The Thunder Clan - 5

Chapter 5 - Show Me Your Best

It was a little bit cold. Roxy rolled over in discomfort in her bed.

Why didn't master turn the heat up?

Roxy got the strange sensation that she was sleeping in. Master didn't like it when she slept in, so she tried to make herself wake up. However, it wasn't all that bright. Was it raining today?

"Roxy…"

The Pikachu smiled. Master was here. Her master was waking her up with her calming, gentle voice. Her tail started to wag of its own accord.

"M-master…" she mumbled.

"…No, Roxy."

Anxiety suddenly overcame her. No? Why was master saying 'no'? Master only said 'no' when she did something wrong. Roxy squirmed in agitation. Her master wouldn't be mad at her, right? Why would she??

"Nnnh…I'm sorry master…I'm sorry…"

However, it was no use. Roxy could see her master turning away from her, walking away and fading into the distance.

"Master! Master, no! Come back!"

She started to cry, holding out her paw desperately. She could no longer see the young girl. Her master was gone.

"No! Master, please! I can't go on without you!!"

When Roxy felt something actually grab on to her outstretched paw, she yelped in fright and her eyes shot wide open. The world suddenly rearranged and disoriented itself, and she found herself laying on her back. Blurry shapes and colours slowly came together, and they formed the image of a terrifying, angry warrior face!

Roxy screamed in terror and quickly scrambled to get away. Someone was saying something but she didn't hear. She fumbled across the ground, the world spinning around her, until she felt her back pressed up against the rough wall. Her eyes quickly shot around, looking for an escape, and she saw that the only door was behind the evil creature.

"Roxy! Calm down, please! It is me!"

The creature was talking to her. Its voice was familiar. Her chest was heaving with every panicked breath, but she blinked her eyes to clear away the last of her fatigue. It took a moment, but she was finally able to clearly see what was in front of her.

Recognition suddenly flooded her mind. The evil, angry face was nothing more than a perfectly normal Pikachu face with striking body paint. What's more, it was looking quite concerned for her wellbeing. Her fright-addled mind slowly calmed down, and she began to remember where she was and who she was talking to.

"Makari…" she gasped, still not having caught her breath.

"Roxy, are you all right?"

"I…" She held a paw up to her chest, and could feel her heart pounding inside. "I'm…I'm okay…" After a few more deep breaths, she added, "I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…" She closed her eyes and turned her head away, embarrassed.

"It seemed like you were having a nightmare," she heard him say. Once again, she was reminded of just how calming and soothing his voice could be. "I apologize, Roxy. I was trying to rouse you too quickly."

"No…No, I'm sorry," she insisted, "I thought you were a monster…"

There was a moment of silence.

"I…I didn't mean…" she mumbled.

"Roxy," Makari spoke, and the young Pikachu jumped slightly when she felt his paw on her shoulder, "There is nothing to apologize for. You were half asleep and you did not recognize me. Also, you must consider that this is your first night waking up in a strange location. Your mind was bound to trip a little bit."

Roxy opened her eyes and turned to look into Makari's. She could see the care and concern in them as clear as the rising sun's rays streaming in from the doorway. Before long, she was smiling once again.

"Thanks…" she said quietly, "Y-you're right…For a moment, I…" Her smile then disappeared. "I forgot where I was…"

"Well," Makari said as he briefly rubbed her shoulders, "Try not to think about where you are not, and live in the present for the time being. Here, I found these for you!"

Roxy glanced over as Makari stepped away, and then returned carrying an armful of small red and yellow fruits. "Leppa Berries!" she exclaimed.

"I thought we might enjoy these for breakfast."

A smile quickly appeared on her face. "Where did you find Leppa Berries? I love those! They're my favourite!!"

Makari chuckled. "There are many different berries growing in the forest. I prefer some variety when it comes to food, so I try to find something different every day."

Roxy reached out and took a berry from the pile, giving a quick thank-you smile to Makari before daintily biting into it. Its crisp, sweet flavour filled her with delight. "Mmm…!" She couldn't help but close her eyes and smile. This was fresh off the berry bush. Even the fresh berries her family grew in their garden couldn't compare to this.

Makari was munching on one of the berries himself, while holding two more in the crook of his other arm.

"These are so good!" Roxy said after she had swallowed, "These are the best Leppa Berries ever!!"

He smiled and said, "I am glad that you like them."

"Oh my gosh, it's so fresh and juicy!" She grinned and took another bite. "Mmm-mmm!!"

After she took a few more bites and finished off the rest of the fruit, she looked up at Makari. Silently, she was lamenting the fact that she didn't have any napkins and probably had Leppa juice on her face. However, Makari didn't seem to notice and was simply giving her a bemused look. She noticed that he was only holding one more berry.

"Um…" She blushed when she realized that he had eaten two berries in the time it had taken her to eat one.

"You eat with such…grace," he commented, chuckling a little.

