Accustomed to Agony (warning - violence and strong language)

[AntiAsh Superstar]

Heh, this is a past-exploration fic I initially posted on me own boards about one of my AC/CC chars but it seemed to pique the interest of people who had no prior knowledge of the realms I was referring to so I figure... meh, why not post it here too? ^_^ Word of warning, tho, I rank Steven King, Anne Rice and Clive Barker as some of my favourite authors so don't expect me to be nice. At all.

Chapter 1
He didn't know the year, day or time. But what are such concepts to a creature who barely even comprehends his own existence? There was no time to him. Just the never-ending warmth surrounding him, a comforting pulse of reds all around his developing eyes. And a constant supply of sustenance being pumped directly into his veins. This wasn't something that could be easily described. This was the very essence of security, of comfort, a place of primeval sensations existing outside the outside world. This was the place he called home. For now. But it couldn't last forever, even though his tiny brain couldn't comprehend such facts. How was he to know that soon his entire life would be turned upside down, that soon he would be expelled from his paradise into a cold and uncaring world? No, to him this WAS his world. It was all that he knew. It was his sanctuary. And if he were to ever leave this place, well, it would be more than the tiny heart beating within his developing frame could take.

Breeding centres are not always the well-managed affairs that the more respectable places in Ulthuan would lead you to believe. Not every place is efficiently run. Not every business gives as much attention to the pokémon in its care as those affiliated to the Dragons Guild. For every official breeding, adoption or healing centre there are several back street operations, often working in breach of the laws of the realm, and rarely operating with any concerns other than making a quick buck whilst they could get away with it, before the heavy arm of the law or the more vengeful of the pokémon trainers in the area would put an end to them. And it was in such a place that events first began to take shape. It wasn't much of a breeding centre in all honesty. The building wasn't even designed for the storage of pokémon. It had originally been little more than a seedy bookstore hidden deep within the twisting streets of an obscure town on the boundaries of Caledor, until its original owners were ‘persuaded' to leave the premises. Ever since then it was owned by a bunch of opportunists, a motley collection of characters united in their desire to make easy money out of the always profitable pokémon trade. To begin with it had been an adoption centre, until it was realised that to run a successful business in that respect one had to actually take some care of the pokémon contained within. Nobody wanted a neglected pokémon unless they were particularly compassionate, and few were if they were willing to resort to such an unprofessional practice. So adoption was out. And then they set themselves up as a breeding centre. No worries about having to take care of pokémon for more than a day or two there! They prided themselves on being able to obtain any pokémon at all for breeding. Even if they had to use underhanded methods to get the desired species. And right now they were about to hit the jackpot. Lately they had been contacted by a rather wealthy client, a man who frequently dealt with the operation's various members for reasons outside the pokémon sphere of things. Yes, he was wealthy, and yes, at one time he had been a trainer. But he was also a short-tempered, violent man, and his pokémon licence had been revoked years ago. They were the only avenue open to him if he wanted to keep pokémon. And for some reason that's exactly wanted. He wanted his own little Eevee, a pokémon always good for showing off to the neighbours, especially when evolved, and he was willing to pay over the odds for it. So they had discreetly borrowed a female Flareon, snagged the nearest male street Meowth to breed it with and set to work. And today, it seemed, the less than hard work was finally going to pay off. The Flareon, which they had reluctantly kept reasonably well fed over the past month or two - needless to say the father had been dumped back on the streets as soon as his job was done - seemed finally ready to go into labour. And from that point on things were carried out with mechanical precision. The Flareon was removed into a pile of soft rags, suitable for a reasonably uncomplicated birth, and nature was allowed to take it course. After all, Eevees were born safely in the wild all the time. Why get your hands messy interfering in a perfectly natural process?

