Atlas pushed himself up from the cold alley, the sting of his bruises nothing compared to the fresh wound in his heart. The pendant against his chest was no longer cold and dormant, it was warm, pulsing with a gentle life he had never felt before. He looked down, pulling it out from beneath his torn shirt, and watched as a soft red light pulsed from its jewel, humming as it floated in the air before pointing in a single direction.
Ignoring the throbbing pain of his injuries and the desperate gnawing in his stomach, Atlas began to follow the pendant. It led him deeper into the city's underbelly, through a maze of forgotten alleyways and deserted streets, the kind of places where the City of Vesta's grandeur gave way to its hidden slums riddled with dirt and disease. With every step, a strange sense of clarity settled over him. His grief-stricken thoughts of his parents and Ben's cruel words faded into the background, replaced by a feeling of profound empathy he couldn't explain.
Suddenly, the pendant's hum intensified, a powerful pulse echoing in his mind as it dropped back to his chest. Confused, Atlas looked around, his new sense of awareness heightened. He heard a crashing sound nearby, followed by a chorus of angry pokemon cries. Moving cautiously, he peeked around a corner to see a small, secluded lot. In the center, a beautiful, oddly colored Buneary with a subtle pinkish hue was cornered by two Zigzagoon. Shiny pokemon named such for how easy they are to spot in a group of similar species pokemon due to their unique genetic mutation that changes the color of some part of the body. She was a shiny, a genetic anomaly in the eyes of the world, and Atlas could see the malice in the Zigzagoon's eyes as they taunted her, not just with attacks, but with a cruel, non-verbal communication that Atlas, for the first time, could almost understand. He could feel her pain and loneliness echoing his own.
He saw his reflection in her defiance: a lonely, cornered individual, fighting back against a world that had labeled her as worthless. Without a second thought, he ran to her side, standing between her and her attackers, his hands raised in a gesture of defense. He yelled, his voice raw with a sudden, powerful protectiveness hoping to scare off the small Zigzagoon knowing that in his current state he wouldn't be able to fight back. The Zigzagoon, stunned by his aggression, backed away, letting out a sigh of relief Atlas took Buneary to a small, hidden space where they could be alone. He carefully put her down, his hand hovering over her bruised, delicate ear. He felt a deep, sadness wash over him, knowing that she too had been abandoned by her own kind, betrayed by the very nature of her existence.
As if in response to his emotions, the jewel of his pendant snapped off the chain, splitting in half. The two diamond-shaped pieces began to spiral in a graceful, glowing dance around them. The jewels, humming with a warm, loving light, eventually embedded themselves in the center of their chests, starting to glow infinitely brighter, blinding Atlas.
A torrent of images, feelings, and memories flooded Atlas's mind. He saw his parents, their loving faces, the last time they went out as a family, and then the haunting image of Yveltal. He felt the cold betrayal of Ben's words and the crushing weight of his life alone. But then, he felt more. He felt the same loneliness from a different perspective—Buneary's lifetime of rejection, her desperate fight for survival, her pain and her resilience. He felt her fear, and with it, he felt her love, a powerful, new, and undeniable warmth that filled the empty void in his heart. And in that moment, he heard a new, soft voice in his mind.
'Atlas…?'
Snapping out of his daze, Atlas looked around to see where the voice had come from, but no one was in the vicinity besides him and the Buneary.
'It's me, Atlas. Down here.'
The voice, a soft, feminine tone, rang directly inside his head, an unsettling sensation that left him unable to pinpoint its source. He looked down to see Buneary with her eyes open, having awoken at some point while he was dazed.
"Was that you?" Atlas asked, his voice full of confusion that bordered on disbelief. He recalled the stories of trainers and their pokemon sharing a telepathic link, but that shouldn't be possible for him. He hadn't been able to form a bond with a pokemon since he was given the chance to when he was 10.
'It seems to have something to do with the red diamond in both our chests,' Buneary's voice echoed in his mind, and she pointed a paw at the glowing jewel now embedded in her chest.
Atlas looked down at his own shirt, a small diamond-shaped hole torn in the fabric. He pulled it down and saw the matching red jewel in the center of his chest. His mother's pendant, a dormant piece of metal for five years, was the key. A fresh wave of grief, sharper than the punches from Ben, washed over him. His parents had gone on an expedition, risking their lives to find a solution to a problem he had the answer to all along. Their death could have been prevented.
He looked back at Buneary, a thousand questions burning in his mind. He wanted to know more about this bond, this power, but he knew she was likely in the same position as him. He opened his mouth to ask a question before a sudden flash of light, a translucent red screen, flickered into existence between them, causing him to instinctively recoil.
