Midnight Morpher

by MidnightMorpher

Meet Midnight, an average 17-years-old girl. Well, if you think being able to morph into multiple Pokémon forms is being average. Her people were living a peaceful life in Lostlorn Forest when they were attacked by Team Flare, and now Midnight, Zory and Allison have to flee to Kalos and work together to defeat them and save their families. But is everything as it seems...?

Chapter 1: Turned Upside Down

MM's Notes: Hi, everybody! This is my first time typing here, so do not go easy on me, okay? Please leave some criticism if you can. Oh, and a warning before you read this, there's a bit of swearing and blood, and I can't seem to keep the paragraphing in place... Plus, this is a rewrite of my original Pokémon/Animorphs crossover I did on this website, which has the same title.

Disclaimer: Pokémon doesn't belong to me, it belongs to its owner. All I have are my OCs, which are quite a lot, to say in the least. Please give this a chance...

With that out of the way, let's continue with this chapter!
PS: IS there anyone willing to help me draw a cover? It can be a simple one, it's just that I suck at drawing, so yeah...

"Normal speech."

Thoughts

"Pokémon speech."

"Telepathy."

Midnight was not pleased with her day.

Sure, it had started relatively well. She woke up feeling refreshed and energised, and since it was a Saturday, there were no classes or drills to attend to, completely freeing up her schedule. So she decided to spend the entire morning outside with the forest Pokémon and feast on the various fruits and berries there, as she doubted that anybody would be bothered with her this early in the morning. Simple enough, right?

Wrong.

The moment she stepped out of her room, she could see David exiting his own. Both of them made eye contact, and they scowled at each other.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?" David demanded.

"Funny that you should ask," Midnight replied coldly, crossing her arms. Why couldn't that overgrown brat just keep his filthy nose out of her business and mind his own, she will never know...

"I'm going down to the dining hall, but I know that you never set foot in there, or anywhere else except for the classrooms and the gym. Hmm, I wonder why?" he asked mockingly.

Midnight flushed. She knew that he knew perfectly well why, and that it was partly his fault. "Well, I live here, so I'm perfectly entitled to go anywhere I want," she snapped, her arms now dropping to her sides.

"Like outside?" David countered, and her eyes widened by a fraction, giving the sign of confirmation he wanted. He grinned triumphantly.

Seeing the smug look on his face, she narrowed her eyes at him, her hands balling up to form bony fists. "You had better wipe that grin off your face before I decide to serve you a knuckle sandwich for breakfast!" she growled through gritted teeth.

Far from feeling threatened, David actually had the nerve to laugh at her face. "You? Oh please," he scoffed. "You can barely move the punching bags, for Arceus' sake."

Fury began to spark to life in her heart. "Why, you little-!" She drew back a fist and swung it forward, and David took an involuntary step back in alarm.

"What's going on here?" a voice boomed.

Her fist was a second away from connecting with David's nose. Startled, Midnight jerked her arm back, and David relaxed upon seeing the owner of the voice. Whirling around, Midnight saw Eden, the battle instructor, striding towards her with large, purposeful steps. A frown was adorned upon his face.

Crap...

"Good morning, sir," David greeted respectfully, bowing slightly. All traces of the sneering, sarcastic boy had vanished into thin air, having been replaced by a show of innocence and care.

"Good morning to you too, Eston," Eden greeted back before his eyes snapped back to Midnight. "Well? Are you going to answer to me, Willows?"

Midnight simply mustered the nastiest scowl she could manage, though she felt a pinprick of fear in her chest as he towered over her, and not without a good reason. Standing at six feet and ten inches tall, his entire body was muscular enough to put the world's champion boxer to shame, thanks to countless hours spent working out at the gym. His usual gym attire was stretched rather tightly over him, showing off his - as Allibrat would have put it - "assets".

One thing that Midnight was sure of, however, was that under no circumstances would she ever dare to challenge him to a battle. She had seen him in action before, and it was frightening, to say in the least. His favorite methods of pummeling opponents are either charging them down as a Carracosta or blasting them away with a well-placed Hydro Pump. He was one of the most powerful Pokémorphs here, next to a few of the higher-ups. All she could probably do was scratch his shell.

"Well, Willows?" Eden prompted, interrupting her train of thoughts. "What exactly was going on just now? It had better not be fighting again."

