When all else fails, just let go.

That's what I kept trying to tell myself as I watched my closest friend struggle with her own inner self. The shadows had already closed the door to her heart, and she no longer was the Espeon I knew. If only I protected her better…

I watched with a grimace as my former ally's legs swayed for a moment underneath her. She quickly recovered and stood straight once more, however, and charged at my beat up body on the ground in a Shadow Rush attack. I did nothing to avoid the assault. I refused to fight back. The only way she could be helped was by removing the shadows in her and opening the door to her heart… But it was too late, and I was unable to do anything by myself. I was just a mere fellow Pokemon.

Espeon's attack collided with my stomach and I bounced several feet away, my red eyes unable to hold back any emotions. Blood spurted from my mouth and I convulsed a few times. I was going to die, but I no longer cared about that. I shut my eyes tight for a moment.

What should I do? She can't be stopped. She will just end up hurting more Pokemon, and even the humans… But I can't kill her…

I chastised myself for thinking of such ideas, while Espeon charged up another Shadow Rush. I was near death and at this point a play toy for my companion. I needed to end it. I knew I did.

I used small amounts of my stored energy and stood up on shaky, bloody legs. At first I thought I was going to lose it and fall, but I took in deep gulps of breath and stood humbly in front of Espeon.

She held back for a moment, and I could see the anguish in her eyes. It was another moment where she struggled with the shadows, trying to make her own willful decisions from her heart. But it would never be that way again. Her heart was gone. The shadows controlled her now.

The yellow rings on my legs, ears, and forehead began to glow a bright yellow for a moment. I was ready to take one last hit from the shadow-filled Espeon, and I waited.

But Espeon still didn't budge, her body illuminating a black aura from the Shadow Rush's energy. I saw her mouth twitch. She was struggling to speak.

"…Help."

My eyes widened and I almost fell over again. I fought the tears in my eyes, and flicked my ears back.

"I can't," I replied firmly, knowing exactly what Espeon meant. I stood my ground and lifted my chin, waiting for her to make her move.

Espeon growled, but her eyes were filled with sorrow. It broke my heart. I didn't know what to do.

In my head I knew what I should have been doing, but it went against everything my heart stood for. I didn't want to hurt Espeon. There was no way…

Once again, her lips parted and she spoke, "Kill me." Her tail swished impatiently, and at first I thought she was going to attack me. But I saw that she was still holding back the shadows for as long as she could. Nobody knew how long that was going to last.

Her body shook for several moments, and she stared at me with her beautiful, anguish-filled eyes. If there had been anything left in my heart, that look of Espeon's had taken it all away. I closed my eyes and shook my head furiously, not believing what I was about to do. It was now or never. I slowly padded towards her, dripping blood from my black coat along the way. Soon we two former Eevees' were facing each other.

I loved Espeon with my whole being. I knew I was doing the right thing. I was saving her from much misery and pain. Saving her from the greedy humans that had made her into this monster in the first place, and saving her from herself.

I saw Espeon make a move before I had time to react. Or did I let her slash her claws across my throat? I wasn't sure. It all happened so fast. The blood gurgled in my throat and I knew I only had seconds left to save Espeon.

I tried not to think about it as I plunged my teeth into her throat. The crimson liquid was spilling out of both our necks now, but I was going to go down first. I let go of my grip on her neck and Espeon backed away one step. Her enraged eyes met mine one last time, and I fell to the ground in a heap, no longer a part of that world.

Espeon coughed the blood onto the ground, trying to fight the death that I had cursed her to, but even being a powerful Shadow Pokemon couldn't save her from the fatal wound I had left on her gullet. She let out a quiet gasp and stumbled, falling next to my body. Her eyes stared at my mangled body until she closed them for the last time.

Memories filled the empty, quiet air. Recollections of our past together when we were young and training, memoirs of the other Shadow Pokemon we had rescued. Now they were gone, to forever be stored in something unknown to the living.

Did I save you?