That fine line

Hello people! Sorry about not having the second chapter up sooner, I won’t go into detail but there were a few personal issues that came up. Hopefully now that I got most of it out of the way I can focus more on writing.

On another note, Thank you all so much for your reviews! I really appreciate them and they keep me motivated, even when things get stressful. Hopefully any questions you have will be answered in this chapter. But to answer one question, I am over 18, but if you mistake me for being younger im fine with that. I really apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes you find, I had a beta lined up and ready to go but now there always to busy or just not interested...(honestly I don’t know what’s there problem) Im going to ask some other people to see if there more interested.

I openly admit that I don’t have the best spelling or grammar ever (im more of a math and science person myself) but I try.

*Shakes computer* stupid spell checker glitches out on me!

One more thing! I can never get italics to work... so... um yea...this * will be thoughts from now on.
“” This is humans speech and ‘’ this is pokemon speech.

Well on to the story


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The meal went great! Skarmory and Manectric we surprisingly well mannered during the whole thing. They both sat and ate without getting into any arguments or stealing food from one another. Even Kingdra who is usually quiet and relaxed, was conversing with the others.

Kadora was very happy, she was especially happy to have the lava cookies to mark this special occasion. She rolled up the blanket with the messy dishes to deal with later and pushed the whole works aside.
"You know what guys?" everyone gave her a very inquisitive look. "Since you’ve all been so good today I thought you all deserve a treat, who wants cookies!" Flairon barked excitedly and jumped up on Kadora, Manectric also added a bark while Skarmory looked very pleased.

Kingdra nodded ‘you’ve all done well today, you see how a little humility towards one another can pay off?’

Flairon gave another excited bark ‘Isn’t it great! I knew something really good was going to happen when Skarmory decided to behave.’
‘ Maybe we should do this more often, I got to hand it to us that was pretty smooth.’ Flairon nodded happily at Manectric actually agreeing with her.

‘Hey what were you guys fighting about this time anyway?’ Flairon added ‘let me guess, was it over who’s the strongest, who can eat the most or maybe even who I like better!’ Flairon smiled very cutely and batted her eyelashes at him.

‘Nope’ was his oh so casual reply.

‘Well what’s going on then?’

‘Skarmory stole my spot’

The fire pokemon cocked her head to the side and looked rather confused.

Manectric sighed, he hated to have to explain himself sometimes. ‘ He stole my spot on the beach, he knew I was going to get there so he sat there.’

Flairon just stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Her body began to shake and tremble all over before she suddenly broke into laughter. ‘I should have guessed you two would be fighting over something like that! You two can act like such hatchlings sometimes.’

Flairon was currently rolling around on the sand in fits of laughter while Manectric looked rather angry with her. Skarmory on the other hand was actually trying to keep the two separated and everything under control. Kingdra sighed, he sometimes wondered if he was the only sane one among them.

Kadora had to chuckle to herself before deciding to put an end to this sudden outburst. "Guys, stop it right now." the command was calm yet strict and everyone went to there original places on the beach, Kadora got to her feet. "Good now everyone wait a moment. There in my backpack right here ... hey where did it go?" She looked around for it before resting her hands on her hips. “That’s strange ...”

Skarmory put his keen eyes to use and they soon came to rest on the blue and black backpack. It was on the edge of the forest that almost completely surrounded the beach. He gave an excited squawk and Kadora followed his trail of vision to the backpack
"That’s weird. I’m sure I left it closer to us ... oh well it’s here anyway. Skarmory could you go and get it for me?"
He nodded slightly and walked at a steady pace towards the backpack. He eyed it suspiciously, something didn’t feel right.

His suspicions were confirmed as the bag seemed to jump, Skarmory froze on the spot and watched. The backpack was suddenly pushed forward as small golden green Machop pulled itself out. it seemed very happy with its self as it held its prize, the bag of lava cookies.

Kadora jaw nearly dropped to the ground when she saw the pokemon. "Oh my god! It’s a...a shiny pokemon! The rarest of the rare, a one and a life time find, I must have it!" At this moment she was so shocked that she failed to interpret the situation as Skarmory saw it .

Skarmory’s eyes widened ‘*A strange pokemon... A strange pokemon on the beach I claimed... A strange pokemon on the beach I claimed steeling our food!*’ he let out a terrifying screech ‘*I’ll kill it!*’ he charged, intent on punishing the much smaller pokemon.

The Machop screamed as it saw the large steel bird pokemon barreling down upon it. The young pokemon ran as fast into the protective covering of the trees. Only now did she realize what a horrible mistake it was coming out when the human was still around. She had got to cocky this time, she had already stolen enough food the day before to satisfy her hunger... she just couldn’t pass up the chance to gab an unguarded backpack.