Lately the tiny creature had been developing some... awareness. For instance, he was now able to realise that he wasn't the only one in this haven of his. It was shared with two others, two others that he had discovered were even capable of rudimentary conversation. They weren't the greatest of companions, but then again neither was he. And in a strange way he felt a deep bond with these others. It was them against the world, or at least it would have been if they hadn't have been insulated from that world by the fleshy sanctuary that encompassed them. And that was something else that was preying upon his mind. There seemed to be something wrong with their world, a subtle undercurrent that would have caused them some concern if their minds had been attuned or indeed accustomed to such emotions. Yet as it was they saw nothing wrong. This had been their world all their lives. Why should anything bad happen now? But soon it became apparent that something WAS wrong. Very wrong. It started off gradually, a gentle squeeze every now and then as the walls of their domain slowly contracted. It wasn't that bad a sensation at first, but gradually the squeezing became more and more violent, threatening to either crush them all to death or force them out of their sanctuary. Neither prospect seemed very appealing, he realised that much. And so he fought. How he fought! But he was just a tiny infant, and his power was next to nothing compared to the immense strength of the muscles that were pushing him, pushing him away from everything he held dear. And as much as he fought, he knew deep inside that this was the beginning of the end for everything he had come to know, that he would soon have to grow accustomed to a whole new set of rules. All that he could do was to close his eyes, and hope that this terrible crushing would cease soon. If that would just end, he reckoned he could deal with just about anything.

The little creature was awakened by a rough licking at his cheek, the tickling sensation bringing him back from unconsciousness. The journey had been too much for him, and he had passed out along the way. But now... well, it was pointless in staying down. Not when he knew there was a whole new world awaiting him, and as much as he wanted to go back to the way things were, somehow he just knew that was an impossible dream. Slowly he opened his eyes.
“Oh thank God, thank God, you're okay!” Although his eyes were still not really very good at interpreting images, the red and cream pile of fluff that was now nuzzling him, its eyes brimming with tears, seemed in some way familiar. Its scent reminded him of the place where his life had started. Instinctively he began to crawl pathetically towards this creature, surprised to find it assisting his journey. The floor was hard and cold underneath his bare paws, and the feeling was less than comfortable, but somehow he managed it, eventually making his way to its belly, where he found two creatures almost identical to himself, little pink bundles covered in a soft, silky fur that at this moment was hardly noticeable to all but the sharpest of eyes. These he recognised by their scent as the same creatures who had been sharing his sanctuary. Apparently they had both survived the upheaval with few problems, and even now were busy suckling at their mother's belly. “Go on, it's good.” A cold nose nudged the tiny little Eevee - for that was what it would grow into - towards a suitable place. Certainly he felt hungry enough, and what was good enough for his siblings was more than good enough for him! Slowly he found his place huddled up to the rest of the family, and began to suckle, his little toothy jaws working his mother's teat until the Eevee's mouth was filled with a warm milky substance. This was his first taste of real sustenance, and in his mind there was no finer food in the entire world. It filled the emptiness in his soul as much as it did that in his belly. Finally he understood his place. It was here. With his family. With the ones that gave him comfort. He had thought that his previous state had been perfection, but even now it was fast fading from his mind, just a mere dream, a subtle residue to remind him that such security existed within this world. But right now he was perfectly happy where he was. He had his family, he had his food, he had his warmth and his comfort. What more did any infant really need?

The next few days were spent in relative ease. The faceless creatures that ran the centre really had no intention of getting their hands messy feeding three baby Eevees, and so had decided to leave the family where they were until the babies had been weaned onto solid foods, and looked more like the furry bundles that the pokémon were supposed to be. There was no point in giving them away too young, when they would be of no use to anyone. So they were allowed to stay with their mother for a few days, housed in a badly-lit storage cell with rags to sleep upon and a floor of newspapers that were rarely changed more frequently than once every few days. And in those few days the three tiny, useless bundles slowly developed into a trio of bright Eevees, each with their own personality and their own ideas of the world. Nobody had named them yet, at least no human, but their Flareon mother had given them a christening of sorts. Maki, the quiet, serious one, always far happier at his mother's side than joining in the boisterous games of his siblings. Rhiannon, the hyperactive one, always full of energy and wearing her family out with her constant demands for games and attention. And finally, the cheeky, witty, and always lovable Milliardo, seemingly the leader of the little pack. He was always the one who came up with the ideas, he was always the one who would look out for his siblings. In terms of loyalty and intelligence the little Eevee couldn't be bettered, and for his strengths he was worshipped by his brother and sister. Theirs was a carefree life, and although it could hardly be said that their surroundings were perfect, none had known any better, and hence they didn't complain. They had their mother, providing their food and comfort, and they had each other. At least for now. For eventually the day came when their peace would be rudely shattered. All good things, after all, must eventually come to an end, and this scenario was no different. Eventually the babies grew enough to be worth something to those in charge of the breeding centre. And from that stage onward, everything rapidly went to hell.

