Enjoy!
Brother my Brother
By Dark Ice Dragon
Slow Motion
I lifted my head from the patch of grass that I was eating from. Ah, bliss. Finally, some real food!
-'You look happy.'-
Hearing the comment, my ears instantly flicked to pinpoint where the pokémon was -to my left, just out of my vision. Turning my head, I saw that it was Cubone, now affectionately nicknamed 'Skully'. I think the trainer watched too much of that coloured flashing box in shop windows. When 'Skully' complained about his new name, I told him that he should be happy that he didn't end up with a name like 'Bone Head'. He had replied with, 'Either way I'm always going to remember her.' But wasn't that the point? When I asked, he stopped complaining.
I wonder why Cubone got a nickname, but the rest of us didn't?
I smiled -'That's because there's something here that I can eat.'-
To this, Skully laughed. -'Good! I'm also happy that I'm allowed to move.'-
-'Did you ever find out why they wouldn't let you move?'-
He shook his head. -'I wasn't even hurt. Not to the point that I wouldn't be able to walk anyway.'-
I heard footsteps approaching. It was our trainer.
"I don't get it," he muttered as he neared us. "You don't try to make friends with my other pokémon, but you're instantly friends-" he moved his hands like he was going to pat my head or scratch my ears but I moved away. He sighed. "-with a pokémon that's always said to live and work alone. It's even described in the Pokédex as the 'Lonely Pokémon'!"
I gave him a look which could easily be translated into 'So?'
He sighed again. "I guess you only like Skully because he hasn't been influenced by my evil ways," he half-joked.
"I suppose you're a little angry at me as well because of what happened in Lavender Tower huh? I'm sorry. I know, I know, I've already said that, and that it really doesn't do anything to undo what I did, or didn't do. I didn't know that you're only able to graze. I thought you could eat the same as my other pokémon."
I don't think he realised that I was ignoring him.
For one, I had heard him saying 'I'm sorry' too many times already. And for another, I didn't want to hear his excuses.
It didn't matter what he says anyway, I'd still hate him.
When he saw that I wasn't going to respond, he looked away sadly and walked towards his other pokémon. They were in a group of four, kind of obviously since Skully and me made up the rest of the team.
-'Is it true?'-
-'Is what true?'-
-'What our trainer said. About how you're friends with me but not his other pokémon.'-
-'I don't think so. I think I'm friends with you because you understand how I feel. His pokémon go on about how I should basically accept the fact that I'm no longer free and that I now have a human as a master. I don't get it. Didn't they feel this way when they were first captured or is it just me? Or do they know exactly what I'm feeling and that I'll get over it? They assume that I love the trainer and are surprised when I give him the cold shoulder,'- I said, trying to explain my feelings.
-'I think I understand. You're feeling frustrated because the others don't see why you're being so hard on our trainer. You've probably got it harder than the rest of us to adjust as well.'-
I looked at him, puzzled. -'Why would you say that?'-
-'You're a Ponyta. A wild one. You were born and raised as a free pokémon, weren't you?'-
I nodded. -'You were the same though.'-
-'Yep. But I'm not a Ponyta. Your species, along with the Rapidashs and Arcanines are made to run. That's what you're built to do. And to run the amount that you do normally, you need to have a lot of freedom.'-
I looked at Skully in confusion. -'When did you come up with this idea?'- I asked.
-'I like thinking about things. And 'this idea' seems pretty close to the truth don't you think?'- was the reply. -'I also thought about it when we were in that pokécentre.'-
-'But we were only there for one day!'- I exclaimed.
Skully did a pokemons equivalent of a shrug. -'So? I spent the whole time in a bed. There wasn't anything else to do.'-
-'So you just decided to randomly think about that, and by coincidence, we start talking about it the next day?'- I said sarcastically.
Skully shook his head in disagreement. -'I only started to really think about it because of you. You woke me up with your pacing; hooves aren't exactly quiet on tiles. I didn't know why you were so angry at out trainer. I understood your feelings when you told me about your brother but I was still confused. I wanted to have a trainer.'-
-'You wanted to have a trainer! But-'-
He held up a placating hand. -'I know the concept of wanting a trainer may be ridiculous for you, but you've always had your family with you; I haven't. Every Cubone is destined to live the start of their life alone. We can only have one child at a time and the mother always dies soon after the hatching. If there was more than one Cubone hatched at a time, there would be a problem with the skull. Just think, this skull that I'm wearing has been passed down from generation to generation. I've had to find my own food; find a safe, secure place to sleep each night; and I've had to fend for myself pretty much straight from birth.
-'Since Ponyta's and Rapidash's are herd pokémon, there is always an aunt, uncle or someone from your family there close by isn't there? Like I said, Cubone's live their life alone. The only time we're not alone is when we find a mate but that only lasts a short while and when we are newly hatched, which also only lasts a short while. You've only had to worry about running from whatever pokémon is chasing you to eat you. That is hard, but considering what I've had to go through…'-
I hung my head in shame. I didn't even think about other pokémons way of life. I'd always just assumed that the way that I lived was like everyone elses. Apart from caught pokémon of course.
-'That's why I wanted a trainer. With a trainer I'm fed, I have a place to sleep and if I get hurt, my trainer would take me to a pokécentre,'- Skully finished.
-'But some trainers don't treat their pokémon right. They think we're just tools to be used to fight and not as living beings,'- I protested.
-'Why do you think I fought our trainer instead of just walking up to a pokéball and letting myself be caught? When me and Alakazam were fighting, I was listening to how our trainer ordered Alakazam. If I didn't like what I heard I would run away.'-
-'That doesn't always work,'- I said sadly. -'When I was fighting Golduck I tried to run away.'- I shut my eyes as I felt the memory wash over me. -'You can tell what happened. If I had gotten away, I wouldn't be here.'-
We were so wraped up in talking to each other we were startled when someone said, -'You done?'- I glared at Raichu. Out of all the trainer's pokémon, Raichu was the most non-understanding. She loved the trainer as much as I hated him. Okay, make that she loves him more than I hate him.
She thinks that I should be basically worshiping the ground that he walks on and do whatever he says. For the last part, aren't we supposed to do that anyway? Unless we don't respect the trainer and somehow they –the trainer- can earn that, by getting a colourful little pice of jewelry? I don't get it. Maybe that's why I don't do anything he tells me to do. I don't understand the 'rules' of being a trainer's pokémon.
Hoped you people liked it.