Fanfiction Life in the Heart of Death

Hey! I already have five chapters of this written and posted elsewhere. Figured I’d post it here too. I’ll put them out gradually while I write the sixth chapter, and after I run through all those I’ll just post whenever I finish a new chapter. Feel free to reply to this thread after the chapters if you have anything you want to comment! Anyways, onto the first chapter. This is really short, as it’s just kinda an intro.

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Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

His heart beat loudly in his chest as he ran. He was ten. Only ten. He did not know where he would run to, or where he would go, but anywhere was better than here. He was finally old enough, he could register as a trainer maybe, find some sort of home, as soon as he got away from he-

Thump.

He tripped over a tree root. He frantically felt for some sort of handhold, but then he felt his head hit something hard.

And the world as he knew it faded into the dark.

He felt himself drifting in his sleep. The wind brushed against him. He couldn't see, hear, he could barely think. He felt something warm, and in the chill of the wind, he decided to take refuge. He felt himself fade from his brief moment of consciousness.

He slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the sun high in the sky, looking to be almost noon, he jerked up, panicking, and reached beside him to find... Nothing. Wait, how could he see the sun from inside a room?

As his mind cleared, he looked at his surroundings. Large trees towered like redwoods, water trickled off their leaves, flooding into a giant pool beside him. He felt the bark of a tree trunk scrape against him as he sat up. It was somehow even more terrifying in the day than in the night.

Why... was he here? In the midst of these towering trees, fluttering with life as Pokémon went about. The sun was warm and comforting, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take another nap...

A moment of terror grasped his heart as he shot up. No! His dad was probably looking for him, why did he come out here, he had to go back. He quickly turned to stand up but froze immediately.

There was a dead body laying beside him.

His dead body.

 

His mind blanked, yet a million thoughts were running through his head. He desperately tried to grab onto something, something to make sense of all this. He stared at the body in front of him. He moved forward almost in a trance.

Yep, that was him. Currently bleeding out from the head. His body was laying against a large rock, with a rounded tip now covered in blood. He reached out slowly. This couldn't be real. I mean, he was still here, right?

He touched the body.

Immediately he jerked back. That was not his hand. He stared at it, holding it out in front of him. No fingers, just a... vaguely teardrop-shaped nub. It was black, and looked kind of solid, yet a little see-through. He remembered the puddle of water, and went over. He noticed he wasn't really walking, but more... gliding. He still felt like he was going through the actions of walking, but he had no legs.

He drifted over to the water, peering in.

He had a wooden, mask like face, that looked like a stump. Two branches spread out from the sides like horns. Holes were carved out in a way that made him look surprised, and gleaming red eyes shone through them. His body was made of some sort of black, condensed mist.

After a moment, he recognized the image before him.

A Phantump. He was a Phantump.

He should have been more surprised, but he had suspected it all along, he had pushed away the thought, but now he was here, the evidence before him. He felt sort of... numb. Mentally.

Guess he would never get to be a trainer after all.

But wait... wasn't he still the same person? He remembered everything, well... almost. Some things were fuzzy. But he was still him, just... in a different form. Right?

He drifted over to his body, and sat, looking into his own blank eyes. A tear slowly made its way down his face. He had been trying to keep it in, the terror, the dread, the uncertainty. Another tear soon followed.

Soon he was full on sobbing. He was nothing now. Doomed to wander these woods until some day being captured and doing who knows what. He could end up in a PC, or even... he shivered... the daycare. He wasn't anyone anymore.

After crying for what seemed to be forever, he slowly stopped, and let out a long sigh. Sometimes crying does help.

Maybe he could still chase his dreams, I mean, his identification was right here! He unzipped his backpack, pulling out a Pokédex. He wasn't registered as a trainer, but everyone needed a Pokédex ID lately. His parents gave him one in case he was in some sort of accident, so they could identify him. He opened it up, looking at his picture and info. Jack. That was him. Had he almost forgotten his own name? He put the Dex back into the bag. The bag could be useful too. He slipped it off the shoulders of what used to be, and shakily began to drag it. It was surprisingly heavy.

