This is the journey of a man named Chris, who had dreams shared by many, yet lived experiences known by so few... 
There are many people in the world of Pokemon, who come in just as many varieties as these strange creatures. And you 
are about to discover, perhaps, one you may just consider the rarest of all...


Chapter 17 - False Imprisonment!


After letting Kirlia sing for a short time, he looked towards the sky with a sigh. "Well... If we're gonna make anymore
progress today past the border, we better get going. The night seems like it comes faster than the day does..." he told
Kirlia as he stood, placing her on his shoulder while rummaging through his rucksack, taking out a soft towel. "This will
have to do... I don't have any small blankets or anything..." he muttered while scooping up Snivy, wrapping her in the
towel and cradling her in his arm. He stuffed the clothes he had used for her bed into his rucksack and set off once
again, stopping by the spring Kirlia showed him earlier to restock on fresh water. "At least this time I remembered,
huh?" he chuckled, tucking his bottles into the side pockets of his rucksack. "Man... This thing really is handy, and
with all the improvements the seniors made, its been an incredible help so far... I really owe them..." he smiled, giving
the rucksack a pat before putting it back on and setting off down the mountains.


"Man... The trip to the old mans village seemed to take a lot less time when I first arrived... But leaving feels like
its taking forever... Is that odd-ish?" he laughed, looking at Kirlia who seemingly let out a groan in response as she
shook her head. "Oh... You didn't understand what a lullaby was yet you get a bad joke? Sure..." he scowled in response,
with Kirlia shrugging and showing a teasing troll-like smile. Throughout the rest of the afternoon and far into the
evening hours he traveled, Snivy waking occasionaly to see what was going on before passing back out in its cozy cocoon
of softness and warmth within the towel. "You know... I remember seeing a center somewhere around here... At least...
I thought I did... When I first went through here years back... Although it could be gone by now the way those things
pop up all over the place..." he muttered, making sure to keep an eye out for it in case he was lucky enough to pass
by. Once the sun set just enough, some of the random posts set along the trail flickered on, making him jolt in surprise.


"...That's new. I didn't think these trails had any lights when I first came here. We must be close to a developed place
then if they have electricity running through this part of the mountain..." he thought, continuing forward. "Its nice
though... It means we can keep going even once the sun is gone." he said, thinking out loud, causing Kirlia to make a
"huh?" noise as she tilt her head confused. "Oh... Nothing. They have street lights here now, so even though its dark
I can easily see where I'm headed and whats around us. It makes walking at night a lot safer and more convenient, so
we might be able to reach the bottom of the border before tomorrow after all!" he said with a laugh. "I'll be glad too.
I'd love to walk on a straight path again after this..." he mumbled, looking around through the trees. It wasn't long
before he caught a glimpse of what looked like windows lit up in the night through the woods, and he eventually found
himself standing in front of a Pokemon center. "I knew it!!! That's why they must have added the street lights... When
you see that, people can't be too far away!" he smirked, heading inside and looking around.


"Well... Outside it looks pretty old, but it sure is nice on the inside!" he said with a smile, heading up to the counter
and ringing the bell. A nurse came out after a moment wiping her hands off with a rag, letting out a sigh as a second
nurse came out as well, the two standing in front of him with a bow and a smile. "Sorry for the wait. We stay pretty
busy here considering the mountain borders only have so many centers. How can we help you?" one of the nurses asked.
He set Snivy down on the counter and set Kirlia down next to her, asking them to take a look at both and offer whatever
advice they could give him as far as Snivy went. "Certainly! Lets just take a look at what we ha..." they said with a
pause, their eyes shooting wide as their tones turned pale as ghosts. They started examining Snivy while whispering to
one another, pointing out various parts of her body as they also took a look at Kirlia, pointing out her eyes. The more
they looked over the two and spoke, the more their glances towards Chris turned into glares, causing him to sweat nervously.
"Ahh... Ha ha... So... About that... Advice?" he asked nervously, raising a hand to wave. They suddenly looked over his
shoulders and made a motion with their hands, causing him to blink confused before suddenly being grabbed from behind,
his hands yanked behind him as he heard clicking sounds.


