interested.
"Well, I was born in a family of one brother and one sister. Our mother was taken away at a very young age, sickness I think. A nice professor took care of us after that. Silia and I got along just fine, but our brother, he was a bit weird. That's okay, it was a good place to grow up in. Plenty of other pokemon to play with and lots of space to run amok on."
Kolya leaned back a bit to listen. It was odd, but flashes of images and pictures kept dogging his mind as she spoke.
"So what happened?"
"Well, the professor we lived with annually sent out a handful of trainers from their small town. Because Silia and I were old enough to go and so well mannered, we were chosen. But one of the children broke their arm and couldn't come. When Chris came along the professor insisted that he take both of us." She sighed sadly and her nose twitched, "Silia and I were so close back then."
"Oh, I never had a sister." Karis considered and Jo bopped her on the head saying heartening, "What do you call me? Sure we're not related and all that shit, but they say blood is thicker than water, and we've been drenched in quite enough blood I think."
Umay blinked, not quite understanding, but Denzel nodded and agreed, "Our group is far closer than most families."
*Go on.* Kolya said, the images having receded. Maybe he was just really hungry, he hadn't eaten much at breakfast and they had been training fairly hard.
"Silia and I were together a lot, but when Chris start catching other pokemon we made separate friends I guess. Part of growing up and getting out in the world? One day she met a guy and you know the story I'm sure. So Chris traded her to the guy's trainer. I haven't seen her since. We were supposed to meet up in that last town."
"But what about your brother? Don't you know what happened to him?" Karis asked, eagerly soaking up every detail, even as scare as they were.
Umay's head jerked up, startled and she shook her head, "Kolya? I haven't seen him since Chris took us."
A/N: So sorry! Anyway, I'm almost finished with this. It has to come to a premature end due to the fact I start college in less than a week . I haven't been to school in a year and a half. Won't this be great fun? Pfft, yeah right.
Joeyz girl: Or sort of long? 5-7 pages is an average chapter for me, but one of my fics has chapters than are 11-16 X_X;; Content helps. Money is excellent, I'd like more! I already spent my $50 on manga ^^;;; I'm partically sitting there waiting to pounce on the next issue of Samurai Kyo Deeper -__-' I need a life. Christmas was fun with all the fam. Glad I don't have to see all of them for another few years.
Melchior the Mewthree: Hehe, it wasn't that I didn't want to work on it. It was because I kept sneaking into the computer room, being caught, and dragged out by my ear -__-' Stupid brother, he tattled :P Maybe I don't like enough cuteness for a 19 yr old gal ^^;;; I love My Immortal. Good music. Master will be explained soon.
Three A's, two C's, and PDBF: Some of them, hehe. *beckons Alex closer and whispers* I'll tell you a secret, babynames dot com is great! Actually, all of them have specific means. Tynan meant darkness, Karis means graceful, Kolya/Reidar means warrior, Umay means hope.
Coffee Luv: O__O there was a reunion, but maybe not the one you suspected.
Pheonix Rising: Grr, not like he says anything important. I'll fix that... later. I'm getting hungry and I've been working on answering reviews for an hour now X_X Indigestion for the poor draggies.
Paladin Dragoon: Yes, I should do a serious one- I mean, NO. No more fics, no more ideas. School... school work... Not working -__-' My muse will be busted, finishing two stories this week.
The Golden Persimmon
CeeCee: Stuffing poor RK into it maybe ^__^ I'm good at stuffing characters into roles. Sorry you died, I think I might have to do the same... for awhile anyway.
Umay was looking at Jo half defiant and half unsure of herself. Her luminous golden eyes were locked on the larger flareon, but she neither retreated nor made any threatening moves.
"I just want to know how you did that! It's not that hard a question. Are you sure your brains aren't rattled?" Jo snapped, rolling her eyes and sitting down with a heavy thump. Her tail still was fairly naked, with only peach fuzz covering of frizzy yellow. The skin was still discolored and most of the nerve endings were so crispy that she probably would never have much feeling.
"I told you," Umay snapped back, fully ready to take this argument to the next level with her temper, "I'm not going to tell you!"
This didn't settle well with Jo. The fire type snarled pushily, she was used to getting her way, or at least answers. The fact that this new member, being female didn't help either Kolya thought to himself, was presumptuous enough to think that she didn't have to tell. Well, it was probably rubbing the older eon raw with annoyance. To have such an ego.
