Emily batted around herself with both hands, desperate to keep some space between herself and her assailants. The dogs were small, but had a vicious bite nonetheless. The boy she had rescued seemed to have disappeared, run off at a moment's notice. Nothing for it. She pulled one of the Poké Balls from her belt, tossing it into the air.
Snivy appeared, landing directly on top of one of the dogs. It stumbled under the sudden weight, causing a domino effect that cleared a path for Emily to sprint along. Most of the dogs concentrated on Snivy, but one of them followed her instead. The leader of the pack. It nipped at her heels as she ran, tripping her over and landing unceremoniously on her side.
It climbed onto her, nuzzling at the remaining Poké Ball on her belt. It must have caught the release mechanism, because next thing Emily knew, she had been winded by the appearance of Patrat on her stomach, searching frantically around itself for his sand pile. When none was to be found, he dived at the dog, rolling off Emily and dragging the pair into a bush.
Emily lay there for a moment to catch her breath, surmising the situation. Snivy doing his best to hold off the attacks, surrounded by dogs taking it in turns to snap at him. Patrat seemingly blaming the leader for some missing sand. And her, lying in the dirt looking the fool. She shook her head and pulled herself to her feet.
She retrieved one of the sand bags from her handbag, untying the knot and emptying the contents onto the ground. Patrat ran out, a joyful expression plastered over his face as he dived into the pile. The dog hadn't left the bush, and Emily wasn't sure she wanted to find out why.
"Patrat, go over there and help Snivy!"
Patrat cocked its head, processing the order for a moment before going back to his sand. No good. She grabbed a handful from the pile, tossing it in Snivy's direction.
That did the trick. Patrat scampered after the thrown sand, headbutting the dogs out of the way in his effort to retrieve each grain. The distraction was enough for Snivy to escape to a safe distance, swatting at any Pokémon that came near with long vines extending from his body. The dogs were suddenly fighting a losing battle, and they knew it. Each of them in turn abandoned the fight, and their leader in the process.
Emily couldn't put it off any longer. She pushed aside one branch of the bush, revealing an unconscious dog lying at the base. It had scratches coating its face and neck, but that wasn't what drew her attention. She gingerly picked up the dog and brought it into the light. Patrat seemed to have entirely forgotten about his fight with it, playing happily with his sand right next to it.
The dog wasn't in a good way after its encounter, but the most severe damage didn't seem to be Patrat's doing. An ugly, blackened scar traced out a G shape on its back. That in itself seemed odd. A wound from a previous battle would have been a straight cut. This scar seemed too perfectly rounded to not be deliberately and meticulously inflicted.
Emily fumbled a spare Poké Ball from her bag. It may have attacked her, but the dog was clearly in trouble and she wouldn't have been able to leave it behind in good conscience. The capture went off without a hitch, the dog too weak to even consider fighting back. The digital readout identified the species as a Lillipup.
"Come on, you two," she said, calling back the others and scooping up the sand once more. She really would have to invest in a shovel at this rate; the sand kept getting under her fingernails. "We need to get this little guy healed up."
She made her way down the rest of Route 1. The road here consisted of a simple dirt track, barely half a mile in length. It didn't take long at all before she arrived in Accumula Town. There seemed to be some sort of event taking place in the town square; two people in official-looking uniforms were setting up banners and microphones, and a crowd had begun to gather. She pushed past, making her way into the local Pokémon Centre on the opposite side of the clearing and dropping off her Pokémon for some rest.
Barely a minute had passed before a doctor approached Emily, a nervous look on his face. Nervousness was never a quality you wanted in your doctor, and it put her on edge. All she wanted to do at this point was relax and soothe her frazzled nerves a little.
"Er, hi, Miss Emily Rawling, is it?" he asked, biting his lip. She nodded in reply, awaiting the usual barrage of questions, but it never came. Instead, he merely requested to sit in the seat next to her.
"How can I help?"
"Well, it's your Lillipup," he said. "We're a little concerned about his condition."
"He's only just been captured," she explained. "There was a bit of a scene back on Route 1."