As he began to temporarily come to peace with his situation, he heard footsteps.

"Hello?" A female voice cried. He froze in fear. He drifted back slightly, looking where the sound came from.

"Are you alright? I heard crying, it's okay. You can come out. I'm Nurse Joy." He let out a shaky sigh of relief as she identified herself. He almost spoke, but remembered his situation. Would she think he murdered the body?

He didn't have time to do anything before she stepped into view, holding a flashlight and brushing away some branches. "Hell... oh?" She looked at him, then the body, then the bag. She paused, trying to make sense of the scene. "Are... you the one who was crying?"

He hesitated, but nodded.

She pulled out a Pokédex and aimed it at him. "Phantump, the Stump Pokémon." It said. "According to old tales, these Pokémon are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest."

She looked at the body, the blood, and the woods around her. Realization set in. "Oh... oh I am so sorry." She sank down to a squat to look at me at eye level. She silently opened her arms.

He hesitated, then slowly drifted over. She was so warm... he nestled into her arms, sighing as she hugged him gently. She began to stand up, and walk. He jerked away.

"What is it?" She looked at him, confused. He drifted down and grabbed the top of his bag, pulling hard and wobbling in the air as he returned to her. She silently helped him lift the bag up, strung it over her shoulder, and began to walk to the Pokémon Center, Jack cradled in her arms.

 

He stirred slightly. His arms moved easily along a silky surface, and it shifted when he adjusted his position. He sat up, looking around.

There was a pillow under him, and a small piece of cloth lay nearby. He looked to be on some sort of shelf, high up. He glanced down to find many other shelves reaching down to the floor. Most of the shelves had small stands holding a variety of different pokeballs. His bag sat on a nearby shelf.

Nurse Joy walked in and collected a few pokeballs, then saw him. "Oh, hey buddy. I'm just going to take these guys for their check-ups, and I'll be right back with some food!" And with that she left.

He sat back down to wait. He hadn't really fully absorbed the situation. I mean, he had always kind of wanted to be a Pokémon, but not like this. The fact that he had adjusted so easily honestly frightened him. And the fact that he couldn't remember some things he was very sure he should, like how he had forgotten his name.

Nurse Joy opened the door, turning the lights back on. "Sorry about that!" had they been off? He hadn't noticed. He stored away his thoughts and looked at her.

"...Feeling better?" She bent down a little to get on eye level with his shelf. "I got some stuff for you, I believe Ghost types don't actually need to eat, but it should help you get back some energy." and with that she placed some berries and water on the shelf. "Come outside whenever you're ready, I'll leave the door open. I'll be just outside the hall."

He looked at the various berries. There was a Sitrus, an Oran, and a Leppa. He picked up the Leppa, and brought it to where his mouth would be, but stopped when it bonked against the wood. He stopped for a second, his mind blanking. Then, the Leppa berry fell through his hand. It didn't go out the other side. He suddenly tasted it, and closed his eyes at the amazing bitter taste. Wait, what exactly just happened? He squinted into the air, trying to find an answer. Maybe that's just how he ate.

He felt more energized, and ready for the first day in this strange new life. Forgetting an the rest of his food, he hovered to the floor. He was about to leave, but he suddenly remembered his bag. It was too heavy to lug around, but he supposed he could bring something from it.

He spotted a keychain on one of the zippers of the bag. The sun coming through the window glinted off the pieces of metal, painted and arranged to look like a stained glass artwork of a Pokéball. It was the only thing he felt he fully owned, he had found it while taking out the trash, half buried in the dirt. Nobody else really knew about it. As he looked at it, he got an idea. He swiftly detached it from the bag, and slid it onto one of his branches. It dangled there, like a Christmas ornament. It was surprisingly light.

With new confidence, he went out the door.

Nurse Joy was at the counter, talking to someone he could barely see from where he was.

"Alright, your Purrloin is all better, but I'd suggest a change in their diet. You've been coming in more often lately, so I'm going to be blunt. You need to feed them some freaking meat."

