Who are you?

[MegaAbsol]

Asra was naturally surprised when Eve turned up back home, tired, grimy, but sporting a huge grin. Not asking too many questions, it wasn't too long before he two were sitting in Eve's room, while the adolescent explained her story. It seemed that her Absol was sleeping, so she didn't bother him, leaving the ball on the table. That night, Eve slept deeply with a full belly and a happy mind. She did not notice the burning red eyes burrowing into her with their gaze.

Next morning, her training began. She had spent her free time scrounging up study material, and had a fair idea of what to do. While getting captured was not new for wild Pokemon, she wished to make her training thorough, making her place and the Absol's place very clear. Retreating in the woods - because returning to the place where she caught the Absol, a five hour trek, would have been too cruel - she released her new canine, who stared up at her...resentfully?

Like her, he was no stranger to the parts of the woods, knowing it as well as she did, which was pretty much like the back of her hand. She wondered if this particular Absol had ever passed by her dwelling before, peering curiously at the house before continuing on its business. Before she could speak, the Absol bounded off. It didn't seem to be avoiding her or running away; he was simply running in a straight, defined path. Making a beeline to some place. Eve gave pursuit.

[MegaAbsol]

Who are you?

He stared at the girl, the indignation evident in his crimson eyes. He knew she shared the same kind of curiosity he harbored towards her, the sentiment that the opposing was an interesting organism was mutual. He had yet to acknowledge the relationship between them.

Why do you come here every day?

He could grudgingly admit that she hadn't forced him into anything yet. He hadn't been unceremoniously dragged off to the small room again where he had spent the night in some sort of sphere. She left him here, night after night, in his natural habitat, only to visit him repeatedly, every day. Each time, she would sit, and talk. She would talk quietly, but incessantly.

Why do you talk to me, when I can't answer back?

She would notice when he was paying attention, and when he wasn't. If he was bored and looking aside, or simply wishing to shut out the noise, her voice would cease. But it would start again, when he looked at her, even if out of the corner of his eye. Initially she would just sit, and talk to him. Gradually she began extending her hand.

Why do you always bring delicious things when you come here?

He'd admit, the first day she'd brought some food, he'd left alone; other pokemon had come and eat it. She didn't get angry, only cleaned it, and brought more food the other day. This continued for the first few days, until, driven by curiosity, he'd leaned over and sniffed it, poking it with a claw.

I was just hungry, but they threw rocks at me. And, a big human took away my brother.
So I'm afraid of humans.
But...
You're a bit different.

Eventually condescending to eat some of what she had brought, he realized it matched his taste very well. Slightly bitter, salty and crunchy, it was just what he liked. She'd sat and smiled at him as he ate, and eventually he gave up cautiously watching her from the corner of his eye as he ate. She didn't move anyway.

You brought that warm-looking box last time, didn't you?

The season were gradually changing, and Eve had fretted for many a night how her Absol was doing, alone out at night. He may have survived for so long alone, but he was young, and the cold might bite him. He seemed distrustful of her at first, but she knew she was making progress.

There are so many things I'm curious about.

He had grown possessive of his box, guarding it fiercely from other pokemon.
He'd taken to rely on her for snacks, and other tasty tidbits.
He awaited her arrival, for her to greet him with a smile.

...

She was smiling at him, again, with that annoyingly cheery smile. Grinning like an idiot. He preferred when she sat quietly alongside him, dreaming their own dreams, sides pressed, sharing warmth. Her hand was extended, spread open, fingers slightly curved. With her, he'd probably be dead within the week.
And then, a miracle. A step closer.

May I come closer?

[MegaAbsol]

Eve had broken through the first barrier, gently caressing the warm white head under her palm, but, as her mother cautioned her, it was only the beginning.
Most of her training was outdoors; Absol responded to her calls, and came as far as her backyard (even though her backyard was indefinite and extended into the forest). The first day he'd done that, he'd surprised her.

Taking a seat on a tree stump, she and the Absol regarded each other carefully. "So, um." Eve cleared her throat. "Let's start with basic stuff. You know I call you by Absol. So I guess you have your name down..." He was grooming himself, as though taking pride in his glittering white coat. He was already seated, much like herself, and that gave her an idea. "Right. Pokemon only understand certain aspects of human speech, right?" Did he just nod? She must have imagined it. "Basic stuff like Attack names and such. Let's work on basic commands."