“Tag! You're it!” It had all started innocuously enough. That day had seemed just like any other, the three infants having roused far earlier than their weary mother, bullied her for feed and then went off into their usual mad games, in this case a boisterous game of chase instigated, as ever, by Rhiannon. The three of them ALWAYS seemed to be playing chase. But then again, what else was there for them to do apart from play? At least it gave their mother a much-needed rest.
“Oh come on, Rhi, you KNOW I'm going to get you back in ten seconds!” The Eevee known as Milliardo gave his sister a cheeky wink. “Tell you what, guys, I'll give you both a head start this time. You need it.”
“Ha ha, Milliardo.” Rhiannon snorted. “It's gonna be different now, you're never going to catch me THIS time! I've been practicing!”
“Is that... a challenge?” Milliardo asked lazily.
“You bet it is!” Rhiannon swished her bushy tail defiantly, beaming at Milliardo with her bright eyes. “You're never, ever gonna catch me again!”
“Oh boy, THIS I gotta see!” Maki settled down at the side of their chamber to watch the proceedings. He had witnessed Rhiannon's ‘training' methods himself, in fact nine times out of ten he had been woken up by them. However, the Eevee had his doubts as to whether constantly chasing your tail was suitable practise for avoiding a creature more stubborn than the rest of them combined. “My money's still on Milliardo, though.”
“Gee, thanks for the support, Maki!” Rhiannon rolled her eyes. Why did it sometimes seem like nobody had any kind of confidence in her abilities at all? “I’ll show both of you! Come on, Milliardo, you gonna try catch me or not?”
“Well... if you insist…” Milliardo said lazily, as if he couldn't be bothered to summon up the energy to play any more. Of course, he was just itching to put his sister in her place, but it would have never have done to admit that, would it? “I still say you need a head start, though.”
“Really think you're special, don't you?”
“Well, I am!” Milliardo grinned winsomely. Rhiannon really wanted to say something to put him in his place, but the words wouldn't come. Besides, he was special. There were no doubts about that one! As the dominant one of the litter, his siblings doted on him. Especially Rhiannon. He was her hero.
“All the specialness in the world isn't going to help you catch me! I don't need a head start!” The little Eevee stuck her tongue out. “Now are you going to try and catch me or not?”
“Oh, alright...” Milliardo placed his body into a position that was ready to run, his muscles tensed, ready to spring. This was going to be fun! “When I say ‘go', I'm coming for you, whether you're ready or not, so I sure hope this training of yours was worth it! Okay... ready, set...” Milliardo's eyes narrowed in concentration. “…GO!!!” The chase was short but sweet. Although it was true that Rhiannon was getting slightly faster, she was still no match for her brother, who had bowled her over and pinned her to the floor, a victorious look upon his face, within a matter of seconds. “So much for not needing a head start, huh?” The Eevee peered critically at his sister, who was squirming beneath his paws, lacking the strength to shrug off her more powerful sibling.
“Alright, alright, you've made your point, would you get off me now?” Rhiannon was finally allowed to resume a more dignified position than splayed out on the floor. Finally upright, she cast a dirty look at Milliardo, although there wasn't really that much anger behind it. She wasn't the type to get mad. Especially with Milliardo. “I hate you.”
“Liar, you know you love me really.”
“Well I...” Rhiannon was cut off abruptly by the door to the holding cell being opened, and a scruffy-looking individual with dark brown hair entered the newspaper-covered room. Nobody bothered much usually. Most of the time all this interruption meant was that the bowls of water or cheap, bland Pokémon food were going to be refilled. But there was something subtly different about it this time, something difficult to pinpoint, yet unnerving all the same. This time it was difficult to shake the notion that today the human was bringing nothing but trouble. Instinctively the baby Eevees began to back off, huddling around their mother for protection. Not that she would help much, they all knew that none of them stood a chance against a human, but it was just nice to have that feeling of security, bunched up in her warm, thick fur, safe from the outside world.
“Okay, you.” Although none of them could comprehend this, the man was addressing the Flareon. He had his orders. The mother was becoming an unnecessary expense. And in the logic of the breeding centre, unnecessary expenses had to be dealt with. “We've finished with you. Time for you to come with me.” He reached out as to grab the Flareon. And at that moment it became perfectly clear what was happening. This man, this evil man, was going to take their mother away!
“No! Don't!” As ever, it was Maki who first realised that something was going on with their mother, and for the first time in his short life the placid creature knew what it was like to know true anger. Nobody took HIS mother away! Nobody was going to do a thing to her! Incensed, the little Eevee tried to stop him in the only way he knew how, making a desperate lunge for the man's grasping hands with his teeth, and feeling no small degree of satisfaction when those teeth found purchase and sank into soft flesh. His joy was short lived, however. His target gave a yell of pain and anger, before wrenching the little pokémon from his bloody hand and hurling it against the far wall in a fit of rage. The crack as Maki struck the stone surface was deafening to the sensitive ears of his siblings.
“Maki!” Rhiannon broke ranks to rush to her brother's aid, even as his body fell lifelessly to the floor, his still-developing frame having been punished too much to bear. As for Milliardo... well, he was just in shock. Had that really happened? The little Eevee felt shattered inside, a mixture of horror and revulsion competing for dominance within his mind with a deep loathing for the creature who had done this. He had never known of death before today, but somehow he just knew that this was the end for his brother. “MAKI!!! MAKI!!!!” Rhiannon was desperately licking Maki's face, as if this feeble action was going to somehow make the Eevee get up and walk again.
“C'mon, Maki...” Milliardo raced over to his siblings despite himself, only vaguely aware that the instant he did so his mother was roughly bundled away by the vicious human. He prodded the lifeless body with a paw, rolling it over to reveal the glassy eyes that only seemed to confirm what he had suspected. But even so, surely this was wrong, surely Maki could be saved somehow? “Get up, would you? You're worrying us.” Tears came unbidden to his eyes as the sheer gravity of the situation finally hit home. “Please get up...”
“He's not going to, is he?” Rhiannon was weeping openly. “We've lost him! We've lost them both!”
“It... can't be...” Milliardo's eyes welled up, acknowledging the truth in his sister's words even if his conscious mind refused to accept the facts in front of him, a mother now taken away and a brother whose lifeless body was slumped before them, a furry brown image of the creature Maki had been in his short life. Why was all this happening? What had they ever done to deserve this? It didn't make sense, any of it. And maybe that's what made it so hard, the sheer futility of it all. “Damn it, this can't be happening!” Milliardo had been led to believe that he could cope with almost anything, between the hero-worship of his siblings and his own natural confidence. But this... this was more than even he could take. Maki was gone forever. And their mother might as well have been lost as well. It left him feeling hollow inside. His entire world had just come crashing down around him. And now there was nothing left for him to do, nothing left other than finally release his anguish. To finally let it all out in a howl of agony, all of the pain and sorrow that had slowly been welling up within him finally exploding, seizing control of his whole being and simply refusing to let go. He cried himself to sleep that night, much like his sister, huddled up to Maki as if his body was the only source of comfort they had left, as if they thought that he would somehow come back when they awoke. But things are never that simple, life is never that forgiving. Yet when you happen to be a little Eevee only days into its infancy, what else can you do? Either cling to your childish beliefs, or lose your innocence. Forever.