"I, uh…Sorry, it's just how I was…raised…"

She glanced around awkwardly for a moment before Makari broke whatever tension was in the air by handing her the last Leppa. She took it and smiled sheepishly. "Um…Thanks again."

"There is no need to thank me, Roxy. Breakfast is vital to health and survival."

Roxy smiled and nodded as she ate the other berry, obsessing just a little less on her table manners.

When she only had a few bites left, the hanging vines in the doorway were suddenly and unceremoniously shoved aside which startled them both. A Pikachu's head popped in, a scowl on his face.

Roxy froze for a moment when she saw who it was. Taka eyed her for a moment, his expression unchanged, before he turned to look at Makari.

"…Come in, I suppose," he said dryly.

"Come outside," Taka commanded, "I must speak with you." Without even waiting for a response, Taka's head disappeared.

Roxy blinked, and then turned to look at Makari. "Umm…?"

Makari smiled apologetically before he turned and stepped outside of the hut.

Now left alone, Roxy simply sat down against the back wall and finished her Leppa. The two other Pikachu had stepped away from the hut so that she couldn't hear them, but after a short while she started to hear the distant, muffled shouts of one of them. Roxy had a pretty good idea which one of them it was.

After swallowing the last bite, Roxy became unsure of what to do with herself. She fiddled with her forepaws idly, glancing around at the empty walls and wondering what Taka and Makari were talking about. This was the first she'd seen of Taka since her initial meeting with the Wise Ones, where he had been sent away.

Finally, Makari stuck his head back inside. "Roxy?" he said, "Can you come with me please?"

"Sure," she said with a nod, and then stood up and walked through the door. She held up a paw briefly to shield her eyes from the light of the morning sun, filtering down through the leaves in what seemed like a deliberate attempt to hit her square in the eyes. The warm light of sunrise was still visible, but the whole village was already awake. Roxy didn't exactly sleep in super late, but she couldn't remember the last time she had woken up this early.

Makari led her over to where Taka was standing, his forelegs crossed and one of his hind paws stomping impatiently. Roxy hesitated just a little. To be honest, Taka still frightened her. The fact was that he was a warrior, and he was someone who didn't like her. That combination didn't sit well with her.

"Hi, Taka…" she spoke softly, trying to be friendly.

"Good morning to you," he replied. There wasn't an ounce of friendliness in his voice, but that had still been a courteous greeting. She tried to convince herself that this was a small step forward, but the ever-present scowl on his face told her otherwise.

"Lighten up, Taka," Makari quipped.

The warrior looked over to the other, his scowl turning into a glare.

Unflinching, Makari turned to address Roxy. "Today, it is time for you to start training."

Roxy's ears fell flat against her head, a disheartened frown on her face. "Oh…" she muttered.

"At the very least, you must learn how to properly defend yourself," he said, "Trust me; it is for your own benefit."

"I…Yeah, I guess…"

"Do not worry," he continued, "Someone will be there to guide you along and help you hone your skills."

Her ears perked back up. "Really?" she replied, "Is it you?"

Makari smiled. "I would be more than willing to help you with whatever you need along the way. However for your training, the Wise Ones feel it would be beneficial if you were taught by one of our greatest warriors."

"Oh." Roxy blinked, digesting this information. She glanced over at Taka, standing nearby with a sour expression on his face. "…Oh." The realization dawned upon her, bringing her ears back down once again. "Ohh…"

"Roxy," Makari said, "Taka is the greatest warrior in our entire clan, and he is adept in multiple disciplines of battle. If the task is to train your skills, then there is no-one better suited for the undertaking."

Taka scoffed. "Save your flattery, Makari," he spat, "There are many others who excel more than I do when it comes to teaching. This is merely a punishment for my apparent misbehaviour earlier."

Makari gave him a flat look. "You do not know that."

"Do not be ridiculous. It is the only explanation that makes any sense. Why else would they burden me with the task of trying to teach…her?" He sneered the last word, narrowing his eyes at her.

Roxy gulped, unsure if she was more afraid or offended. She was conflicted enough that she didn't say anything.

"Taka…" Makari said, a note of warning in his voice.

"Whatever. Is she ready?"

Roxy stiffened. "Wha?! Y-you mean…right now, we…?"

"I will bring her to the training area shortly, Taka," Makari spoke up, "We will not be long."

Taka glared at them both for a moment before turning to Roxy and saying, "Fine. Do not waste my time." With that, he promptly turned around and began to walk off.

A brief, awkward silence followed between the other two Pikachu. "Umm…" Roxy finally spoke up, "Is he really going to be my teacher?"

"I am sorry, Roxy," Makari replied, "but the Wise Ones feel it is best this way."

Roxy frowned. "But…But he's so…"

"I know he can be a little brash, but he really is a nice Pokémon once you get to know him."

Roxy's look of skepticism must have been noticed because Makari chuckled and added, "Trust me."

"I dunno…" Roxy murmured, kicking at the ground with her hind paw.

"Taka just needs to spend a little time around you," Makari said, "He mistrusts you because you come from the human world, but once he sees that no humans are following you his brazenness will subside. Besides, if you honestly try your best to learn what he is teaching you, that can only help."

