The wild, The outlaw, and The Outlandish

Rouge saw the vixen use his bone to launch the orb at the tyranitar and suddenly he was in a strange place surrounded by buildings. He tried to move but he couldn't. He was vaguely aware of shouting and movement around him as his vision blurred from a bright flash in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was his body starting to give out or some Pokemon had bound his movements and blinded him, but he felt several Pokemon grasp his extremities and move him. He did everything he could to move, or even shout out to the Vixen that had saved him for help, but he couldn't even move his jaw. Blinded, Unable to move, and Separated from the one who had saved him, Rouge felt scared for the second time in his entire life. Was this the end for him? Would he be slain in strange place so far away from home before he even became a full fledged adult? His life flashed before his blurry eyes giving him a clear vision of the past and he savored every moment of it he could. He didn't want t die but knew the possibility was real.

The vixen had bolted when she realized that they were in town, into the nearest allyway and away from the gathering crowd as they rushed to help the cubone. The cubone was lifted and carried off towards the nearest help, while others seemed to glare suspiciously at her as she fled. She had vanished from the line of sight just in time to not be recognized, and had made her way to the top of the many stands the covered the town. She gazed after the crowd, following along the tops of the stalls, staying out of sight but still following the cubone.

Despite the danger of her being seen, her curiosity of the creature burned. There wasn't much concern in her eyes, as she was sure that these pokemon wouldn't do anything to harm him. These were the kind of pokemon that would only wish harm upon her.

Rouge couldn't help to to try and cry out again, but as he expected there was no sound that came out. Slowly he lost consciousness.

Several hours later, he awoke in a room laying on a bed, no Pokemon were near by and he had weird vines going from his arm to a handing bag thing. Slowly he took it hold of the vine and tugged, he felt pain as it released but only for an instant.He got up wobbly, but workable, he was able to move. He made his way slowly out of the room and into a dark area to hid in as he noticed two Pokemon walking past, one in a weird white piece of cloth. after they passed he moved as quickly as he could dark corner to dark corner until he got to what he thought was the lowest point and looked out of the giant hole with a clear material covering it. he knew not what this clear stuff was but it was easy to slide over and gave him access to the outside. Once out there he made a point to avoid all of the Pokemon he could by staying concealed in the darkness as much as he could. He didn't know if these Pokemon were hostile or why he was in that strange place. The one thing he knew to be right was to find that Vixen and get his bone back. He cared not for his own safety if it meant getting his bone back, getting back home, and hopefully finding that Vixen alive.

Several hours later, Mirage had been seated outside and a street across from the place the cubone was being held. The thick and heavy club was at the tips of her paws, as she had dragged it to the top of the building. She wasn't quite sure of the importance of this item, but she had figured the cubone wanted it. As usual, a strange thought tugged at the back of her mind.
'Why are you helping him?'

Why WAS she helping him? She had reasoned to herself the curiosity was all, but now was the chance to bail before the curiosity killed the fox. Mirage looked at the building, wondering what to do about this strange predicament. Should she just flee? Go back to shadowhue before she gets herself killed? Weren't outlaws supposed to be bad? She was a dark type, therefore she was to be an outlaw. That was the life that was laid out for her. So, why wasn't she following it?

Rouge ran out into the bright daylight doing his best to not be noticed as he ran tot he next dark area. His path took him, unwittingly into the sight of the Vixen he searched for. He tripped on a small rock and did his best to not cry out in pain. He knew by now several of the Pokemon in the area had spotted him and were walking towards them. He couldn't understand their speak due to too many of them talking at the same time but different phrases. Rouge got up and ran, trying to avoid them as much has he could finally one of them managed to grab him.

"Gllaartog! eslortt polenta!" he wailed trying to get away from his capture, struggling with all of his strength.

Oh great...even more attention attracting actions. The zorua sighed, knowing that the young cubone was likely scared out of his mind. Pitying the young creature, a red mist began to surround her and envelope her. She focused on the cubone that had been flailing around on the ground, trying to will herself into looking like him. The two teeth on the skull was missing, along with a brown spike on the image of the cubone's back. The vixen was not aware of this, but continued onward, holding the bone and having it appear to be in her hand as she approached the cubone, setting down the bone to speak, "There you are, i've been looking all over for you! Dad's worried sick!"

She could only hope that the cubone would play along, her image shimmering ever so slightly in the area of her eyes to quickly show the cubone that it was her while attempting to not alert the growing crowd.

Rouge continued to struggle until the Pokemon had released him. He quickly ran to the Vixen disguised as him, and panted, looking around the large amount of Pokemon there. He heard one of them quickly yell out that the cubone next to him was an imposter, but no one seemed to take note of that one.He was shaken by everything that had happened this day. He did his best to copy some of the vixen's words.

"d-dad w-worr-ried si-ick." the words felt funny in his mouth, but at least he spoke them in what he hoped was a convening fashion. he looked over at the vixen his bone, at least the bone was real enough that no one would dare try to prove her falseness with it. The crowd on the other hand was very confused at why there were two cubones to appear in one day, and how they actually had a dad in the first place as male cubones aren't known for taking care of their young.

