Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ LIFE without ROCKET ❯ Domino's Fury! Caught in the Storm of the Forest! ( Chapter 2 )

AUTHORS NOTES:
These have to be the LONGEST chapters for a story I have EVER wrote! O_o;; Just shows how much I be enjoying writing this, ne? Time to speak the dangerous words of "I really hope I can finish this story!" as more often than not I don't -_-;; Blah...
And yeah in the games there are no Teddiursa's/Ursaring's in Viridian Forest but this is my story so I say there is XD
Enjoy! The actual storyline I have planned starts in the next chapter ;)

*~ LIFE without ROCKET ~*
By Togepi

Chapter Two: - Domino's Fury! Caught in the Storm of the Forest!

The week came and went and Monday soon approached, sparking the beginning of James' new job at the Pokémon center.
That morning he nervously rushed about the apartment, fussing about things, like what to wear and almost forgetting about breakfast. After grabbing Cacnea's Pokéball and realizing he was going to be late he rushed out of the apartment with a rushed by to the others.

"If Nurse Joy wasn't so nice she would end up firing him by the end of the week..." Cassidy muttered before taking a bite out of the toast she had in her hand while looking at the paper.

"I doubt it..." Jesse said back, shaking her head slowly with a sincere smile on her face. "...he maybe clumsy but he works hard..."

"Humph..."

Both of their attention was turned towards Bashou who simply stood up and left the apartment without another word. Both Jesse and Cassidy didn't look very pleased after he had left.

"He's so rude..." Cassidy sneered. "...not even a bye or anything..."

********************************

James was merrily walking down the street with Cacnea now happily walking by his side. It's right arms was still bandaged up but he was healing well. Unaware to the both of them Bashou was closely following behind glaring at them through his narrow blue eyes. He soon managed to catch up with them as he was walking faster and as he passed he spoke:

"Don't screw this up..."

James stopped walking and watched Bashou pass him and continue down the street.

"He's so rude!" He snapped before sighing and carrying on towards the Pokémon center.

*******************************

"Good morning!"

Nurse Joy looked up from the desk where she was inspecting a small boy's Ratatta and saw James walking through the still huge hole in the front of the Pokémon center.

"When's that going to be fixed?" he asked.

"Apparently they start today" Nurse Joy replied. "Not sure how any of the sick and injured Pokémon are going to rest with the noise, but we just can't close"

James nodded in agreement before turning to the Ratatta.

"That's a cute ratatta" he commented before turning to it's trainer. "Yours?"

The boy did not reply and simply backed off from James a little before looking away from him.

"Shinji is shy..." Nurse Joy said. "...his ratatta needs to come in for daily shots for a Pokémon form of Diabetes until he learns to give the shots himself"

"Pokémon can get that?" James asked, shocked.

"Yep! They can get a lot of things that humans do. Looks like you'll be learning a lot while working here"

"Hehehe, guess so!" James replied while rubbing his head and blushing. "So what do you want me to do??"

"Well first you can feed the Pokémon in the back that stayed over night, I've left instructions in the kitchen, Chansey will help you"

James smiled and nodded before walking into the back with Cacnea following.

************************************

"LUCY!"
Domino's head jerked upwards as the teacher at the front of the class called out her name. She hadn't been concentrating again, she always found it hard to concentrate. Once a feared Team Rocket member now reduced to spending her life in school, plus she was surrounded by geeks, all the cool people were Pokémon Trainers so did not attend school.
Domino quickly apologized to the teacher for not paying attention but not really meaning it as her eyes wandered back to the window looking at the crisp winter's day below. Her eyes then grew larger as she spotted something wandering along the grass, a small Teddiursa that had wandered onto the school grounds.

It was then startled as the groundskeeper proceeded to chase it off yelling about it running on his perfectly cut grass. Domino watched it as it grabbed a packet of left over snacks and ran off through a hole in the fence.

"LUCY! PAY ATTENTION!"

"Go...gomen..."

***************************** **************

"There you go Bellsprout, some nice yummy Pokémon Food!"

James gave the Pokémon food to the injured Bellsprout who ate it happily. James smiled then stood back to watch all the Pokémon, who all seemed to be pretty happy in themselves despite that they had been through. He then suddenly heard a small girl scream in the main lobby which made him quickly run out to find a girl with brown hair tied up in pig tails carrying a unconscious Pidgey covered in blood.