Roxy still wasn't convinced. "I was really worried about having to fight, even if someone like you was teaching, but with him? Makari, he hates me!"

Makari shook his head. "Roxy, he does not hate you."

"How can you be sure?"

"Well, if he hated you, then it would not be safe for you to be here."

Roxy's heart skipped a beat. "Wh-what?"

Makari smiled apologetically. "I just mean that Taka only hates his enemies, and Taka keeps enemies out of the village. He distrusts you, he is unnerved by your differences, and he views you as an outsider…but he does not hate you."

"I…I guess…?" She was shivering a little.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to frighten you. Taka is a great warrior, but trust me you have nothing to fear from him. He has a strong sense of honour."

Roxy glanced around, feeling anxiety creep up on her. Things had been getting a little bit better over the course of yesterday, but now she felt like she was about to be thrown back into the fire. Roxy absolutely did not want to learn how to fight, and she definitely didn't want to be trained by Taka of all Pokémon. Makari's words of reassurance, unfortunately, did nothing to quell the fear she had of him.

She started to feel uncomfortable again, feeling pressured into something she didn't want to do. A few little whimpers of distress slipped out. She looked up when she felt Makari's arm across her shoulder.

"I will stay with you while he teaches you today. Would that make you feel better?"

Roxy stared at him for a moment, and then a smile wove its way onto her face. "Y-yeah…It would."

Makari beamed. "I would be happy to help. Taka may not appreciate me trying to encroach on his teachings, but let us not worry about that."

"Heh…Okay."

He then started to lead her through the village, moving at a slow and comfortable pace.

"Um…Has Taka always been like this?"

Makari glanced at her. "To a degree, yes. He is stubborn and headstrong."

"How do you put up with him?"

He chuckled and shrugged. "A lifetime of experience, I suppose? No matter what he does, he will always be my little brother."

Roxy nodded for a few seconds before she suddenly stopped in place and stared at him in confusion. "Wait! Taka is your brother??"

"Yes. Yes he is." Makari tilted his head. "I am sorry, have I not mentioned that before?" When Roxy shook her head, he chuckled in bemusement. "Ah, you must forgive me, Roxy. We are all such a close-knit family here. Everyone already knows that Taka and I are brothers. It has been an eternity since I have needed to explain that."

"Huh…" Roxy murmured, considering this new information as she resumed walking ahead and following Makari.

It didn't take them long to reach the training area, which was empty except for Taka standing just outside and waiting. He looked very impatient as he waited for them to approach.

"All right, Roxy," Makari said, leading her forward with his paw and urging her to approach Taka, "Just do your best and listen to what Taka says."

Roxy gulped, glancing around nervously and then looking up at Taka. Makari was taller than Taka was, but Roxy still felt very small in comparison to the warrior Pikachu. "Um…Hi again…"

Taka just stared down at her.

"Umm…Should we, uh…start?"

Uncomfortable seconds of silence passed. Roxy found herself unable to break eye contact with the other Pikachu, and his gaze sent shivers down her spine.

"Makari!" Taka suddenly snapped, nearly making Roxy cry out in fright, "Why are you still here?"

"I am observing," he replied simply.

Taka grunted quietly and then returned to looking down at Roxy. He then took a step to the side, allowing her to see the training area behind him, and gestured outwards with his paw. "Show me what you are capable of."

Roxy blinked, glancing at him and the many targets and objects. "Wh-what?"

"I said, show me what you are capable of."

She gulped and decided it would be best to at least try to do what he asked. Nervously, she walked on all fours past Taka until she was in the middle of the training area, and then turned around to look at him. Makari sat on a log off to the side, watching her with interested eyes. She was now the centre of attention, and she didn't like it one bit.

"…Well?" Taka snapped after she had stood there for about a minute.

"Um…What do you want me to do…?"

Taka groaned and rolled his eyes. "If I must teach you how to improve your fighting skills, then I need to know what skills you already have, however minimal they may be. So show me what you can do!"

Roxy frowned. "But…But I've never-"

"Never been in a Pokémon Battle. I know," Taka interrupted impatiently, "Show me what skills you do have!"

She was really starting to sweat under the spotlight now. "…Battle skills?"

Taka turned to look back at Makari, as if to ask 'Is she serious?', then turned back to her and snapped, "Yes!"

"B-but…Taka, I…That's just the thing. It's not that I haven't been in any Pokémon Battles, I haven't been in any battles at all! I've never had a fight in my life! I don't know how!"

Roxy could swear she saw one of Taka's eyes twitching, and then the Pikachu promptly buried his head in his hands. "Oh dear heavens…" he murmured, "This must be a joke." Even Makari looked a tad surprised by this revelation.

"I…I'm sorry, but I dunno if I can fight," she said, a hint of pleading in her voice, "That's not how I was raised…"

"Great!" Taka suddenly exclaimed, throwing his forepaws up into the air in exasperation, "So the Wise Ones have saddled me with an impossible task. They expect me to prepare someone like her for life in the forest…so that she may serve and defend our village? This pet could not take down a Metapod!"