He peeked up over the counter to see them better. The man seemed like he was about to say something, but thought better of it and went quiet. Then they spotted him. "Oh, a Phantump! Are they one of the ones up for adoption?"

"No. He's still technically wild. We found him... Injured in the woods."

"Oh? He looks pretty healthy now. Are you looking for someone to take care of him?" He saw them slowly reach their hand into a pocket.

"No, not really..." Nurse Joy glanced between the man and Jack. She placed her arm between them. "No catching Pokémon in the Center." She said. The man hesitated, and then took their hand out of their pocket.

Jack went to go back into the hall. He heard one last thing before he left. "...So where would I go to buy some meat?"

He went back into the room. The curtains were open now, letting sunlight filter in. He sat down in the warm beams, and stared out the window. His head began to lean to the left. Trying to straighten it, he found there was some sort of weight there. Suddenly a Fletching jumped off of his head and in front of him. Jack backed away, and paused before talking. "...hi?"

The small bird Pokémon nodded in greeting, and hopped a little, eyes smiling.

"...Can you understand me?"

The bird nodded again, but made no noise. Almost tacking him, as they were almost the same size, the Fletching fluttered back onto his head.

Nurse Joy quietly opened the door. "Oh hey! Looks like you found Tulum! I was worried she'd be lonely."

The nurse sat down beside him. "Anyways, sorry about that person. They're probably from Enotuxt, people seem to like them, but honestly some of their members are terrible at taking care of their Pokémon."

They sat in silence for a while, before she spoke again. "You know, they might have caught you. It's a pretty dangerous world for a Pokémon if you don't want to get caught. Actually, this brings me to my next thing. Do you want to get caught? I mean, you can't stay here forever, and I've never really been in this situation before, like I know about the Dex entries, but I thought they were just myths, I've never actually seen this happen-" She continued rambling on nervously while he thought.

What did he want to do? Maybe he could just be a pet? That would be a relaxing life, but he didn't think he'd really like it. There was another thing... Probably impossible, but it was worth a shot, there's a first time for everything...

He took a deep breath. "I want to be a trainer."

He felt Tulum go still on his head.

Nurse Joy looked at him. "Ah, communication is going to be a bit of a problem... I hadn't really considered, since you hadn't talked at all yet... Maybe you could write it down?" She fetched a pencil and paper and set them down.

He picked up the pencil, but with no fingers, he couldn't really hold it properly. He tried to write, but it just ended up looking like chicken scratch. He closed his eyes, trying not to make his frustration visible.

Nurse Joy paused, trying to think of something else. "Well... I have something that might work... Hold on, I'll be right back!" And with that she rushed out of the room.

She returned shortly, holding a large disk. "It's a bit of a stretch, but it might work." She set down the disk in front of him.

He looked at the disk, fishing for memories. Oh, that's a TM! He remembered one that was on his mom's desk, one for Energy Ball. He had won it as a top prize in a talent show, and gave it to his mom.

He reached out and touched the disk. Immediately energy flooded into him like a river, colliding with something in him that he didn't even notice was there. Warmth spread across him as he absorbed the information, and as it faded, he seemed to hold himself a little higher, and he became acutely aware of a large spot of energy in him.

"Woah... Was that always there..?" He pondered.

"What in the actual..." An unfamiliar voice said. He immediately whirled around to see Tulum had jumped off of his head, staring at him and squinting her eyes.

"Was that her..?"

"Yeah it was me, you twig. Now how in the ever living Arceus are you talking to me."

He shied back a bit at the words. "I'm sorry but I'm confused? Sorry if it's just what I thought but can't Pokémon talk to each other?"

"Yeah, of course they can, but I literally can't speak."

Nurse Joy seemed to sense the confusion between them, and jumped in. "That was a TM for Psychic, and well, I guess it worked!"

He stared at Joy for a second, going over all that in his head.

"Shut up." Tulum fluffed up her neck slightly.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized. Man, he was really going to have to find a way to control this, or all his thoughts were public property. Looking back at Tulum, he squinted. He couldn't see anything. But he could almost feel a... string between them. It was connected to the place where he felt the energy. He moved away a foot, and felt the cord pull taut. Maybe...