[AntiAsh Superstar]

Chapter 2
The man known to the world as Colt Barrett had been a respected creature, once upon a time. In his prime he was renowned as one of the greatest Pokémon League Champions of all time. Opponents were overawed by both his ruthless battling style and his dashing charisma, and many a trainer had walked out from a severe loss still with a smile on their face, simply happy to have been allowed a chance to meet with a real live legend. Those had been good times. The adoring fans, the instant respect, the seemingly limitless supplies of money for promotional appearances and the occasional easy battle. And the endless opportunity for partying, for indulging in every vice known to man. It was this that was to eventually destroy a once great man, for Colt’s appetites were huge and his excesses became almost as talked about as his skills. An endless stream of drink and drugs and one night stands, with only the occasional battle to spoil the flow of his hedonism. That was what his life became, and the worse he grew the more his career suffered. His carefully raised team, once upon a time his very reason for being, slowly grew all the more alienated, shoved to the back to allow for that one extra slice of oblivion. In the end it all grew too much for them, and in one final plea Colt was asked to choose between his pokémon, or his parties. He chose the parties. And so one night, after a particularly heavy session of drink and drugs, Colt returned home to find his life in ruins. His team, the pokémon he had worked so hard to raise, had left. Every single one of them. And in one last, petulant act of revenge, they had destroyed the place he liked to call home. The furniture was scorched and charred. His clothes had been shredded by either claws or fangs. The expensive artwork had been smashed on the floor. Everywhere, in every room, there was a scene of utter devastation. Not a single belonging had escaped the wrath of the scored pokémon. And for Colt, that night had been the beginning of the end.
“They’ll see. They’ll all see.” Colt snarled, trying to comb himself into something approaching smartness. Those had been bitter days, alright. Without a team, he lost the one job he had ever been any good at. And by now the drugs had taken their toll, and a once kind and caring trainer descended into an impatient brute. Every time he tried to start again, tried to take on new pokémon to rebuild his empire, he became frustrated. He didn’t put in all that effort to have to start from the very bottom again! And his frustrations began to be taken out on his pokémon. Until that one day he finally snapped, and lashed out against his own Meowth in public. Of course, the Pokémon League took a very dim view of this behaviour. Colt was stripped of his Pokémon License, and he fled from the mainland, hiding away from the shame of his past life. Of course, it had been hard to rebuild the tatters of his pitiful existence. In the beginning he had to eke out a living as a bouncer in one of Yvresse’s seedier clubs. His neighbours all hated him, and on more than one occasion animosities had broken out into fisticuffs. And yet, from those dubious beginnings a new life had begun to emerge. Colt cut out the drugs. He cut out the drinks. Despite the many sleepless nights, despite the times where he grew close to suicide, he actually all but conquered his demons. He began to work out. He quit his job and managed to gain employment in a security firm contracted to guard one of the major breeding centres in Ulthuan. All of a sudden Colt Barrett’s life didn’t seem so bad after all. But one thing was missing, one thing that he would never be able to obtain again legally. He wanted to live the life of a trainer once more. And that was why he was getting ready now. It had been hard, but he had managed to call on a few favours from people. A few favours that meant that even now, even as he stared into the hazel, sunken eyes that were reflected in the hallway mirror of his apartment, somewhere out there was a pokémon just for him. An illegal pokémon, it was true, but a pokémon all the same. And if he could just regain that spark, just prove to the world that he still had what it took to be a great trainer, Colt’s empire would rise once again. All he needed was just a little time.

