The Bidder

I'm in a cold room. The walls are gray and bare.

"She's up next. Get her ready."

"Okay. Prep the crowd."

A man in a fancy suit with a dark expression leaves the room, onto a huge stage. His voice carries.

"LADIES, AND PREFERABLY GENTLEMEN! I PRESENT TO YOU OUR NEXT PRIZE! PLEASE MEET OUR STAR GIRL, OLIVIA HAWTHORNE!"

A man pulls me out on stage. I'm in shackles. I'm being treated like a dog.

"Now, let's begin the bidding! How much will she go for?"

The man spoke so fast I couldn't make out any words he said. I was frozen. The stage lights burning my eyes.



"And the gentlemen bidding $10,000 gets the girl! Come and see your prize!"

A nice looking man with a strange look came over. A glint from a ring he was wearing hit my eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hawthorne." he smiled.

I said nothing. I had no words.

"Come with me." Some men undid the leash on the shackles. The other man held my arm as we left.


We reached his car.

"Well, tell me about yourself, Ms. Hawthorne." He started the car.

I tried speaking, but nothing came out.

"Hmm, well... I'll tell you about me. I'm Robin Lumos. I'm 20 years old."

"W-w-well... Y-y-y-you already know wh-who I am... R-r-right?"

"Nonsense. I only know your name, Ms. Hawthorne."

"U-u-um... O-o-okay..."

"Don't worry. I've been called an approachable gentleman."

I sniffled.

"Don't cry. I came to this auction just for you."

"Y-YOU...!" I snapped.

"Let me rephrase that, Ms. Hawthorne."

"O-okay..." I gulped.

"I came to the auction... To save you."

"S-s-save?"

"Yes. I heard, that they were going to sell a girl. I was stricken. I took out a loan and came right here, just for you." he smiled.

"W-wow..."

"And, along with knowing your last name... I had to rescue you."

"H-had to?"

"I had a friend with the name Hawthorne once. He was a very kind man. One day, we'd found out something incredible. He'd gone corrupt with power... I also heard that he had a child. He told me stories about a girl. And, I believe that girl is you."

"B-but... My dad...?"

"You may not remember. The Hawthorne I knew was much older. He was a nice ol' chap. He left me two years ago."

"I-I had a dad...?"

"Yes. You might have amnesia from your trauma. We'll clear up your relationships later."

"B-but why me...? And what did you find out?"

"I'll tell you what we found later. But, the Hawthorne family and I have some... Extraterrestrial powers."

"E-ex-extraterrestrial?"

"You heard me."

"L-l-like?"

"W-well... Oh! Here we are." He parked the car.

"Wh-where are we?"

"This is my manor. I'll show you around."

"S-sure... Mr. Lumos..."

"Please. Call me Robin."

"S-so you're 20, right?"

"Yes. Not to be rude, how old are you, Ms. Hawthorne?"

"I-Im... 16..."

"Ah. Well, let me show you in."

He took my arm, and walked me in. I felt weak and almost tripped a few times.

He opened the door to a grand hall. It was beautiful.

"W-woah..." I blurted.

"I see you like my interior design." he smiled.

"You... You did this all on your own?"

"I picked it out. I helped the builders with it."

He really did seem like he said he was. I grinned.

"Well, I need you to take a gander towards my bedroom. I need to explain some things..."

"Huh?"

"Follow me."

He grabbed my arm again and we walked up an elegant staircase. When we arrived on the second floor, he slid open a double-door, revealing a more gallant room. It was amazing.

"Does your house... Just get better and better?"

"Thank you." he chuckled.

I sat on his bed. He shut the doors.

"Uhh..." I chuckled, scared.

"Let me break those shackles for you." he smiled.

"Th-thanks?"

He slipped off his ring. He was glowing with a bright light. I shut my eyes quickly."

What stood in Robin's place shocked me. He had four arms, a muscular build, and a duck-like face. His glasses still stood on his face. He looked like some sort of wrestler.

He took a large hand, and chopped the shackles in half.

"Surprised?" he asked, pushing his glasses.

"Wh-what h-h-happened...?"

"Well, this is one part of our secrets. See, your wearing a ring too." he pointed to a similar purplish ring on my finger.

"S-s-so, y-y-you've been d-d-disguised as...?"

"Machamp? Yes."

"Ma-what?"

"A Pokemon."

"W-wh-wh-why does that seem familiar?"

"You're one too, Ms. Hawthorne."

He took one of his huge hands and slipped the ring off my finger. I felt a warm, funny feeling. All of a sudden, I felt... Different.

Robin pulled up a mirror with one of his arms. "Just as I suspected."

I saw a strange creature in my reflection. "Wh-wh-what am I!?"

"A Metang." he responded.

"A-a-a-a... Met-WHAAAAT!?!?"

"M-M-Ms. Hawthorne! Calm down..."

"H-h-how can I calm down!? I have no legs, and claws for arms!!"

He came up, and pulled me close, with his four, huge burly arms, he kissed me.

I was struggling to pull away at first, but his grip was too strong. I let the kiss take me over.



After what seemed like forever, he let go. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Hawthorne. But who we are must be kept secret."

I really didn't know what to say. When he let go, I realized I was floating.

"Woah... This is cool..." I thought out loud.

"Well, Metang naturally float. It's like having wings on your invisible feet!"

"U-u-uh... Okay?"

"Well, you may want this..." He handed me a nice looking bracelet with a stone in it.

"Thanks... Wait... IS THIS A WEDDING RING?"

"No, no Ms. Hawthorne. This is the something that Mr. Hawthorne and I found. You'll learn more about it later. I need to take you somewhere."

"Wh-where else!?"

"There are many others like us out there. We hide ourselves from society. If we don't, we're captured and abused. That's why they put you up for auction."

"B-b-but... I don't... R-remember..."

"Don't stress yourself, Ms. Hawthorne. Let me take you to a base."

"B-base?"

"It's where people like us live."

"B-but w-we're hardly people!!"

"But we still are people, right?"

"T-true..."

"Put your ring back on."

I tried, and it was surprisingly easy... I felt funny again, a d reverted back to 'human' me."

We left the manor, and headed to this so called, "base".