Concentrating hard, he tried to bring the energy connecting to the cord to separate. After a minute, it did so, and the cord faded. A success! He couldn't hear anything else Tulum was saying. Now, how did he make connections? He took the energy, not really using it, but more guiding it, and drew it through him, and up his arm. This part was a bit harder. He guided it out into open air, and looked at Nurse Joy. He could see a faint energy inside her. He gradually moved it, like a confused earthworm, to connect to her.

"I wonder how he's doing, if this really worked the-"

He looked her straight in the eyes, his new discoveries giving him confidence, and the cord slowly sapping his limited energy.

"I want to become a trainer."

 

"...What?"

"I said I want to be a trainer." His mind was made up. This is the only path he could think of right now, and there was no going back.

"I... uhhhh..." Nurse Joy was visibly conflicted on what to do. She heard a sigh and looked up to see Jack, who had hope in his eyes, but it was quickly fading as he awaited her answer. Her heart couldn't take it, he had already been through so much, why not let him have this.

"I... Suppose that'd be something to talk to the Professor about."

He smiled inwardly. Maybe it wasn't over yet. Even though the chances were slim, he was willing to take the risk.

A bell ringed at the counter. Joy started to stand, but stopped.

"I can't take care of you forever... I think it's time to check you out. You're all healed, well, at least physically. Follow me."

As they walked, Joy looked back at him with bittersweet eyes. He appreciated her help, but she was right. It was time to set out on his own.

Joy entered into the lobby, only to freeze. He could see her grip on the doorknob tighten. He slipped past to investigate.

There was a gun. A person was aiming a gun straight at Joy's head. Tulum immediately dived off his head, and for good reason. Almost nobody owned guns, everything they could do, Pokémon could do better.

Except kill.

The center was empty. Joy stood, stunned, then lunged for the phone like a streak of lightning.

But sometimes even lightning can be slower than a well placed bullet. There was a small glint, then a large crash. Joy stood in silence.

Then fell to the floor.

He must admit, they were quite the marksman. Straight into the heart. As he stared, he realized.

He didn't feel anything.

Something seemed to come over him, drawing out every emotion before he had the chance to react to it.

No sorrow. No empathy. Nothing. He knew even with thinking this that grief should be pouring into him, breaking him down, as she bled out onto the floor, eyes lifeless as she. But even this brought nothing.

Tulum sat on Joy, head down. Tulum was motionless, other than her ragged breathing.

Outside the large windows, people were fleeing slowly. Some carried children or Pokémon cradled in their arms. Time seemed to speed up again as the person suddenly made a dash for the back room. A fog seemed to come over Jack's mind, blurring his thoughts. Then, he started to act, almost on instinct.

"Stop."

The intruder froze. "Who said that." they demanded.

Jack could barely make out the situation through the mental fog, but he could still feel the movements of his body, acting with no commands from him. "Me." His eyes let off a small glow as they turned to face him. He felt the strings of the world all around him, tangling into webs of gleaming light. All he had to do was grab one, and he would be plucking the strings of possibilities. He tugged hard. Their grip tightened on their gun. But all they felt was air.

"I think it's about time you leave this place." He aimed the gun up a the intruder, the mist that made up his body streaking out haphazardly. He knew that he couldn't shoot it properly with his arms, but they didn't need to know that. The intruder backed up slowly, then burst through the door, the bell above it whirling off and clattering to the ground.

His body continued to act on its own, and set the gun down. Then... his consciousness slipped away from him, and he slid into the misty depths of his mind. He could tell one last thing, his body did not go to sleep with him.

It won't last soon. The body will soon fall asleep, just like that bothersome child's consciousness. Why did he have to make this so complicated... Trust me kiddo, I, Teontall, will set things they way they should be.

For now, he would rest. It seems that using Psychic like that at first level comes with a price. Not that it would matter soon, anyways. His job would soon be done.

And with that he fell to the ground.