"A Persian attacked it!" she cried out, tears flooding down her face as Nurse Joy took the small bird from her hands.

"A Persian... a trained one?" James asked. The girl shook her head.

"I think it was a street Persian"

Nurse Joy finished evaluating the Pidgey's injuries before sighing and getting some money from her purse. She handed it to James who looked at her puzzled.

"When you've been here a while I'll show you how to treat these kind of injuries, but for now help to calm the girl, take her for something to drink at the cafe across from the road..."

"But....I want to stay!" the girl cried out in distraught, as Nurse Joy carried her Pidgey into the back. James looked at the upset girl unsure at first at what to say, but decided to bite his lip and try.

"It's okay...your Pidgey is in the best possible hands. Come on, lets get a drink..."

The girl reluctantly agreed and the two of them left the Pokémon center with Cacnea walking behind them.

***********************************

"H...hi..."

Domino looked up to see one of the boys in her class looking down at her. It was lunch time so everyone was sat outside in the cold. The boys cheeks coloured an interesting shade of pink, which Domino couldn't tell if it was from the cold or because of her. She raised one eyebrow at him, silently asking him what he wanted.

"Erm..." the boy began, shifting rather uneasily. "I....was...just wondering if...erm... I could sit here..."

Domino looked around the school grounds, noticing that there were plenty of open seats already.

"Why here?" she sneered.

"Cos well... I noticed you...erm... didn't talk to people much and I was wondering if...I could talk to you!"

"Have you ever thought the reason I don't TALK to anybody is because I don't want too?" Domino snapped at the boy. He fell silent as Domino stood up and was about to leave when something caught her eye. Near the fence was the same teddiursa as earlier, scrounging around for food. The boy followed her gaze and smiled at the sight of it.

"You like Pokémon?" He asked Domino. "That one is real cute!"

With that he got and apple out of his bag and after walking over to the teddiursa he gave it to it. The boy then looked back at Domino who was watching as if almost in a trance, but soon realized what she was doing and left in a huff, making the boy moan quietly from disappointment.

"I don't need friends!" Domino sneered as she tried to find another secluded spot in the school grounds.

***********************************

That night most of the group were gathered around the kitchen table, playing Monopoly, all except Bashou who had taken to lying on the sofa keeping out of the way.

"HA! You landed on my property Buson!" Cassidy screamed at the large man sat across from her with a huge grin on her face. "Gimme some money!"

"How about I give you a fist!" He snarled back showing his fist to her. Cassidy knew he was only joking so continued to put up a shouting match for him to give her the money.

"Give it now! SHOW ME THE MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!"

The others just watched dumfounded as the two playfully argued for a while before James decided to step in.

"It's not real money, ya know!"

"I know..." Cassidy replied with a sigh, slumping back in her chair. "Shame too, I saw this really lovely top in the city today..."

"Is that what you do all day?" Jesse asked. "Just stare into shop windows at things you can't have?"

"Pretty much..."

Everyone rolled their eyes at Cassidy before continuing the game. As they did Jesse began to speak to James.

"So how was your first day at the Pokémon Center?"

"Not...what I expected, that's for sure" James replied as he rolled the dice onto the board then proceeding to move his piece. "I was expecting just dealing with trainers coming in to recover their Pokémon but that place is like a damn Pokémon E.R! There was this little girl who came in with a Pidgey mauled by a street Persian..."

"I hate Peursians...." Meowth snorted while it was his turn to roll the dice.

"How can you say that about your own evolved form?" Butch asked. Meowth just shrugged and mumbled something about he just could.

"Well I'm sure the Pidgey is okay, right?" Jesse asked, but after she did a sudden awkward silence filled the room as everyone's eyes fell onto James who was glaring sorrowfully down at the game board.

"It....died..."

None of the group had ever known such a silence. It was only broken when Domino took her turn to roll the dice, she moved the piece and once she made the final move Cassidy's loud bellowing voice filled the apartment again.

"WHoooohooo! MINE! MINE! Money now please Domino!"

"Wait...I...I think I mis-counted the number of steps I had to take..."

