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In the Name of Progress	By : Mizor4 Category: +M through R > Pokemon Views: 1453 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-One to One
- 2-Above
- 1
- 2
Zoroark woke on her own, to silence. It almost didn't seem real. A constant pain throbbed softly along her back, but it felt less vindictive than yesterday. Every muscle in her chest still felt tight from- Well she didn't want to think about breaking down in front of that human last night. A flame of anger flared in her chest, but she didn't have the wakefulness yet to stoke it.
A tiny soft light glowed on the wall next to a switch, probably for the main bulb overhead. Zoroark sat up but didn't bother to turn it on, the limited light enough for her large eyes to make out her tiny concrete box, little as there was. Someone had placed a glass of water on the small table beside the bed, which Zoroark drank, intensely grateful to whoever left it.
Yesterday felt like some kind of dream, or a crazed side-effect of the surgery brought on by pain and powerful anesthetics. But the silence in her mind, she had never been so long without her connection to the Aether Foundation's machine, free of its subtle yet compelling influence.
She pushed herself off the cot and made her way, barely more than a step, to the door. The latch turned. Light from beyond the room blinded her for a moment, but the hallway looked no different than she remembered, definitely not any part of the Aether Foundation lab she had seen.
A human man in a crisp uniform turned from where he stood with his back to the wall beside the door. "Good afternoon. Can I help you?"
Zoroark blinked to clear her vision. Maybe the man simply waited to see if she needed anything. Maybe. His sharp black pants didn't have any visible weapons at the waist, nor could she make one out under the navy jacket he wore.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Where is the human- Avery," she corrected herself. "He brought me here."
The man nodded. "Of course. I'll call him but it might be a few minutes. I'll send him in when he arrives."
He didn't tell her she couldn't leave, but his position blocking the doorway did. She would have to wriggle past him to leave. He didn't move.
"Sure." Zoroark slowly let the door swing shut, dropping the room into near darkness. She sat back down onto the cot and waited, trying to ignore the icy feeling in the back of her neck.
Zoroark had no sense of time in the artificially lit room. She rarely saw actual sunlight while locked in the underground Aether Foundation lab, but her connection allowed her to track time almost as accurately as any clock. She found herself unable to now. It could have been minutes or hours. Eventually, a soft knock sounded from the other side of the door, and it opened a moment later revealing Avery.
He smiled. "You don't have to sit in the dark, you know," and flicked on the light. "Are you hungry?" His dark green, almost black long-sleeve shirt looked almost identical to the one he wore yesterday aside from the color.
Zoroark nodded before she even thought to respond. The nausea from last night left her stomach empty and aching. She rose silently.
Avery motioned her through the door, then reached back in to turn the light off again. Zoroark couldn't explain why that small inefficiency bothered her as much as it did. Once he started down the hallway, Zoroark fell into step a pace behind.
Avery led down a long featureless concrete hallway. "It's hard to have a conversation with you back there."
Zoroark moved slightly closer but kept her eyes on the ground. "He was a guard."
Avery grimaced. "Well, yes." He pushed on without giving her the chance to interrupt. "But you're not a prisoner. This just isn't somewhere we let relative strangers wander about. Sorry."
That made sense, but it made Zoroark feel only slightly better. How long would she be a relative stranger? And when would they let someone like her leave? Where would she even go? Captive one way or another.
They passed a few other humans on the way, some in similar dress to the guard at her door, some in long white coats that Zoroark shied away from, but none wore civilian clothing like Avery. Their eyes all lingered on her. They didn't come across any other pokemon on their way.
After a quick ride in an elevator and a number of turns through unmarked, maze-like hallways Zoroark quickly lost track of, Avery led her into a large open room with rows of tables, most of the chairs currently empty, and a large kitchen at the far side. Warm savory scents instantly caught her attention.
Dozens of eyes flicked towards her, and quick whispers brought her to the attention of more. Zoroark shifted uncomfortably, turned heads not even attempting discretion.
Avery seemed to pick up on her unease. "Want me to get you something?"
Zoroark nodded, feeling foolish, but quietly found a chair at a corner table where she could place her back to the wall. At first she thought it was because she hadn't seen any other pokemon, but then she remembered how she must look.
The Aether Foundation scientists had kept her mane shaved for so long she almost forgot Zoroark usually had one, and large patches of her otherwise silky coat had been shaved from her belly and back. She must look a deranged, ratty thing. She quickly wrapped herself in an illusion, replacing her missing fur and mane, though not one she could hug about herself like she wished. Doing so while everyone watched only drew more of an interested buzz from the onlookers, however. Anger simmered in her tensed muscles. She shouldn't make obvious mistakes like that, never had before.
