An unlikely chance (open)

[narret]

Las Vegas, Nevada. The city oasis of one of the worlds more unforgiving deserts. A city that truly never sleeps, and home to some of the worlds most corrupt and wealthy people. With all the life within the city, no one would be crazy enough to venture out into the desert, not without water at least.

Except for one little girl, who simply didn't know any better.

The little girl had managed to sneak aboard a bus headed to Vegas, thinking she would have a chance of finding her brother there. But upon her arrival she had been terrified witless.

To normal people, they had seen a little girl scream and run from a group of men wearing rather snazzy all white tuxedos. But in the scared childs mind, all she saw were bad memories, followed by terrifying grins that only promised pain.

She didn't know how long she had ran, she didn't stop until her body forced her too. But by that time, she had run from the city into the desert beyond. At first she thought of heading back to the city, safe within the limits of the towering buildings from the sun above. But then her scarred mind tripped over a memory of men in white suits. She quickly shook her mind and went back to walking, away from the city.

In her mind, Narret was much safer out here.

[Garchomp]

After the claustrophobic streets of the city - more like the alleys she used as her primary way to get by until nightfall, and sometimes even then - the desert felt like paradise. Heat, and packed dirt and ground she could call upon or tunnel into. No fear of discovery if she decided to sleep, and someone screaming to wake her up. She could burrow and sleep underground, and imagine she was back where she truly belonged.

Daydreaming wasn't all that the Garchomp was doing, of course. She was keeping to a steady pace, the heat soaking into her hide quite pleasantly, and thankfully her frequent travels hadn't softened her too much. She could go on for hours at least, running at this speed, and possibly still be in condition to fight at the end. That was what kept her moving, though, the hope that there would be something of interest, something to do that required violence, that let her take all this stress and tension and confusion, condense it and then cleanse herself of it in one fell swoop. If she didn't, she would probably have to resort to dropping meteors on a town or something, and she didn't really want to endanger innocents, who were so much weaker than her.

Speaking of weaker than her, she caught a flicker of motion, which soon resolved into... a human child, walking. Out here, all by herself? The Pokemon tilted her head and slowed into a sedate walk, tail lashing as she leaned forward. What was someone so young doing here? She eventually came to a halt, a safe distance away - safe for the human, at least - and waited for the inevitable fit of screaming and panic.

[narret]

The girl was a little focused on her trek. To keep moving, away from them, those white coats and those smiles. The girl shuddered as her memories refused to relent, haunting her still. In fact she felt like they were still there. Their eyes glaring at her through glass. She wiped around, expecting to see one of the men in white there. Instead the child saw something in the distance she had never seen before.

Then again there was a good chunk of common knowledge that she had never seen or heard of before either.

The girl let out a small yelp as she cowered, more out of reflex then anything. She waited for a few seconds, her arms covering her head as she awaited whatever the creature planned. When nothing happened the child slowly lowered her arms, seeing what most would call a land shark still standing and staring at her.

"Y-y-y-y-you're not g-g-g-going t-to h-h-h-hurt me a-a-are y-you?" The girl stuttered out quietly, her voice easily carrying the distance with how quiet it was away from the city.

The girl quietly awaited how the thing that was looking at her to respond. She just hoped that it didn't respond with pain.

She didn't want any more pain.

[Garchomp]

The child huddled, which was to be expected. Still, Makya didn't feel like moving, and startling her. If she stayed still, the child would probably run off on her own, and everything would be fine. However, she didn't run, and the Dragon-type shifted her weight awkwardly. Scaring her to make her run off was... mean. Or rude. Or something like that. She was a child and if dealing with a human on their own was unfair, then this was at least triple that. The safest thing was just to stand still and... wait.

She hated waiting, when she was like this, the need to fight singing in her blood. Still, when the girl asked if she was going to hurt her - the idea of it, really - she hesitated and then shook her head. True, it betrayed that she understood her, but... what could that possibly lead to?