"Wh... Wha...? Huh...? Woah!! Hey, wait a sec!!" he shouted, slightly jerking around in a panic. He suddenly heard the
person behind him asking what the charges were, causing him to glance behind him to find an officer who had been on guard
near the entrance now holding his cuffed wrists behind him. "Its a severely malnourished Snivy... And it appears to have
suffered physical abuse as well. We also have a Kirlia here who's eyes show its been blinded..." they told the officer,
showing the Pokemon to him as Chris sweat badly. "I... I didn't do that!!" he responded in a panic, jerking slightly
again. "These ARE your Pokemon... Right?" the officer asked in an irritated tone. "N... No!! I mean... Yes... I mean
Kirlia is kind of... Not Snivy really... That is... Kirlia is more like... Well..." and the officer roughly shoved his
face down onto the counter, suddenly telling him his rights as he struggled under the officers grasp. He groaned as he
watched the nurses look over Snivy and talk to each other quietly, hearing them make plans revolving getting it back on
its feet and healthy, and as he looked at the sickly Pokemon when the nurses lifted it, he saw how limp it still was in
their hands. They talked about how weak its pulse was, and how much care it would need, and he slowly stopped struggling
under the officers grasp when he saw Snivy weakly opening her eyes to look at him, showing a small smile until she noticed
others were holding her, and saw Chris was being pinned down in front of her. This caused Snivy to weakly struggle and let
out scared noises, with the nurses quickly turning away so Snivy couldn't see him, telling Snivy how she wouldn't have
to look at her abuser anymore.


Although he knew its condition wasn't his fault, these words caused him pain nonetheless, and Kirlia picked up on his
swirling emotions of fright and sadness while the officer finished speaking, with Chris's expression turning depressed.
"Alright you... Lets go. Better hope it pulls through or you'll be spending a lot of time thinking over what you've done,
in an especially small cell picked just for special people like you." the officer grumbled, pulling him away from the
counter and causing him to stumble about in the process. Kirlia suddenly jumped up to her feet, reaching her arms out and
waving them all over, calling out in a panicked tone as she felt his presence distancing itself from her. He suddenly
looked behind himself and the officer, and smiled nervously. "Kirlia! I'm going somewhere for a little while! You stay here
and look after that Snivy alright? That's an order!" he told her, letting out a seemingly happy laugh to reassure her.
Kirlia continued reaching out her arms confused, letting out louder and louder noises in a panic as she heard his laughter
yet felt his emotions, sensing him going further and further away from her. As she started trying to run in his direction,
she fell off the front of the counter, Chris jerking away from the officer in response wanting to catch her until he saw
a nurse quickly grab her instead, calling her a poor thing while glaring at him in disgust as the officer slammed him
against the door frame, telling Chris not to resist again. He let out a quick shout of pain, making Kirlia go into a
state of wild panic in response in the arms of the nurse who had caught her, until the nurse held a strongly scented 
herb in front of her face that caused her to go into a near unconscious state, going limp in the nurses arms and letting
out dazed noises.


Chris bit his lip to avoid letting out any further sounds as the officer yanked his wrists roughly, the cuffs digging
into his skin as a result. Chris looked back for as long as he could while the nurses held Kirlia and Snivy, both of them
looking in his direction with their hands out towards him. The nurses turned them away and took them into the back,
just as the officer threw him into the back of his car and got in the front, driving off while glaring at Chris through
his mirror. "People like you make me sick... You got any idea how many times I've seen this now? Half the time its too
late to do anything for poor Pokemon like that... You better believe I'll make sure you learn your lesson kid." the officer
told him with a furious expression. Chris sweat badly with wide eyes, trembling nervously causing the officer to smirk.
"A fast learner... You keep that fear in mind." he told Chris with a chuckle. "Time after time again I see trainers treat
their Pokemon so disgracefully. Like they're toys, tools. Not caring whether they live or die, just using them to serve
some selfish purpose... I love making sure people like you stay where they belong." the officer scowled. Through it all
Chris sat silently, looking down nervously as he tried rubbing his wrists, slowly becoming raw from the cuffs.


