91 A Mother's Love

Marowak were a tragic species.

It wasn't a matter of opinion, as any researcher that spent more than a few minutes studying them will say the same thing.

It started with them breeding.

A male Marowak would breed with a female and then move on, whatever to, no one knows. The female on the other hand will start preparing, for their inevitable death.

In all wild female Marowak studied, their habits had remained largely the same with little variation. Their first goal is shelter.

They will either dig a burrow close to where they had mated at, or they will return to the one they themselves were born in if possible. And once that was accomplished, they will horde food.

Berries, nuts, roots. Anything edible, they will collect and horde in their burrow for the sake of their future offspring. They will devote every waking second to collecting as much food as possible, right up until they laid their single egg.

Once their egg was laid, the female Marowak will never leave their burrow again.

No one had been able to figure out exactly what it was, but from the moment a female Marowak laid their egg, their body would begin to swiftly deteriorate.

They could prolong their life with sustenance, but they will only take the barest of what they needed from the food they had hoarded. The rest will be left untouched, or they will take none at all if they had been unable to collect enough in time.

Most Marowak, don't even make it until the egg hatches.

Their bodies waste away until they pass, and the first thing their newborn child sees once it breaks free of its protective shell is the corpse of its own mother, curled up around the egg as if to protect it with her very body. Her last act being one of love, as she refused to leave her child's side, even in death.

A scant few however do live until their child is born, and if they're lucky they would be able to spend a day or two with them before they too passed.

Marowak that had been captured by trainers however typically lived this long, and a blessed few may even live a few days longer. But the end result is always the same.

Even now, nearly a week after the birth of a Cubone within the Pokemon House, every resident within worriedly gathered around the bed of the mother Marowak as her body wasted away.

They all knew she could pass at any moment, and none wanted to leave her side at this time. The old man especially, the human that she had been partnered with for nearly her entire life, refused to depart for even a single second.

Alongside him was the baby Cubone, barely a foot tall and without the signature skull helmet and bone fragment they usually carried.

Right now the baby was curled on the bed beside his dying mother, sleeping peaceful dreams devoid of suffering or mourning, though that was bound to change at any given moment.

The old man however was wide awake, and was watching over his partner attentively to ensure her passing was as peaceful and comfortable as possible. All through the night, he never left his vigil.

Even when the morning sun rose, he did not leave her side. Instead he gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from one of his helpers in the Pokemon House, and sipped it while watching over her.

Cubone woke briefly, and ate a few berries before snuggling back up to his mother's side as he fell back asleep while listening to the rhythm of her breathing.

Not even the other Pokemon made a single noise as they watched over Marowak and Cubone. There was only peace for her final moments.

*KABOOM!*

An explosion rocked the Pokemon House as the entire building shook violently, almost at the same moment as a pulse of electricity swept through the house, shorting every single electronic device.

"What's going on!?!" One of the aides screamed from the violent shaking, even as it settled.

"The pass to Saffron...its been blocked!" Another cried while looking out the window to the west, which revealed through the dust cloud that a large rockslide had closed off the pass that led to Saffron city.

But even that paled in comparison to when the mid-morning sun faded, plunging them all into dark shade as a massive airship appeared over the town. And as the massive doors to the airship opened, there was a flood of darkness as hundreds of Murkrow and Honchkrow filled the air.

"This can't be..." The old man uttered as he looked out the window, and saw the bright red R painted on the side of the airship.

"What is it?" One of the aides asked worriedly.

"We're under attack." The old man said gravely, his mind already racing as he tried to figure out what these bastards were after.

But it didn't require much thinking as his gaze settled on the Pokemon Tower. Or rather, the top floor of it, where something slumbered that must NEVER be awakened.

The old man looked to his mantel, where a decorated flute resided alongside a ceremonial sword he had received in the past. He knew what he had to do, but....he didn't know if he could do it.

"My friend..." He uttered while approaching the bed where his Marowak laid.

"..."

She said nothing.

Nothing needed to be said though, as her eyes told him to go.

The old man approached the bed, and laid his hand atop her brow one last time as he said, "it has been my honor, Marowak."

"..."

Again she said nothing, but instead she gave a weak jerk of her head in response to his declaration. She felt the same.

His piece said, the old man quickly grabbed the flute and made for the door, pausing only to take what was probably his last look at his partner, before saying, "I'm going to check on the seal. Make sure NO ONE gets through this door."

Without waiting for a response he exited the Pokemon House, and the aides and Pokemon all tried to barricade the door and Windows after him.

No sooner had they done that when the sounds of combat and chaos began to surround them, accompanied by the growling and roaring of Pokemon.

*BANG!*

The door suddenly shook as something hit it.

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*CRASH!*

After several hits the door came crashing down, and through it a group of men in black uniforms with big red Rs on them walked through, accompanied by a Houndoom.