There was no need to speak. A question given, a question answered - things were kept simpler, this way. After taking another long look at the girl - there was something that seemed off about her, different than the humans she had encountered before - she snorted quietly. Still, it wasn't her concern. Tail twitching, she settled back on to her haunches to wait for the child to go home. Wherever her home was. The day was long, and the sun pleasant, and she really didn't mind staying still for a few minutes. Eyes narrowing, she tried not to stare too much at the human, though it was difficult not to, what with her being the only other living being in sight.

[narret]

The silence didn't really bother the child, the heat of the sun was beginning to bother her a little bit. But nothing was as bad as the moments she waited for the creature in the distance to react. Not knowing if it was going to hurt her or not.

But when the land dragon responded, it was like a weight lifted from the small girls shoulders. And now that immediate fear had been washed away, childish curiosity began to creep in to replace the fear within her. The little girl slowly began to walk closer to the reptile before her, not wanting to make it angry.

"H-h-h-h-hello" She managed to stutter out as she continued her slow approach. The girl knew now that the creature understood her, at least a little bit so greeting it didn't seem as farfetched as asking if it wasn't going to hurt her earlier.

"M-m-m-my n-name is N-narret......." the girls stuttering continued, even though she wasn't afraid anymore, well at least of the dragon that she was approaching at least. She didn't know if the creature could talk back, but the silver haired child didn't really care. There was something out here that didn't want to hurt her, and she was going to take advantage of the moment as much as her uneducated mind could.

[Garchomp]

There, the child was walking - towards her. Makya wanted to growl - what was she even doing here, didn't she knew she couldn't stay out in the sun for long? - but the sound would probably have frightened her, and she was tired of frightening humans without even trying. Stifling her confusion, she stayed still, lowering her head slowly to examine the other. So small. All humans seemed small, not just in size but because they were always so frail and squishy. It had taken months for her to learn her trainer's limits, and just how careful she had to be as she evolved. The girl didn't seem inclined to leave, let alone start screaming and run.

Not screaming was good. Not leaving at all was... less so, and not just because she had planned to keep going. What if the heat affected the girl, and she fainted? What if she was exhausted? She was young, perhaps too young to know when to stop travelling, and Makya didn't want to worry about someone else. That meant escorting the child until she was safe - she might not have cared if she hadn't seen her, but now she had, and she couldn't just leave her with a clear conscience. With a snort at her own foolishness, she tilted her head.

"Garchomp," she said clearly, and twitched her tail. Asking questions might have been a good way to find out what she was doing here n the first place, but she was loath to do that - and besides, Narret seemed jumpy, going by how she was stuttering, and coming out and saying more than her name could also startle her.

[narret]

Narret jumped suddenly when the silent dragon spoke out suddenly. The girl really not expecting a verbal response from Garchomp. After a few moments to calm herself down, she began her approach once more. "I-i-i-it's nice t-t-too m-m-meet y-you Garchomp" she spoke a little louder then before, now close enough to the dragon to almost reach out and touch it. Narret didn't want to get any closer then she was now just in case.

"I d-d-d-don't k-k-know if y-y-y-you c-can t-t-t-talk....... B-b-but it's n-n-nice to s-s-s-see s-someone....... S-s-s-someone t-t-that d-doesn't w-w-want t-to hurt m-me......" The girls voice sounding sad, but the child quickly perked up as she glanced upwards to look Garchomp in the eyes. Narret didn't really know how to act around the dragon, then again with the treatment she had received in her life she had no idea what to really do around anyone really. But she was doing the best she could do to not make the large blue land dragon angry at her.

[Garchomp]

And Makya had been proven right - the girl had jumped at the sound of her voice. Most people reacted that way, though - even trainers didn't typically think a Pokemon like her could be capable of it. There were records of some doing so, but the overwhelming opinion had been that Psychic and Ghost-types were the only ones who could speak. Even if telepathy was actually cheating.