Damon tried instead. He had adopted his 'I'm the Leader Here' tone, but managed to keep it out of his language. The first thing the slight dark type had insisted on was that no one spoke improperly when addressing her. An odd request, but one Kolya didn't have trouble complying with. Neither did Denzel or Karis who never said such things anyway. Unfortunately, the two most volatile members did seem to be rather attached to their speech patterns.
The odd thing about the umbreon, despite her firm temper, was that she was usually quiet and alone. Kolya could remember doing the same thing, so maybe she would come around. Yet it seemed to be in her nature to be apart from others. Just like Tynan. He wondered if it was a trait that dark types assumed after they evolved.
"We need to know if you are a liability because of this condition. It endangers the team to with hold such important information." Damon growled, stalking around. His toes had healed crookedly, but aside from looking odd they didn't hinder or hurt him. The dent in his face made him look even harder, which usually was confirmed when he opened his mouth. Usually. Right now, the patient glare he was being given wasn't sitting any better with the jolteon than it had with Jo.
"Fine," She sighed softly, "No, it doesn't affect me except at certain times of the month. It has to do with an old injury I sustained as an eevee. It never healed properly, even with all the care I was given."
Before Damon could go on Denzel stepped in politely. Kolya was sure that the umbreon felt they were all closing in and ganging up on her the way they were taking turns. He had distanced himself slightly, as usual, and was leaning against the wall. He never had anything to add during the meetings, but it was usually keenly interesting to listen to.
"I suppose these times correspond to your lady times?"
She snorted and Jo rolled her eyes brashly, "Lady times my ass. How about that bloody hell of a time that tears out your innards, giving you cramps so bad you're doubled over?"
Kolya wasn't sure what they were referring to and his puzzlement must have shown.
"Jyotika, that is hardly polite to say in front of several males." Denzel reminded cheerfully. He inclined his head to Damon who was pretending he hadn't heard, and Kolya who was utterly clueless.
"You can tell me if you'd like, that way everyone doesn't have to know. I'll make sure you don't do any heavy fighting then." Karis offered and Umay looked utterly relieved. The two had become fast friends within the short few days that their new teammate had been around. Jo was more on the fringe, probably still waiting for the first battle before extending any welcome.
Damon shook his head and changed the subject, "Since we all healed well enough, and Tynan has been replace, we have been booked for battle in two days. This one will take place in the early morning. The team is making its debut so I don't know jack about them."
"Great, so we can wipe the floor with their sorry asses." Jo shook her head.
"I do not know. Underestimating an opposition is far from wise." Denzel cautioned. Karis nodded in agreement. "Perhaps they are a new team of rookies, however, I would guess they have fought on the circuit before. Either the individuals' old teams were cut down leaving them an only survivor, or they were transfer such as Tynan was."
"I agree, we don't know what the f-… what to expect." Damon nodded grimly. Karis giggled as his almost slip and Jo snorted at his sudden urge for discretion and proper manners.
"We'll take it like always." Karis supplied easily, a trace of her battle mode showing through her smile. "That's the way it is I guess."
That seemed to end the conversation and the six stood with their thoughts.
It could be an easy, pushover team, but they have to have at least one all-star. You just didn't go into battle without fighters. That was throwing your money to the wind and your property to the blooded killers. There was no justification in what they did. There were choices, Kolya had come to realize over the last few days locked up with himself, they didn't have to fight for nothing.
One could argue that they fought because they had to, that they were slaves. But even as slaves they had choice, although crippling an opponent rather than killing them outright was hardly a kind act. And they were expected to fight until they could fight no more. Hesitation earned a premature trip to Hell.
Then again, death was another option. Not one Kolya particularly liked. Being alone with his thoughts was hardly new, but having no one around and nothing else to do, they tended to go far deeper into things than he'd like. He'd never considered these things before and he was starting to wonder just how much pondering Denzel did before he opened his mouth on a subject.
"Hey, are you always so silent, it's almost like you aren't here at all." Umay offered and settled down beside him.
She trusted him more than any of the others. Except maybe Karis. He supposed that was because of his abrupt laughter on the evening they met, or maybe because they shared a room. He was always aloof, yet polite.
*I listen.* He offered, still paying half a mind to the conversation that had struck up between Denzel and Damon.
"Listening is good. Aren't these guys your friends though? It seems that way at least. Or are you just teammates?"
