Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Charon's Pursuit ❯ Charon ( Chapter 1 )

Charon’s apple was delicious. Biting into the sweet flesh of the red fruit held in his brown paws whilst reclining on a sturdy branch of a thick oak tree high up in the forest’s canopy, the male savored the tranquility of the moment. It was a clear sky in midday, and the sun’s luminescence pierced through the sylvan canopy, basking Charon in natural warmth that gleamed off his apple, already half-devoured. Peaceful moments, Charon believed, were meant to be prolonged and treasured, thus he chewed slowly, letting the succulent taste please his tongue. Deep down he wished the moment could last forever…but he already knew it was an empty wish. He was living in the wild, after all.

Charon, as he has called himself since his moment of birth, is known to the human and animal world alike as a Raichu. He, like any healthy Raichu, presented an impressive physique: light-orange fur; a height of two foot seven; large, tapered, sensitive ears with the accent of slight curly-Qs; a rodentine face with olive eyes and yellow cheeks; a large, heavy body, the underbelly colored white, possessing considerable physical power (for someone weighing around 30 kilograms), with powerful, oversized hindlegs that could crush watermelons with a single stomp; and, last but not least, a raichu’s pride and joy that was the long, wire-like tail topped with a jagged head that could be swung like a metal flail.

Yes, raichus are more than well-equipped for defending themselves. But alas, they are a rare sight in the wild, and more often than not the power that a raichu possesses leads to a brutish, thug-like behavior that is feared by all. Such is the life of Charon: living day-to-day as a solitary male, relying mostly on himself, the male raichu is cursed by a prejudiced reputation that makes friends amongst fellow rodents, nevermind potential mates, just about impossible to earn. It depresses Charon somewhat, but after a few months in the wild he has learned to endure, despite how his frustrations can lead to a blood-boiling anger.

Living life in the wild was something of a bipolar existence to the lone creature on the branch. One moment he’d be starving to death, desperately clamoring for some food; the next moment he’d be bored to tears, often for several days straight, mainly because there was no others he could call upon for company. Of course, there was also the occasional “run-like-hell-to-escape-death-and/or-capture” moments…but due to some certain natural talents, as well as the aforementioned stereotype that labeled his race as ruthless, relentless brutes, those moments proved as rare as spotting a fish in the desert. Still, there were some instances where things got an interesting twist…such as right now.

The quiet whisper of rustling leaves teased Charon’s large ears.

I’m not alone, the Raichu thought calmly, Is it that snake again?

Charon let out a quiet, long sigh. Ever since he came to the region, a venomous snake named Synope had declared the raichu the “ultimate prize for his predatory instinct.” Normally, Charon would take great heed to such a threat…but it soon became obvious that Synope’s hunting skills sucked harder than a baby on a pacifier. Elephants had more stealth than Synope could truthfully boast about. Every attempt on Charon’s life by the pathetic snake has ended in spectacular failure…and yet Synope still tries.

Oh well, at least it will pass the time, Charon thought.

Charon bit into the apple once more, getting in one last taste of the fruit. Pretending to be oblivious, he listened as the rustling of Synope inched closer and closer. The brief moment of peace heightened his senses, thus he could almost envision the lackluster hunter sliding amongst the branches, ambitions of grandeur and fame clouding the reptile’s eyes and judgement. He chewed and swallowed.

I’ve been going too soft on him, Charon thought, tensing the muscles in his right forepaw as he slightly leaned forward, Maybe if I pin him to the tree and bare my teeth? And throw some sparks in as well. That should scare him away for awhile…unless he’s a damn masochist…now, just a little closer, Synope…

The moment came. Charon snapped around, seizing the stalker by the neck. Dropping his apple, the Raichu thrust the weight of his arms against the tree trunk, slamming the stalker violently against it, as the half-eaten fruit plummeted to the ground below. Sparks of electricity danced around Charon’s cheeks as the raichu menaced the stalker with a façade of bloodlust.

But then, the Raichu gasped in shock. “Ack! You’re not Synope!”

Indeed it wasn’t. Trapped in Charon’s chokehold, a tiny, yellow mammal, with a small, black, bent tail and stared back at the raichu with widened eyes, its tiny feet kicking in futility as it hung pinned to the tree trunk, gasping for breath as tears of horror began to drip from its olive eyes. This wasn’t just any other mammal: it was a child of Charon’s own race! A pichu!

