AN- It has come to my attention that today is the birthday of my close Internet Friend, AngeloHeroOfLight. Therefore, I have written a one-shot for him, because it is the best present I could get him. It's a one-shot expanding upon a world he created, giving certain characters a backstory. The world is not mine, but the ideas and characters are, save for the Pokémon part. I hope he enjoys it, and for people who are not him, thank you and enjoy. –Twilight Joltik

Split Soul

By Twilight Joltik

The body of a Nincada was bleeding dry, staining the dusty ground. Null could hardly comprehend what had happened, only that an Excadrill now stood over her, his claws extended and dripping with the blood of her father. These Excadrill that were attacking could only be from the nearby colony of Drilbur, but they had always gotten on well enough with their Nincada neighbors. As she dodged out of the way of a Metal Claw, she sobbed out "Why are you doing this?"

A sneer came to her assailant's face. "Simple. We've had a spike in our birth rate," he explained calmly, contrasting eerily with his murderous grin. "Therefore, we need more territory to raise our young. Wiping you pathetic little bugs out should be easy enough. Now, hold still, missy, and you can see your daddy again."

Only the sheer rush of adrenaline that came from the battle was able to allow her to recall the techniques her father had once tried to show her, ones she hadn't been able to pull off to any avail. With a quick ducking under the claws of the Excadrill, she began to claw away at the earth, tunneling away from her house. Maybe she could try to warn their queen before they overtook the whole colony-?

It was far too late for that, as she could clearly see as she emerged from the soil. There must have been a dozen more of them, tearing into whoever and whatever they saw. Corpses of Nincada she didn't care to look at to see if she recognized were strewn throughout the streets, and very little resistance seemed to be made against them.

"Don't think you can get away from me, girly," boomed the same voice that had made her quiver just moments ago. The Excadrill burst out of the dirt walls of her house, his claws still gleaming and bloody. His aggression seemed to attract the attention of two more of his kind, and all three rushed for Null, leaving nowhere for her to run. She tried to use Dig once more, but fear made her unable to replicate the results. She had to focus, had to fight, had to do something! She wouldn't die without fighting back, she would face death bravely, like her parents were denied the chance to.

Something inside of her snapped, and she felt a bright glow of something- was it power?- engulf her. It blinded her, she couldn't see her foes through it, but somehow, she knew they had stopped advancing. What was this power? It felt as if she were shedding her body and growing a new, stronger one. Was this what the elders sometimes vaguely referred to, that ancient technique they'd forbidden? If so, she felt no remorse for breaking that code.

When the light faded, it felt as if she was no longer whole, but certainly stronger. There was a strange emptiness, a vague sensation of fatigue, but it somehow made everything seem somehow sharper. The Excadrill were looking at her nervously like they feared this new form- no, they were looking at something behind her. She turned to see what it was, instinctually beating her wings and taking flight almost effortlessly.

An odd creature was taking form behind her, a dark energy sparking around it as it began to hover above the ground. It was nothing more than the exoskeleton she had shed during her transformation, but it seemed to be moving, as if it was also alive. With dark, unblinking eyes, it scanned the area. "We're in quite a jam," it mused, in a high, feminine voice. Null and everyone nearby simply gaped.

"What are you?", Null questioned, and the shell looked to the ground, as if it had been upset.

"Don't you see? I'm you," she explained. "I don't know how, but whenever you transformed, I somehow split off from you."

How was one to react to that? Null didn't know, so she simply turned back to the awe-stricken Excadrill. "Lovely, two of us should be able to finish off this lot easily."

One of them came charging towards her, but the shell jumped in front of its Metal Claw, which seemed to not damage her in the least, her back facing the enemy. The shell gave an odd sort of smile as a cloud of dark energy sparked around her, and the Excadrill gave an odd sort of shutter as it fell to the ground.

Stunned gasps and a horrified screech of "He's dead!" rose up around the two. The invading Excadrill all turned away from them and ran with the speed of the beating of Null's wings. Even the Nincada seemed to cower and turn away from them, but neither of them knew why, judging from the shell's confused expression.

"What's your deal?", Null questioned, looking at her colony. "We just killed someone who was trying to kill us, we just saved you guys!"

The familiar rasp of their Queen answered her, as she inched towards the pair, holding a tattered piece of cloth. "Please, young Shedinja, put this on," she implored. The shell took it and tied it under her chin, making it flow behind her like a cape. "That should stop you from claiming any more lives."

"I didn't mean to kill him," the shell- the Shedinja, rather?- cried. "I just turned around and ran to protect Null and he just- j-just… What happened? Why am I here?"

With a contemplative glance, the Queen sighed. "It is called Evolution, it is how that Excadrill," she gestured to the corpse behind them. "Became what it was from a Drilbur. However, us Nincada have an odd side-effect to doing so. See, we turn into Ninjask, which is what you are now, Null, but the shell we shed during Evolution absorbs part of our souls and becomes what is known as a Shedinja. They are powerful beasts that are immune to all attacks that are not super effective, but will fall instantly to one that is. However, they have a hole on their backs that kills whoever looks into it."

"How can I stop that from happening?", the Shedinja questioned. "I don't want to kill people, I swear!"

The Queen turned away and started walking towards the ruins of her own house. "I am sorry, but though the hole can be covered, there is no way to stop it from killing. For the safety of all of us, you must leave this village and never return."

Somehow, the Shedinja began to cry. "Please, I-I love this place! I remember living here my whole life, and I promise I won't uncover my hole, not ever!"

"But say the cloak flares up?", added the Queen. "Or a child didn't believe our warnings and pulled it up? There is no way to make you safe, so therefore, you must leave."

With a mutter of "Okay. I understand," the Shedinja began to walk away. What she was began to process in Null's mind. Part of her soul was now in her body, so that made the shell another part of her. This colony, it was unwilling to accept her, even if it was for good reasons, but she couldn't possibly stay here when the other half of her was forced to wander alone. With a quick pivot, Null sped after her.

"You weren't banished," the Shedinja remarked softly. "You can stay if you want. I'll be fine alone."

Null simply continued beside her as they made their way out of town, and though neither said a word, she knew her other half was grateful. "You know," Null finally piped up. "You need a name. I mean, if we were just both called Null, that would get confusing after a while."

A small laugh came from the shell. "I'll be Void, then."

AN- These characters are OCs of mine that appear in AngeloHeroOfLight's story, Dusk's Crown. Go look it up, it's an intriguing romance story with anthro Pokémon starring a Serperior and a Darkrai. Anyways, happy birthday to my dear friend, and thank you for reading. –Twilight Joltik