Elsewhere in the province, time was something that some creatures seemed to have too much of. Ever since that fateful day, life had just been one endless chore for Milliardo. Ever since his mother was taken away, ever since his brother had been so ruthlessly slaughtered, the young Eevee had been forced to do far too much growing up. Every day passed in the same way. Wake up, eat the meagre rations afforded to him, bathe, feed and wash Rhiannon, try and take some exercise, eat lunch, help his sister with her food. Then spend the afternoon trying to communicate. And what a monumentous task that was. Ever since that day, Rhiannon hadn’t spoken a word. She had hardly moved, in fact. She had become a zombie, a soulless creature who spent the entire day just staring blankly at the wall unless Milliardo forced her into some sort of action. It was if the formerly happy-go-lucky Eevee no longer inhabited her body, as if her soul was on a totally different plane. And it cut Milliardo up inside to see her like this. It had been bad enough having his mother taken away. It had been bad enough watching his brother so heartlessly killed. But to have to stand by as his one remaining relative slowly drifted further and further away from him? It was too much. So was it any wonder that, despite the countless promises he had made to himself to be strong, the little Eevee cried himself to sleep most nights, the fears and worries of his life pouring out in wave after wave of sorrow? It was the only way he knew how to survive, to bottle up his feelings by day and lose himself in his emotions by night. To swing too far either way would have been a disaster.
“C’mon, Rhi.” Today had started off much like any other day. A non-stop struggle just to stay afloat, where the only comfort was found in routine. “You have to eat something, you know.” Milliardo peered into his sister’s large eyes and found nothing. Just the same lifeless expression that had been there for the past few days. Could she even see him? What was going on inside her head? “Please Rhi, for me?” Eventually Milliardo’s pleas made some ground, and he was able to get Rhiannon to swallow a little chunk of food. Not that it was helping much. There was only so much one small Eevee pup could do, and despite her brother’s best efforts Rhiannon was slowly but surely wasting away. Her fur was all matted and tangled despite Milliardo’s best efforts to groom it. Her body was slowly losing its supplies of fat despite his attempts to get her to eat. At this rate Rhiannon wasn’t going to last much longer. “I don’t know, Rhi, sometimes I wonder if you don’t have the right idea. Just switch off and slowly let yourself slip away. It seems so tempting, doesn’t it? I mean, what do we have to live for, huh? This life is worthless. And I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Rhi, I really don’t.” Milliardo suddenly found tears welling up in his eyes. “I tried to be strong for you, but I’m not strong at all. I can’t take any more of this… first our mother, then Maki, and now I’m losing you as well. How am I supposed to deal with that, huh? How am I supposed to carry on, knowing that there’s nothing in my future but sadness?”
“Milliardo…” For a moment the Eevee didn’t register what was happening, but soon the reality sunk in.
“Rhi? Are you okay?” The two pups stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. For the first time there seemed to be a real connection there, as if the other knew exactly what the other was thinking.
“You can’t worry. I’m safe where I am, and one day I’ll come back and explain everything to you, but for now know you have my thanks.” And with this, the sudden spark of life that had entered Rhiannon’s eyes abruptly faded once again, leaving the cold, lifeless eyes that Milliardo had grown so accustomed to over the past few days.
“Rhi?” Milliardo was confused, more so than he had ever been in his entire life. What had that been all about? To get his sister back for a moment, only to lose her again seconds later, that was the ultimate agony. “Rhi, I don’t understand. What do you mean? Talk to me, Rhi!” It was no use. Whatever had just happened, Rhiannon had gone again. But at least it appeared that she was still in there, somewhere. Evidently it would just take time. “Fine. You… you take as long as you need, Rhi. I can wait for you. I’ll wait all my life if I have to, but you know that I’m not going to leave you. I’ll stay here with you, until you come back to me. We… we still have a game of tag to finish, remember?” The Eevee gently stroked his sister’s head with his forepaw as he talked. It all seemed to be spilling out now, and to