She had to keep running. She wasn't safe, they were going to get her.

  The thought was the only thing keeping her bloodied paws moving, even though every muscle in her body screamed to stop. The forest floor blurred beneath her as she stumbled around another tree almost falling on her face again.

  It wasn't her fault. It wasn't! She didn't mean to... She didn't understand what could have made Sally hate her so much. She doesn't understand what she did wrong. She evolved, just like Sally wanted. Why didn't Sally want her anymore? Was it because her fur was different now? It was grey instead of the silver color. Was it because she was too big to be carried anymore? She just doesn't understand and it still hurts so much.

  She thought Sally would be so happy. She'd worked so hard for her best friend in the whole world, training every night in secret, getting stronger, learning new moves. And when that warm feeling had washed over her and her body had changed, she'd been so excited to show Sally how strong she got.

  But Sally had screamed.

  Stumbling over something she hadn't noticed she almost met the forest floor with her face again. Sally's face, twisted with horror and disgust. The way she'd backed away, calling her a monster, an evil thing. Breaking the Pokéball and throwing the pieces at her.

  "Get away from me! I never want to see you again!"

  And then the chasing had started. Sally's parents, her neighbors, and a few others in town. They'd formed groups, shouting and throwing rocks, pursuing her to the edge of town and beyond. She'd run into the woods, thinking they'd stop there.

  But no they followed her in, she just kept running. When she'd slowed down she got hit with another rock. She couldn't slow down or they'd get her.

  A branch snapped somewhere behind her, and panic shot through her system like electricity. She forced herself to move faster, crashing through a patch of bushes. Her paws were bleeding, cut from rocks and thorns. They were still chasing her. They had to be.... She was so tired...

  The voices echoed in her head, mixing with Sally's cruel words until she couldn't tell what was memory and what was real. "Monster." "Evil." "Kill it."

  She didn't understand. She was the same Pokémon she'd always been, just... bigger. Different colored. Why did that make her evil? Why did that make Sally hate her?

  Another loud sound, and she turned to the left, trying to avoid the sound. Her vision was starting to get really fuzzy. She was so hungry, and sleepy. She wanted to go home, eat, and curl up in her nice warm bed with Sally.

  She felt her paw miss the ground and she fell face first into the leaves on the ground. For a moment she just lay there, her chest heaving, tasting dirt and leaves. Get up, she had to. They're coming. They'll throw more rocks... And Sally will say more hurtful things.

  But she was so tired. Even the idea of moving was painful. She could only cry, she wanted to go home.

  Maybe, maybe she could close her eyes... And this will be just a nightmare. Just a really bad dream...

  She closed her eyes, and she drifted off to sleep.

  ---

  Two days in Petalburg Woods, Mightyena and I have been out here figuring things out. Good spots to camp, where not to camp... I glare off at the distance remembering waking up this morning with a rather upset Wurmple glaring down from a tree at me. Said bug decided to use my face as a target for string shot practice. The little bastard got me square on the nose.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Mightyena made it a point to growl at any Wurmple that got too close after that.

  "What do you think?" I asked, gesturing to the small clearing I'd found for tonight's camp. "Close to that stream, good tree cover, soft ground for sleeping?"

  Mightyena sniffed around the area thoroughly before giving a huff. Found out that her huffing usually means agreement. I reached over and scratched behind her ears getting a few wags of her tail. "No Wurple this time?" Another huff. "Alright."

  As I worked on getting the fire started, Mightyena must have heard something I didn't. Her ears perked up, and she turned her head staring off deeper into the woods. She let out a soft whine before looking over at me.

  I looked in that direction. I couldn't hear anything unusual, just the normal sounds of the forest. Rustling leaves, distant bird calls, the occasional breeze shaking the trees.

  Mightyena took a few steps toward whatever she'd picked up on, then looked back at me as if asking for permission to investigate.

  "Alright, let's check it out," I picked up my bag. Fortunately, I hadn't got the fire started yet.

  We moved through the trees with Mightyena leading the way, her nose to the ground. She was tracking something but she didn't seem tense, curious maybe?

  About fifty yards from our campsite, she stopped abruptly and let out a soft whimper. Following her gaze, I saw what had caught her attention.

  A Pokémon lay collapsed among the fallen leaves, practically buried in them.

  "Shit," I whispered, dropping to one knee to get a closer look. The Pokémon looked like it had been through hell. It's an Umbreon... With grey fur and blue rings. A shiny Pokémon, those were valuable. Why was it out here like this? Its paws were cut up and bleeding. The poor dear must have been running non-stop to get this kind of damage and to have collapsed like this.

  Mightyena stayed where she was a few steps away from the Umbreon.

  I wasn't exactly quiet when I approached them and their eyes opened at met mine. At first there was confusion and then sheer and absolute terror. They shook and attempted to get up. They were so exhausted that all they could manage was to whine and begin to cry.

  Being as gentle as I could I carefully moved the leaves off them and she was definitely not doing too hot. The poor thing must have been scared outta it's mind.

  "Hey, hey now, it's okay." I kept my voice as gentle as possible as I wiped their tears. "You're safe now. You don't have to run anymore."

  I lifted them off the ground and held them to my chest uncaring of the mess it would make out of my clothes. "You must be thirsty and hungry. Let's get some food and water in you and get your pretty fur cleaned up."

  I looked to Mightyena and she was sitting there watching me expectantly. She had been quiet for a bit. It seems she's on board with helping Umbreon. "Lead the way back to camp."

  Mightyena stood back on all four paws and turned leading the way back. The clearing was still and quiet. I pulled out the sleeping bag and with the help of Mightyena. I managed to get it unrolled without jostling Umbreon. I laid them down on her side to keep her off her paws. She'd really tore herself up. For a pokemon with high defensive stats like an Umbreon to have this kind of damage. I don't even want to think about how long she must have been running to cause this damage.

  I grabbed a small cup out of my bag and put a bit of water in it. Drinking too much, too fast will cause them to choke.

  It took a few hours and I'd managed to get Umbreon to eat and managed to get her as clean as I could, paws bandaged up to the best of my ability. The sounds Umbreon made when I had to disinfect her paws made me grimace. Even if I had told them it was going to hurt. I hated hearing those pained whimpers and seeing their tears. They were very brave and let me help, but it tore at my heart.

  When Umbreon finally went to sleep I kept my hand lightly on their head.

  I found myself looking out into the trees, my mind trying to figure it out. How did someone do that? How did you look at a Pokémon you'd cared for and suddenly see a monster just because its typing changed? Umbreon is a friendship evolution. This Umbreon must have had her heart ripped out by their trainer. After working so hard, becoming something stronger...

  Mightyena was laid out not too far away looking at the treeline. "What do you think girl?" Mightyena's ear flicks in my direction. "This one is going to need a lot of T.L.C. I don't think I can leave her like this... They need a home." Mightyena turns her head and stares at me like she already knows what I'm going to do. I guess she knew I wouldn't leave it to someone else.