"Huh?" Atlas gasped, the sudden intrusion completely unexpected.
'What's got you so stunned?' Buneary's mental voice asked, the new feeling of her emotions and thoughts flowing through his head still jarring, but ever so slowly he was getting used to it.
"You're saying you can't see the screen in front of you right now?" Atlas asked, his hand instinctively pointing at the translucent red display. When Buneary shook her head, a fresh wave of confusion washed over him.
'Well? Does it have anything on it?' her voice asked, simultaneously tilting her head in confusion. She couldn't see the screen, but her curiosity was palpable through their new connection.
Blushing slightly at the sight of her, Atlas cleared his throat and forced himself to focus on the screen in front of him.
Name: Atlas Eterna
Egg group: Human-like
Age: 16
Level: 1
Ability: ???
----- Stats -----
Body – 3
Mind – 5
Energy – 1
----- Bonded Pokemon (1/4) -----
1. Buneary (Info)
His eyes lingered on the "Bonded Pokemon" section, his suspicion confirmed. Buneary's name was there. A sob escaped his lips, a mixture of elation and a deep, profound grief. Tears welled in his eyes, blurring the words on the screen as he carefully picked up Buneary and hugged her.
"Mom, Dad... I did it. I finally did it. I have a pokemon," he sobbed into her soft fur, the warmth of her body a comfort he hadn't felt in years. He could feel her pity and sympathy through their link, a silent understanding of his pain.
After a minute, he calmed down, releasing her and wiping the tears from his eyes.
'What did the window say to make you react like that?' Buneary's mental voice asked, her curiosity now tinged with a newfound empathy.
"For six years, I've tried to bond with a pokemon, but it never worked. And now, finally, I bonded with you." I told her, my voice still trembling a little. It was shocking, but it also made me incredibly excited.
Buneary nodded, her paw gently touching my hand. I could feel she understood, a quiet acknowledgment of the memories she'd seen of my parents and my own struggles.
I turned my attention back to the "Bonded Pokemon" section and saw an "Info" button next to her name. Clicking it, the window changed to a new, red screen. The moment it appeared, Buneary jumped back, startled.
"Huh? Buneary, are you alright?" I asked, confused. I glanced around to see what could have scared her, but nothing was there.
I turned back to her, and she pointed a paw at the red window in front of me. 'Is that the screen you were talking about?' she asked through our bond. A wave of confusion washed over me. I'd thought this screen was only for me to see, but she could see it too.
"Yeah, it seems to be about you. Do you want to look?" I motioned for her to come closer. She hopped into my lap and we both focused on the red screen.
Species: Buneary (Alpha)
Egg group: Human-like
Level: 3 Ability:
Limber
----- Stats -----
Body – 6
Mind – 2
Energy – 3
My stomach tightened as I saw her stats. Her Body and Energy were so much higher than mine. I realized that if I hadn't managed to scare off that Zigzagoon, I would have been dead. I shuddered at the thought. I knew about her Limber ability from a textbook; it made her immune to paralysis, which was incredibly useful.
"Hey, Buneary, do you know what the 'Alpha' next to your name means?" I asked, still puzzled.
'I'm not sure,' Buneary said through our bond, puffing up her chest proudly. 'Maybe it's because I'm so big and strong.'
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "You do realize you got cornered by two Zigzagoon?"
'Humph! What matters is this screen considers me the alpha, not you.' She puffed her chest out even more.
"If you say so," I chuckled, and with a thought attempting to close the window and pleasantly surprised when it does just that. I made a mental note to visit the library tomorrow and see if I could find anything on Alpha pokemon.
I slowly pushed myself to my feet. My bruises ached, but the excitement of finally having a pokemon completely overshadowed the pain. I picked up Buneary, cradling her since her wounds from the battle still needed to be treated.
'Let's get strong,' she declared, a sadistic smirk on her face. 'Let's prove everyone else wrong and put them in their place.'
I chuckled, a feeling of wonder and excitement mixed together. What kind of bunny had I picked up? "Yeah," I replied, "let's do just that."
We started our walk home, my pace quickening with newfound purpose. Buneary, safe in my arms, let out a soft sound as our bond pulsed with energy. It wasn't just my excitement anymore; there was something else. A new feeling, like a wave of pure power, washed over us both. It was strange and intense, and it felt like it was coming from her. The screen had called her an "Alpha," and as I held her, I felt a deep, resonating hum within me that whispered of a strength far beyond anything I had ever imagined.