Oh, shit! Charon cursed in his mind, as he immediately released his grasp, allowing the youngster to collapse against the trunk. With a yelp, the pichu pressed its back against the tree trunk, trembling as it cowered before the raichu that dwarfed it. Charon found himself drowning in a tidal wave of guilt, for he could see that the pichu thought it was going to die. But then again…where the hell did this pichu come from? Last time he checked, there were no herds of his kind around here…

“Please, please don’t kill me!” The youngster cried, looking up at Charon, a torrent of tears flowing down its rosy cheeks, its squeaky voice revealing a feminine gender, “I didn’t mean to spy on you! I won’t ever-ever-ever-ever-ever do it again! JUST DON’T KILL ME! WAAAAAH!”

“Oh, hell,” Charon muttered, pulling at one of his curly-qs. He tried to calm the pichu down: “Kid, I didn’t mean to-.”

“I’ll do anything! ANYTHING! Just as long as you let me live!” The pichu cried further on, now sobbing beyond consolation as her head bent down, no longer able to look into the face of Charon. The theatrics of the whole spectacle began to strike a very sensitive chord in the raichu, who was now usurped of his patience.

“For crying out loud, would you CALM DOWN?!” Charon snapped, frustration getting the better of him, “I’m not going to kill you!”

That tiny, emotional outburst proved to be a terrible mistake. The pichu, her senses shattered from fright, yelped again. Desperate to do anything to escape the presence of Charon, she tumbled off the side of the branch, not looking where she was going. Charon gasped once more, and instinctively dove to grab the youngster before it could fall to its doom. Now, lying on the branch, his outstretched paw held the frightened, young female by the tip of its tiny tail, as it hung upside-down above the unforgiving ground.

“Let go of me! Let go! Let go!” The pichu cried, now wriggling to get free, much to the raichu’s dismay.

“I don’t know who you are, but stop moving! If I lose my grip, you could die!” Charon exclaimed.

“You’re going to kill me anyway! WAAAAAH!”

“I am NOT going to kill you! If I wanted to do that I wouldn’t have saved your life 10 seconds ago.”

“Mommy said raichus like to lie to and torture girls like me!”

“WHAT?!?”

The pichu gave no response. In another fit of desperation, the pichu bent upwards to bite down hard upon Charon’s paw. Charon, having never been bitten before, experienced a lapse in common thinking and rolled off the branch he was lying upon as the little rodent’s teeth violated him, causing him to cry out in pain. Raichu and Pichu both fell down to the awaiting earth. Charon landed hard on his back, the air in his lungs knocked out completely, as the pichu used the raichu as a cushion. Not wasting a moment’s time, the pichu dashed away into the wilderness as Charon gasped for air, the youngster most likely never to be seen again by the loner.

Damn it, Charon thought, slowly lifting himself off the ground, These stereotypes are going to be the end of me…


After the incident, Charon needed to refresh himself. The lake to the north of the forest proved to be the best place for such refreshment. Being a raichu, he had no fear of the volatile fish that sometimes jumped to shore to shoo away the landbound creatures. This was because of the electricity that he, as well as any member of the Chu species, could discharge from his cheeks. Raichus happened to wield this natural defense with tremendous power, making Charon and other raichus the bane of water creatures everywhere. Thus, he could wade a fair distance into the water and enjoy a relaxing swim, while drinking the cool freshwater at the same time.

As he swam, though, the incident from before began to gnaw at his conscience. Up until now, he had assumed that he was the only Chu living in the region. But a Chu’s own litter had been spying on him. Pichus don’t spring out of the ground, and their parents would most likely be part of a herd.

This possibility changed everything. Before, Charon figured that he would always be the odd one out, as he had been for most of his life, regardless of residence, and had grown accustomed to living life as a lone wolf. But now, members of his own kind were living SOMEWHERE right under Charon’s nose.

“That would mean,” Charon muttered, as he emerged from the water to dry off at the shore, “That would mean…I could finally have someone…to call a mate…and this time, it won’t be like before…not like before at all.”

Charon, resting on all paws, shook the moisture out of his fur like a dog. Once satisfied, the raichu stood back on his hind-legs, and stretched his back.

“But I can’t just search for them aimlessly…I need help on this…but who’s going to help a Raichu?”