"NO TURNING BACK NOW! SHOW ME SOME MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!"

"NO! I TOLD YOU I MIS COUNTED!"

"MONEY!!!!"

"NO!"

"MONEY!!!!"

"NO!!!"

"Can't ANY of you be quiet?"

Everyone fell quiet and stared at Bashou who was glaring at them from over the top of the sofa. None of them dared speak so Buson decided he was probably the best one to talk to their cold roommate.

"Look...Bashou...they were just playing mate...."

"Don't call me "Mate"..." Bashou sneered back in the most coldest tone imaginable sending shivers down each of their spines. "...I can't believe you can stand the noise they were making"

"Hey! Mr. Lonewolf, stop putting a damper on everything we do!" Domino snapped. "All you do is sit there and complain!!!"

"Better than being a spoiled Brat like you..." Bashou remarked back, fueling Dominio's anger even more.

"I am NOT a SPOILED BRAT!!!"

"Yes you are...You're a Spoiled Brat with no use, you can't even get your head around a few math problems at school....baka..."

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

"Your a talent less little daddy's girl...I don't see what Giovanni ever saw in you..."

Domino gritted her teeth as she tried to force herself not to burst out crying at Bashou's cold remarks, but she found she was finding it hard so quickly ran out of the apartment, the others began to call her back but with no luck, so they all turned towards Bashou.

"Go after her an apologize!" Jesse demanded, but the only response she got from Bashou was an annoyed grunt as he laid back down on the sofa. The others all glared at him before Jesse grabbed her coat and ran out of the door.

"I'm going after her..."

The others soon followed suite until the only one left was Buson who continued to glare at the sofa Bashou was laid on.

"Don't let me stop you from joining them....Buson..."

Buson looked at the door then back at the sofa, before grabbing his own coat and running out of the door slamming it shut leaving Bashou in the silence of the apartment.

"They are below me..."

*********************************************************** *****

"Hey! Hey! Excuse me!"

The group ran up to a youngish woman on the street, they had been searching for Domino for quite a few minutes but couldn't spot her anywhere.

"Hey! Have you seen a young girl, about 15-years-old, wears her hair in curls?" Jesse asked the woman. She thought for a while then nodded and pointed towards Viridian Forest. The others nodded to each other then left after thanking the woman for her help.

************************************************************ *****

Domino wandered alone through the darkness of Viridian Forest. Shivering her pace slowed and she eventually stopped all together and sat on a large rock, pulling her legs to her chest to try and keep warm.

"Bashou is wrong! So wrong!" she muttered to herself. Burying her face into her legs to try and hide the fact she was crying. "I'm not the spoiled brat, he is..."

Her head suddenly jerked upwards towards the grey clouds as she heard the faint sound of thunder. Frowning she got back to her feet and decided she'd best leave before she got caught in the storm, but after ten minutes of wandering through the forest she soon realized she was lost.

"H...how do I get out of here?"

"Teeeeeediiiiurrrrrrrdaaaaa...."

Domino looked straight ahead of her to spot a teddiursa running towards her in a panic most likely due to the storm. It's eyes were so tear filled from being so scared it did not see where it was going and ran straight into Domino's legs.

"What the...? The same Teddiursa as .... before?"

She did not know how but somehow she could sense this was the same Teddiursa that she had seen in the school grounds earlier. Carefully she picked it up and held it at arms length. The tiny bear stopped crying and stared at Domino curiously.

"Well your certainly cute, I'll give ya that much..."

"Teddy! Teddy! Ursa!" the little bear called back to her, waving it's chubby little arms in the air. Domino felt herself smiling at the little creature but soon realized what she was doing and put the bear down.

"Go away!" she demanded. "I don't need the likes of you around me..."

The bear looked up at her curiously then walked up to her legs and hugged them. Domino just rolled her eyes and tried to remove the Pokémon but it didn't seem to want to budge.
Suddenly a large bolt of lightening hit a tree near the two making the teddiursa jump into Domino's arms with a squeal as she began to run the opposite way she had been walking...
...as she did a large roaring could be heard in the distance, which defiantly wasn't thunder...

**********************************

"What was that?" Butch asked as the roaring finally died down. The others were spread out in a clearing calling out Domino's name as the rain began to lash down on top of them. "I have a bad feeling about this... We have to hurry up and find her!"