"Taka!" Makari shouted hotly.

Roxy was about to defend herself, but she realized that Taka was probably correct.

"Listen, doe!" Taka shouted at her, "Do you honestly expect to be able to survive out here? This is not a place for pets to take happy little vacations!"

She quivered a little, a frown quickly forming on her face. "I…N-no, I…It's n-not my fault I'm here…B-but I really don't know h-"

"No," Taka interjected, holding up one of his paws, "No, no…This is ridiculous. Any Pokémon can fight. It is a part of who we are, even if we do not know it." He gave her one more scrutinizing look before pointing behind her. "Hit that target. I do not care what you do. Punch it, kick it, hit it with your tail. Just show me something."

Roxy glanced behind herself, seeing the wooden target he was pointing at. She gulped and said, "Uhh…Okay…" She nervously waddled over, stepping closer until she was only a few paces away from the wood circle. She looked down at it, trying to decide what to do. The most 'combative' thing Roxy had ever done was breaking out of her egg. She cast a nervous glance back to Taka and Makari, before she faced the target once more and took a deep breath. She then clenched one of her paws into a fist, pulled back her arm, and punched the centre of the target as hard as she could.

"Ngggghhhh…!!!"

Indescribable pain rippled through her paw and right up her foreleg. It felt like she had broken at least 15 bones and reduced a few of them to dust. Tears welled in her eyes, and a gut-wrenching scream was barely being held down within her throat. Roxy had fallen and broken one of her legs once, and that almost didn't even register on the scale compared to this.

Her foreleg dropped limply to her side, she sucked in a breath, and then let out the longest, most agonizing groan of pain she had ever heard in her life.

Roxy fell back onto her rump and then rolled back so she was laying face up, resting her shattered foreleg against the dirt below. She whispered "Ow!" to herself over and over again while she clenched her eyes shut and waited for the pain to subside.

After a moment of pain and agony, she heard pawsteps approaching her. She wrenched open her eyes and saw an upside-down Taka staring down at her in disapproval.

"Without question," he said dryly, "that was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen."

Roxy frowned and whined.

"Your weak little pampered paws are going to do you no good out here," he said before turning around and walking away.

She sat herself back up, yelping slightly when she accidentally leaned on her injured arm.

"This is pointless," Taka was saying dismissively, "There is no way she could learn how to fight. She cannot stay here. Pets do not fight."

Roxy's ears perked up and she quickly stood up on her hind paws. "N-no!" she exclaimed, holding out one forepaw, "No! I can't go back out there! I…"

"Taka…" Makari said, stepping forward to stop Taka from simply walking off, "Give her a chance."

The younger brother scoffed dismissively. "Pichu cubs could punch harder than that, and they wouldn't hurt their paws."

Makari shook his head. "What was it that you were telling me two days ago?"

Taka tilted his head slightly, but then replied, "I am bored. When it is not my turn to patrol, it is boring here."

"Yes," Makari said, nodding, "And what better way to stave off boredom than to challenge yourself with something?"

Roxy saw Taka raise an eyebrow. "What are you getting at…?"

Makari gestured towards her. "Do you not agree that training her to be a competent fighter will be a challenge?" He then turned towards her and added, "I mean no disrespect, Roxy."

She shook her head. "No, no…Heh…It's true."

Taka narrowed his eyes. "I believe that I would rather be bored than wasting my time trying to teach a pet."

"Really, Taka?" Makari replied, taking his turn to raise an eyebrow, "Is that really the way that you feel? In all my years of knowing you, giving up has never been something I would have attributed to you."

Roxy frowned as she saw the heat rise to Taka's face. "Giving up?! I am not giving up, I am refusing to start!"

"Is there truly a difference?"

Taka crossed his arms. "Do not try to use mental trickery on me, brother. Why do you cater to her so much? You hardly know her!"

This caused a change in Makari's expression. He now looked more serious than before. "Because, Taka…She is a Pikachu, she is a Pokémon, and she is in trouble. The alternative to trying to help her is to cast her out into certain death."

Taka looked ready to fire back another argument, but the words seemed to die on his lips. He glared at Makari for a few moments in silence.

Makari's smirk returned. "Come on, Taka," he said, just a hint of goading in his tone, "Consider it a challenge. I am not claiming it will be easy, but I know you are not one to back down from a challenge."

Still, Taka continued to glare at the older Pikachu. Roxy wasn't sure if he was considering his choice, or trying to win a staring contest. A minute of uncomfortable silence passed, with Roxy idly fidgeting and waiting for something to happen.

Finally, Taka sighed in exasperation and turned to look at her once more. "Fine," he said, though there was a definite lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

Roxy was about to thank him for giving her another chance, but then realized she wasn't quite sure if she was thankful.

Taka stepped up towards her and stood a few metres away. "Try this instead," he said, "Hit me with your strongest thunder strike."

