Chance Encounter
Writing Prompt: Pokémon are real. However, certain types have been deemed a danger to mankind and ordered destroyed/captured on sight. Tell me the story of either a) A PokéHunter, b) A PokéSmuggler, or c) Your latest Pokémon save file
It looked like lady luck finally came around. Not only had I considerably closed the distance, but the earlier sprinkle had turned into a downpour. Standing in the open field and looking around me at the darkened woods, I couldn't hear a thing besides the heavy rain. Despite being so far into the wild, the local wildlife this far up the mountain was scarce, usually only consisting of the average rock and dirt types; Diglett's, Sandshrews, and other minor Pokémon that usually aren't a bother. But today there was something else on the mountain, and judging by the large trench beside me it had passed through here quickly. It looked as if bulldozer had made a beeline through the field, churning up large slabs of dirt and rock in its wake.
I pulled my coat around me in effort to keep out the chilling rain, and then I continued my muck across the mountain side, following the precarious trail. I could hardly see more than a few dozen feet ahead of me within the glooming rain, but hopefully I'd hear my target well before I found it. There's few other Pokémon that's worse to stumble upon than an Onyx, even worse, a rogue Onyx.
If the eye witness reports were accurate, it was an old male, most likely between the ages of three hundred to five hundred years. But that was just an eyeball guess. Being this far into the country meant you had little government services, and so the townsfolk weren't able to properly analyze the left over fragments it had left. Still, even though we were this far out, it raises the question about how on Earth an Onyx made its way into this part of the world and why it had rampaged through the town.
Before I could think of the matter further, I had stopped as I came to a cliff edge, and I looked down at the wreckage that was once a steep hillside. It looked as if the Onyx had sped over the edge at full speed and tumbled down the slope, tearing up boulders that hadn't been disturbed in god knows how long. In addition, and to my disheartenment, the gulch below looked like a battlefield. Their were deep holes you could fit a car in and shattered rocks that were easily three times my height before they had been crushed. It seemed whatever had set the Onyx off had done a good job because it was still pissed.
Taking in the sight, I nervously place a hand beneath my coat and onto my holstered Pokéballs, letting their weight bring some reassurance to me. The rain was picking up even more, drowning out the world around me with its thundering roar, and I felt a chill pass through me. Then, after a few breaths, I began to scale down the slippery slope while running the facts of the situation over in my mind; gladly taking anything to occupy my thoughts to keep my uneasiness at bay.
Early this morning an Onyx had attacked the town, destroying multiple buildings and killing five people. With the help of a few passing Pokémon enthusiasts, they managed to drive it off and then they contacted me. Onyx can grow up to fifty feet, and this one was probably that or more by the sounds of things. Their exterior rock is collected from their environment over the years, and it is common to see different types along their body depending on where they had resided. But beneath that layer lies a much softer rock, which is actually just calcified skin. Between its linked body sections lies the thinnest part of the exterior rock, the prime place to attack if you had to. Onyx, while normally dormant, are quick to anger which is why all Onyx grounds are sectioned off from the public. Somehow, an old Onyx found itself two hundred miles away from the nearest grounds. Onyx have poor vision, and will resort to thrashing about at the first sense of danger. An Onyx horn is a magnetic sensor of sorts, allowing them to judge their position within the Earth when they dig deep and-
My foot reached the bottom of the slope, and I found that I had no more time to distract myself. But turning around and looking about the gulch that was far more ominous than from above, I suppose I couldn't afford to have any more distractions.
I tentatively walked forward, keeping my eyes and ears sharp for a hint of movement within the heavy rain. The boulders around me casted large silhouettes, and the hair on my neck rose more than once when I spied a rock that looked like a rearing Onyx at first glance. I had hoped that it had continued on from here so I wouldn't have to fight it in this place. For a creature that can send large chunks of the Earth flying with a single swipe of its tail you don't want to be in a small space, especially one that’s covered in mud that easy to slip in.
Then, amidst the rain I heard a low rumble, and my breath caught as the pebbles around me began to shake.
I threw myself against a nearby boulder and looked around with wide eyes. I could hear it sloshing through the mud, and I could feel it rumble my boots as it turned up dirt. It then let out a low groan, that distinct clattering of rock that sounded as if they were being grinded together. A pit formed in my stomach when I realized the rain had stopped falling on me.
Slowly looking up, I saw a black silhouette stretching above me, sheltering me within its shadow with its wide girth. I could only see its bottom portion, but if I had to guess, the Onyx was looking out into the expanse of cloud and rain along the mountain side, unaware of me being beneath it.
I had no idea how long we both stood there, how long I was frozen in place as I gazed upon the towering behemoth. Time had seemingly stopped for me here on the mountain, far away from the rest of civilization as I stood beside possibly one of the most dangerous but awe inspiring creatures I had ever laid eyes on. Within the gloomy weather, I could vaguely make out the different types of rock that jutted outward from its body, I could practically feel its deep breathing that bellowed loudly enough for me to hear within the deafening rainfall, and I found myself overcome by the majesty that was this creature that no stone nor metal was capable of barring its path. And then, the world and time came back to me, and the Onyx began to move forward.
I hastily shuffled away from the boulder I was against, for it was being effortlessly shoved aside by the Onyx as I would do to a pebble with my boot. I nearly fell into the mud multiple times as I scrambled, hurrying myself away from the Onyx as it carved its way forth, and the rain began to fall on me again. Adrenaline pumped through me, and a throbbing sound resounded in my head from my rapid pulse. I watched as the Onyx continued to crawl away, appearing as a towering shadow within the hazy gulch.
I wanted to simply stand still and quietly wait for it to leave. Despite the deaths and damage it caused, instinct told me I would do well to leave it alone, that I shouldn’t challenge this representative of the earth and all its slumbering fury. But even if I trailed it to a better location, the rain wasn't going to last forever, and it was the best possible advantage I could ask for against an Onyx. And despite my fears, I had a job to do. I became a Pokémon Hunter for a reason, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I abandoned that now.
Reaching beneath my coat, I gripped one of my Pokéballs tightly, muttering a silent prayer for my survival, and then I detached it from my belt and threw it forward, summoning the first of my Pokémon. This was going to be one hell of a battle, and if lady luck was still around, I’d be able to live to tell it.