Skarmory entered the forest with a huge crash, the branches were thick but they were no problem for the armor clad pokemon. He charged forward closely behind the small green Machop, he would have caught it already but the Machop’s smaller size was working to its advantage. It weaved through the tangled forest while Skarmory had to push himself through. The smaller pokemon must have knew the area well and also added to its evasiveness.

At this point Skarmory was so full of rage that he didn’t think about his team mates or his trainer. ‘*What was this pokemon thinking? Doesn’t it know how dangerous it is to approach a human and its pokemon! We could have been ...*’ Skarmory growled harshly ‘*such daring should be punished!*’ There was a clearing up a head, he knew was perfect chance to catch that Machop.

To the machop, the clearing ahead meant that she was almost home. If only she could make it back to the safety of others of its own kind, then she could stand a chance against this monster. Her breathing was ragged and her muscles burned and ached with every movement. The forest was thinner now, instead of weaving between branches and over roots you had to watch for those tree trunks. The dappled light was a welcome sight for both pokemon, but now Skarmory had the advantage. He jumped into the air and with one smooth movement, took flight and sent a rush of air in front of him. It sped ahead of its creator, quickly closing in on its target.

There was only a slight rushing noise to give any warning to the young Machop. She braced herself but not enough for the intense searing pain as the air blade came in contact with flesh. It was like nothing she ever felt, it was almost like she was being cut in half. The impact sent her flying forward and she struck the ground head first with a loud thump. She skidded across the ground and finally came to rest against a rock and then everything went black.

Skarmory landed gently next to its now unconscious prey. He slowly turned his head from side to side, examining the machop. The predatory side of himself had almost shut down now that the other pokemon wasn’t moving anymore. He studied the little Machop, she was laying face down in the dirt. A raw red mark was across her back and she was covered with scratches. He used his talons to turn her over onto her back to get a better look at her. The Machop made a slight groaning noise before slowly moving her arm to cove her face. Its prize slid onto the ground where the battered cargo finally was back to its rightful owner.
Skarmory reached down and grabbed the bag with his beak. ‘*Maybe it will learn, this cant be all in vain. Such a young weak pokemon should never challenge someone like me ... or humans. It has to see ... this was all in its best interest, they all have to see.*’

The young Machop began to stir, its felt like its body was on fire. Her head pounded and it hurt so much just to try and move. Her eyes slowly began to open and she moved her arm away from her face. Everything appeared to be so bright it was impossible to see anything. After about two minute things slowly came back into focus and for one moment everything seemed so green and calm just lying there looking up at the trees. But something was moving out of the corner of her eye, a tall grey shadowy figure stood looking down at her. The day’s events suddenly came rushing back to her, the chase, the pain, and now this. She let out a terrified scream before a swift karate chop came in contact with Skarmory leg.
The metallic sound rang out through the forest and small birds were scared from there perches high in the trees. Nobody made a move, the Machop’s hand was still placed against Skarmory’s leg but he remained like a statue. Panic began to rise, her breathing became more rapid and her eyes widened. Instinct told her to run and get away but this was the wrong decision. With the slightest twitch Skarmory stomped down hard on the Machop’s chest, his long talons digging into her flesh.
She scremed and grabbed his leg in a desperate attempt to pry it off but he was applying to much force. The pain was very intense, and now she couldn’t breath with all the weight on her chest. She struggled against her attacker but this only made him tighten his grip. She looked up at Skarmory’s face, it showed a horrifying mix pleasure and rage. His eyes were completely focused on her and she had to look away, she couldn’t stand that predatory look anymore.

‘I ... I can’t die like this!’ her voice was very shallow and it was followed by several short unsuccessful gasps for air.

Skarmory’s expression softened, it changed to one of pity ... or even remorse. He slowly lifted his foot from her body. It was still resting on her chest but he was not applying any weight. ‘*It’s learned enough now, it has to.*’ he took a slow deep breath and decided it was time to go.

Suddenly something caught its attention, he lifted his head to scan the area when a rock about the size Geodude came hurling out of the trees and smashed into his head. The force of the impact knocked him back and he dropped the bag of cookies. He hissed in pain and wildly shook his head just as another rock slammed onto the armor that coverd his chest, he quickly coverd himself with his wings in a defensive position and let out a high pitched screech. Another Machop had showed up on the scene, most likely attracted by the distress call of the other of its own kind.
This Machop had the traditional color of grayish blue and was slightly bigger than the first. He had another rock in his hand and was currently tossing it up and catching it again.