"Wh-what…?" Roxy stammered, not sure she had heard him correctly.

"You are able to wield thunder, are you not?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"Then show me!" Taka exclaimed, holding up both of his forepaws.

"You want me to…hit you?"

"Just do it."

Roxy hesitated, casting an unsure glance over to Makari. He gave her a nod of encouragement. "Um…Okay. If you're sure."

Taka simply stood there waiting, so Roxy took a deep breath and got started. She got down on all fours with her back arched, her rear lifted, and her tail pointed to the sky. She tensed up her body and built up as much electricity in her cheek pouches as she could. Finally, when she felt the sparks dancing from her cheeks, she arched her body forward and propelled the electricity through the air. It shot forward quickly, striking Taka in the chest and quickly covering his whole body.

She stood there panting for a moment before she stood back up. She was worried that she had hurt Taka, and looked to see if he was okay.

Taka was just fine. In fact, he didn't show a single sign of injury at all. He looked like he hadn't even felt the shock.

"That was a joke, right?"

Roxy frowned. "No…That was my…my Thunder Jolt."

"Your what? Is that really the best you can do with your thunder? That could hardly be called an attack. I was casting more powerful thunder when I was a Pichu!"

Her ears fell back. Again with the comparison to a Pichu.

"I…I am truly speechless. I do not know where to begin."

"I told you…" Roxy said with a frown, "I can't fight. I never have fought. My master doesn't like fighting…"

"Well, your master has probably never had to survive in the wilderness, has she?" Taka snapped, "Wake up! You are not in the safe, lazy home of your overprotective, indulging, spoiling human anymore! It is not a question of whether or not you want to fight. If you cannot fight, you will die. There is no other way."

Roxy simply stood there for a moment in stunned silence, listening to his harsh words. The way he talked about her master made her feel angry, but mostly it just made her feel hopeless and homesick. "I…" She tried to formulate a response but couldn't.

"Like it or not, if you want to stay here then you must change."

Her eyes started to get a little moist. "B-but…" She sniffled. "I don't wanna change…"

"I am afraid you must," Makari said, stepping over, "But do not be so hard on yourself. If you try your best, then I am sure you will be able to make the necessary changes. This is just difficult for you because it is new. Do not get discouraged so soon." He then turned and gave Taka a look. "That goes for you as well, brother. Do not give up on her so soon. It will take time."

Taka just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Would you like my help, Taka?" Makari asked.

"I do not need your help," Taka replied in a huff, promptly walking away from the two.

Makari gave Roxy an encouraging pat on the back. "Just do your best, Roxy."

Roxy turned and gave him a sad look, trying to silently communicate her plea that he would take her away from this activity. When he turned and walked back to where he had been watching earlier, Roxy's ears dropped and she sighed in defeat. She slowly walked over towards Taka.

"Perhaps start with something where she will not hurt herself?" Makari called to his brother.

Taka just grunted in response. When Roxy walked up behind him, he only turned and gave her a quick glance before turning away.

"Ummm…" Roxy muttered, trying to think of something to say, "I-"

"All right, fine," Taka grumbled, cutting her off. He still seemed irritated, but perhaps a little less frustrated. "Try this instead." He turned around fully this time, holding in his paws a short stick with a somewhat-pointed stone at the end.

Roxy took it and gazed at it, mildly confused.

"The short spear is often used for training young cubs. Try it."

She glanced up at him nervously, then over at the row of targets. "Uhh…"

"Hit it and then stab it."

Roxy gulped and nodded, quickly getting to work before Taka lost his patience again. She tested the spear in her paws a few times. It honestly wasn't very heavy and she found she could hold it quite easily. Perhaps this wouldn't go as badly.

She walked over to one of the targets and gripped the short spear by its shaft. As with everything else they had done today, Roxy had never swung a weapon before, but she tried to spread her hind legs on the ground in what she thought was the best ready position. She had watched a bunch of human swordsmen acting in movies, and tried to remember what they did.

Roxy looked at the target for a couple of moments and she shifted the spear around, trying to get a better feel for it. When her ears picked up a quiet growl from behind her, she realized that she was going too slowly for Taka. So she grit her teeth, closed her eyes, and swung the spear forward in a horizontal arc.

Her ears snapped to her head in response to the loud thunk the impact made, and she ended up dropping the spear because hitting the target had only given her more pain in her forelegs. She seethed a little in pain, and then awkwardly turned back around to look at her teacher.

Taka's jaw was set in a line and his forelegs were crossed, but he didn't look angry. "Well…" he commented, "At least you actually hit it."

Roxy blinked, stared at him for a moment, then gave him an unsure smile. "Th-thanks…?"



…



"Is this Miri's hut?"

The Pikachu villager turned to look at her. His eyes widened in surprise only briefly, but then he replied, "Yes it is."

Roxy smiled in gratitude. "Thanks…"

To her delight, the other Pikachu smiled as well before walking off.