The others nodded in agreement and carried on their search.

*******************************

Domino meanwhile had taken to hiding in a small hollow tree trunk to shelter from the rain. In her arms sat the tiny Teddiursa who now seemed a lot more happier.

"Guess it's just you and me now huh?" she said to it. The bear smiled at her before resting it's head on Domino's stomach and shutting it's eyes. Domino looked down at it puzzled.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" she asked it. Just then a massive bolt of lightening lit up the sky making Domino cower a little. "Especially when we might fried by that lightening!"

*******************************

"Domino! DOMINO!"

"Hey brat get out here!"

"Domino! Come on!"

James just sighed as he looked up at the dark vicious clouds above them, there was no sign that the storm was gonna stop anytime soon and the heavy rain was making it hard to search the area.

"What if she's not even here anymore....or at all..." he wondered to himself looking back at the others. He then looked towards the floor in deep thought, but as he did he spotted some faint tracks in the mud. He called everyone over for them to take a look.

"Well those tracks defiantly don't belong to us..." Butch said to them as the group inspected the foot prints. He then whipped out a Pokéball and released his Houndoom, it shuddered a little from the rain, being half a fire type but looked obediently up at it's trainer for commands. "...Houndoom, see if you can pick up Domino's scent from these tracks!"

"Really, will that work?" Buson asked as the Houndoom lowered it's nose to the mud. "After all the scent would of been washed away by now!"

"Maybe not all of it...." Butch replied, keeping his eyes firmly on his Houndoom. The dog like Pokémon eventually lifted it's head up and called to it's master, letting him know that he could pick up on Domino's scent, it then ran off into the forest so the other's quickly followed. As they did Buson released his Skarmory.

"Skarmory can search from the sky..."

***********************************

"I wonder what the other's are doing..." Domino pondered out loud to herself as the Teddiursa continued dozing on her stomach. Her clothes were soaked and covered in mud which didn't help the fact that it was freezing cold. Domino wrapped her arms around herself hoping that it was enough to keep warm.

"They're probably all happy I left..." she snorted. Then her face fell into sadness as she began to remember what Bashou has said to her.

"You're a Spoiled Brat with no use....Your a talent-less little daddy's girl...I don't see what Giovanni ever saw in you..."

"Maybe I am a spoiled brat...Before my Step-Father came along I was treated like royalty by my mother...I was so used to having things my way... I left because he put his foot down and treated me like dirt....then I found Team Rocket. Giovanni became almost like a substitute father to me and again...I got everything I wanted and I didn't fail on any mission... Now all that is gone. Giovanni and Team Rocket were destroyed in that attack and I really feel like I have nothing now...no reason to be living, no friends, no family, no..."

"Do you really feel that way?"

Gasping at the sudden extra voice, Domino looked up towards the entrance to the hollow tree stump and saw Butch and his Houndoom looking back. Butch's blue raincoat was covered in mud but his face wore a warm smile at the teenager before holding his hand out, offering to pull Domino out of the hole.

"Y...you came for me...?"

Butch nodded in reply. Domino slowly slipped her right hand into his, her left clutching the Teddiursa tightly as Butch lifted her out of the hole. As soon as she got out into the open the rain seemed to die down quickly and the thunder rumbled in the far away distance.

"DOMINO!"

The others soon were seen running towards them. Domino couldn't help smiling that pretty much everyone had come into the forest to find her.

"Damn Butch!" Cassidy panted as soon as they reached him and Domino. "For a guy who smokes like 20 cigs a day you sure do run fast!"

"I don't smoke that much" Butch barked back.

"Hey Domino! Who's your cute little friend?" James asked, pointing towards the Teddiursa in her arms, who was now awake and looking at everyone curiously.

"Oh! This little guy was just scared of the storm" Domino replied. "Weren't you?"

"Ted Teddiursa!"

Suddenly the loud crashing roar echoed through the forest making the group cover their ears, then they saw a giant ursaring cash through the trees before them before it started charging at them.
Screaming the group quickly moved out of the way then stayed dead still as the ursaring stood glaring at them with rage in it's eyes.

"Domino! I have a feeling you have it's baby!" James squealed, hiding from the ursaring behind Jesse who just gave her friend a disbelieving look that he could be that much of a wuss.

