Ambushed

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The yellow riolu laid on the ground, clutching her stomach, in a pool of blood that grew larger with each breath. She looked at Tom pleadingly, as if begging him to help her.
Tom looked solemnly at the path that lead out to the Black Spear Mountain Range. Or, more specifically, he looked at a particular spot. The spot where he found Krystal. He still remembered that moment, and the memory still sickened him to the core. He had saved her, and for what? For an even worse death later.
Why? The Riolu mouthed this word at the poor Totodile. Why did you leave me?
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you." A tear rolled down Tom's eye. These nightmares wouldn't end until he found peace. And he knew he wouldn't have that until he...
Avenge me.
Tom would need to train first, though. A level eight Totodile would do little against that monstrous Grovyle. Or against Cynthia either. "I promise I'll avenge you, Krystal."

Tom watched as the red aura around him subsided as he nodded at the Snivy.. "Yeah... Not intentionally, anyway... Normally, you activate the attack by making yourself angry and... um, following your instinct. Hell, you know what I mean. But this time, it's like I just skipped the second step." The red aura that had once surrounded him was completely gone already. "Maybe I just need to learn how to control it; this was the first time I used it in a battle, so... Maybe I should go to the dojo? That place is supposedly a pretty good place for practicing..."

Ace simply shrugged, "Don't ask me. I've only recently come to the area, so I know very little about it. Though out of all the nothing I saw at the town, I'm guessing a dojo would be the only place of any use. I'm sure there would be someone there who could help you out in that regard." he then smirked a bit, "Though it does make things seem that much more interesting when you have an uncontrollable power that goes off at random which leads to those situations where one attacks a friend because of said power. It adds a bit of excitement to the whole mix." he finished as his smirk turned into a grin.

"Excitement." Tom, again, looked at the Snivy in disbelief. "Tell me that knowing that your friends could die at any moment is exciting when you see it yourself. It ain't pretty, and it ain't exciting, Ace." Tom looked back, in the direction of the Mightyena. "Do you know why I was there? I had a friend - Krystal, she was called. First time I saw her, she was laying right there, bleeding to death. So, I gave her a reviver seed and saved her. I like to think we became friends as we traveled...
"And then just a few days later, we come across this gang... One member of this gang was a Grovyle. This guy.... This monster..." A red aura formed around Tom again. "He killed her. I saw her stomach slashed open, I saw all of that blood, and her head rolled up to my feet. You know what makes this even worse? One other person, someone I'd considered my friend for ages, was just standing there, watching. Seeing death is NOT exciting. Even KNOWING that your friend has the potential to kill you is a horrible feeling. And I know that my friend PLANS to kill me. It is NOT exciting. Not in the least." A lone tear fell onto the dirt below him.

"And here's our tragic backstory...things are shaping up nicely" Ace muttered to himself, not wishing for Tom to make another speech.

He then brought his focus back to the actual conversation, "Of course death itself isn't the exciting part, but the story it tells!" It almost seemed like Ace was about to jump up and down in excitement as he continued talking, "Death of a loved one starts the story up, and gives motivation for what to do! You know who you're after, this gang that attacked you, it's a classic tale of revenge. Though your old friend there is an interesting case, perhaps it's simple as turning evil, that would happen a lot more than one would think." as he continued he seemed to be talking even faster, "And now that you're one of the only Pokemon here that hasn't tried to kill me, I'm gonna say that you're one of the good guys. And we all know that in the end of the story, the good guy avenges the victim, and defeats the villain. While it involved sacrifice, the problem was solved, and bittersweet endings are just a more satisfying closure then a pure happy ending."

It took all of Tom's self control not to punch this Snivy right in the face, though he did nothing to hide his anger. The red aura around him flared up even more. "So, what, is life a freaking drama to you? By Arceus, what the hell is wrong with you?! I tell you my "tragic backstory" as you put it, and you don't empathize - or even pretend to - at all. You don't even act with indifference; you think it's fun. You think it's interesting. Exciting, even. You think my life is your average crappy play. I don't think I'm even gonna ask how you'd feel if something similar happened to you; I bet you're completely unable to consider life as anything more than a game, "Ace". You'd probably just be excited that you'd have an excuse to be the hero of a "classic tale of revenge". Just don't treat my life as one of your freaking dramas; it's an insult to me, to Krystal, even to Cynthia. I'm leading the best life I can lead; don't diminish it's value."

Ace, seeing the aura around Tom growing, quickly scanned the area, "That should be enough if he goes nuts..." he thought to himself.

"You say I treat life as a game, but isn't that all life is? Your story begins when you are born, then you have your plot as you live, and it comes to its conclusion once you die. It's how it works for you, it's how it works for me, heck it's how it works for everyone One must make the most of the time they have in their "story" and that's what I plan on doing. I don't know what made you think that I was saying that you were leading a bad life. Yours is one of the best I've seen so far. So how about we lighten up, and head on to that dojo to get that Rage issue fixed up if you don't wish to add a double edged blade to your arsenal."

The aura around Tom slowly shrunk until all that remained was the memory of it. "I... I get you, even if I don't agree with you. And in a sense, you're right, that we have to make the most out of life. We all have to live lives that we can take pride in when we're on our deathbeds. It's just that... It's just that when you talk about things in my life as if they're commonplace, I find it insulting. Everyone's story is completely unique, and the way you were putting my life diminished it's value, made it feel as though none of it really mattered, 'cause it happens to so many other people. Y'know?" Tom sighed, before pulling out a map and checking for directions to Grassveil. "Anyway, you're right; I do need to get this rage issue fixed up. Oh, by the way, do you need someone to tour you around Grassveil?"

Ace shrugged, "I guess I could use a tour, it's not like I've been impressed by the town so far, but you never know." Ace started to walk back but suddenly stopped and sighed, "So I guess I'll have to save the treasure here for another day, what a shame..."

"Treasure here?" Tom sighed. "It's a forest, Ace. The best you'll find is the occasional unusual box or reviver seed. Don't get me wrong; you could get a hefty price from those boxes. Maybe. I found two on my last visit here, so maybe not." And with that, the Totodile started walking back to Grassveil, the Snivy following behind.