Chapter 11

Bandit stalked angrily through the undergrowth in the forest.

“It’s ridiculous,” he growled to himself, “He just ignores me. Why? I am superior to all those other weaklings! They’re nothing compared with me. I could kill them all. But instead of getting the recognition I deserve I get nothing! Everyone ignores me!”

A low growl vibrated through his body, the noise and feeling building on his anger and making it even stronger. He knew he was getting too close to where Raticate and Dark Growlithe fought and changed course to head away from that area. As he walked now he used all of his skills to avoid detection. He knew he was superior to the majority of pokémon who lived around here and the combination of his small size and skills left him totally confident he would be able to travel unnoticed. Forcing his growl to cease he became totally silent.

‘They say it’s dangerous in the forest,’ he thought mockingly of his elders, ‘I’ll see if the dangers are enough to stop me. I will have to show off more of my skills at the next training session. Dark Growlithe will recognise me as superior, then he will tell the rest of the pack and I will become Alpha! Nothing will stop me!’

A soft pecking sound ahead of him snapped Bandit out of his dark thoughts and he sneaked forward to find the source of the sound. It was a lone female pidgey, completely unaware of the danger she was now in.

‘Stupid bird! You’re travelling all alone in my forest. That will cost you! You will acknowledge my power!’

In a light brown blur Bandit launched himself at the pidgey, pinning it to the ground. Flooded with adrenaline the two pokémon struggled against each other. The pidgey desperate to escape her attacker and Bandit with the intent to kill the poor bird for no other reason than to prove to himself that he could. Although the pidgey and Bandit were about the same size Bandit had the advantage. His surprise attack meant he was now on top and could use his weight as well as his strength. A cruel smile was on Bandit’s face as he held the struggling bird against the ground. He could feel her desperate struggle to get into the air. He could smell her fear, hear her cries of pain and still he held on. He was drawing a sort of evil pleasure from feeling her struggling and exhausting herself. When the pidgey had finally stopped struggling and was instead shaking beneath him he spoke to her.

“Admit that I am superior!” he demanded.

“Alright! You’re superior! Just let me go! I didn’t do anything!”

“You were in my forest.”

“It’s not your forest,” argued the pidgey.

Bandit frowned and pressed harder on the back of the bird’s neck, pushing her beak into the ground.

“It. Is. My. Forest.” said Bandit slowly, increasing the pressure with each word.

“Fine! It’s yours! Please, just let me go. I won’t come back ever again.”

“That’s obvious, because I’m not going to even let you leave.”

Bandit sank his sharp teeth into the pidgey’s wing, just at the shoulder.

“Do you like your wings?” asked Bandit, his eyes shining with a crazy light.

Pidgey was stunned by what Bandit was saying.

“P... please...”

The next thing that left her beak was an incredible cry of pain as Bandit tore the muscle off Pidgey’s right wing. Bandit could now see the yellow-white bones and taste her sweet blood. Pidgey herself was now crying and in too much pain to even try and escape, not that she could have gone very far with only one wing. Bandit then closed his jaws around the left wing and stripped some muscle off it as well. He then climbed off Pidgey and licked his red lips while walking in a circle around his victim. The pidgey was lying on her belly, her wings hanging limply by her side, loose flesh hanging down and blood staining her feathers.

“See!” shouted Bandit, “You’ll never leave! You’ll die here, alone!”

“Why? Why’d you do this?” begged the pidgey.

“Because I can. Because no one can stop me. You see,” he spoke quietly now, almost a whisper, a great sadness in his voice, “No one cares about me, no one ever compliments me. They ignore me. They just yell at me,” his voice began building again, “Don’t do that. Stop that! Go away, Bandit! They should see my power! Now get up!”

Pidgey just lay on the ground, weakening.

“Get up and fight! Die fighting!”

Pidgey closed her eyes and gave up. Nothing could save her now. Her surrender just infuriated Bandit and he tackled her, knocking her limp body around, ignoring the fact that she was now dead. A long while later, it was starting to get dark, Bandit left the pidgey. He was exhausted and covered in sweat, blood and feathers. As he left he glared at the mutilated body of the pidgey and smiled, glad he had won and proved his superiority.

*****

Later, after supper, when the sun had already set and the only light came from the moon Dark Growlithe and Cream went off on their date. Cream was very excited being with Dark Growlithe and was cheerfully bouncing around beside him. Dark Growlithe, on the hand, was very nervous and had absolutely no idea of what he should be doing.

“Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?” asked Dark Growlithe, half to, unnecessarily, keep Cream happy and half so he’d have somewhere to start a conversation.

“Uh,” Cream cocked her head in thought before spinning in a tight circle once before answering, “How about the cliff? You can see most of the surrounding area.”

‘If it weren't night,’ commented his little voice in his head, ‘I don’t think she’s thinking straight. Better keep an eye on her.’

“The cliff it is, then,” agreed Dark Growlithe.

The cliff Cream was referring too was just that, a cliff. It was also the highest point around and gave an unobstructed view of the river for quite a distance, until it changed direction, and if you turned around you could see the green forest. Dark Growlithe knew about the cliff and where the path up to it was, but had never actually gone there himself, at least until now.