"W-well... Um..."

Midnight began gnashing her teeth together when she couldn't find an appropriate response. If she told him the truth, both of them will be sent to Maria's office, and David will definitely pin the blame on her when questioned, allowing him to get away with murder while she gets punished. No amount of explaining and pleading will get her off the hook, and the fact thet she wasn't exactly...well-liked among the rest of the Pokémorphs won't help her. Plus, Maria will most likely be in a foul mood if someone were to visit her at this hour.

Oh well, there goes my peaceful morning, she thought bitterly.

"Nothing, we were just talking...sir," she added hastily upon seeing the flash of disapproval on his face.

"That's more like it," he said gruffly. "And it had better stay that way, or else there'll be dire consequences in store for you two." Midnight furrowed her eyebrows. Why wasn't she being told off for nearly breaking David's nose? Knowing most of the adults here, they would never let go of an opportunity to tell her off.

"And as for you," Eden continued almost ominously, jabbing a finger at Midnight's chest. She cringed, suddenly having the urge to smack his hand away. "If I catch you trying to pick a fight with anybody else ever again, I will be dealing with you personally." Ah, never mind. "Am I understood?"

"But I didn't-"

"Am I understood?" he repeated forcefully. She could see David smirking over his shoulder.

"... Yes sir," she spat out.

His eyes narrowed slightly at the change of tone, but he didn't point it out, just because he didn't feel like dealing with her this early in the morning. "Good," he nodded, before making a shooing motion with his hand. "Now stop loitering around and go about your business."

"Yes sir," David said, shooting Midnight one more venomous glare before sauntering towards the staircase.

Midnight seethed inwardly at both the glare and the injustice of it, but with Eden still breathing down her neck, she couldn't open her mouth. Ultimately, she went back to her own room, lest she wanted Eden to change his mind about letting her off with a warning.

Once the door clicked shut behind her, Eden snorted and shook his head in disgust. "Fucking half-breed," he grumbled, turning and stomping down the hallway. "She's going to be the death of us, I swear..."

Those unkind words weren't as soft as he thought, though. They penetrated the walls of Midnight's bedroom and invaded her ears, causing the girl to wince horribly. It probably would have hurt more if she knew why he, along with the others, kept calling her a half-breed. But it didn't matter right now. Or, at least, it didn't have top priority. Getting out of this prison did.

"Ugh, what to do, what to do...?" she pondered to herself, pacing to and fro across the sky blue carpet while staring at the scenery outside.

The sun was shining invitingly through the window, as though it was making fun of her inability to leave. Worse still, the constant crooning of Pidoves outside was eating away her patience like a Munchlax with food. It was like the entire world was against her.

Unfortunately for her, no idea came to her mind. "Damn it!" Cursing furiously under her breath, she marched over to the window and threw it open with so much force that it nearly shattered to pieces. Sticking her head out, she yelled out, "Shut up, you stupid Pidgey rejects!"

Miraculously, the majority of the forest fell silent after her outburst, giving her the much-needed break she was yearning for. She sighed with relief, her shoulders slumping forward. "Much better..."

She was about to withdraw her head when something made her pause. It was brief, but not enough to pass it off as her own imagination. Frowning, she leaned further in hopes of catching another glimpse of it, her eyes scanning the emerald green foliage. Whatever it was that she saw earlier, it had stuck out like a sore thumb against the bright green leaves while blending in well with the shadows. In fact, it almost seemed like it was -

The instant the thought crossed her mind, Midnight shook her head in denial. "No, it couldn't have been her," she assured herself, though she kept searching the forest as she said that. Realising that she sounded doubtful, she added in a louder and more confident voice, "She knows better than to come near here. I've already told her not to, so she wouldn't...right?" Midnight had no idea.

Great, one more thing to worry about. This morning just keeps getting better and better... she thought. But at least it gave her one more reason to leave base.

Once it was clear that whatever was out there was gone now, she ducked back into the room. "Whatever the case is, I still have to find a way to sneak out..." She glanced outside thoughtfully, an idea forming in her head. Peering over the window sill, the sheer drop of height from her window to the ground was dizzying, and Midnight felt her legs going weak. Just the perfect height for a bird Pokémon to take off. "Hmm, looks like I've got no other choice..."