He looked at the Machop who appeared to be blacked out. ‘Hey you, Common get up! What the hell do you think your doing! Get out of here now!’ it was a strong command and it instantly caught her attention.

The shiny Machop slowly pushed itself up with one arm and held the other over its wounds. ‘What about you? What are you going to do!?’ she was still short of breath but this other Machop had given her hope.

‘Don’t worry about me just go on ... I’ll catch up later.’ His gaze went from her to Skarmory and back again. ‘Beside you won’t be much help in the condition your in, so just go!’ the little Machop hesitated for a moment before turning and limping away.

This made Skarmory extremely angry, he gave another screech before charging towards his original prey. He came to a halt and jerked his head back just in time to avoid another rock aimed for right between his eyes. This other pokemon was highly irritating him and he lost all interest in the thief. Skarmory turned and proudly faced his opponent, his wings were spread wide to showed off the red sword like feathers. Any smart pokemon could tell that this was a challenge and it was best to back off now, but the Machop didn’t care.
He ran towards the steel bird pokemon with his hands in a karate chop like stance. Surprisingly Skarmory didn’t move, but that didn’t phase him. He had his whole plan figured out, he was going to jump on its back and deliver a strong blow to the back of the head to knock it out. He picked up speed and right before impact he jumped into the air.

‘*Perfect! just flip, land and strike and I could actually do this ... ok don’t get over confident or this could all go ...*’ that thought was cut off when he was slapped out of the air by Skarmory’s blade like wings. He was slammed hard in a tree and slumped to the ground. Skarmory was not tolerating this behavior anymore, and the Machop was going to pay for its interference.
****************************************************************************** Earlier at camp
Kadora stood on the beach with her mouth and eyes wide open, in shock of what just happened. "What the?... Skarmory! Get back here!" Skarmory and the Machop were already completely out of sight.

Manectric gave slight growl followed by a sigh ‘What the hell do he think he’s doing!? Oh this is just great! Just great! That stupid fucking bird would be the only one to something like this!’

‘Oh no!’ Flairon cried ‘Skarmory you know you should never do something like that! How could I not see this coming.’ Flairon wined and looked at her team mates in a panic. ‘What are we going to do? What if he catches that other pokemon!’

The usually calm Kingdra now seemed rather frustrated ‘Skarmory ...’ he growled before his attention went to his trainer who seemed to be in complete shock.
Kingdra! Kingdra King! He shouted at his trainer and she came back to reality.
Kadora took a deep breath,"Thanks Kingdra I needed that, ok Manectric your going to run and catch up with them and hopefully break up whatever going on and don’t you do anything to make it worst! " she turned to her other pokemon holding out their pokeballs "you two are going to return for now." Flairon was rather distressed by this decision but Kingdra reassure her before they returned to there pokeballs.

Manectric was gone in a flash and following the exact route Skarmory and Machop took. There was a path where Skarmory had plowed through the forest, and his sent was still on the ground.
Even with this it was taking him longer than expected to find him, the path was rather twisted and he would occasionally stop and wait for his trainer.
He ran ahead again, the forest was thinning now and he could smell a faint scent of blood in the air, he was close.

Kadora was no where near as fast as Manectric so she just followed the path left through the forest rather than try to keep him in sight. Her progress was further slowed by the low light and tree roots sticking out everywhere. "I just hope Skarmory and that other pokemon aren’t fighting or Manectric just might decide to join him."

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Skarmory stood with his back to the Machop, he was finished with it now. The Machop wasn’t dead but he never actually considered killing either one ... well not after he actually fought with them. This whole fight actually didn’t take that long but it was time for him to get back, he knew his master would be angry with him.

The Machop stirred slightly against the large rock he was now propped up on. He was coughing up blood, covered in flesh wounds and badly bruised but still managed to pick up a few pebbles chuck them at skarmory. His attempts at stalling the bird pokemon wasn’t working, Skarmory had lost interest in him and was walking away. Machop was about to open his mouth when there was a swishing noise in the trees.

A yellow and blue dog pokemon jumped out. ‘Well well well! Look who we have here. You really left your mark on this place, it’s like a tornado came through here!" Manectric peered around Skarmory to see the Machop he could easily smell. ‘Wow I’m actually surprised with you Skarmory, I thought for sure you’d eat him!’


Skarmory shook his head and hissed at Manectric before motioning towards the path he made through the forest.