Rather than admit that the strange, ragtag group he had found himself with felt more like family than anything else, he agreed, *Both.*
"I suppose they're decent enough. I miss my old team though, and my sister. She's a flareon like Jo." Umay said, opening up for the first time.
Karis, as curious as always, had pressed for details about life with a trainer and seeing the wide world. She hadn't gotten much of an answer, and being sensitive to others' feelings, she dropped the issue almost entirely.
*You miss them.*
"Absolutely. Chris, he was the best trainer any pokemon could ask for. We'd already blown through seven gyms. Toasted them." Umay said with a satisfied smile, "But these people stole me while we were in the back at the Pokemon Center. I don't know what happened to everyone else."
*I'm sorry.*
"Not your fault, don't worry about it." She said dismissively. By then everyone was looking at her, waiting. It wasn't often they had new things to hear about the outside world. They were all curious, even if they didn't show it.
"Go on, what was it like?" Karis pleaded from her spot next to Jo. The older flareon was looking just as interested.
"Well, I was born in a family of one brother and one sister. Our mother was taken away at a very young age, sickness I think. A nice professor took care of us after that. Silia and I got along just fine, but our brother, he was a bit weird. That's okay, it was a good place to grow up in. Plenty of other pokemon to play with and lots of space to run amok on."
Kolya leaned back a bit to listen. It was odd, but flashes of images and pictures kept dogging his mind as she spoke.
"So what happened?"
"Well, the professor we lived with annually sent out a handful of trainers from their small town. Because Silia and I were old enough to go and so well mannered, we were chosen. But one of the children broke their arm and couldn't come. When Chris came along the professor insisted that he take both of us." She sighed sadly and her nose twitched, "Silia and I were so close back then."
"Oh, I never had a sister." Karis considered and Jo bopped her on the head saying heartening, "What do you call me? Sure we're not related and all that shit, but they say blood is thicker than water, and we've been drenched in quite enough blood I think."
Umay blinked, not quite understanding, but Denzel nodded and agreed, "Our group is far closer than most families."
*Go on.* Kolya said, the images having receded. Maybe he was just really hungry, he hadn't eaten much at breakfast and they had been training fairly hard.
"Silia and I were together a lot, but when Chris start catching other pokemon we made separate friends I guess. Part of growing up and getting out in the world? One day she met a guy and you know the story I'm sure. So Chris traded her to the guy's trainer. I haven't seen her since. We were supposed to meet up in that last town."
"But what about your brother? Don't you know what happened to him?" Karis asked, eagerly soaking up every detail, even as scare as they were.
Umay's head jerked up, startled and she shook her head, "Kolya? I haven't seen him since Chris took us."
A/N: So sorry! Anyway, I'm almost finished with this. It has to come to a premature end due to the fact I start college in less than a week . I haven't been to school in a year and a half. Won't this be great fun? Pfft, yeah right.
Joeyz girl: Or sort of long? 5-7 pages is an average chapter for me, but one of my fics has chapters than are 11-16 X_X;; Content helps. Money is excellent, I'd like more! I already spent my $50 on manga ^^;;; I'm partically sitting there waiting to pounce on the next issue of Samurai Kyo Deeper -__-' I need a life. Christmas was fun with all the fam. Glad I don't have to see all of them for another few years.
Melchior the Mewthree: Hehe, it wasn't that I didn't want to work on it. It was because I kept sneaking into the computer room, being caught, and dragged out by my ear -__-' Stupid brother, he tattled :P Maybe I don't like enough cuteness for a 19 yr old gal ^^;;; I love My Immortal. Good music. Master will be explained soon.
Three A's, two C's, and PDBF: Some of them, hehe. *beckons Alex closer and whispers* I'll tell you a secret, babynames dot com is great! Actually, all of them have specific means. Tynan meant darkness, Karis means graceful, Kolya/Reidar means warrior, Umay means hope.
Coffee Luv: O__O there was a reunion, but maybe not the one you suspected.
Pheonix Rising: Grr, not like he says anything important. I'll fix that... later. I'm getting hungry and I've been working on answering reviews for an hour now X_X Indigestion for the poor draggies.
Paladin Dragoon: Yes, I should do a serious one- I mean, NO. No more fics, no more ideas. School... school work... Not working -__-' My muse will be busted, finishing two stories this week.
The Golden Persimmon
CeeCee: Stuffing poor RK into it maybe ^__^ I'm good at stuffing characters into roles. Sorry you died, I think I might have to do the same... for awhile anyway.