"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about the scar on his back."
"Yes, I noticed that too. It's strange, isn't it? So perfectly formed."
The doctor coughed.
"Miss Rawling, are you familiar with the legend of the Grim?"
The word stirred a memory in Emily's mind. Something from history class back in school. That was twenty years ago now. Emily shook her head.
"Then I suggest you look over the history books. We may be wrong, but the opinion of all our finest say otherwise. You may well very much have your hands full with that Lillipup of yours."
The doctor left, pushing his way through the double doors that led to the hospital proper. It would be a while until the Lillipup could return, so she decided to take a breather outside. Perhaps see what all the fuss was about in the town square.
By the time Emily had fought her way through the crowd enough to see the front, a man wearing an elaborate cloak was walking to the microphone. He had a very formal air about him, somewhat disrupted by what appeared to be half a pair of 3D glasses strapped across his right eye. Perhaps an electronic device of some kind. The crowd fell silent as he began to speak.
"Good day to you all, citizens of Accumula Town," he said, speaking slowly, as if reading from invisible captions in the sky. "My name is Ghetsis, and I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."
All around her, Emily could hear confused whispers. Liberation?
"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other," continued Ghetsis, strolling casually about the area. "However… is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans… only assume that this is the truth?"
More mutters. The man had brought up a heavy issue, and one that people didn't tend to discuss too often. Emily had heard of similar movements in the past, people who felt Pokémon were mere slaves.
"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers… they get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work. I ask you now, can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I am saying?"
Emily had heard enough. She pushed past the last few people, stepping into the open area.
"I can."
Ghetsis frowned, not expecting the interruption. He studied the woman who had dared to contradict him, holding back the glare he so desperately wanted to give her.
"I know you," he said, taking a step towards her. "The Pokémon therapist."
"That's right. And I for one can certainly say Pokémon are not our slaves."
Ghetsis considered her for a moment, then shook his head.
"Pokémon should be their own beings," he said. "I am aware of your work, aware that you help them. This much, at least, is to be commended. But what of their fates afterwards?"
"They are returned to their trainers, if they had one. Released back into the wild if not."
"Precisely. To their trainers. Their owners."
He gave an exaggerated shudder as he spoke the last word, turning to address the audience at large.
"Pokémon are different from humans. Living beings that contain unknown potential. Living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. My question to you today, ladies and gentlemen, is whether it is right for this owner-and-slave relationship to continue."
He paused to surmise the audience's response. Nobody dared speak above a murmur, the crowd giving mixed views on the matter. Eventually, he picked up on a particularly loud 'no' from a green-haired teenager lurking towards the edge of the crowd.
"That's right. The answer to my question is no. People of Accumula, I implore you; liberate the Pokémon! Set them free! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Please spend some time considering the relationship between people and Pokémon… and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."
Two of his associates began taking down the banners and packing away the microphone, signalling the end of the presentation. Ghetsis gave a curt nod to Emily before walking off in the opposite direction, promptly swarmed by the rest of his team, all wearing the same official uniform.
The crowd soon dissipated, only a few stragglers left behind. One of them was the green-haired teenager who had called out earlier, who approached Emily and nodded his head in greeting.
"You… help Pokémon?" he asked. He had a weak voice, somewhat unsure of itself.
"That's right. What's your name?"
The boy ignored the question, staring curiously at the Poké Balls attached to Emily's belt, containing the Patrat and Snivy.
"Your Pokémon… just now, it was saying…"
"Excuse me?"
"Oh… so you can't hear it either… how sad."
"Boy," growled Emily. "You're starting to get on my nerves."
"Apologies. As to your question, my name is N. I am like you. I want to help Pokémon."
"Your name is N?"
"I have to wonder…" he muttered, still eyeing the Poké Balls. "Are Pokémon truly happy the way they are? I'm a Trainer too, but-"
He cut himself off, apparently listening to something inaudible to Emily's ears.
"I see. These are not your Pokémon, Miss Rawling?"
"I, ah, no. I'm looking after them for a friend of mine."