After poking her head out of the doorway to check that no one was close by, she locked the door and stood in the middle of the room. "Alright, here goes nothing..."

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and focused all of her energy on a mental image of a female Unfezant. She imagined the way the Unfezant flew above treetops without a care in the world, how the rushing wind felt on her body... Then she tried to visualise herself experiencing that.

Slowly but surely, changes began to happen, and her legs were the first to go. Her jeans and golden anklet stuck to her legs like they were her second skin, and they were sucked in to give way to the new scaly patterns. 2D became 3D as the scales formed and hardened, and her legs grew thinner and shorter as her five toes became three. Spurs began growing out of her ankles just as the rest of her clothes were sucked into her body, and gray feathers began to take shape on her arms, face and torso. The majority of them were dark gray, though the ones that formed a heart-shaped patch on her face and throat were light gray. Her lips and teeth retracted, and her mouth stretched out to form a yellow beak. Her head started to shrink to the size of an Unfezant's while her arms stretched and broadened to match the shape of an Unfezant's wings. Her bones bent and twisted to match an Unfezant's bone structure, and the insides were drained out to make her body light enough to take flight. Her tail feathers grew out last.

When the morphing process was completed, her past memories and experiences as the Unfezant came rushing into her mind like a tidal wave, causing Midnight to wince in slight discomfort as she struggled to process everything at one go. The memories of this Pokémon's parents, her first time learning how to fly and her brief time spent with a male Unfezant... It was all there. While she was trying to mutely contain all of these, the Unfezant's mind noticed that she was in a room. A tiny, cramped room.

Instantly, her instincts kicked in. Small! Trapped! Have to get out! she thought frantically, and her mind took over Midnight's body as she took to the air and flapped about in a hazy state of confusion and fright.

Once Midnight got over her initial shock at being roughly pushed to one side, she began fighting to take back control of the frenzied Pokémon's mind. Whoa! Hey, quit it! Midnight snapped mentally, but the Unfezant refused to listen not back down, especially when she spotted the still open window beckoning to her.

Open! Out! With those two words, she shot towards the window like a bullet, her wings working madly towards what the Unfezant thought was freedom.

NO! Midnight screamed internally. Stopstopstopstopstopstop-

What happened next nearly threw Midnight off the edge. Literally. Her entire body did some sort of movement that was between a spin and a twist in midair as a result of Midnight trying to stop flying and the Unfezant trying to fly forward at the same time.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that she was about to fall out of the window, and her talons scrambled about wildly for something to latch on to. Feeling cold metal make contact with her feet, her talons closed around it, bringing her nosediving to a halt. For one heart-stopping second, her body lurched forward from the momentum, her talons nearly losing their grip. Panicking, she clenched her toes so tightly that the sharp edges managed to cut through her skin and, with much difficulty, pulled herself back as far as she could.

Luckily, her efforts paid off, and she managed to balance herself on the sill. Her feet was stinging badly, but that was the least of her worries. Breathing heavily, she shoved the Unfezant's mind to one side with all her might, and fortunately for her, the Unfezant was in too much shock at what happened to put up much of a fight. With Midnight back in control, she was left with a ringing silence in her head.

"Arceus, why does Unfezant have to be so twitchy?" she growled. Not that anybody will understand her, since all that came out of her beak was irritated chirping to the human ear.

Poking her head out of the window, the mere sight of the distant ground was enough to make Midnight go weak in the knees again. Not that it deterred the Unfezant in the slightest. On the contrary, the open space excited the claustrophobic Pokémon terribly, and Midnight had to summon all of her willpower just to hold her back.

It wasn't that Midnight didn't want to get out of the base. She herself felt a glimmer of elation at the prospect of leaving the oppressive Pokémorphs for a whole day. All she had to do was leap from the window sill...

But then again, she was awfully high off the ground... A shiver crawled down her spine despite it being a warm morning.

Her fear of heights hadn't, unfortunately, dissipated when she turned into an avian Pokémon morph. Well, she wasn't afraid of heights themselves per se, she's just terrified of the numerous possibilities of deaths she could meet while she was airborne. Sighing, she gazed at her gray wings forlornly.

