It was dark, and warm, and a gentle hum of energy was the only thing to keep the magnemite company as he dozed within his pokeball. It was his last place of refuge, his castle, the only place he could sleep at night- if only fitfully. As it was, the single eye in the middle of his body was already half-lidded and just starting to close at last when a muffled, distant voice broke the monotony.

“I’m going to let you out now.”

Adrenaline filled his body. The magnets at his sides sprung to life, spinning rapidly, twisting the magnetic lines and gathering electrical energy about his body. In a flash of light he discharged the energy, earning a satisfying ‘Oof!’ from the same voice as the pokeball fell from the trainer’s hand to the ground with a dull thud. The magnemite’s eye narrowed indignantly. Maybe the human will think twice before attempting to release him again. Just leave him be, alone, where it was quiet and far from anything or anyone that could touch him.

“Let’s try that again.” There was a hint of steel to the voice now. Magnemite’s magnets spun again in preparation for another shock. He was always on edge around humans, but there was something in that voice that was familiar… Something that made him go cold. He shuddered.

Another blast of electricity, another grunt of pain from the voice outside. His magnets continued spinning- clearly this human would not be dissuaded so easily- but he couldn’t pull together enough electrical charge this time. There was a flash of red light as the steel pokemon materialized outside the safety of his pokeball.

He rose rapidly, far out of reach of any vicious humans. Panic blinded him to the fact that he was outside in the warm sunshine and the open sky, rather than in the tiny metal cage he had anticipated. Sparks flew from his body, but he was already exhausted from his earlier efforts to shock the person. Were they stupid, or just that cruel?

Speaking of, Magnemite turned his hardened gaze towards the human far below him. He didn’t recognize the man, but that didn’t mean much- and it certainly didn’t mean he could trust him, even if he was holding his hands palm-up as if in goodwill. The pokemon eyed the discarded pokeball on the ground, calculating whether or not he’d be able to dive, press the button, and hide away again before the man could grab him. The odds didn’t look good.

The (very thin) silver lining was that he couldn’t be reached now, as he gently bobbed several meters in the air, though he’d much rather be tucked away in the safety of his pokeball. He cast a despondent gaze at the ball, though his magnets continued to spin warily, warning the human of more shocks to come if he made any sudden movements (he ought to shock the trainer just because, he thought, but better to save up energy and make it a good shock rather than a series of little ones).