Zoroark huddled low in her chair by the time Avery returned with a small plate for himself and what seemed like some of everything heaped onto a platter, which he placed in front of her.
"We don't normally server many pokemon here, but you can get more of anything you like." Avery hesitantly placed utensils in front of her as if only now wondering if she could use them. His eyes took in her new appearance, mane and belly, but he said nothing.
Zoroark stared at the strange assortment of eggs, ham, a few plump blue berries, and something green she immediately dismissed. She hesitated, not quite meeting Avery's gaze. "Thank you – last night I mean. And this. And-"
"Don't mention it," he replied gently.
Zoroark didn't trust herself to travel further down that line of thought, her mind already proving unreliable. Acutely aware of the continued stares in her direction, she fumbled with the small plastic spoon. For a while, the effort of manipulating the flimsy human implement with her claws, and the feeling of food in her belly, even the somewhat watery scrambled eggs, let her forget the other humans around her, Avery included. Until he spoke.
"So, Sophi-" Avery continued but Zoroark didn't hear what he said.
The twitch of her claws sent the plastic spoon spinning from her grip. She snarled. "Don't call me that!" The paw she had resting on the table sank claws into the faux wood top, leaving small gouges in the particle board. She hadn't intended such ferocity, her voice echoing through the large room, bringing a sudden hush to the other groups of humans.
Zoroark didn't trust herself to look up at them, to not do something stupid. One night away from the Aether Foundation and she could barely control herself. Maybe she deserved a cage. The table creaked beneath her claws.
Avery kept his voice gentle and quiet. "I'm sorry. I didn't- What name would you prefer?" His composure only made her more bitter.
"I don't care," she muttered, all too aware of those staring at them – at her. "Just not that."
Avery paused before speaking again. "I could call you ZN-4." He didn't mock her, his voice too careful, but his tone held a slight hint of exasperation at the awkward designation. A serial number fit what she was far better than some dishonest attempt to make her seem more human, to make the scientists feel more comfortable with what they did, to pretend they treated her like a person.
"Fine." Zoroark picked up one of the blue berries in her claws, no longer bothering with utensils. Her fangs tore its soft flesh in a pleasurable way, spurting a few droplets of sweet juice across the tabletop.
Avery sighed but didn't argue, and their conversation lulled. Zoroark no longer felt hungry, but she finished almost everything in front of her, and by the end of it, she did feel a little better, less ready to snap at everything around her. Slightly. She noticed Avery watching her carefully, having long finished his own meal.
"What happens to me now?" Zoroark asked.
"That's partly up to you. Hopefully you can provide any information you have about the Aether Foundation, help our scientists understand what-" Avery paused, awkwardly changing his sentence mid thought, "more about you.
"You have a place here, to work with us, if you wish. Or, if you're careful, you can go live your life away from all of this." Avery waved vaguely around them. "The Aether Foundation has few agents in Unova. You should be safe enough here as long as you don't draw attention to yourself. You could even leave this half of the world altogether, Kalos maybe." He shrugged. Had that been a jab at her?
Zoroark growled to herself. Part of her almost hoped she couldn't leave. No one had ever given her a choice on anything before, and she found the thought intimidating. No one taught her anything other than to obey. Think, yes, but only to effectively carry out orders given to her. She felt blank inside. She was a tool to be given purpose by others. Avery seemed to pick up on her internal struggle. He read her too easily.
"Something to think about. You'll probably be stuck here at least another week or two." He looked pensive for a moment. "I promised I wouldn't mention it until you've been cleared by medical, but since you look half ready to leap across the table at me, we do have a practice arena here. I'm sure we could find a hot-headed field agent willing to test their team against you. If you're still interested in that kind of thing."
Zoroark tried to release some of the unconscious tension from her shoulders, to relax against the plastic chair back. Part of her quivered with anticipation, and she didn't know how to feel about that either. The claws on her right paw twitched.
She spoke in a measured tone, trying not to sound too eager. Her words still came out as a growl. "I would enjoy that." Something in her response cause a flicker of hesitation in Avery's face, but he quickly masked it.
A thought came to Zoroark. "Did you take any of the others? From the lab I mean."
Avery shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't have access to the lower levels. Luck had it they kept you in the medical wing after the surgery. I took the chance and fled."
"We didn't interact outside of battle. I never even spoke to any of them." Zoroark ran a claw across the smooth tabletop. It would have felt somewhat less lonely though, even if they hated each other almost as much as they did Aether Foundation and their directors.
"Anything else you might like to do today?" Avery asked, pulling her from spiraling thoughts in an obvious if welcome change of topic.
