PKMNBIOME: Tracks in the mud

    [The sight brought unwanted memories back to Arya's mind. Fond memories, fun memories, from long ago, but that now made her fidgety, nervous, but mostly, angry.
    She went through the trouble of climbing the tree, a way to pass her time, just for the sake of it. The sight couldn't be bad, she thought. How far up can I get?, and she climbed. Got high enough and could see the top of other smaller trees, many pokemons were easily spotted from the top. She was on top of a particularly thick branch, where she stopped to regain her breath. She didn't believe she could climb any higher, but who knows, maybe she could.
    That was when she heard. 
    BANG
    It wasn't very far away from where she was, and she almost let go of the branch. On the ground, she saw a couple vulpixes running, among others. She then heard a racket, whoever fired the shot, she guess, was very happy about something.
    She searched the ground without leaving her branch. It didn't didn't take long to spot them: they were closer to her than she felt comfortable with.
    Two men. 
    Correction, two men hunting, she thought as she saw one of them holding a vulpix on his hands. The woman could tell it was either dead or unconscious (but most probably dead) when it didn't move at all.
    "Do you still want to keep going? I think we can still catch the others.", one of them, head shaved and shinning, said to the other.
    "Forget them.", this one was older, bigger, beefier than the first. He was carrying around a rifle and a linen sack, and, Arya noticed, there were red stain on the bottom of sack, under a layer of dust and dirt. "Let's take a pause now."
    And that was when she started to remember how it used to feel like: hunting, being able to carry her bow around. She could remember the smell of pelts she used to own and sell. The smell of OLD pelt was great, but nothing like a table full of the most diverse meats and plates. She wasn't the greatest cook, but everything tasted deliciously well when you were hungry. She hasn't been that hungry for years now, and her cabinets were now full of food. 
    But not with meat.
    She remembered the damned law that was imposed on her. It's been a couple months now, and the hunting ban left her with nothing but greens to sell. That was roughly less than half of her stock, and all animal products were bought before she could raise their prices. Her hard earned money felt worthless over how much she could have gained over her goods.
    She wasn't over that. Maybe would never be. She lived the past years living off of what not many could provide. Meat used to be a luxury she could provide. It is still a luxury, but now on the hands the rich, those with lands and farms to breed miltanks and tauri and bouffalants with permits. She couldn't do that. She had neither lands nor capital to buy them. She barely even had a house!
    And she would've.
    If only she had her stock full of pelts.
    With that thought came the familiar thrill and the realization.
    They had what she needed.
    And it wouldn't be the first time she took expensive things away from others in the woods.
    Just like old times. 
    With that in mind, she climbed down the tree as silently as she could. They didn't hear when she walked towards then with Vera, and they didn't hear her when she hid in the tall grass and ordered Vera to drag the sack to her while they weren't looking.
    For a few glorious seconds, she reached into the sack to touch their fur. It was soft and was still warm. Her heart was about to explode in happiness. It was a start. She could keep doing it, she could go back to her ways, only it would give her capital enough in a couple years so she would never need to raise a finger again and still live a very comfortable life.
    She ran as fast as she could away from the poachers. They wouldn't suspect until one of them looked around again, and by them she would be far away, where no one would find her.
    But Arya was never lucky.
    "YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE!", of course, she wasn't the only one to hear the shots. Park rangers, two of them, were running towards her and her slightly bloody sack. 
    Shit.
    "NO!", she shouted, happiness giving place to rage.
    One of them, a woman, sent a noctowl her way. The bird was really fast, she didn't have time to reach for a pokeball. She fell on her face when the pokemon used a psychic attack on her. The world around her was like a reflection in a distorted mirror, and she couldn't get up, disoriented. While still in her daze, she heard a loud click, and cold metal around her thin wrists.
    "It wasn't me!", Arya claimed. "I'm not armed!"
    They pulled her up, making her sit on the ground.
    "Don't move. You still will need to answer a few questions."
    "What do you have inside the sack?", they didn't wait for her answer, and the three corpses were pulled out of it. With every body, the woman's face got darker and darker.
    "They don't even have four tails.", her tone was sober and dry. She turned a walkie-talkie on.
    "They're not mine.", you tried to defend yourself. It technically wasn't a lie.
    "You'll have to explain yourself, kid.", the other said, and started to line up the bodies next to Arya. 
    They took photos of her and the vulpixes. All the while, Vera was by her side. The sentret looked like she was about to cry. Arya couldn't look anywhere else but at her. Vera never needed to see her go through this. She was too good, too nice. She deserved a richer trainer, one protected by the law, not made poorer.
    But Arya was all Vera had. And she wouldn't make the sentret need to take this for much longer. She was going to get out of that situation! 
    She just didn't know how. ]


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Arya's app

Cameos: Lark Grier