"Looks here, it's a whole load of Pokemon!" One of them commented as they looked around at all of the Pokemon in the room. All abandoned by trainers or orphaned, and with nowhere to go.

"Nido!" Declared the Nidorino, stating his intention to fight.

Several other Pokemon all followed his lead, also preparing to fight the attackers despite their rising fear.

"...mar...?" Marowak weakly uttered for the first time, as Cubone watched on with fear from beside her on the bed.

"Ahhh.... You want to fight us?"

"Try it if you can!" Two of the Rockets sneered at the group of Pokemon, all reaching into the satchels that had at their sides.

"You can't!" One of the aides declared as she thrust her arms out protectively.

"Yeah! All these Pokemon are either abandoned or orphaned! They've suffered enough!" The other declared as he stood beside her.

"Here that Bob?"

"Sure did Sam. In other words, all these lovely Pokemon are already looking for a new home!"

The two Rockets smirked at one another as their Houndoom stepped forward and bared its teeth threateningly.

"Nido!" Nidorino declared as he charged forward, and several other Pokemon followed his lead.

"Well here you go!" One of the Rockets cried as he threw something from his bag, a black ball with a red R on it.

"Enjoy your new homes!" The other declared as he threw out several of the same ball, all of which hit Nidorino and the other Pokemon to suck them up inside.

""NO!"" The aides screamed as all of the Pokemon under their care were captured. But they were helpless to prevent it. They were caretakers, not fighters.

"HAHA! This is quite the haul!" One of the Rockets declared as he gathered up the black Pokeballs, but the other was silent as he noticed something.

"Hey, look over there." He said, pointing to a bed that had a small brown figure on it.

""!!!""

Both of the aides immediately tried to intervene as the Rockets approached the bed, but the girl received a vicious smack across her face from one Rocket for her efforts, while the other took great joy in beating the boy bloody.

As he was doing that the first Rocket approached the bed, to see a small Cubone standing on with its arms out to protect the Marowak laying on it.

"Oho~? A Cubone without the skull mask? That's pretty rare!" The Rocket declared as he looked the Cubone up and down, before grabbing him by the scruff of his neck.

"Mr. Proton will probably give me a reward if I delivered you to him, I may even get a promotion~!"

"Mar...!" Marowak cried in protest, moving more than she had in days as she tried to keep them from taking her son.

"Sorry, but we don't need a dying Marowak." The Rocket sneered, before calling his comrade and the Houndoom as they left the Pokemon House. Cubone squirming and struggling to escape his grip the entire way as he fought to get back to his mother.

"Maro....wak....!" Marowak cried in frustration as she rolled her body, before falling roughly from the bedside.

"Marowak!" The female aide cried, rushing to her side to help her. "You can't Marowak!"

"Maro!" Marowak cried while throwing off her helping hand. Instead she took up the bone leaning up against the bed, for what she knew would be the last time.

The bone felt heavier than it ever had in her life, as well as each of her limbs and her entire body. But Marowak prayed to whichever poke-god would listen, that whatever strength remained in her body, let it be put to use now to save her son!

She then forced her body to move despite how sluggish and drained she felt, and ignored the pain as she hurried out of the house to find chaos all around her.

Team Rocket agents and Pokemon were everywhere, corralling people while also acquiring any and all Pokemon that they could find. Accompanying them were almost exclusively dark type Pokemon as well, Houndour/Houndoom, Murkrow/ Honchkrow, Sneasel/Weavile, and even a few Umbreon.

There were also several poison and electric type Pokemon, like the Zubat, Koffing, Grimer, Magnemite, and Ekans lines, but they were vastly outnumbered by the dark types.

Marowak only took a brief glance at the battleground around her though, before focusing on a pair of Rockets a short ways away with a Houndoom accompanying them, and a small brown figure in one's hand.

With her focus on the group, Marowak hurried forward as fast as her body could go, picking up speed with every step as she forced herself.

"MAROWAK!" She cried out, making the Houndoom look back curiously right as she threw her bone at it.

*WHACK!*

The bone impacted Houndoom right in the face, making it recoil from the ground type attack before focusing onto her.

"Huh?"

"That Marowak?"

The two Rockets uttered in surprise when they turned to see what the commotion was.

Marowak and Houndoom meanwhile just glared at one another, the latter with its teeth bared while liquid fire dripped from it maw, daring her to make the first move.

Unfortunately for it, she already had.

*BONK!*

The bone that Marowak had thrown before came back around behind Houndoom, and slammed into the back of its head before returning to her hand.

"Wak!" She declared while pointing her bone at the two Rockets, demanding the release of her son.

"I thought this bitch was at deaths door?" One asked the other.

"Don't let her fool you, she is." The other replied while sneering down at her.