be honest Milliardo didn’t really care if Rhiannon could hear or not. “I miss having you to play with, Rhi. Hey, you know what? When I’m big and strong and successful, and I have a brilliant trainer who trains me to champion level, I’m going to get him to buy you a proper playroom. You know, like you always said you wanted? With a big toy box filled with balls and chew toys and games for us to play, and shelves lined with all kinds of cute little plushies.” By now the tears were flowing freely. “And… and there’d be lilac curtains on the windows, and a rocking chair in the corner, and there’d be a little slide to play on as well, and when we got tired there’s be a gigantic bean bag to one side that we could just flop on and doze off… everything you ever wanted, Rhi. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I swear to you that one day I’ll get you all that. Just hang in there for me, okay?” No response. But then again, had Milliardo really expected one? His sister was dead to the world. “Yeah. You do that. Just hang in there.”

It was then that Milliardo’s little scene was rudely interrupted. He had just been about to leave his sister for a moment and get a little much-needed sleep, when the door to the holding cell was opened and the scruffy, evil-looking individual that was responsible for shoving them their daily rations entered the room. Milliardo didn’t think the man was worth the effort normally, but there was something different today that forced him to pay some slight attention through the numbing fog of tiredness. Their keeper wasn’t alone.
“Well I’d say the choice was pretty obvious, wouldn’t you?” The speaker was a smartly dressed man in his late forties, his hair cropped in a fashion that made him look a little like a nightclub bouncer. He seemed like the type who had been fit once upon a time but had recently let himself go, and Milliardo hated him upon sight. “The female is good for nothing. It’s a wonder either is well enough for this after you screwed things up.” There was a distinct edge to his voice, as if there were some long-standing grudge against his companion. “Even I’m aware that a traumatised pokémon won’t sell at all. People don’t want pets with issues, and that’s all we’ve been churning out lately. Even Team Rocket’s laughing at us, and their track record’s hardly brilliant.”
“Mr. Harris, I’ve already said I’m sorry.” The handler rolled his eyes. He hadn’t been allowed to forget his one little mistake, even now. “I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Make sure you don’t screw this up,” the other man hissed. “Our client’s coming for his Eevee this afternoon. He used to be a champion, you know, he’s going to be able to tell if something’s wrong with this, so you do everything you can to distract from the fact that the fucking thing’s probably totally screwed up, okay?”
“As you wish, sir. What about the female?”
“We’ll hang onto her for a few days. Eevees always go well. They make good pets, and evolve them and they’re excellent fighters. If we can’t find some mug to pay through the nose for her soon, though, we’ll just dump her in Templa Taure like we do all the rejects. You get me?”
“Of course I do, Mr. Harris.” The handler turned cruelly to Milliardo and Rhiannon, and only then did the Eevee realise what the men were talking about. “Come here, you. We gotta make you nice and cute for when Mr. Barratt arrives.” The man made a grab for Milliardo, but he was too fast. He dodged the arm with ease. What kind of evil was this? Did they really expect him to go without a fight, and leave Rhiannon all alone to be ‘dumped in Templa Taure’, whatever fate that might have been? “Stop squirming, you fucking useless pile of shit!” The next grasp was a lot more violent, and the man’s attitude was enough to cause Milliardo to freeze in this tracks. Whatever was going on here, it was probably for the best to go quietly rather than risk ending up like Maki! “There. Now isn’t that a lot easier?” Milliardo felt fingers close around the ruff of fur around his neck and pull hard. It stung like crazy, but he was too scared to say anything. All he could do was be pulled away, to whatever cruel fate awaited him.
“Rhi, I’m sorry. I’ll be back for you, I promise.” Milliardo cast a final look at his sister, who was just staring at him impassively, not a trace of emotion showing upon her stony face. It was worse this way, it seemed, that if she had broken down, for it only confirmed the Eevee’s worst suspicions. His sister had become a total zombie, and here he was being dragged away to a new life he didn’t even want, a life without a hope of saving Rhiannon from herself.

