#lataria

Caution- threats of violence, Pokemon violence against people, and potty-mouthed Magmas (gonna uncensor this since kids shouldn't be on Tumblr)

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“.....Cirrus, breathe.”

The Altaria had been holding her breath in suspense at her trainer’s story. She was kidnapped?! Lataria was right, how could she not remember that? She glanced up at her trainer and saw that her eyes were shut and she was cringing, her free hand rubbing the base of her neck. Ashamed, Cirrus hung her head, avoiding Lataria’s eyes.

Lataria noticed and pet her head. “Hey, don’t worry about it...” she said with a twinge of sadness in her voice. “Like I said, you were too young to remember... and it’s like I never escaped, and I wasn’t the only one either...” She glanced at the clock on the stand beside the bed- 2:00AM. Had they really been up that long? “I think we’ll stay in Oldale Town again tomorrow and leave the next day. How does that sound?”

Cirrus nodded her head. That’s it then, Lataria would tell the whole story in one night, not worry about getting rest before the journey to Petalburg.

That’s okay... she thought, I don’t think I could possibly get any sleep tonight after talking about this...

Lataria took a deep breath to settle herself and continued.

- -

Slowly the world came back into existence, though still engulfed in a dark and dizzy fog. Light returned little by little to Lataria’s vision, an orange glow, and she could feel sweat trickling down her face and neck where she was, seated against a steely wall. Wherever she was brought, it was very hot and very unfamiliar, not at all natural like her home. She groaned softly and rubbed her arm against her face. A voice echoed through the room, and it was muffled by her dizziness but Lataria could just barely make out what it was saying.

“Oh thank God, you’re awake...”

Lataria lifted her head and squatting right in front of her was him- the man that attacked and kidnapped her. She screamed and tried backing up, but she was stuck against the wall with nowhere to turn.

“NO! Stop please!” The man, Damon, threw his hand over her mouth and held her still despite her squirming. He lowered his voice to an urgent whisper. “I promise I won’t hurt you! You have to stay quiet!”

Lataria stopped freaking out, but she was still scared out of her wits. She glanced around at the room- it was small and minimally stocked, like a large empty closet. A bag was lying in the corner to Lataria’s right, probably belonging to Damon, and two long orange lights lined opposite walls... heat lamps? They certainly felt like them.

“The hell was that!?”

Damon looked back and past his shoulders, Lataria could see two other similarly-dressed men enter the room. They looked even younger than Damon, no older than 25, and they each had with them a couple of gruff-looking teenage boys, the kind you’d expect to see hanging around street corners in one of those far-off cities in the middle of the night.

Boys like that didn’t live around Fortree City... so where on earth did they come from? Or more importantly, where was Lataria taken?

Damon shushed Lataria and quickly stood up, blocking her from view. “Nothing! I just, uh, saw a big spider.”

The two men exchanged quizzical looks and one retorted, “Yeah, bet it was scary!”

“Watch out, it might come back and bite you!” the other teased. They busted out laughing while Damon stood still, his face redder than a Tamato Berry.

“What’s going on here?”

Lataria leaned over to look past Damon and saw someone else enter the room, this time a woman. She wore a dark gray skirt instead of pants, but otherwise her outfit was similar- the same red jacket with the black M-shaped insignia on the front. Authority and meanness were etched into her face. “Stand at attention!”

“Yes, admin Yolanda!” the two grunts said in unison. Damon stood at attention but didn’t say anything. Lataria could see the side of his face, and he looked almost more frightened than Lataria herself. She quickly hid back behind him.

“That’s Landa to you,” she sneered, “and I want a status report.”

“We found these lowlifes slinking around one of those secret bases not far from here, ma’am,” one of the grunts said, stepping aside so Landa could see the teenagers. “They’re a bit rough around the edges, but I think we can train ‘em.”

Landa looked them over and nodded. “Good.” She then turned to Damon and smiled menacingly. “Well well, if it isn’t the traitor. And what do you have to report, Demon?”

“It’s Damon...” he growled, his fists shaking with anger. Why was he angry? And why did she call him a traitor?

“I’ll say what I want!”she barked. “Now do you have anything to report or NOT?!”

*Eep!*

Lataria froze and threw her hands over her mouth. Shoot, why couldn’t she keep quiet?!

