Chapter Text
Of fucking course it'd turn out this way. Run away from your family but fail to realize that the damn wilds care less for you than they do. No going through the forest near the dead of night is the perfect time to run.
Hindsight is 20/20. Though the regret is being hightened by my near broken legs.
I grit my teeth and try not to cry. Not to scream. The wild mons around here aren't known for their kindness towards humans, trainer or not. So I stay quiet, hoping that maybe nothing heard me fall as I slowly drag myself to a small cluster of trees. Even if nothing heard me, I'd rather have some cover from prowling pokemon.
As much as my legs hurt, I can't give up here. I'm both in too deep to go crawling back to them and too close to the next city. If I can just make my way to the pokemon center they'll set me straight and I'll be on my way. Probably.
Fuck, they're going to ask for identification, aren't they? Then they'll call my family. Of course. All avoidable if I just chose a different time!!! Fuck this. Fuck this damn forest. Fuck my damn family. Fuck Kanto, I just want OUT-
snap
I blink stray tears out of my eyes as adrenaline pumps through me in an instant. Through the foliage I see a Fearow right where I just was. It's staring at the path I dragged through the dirt to get to my hiding spot. It fucking knows.
I try to keep my breathing steady as it stalks it's way to my hiding place. Just hoping that it just loses interest or something intervenes. Or, if nothing else, just to have a little more time before it mauls me.
Step
I think of all the hopes I had once I finally escaped that backwards, insane town.
Step
I think about all the useless attempts to win my parents affection
Step
I think of when I finally woke up to the realization that they weren't worth the effort.
Step
As I close my eyes and I think of nothing.
Ste-
Before it can breach the Bush I'm behind I hear it get impacted by something. I hear it squawk in pain and shuffle about. I don't know what happened but I refuse to open my eyes. For a moment I feel like I'm nothing more than a scared child.
For a moment I think that's all I've ever been.
I hear more sounds of violence before a whoosh of wind. I open my eyes and find the Fearow gone. Whatever fought it managed to drive it away, but I don't know what it was. I just hope it doesn't know that I'm he-
Oh
It's a human...?
No, that... I can't see it's face. Just it's glowing purple eyes. It's too far in the shadow but it knows I'm here. And it just stares... why isn't it doing anything?
"Why are you here, Child?"
...this thing isn't human.
"W-what?"
"Why are you here. Away from your settlement. You've no partners to protect you. No supplies. Nothing. Why are you here"
As... it talks it steps close to me and I get a better look. It... might have been a person, at some point. It's face flits with shadows and darkness, obscured by a veil. What should be the whites of it's eyes are colored yellow. It's outfit looks... damn near ancient but patched time and time again. On top of its head, a large brimmed hat that emits wisps of smoke from the tips.
It's movement is... human-esque rather than human. Like a person playing pretend. All these aspects make something click in my mind. Something I saw in the brief respites I got on the internet. All of it rushes to one singular name. The Merchant.
They're supposed to be some trader, of sorts. Showing up and making deals with trainers in especially secluded places. It never asks for money. You pay with other means. "The Merchant always has what you need." What the deals it makes differs from person to person. For some, they claim it helped them when lost. For another, first aid supplies and potions.
One ever claimed to have tried to battle it.
They claim to have lost.
I realize I've just been staring at it for... I'm not sure how long, but I try to gather my courage. They may be my ticket to not dying in this forest.
"I-I'm... trying to get to the next city. I left... unprepared."
"A trainer forgetting to stock up on potions is unprepared. You aren't even that. You left with nothing."
Why the fuck is a cryptid the one thing that gives a damn...
"...getting a-all that would take too long. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible... c-can you help me?"
...Fuck I really am desperate.
"...we will deliver you to safety. But first, your legs"
Before I can even begin to panic it puts a hand on my bloodied leg. It's touch feels cold and wrong for just a moment before I have to stop myself from screaming. Whatever it's done hurts. I bite my lip hard enough to draw blood and after a while the pain subsides.
My legs feel... better. Not fully well, but I could probably walk now. In fact I can barely feel my hands, or... anything physical really. But that's what it does. It doesn't take money, but feelings, sensations, emotions. One trainer even claimed it took a memory. In turn for healing my legs, it took a large amount of my sense of touch.
But that's only half the deal.
"...w-what do I owe you for guiding me to the c-city"
It backs up and stares at the blood now on it's hand. Like it's staring through it rather than at it. And it just stays like that for a few minutes. Unmoving. As do I, because I'd rather not test my luck with the forest again.
"...seems that has been paid in advance."
Fucking what?
"By who??"
"you carry the blood of one important to us. We owed them a debt, thus, we owe you a debt as they have long since passed."
I stare in shock. My family is filled with bastards and assholes who would sell each other out for 5 poké. Did this thing know someone from my family? What the hell did they do to make The fucking Merchent owe them something? It can't be my grandparents, they're still kicking. How long has this thing been around??
Unfortunately my curiosity pales in comparison to my want to get the FUCK out of this forest.
"...f-fine. Can w-we get going? I want to register as soon as I can..."
The only things of note that I took were some clothes and all the stuff I'd need to register as a trainer. I don't need to make it big, I just need to win a few badges. Enough to get my feet on the ground for me and my pokemon. Plus, they'll look good on resume's. As long as I'm not injured the league won't have any reason to contact my family.
It starts to walk off into the forest and I follow. It doesn't say much else and despite my curiosity I'd rather not bother it. We walk for about an hour before I see lights. The city is just past this line of trees and The Merchant stops.
"This is as far as we go. Take care, Alex"
...
And with that, it's gone. And I try desperately not to think about how it knew my name.