Zoroark shook her head. She felt – exhausted, like it took all her effort to simply avoid thinking about the looming storm of emotions that lurked at her mind's edge, waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness. Some of those had always been there, but she could no longer offload and forget them.
"There will be someone posted outside your door if you ever need anything." He avoided using the term guard. "But I was going to take a quick walk outside, if you wanted to join me."
Zoroark glanced around the room, where others still occasionally shot curious glances her way. The thought of returning to her small room and curling up in the dark seemed quite appealing. "What would we do?"
Avery chuckled. "Walk I suppose. There's not much to see, just a small courtyard, but I hear it's a nice day out and figured you might not have had much time above ground."
Not untrue. Still, she fought to ignore the sour taste at the back of her tongue. The times she had spent outside of the lab, field testing- She tried not to remember. Eventually Zoroark nodded. "Okay."
Avery smiled at her, and shortly after she found herself following him back through the unadorned concrete passageways towards the elevator. Once inside the confined space though, Zoroark found it hard to ignore her growing anxiety, the queasy feeling in her gut not helped by the elevator's lurching motion.
Her paws clenched unconsciously. There wouldn’t be a field test waiting for her, not here. The connection remained quiet, a strange absence from her thoughts. No link, no director, no buzzing. No test. An electronic bell sounded quietly, and Zoroark's whole body tensed. The elevator doors opened to an unassuming foyer.
A few other humans stood scattered about, but their alert postures and the number of eyes that snapped to her and Avery told Zoroark they weren't just workers on break despite their nondescript clothing. Avery nodded to a tall burly looking man. None of the ostensibly not guards stopped them however, and bright natural sunlight shone through the narrow windows set into the door. Avery led them out, and Zoroark followed hesitantly, peering around his shoulder.
Vibrant and sweet green scents filled the air, a rich mix of damp earth and fragrant pollen, such a stark difference to the familiar musty, sweaty human buildings. Zoroark breathed in deep, picking through the wondrously fresh and exciting smells. She opened her eyes to find Avery watching her from a few paces ahead, the hint of a smile on his face.
Zoroark hurried forward, falling back into step. She spoke softly. "What should I do?"
A long paved road led down into a garage a small distance away from the building, which seemed a bit out of place with no other structures anywhere Zoroark could see. A neat lawn of trimmed grass filled the courtyard, divided by a circular path of slightly roughed concrete, grating beneath her paw pads. Nothing but flat grassy field surrounded the building, though she could make out a chain-link fence surrounding the entire property far in the distance. No one short of a Zoroark could approach the building unnoticed.
A completely uninteresting exterior of red brick, regularly broken up by tall narrow windows, only rose two stories as if to disguise the massive complex that hid below. She didn't see any other humans around.
Avery chuckled. "Whatever you want. I was going to have a seat over there for a bit," he pointed towards a black painted bench made of many curved strips of metal, "but you don't have to follow me around."
Whatever she wanted. Avery walked away towards his bench, but Zoroark found herself hesitating. She didn't have to follow him, he hadn't ordered her to, and that almost felt like a challenge. Instead, she took a short step from the concrete path, so very sick of the material, and onto the grass, shivering at the feel of springy little blades giving way underfoot, some wriggling to poke up between her blood red claws.
Humans must care for the lawn, keeping it neat and sculpted, too perfect. Zoroark looked off to the side, where a large open expanse of the willowy plants grew, sweeping waves rolling through the grass with the breeze. She found herself making her way towards the field, slow and reserved, knowing at least one human watched her, but a part of her wanted to drop to all fours and run.
By the time she reached the edge of the swaying grassy sea, Zoroark had fallen into an eager lope. The tall, nearly knee-high blades grasped at her feet, encouraging her to slow, fall into their wiggly embrace, which she did willingly. The sweet grassy scent filled her sensitive nose, and she rolled, enjoying the feel of hundreds of soft little plants wash around her, poke gently at her fur and nose and mouth.
She thrust her face through the stalks and they parted easily, welcoming. Zoroark had almost her entire body pressed to the ground, which hadn't seen rain in a few days, but still felt indescribably softer than concrete and smelled so much fuller than the dust that collected inside lifeless human structures.
Sunlight infused her dark fur with a warmth that harsh fluorescent lights never could. Zoroark wriggled through her grassy bed, belly shuffling pleasantly along the ground, claws able to dig into the forgiving earth for traction. This felt right in a very primal way, and for a time she simply lay there and enjoyed it.
Whether instinctual or something else, Zoroark couldn't tell, but she found herself chewing at the grass, not eating it, but tasting the bitter sweetness, sharper where her teeth tore the delicate green stalks. She didn't care, didn't think, didn't have to. No one forced her to hurt.
Zoroark lay in the field for a long time, almost happy.
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In the Name of Progress