The squeal caught the attention of both grunts and Landa. “Out of the way!” Landa stomped forward and shoved Damon aside, and Lataria found herself face-to-face with the woman whose eyes were overflowing with fiery rage. “What.... the fuck.... is THIS?!”

Lataria ducked and covered her head with both hands, tears trying to force their way out of her eyes. No, don’t cry, you can’t show any fear...

“It’s a young girl!” Damon snapped, stepping back in between them both. “And don’t you dare lay a finger on her!”

“What are you-” Landa stopped, and then slowly her angered expression slipped into a sinister smirk and glare. “Oh... oh ho ho.... you really went there? And what a foolish mistake...” She tossed her hair aside then swiftly grabbed Damon by the collar and hoisted him right up to her face. He made no struggle as she held him close, close enough to inject him with the poisonous words slipping from her icy lips. “Hehe, you know, I really don’t appreciate sass, and it would be a real shame if your sweet little girl had to pay for your mistake, wouldn’t it?”

Damon’s eyes narrowed into barely more than slits. “You bitch...”

“Yes, I am.” She released him and turned her back to address the teens. “You ruffians, follow me. As for you,” she growled facing back towards Damon, “I’ll deal with you later.”

“Admin Landa, wait a minute!” one of the grunts interrupted as Landa was about to leave.

“What do you want?!”

He flinched. “Wh- what should we do with the girl? Just let her go?”

Lataria had stopped cowering long enough to catch Landa sneering down at her for a moment while she determined her fate. She shook her head. “She’s seen too much to just be let go. We’ll have to wipe her memory first.” She reached for something on her belt but couldn’t find it, a look of panic slowing coming to her face. “Where’s my Medicham?”

“Admin Landa... you’re not thinking of using Medicham’s Amnesia spell are you?” one of the grunts gasped.

“Not to question your decisions ma’am, but Medicham’s Amnesia is so powerful... and using it on such a young kid... she could lose her memory of her entire life up until this point!” the other exclaimed.

“DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN?!” she exploded. The entire room fell dead silent.

Lataria gasped. Her... entire life...? This can’t be happening...

- -

Lataria covered her mouth, fighting back the same tears she had tried not to shed twelve years ago. Cirrus cooed sympathetically and brushed her head against her trainer’s cheek. Lataria pet Cirrus with a trembling hand and continued her story and best as she could.

- -

“......n- no ma’am...”

“Good. Maybe next time you’ll think before questioning your superior. Now... I must’ve left it in my office.” With that, Landa exited the room with the new recruits, leaving three men and one very frightened little girl in her wake.

“Damn, Yolanda can be a real ass.” one of the grunt remarked.

“Yeah, but what was that about her Medicham missing? She’s never lost it before.”

Damon stayed silent but Lataria caught him glancing nervously over at his bag. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over and stuck his hand in, taking out a shiny Dusk Ball with a sticker of the same M-shaped symbol on the front.

The grunts both stared incredulously at him. “Whoa-ho dude, you can’t be serious...”

“Shit, you think you’re in trouble now? Wait until Yolanda finds out!”

Damon clutched the Dusk Ball in his hand. “She won’t..... I’m coming, Holly!!” With that, he shot up and darted from the room.

An awkward silence followed, just Lataria and the two lackeys. What was she going to do? She couldn’t get away with those grunts there, even if she wasn’t too scared to move. One of them glanced back at her and put his hands on his hips. “So what’re we supposed to do, babysit her?”

“Hell if I know. Hey, what was a little runt like you doing out past dark by yourself anyway? Didn’t your mommy teach you any better?”

“BLUU!”

“I gotcha now, little PEST!”

The grunts turned to see another member of their gang trip and land hard right in front the doorway, his arms outstretched. A flash of blue darted right over his face, pausing briefly enough for Lataria’s hope to burst back to life.

“CIRRUS!!!”

Cirrus stopped and saw her trainer behind those two mean men in the room. She chirruped aggressively and stormed in, launching herself beak-first right at one’s stomach. He fell over and she quickly did a 180 and flew at the other’s face, scratching him right across the eye.

When he hollered and clutched at his face, Lataria seized the window of opportunity. She jumped up, scooped Cirrus into her arms, and ran for the hallway. “Let’s get out of here!” She bounded over the tripped grunt and darted down the hall as quickly as she could, not knowing where she was going, only that she had to find a way out, and fast.

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1,678 words