Roxy simply clenched her eyes shut and groaned. She slowly turned around and limped towards the hut. She didn't even bother using her paws to part the vines hanging in front of the door and just awkwardly walked through them.

"Miri…?" she said, her voice weak and coarse.

The Audino's ears perked up and she turned around to greet her visitor. "Hello?" she said before her eyes widened slightly and she got to her feet.

Roxy simply stepped into the middle of the hut and plopped down on her rear, utterly exhausted.

"Dear heavens, are you okay?" Miri asked, approaching the Pikachu and leaning down next to her.

"Not really…" Roxy said as she shook her head, "I can't really feel my forelegs…my hind legs ache…and I got hit on my side right here." She hissed upon touching the tender area. "Ow…"

Miri gently examined Roxy's sore spots with her paws, then nodded silently and held both paws up. They started to glow with a soft, peach-coloured energy, which Miri fed into Roxy's body. Roxy closed her eyes and allowed the Heal Pulse to do its work.

"Thank you…" she murmured.

"Do you feel better?"

Roxy nodded her head softly. "Training with Taka was harder than I expected it to be, and I had already expected it to be really hard…"

"Oh…" Miri said softly, "So you have started?"

As the Heal Pulse ended, Roxy didn't bother to get up. She was far too exhausted. "They said I had to learn to fight, so…I'm learning to fight…Taka beat me up for a couple of hours, then told me to come here, and here I am…"

"I see, young one." Miri sighed. "Yes, it is sad but true that fighting is a way of life out here. The irony in this is that I left my tribe and came here because the Thunder Clan is more peaceful."

Roxy glanced up at the Audino. "And they still have everyone fight…?"

"Except cubs and myself," Miri said with a nod.

She glanced down. "Can you teach me to be a healer then?"

Miri chuckled sympathetically and placed a paw on Roxy's shoulder. "I am afraid not, child."

Roxy heaved a heavy sigh. "Thanks for making me feel better, though. He made me punch and kick so many things, and then he decided that with my 'skill level' it would be prudent to teach me self-defence. Basically, that meant hitting me over and over again."

"Well…Did you learn anything, at least?"

Roxy turned again and gave Miri a flat look.

"Oh…" Miri glanced around awkwardly for a moment before going back to smiling. "Well, your training for today is over, right?"

"Thank heavens…" Roxy murmured.

"That is fair, is it not? And now you have the rest of the day to spend however you want, as I am sure the warriors will not send you out on patrol until you have learned enough skills.

'Patrol'. Makari had left halfway through her lessons because he'd needed to go out on patrol. She made a mental note to ask him later what that meant.

"Come!"

Roxy blinked, realizing that Miri was now standing by the door and gesturing for her to stand up. "Wha…?"

"Evening is not yet on the horizon. Would you like to join me for a walk around the village?"

Roxy considered this for a moment, and then smiled. "Um, okay. I'd love to." She then stood up and walked towards the door, where Miri allowed her to exit first.

If Roxy had to guess, it was about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The angled rays of the sun were filtering down through the heavy tree cover in a rather beautiful way. There were clouds in the sky, but hardly enough to cast the land in darkness. It was a little chilly outside, but honestly not bad for the time of the year.

She decided to let Miri lead the way and follow after. When they stepped away from Miri's hut and moved towards the centre of the village, Roxy again became aware of all the other native villagers that were around her. Many of them she hadn't even had a chance to talk to yet. Despite herself, Roxy couldn't help but still feel a little anxious.

Roxy tried to maintain a positive expression and looked around. A few of the villagers were still giving her a bit of an odd look, but most of them didn't seem to notice her anymore. They would glance in her direction and then go back to whatever they were doing.

She felt relieved. Perhaps they had finally come to accept her and were no longer suspicious of her being a stranger in their midst. On the other paw, they could have just gotten more complacent in knowing that she was being 'looked after' by the likes of Makari, Taka and Miri.

"Good afternoon, Bogo!"

Roxy jumped slightly when she realized that Miri was talking to someone. She stepped to the side and looked around the Audino to see a young-looking Pikachu warrior. He was almost her size. The green markings on his fur seemed to emphasize his eyes.

"Good afternoon, Miri," he replied with a nod. When he noticed Roxy standing nearby, he gave her the same nod. "And to you as well, young one. What was your name?"

She smiled nervously and replied in a quiet voice, "Roxy…"

"I trust you are being accommodated well, Roxy?" he said, pronouncing her name strangely.

Roxy skewed her lips. Make that two things to ask Makari about.

"Worry not," Miri replied for her, "She is well taken care of. Makari has given her lodgings and Taka is training her to fight."

Bogo nodded in approval. "That is good news to hear." He flashed them both a quick smile before continuing on his way.

After a moment, Roxy turned to Miri and said, "He seems nice."

"Bogo is an excellent scout and lookout. He seemed rather friendly towards you, did he not?"

The two continued walking, and Roxy nodded. "Yeah…I kind of expected everyone to still…Well, I dunno… I'm still a stranger."

