The Fifteenth Star

[Channel Delibird]

This is the continuing story of Vex, a 15-year-old Pokemon Trainer, who lives in a world claimed by the oppressive, militaristic Warlord Azorr and the many Pokemon and humans he has enslaved. This is a story of hope and freedom, yet of sacrifice and sadness too. This is The Fifteenth Star...

The sun was slowly dropping behind the rolling hills, its mesmerising purple and orange streaks of light brightening the dim clouds as Vex hurriedly clambered up the rocky slope. Beads of sweat on his forehead came across as reddish in the fading light.

His companion, a tiny purple bird with patterned wings, showed no signs of tiring or exasperation. Natu simply flapped obediently behind him, occasionally turning its head back to check for pursuers. Vex had to admire its courage - twice it had fainted today while they escaped from the labour camp. Yet through sheer willpower Natu managed to keep itself up, its bond to its trainer beyond anything Vex could have expected. This was the only comforting thought that was anywhere near the surface of his mind, unfortunately.

Behind them climbed two of Azorr's enforcers, clad in dark gray military uniform and carrying pistols and daggers in various pockets. It was they who Vex was running from.

The enforcers of Warlord Azorr were renowned for their strict discipline and determination to succeed at whatever their Generals ordered them to do. It was downright eerie in a way, as if something had walked into their heads and ripped up their personalities, leaving an expressionless shell behind. Vex had had vivid nightmares over the past few years in which the same thing happened to him - but administered by his only friend, Natu.

Vex dismissed his disturbing thoughts as he concentrated on using his last remnants of strength to power him forward. Now he was running on flat ground, high above the mining camp in which he had toiled for god-knows-how-long, but the enforcers were gaining. Vex knew there wasn't any way he could win, but he most certainly wasn't going to let Azorr retrieve him that easily. He shuddered as he imagined what they would do to him when they caught him.

Though he tried, Vex slipped deeper and deeper into the imaginings that were trying to stab him, to throw him off the mountain and down back to the mines again. Why...why was his own mind in his way of reaching freedom, and a chance to live like he hadn't done for a decade.

Lost in thoughts, Vex's bare foot pushed itself under an extruded root, and he made no cry as he thudded to the grassy dirt that covered the peak, the enforcers walking slowly up to him, guns in hand...

---

TO BE CONTINUED

(All the posts in this story will be relatively short, but there will be a lot of them between each grade. You'll get more out of it in the end. =P)

[Channel Delibird]

This is the continuing story of Vex, a 15-year-old Pokemon Trainer, who lives in a world claimed by the oppressive, militaristic Warlord Azorr and the many Pokemon and humans he has enslaved. This is a story of hope and freedom, yet of sacrifice and sadness too. This is The Fifteenth Star...

...We left our hero knocked to the floor on a mountain overlooking the labour camp he sought to escape, with two of Azorr's enforcers pointing guns at him...

Vex lay winded on the hard ground covering Windsweep Peak, and felt the anger build up inside him. It was sizzling, bubbling anger, anger that struck out at his mind again and again for each second in which he did not act upon it. It was expanding, consuming every part of his body.

And it was directed at the guns.

Not toward the enforcers, not directly, but as soon as Vex's eyes rested on the shiny black pistols the anger appeared as if it had been waiting until this moment, after gathering strength for countless decades, waiting for the opportunity to avenge.

Eleven years it had been, but Vex's memory was as clear as the mountain air...

"No! I won't let you take him!"

The woman pulled her terrified child behind her, where it buried its head away from the nasty, mean people who had intruded into his happy life. On the other side of the messy room, a man called to his wife.

"Samantha, don't give them any excuses! You've heard what they've done..."

"SILENCE!" The man in front, whose chest was adorned with a gray soldier's suit and various badges, whipped out a pistol. Shiny and sleek, but so deadly. Without hesitation, the trigger was pulled and there were no more warning cries in the woman's ear.

"You monster! MONSTER!" Bravely the mother fought back her tears, her only thoughts of the protection of her son, whose face was a torrent of hot tears.

For the boy, time seemed to slow as he watched the man point his strange black thing at his precious mother, and he wondered why daddy would go to sleep at such a time. He tried to cry to him to make him wake up, but no sound would leave his throat. His eyes darted back to the man, and though it seemed to go so slowly, the boy had no time to do anything...all he could do was dart out of the way as his mother toppled backwards, her face red...

"YOU MONSTERS!"

Vex's words echoed his mother's ancient defiance as he somehow found the strength to jump to his feet and hurl himself at the foremost enforcer, trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand. The years of mining had served him well - after so many digs with a heavy shovel, Vex's hands and arms were muscular, and easily outmatched those of the enforcer, who spent his days just watching the labourers and shouting.

As the first enforcer tripped and began to fall the immensely long way down from the mountain, Vex dropped to his knees and realised he was no better than the enforcers themselves on that night eleven years ago when he had lost his parents.

He made no effort to stop the second enforcer, who now held a gun pointed at the back of Vex's head at point blank range, believing that death was better than living down in the camp with the guilt of what he had just done.

"Back off. Drop the gun."

Vex swiveled his head around to see a girl, no older than he himself was, clothed in sloppily weaved dark green shirt and shorts, pointing a similar pistol at the second enforcer, a Pokemon by her side.