Domino stared at the ursaring with pure fear, then bit her lip and slowly stepped forward.

"Domino are you crazy it'll kill you!" Cassidy snapped but Domino carried on until she wasn't far from the ursaring and placed the teddiursa on the ground.

"There..." she said to it. "...here's your baby, it was scared but it's okay now..."

The ursaring looked cautiously at Domino then approached her and the teddiursa a few steps before bowing down and sniffing it's child. Domino smiled at the reunion but not for long as the Ursaring started roaring again and quickly swept the young Teddiursa from it's view making it slam into a nearby tree and slump to the ground.

"Wha....why didn't that work!?!" Domino cried out.

"It's scent!" Butch called back to her. "Some Pokémon are fussy if they smell a human scent on their young!"

"Now you tell me!" Domino yelled as she gradually backed off from the ursaring who was now approaching them slowly.

"Damnit! Skarmory Help out! Wing attack!" Buson called out to his Pokémon who had been watching the events from the air. It quickly swooped down as it's wings began to glow and quickly hit the Ursaring across the face making it back off a few steps, but it quickly recovered and swatted the Skarmory out of the way making it fall into the mud by the others.

"Skarmory return!" Buson demanded as he lifted up his pokeball so Skarmory could return to it, as he did all the others were getting their Pokéballs out.

"Together we might be able to get rid of it" Cassidy sneered. "GO HITMONTOP!"

"GO SEVIPER!"

"GO MUK!"

"Meowth will help too!"

"GO CAC....!"

Before James could throw his ball to call out Cacnea Butch had caught his arm in mid air.

"Cacnea is still pretty hurt from last week..." he said. "It might be best to not release it"

"I...guess..." James replied, now feeling helpless at the fact he couldn't help out.

"HITMONTOP! USE ROLLING KICK!"

"SEVIPER! POISON TAIL!"

"MUK! SLUDGE ATTACK!"

"HOUNDOOM! FLAMETHROWER!"

"GET A LOAD OF MY FURY SWIPES!!!!"

All the attacks hit the Ursaring at once making it back off and yell out in pain. It soon decided it was out numbered too many to one so quickly retreated into the trees of the forest.

Giving out many sighs of relief all the Pokémon were called back into their balls and meowth stood proud knowing he stood up to something much more powerful then himself. As the others celebrated Butch spotted Domino who was know knelt down in the mud cradling the little teddiursa in her arms. Quietly he left the group and walked over to her.

"Is it going to be okay?" she asked Butch not taking her eyes off the unconscious bear Pokémon. Butch looked at it as it opened it's eyes and smiled happily up at Domino.

"It'll be fine..." he said back to her. Domino just pulled the Pokémon to her and gave it a tight hug.

"Thanks goodness..."

"Come on, lets go home..."

Domino nodded before standing up and walking over to join the others with Butch.

**********************************

"Whaaaa....it's gonna take ages for me to get this mud out of my hair!" Cassidy squealed as they walked through the door of their apartment.

"But I think it looks good on you" Jesse sneered evilly, receiving a very cold glare from Cassidy afterwards.

"Hey guys, be quiet...." Buson suddenly said as he pointed down towards the sofa. The others looked over to see Bashou fast asleep.

"Geez! He doesn't look so bad when he's asleep huh?" Cassidy remarked. "Too bad he's such a morbid ass when he's awake..."

Jesse just sniggered lightly at Cassidy's remark before taking a blue woolen blanket that had been on the back of the sofa and rested it over the top of Bashou.

"He maybe a morbid ass, but he's one of us..." she said, stepping back. "...and hopefully one day he'll learn to be our friend...not our enemy..."

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NEXT CHAPTER: -

Angry of the previous days events, Bashou travels to work in a foul mood but becomes under suspicion that something, or someone, is keeping a close eye on him. After a strange encounter in the museum with a mysterious man in a brown coat and the sudden appearance of a painful mark on his wrist that won't seem to go away, Bashou can't help but feel like something out there has big plans for him...
...does it have something to do with the Pokémon Fossil that is the Museum's biggest attraction?
Next time it's "The Persian who Stalks the Street! Encounter by the Fossil of Mii-Kahn!"