TEEN: Burst Chronicles

[Belladonna]

Rated Teen just in case, for violence and dark thoughts. This story contains OCs, hints of magic, and sometimes I've purposefully left things so they don't make sense. With that said, I do appreciate constructive criticism. Hope you all enjoy!

Prologue: The Beginning of the End​

A tiny Vulpix pup was curled up in front of the fireplace, halfway asleep. She wasn't very old--only a few weeks--but already she knew a few things.

For example, she knew her own name. It was Burst.

And she knew the name of her owner. It was Jack.

And she knew she loved her owner beyond anything else. She trusted him beyond anyone else, human or Pokemon. She loved him so much, that if she were older, she might have even given her life for him. Of course, only being a few weeks old, she couldn't really articulate the depth of her feelings to herself.

She didn't know her lineage, but that didn't matter. She didn't know she should, but ignorance was bliss. Se had a warm place to sleep, a loving home and owner, and plenty of friends and toys. She didn't have an aggressive bone in her body.

She sighed peacefully and drifted into a happy, dreamless sleep.

* * *​

She woke the next morning not because she had slept herself out like she normally did, but because she was, for the first time in her short life, uncomfortable.

The fire had burned itself out long ago, but she hadn't been brought to her owner's bed like she normally was. She was cold and hungry, but her dish wasn't full like it normally was. She looked around, realizing with a jolt that something was very, very wrong.

And not just something. Everything.

The entire house was destroyed. The walls were almost all collapsed, the only room remaining partly intact being the one she was in. She stood and sniffed the air; the normal, warm scent of her owner was there, but it was faint, old. She ran out of the room and stood outside, staring in horror.

From what she could see, the entire city was like this.

No, no, no, she thought. She whined in the back of her throat, scared and lonely. Jack. Jack. Jack? Where? She sat, curled in on herself, and stared blankly out. Her beloved owner would return and take her to wherever he was now, and they would be safe and happy together. He would never leave her here, in the middle of a mess. He loved her as much as she did him. Right?

And with that spark of hope living in her chest, she curled up in a space created by a fallen wall and a partially crushed table, and waited.

 

[Belladonna]

Well, clearly a lot of people are reading, they're just not posting. So I guess I'll put up the next chapter a little early. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter One: New Arrival
Two Years Later​

Burst crept through the rubble as silently as she could, her beautiful red-brown coat covered in mud. She was thin--she hadn't had nearly as much to eat over the last two years as she had before--but she was strong.

In front of her, her prey, a rail-thin Rattata, scratched through the dirt for the remains of any berries or Apricorns. She stood as still as a stone, silent as a grave, listening to it mutter in the prey-Pokemon language with its back to her. She sniffed the air cautiously; it was a male, and completely alone. She dropped herself into a crouch.

She was maybe three yards away; a good sprint would have her on top of the thing and crushing its neck in a matter of a few moments. Her many tails flicked at the thought.

A few rocks shifted. Both she and the Rattata picked their heads up, scenting, searching for the source of the sound. Then the Rattata looked over at her.

They stood for a moment, staring at each other in complete surprise. By moving so much, she had given away her position. For a split second, she silently cursed her foolishness; she probably wouldn't find anything else all day, because the others were moving on. Then the rocks shifted again, and both she and the Rattata ran for cover.

The Rattata took off into the forest, never to be seen again in this area. Burst merely leapt to the top of a fallen building, the collapsed remains of a Pokemon Center. One wall had come to a rest against a tall, thick oak tree, providing access to a very good hollow that she regularly used to hide and sleep in.

It didn't take too long for the source of the noise to reveal itself; another human, a male this time, walking carelessly through the city ruins. Rocks shifted and skittered away, shoots of new grass and young saplings were thoughtlessly trampled.

Burst felt the fur on the back of her neck raise in anger; she growled lowly. She couldn't say that she had cultivated them--that was something humans did, and she wasn't one--but she had protected them, guarding them from Pokemon looking for an easy meal.

She preferred meat, but she had realized a long time ago that if she was to survive, she would need to get used to tasting berries. And then she realized that she didn't need to merely subsist; she could eat as much as she needed.

After all, many Pokemon were attracted to the berries. Chasing them off provided a few good meals in itself.