"I'm never gonna get used to bird Pokémon..." she murmured unhappily. Yes, it was fun to soar freely in the sky, but after a while, the adrenaline rush wears off, and on top of that, there were other pressing matters to deal with. She couldn't eat of drink without relying on the Unfezant's mind for help, and trying to walk like a human would only result in a beakful of dirt. She was like a fledgling... No, even worse than a fledgling. At least they knew how to tend to their everyday needs by themselves!

Granted, she hadn't spend nearly enough time to master avian Pokémon morphs, but one would think that she would at least be able to carry out basic activities as an Unfenzant...

"Ah, what the hell? I might as well start practicing now..." Peeking out, she gulped audibly when she saw how far she was from the cold, hard ground. "Whelp, here goes..."

Not wanting her crippling anxiety to resurface before she could anything, Midnight threw herself off of the window sill without a second thought, her feet stinging from the briefly applied pressure. She could feel a cool breeze ruffling her feathers as she moved forward...

...only to start plummeting towards the ground as gravity took over.

She let out a high-pitched yelp, and her wings went on auto-pilot as she flapped them vigorously to keep herself in the air. For a few terrifying moments, Midnight could feel herself sinking, and only sheer panic and adrenaline was keeping her wings pumping in the still, dead forest air.

Thankfully, a soft breeze blew by, carrying her into a cluster of trees.

"Oh Arceus, that was close..." she groaned, letting her eyes close shut. Her lack of foresight earned her a branch across her face. "Ow!"

She opened her eyes in time to narrowly evade another branch, and quickly flapped her wings a little harder to fly above the branches and avoid getting whacked across her face again. Unfortunately, it only earned her a beakful of leaves as he flew through clumps of leaves. "Blegh! Ugh, I hate this..."

But the Unfezant thought otherwise. Sure, all this yucky greens kept into her beak, but who cares? Anything was better than that horribly cramped prison. The rush of warm, morning air caressed her face and wings, electing a trill of elatement from both Pokémon and human.

Yes... Let the Unfezant be in control... Let her pilot the both of us...

As these thoughts floated lazily through her mind, Minight forced herself to relax and let the Unfezant take over. As she slowly eased her mind into her own, her muscles uncoiled, and she could feel herself gliding along far more easily than before. All of her problems and worries from the base were swept away by the whistling wind, leaving only joy and exhilaration and making the flight a thousand times better. As reluctant as she was to admit it, this was one of the positive aspects of being a bird Pokémon: the sense of freedom. When her feet left the ground, the imaginary shackles that held her back instantly shattered like glass, freeing her to venture in the endless possibilities the sky had to offer. It was like nothing could drag her down, not even gravity itself (well, it could. But that wasn't the point). All of this after overcoming her fear of plunging to her death, but to Midnight, it was worth it. Sort of.

Her hatred towards the greenery temporarily forgotten, she whooped with sheer delight and pulled off a series of loops in mid-air, depending on the Unfezant's instincts to evade the whipping branches. "Arceus, this is the LIFE!" she cheered. "I can't even remember why I was so scared in the first place! I - Whoa!"

"Hey, watch it!" a young Patrat barked, shaking his tiny fist at her retreating form. "Seriously, Pokémon these days..."

Midnight's eye twitched, but she refrained from retorting. She did nearly crash into him, after all.

But at least the near accident brought her attention back to the task at hand - Oh, sorry, wing. She did take the trouble to morph and fly out here for a reason, after all. Midnight needed to find her.

"Alright, Midnight. No more distractions," she told herself firmly, curbing the Unfezant's mind enough so as not to get carried away again. "Now, where is she...? Zory?"

A few clumps of bushes rustled, but other than that, nothing else responded to her call.

"Zory? Zory? Zory?" she kept parroting, ducking under a stray branch.

Still nothing.

Now slightly peeved, Midnight raised her voice. "Zory, where are you? Please answer me so that I can find you! Hello?!"

Nothing but silence. Midnight huffed. "I can't believe this! I get harassed by both David and Eden, I nearly get thrown out of the window and I get yelled at by a stupid Patrat, and what do I get in return? The silent treatment."

Well, in hindsight, Midnight should have assumed that Zory was probably not anywhere near the base much, much earlier (since she herself told her NOT to come anywhere near the base), but she distinctly remembered telling Zory to meet her nearby. Maybe she cast an invisibility illusion on herself for whatever reason?