However, frightened and stammering every word or not, the girl had manners, which the Garchomp supposed she could approve of. Manners and guts - or maybe just being too stupid to know to get away. Regardless, it was a nice change from mass panic. The urge to find a fight and get rid of everything unnecessary still sang in her veins, demanding a release, but... that could wait. Besides, there was no sign of anything interesting in this place, and it's not like fighting in a city would be fair to anyone, even if there was a good opponent there. At best, she'd have to go hunting down a few of the scrawny animals in the alleys and parks, and that was exceedingly tedious.

As things stood now, the girl was close enough to touch her, but hadn't yet. That showed a little common sense, even if she was still stammering out another sentence - one that piqued her own curiosity. What kind of human would approach a monster - or at least, she knew they thought her a monster in this world - on the basis that it hadn't hurt her yet? That seemed... wrong.

Well, there was no need to say anything just yet, but she seemed so small and frail, and the pleasant heat of the sun was probably much less pleasant for a human. With a careful, slow movement, she raised one arm, holding it up so the fin cast some shade on Narret. Not as much as a tree, maybe, but any protection was better than just leaving her to fry.

[narret]

Narret was now beginning to regret fleeing out here, although she had escaped the men in white. But with her small size, and her rather fail skin she was now feeling the effects of the fireball in the sky above. But as the effects of the heat were setting in, her vision darkened slightly. A small amount of surprise crossed her face as she saw the land dragon creating shade for her from the sun. It was then that a small sad smile crossed the pale child's face, her amber eyes nearly tearing up at such a simple kind gesture. "T-t-thank you....." she stammered out, quickly wiping away the small tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes. Hoping that the dragon had not noticed.

Now that she wasn't being partially blinded by the sun, Narret could get a good look at the dragon that was providing her shade from the aforementioned sky-fire. In her eyes, Garchomp was rather scary. But not because she was alien to this world, but rather simply because of the rather sharp claws and teeth the dragon sported. Although nothing would be as frightening to her then her life up until her freedom. Actually now that she looked passed the teeth and claws, Garchomp looked a little pretty.

Narret considered stating what she thought, but she caught another glance at the dragons eyes. They were not like the eyes of those that had hurt her in the past, but they were not kind either. A small rosey tinge colored the girls cheeks as she quickly looked at the ground, intimidated by the dragon before her.

[Garchomp]

Was she crying? That took her aback - all she had done was make some shade, after all - and after a moment, the Garchomp lowered her head a little more. The tears had been fleeting, at least. She didn't want to deal with a crying human. She didn't know how to deal with a crying human. The prospect of it mystified her, and she snorted again.

This was already growing complicated.

"Walking in desert bad," she declared suddenly, shifting to keep her arm up a little more comfortably. Narret got the slightest of nudges as she bumped her muzzle against the human, the contact gentle enough to ensure that she didn't knock her over or even shift her much at all. "Stupid," she admonished drily. There wasn't any fervour in her voice - she wasn't scolding, just stating a fact that any human who ventured out in this heat was stupid.

How to unravel this simply? The girl could hardly walk back to... wherever she came from by herself. Escorting her could take a long time, but... the idea of leaving her there didn't suit. She shifted, stirring up sand as she lashed her tail back and forth. "Go home. I go with, until sun goes down," she said, a little grudgingly. She had talked more than she had planned to, but how else to explain things to a child?

[narret]

The silence was slowly gnawing away at the smaller girl, she fidgeted slightly under the gaze of the dragon. But when Garchomps voice cut through the silent air between them, she was a little saddened that what the dragon had said was scolding. But now that she thought about it the blue land dragon was right. It was stupid of her to be out here. She hadn't known, all she had known earlier was flee, get away from them. Those men in white.

She had been about to speak up, but when Garchomp told her to go home, a small look of confusion crossed the girls face. "H-h-h-home? W-w-what's a h-h-home......" As she thought on the meaning of the word, a horrid memory went through her mind.

She sat there, curled up in the corner. Tears falling from her eyes as she held her arm close to her chest, fresh wounds having been inflicted upon her by the man in the lab coat exiting the room. Her muffled sniffles seemed to taunt the exiting man. He simply looked back with a wicked grin and only malice in his eyes. "Always remember, this is your home..... And you'll never escape. He then began to laugh maniacally as he closed the door behind him, leaving Narret alone with her wounds and his echoing laughter.