She refocused on the human below. He had short, silky brown hair and tan skin. He turned, squinting around, and she saw that his eyes were blue.

Her heart ached; he looked just like her old owner, according to her few, dim memories. Perhaps she was filling in gaps, but she could swear it. A faint spark of hope flared to life, hope that it was him, that he was alive and well and had come back for her. She almost leapt down to see if he recognized her.

But then she crushed the spark ruthlessly. It wasn't him; it had been two years since the townsfolk had disappeared and the city was destroyed. No one she recognized had ever come back. They had abandoned their pets, their precious companions; she had concluded, about six months into her new existence, that none of them were coming back.

And then she had to break the news to an expecting Espeon that she had been hunting for. So much fun.

The human took another glance around and settled in the middle of the destruction. Foolish boy; it would rain soon, she had smelled it earlier in the day, and already the clouds were gathering. He needed to be under shelter, but he didn't seem to realize it.

She watched him as he set his backpack down, built a fire, and started setting out dishes. Bowls, like what she used to eat out of. Then he tossed something onto the ground, creating two flashes of light, and out of them came two strange Pokemon. Ones she had never seen in person, but had seen pictures of when she was little. A Quilava and a Liepard. Two Pokemon her owner had once admired very much.

How strange.

 

[Belladonna]

I am not sure where Burst's character is coming from...but here is Chapter Two. Post your thoughts on the story, or PM them to me, I really would like to know everyone's thoughts on the matter.

Chapter Two: A Battle for Freedom​

Burst was attempting to knock down a few berries for her breakfast the next morning when she suddenly turned, reacting to a sound she didn't even realize she had heard. Behind her stood--

--the mystery trainer, along with his Liepard. He stood, staring at her as if trying to recall something, but then he shook his head. "Well," he said, "a Vulpix is rare around here, even if it isn't shiny." He sounded disappointed.

That was all she really needed to understand. She hadn't really understood his words too well--she recognized "Vulpix" and "shiny," but that was all. It was the disappointment that stung.

She bristled, ready to fight. Did he not think her good enough for him? Typical human! Catch sight of a powerhouse like her, but still not satisfied...she supposed that had been part of the city's downfall. Had he been hoping for a shiny? She doubted there were any in her lineage, so too bad for him. She bared her teeth at him. If he wished to rumble with her, then she would fight, and win.

"Liepard, go!" The purple cat leapt forward with a wild yowl. It crashed into her and they tumbled away, out of the trainer's line of sight. Strangely, he didn't move, choosing to stand with his arms crossed and his legs slightly spread, waiting expectantly.

Burst launched the cat off her and sniffed the air cautiously. It was another female, something she hadn't noticed last night. "Liepard, speak your name!" The Vulpix rolled into a battle stance.

The cat hissed. "I am Vidosi, daughter of Visanu. I will bring you back to my master in disgrace!" She jumped towards her again.

Burst dodged easily enough. Vidosi...a Pokemon name. So this one had been born feral, tamed by technology, still wild at heart. No wonder she was such a good fighter, tenacious and crafty and strong. But she was slow, despite being older and stronger and having a better form, suggesting her trainer had raised her for strength. That could be a problem if she got a hold of her.

But one thing bothered her...

"You call a human 'master'?" Burst growled. She hissed out a breath full of hot sparks. "How pathetic! Even more so, he's trained you to behave like a dog." She took a deep breath and puffed out a steady stream of fire, hotter than a typical Flamethrower, lasting much longer. This was Incinerate. Vidosi screamed in pain and darted away.

"And just who are you, then?" the Liepard spat. She slunk forward, as if hunting. "So superior-sounding, yet not even Gifted! Name yourself!"

The Vulpix circled the cat slowly, breath still hot from the attack. She was on the verge of another attack, a different one. She would win easily enough, so why not answer?

"I am Burst," she snarled, her paws starting to flame up, "and I call no human 'Master'!" She charged forward with a howl, a full-out Flame Charge.

* * *​

Burst curled up in a space under a concrete wall, watching the trainer and Vidosi. The trainer...before she knocked the Pokemon out, she had dragged the name "Jason" from the Liepard's unwilling black lips.

Now she knew the name of the human who wanted to capture her, in spite of her not being what he wanted in her species. She knew this would not be their last encounter...very well, then. He would learn soon enough not to trifle with her.