She stood and Absol did too. "Okay, sit." Amusement glimmering in crimson eyes, Absol sat. "Huh. That was easy. Stand." Eve seemed put-off, and it amused him further. This was a most interesting human. He stood; Eve smiled appreciatively. "Not bad, not bad. Here, have a treat." She tossed him a biscuit, which he snapped out of the air. Was he being treated for following such simple commands?

"Okay, c'mere." He obliged, padding up softly, whereas Eve crouched on her haunches. "Shake. Paw. Whatever, there are a variety of commands for this-" She was cut off by the Absol placing his paw in her hand. Eve shook it gleefully and passed another treat. "Are you sure you didn't belong to someone before?" Had the extending of hands given him a bodily clue of what to do?

Over the next hour, Eve tried all kinds of commands. Roll over, sit up, beg, lie down, stay, jump, crouch, bow. Absol followed them all seemingly effortlessly. "Arceus above you're too darn smart." Eve huffed, slumping down with her back to the tree stump. Absol padded over, resentful, as though saying, 'What? That's all?'

"Shush. Not all of us have stamina to match." Eve retorted. Absol grinned. "Who's being trained here, you or me?" The girl said, hotly. For a moment, the Disaster pokemon was disgruntled; was she reading his mind? Her tone conveyed most of what she was saying, but it could not be denied that he understood what she was saying. Irrevocably.

Eve noted that Absol had picked up on certain behaviors like grinning; in ordinary pokemon interaction, baring teeth is a threatening sign. Mutely she reached out a hand, and almost immediately Absol placed his paw in it. "Huh." Musing, she reached for her water bottle unconsciously. It was just out of her reach, and lost in thought, she stretched towards it, without getting up. Her hand contacted plastic, and she withdrew her arm, only then noticing Absol's mouth connected to the rest of the bottle. Had he fetched it?

Taking a swig of water, she got to her feet. Seating herself on the stump, she trickled some water out of the bottle, Absol lapping at the falling stream. She picked up a stick and experimentally brandished it at the canine, not quite touching him. He just stared back, simply and impassively. She hurled it far, and noticed him staring after it, as it flew through the air. "Hmm. Fetch."

She didn't even have to point; Absol was off in a blur of black and white. Snatching it up and whirling in a single, graceful, almost liquid movement, he returned, wagging his tail, eyes joyous. Eve had long since realized eyes portrayed more than one thought, and hers were currently thoughtful as she received the branch. "Impressive. Most have to be trained to go after the stick, and then trained to return with it." She stated, thinking out loud. Absol's lips curved.

Dropping the stick and heading inside, leaving a disappointed Absol sniffing at the stick and watching after her, she ran up and retrieved a ball. What say to a friendly game of catch? It had been a while since Eve had played with anyone besides herself, and the loneliness was beginning to oppress on her. Travelling down the stairs, she found Absol cautiously sniffing at the doorway and the mat strewn across it. "Heyyo, Absy! Come on in!" Her mom was taking a snooze in her room, so the house was empty; Absol had free run.

Cringingly, Absol took his first steps into a human dwelling. With the utmost caution, she proceeded to inspect the harmless couch and the inconspicuous table, batting an unfortunate orange across the floor and rising to his hind feet to check the contents of what lay above the fridge. His sheer size surprised Eve; on his hind feet, he was probably as tall as her. As he sniffed around the top of the fridge, wrinkling his nose at the dust bunnies that floated on them, Eve carefully poked him on his hindquarters. He didn't start, as she had expected him to; instead, he looked around quite calmly to check what was in contact, and went back to exploration. Eve smiled, and seated herself on the couch, bouncing the ball on the floor.

Attracted by the sound, Absol wandered over. She tossed the ball to him, at the foot of the couch, and he grabbed it in his mouth, settling to contentedly chew on it. "Yuck. Drop that. Here." Absy seemed disappointed to leave the ball alone, and mutinously refused to comply. He'd been obeying so far! The thrown treat clattered to the ground beside him, the sound causing Eve to sit up. She sighed.

