Eternals

He had just been hiding in the shadows, watching, following Edward silently. He had slipped among the bushes and was watching him take out the guards leading to a chest full of treasure, when he had felt a searing pain at the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground and his vision and mind blackened. The last thing he heard was the sound of a small laugh, one that sounded purely evil.

Now, he woke up, feeling dazed and uncertain. Blinking open his blue eyes, he recognized where he was. A warehouse with cloth draped over the doors and windows. He attempted to move but he then realized that metal restraints held him to an even larger piece of metal hanging from the wall, his body spread out in a way he knew he wouldn't be able to easily escape. Maybe Edward would hear him if he called out? He opened his mouth to screech but only a muffled growl escaped. Dammit. Whoever did this was smart, he must say. A metal strap was placed around his head and in his mouth to prevent him from screeching.

Although he was scared, he still remained calm. Maybe this was a joke and Edward would just come out of the shadows and- The shadows... He saw a figure in the shadows, standing and watching him. It was not a human. He knew what it was.

His blood ran cold and his heart beat a mile per second, in a bad way. Out from the shadows, stalked the tall, ugly figure of Chrysalis, the queen of the changelings. He never would think he would find her here in the Worlder realm but Giovanni must've allowed her passage here. That cheap bastard.

Her glassy, green eyes narrowed and a smirk was plastered upon her crooked face. Her snaked tongue tasted the air and he was sure she was sucking the love out of him. He hated her and wanted her to die by his paw. He unsheathed his claws and tried to swipe at her but his restrains held him in place, unable to move. Chrysalis' smirk only grew at his pathetic attempts to escape. He wasn't going anywhere. He was hers. Forever.

"Meowth. Meowth. Meowth. Haven't we gone over this? You don't threaten those you love" she sternly said, standing to her full height in front of him, her voice echoing softly off the wooden walls.

Love? Hell no. He tried to respond but the metal in his mouth only made it sound like he was growling. Frustrated, he shook his head back and forth.

Chrysalis chuckled and used her holed hoof to raise his chin to meet her own eyes. "Oh Meowth. Don't lie to me. You love me more than that Pikachu, right?"

Meowth growled. On purpose. He shook his head, trying to get away from her grasp.

But he was too restrained to get away. He was trapped.

"Oh you still do. Well, I guess we'll have to just change that" she said as she walked to the far side of the room. He took a small breath of relief until he saw a flash of light and a bullet from a gun almost hit him. He hid the fear from his eyes but he wouldn't put it past her to accidentally or purposely shoot him for the fun of it.

He didn't react, causing an aura of anger consume calm Chrysalis. Meowth wanted to smirk but held an emotionless expression, not wanting to make the already bad situation worse.

"So, I hear you like fire Meowth?" she cackled, using her magic to hover a torch.

He froze. No. No. No. Not fire. No, he couldn't get burnt. He flinched at the mere sight of it, causing a smirk of pure pleasure to spread on the changeling queen's face. She approached him, slowly. She was taunting him and he hated it. But he would take it if it meant keeping his promise to Pikachu and every other Eternal.

He could feel the heat of the flames on his head now, and he couldn't help but to let fear shift to his blue eyes. He shut his eyes and lowered his head in defeat, waiting for the searing pain to shoot through his head.

But it never came. The loud sound of the door being broken down and then of the torch's light fading and hitting the ground was heard. Looking up, amazement filled his blue eyes. Edward held Chrysalis, who was huddled by the wall by a sword while the others in the crew backed him up. She looked... scared. Of humans. Of pirates. Of his crew. He wanted to cry. He was in a crew of pirates, and they cared about him.

"Get the hell out of here. And never come anywhere near any of us ever again. Or you. Will. Regret. It" Edward Kenway growled softly. She got the message and teleported out of the realm, leaving the scene for the others to do what they wanted with it.

Edward wasted no time. He holstered the sword and rushed swiftly to Meowth, using his own weak magic to remove the restraint from his mouth. Meowth couldn't help but let out a deep breath, bringing his tongue swiftly over his teeth to wear them down.

"Man, I'm sorry buddy. I should've never let you out of my senses. You okay?" he asked as he worked on removing his other restraints.

"Despite tastin' metal, almost gettin' shot multiple times, almost gettin' burned an' gettin' stuck in a room wid a psychopat'ic bitch?" he light-heartedly asked as the restraints were pulled off of him. 'Yeah, I'm fine"

Easily landing as the restraints were removed, he found himself being gently picked up by the pirate who held him like everyone else did when he needed it. Gentle but firm. "Our work is done here. Let us return to the Jackdaw" Edward announced to the crew.

Comforted by the safety he was once again in, he gently laid his head against Edward's chest and held onto him. He didn't think about it. He just fell asleep, knowing that he was protected and loved in this messed up world.

He was no longer outside. He was inside but the gentle sways of water on a ship was what he felt as he awoke on the chair that belonged to Edward but was now normally considered as Edward-Meowth's chair. It was a little joke they had with each other. Comforted by the waves and the warmth and safety the room provided, he was surprised when he found Edward suddenly there, beside him.

"Geez what da hell Edwardio?" he teased, a grin upon his face as he gently poked his friend with a paw. Edward chuckled a little, now fine with the nickname that made no sense. Meowth didn't respond to whatever nicknames he gave him so he gave up trying.

"So, you alright?" he asked.

"T'anks ta ya. Chrysalis is a crazy bitch. I t'ink I'd rada be stuck in a room wid two Pinkie Pies dan her" Meowth responded, thinking about his alter ego and how hard he was to put up with if you didn't know him well enough.

"I think I would like the same.Though you have to admit, one is definitely enough" he smiled to him, glad he had his energetic and Element of Laughter spirit once again back in him. "But, I wanted to ask you something" he added, a more serious note taking hold of his voice.

Meowth tilted his head slightly. "Ask away"

"Would you be fine with sticking with me wherever I went? I don't want this to happen to you again and because this is my world, I feel as though your safety is my responsibility. And I guess it would also mean we could go on more adventures together" Edward said as he gently rested his hand of the Pokemon's shoulder.

Meowth's tone didn't change as he said, "'Course! Do ya even need ta ask dat?"

"I'm glad, now I must go back to the deck. We need to get going from this place" Edward said as he stood and walked away. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning his head, he found Meowth, hanging upon him with a broad grin.

"Meowth an' Edwardio stick togetta now. I will help ya da best way I can" he beamed.

Smiling, Edward left the cabin with Meowth who couldn't feel more happy in this strange new world.