"As I thought," he nodded. "They are not happy with you, I feel. Unwilling to be confined to a Poké Ball at your hands."
Emily was taken aback by this statement, the cold words from the boy sounding unnatural, perhaps even forced. Then he whipped a hand forward, wrenching one of the Poké Balls from its slot and running off in the opposite direction.
It took Emily a moment to react, completely taken unawares. By the time she began to move, N had already made it halfway across the town square, headed for the exit to Route 2.
"Stop that boy!" shouted Emily, causing several bystanders to jump. Nobody moved, each person on the way leaving the job for somebody else. N made it clean out of the town, climbing up onto a metre-high ledge with surprising agility.
Emily had no choice but to take after him, leaving the Lillipup behind in the Pokémon Centre. She would have to return back here later to pick it up. For now, there were far more pressing issues at hand. She hauled herself up onto the ledge, taking far longer than she might have liked. She could still see N, though, fighting his way past some trees.
"Stop him!" she called again, hoping somebody would be around to hear her. Fortunately enough, two men happened to be strolling down the path in front of N, and they moved to block his path. Emily caught up just in time for N to send out the stolen Snivy and toss the Poké Ball aside before sprinting off, yelling something about Pokémon imprisonment.
"Are you alright?" asked one of the men, picking up the Poké Ball and handing it to Emily. Snivy was making a little whimpering sound, quietening down slightly once Emily picked him up. Luckily, neither of the men were wearing dark clothing.
"I'll be fine," panted Emily. Physical exertion had never been her forte, not in school and certainly not twenty years later. She had just run the entire length of the Route, a feat she would not have believed herself capable of. Striaton City lay ahead, the buildings climbing much higher than the idyllic structures of Accumula and Twinleaf.
"I think I'll just visit the Pokémon Centre," she said. "I'll need to make some phone calls. Thank you for your help."
"No worries, ma'am, no worries…"
She left the men behind, walking down the wide streets of Striaton. The buildings all had a rickety feel to them, wooden structures clearly built a long time ago. Only two buildings seemed relatively new; the Pokémon Centre and a restaurant just to the right. As she approached, she noticed a sign advertising the city's Pokémon Gym, apparently sharing residence with the restaurant. Interesting.
She entered the Pokémon Centre and took a seat, pulling out her mobile phone. The phone numbers of each Pokémon Centre were provided in a list attached to the noticeboard, and she punched in the digits for Accumula's. The receptionist answered on the second ring.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to Accumula Town Pokémon Centre," came a professional sounding voice, a woman who evidently had to utter the same phrase dozens of times every day. "How may I direct your call?"
"I'd like to check on the status of one of my Pokémon staying with you," said Emily. "Something came up and I had to take off."
She resisted the urge to chuckle over the lame inside joke. Explaining it to the receptionist would take too long.
"Certainly. May I have your name and that of the Pokémon in question?"
"My name is Emily Rawling, and it's a Lillipup."
"One moment."
The phone went silent as the receptionist presumably consulted a computer screen.
"I'm afraid your Lillipup is still being kept under surveillance. Just a precautionary measure."
"When might I be able to collect him?"
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest. I hope that will be acceptable."
"Yes, that will be fine. Thank you."
She hung up the phone and checked the time. Barely even seven; the night was young. She left the Pokémon Centre and made an executive decision. Seven was close enough to her dinner time to merit taking a look at that restaurant, and the accelerated journey here had left her feeling the pangs of hunger. A restaurant that doubled as a Pokémon Gym. Certainly a novel idea, though Emily hadn't visited too many Gyms before and wasn't sure quite what to expect here. She pushed open the double doors, hoping she would be able to get a good meal before being forced into a battle.
The interior design confused Emily even more about the purpose of the building. Only a few tables and chairs were visible, pushed across to the sides. The centre of the room had been cleared out, dominated by what appeared to be a bright red stage curtain, adorned with the image of a flame.
"Welcome to Striaton Gym!" exclaimed a woman dressed in full waitress attire. "May we take your order?"