The two pokémon climbed the steep trail up to the cliff and sat a short distance from the edge, not too far, as that would destroy the entire point of being on a cliff, but far enough so there wasn’t a danger of them falling to their death.

“You’re warm,” commented Cream, resting against Dark Growlithe.

“It’s my fire,” explained Dark Growlithe, “There’s one inside each fire pokémon.”

“That must be nice. To never get cold.”

“I’ve been cold before. Are you always cold?”

“No, well maybe for you it would be cold but not to me. Don’t you know that?”

“I’ve always lived amongst fire pokémon, at least until now. I can’t experience the same things other pokémon experience, so I have to ask.”

“Does your leg still hurt?”

“Not at all,” replied Dark Growlithe, stretching it, “It’s all better now.”

Cream gave a relieved sigh, “I was worried you might be permanently injured.”

“Not from just a little nip. Pokémon are natural fighters, I was always going to be fine. You didn’t need to worry.”

“But you were bleeding so much! If you died it would have been all my fault!”

“Don’t blame yourself. You had nothing to do with my injury.”

“But if I didn’t let the rattata get away you wouldn’t have been hurt!”

“If the rattata had just run away nothing would have happened, it’s because Bandit chased it, even when I told him not to, that I had to fight.”

“But he wouldn’t-”

“That’s enough!” snapped Dark Growlithe, then quieter, “I don’t want you to think that this was your fault, because it wasn’t. At any rate I’m fine. Let’s talk about something else. Are you confident about the Evolution Exam?”

“How am I supposed to pass? I can barely manage anything you set for me. Everyone else is better.”

Dark Growlithe sighed, “You’ve sure got a low self-image. There’s no reason you can’t do just as well as everyone else, maybe you aren’t trying hard enough.”

“But I do! I try as hard as I can but whenever I make a mistake Bandit says I can’t do anything. He’s good, he knows what he’s talking about.”

“I thought you didn’t like Bandit?”

“I don’t. He’s a jerk!”

“Then why do you care what he thinks of you?”

Cream looked at Dark Growlithe, a look of confusion on her face.

“You told me Bandit says you can’t do anything. That means his opinion is bothering you. He’s probably the reason you can’t accomplish what you want. Whenever you try to do something for the first time, or try to do something you’re not good at, you’re bound to make mistakes. You learn from those and grow stronger, but if someone insults you and tells you can’t do what you are trying he or she will destroy your confidence and you will forever have trouble with whatever skill.” Dark Growlithe paused for a moment and thought, “I tell you what, I’ll give you and Bramble special lessons, without Bandit. If you want Kitten can come, but she doesn’t need extra lessons. I’m sure you’ll be able to improve if Bandit is removed from the picture.”

“You mean I’ll be able to do everything I can’t do now?”

“Not immediately, but in time. I’ll make sure you pass your exam and choose whatever elemental stone you want.”

“Thank you!”

“Is there a particular stone you’re aiming for?”

“I haven’t decided,” she muttered, averting her eyes to the ground.

“Did you know I’m also a stone evolution pokémon? If I make contact with a fire stone I’ll evolve into an arcanine.”

“Wow! When are you going to do that?”

“Huh? I didn’t say I was going to. I like myself the way I am now. Maybe someday I’ll evolve... if I need to, but now I have no reason.”

Just then there was a bright flash in the sky that lit up the cliff Dark Growlithe and Cream were on. They looked up and saw a shooting star blazing across the dark expanse of the night sky.

“Quick!” urged Cream, “Make a wish!”

The two closed their eyes and silently made their wish.

*****

It was now rather late as Cream and Dark Growlithe came down from the cliff. Cream was talking softly about how she had once made a wish to melt into the water like a vaporeon could and had almost drowned when she jumped into the river. A movement caught Dark Growlithe’s eye and he hushed her and crouched down. It was too dark for either of them to make out exactly what was moving toward the river but it was a small creature. It appeared to wash itself and then headed toward the cave, vanishing in the shadows of the rocks.

“What was that?” whispered Cream fearfully, “Why’s it going to the cave?”

“I don’t know,” answered Dark Growlithe, also in a whisper, “Stay close.”

Cream didn’t need to be told and stayed right by Dark Growlithe’s side as he went to investigate the riverbank where the creature had been. On the muddy bank he recognised the scent that came to his nostrils.

“Cream, what do you think this smells like?”

“Um...,” Cream sniffed the air and ground, “It’s Bandit!”

“And...?”

“...And Blood!”

Dark Growlithe looked in the direction of the cave, ‘What was he doing out this late at night? And why was he covered in blood?’

A night breeze flowed between the river walls and around the vaporeon pack’s cove. It rustled the leaves and the few trees and snuck through the two pokémon’s fur, chilling them to the bone. Cream hid under Dark Growlithe, trembling.

“I-I’m scared.”

“It’s okay,” reassured Dark Growlithe, “I’ll protect you. I don’t know what Bandit was up to but I won’t let him hurt you.”

He then led her into the cave and the two curled up with Kitten, who was already asleep. They didn’t sense Bandit on the way in and Cream fell into a fitful sleep but Dark Growlithe lay awake a little longer. Keeping watch.