"Look, Absol, I don't expect you to listen to me all the time, especially if you feel you should do otherwise. I'd like us to be friends. You can keep the ball." She waived the ball aside, and got off the couch, heading back out. After a moment, Absol followed. Meanwhile, Eve smoothed out the paper she'd brought along with her in her pocket; it was her Absol. No, not the large 4' canine striding up to her. Her drawing, the sketch followed by 'Abyss' scribbled across the edge of the paper.

"An Abyss of time..." She whispered. She jolted out of thought of thought, feeling something on her thigh - Abyss' paw! How had she not seen him move. "I'm okay, Abyss." She smiled at the Absol, before feeling the smile freeze. Had she referred to him as Abyss? Who was Abyss? Her fictional Absol, living out its two-dimensional world? Abyss...

"What say about Abyss as a name?"

[MegaAbsol]

"Look, Abyss. That's Orion, the Hunter." Eve pointed out the constellation, tilting her head to look at the Absol; she'd used his name wherever possible, and it seemed that he was slowly growing into it. Wait, did that sound presumptuous? Abyss was an entire individual with a personality of his own, and quite possibly a name that he could not convey, and she could probably not pronounce. So perhaps it would be better to say it was growing on him.

Eve had been careful not to treat Abyss as a pet, striving to earn his trust by treating him as an equal - though personally she felt Pokemon to be superior. You didn't see humans breathing fire or flying or basically doing stuff that Pokemon could. She had noted Abyss' intelligence in various forms.

As fond of idly scratching the dirt as her, she had begun to see patterns in his doodlings upon looking closer, trying to see it through the Absol's eyes. He had grown acquainted with each object in the house and was now quite comfortable, having adapted amazingly fast. It was kind, in hindsight, for him to adapt to her lifestyle rather than vice versa. He rarely forgot a lesson, such as to not harm certain domesticated Pokemon around the house that he might have otherwise preyed on.

That had been a sad day; Eve stood with Abyss by her side, staring at lines of bird Pokemon, all of whom glanced at Abyss cautiously, anxiously. Each time Abyss made to strike down one of them, Eve reproached with a sharp 'no!', bringing him to a halt. After four such attempts, Abyss glared at her resentfully, and stalked off. Eve was worried; he'd ignored her calls to come back. Next morning, when he condescended to eat his breakfast, she called him and locked him the birdhouse.

For the first four hours, she idly wandered the roomy house, ignoring the birds; for all her cared, they might not have been there at all! Then he drank out of their trough, curled up and had a nap. Waking up and finding the door still unyielding, he nimbly jumped out of the window and returned to the doorstep, which was where Eve found him later in the day. The birds were all unharmed, if slightly ruffled, but henceforth Abyss got along marvelously with the chicks, who climbed all over his unoffending, unprotesting self as he lazily drowsed in the sun, with eyes half closed.

Just the previous day, she'd taken him to his neighbour's expansive farm, Mr. Lynde's. Despite him being a grumpy old man, she occasionally dropped by with seasonal greetings and such. Today, she came from the back, Abyss padding at her side. He stopped as soon as he spotted the Mareep strewn across his field. With a stifled sound - which sounded suspiciously like a quashed bay - he darted through the fence. "Abyss, no!" Pokemon who grew unruly, mostly canines, were often put down when, in the presence of sheep, they were unable to resist their wild side. They were not to blame, merely their ancestry, who had preyed upon such for centuries. Eve nervously bit her lip and made to climb over the barricading fence, all the while looking around nervously for a number of things; Mr. Lynde, his team of Herdier, maybe a passerby.

Her feet impacted the ground with a solid sound and she whirled about, rebuke bubbling in her throat. Wait, was he herding the Mareep? Eve blinked; Abyss certainly seemed to use his intimidating looks and nimble build to cleverly, intricately frighten the sheep into herding into tighter swells, before pushing the solid body of yellow towards the pens. He was a pleasure to watch, agilely sprinting across the plain, gasping lightly, lithe body stretched out in full flight. He was healthy, he was happy.