Snapping back to the real world Narret quickly held her arms close to herself, like as if she were in pain. Her body shook as she tried to speak. "N-n-n-n-no...... H-h-h-home's b-b-bad....... V-v-v-very v-v-very b-bad....."

[Garchomp]

Home, she had thought, was simple enough. Her own home had changed, over the years, and she still hoped to eventually return to the mountain she had chosen as her territory. Still, she couldn't deny that the last few months of her time there had been... dull, as if she had lacked a challenge beyond mere survival. Maybe she had just been too strong, at that point.

Maybe it was even a good thing, that she had been sent here, even by way of landslide. This land was strange. It gave her the opportunity to get stronger, and that was what was important, right?

Makya was torn from her thoughts as Narret suddenly curled in on herself. The Garchomp just stared blankly, not sure if to worry or look for a threat. She was acting like she had been hurt, suddenly, but there wasn't anything else around to hurt her. Was she sick, maybe? Lowering her arm, she leaned down and huffed, not wanting to get too close in case she startled or hurt the human by accident. She barely made out the others' words, and it didn't really make sense to her, but she changed tacks anyways. "Not home, then. That city? Could carry you, if too far," she suggested awkwardly, because there had to be some way to salvage this.

[narret]

Back to the city, where there were men in white? It wasn't a pleasant choice, but much better then staying out hear and burning. Her chances in the city were also much higher then being returned 'home'. She shuddered again, the true meaning of the word warped and twisted by her treatment in the past. But what would she do once she got back to the city? Probably try to sneak on another bus and flee to another city, one without men in white. A city without people that kept reminding her of her past, or worse those that wanted to take her back to the awful place that she had managed to escape from. Narret then realized she had spent a few moments in silence, Garchomp awaiting her response.

"N-n-n-no no..... I c-c-can s-s-still walk...." She stuttered out suddenly, her arms still wrapped around her torso like as if she were holding herself together. She slowly began walking back towards the city of lights, stopping a moment to see if Garchomp would actually walk with her before continuing.

[Garchomp]

The girl shuddered again, and Makya found herself worrying again about sickness. Humans did that when they were cold, most of the time, and it was so hot out here - the only reason Narret would be shaking so much was if she was sick. All the more reason to get her back to... wherever she belonged, or at least where she had come from, where someone could... give her food and medicine. Shouldn't a child have been with her parents?

Perhaps her trainer had only been a little older when he had first started his journey, according to the rest of his team, but she could barely imagine that. Narret should clearly not have been on her own - but perhaps she had been forced to. Human parents abandoned their children too, didn't they? Or died. That was not limited to Pokemon.

If she was alone, then... things would be even more complicated. But for now, she had gotten up and was moving, and after trying to sound encouraging - it was hard to growl coaxingly, but she tried - she moved after the girl, a few steps behind. Close enough to easily reach her if she fell or got tired, but otherwise keeping her own bubble of space.

[narret]

When Garchomp began following, although the dragon chose to follow at a slight distance A small smile formed on her face. At least she wouldn't be alone on her way back to the city. And as they walked, the silence began to gnaw at the small girl. Maybe she could strike up some words with the dragon, it wouldn't hurt to at least try. The worst that the dragon could do was to simply leave her here alone. If garchomp did decide that she were more bother then she was worth and simply hurt her, it wouldn't bother Narret that much. It's not like she hadn't been hurt before.

"Um......" She started, breaking the quiet that was between them. "W-w-why a-a-are y-y-you o-out h-h-h-here b-b-by y-y-yourself? Y-y-you d-d-don't l-l-look l-like y-y-you h-h-have the s-s-same r-reason t-t-that I d-d-do......" She looked back, with what seemed to be eyes of jealousy. "T-t-then a-a-again if a-a-a-anyone t-t-tried t-t-to h-hurt y-y-y-you, y-y-you c-c-could s-s-stop t-t-them..... Not l-like me....." She said sadly, looking back forwards.