Miri and Roxy walked through the village some more, and Miri stopped to talk to two others along the way. Both of them seemed just as affable as Bogo had been. With every interaction, Roxy felt more and more of her shyness melt away. She still felt like an unexpected visitor, but the villagers were definitely acting a lot friendlier towards her now. She was starting to feel welcomed.

When she wasn't talking, Roxy found herself gazing at the huts and up to the treetops. It was like a scene right out of a storybook to her. Even just seeing wild Pikachu in their natural habitat would have been a spectacle to her, but what these Pokémon had constructed was nothing short of a marvel.

As they started to circle back around towards Miri's huts, they came across someone else that Miri wanted to talk to. Roxy paused a little upon seeing this new acquaintance.

"Baza," Miri greeted, "Is everything going well?"

The one in question, Baza, was easily the biggest Pikachu Roxy had ever seen. He was almost as tall as a Raichu. He looked quite strong and wielded a stone hammer-like weapon that Roxy believed was known as a 'Tomahawk' to the humans. Standing behind him were a pair of young Pichu and a Minun pup.

Baza laughed loudly, and Roxy was a little surprised by his voice. It sounded much lighter and friendlier than she had expected. "The little devils keep me busy during the day, that is for sure."

One of the Pichu giggled, but the other two were preoccupied with looking up at Roxy.

"It is nice to see you, Miri," Baza said, and then turned to look at his other guest. "And you…!" he said, giving off a somewhat charismatic smile, "You are the human's Pikachu who ended up in our village."

"Um…" Roxy murmured, unsure of how the bigger Pikachu felt about her exactly, "Yes?"

"Well, I hope you have been handling life in the wilderness fine so far."

"Oh!" she replied, pleased that his first topic of discussion was to ask how she was doing, "Well, um…It's hard. It's difficult and far outside of my comfort zone, but…" She paused and glanced back at Miri. "…It looks like I've got some good friends who are there to help me out."

Baza laughed once more. He then lifted his Tomahawk off of his shoulder, twirled it round, and placed the head of the weapon on the ground so that he could lean on the handle. He did it so quickly that Roxy jumped slightly when the noticeably heavy weapon impacted the ground.

"I…" she faltered briefly, "I, um…Heavens…Everything here is so different…"

"Well, not everything," Baza said with another grin. He held out his paw for Roxy to take, and she held out hers again. When their paws connected, she saw his confused expression.

"I don't have 'the spark'," she explained, not for the first time since her introduction yesterday, "It's a rare but perfectly normal condition for Pikachu."

"Oh," Baza replied, "Interesting."

"What is that around your neck?" one of the Pichu suddenly piped up, reminding Roxy of the cubs that were present.

She glanced down at them. One of the Pichu didn't seem to mind that she was there and was holding onto a small stick that resembled a weapon. However, it was the other Pichu that had spoken. He was half-hiding behind Baza's body with the Minun.

Baza stepped away and allowed her to approach. She did so slowly, and leaned down so that she was closer to their eye-level. "This was a gift," she explained, "from a very close friend of mine."

"Oh," the Pichu replied, his curiosity satiated.

"But what is it?" the other, bolder Pichu asked.

She turned and smiled at him. "It's a 'collar'. It is something that I can wear, but see? It's also got my name on it." She held up the little tag with her name engraved on it for the cubs to see.

The three glanced at it with curious eyes, which quickly turned to confusion. It took a moment for Roxy to realize that no Pokémon here was likely to know how to read human script. "My name is Roxy," she added in light of this.

"It is strange," the bold Pichu said, giving her collar a scrutinizing look.

"Well," she replied, "I come from a place far away from here. Pokémon out there look like I do. To me, it's you that look a little strange." She smiled at them and then asked, "What are your names?"

"Nakakai, Makurikai and Okikai," she heard Baza say from behind.

"Hello young ones," she greeted them with a smile.

"Why is there a flower on your head?" Nakakai, the bold one, asked.

"It was also a gift."

"Where are your marks?"

Roxy paused, figuring that he meant the green body paint. "They, um…I don't have 'marks'… They don't do that where I'm from…"

"You look strange," Nakakai said bluntly, catching Roxy by surprise, "Your fur is bare and you wear that strange thing on your neck."

"Perhaps her tribe is just different," Makurikai, the other Pichu, said.

"If she is here now, she should change."

"Children…" Baza spoke up, a warning tone in his voice.

Roxy smiled. "It's okay. I'm a little strange, I know. You don't see many wild Pokémon wearing a collar. But that's fine, Baza. I know they weren't trying to be hurtful."

A moment passed as the two Pichu continued to stare in confusion at her collar and the flower. They were murmuring things to one another. It looked like Nakakai had more to say, but Baza's warning had all but silenced him.

"I…I like it…"

Roxy's ears twitched upon hearing the very quiet voice, and she turned to regard the third cub. The Minun, Okikai, looked noticeably meek and shy, but his eyes were locked on her collar.

"You do?" Roxy asked with a big smile.