"It... Its really not what you think..." he told the officer quietly, causing him to laugh in response. "They all say
that. Can't you show a little dignity kid?" the officer responded, raising an eyebrow as they pulled up to an isolated
police building. "We've got a small station here but it'll do for now until other things are decided..." he told Chris,
getting out and pulling him out by the arm, causing Chris to groan and stumble once again. He walked inside with the officer
and was put inside one of the cells, released from his cuffs and his belongings stripped from him. "H... Hang on!! That's
important!!" he shouted, trying to grab for it with the cell door shut in his face, bouncing him backwards onto the floor
with bar markings on his face as he groaned. "I'm sure its important... Something illegal in here I bet... Stolen goods
maybe...? You said the Snivy wasn't yours... Bet you stole it and just tried to let it rot and die..." the officer said
with a scowl, tossing the rucksack on a table and rummaging through it. "Geez kid... What are you a trainer or a homeless
person? You've got enough junk in here to fill a house..." the officer said, with Chris looking away in irritation. "Its
not junk..." he grumbled, continuing to rub his sore face.


"Ooohhh... Pardon me tough guy." the officer sneered, suddenly finding the Pokeball inside. "What have we here...? A
third Pokemon? Well well well... Maybe if your lucky, third time will be the charm and you'll have something to defend
your case with..." the officer smirked, holding out the Pokeball in an attempt to release what may be inside. However,
when it failed to open, he held it up to his face to look it over. "Odd... Maybe its refusing to come out? That certainly
doesn't look good on you kid..." the officer said, smiling ear to ear mockingly. "Come on out now... Little or big fella.
The kids locked away safe and s..." the officer paused as he saw the Pokeball was sealed shut, its creases melt together.
"...What kind of sick man are you? Did you actually seal away a Pokemon inside its own ball?!!" the officer roared, reaching
into the cell and yanking Chris close to him, his body slamming against the bars. "N... No... Its not that kind of Pokeball
anymore..." he groaned, trying to push himself away from the bars. The irritated officer shoved him back and scowled in
detest. "You starve one nearly to death... You blind another... And you seal one to die inside the very thing you used
to capture it...? You sick... Sick human being..." the officer said as he looked it over, suddenly noticing the names of
his grandfathers Pokemon who signed it. "...These the names of the Pokemon you've killed doing this I take it? You'll
never see the light of day again, you hear me?" he told Chris, giving him the darkest look someone could give. He went
towards the exit of the cell room, taking out a key to try prying it open as he stood at the door, twisting and pulling
on it as well.


"Don't open it!!!" Chris chouted, suddenly reaching out of his cell. "Please!! That's not an ordinary Pokeball!!" he
begged, watching the officer turn back at the entrance to the cells. "No shame, and no dignity..." the officer responded,
slamming the door shut leaving Chris alone behind bars. After a moment, he slumped and lowered onto his knees, looking
down at the floor, his face stinging as it slowly swelled from being slammed against by the bars not once, but twice.
He made his way to the bed in the cell and sat, noticing the small mirror above the sink nearby and seeing his battered
face. "I really do look like a criminal... Don't I...? I should have thought that through better... But... How could they
judge me like that without even hearing me out...? How am I supposed to win when they have all that against me without a
real explanation...? Then again... Its not like anyone would believe me..." he said with a groan.


"I found a blind Ralts just tossed off a cliff... Then there was a malnourished Snivy that just so happened to be in my
rucksack I happened to find as well... And a sealed tight Pokeball with three Pokemon names carved on it... That does make
me seem like a psycho..." he muttered, taking a deep breath and letting out a slow, long sigh. "Man... I feel like a
heel... None of that stuff was true and it STILL got to me and made me feel like it actually WAS my fault... I just wanted
to get some help was all..." he groaned, standing and walking up to the mirror to look at his face closely. "That was
way too rough... Look at me..." he muttered, turning on the sink and rubbing the cool water on his face with a sigh.
"Hope they don't think I abandoned them... But how am I going to explain it wasn't me...? And that officer is off prying
away at grandpa's Pokeball... He gets that open his ashes will be all over the place... And he'll probably just think
its my victims ashes... Why...?" he groaned, walking back to the bars and slumping down onto his knees as he held onto
them.


"Out of the village and into a prison... Some grand adventure..." he said sadly, closing his eyes as he rested his head
against the bars, trying to think and calm himself down.