He was obstructed by a large pink Flaaffy, who threateningly maa'ed at him...well, as threateningly as one could bleat at a walking blade. Abyss stopped dead in his tracks, assessing the foe. So far, he'd run mute, not uttering a single vocal sound to express his displeasure when a stray Mareep broke off from the herd, or chivy the group along and go faster. He was indiscriminate with his teeth, not hesitating to nip the poor Mareep in order for them to go faster, but now, faced by this new opponent, he raised his throat and released a volley of barks to intimidate this sheep too, into submission. If he was expecting the Flaaffy to bleat in horror and flee, he was in for a nasty shock - literally! The pink sheep baa'ed again before releasing a powerful jolt from its fluff, full of static.

Abyss yelped - yes, actually yelped - before jumping a couple of feet clear in one bound, avoiding the attack, appraising the foe with a new eye now. Thankfully, the proper authority jumped in at this point, the baying Herdier diverting Abyss' attention long enough for Eve to call him back. "You silly Absol." She purred, holding his head in both her hands. She'd realized one of his favorite ploys was to press his nose against hers, each looking into each others eyes, red into green.

"Not a bad herder, that." My. Lynde's voice said behind her. Eve paled.

[MegaAbsol]

Who am I?

Abyss crossly thought, staring down at the girl instead of the sky, where she pointed out yet another design he failed to see. Indeed, what he did see in the sky, as raven as a piece of midnight blue silk, rippling gently with an intricate, ethereal and pulsing design of stars, woven together by Arceus himself. The universe was alive, a beating heart. Seeing two-dimensional figurines in such a creation was too...presumptuous.

Of course, he knew who he was. A predatory species capable of predicting disasters...he could feel the atmospheric changes in his skin. It crawled under him, whispering in his ears. And yet the introduction of this human and thrown his life off a cliff. The first few times he refused food because he caught his own, she persisted. Was she bringing him her own food? Very well, if he was to accept this, she was to accept his food. But when he tried presenting her with a dead Rattata, she flinched, cringed, smiled a watery smile and gingerly picking up the rodent, probably discarded it somewhere. Did she not want food? Did she not like his gift?

She seemed to genuinely enjoy his company, spending hours with him, attention never wavering. She seemed especially fond of meddling with his paws, not that he minded. Touching them, picking them up and petting the snowy fluffiness, she took especial care of the broad, clawed appendages. She was visibly distressed when he got a thorn in the pad of one, and nearly insisted on confining him to the house to rest. This was where the question came in.

Was he a pet? Did he belong to her?

Not to say it was an undesirable place to be; trainers offered food, protection, shelter and affection. The general. But having himself displaced from his natural habitat - albeit not unwillingly - where he was fairly self-sufficient, what appeal did this human have that he left all behind to come stand by her side, protecting her, and fighting for her?

Was it because she was a friend?

Would it be jumping to conclusions to think so? Whatever be the reason, as he intently stared down at her pleased face, placing a paw in her open palm and eliciting a surprised sound and glance from her, he was content to be here.
He was content to remain.

[MegaAbsol]

{TRAINING TOPIC}

"Alright, Abyss. Enough bonding. Let's get down to some actual training." Eve's pompous declaration was deemed somewhat...redundant by Abyss yawning in her face. "Hey, now. Come on, don't be like that." She said, dismayed. After a moment of scrutinizing her face, the Absol got to his feet. Eve pointed to some sacks she'd stacked against each other. They carried no goods, only sand and gravel, and hence were fairly sizeable, and spanned some five feet across, and roughly similar in height. They were lumped together with stability in mind, not design, and even if Eve were to throw herself against the monument, striking with her shoulder, she doubted it would so much as budge. "That's a dummy. Go show it what you're worth!"

Once again, her encouragement didn't seem to be worth much. "Sheesh. Alright, look. I know for a fact that you know Scratch and Perish Song and Quick Attack since you used it while we were fighting. But since I don't have a PokeDex, I have no idea about your other moves. Type advantages matter, and while you're highly mobile and adaptable, even flexible, strategy matters too." The girl reasoned. Abyss mutely looked aside, eyes glowing a bright pink shade, which was actually not too distinguishable from his previous shade of red.