Okikai fidgeted for a moment before he murmured, "Y-yes…"

"Well, thank you young one! What do you like about it?"

Okikai considered his answer for a moment before he said, "It…looks striking. It feels like a mark of…power."

Roxy fell silent for a moment as she considered this. She resisted the urge to chuckle. That was certainly not something she had ever attributed to her collar before.

"Wh-Why…do you like it?"

She smiled upon hearing the Minun's question. "I like it because…it represents a bond. A stronger bond than friendship, little one. This collar means I'm part of a family…A family that I miss so very much…" She glanced away for a moment as homesickness struck her. "I never want to take it off…because when I wear it, it feels like I'm always connected to the human who gave it to me."

Okikai listened to her words with a shy sort of interest. Upon the word 'human', though, the three cubs immediately started to chatter amongst one another.

"Okay, children," Baza interjected as he took a step closer and held up his weapon, "It is time to continue practicing. Train for a few minutes and then show me something."

With that, the three cubs picked up their little sticks and started waving them around. Roxy was led away by Baza, but she glanced over her shoulder at them as they left.

"Baza is training the young ones," Miri explained.

"Oh, I see," Roxy said.

"Indeed," Baza said, "They did seem interested to hear about your…"

"Collar," Roxy clarified.

"Your collar, yes. I too find it…interesting."

"Oh?" Roxy glanced up at Baza, but frowned. She could see that his expression didn't really say 'interested', but rather something else. "What?"

"I am sorry, but I do not really understand. Why do you continue to wear it now, if it is the mark of slavery?"

Roxy's eyes shot open wide and she stopped dead in her tracks. "'Slavery'?! What??"

"It is similar in principal to the Poké Balls that the humans use, is it not? It is something to show that you belong to a human, right?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Roxy was floored. "Pokémon that live with humans are not slaves!" she retorted, "I am not a slave to my master! She's part of my family, and I'm part of hers! She provides food, shelter and care, and she is always nice to me!"

Baza furrowed his brow. "Yet, they have taken you away from your life in the wild."

"No, they haven't. My master hatched me from my egg. She was there when I took my first breath, and this is the first time in my whole life I've been without her. This collar is the only thing I have left that connects me to her, and if I can help it I'll never take it off!"

"But why do you call her 'master' then?"

"I dunno!" she half-exclaimed, "I just do. It's just a word. Lots of Pokémon call their humans masters. She is my caretaker and I depend on her, but I'm not her slave!"

"Roxy…?" Miri's voice cut in, "Are you crying?"

"No!" she shouted, turning to face the Audino, but then paused and lowered her voice. "M-maybe…" she mumbled and raised a paw to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Come, Roxy. We shall go now."

Roxy simply nodded and started following Miri, sniffling as she went.

"I apologize, Roxy!" Baza called after them, "I did not think before I spoke." Roxy, however, didn't turn back or respond.

She simply walked with her head low, one paw clutching her collar as if afraid that it would be taken away from her again, and the other wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You are very good with children," Miri commented.

Roxy sniffled once more and glanced up at her. "Y-you think so?"

Miri smiled and nodded.

"I, uh…I've played with the neighbourhood cubs a few times…"

"It seemed to come very naturally to you."

Roxy smiled, though there were still tears in her eyes. "Thanks…" she muttered, "I'm sorry that I'm such a mess…It's just so hard. I'm trying to make the best of things, since I'm pretty much stuck here…but I really miss her."

"I understand, child," Miri spoke, "Whether human or Pokémon, when a strong bond is severed there are bound to be feelings of anguish. The best thing you can do is to not give up hope."

"I don't even know what happened…My master might be hurt!"

"Try not to dwell on things you do not know, and focus on the present."

Roxy nodded and wiped away the last of her tears. "I'm sorry…" she apologized again.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Your tears are justified."

The Pikachu took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "I'll have to apologize to Baza. I didn't mean to snap at him."

Miri patted her on the back and said, "I am sure he already forgives you."

The two wandered through the village a bit more, slowly heading back to Miri's hut. However, Roxy couldn't seem to break out of her funk. Baza's comments had dug up suppressed feelings of homesickness and the heartbreak of separation. There was a heavy weight in her heart and a weariness in her head.

"Ah! Look who has returned," Miri said once they had reached a familiar spot.

Roxy glanced up to see what she was talking about. There, standing in front of his hut and holding his spear was someone who made her smile immediately.

"Makari!!" she exclaimed before quickly dashing over to his side.

The Pikachu turned to greet her, but was surprised when she suddenly tackled him with a warm hug. Her exuberance nearly sent him off balance.

"Hello, Roxy," he spoke, "It is good to see you."

Roxy gave him a quick squeeze before taking a step back. "I missed you!" she said with a big smile on her face.

Makari chuckled. "I was only gone for half of the day."

She flushed slightly in embarrassment, but shook it off and continued to smile. "I'm just really happy to see you, Makari."

"Is that so?"

Roxy nodded. "It's, um…" she said as she glanced to the side, "It's been a long day…"