Mirage's teeth clenched in annoyance as a pokemon seemed to call out the charlatan, but the voice was hushed and ignored. She figured that her form must have been disfigured somehow, although it was an annoyance, there was always the easy-way-out card, claiming to be offended and saying it was a birth issue or something. That usually shut up the traps of the pokemon around here. The illusion flailed its arms up and down in a urgent manner, "We gotta go! Dad was looking all over for you!!" The fox picked up the bone once more and shoved it into the cubone's hands before taking off, hoping the cubone to follow.

She was rather surprised to hear words come from the cubone's mouth, as all that seemed to spout from it was incomprehensible nonsense. She glanced back to the crowd, who some of which seemed to be dispersing, dismissing the two as simply some dumb young kids causing trouble.

Rouge followed the disguised vixen, caring not where she took him, but more importantly that he had hid bone and she was actually alive. The words he spoke were muddy at best and he knew one more word he could try once they were far enough away from the Pokemon and their city. The moment they were away and she uncloaked herself he spoke once more.

"F-f-fri-ien-nd." the word, he hoped meant to convey his thanks for everything. He may not have a home right now, nor does he have food, but he does have his bone. With his bone he could rebuild his life in a new home, but he knew that it wasn't over yet. His journey with this vixen had only just begun. He swore to stay by her side until he could speak clearly, and that is what he intends to do weather she likes it or not.

The outskirts of the city is where the vixen had declared it safe to dispel her species's ability, the strange way of casting an illusion to fool the feeble eyes of others. She stopped when she did so, taking a sigh of relief once she felt that she was safe once more from the dangers of the law that she felt she had been born into a conflict with her entire life.

It was when the cubone uttered the word, "Friend" where she looked to the cubone in surprise. She laughed, it was rather cute, the cubone thinking he could befriend a dark type such as herself. She belonged in the shadows, stealing from the rich, stealing from the poor, no matter who, she was stealing.

"You wouldn't want to be friends with me," she spoke with a chuckle, "I'm not on the same side of the fence as the pokemon back there. I'm generally called one of the bad pokemon you know?"

Rouge was confused by this, and it showed strongly on his face. She had saved him twice now, and she says she's bad? Rouge had encountered many Pokemon whom claim to be bad just because they didn't want to be bothered, but this was new to him. In his time of seeing outlaws coming to him, capturing him and trying to tame him, he had seen what a bad Pokemon really was. She wasn't bad. He was sure she didn't have a bad bone in her entire body, and not just on a figurative level but on a literal level. She looked like she took good care of herself, and even if she was stealing, wasn't it for survival? if she stole something exspensive and sold it to a shop then bought some food wasn't that the same as stealing food? survival calls for many different things and what she had done showed all she needed to do was see the good inside of herself. His mission he felt wasn't to learn to speak just for the sake of speaking, it was so he could show her the good she can do, and he must try to speak again.

"f-fri-e-nd... n-oo-t b-ba-d.... s-sa-am-e s-sid-e." he did it in the most confident voice he could muster with speaking, unfortunately it sounded very wobbly.

It took a bit longer to piece together what the cubone had said, but Mirage succeeded and replied, "No, we're not on the same side. I'm the dark type here, I belong with the darkness, and therefore I belong on this side of the fence," the zorua spoke, remembering what the pokemon of her village far far away had taught her harshly that her parents had so much denied.

Dark types were bad, that was the way things were. If she were to fight it, she was surely to starve like her parents and was doomed to being coated in nothing but hatred from others anyways. The only "friend" she was to have, was one also on the same side of her fence. Sure there was that aipom named Crackers that had managed to befriend her, but she doubted he fully understood the concept of being an outlaw anyways.

Rouge raised an eye brow at the strange Idea that types chose your path. he had met friendly ghosts, horrible fairys, and even hydrophobic water Pokemon. but a dark type being evil just because they are dark? That was one that didn't make sense to rouge. and what about the tyrantar? It wasn't dark but it destroyed his home, isn't that evil? He shook his head and thought of a way to respond to it.

"S-sa-a-av-e m-m-e-e, n-no-ot e-ev-vi-il." this was the best exampled as she had saved him twice. and evil Pokemon would have capitalized on the chance and left him for dead while they grabbed all the loot they could then ran away. If she was also evil why would the vixen give him back his bone, the one thing he could use to take her down? Those whom are evil don't generally trust any other Pokemon, especially ones that use tools such as cubones and Farfettched.

The vixen rolled her eyes, just like the aipom, this cubone knew nothing as well.

Mirage stood, "so, now that you seem to be able to speak, who are you? Why were you living out there alone?" The zorua had walked away and leaped upon a nearby rock. She favored being higher up, it gave her a better view of the area, in case an ambush decided to take root nearby to apprehend her.

The zorua looked down to the cubone, wondering herself why she hadn't left yet. This cubone had nothing, it held no value to her other than entertainment. She could have been off doing better things, things that would aid to her survival and leisure. So, why WAS she here?

"r-ro-ou-ug-ge b-bo-on-ne." he had finally said his name, he knew at this point he couldn't say everything as quick as he'd like to tell this vixen, but he could talk. Talking was what might make this vixen realize that she isn't evil.

"E-e-xi-il-le-ed. n-no-ot a-a-ad-u-lt. c-c-co-ul-ld-n-n't f-fi-n-ni-is-sh t-tri-ia-als." rouge found that the more he talked the more he remembered about talking, and the easier it became for him, although he was saddened to talk about his exile after his trials.