Chapter One

It as dark, as usual, as I sprinted down a quiet alleyway. I avoided any eye contact, even though the few souls in the small corridor didn't even bother to look at me. A few drops of rain fell from the sky, the few bits of water landing on my ears and pelt. I didn't bother to shake the water off, so once I arrived at the rusted frame of barbed wire, I was soaken wet.

I pushed aside the coil of wire, and revealed a rather hidden passageway. I checked to make sure no one was watching. After walking into the small passageway, I placed the wire back where it was, in order to conceal the area again. And after a moment of hesitation, I continued the walk.

The tunnel I was in started to become less claustrophobic, and I was able to breathe a little better. I felt the distance between me and the surface increase as I followed the path farther underground. A small stream of sewer water appeared along the sides of the path, and the oh-so-familiar stench of the Underground reached my nose.

I started to hear a crowd of voices, and my pace quickened. Not much, but a certain sense of nostalgia seemed to filled my body. After a few more minutes of walking, the passageway opened up. A crowd of several different Pokemon swarmed the underground cave, all going in different directions to their different destinations. There were a few vendors that sold items necessary to the Underground jobs, although none of them suited my taste. I instead went to one of the darker shops, where the supplies I needed existed.

After moving through the dense crowd, I arrived at the shop door. I knocked on the wooden door with a paw and mumbled with a rather raspy voice, "It's me."

The door cracked open, and a red eye appeared. After a moment's hesitation a voice grumbled, "I wasn't expecting you."

"I'm sorry that I arrived this late," I ignored the comment, and pushed the door open. I saw a red and white colored Pokemon, about my size, with a set of sharp looking teeth and large claws. His gaze was rather menacing, but I knew that I did not need to fear him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The Pokemon growled as I walked in without a single drop of fear. "You need permission to-"

"Ryan," I said firmly, closing the door behind me. "You know I have special permission."

The Lycanroc sat up, and shook off some of the dust from his coat of fur. "I know that. It's just that you can't always come in here whenever you feel like it."

"I don't really care," I answered, wandering within the shop. I found a small bag of powder, as well as a foul smelling liquid, and pointed a paw at them. "How much?"

"You're not getting them," Ryan growled, slowly walking towards a bookshelf. He stood up on his back paws and retrieved a tattered looking box. He placed it on a small table, and opened it up quickly.

"And why not?" I asked.

"Because I'm not authorized to sell you those," The Lycanroc sorted through the box, making sure that I couldn't get a peek.

"The boss says that I need high-quality stuff for my next mission."

"Oh really? Do you have proof?"

I turned to my side, which had a small bag clipped to my waist. I was able to unzip it, and after a slight level of difficulty, I pulled out a small piece of paper. I placed it in front of Ryan and muttered, "There's your proof."

The Lycanroc read through the little paper for a moment and grumbled to himself about something. "Fine," He answered, and I started to put the items in my bag. "Remember that you have to pay for those."

"I know," I replied, flashing a rare smile. I finished packing the supplies and started to walk out of the shop.

Ryan leapt over me, and blocked the door before I could walk out. He extended a paw and said, "You'll have to pay now."

I gave him a good glare and replied, "Don't forget, I don't have to be nice to you."

The Lycanroc contemplated my comment for a second. "Yeah, you have a point. Just make sure that you pay as soon as you get back."

"I will," I repeat for the last time. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh, right," Ryan chuckled, and opened the wooden door. He made a motion with his paws, as if he was preparing to push me out. "Out you go. I'll see you soon."

"Don't say that," I muttered as a crowd of Pokémon passed the store. I turned my head, so then my face couldn't be seen from the horde. "I don't like having connections with other people."

"Ouch, cut by the edge," Ryan chuckled, rubbing a paw through the fur on top of his head. "You should try to lighten up though, and have some kind of life. It's kinda sad to see you like this."

"I don't really care," I muttered, and started to walk off.

"Okay then!" Ryan waved, making me feel more annoyed than anything. "I'll see ya around!"

I scoffed, and turned away without making another comment. There was no arguing with him sometimes. But now was not the time to dwell on 'friends'. I had time for 'friends'. I was on the verge of my career right now.

I ignored some of the salespersons that advertised some of the shops nearby, and although I wanted to escape this little hellhole, I had to do one more thing to do before doing so. I made my way up to a rather high point of the Underground, and pulled out another piece of paper from my bag. I stood next to a bulletin board, and made an attempt to post the paper to it. Luckily, with the help of a nearby Lucario, I was able to complete that objective. I nodded in respect to the Lucario, but there was not much of a friendly response.

I walked away, past the crowds of Pokemon, and towards the exit of the Underground. I made my way up, as the rotten smell disappeared, and I eventually saw a somewhat natural light.

The moon.