"...Uh, did that actually do something?" Eve hedged, feeling rather foolish questioning such. Abyss looked grumpy. However, within the next heartbeat, he was off. Sprinting with all the grace of a Deerling, he jumped, spanning clear across the roadblock, and approaching from the back, struck it a devious, devastating blow. The back was not as well protected as the front, with it being practically vertical-ish to the ground, and the strike caused the burden to shift. "Woah! Didn't expect that. It's like you broke past its barrier! You really feinted past it!" Eve cheered, excited with the display of strength, speed and grace. Abyss only looked aside, huffing slightly with embarrassment.

Crossing around to the front, glaring at his immobile, unoffending foe, he leered at it. "...Uh, that didn't do anything." Eve pointed out, earning a reprimanding bark from him. Suddenly, the sacks jolted and buckled, as though some inhuman strength was crashing and churning into the sacks, beating them up soundly. One of them split open, spilling sand across the plain. "Wow! I didn't see you doing anything!" She exclaimed, once again earning a steadfast glare from him. "It's like you knew that was happening, by, like, sighting the future!~" Eve dramatically spread her arms.

Abyss huffed again, although his chest looked a little bigger. "Now, don't go getting full of yourself. I'm not comfortable pitting you against another pokemon yet, so these sacks will be your opponent for now. If Lazulie had been around..." EVe trailed off, before shaking the thought off. The shiny Rapidash was no longer part of her life, but she remembered him fondly, and her hand moved to cover the burn mark on her arm, skin connecting through a layer of cloth.

"Right. Scratch, Leer, Future Sight. Quick Attack, Perish Song, Feint. Not a bad moveset. Let's get to practicing. Let's try Scratch first, and see how well you take commands." Eve pointed at the sacks, and again Abyss was off like a bolt of lightning. Striking with a sweeping slash, he retreated, watching the sand slowly spill out of the cut. The material was tough, but tougher still were his claws and scythe. "Awesome. Go crazy."

Those were the words she never should have uttered. Abyss stood confused for a moment, before wreaking havoc on the structure. He leaped in with a flash of fangs that ripped down the side of the sacks. Abyss was here, there, and everywhere, always evading and eluding imaginary lunges, and always leaping in and slashing with his fangs. Eve shuddered as the carnage unfolded before her. Savageness was a part of his make-up, and yet Abyss did not seem to follow the rules of traditional conflict between canines. Snarling, bristling and stiff-legged strutting. The Absol omitted these preliminaries, and struck in a single blow, inflicting the greatest amount of damage in the smallest period of time. Pokemon had histories too, and if his were to unfold, she'd be there for him.

The magnificent Absol stood, panting, surveying his handiwork. Now, more sand was visible than sack-cloth, and he took to shaking grit from his paws, occasionally biting a large, unyielding piece of gravel out of the crevasses. It was in his nature to strike fast, and strike hard. Humans called this a fast physical sweeper, statistically. It pleased him.

"Um, we might need to shift targets." Eve muttered to no one in particular. So far, Abyss had picked up on hand signals - she pointed, he attacked - and now, she pointed to a tree, their next victim. "Quick Attack." Abyss paused, before bunching his muscles, squarely aiming at the tree, and was off like a shot. His mustered energy left visible trails of white behind him, and he glowed with health. The entire tree shook as his sturdy shoulder impacted with a sickening crack. Eve's breath caught, and she ran over to her Pokemon.

Upon inspection, the sound had evidently not come from the pokemon, as there was barely any sign of injury to the fur-lined shoulder, armoured with muscle. The tree looked suspiciously...bent, and Abyss leaped, planted his four broad paws against the trunk and pushed off, landing at a respectable six feet away, while the tree teetered and collapsed in debris and a flurry of swirling leaves, dropping in chaotic patterns.

"Feint." Eve called out her order now more tentatively, knowing that the new piece of scenery she now pointed to, a rock, might be a tad difficult a target, but again the Disaster pokemon was off like a shot. No hesitation. Charging as though intending to strike head-on, he suddenly slipped by the side, and struck from behind. His claws made a terrible screeching sound, and he winced, and jumping back as he was wont to, landing with his feet tenaciously clinging to the earth, a noticeable crack had appeared on the rock that had not been there before. Abyss' physical prowess was to be feared, but he was not invincible.