“Afternoon, Mr. Barratt.” By the time midday had rolled around, the smart bouncer type had positioned himself at the front desk of a smart little office that gave no indication of the cruelty that went on in the back rooms. “Have a good journey here?”
“It’s been better.” The customer in question fixed the man with a look that was part distrust, part exasperation, his dark blue eyes “The roads are gridlocked. I miss having my Xatu around to fly me places.”
“Well, that’s what you’re here for, right? To start again?”
“I don’t need your analysis of why I want a pokémon. I’m paying you, that’s all you need to be interested in.” The man reached into the pocket of his dirty beige overcoat and fished out his wallet. “Two thousand, that’s what we agreed on, right?”
“Correct.”
“May I see the Eevee first?” Colt Barratt fixed the man with an odd look. “Not that I don’t trust you or anything, but I like to see the goods before I pay for them.”
“Many people do, but I can assure you we have nothing to hide.” The owner of the breeding centre smiled with a false warmth, before turning around to shout into the back rooms. “Angelo! Bring the Eevee out here, would you?” He turned back to Colt. “I know our centres have a bit of a… reputation… but it’s completely unfounded. Anyway, it’s the best you can do in your situation short of relying on Team Rocket.”
“Thought about that, but I didn’t fancy training someone else’s pokémon. They charge too much, anyway.”
“Well then, it doesn’t seem as if you have much of a choice but to trust us, then, does it?”
“You don’t change, Harris.” Colt suddenly broke out into a wide grin. “Still the same bastard you’ve always been.”
“You have to be ruthless to make a living, you know that.” Harris returned the grin. “Ah, here’s your Eevee now. What do you think?” The handler had by now made his way into the main office, sporting a medium sized carrying case and the biggest scowl Colt had ever seen in his life. The case was abruptly dumped onto the counter, and the man skulked back into the back rooms. Not that Colt noticed. His attentions were too fixed upon the contents of the case, a small, petrified Eevee cowering in the very far corner. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but Colt had to admit to being mildly impressed with what he saw.
“Nice job of cleaning it up, Harris, shame it’s crapped itself in there.” The trainer laughed out loud. “Well, it looks a little tired, but I can’t be bothered to haggle, so just take the two thousand and be thankful I like you.” Here he fished into the leather wallet and pulled out a large wad of notes. “I have to admit I was expecting a lot worse.”
“I like to surprise, Colt.” Harris smirked, a smug smile now fixed upon his face as he counted out his money. Oh yes, surprises were very much indeed his specialty. Colt didn’t know one half of what had happened to this Eevee, and he had no intention of telling him, either. “Enjoy your Eevee.”
“Oh, that I will.” Colt smiled at Milliardo, and although it seemed genuine enough the Eevee could detect an edge to it that worried him. “I’m sure we’re going to have ourselves a great time.”