For some reason the moon seemed to be something of my liking. Maybe it was because I evolved under the light of the moon one night, or that I was the Moonlight Pokemon, but I felt like the moon was a significant part of my life for some reason. I kept on staring at the mass of light in the sky for what seemed like forever when-

The sound of banging wire hit my ears, and I realized that I had run into the gate to the Underground. I shook my head, releasing the silly thoughts that had polluted my mind. I pushed aside the wire, and made my way back down the dark little alleyway.

By the time it opened up, my confidence had risen rather well. I entered the crowd of unsuspecting Pokemon, who were completely unaware of my presence. It was surprising, actually, that no one knew about what I did. I had a rather undesirable career, but did I regret it? No.

According to the little piece of paper that I had posted before, I was supposed to get to one of the more urbanized parts of the city. The boss wanted me to find a Zoroark. And do what I thought was necessary to rid of it.

I blinked a couple of times, trying to keep myself in the moment. I entered the objective area, and I kept an eye out for an Illusion Fox Pokemon. After a few minutes of a rather annoying search, I grumbled to myself, "Where is that damn Zoroark?"

And as if Arceus (or Giratina, in this instance) decided to answer my grumblings, I saw a Zoroark appear out from a corner, with a Kecleon right underneath it. They were talking about something that was seemingly important. "Has there been any kind of clue to the murders happening around here?" The Kecleon asked, taking a moment to fix the fedora that rested atop his head. "How long has it been since they started?"

"I'm not sure," The Zoroark replied with a feminine voice. "Chief doesn't have a clue about this either. Even with our 'superb' skills, neither of us has found anything."

I chuckled at that. My work had not been uncovered yet.

The Kecleon was about to turn around another corner, and I had to dart through the crowd in order to follow them. I couldn't lose them. As soon as it was safe for me to follow them again, I was able to listen in to their conversation again.

"Ugh, I need to get home," The Zoroark muttered to herself. "I got stuff I have to do."

"Oh, that's fine," The Kecleon smiled, and started to slow his pace. "I've got work to do too, so I'll see you tomorrow at the station, okay?"

"Sure," The Illusion Fox Pokemon nodded, and started to walk off from the group. "Tomorrow."

The Kecleon nodded, and walked off. He disappeared quickly into the crowd, and the Zoroark sighed with relief. "I'm so tired," She groaned, after turning into an alley.

Now was my chance. I quickened my pace, keeping an eye on my target at all times. The Zoroark didn't seem to notice me, so the distance between me and her decreased quickly. After a few moments of my contemplating my method of execution, I opened up my bag and pulled out the foul-smelling liquid.

The process wasn't too hard in my mind, as I approached the Zoroark. I opened the top of the bottle that held the liquid, and Slashed the Illusion Fox Pokemon from behind. A gaping wound appeared in her back as she screamed in pain.

The Zoroark turned around, her eyes glaring at me. "What the hell…?" She questioned, only just now noticing the large cut on her back, which had started to leak blood. "It can't be…"

I grinned. "You wish." Even though the Zoroark was considerably faster than me, I was able to launch a Shadow Ball before she could react. It landed in the area where I had slashed her, and the force of the dark energy caused her to fall over backward.

"Urgh…," She gasped for air, trying to claw me. I dodged it easily, since she could not hurt me as badly. "This is… gonna be tough…"

"I'm glad you have some confidence," I chuckled as I began to walk around her. I had the Zoroark confined to a corner, where she could not escape. "You're lucky it's me who's doing this."

"What do you want with me?" Her body started to spasm. I must have hit something in her spine when I slashed her back. "There's nothing… you need."

I decided to ignore her question. "You have a choice. I can end this quietly, without much struggle, or things can get really ugly very fast." I gave her a moment to decide, but got flustered when she didn't answer. "Decide."

The Illusion Fox Pokemon looked deep into my eyes, as if she was studying me intensely. "You're eyes…" she said quietly, the hint of a smile appearing on her face. "I can't describe the feeling I get from them…"

"Shut up, you can't see anything," I hissed, turning my head away. "You can't tell what I am."

"I know that an Umbreon like you should not be doing what you are doing now," The Zoroark closed her eyes, and leaned back. She sighed deeply and whispered, "Take care of him for me."

I didn't care about what she said. I prepared another Slash, and my sharpened claws came down on her throat. She bled out quickly, and I didn't even get to see the life drain from her eyes. Her muscles spasmed for the last few moments of her life, until the Zoroark went limp.

"Another job well done."

Author's Notes:

I'm back! After a couple of months of inactivity, I'm back with another story! I will say that this one has a darker theme to it, but it's not graphic or anything like that (but, uh, if you don't like death, then this might not be the story for you).

As always, I've never owned Pokemon, because if I did, I probably would be too busy to write fanfics.

And updates will come soon for this chapter, probably every week or two, just so then I can have time to think and write.

And thanks for even clicking on the link to the story! I appreciate all of the support, and if you could leave a review, that would be much appreciated! And to those who can create such great titles; if you feel like there would be a better title for this, let me know! I appreciate the suggestions, and if I like what you come up with, it may become the actual title of the story!

I hope you guys have a good day, and I will see you in the next chapter!