Eve recalled him to her side, and discovered, to her horror, that one of his claws seemed to have been mangled. She wasn't sure if it was broken or ripped, but training ended there, with her worriedly herding the Absol inside the house, and promptly bandaging the protesting Absol's paws. These paws, that she treasured so much; how could she have hurt them? It shattered her spirit, and she held the Absol close to her being. Abyss shifted uncomfortably before leaning into the embrace.

Being essentially house bound as his paw recovered, Abyss grew restless. He was still allowed to go have his evening jog with Eve, but they were shorter than normal. He didn't quite like was he was being fed - it was too soft and...pink. It tasted pretty good and milky, but he longed to return to his previous lifestyle. Being pampered and coddled was not for him, and Eve and Asra saw that.

Henceforth, while he recovered, training extended only to retrieving throwing discs, or avoiding them. Even in so, he exhibited the same grace and power that mesmerized Eve so, and even Asra gained a grudging respect for the scythed pokemon. And she had not trained a small amount of pokemon in her life. She possessed her own posse of powerful and beautiful, otherwise achieved pokemon, and even at Abyss' young age, she did not hesitate to liken him to her pokemon.

Today was a blazing day, and Eve idled in the sun, reminiscent of Warrod and what he might be doing. Abyss padded up beside her with a quiet 'sol', causing her to unconsciously reach over and pet him. He had worked his way into the household and in their hearts, so much so that Eve wondered how they could have have lived without him before they knew him. Such a life was unimaginable. Extending a hand, Abyss immediately answered by placing his paw in her outstretched palm. She grinned at her pokemon and picked up a frisbee. "Care for a game?"

He was much better at chasing after the disc and fetching it back than her, gliding softly over the ground, with a rippling grace, as though a mere ribbon fluttered along with the wind. Every time, he jumped, gained a firm hold on the elongated disc, and returned, panting, tail wagging, eyes alight. He wasn't grim all the time, Eve noted with a stifled smile, accepting the frisbee from him. "Go long!" She called, giving the Absol a head start before flinging it with all her might. The wind aided the streamlined toy, and it flew straight, like an arrow. Abyss noticed he had competition as he ran, an overexcited temporary inhabitant of the house, a sparkling Jolteon. The younger female yapped, fur staticy, and joined the race for the frisbee.

Jolteon were a fast species, but Abyss did not wait. The way was clear, and that was all he had wanted. She took after him, never ceasing her outcry. It was the straightaway now, and when it came to real running, Abyss could teach her things. She ran frantically, hysterically, straining to the utmost, advertising the effort she was making with every leap: and all the time Abyss slid smoothly away from her silently, without effort, gliding like a ghost over the ground.

It was somewhat surprising when Abyss caught the disc, but after a moment, gallantly offered it to the electric canine. "Well, well. Quite the charmer, aren't we?" Eve had her hands on her hips, and a smile on her lips as the two approached closer, Abyss keeping pace with the young, panting Lightning pokemon. "Let's have a look at that paw." Once again, having the paw offered, she carefully unwrapped the bandages that had persisted for days. Of course, given Abyss' active lifestyle, he dragged in tattered bandages cheerily at night, but the last time she'd changed them, the paw was looking good. "There we go. All good."

His claws glistened with care, and the new claw was just as able as the others, being of the same size, albeit slightly sharper. Abyss padded off to sharpen his claws, while the Jolteon yapped and ran off to find new amusement. Eve smiled. They were ready.

[Alice Hope]

1038 words counting towards training = 104 exp points.
Absol gained one hundred happiness and levelled to 14!
Abyss learned pursuit and taunt!
Abyss has 9 exp leftover.

[MegaAbsol]

(Ten? I do believe that for 104 exp, 100 Happiness counts...?)
(Also, not sure if you counted just the last post or not (must be, to get 1038) but 104 exp gives me level 14 with 9 exp remaining :/ But it could be that my calcs are wrong... I mean, sure, it works out better for me this way)

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