Midnight huffed again, but this time it came out sounding more tired than anything. It was then she first noticed the deep ache spreading from her shoulder blades to the tips of her wings and her now racing heartbeats. They only intensified with every flap.

"*pant**pant* Oh wow...*pant* Never noticed I was flying for *pant* so long *pant*" As she said this, her keen eyesight spotted a branch hanging conveniently a few feet away. "Th-there..."

Without a second thought, she carefully positioned her feet and swooped down in a graceful arc towards the branch, her talons outstretched. They closed around the branch when she neared it, and her heart momentarily slowed down at the brief...

...only to pick up speed when her body lurch forward.

"CRAP!" she shrieked. She had completely miscalculated the distance! In her panic, she kept doing odd windmill-like actions with her wings, but remembered that wings cannot rotate as well as arms. As she fell forward, the rough bark scraped against the cuts underneath her feet and cause the stinging pain to flare up, and she instinctively let go of the branch. Unfortunately, that meant her last means of saving herself was gone, and she started free-falling towards the ground. Out of desperation, her talons shot towards the branch to make a grab for it, but he wa too far away to do anything. All she could do now was watch helplessly as gravity dragged down at a frightening speed. The wind roared deafeningly in her ears as her body smashed through several layers of branches.

"NO! Somebody, help!" she screamed, her wings flailing uselessly as they were mercilessly assaulted by both thick and whippy branches. But her cry for help went unheard, for there was no one remotely close to where she was.

Come on, Unfezant! Do something! she yelled, but the Pokémon was as confused and frozen in fear as her, not having been in this position ever since she was a fledgling. As a last ditch attempt, she tried to forcibly flip her body over in order to at least slow her descent, but the combined pressure of the wind and cracking branches prevented her from doing so. From out of the corner of her eye, she could see the ground rushing towards her, every detail of the grass and dirt becoming sharper with every passing second.

She was truly alone; not even her own paralysed body would help her. All she was capable of doing now was squeeze her eyes shut and wait for the inevitably painful impact.

One...

Two...

Three...

All of the sudden, a flesh of red and gray leapt across her line of vision, and the roaring wind jerked to a halt as something sharp snagged her wing by the middle.

It took Midnight a few seconds to realise that she wasn't lying on the ground in a bloody puddle. She was still in the air, hanging limply by her wing.

Slowly, she cracked open her eyelids. Tall blades of grass met her gaze, their pointed tips inches away from brushing against her eyeballs. A second more and her prone, broken body would have been on the ground.

Her rapid breathing eased up slightly, and her rigid body relaxed. "I-I'm still alive..." she whispered disbelievingly. Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat, and threatened to rise up and out of her beak. "Thank Arceus, I'm actually alive!"

"Hey!" an indignant, yet familiar, voice called down from above. "Don't thank Arceus, thank me!" Without any warning, claws started digging into her wing, which was still sore from overexertion and crashing through branches.

"Ow! Zory, not so hard! Let me go!" she squealed in protest, writhing and thrashing about in a futile attempt to escape her grip.

Her claws simply tightened in response. "Would you rather I drop you?" Zory asked sardonically.

Upon hearing that, Midnight stopped struggling, albeit a little reluctantly. She knew that Zory wouldn't harm her on purpose, but she sometimes couldn't resist giving Midnight a good scare or two. It would be infinitely better to just listen. "No, Zory. What I'd rather you do is not tear out a chunk of my wing," she retorted.

Midnight heard a deeply amused chuckle. "So the meek little Pikachu does have it in her!" she said. "Well, I promise not to mutilate your pretty wings if you promise not to squirm too much. Besides, I'm already having a hard enough time hanging onto you as it is, given your current weight." Zory took a moment to listen to the spluttering Pokémonwith a toothy grin before cautiously pulling her back up.

Even when Zory helped her carefully grasp the tree branch, it was clear that Midnight was flushing. "Th-thanks," she stuttered, shifting her gaze uneasily.

"Aaaw, there's no need to thank me. It's part of my job I make sure that you don't accidentally fly into a Galvantula's web," the Zoroark joked, giggling when Midnight's face turned a deeper shade of red. "Aaaw, you look so adorable when you blush~"

Midnight wanted to sink into the tree now.