‘Ha! No way buddy! Our master is on her way here right now and I’m here to get things under control and you’re not going anywhere! Besides it will be much better if our master shows up here to see what you’ve done.’ He laughed loudly but Skarmory only seemed mildly irritated. Manectric was interrupted by Machop throwing a rock in his direction, he had to back up to avoid it but still had a grin on his face. ‘Also we got to wait and see what she’s going to do with that thing over there. ’

Much to everyone’s surprise the Machop was aware enough to hear and see everything going on. ‘Who the hell do you think you are dog!?’ he growled and would have got to his feet but he didn’t have enough energy.

‘I just might be your lord and savior so watch your mouth kid.’ the dog pokemon growled back. He smiled to himself, the Machop was very brazen to talk like that in such a state but he would do the exact same thing. Maybe that was not such a good thing but at least he had a strong sprit and a will to survive. He sniffed the air, ‘Hey she’s almost here ... Skarmory I suggest you wipe some of the blood off yourself, Kadora might freak out seeing you like that. I think she kind of likes to think your better than that.’ he sounded surprising serious now, Skarmory didn’t like his attitude but he decided to listen to him anyway. He went to a mossy spot on the ground and began to wipe his wings and body over it.

Skarmory was beginning to feel nervous now, he felt excited his trainer was coming and wanted to meet up with her but he wondered how she would react to all this. ‘*She thinks I’m better than this ... what dose that mean?... She doesn’t understand why I do this, and like most humans this makes her fear it. She will be angry and I will accept that.*’ He stood up and wiped the bits of moss and dirt off his armor.

Thump

Swish

Crack

Their human was close so Manectric barked to let her know where they were. She poked out around a few trees and finally saw them. She could have ran over and hugged them but she was so angry at Skarmory. Her hands were on her hips and she glared at Skarmory in a very what should I do to you kind of way.
Skarmory didn’t seem to notice as he was all smiles and excited to see her, much like a puppy greeting its master. He made a few steps towards her but was halted by her hand held up. He cocked his head to the side and seemed prepared for this reaction, his eyes went to something he thought for sure would appease her. He picked up the slightly torn bag of crumbs and presented it to her like some great spoils of war.

For a moment she just stood there with her eye twitching and slapped herself in the forehead "Oh Skarmory ..." she took out his pokeball and made him return "What am I going to do with you ..." She placed the pokeball back on her belt and gave Manectric a slight smile "Thanks a lot boy, I knew you could do it!" Manectric ran over and she rubbed his head, he barked happily but his attention was somewhere else.

The Machop was frozen with fear. ‘*I should have known that they were talking about a human! What am I going to do? I just don’t have enough energy to run or fight ... maybe if I don’t move she won’t see me.*’ his ideas were ruined by the dog pokemon trying to signal his location. ‘*Oh no! Oh no! Stupid mutt ... ok humans don’t like injured pokemon, right? There not useful, right? Maybe if I don’t move she might think I’m dead ... yeah that got to work!*’ he slumped down as much as he could and closed his eyes tight. All he has to do now is stay calm and wait for the human to loose interest.

Manectric ran towards the rock and Kadora followed him. "What’s going on ... Oh my god is it that the shiny Machop! Did Skarmory catch it? Oh no did he kill it!" she ran up to the rock, what ever it was didn’t look to healthy. "That’s a Machop alright but it’s not the shiny one ..." the Machop looked very bad but it was alive, he was breathing rapidly so she suspected that it was to injured to run or fight. "Skarmory what did you do ... Hey little guy can you get up?" She slowly reached out towards him and poked him gently on the chest.

Manectric was chuckling ‘ Face it kid she knows your not dead, she’s been working with pokemon for a long time now and can early see through a childish act like that. Besides your breathing so hard that its easer to think you’re a Magikarp than a corps.’

Machop was so pissed off by Manectric that he lashed out at Kadora. He was to weak to do anything effectively so she was able to pull her hand away before he slapped it away. He cried out in fear and frustration and this made her back away from him.
"Poor thing is really messed up ... I should catch him and take him to a pokecenter." Kadora smiled lightly "Maybe this was all meant to be, I always seem to get my pokemon in strange ways ..." she removed an empty pokeball from her belt and the Machop’s eyes widened in fear. He tried in vain to pull himself away but only managed to topple over. She flicked the pokeball at him and he was immediately drawn in. It shook violently for a moment before stopping completely. She reattached the pokeball to her belt "We better go now, you ready boy?" he happily ran to her side and they left the forest.

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Well what do you think? I would really like some reviews people! Tell me if you see any mistakes and if I should continue writing. Thank you all so much for reading!

D.S.B.