"Well if she wants a fight, she's got one!" The first one declared, reaching for a Pokeball since that second hit had knocked out Houndoom.

"Go-"

"Wak!"

Before the Rocket could throw out his Pokeball, Marowak hurriedly used Bonemerang once again to knock it from his hand.

"What-?!"

"Marowak!"

With a cry, Marowak rushed forward and drove her head right into the other Rocket's stomach, knocking the wind from him with a Headbutt that caused him to release his hold on her son. The first Rocket meanwhile was also out cold, as her bone came back around and hit him in the back of the head.

"Cue!" Cubone cried as he rushed to embrace his mother, tears in his eyes from how scared he had been as they tried to take him away.

"Marowak..." Marowak said to comfort him, having felt equally terrified at the thought of being helpless as her son was taken from her.

But he wasn't safe yet.

Even as the mother and son embraced one another, the battle was raging around them.

Overhead the largest Pidgeot Marowak had ever seen passed by with a human on its back, disrupting the flocks of Murkrow and Honchkrow with nothing but the drafts it created. It was then followed numerous flying Pokemon unlike any Marowak had ever seen.

But that wasn't important.

"Marowak! Cubone!" Cried out the female aide, who had followed them from the Pokemon House.

"Wak!" Marowak declared, shoving Cubone towards her and pointing to the south, before turning and running the other direction.

She couldn't defeat the invaders, but Marowak could at least draw their attention away from her son. She would protect him no matter what, even though it would cost her her life!

Yes, she might've been able to live another day or two if she didn't fight... But those two extra days meant nothing if she knew her son was in Team Rocket's hands!

So, Marowak fought.

She didn't try to defeat anybody as she did, she only ran through the town, drawing as much attention as she could before running in the opposite direction of her son.

Each step was excruciating.

Each breath was like drawing sandpaper down her throat, and into her lungs.

With each throw or swing of her bone, she felt as if her arms were going to shred or fall off.

But no matter how much pain she was in, Marowak kept fighting, and kept running.

Eventually her running brought her near the foot of the Pokemon Tower, the resting place of thousands of Pokemon from over the years. And there Marowak saw a man wearing a Team Rocket uniform like the rest, but his was notably different. Plus he was accompanied by a pack of Houndour being led by the largest Houndoom she had ever seen. Obviously an alpha.

She watched as he entered the tower with all of the Pokemon following along behind him, and made her decision.

If they were going into the tower then they must've been after 'that'. And if 'that' awoke then nothing would matter for anyone in Kanto, much less her son.

She had to stop him.

Marowak charged through the doors leading into the Pokemon Tower, entering the wide open reception area and alerting the man and the Pokemon with him to her presence.

"Oh? According to our intelligence, I thought you'd be dead by now." The man smirked as he looked her up and down, before adding, "though you already look as if you've got one foot in the grave."

As he spoke all of the men and Pokemon chasing her arrived at the doors, only to disperse with a look from him.

"Well I've got places to be, but I suppose if you want to do this then we can spare a minute or two. Houndoom."

"Hound!" The alpha Houndoom barked as it leapt at her through the air.

"Marowak!" She cried while holding her bone up protectively, only for Houndoom to bite down on it while pressing her down to the ground. Marowak then watched as if in slow motion as numerous cracks began to spread throughout her bone.

*CRUNCH!*

In an instant the weapon that she had won countless battles with had shattered, breaking into two large end pieces with an uncountable number of shards. But Marowak had no time to mourn her weapon.

Swinging its head to the side, Houndoom gripped her arm and bit down into her flesh, it's sharpened teeth drawing blood before it twitched its head to slam her into the far wall by the stairs.

She hadn't even hit the ground when a torrent of flame courtesy of Houndoom's Flamethrower assaulted her, charring the stone walls and burning away the grassy floor beneath their feet. Thankfully it only lasted a few seconds, but it was still long enough to inflict several severe burns all over her body.

"Enough Houndoom. There's no need to waste more energy than needed here." The man coldly sneered, before walking right by Marowak as he approached the stairs.

"Maro..."

"!!!"

The man stopped and looked down when he felt something, only to see Marowak gripping his pant leg desperately.

"Persistent. Aren't you?" He asked in a condescending tone, before removing something from within his jacket that made her eyes widen.

"Recognize what this is? It's called a gun." The man smirked down at her with sadistic glee.

"They're mostly useless against Pokemon, but not so much against people. Especially old decrepit men."

"!!!"

Anxiety filled Marowak as she realized what the man planned to use the gun for, but then he surprised her by turning it towards her.

"In your case though, I think it'll be effective enough as long as I don't aim for the head. Your kind ARE known for being fairly Rock Headed after all."

"Maro-" *BANG! BANG! BANG!*