Chortling good-naturedly, Zory plopped down hard on the branch, shaking it wildly and causing Midnight to nearly topple off.

"GYAH!" she screeched, her wings fluttering frenziedly to stabilise herself. Zory burst into peels of laughter, doubling over as her fist thumped the sturdy tree branch, gasping for breath. Midnight shot her a dirty look, trying to look as dignified as possible with her widened eyes and ruffled feathers.

"It's not funny!" she snarled, cuffing Zory over her head with a wing. Although, judging by her expression, Midnight didn't think that Zory had felt that from under her mane, but it was the best she could do. "You could have made me fall again!"

"Heh heh, sorry 'bout that," she sniggered, not sounding sorry at all. "And what do you mean by again?"

"It's none of your business," Midnight said curtly, allowing the Unfezant to preen herself.

"Aw, come on," Zory groaned, taking hold of Midnight's shoulder and shaking it lightly. "I was just playing around. You know that I would have caught you if you fell again."

Her wings and back were still aching from continuously flying and assault of the tree branches. The shock of...well, everything that had happened had blocked out the pain momentarily, but now it was back with a vengeance. When Zory shook her shoulder, prickles of pain shot through her right wing, and she flinched and hissed in pain.

Zory jerked back her hand in surprise. "O-oh, sorry. Did I hurt you?" she asked, guilt creeping into her voice.

Midnight's wing was still throbbing, but she forced a smile onto her face. "No, it's fine," she reassured. "I just fell onto a couple of branches, no -Ow!- biggie."

Frowning, Zory leaned back and got a good look at her back, and she had to stifle a gasp at the damage she saw. Swallowing her shock, she continued in a would-be conversational voice, "Yeah, your back looks really roughed up. And when I say roughed up, I mean it in a your-back-is-bare-except-for-a-few-tufts-of-feathers-and-bloody-scratches kind of way."

Midnight grimaced at the description. "Ugh, that bad, huh?"

"Yup. Didn't I tell you to practise your flying?" Zory asked accusingly.

"I didn't have the time!" Midnight said defensively. "I was...busy." When Zory continued to scowl at her, she hastily changed the subject. "Anyway, can you have a look at my wings too?"

Zory was reluctant to drop the subject, but nevertheless, she consented to check Midnight's wings. "Hmm... They're more or less okay, just a few feathers missing. It's your back that worries me."

"Don't worry, I'll just morph out," Midnight said.

Zory frowned. "But I thought your morphing can't heal your wounds properly," she pointed out. "You told me yourself."

Wow, she's sharp. Either that, or she's got a really good memory.

Midnight shrugged, which was really hard to do as a bird Pokémon. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm gonna have a bloody back when I morph back into a human. The worst I'll have are scars and a bit of soreness."

"Um... Alright, if you say so," Zory said uncertainly.

She watched as the Unfezant morphed into a human, feathers "melting" away and chocolate brown hair bursting out of her scalp, all the while silently thanking Arceus that she had already watched Midnight morph enough times not to throw up.

When the last feather vanished, Zory immediately inquired about her back.

"Oh, it feels fine now. Just a little tender, that's all," Midnight said casually, though the grimace on her face suggested otherwise.

Zory was dubious, but she decided to let it slide this time. "Your arms?"

Midnight rolled up her sleeves, revealing skinny, scar-filled arms, including the ones from her disastrous flight. "They look fine to me."

"Good," Zory said, sounding immensely relieved. "Now, back to my previous question: what do you mean by 'again'?"

"Huh?"

Zory sighed impatiently. "What I mean is, earlier you said that I could have made you fall again. What do you mean by that?"

"O-oh..." Wow, this is going to be embarrassing... "W-well... It's just that... Inearlygotthrownoutofthewindow."

Zory blinked. "You...nearly got thrown out of the window?" she repeated slowly, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Midnight nodded.

"And you got thrown out by who, exactly?"

"Um... You know, her," Midnight whispered meaningfully, pointing at her temples.

Zory's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oooooh... Yeah, I forgot about that," she chuckled. "Thought she's mellow?"

"Usually," Midnight snorted. "But I was in my room at that time, and I think you can guess how she had reacted."

Zory winced sympathetically. Flying-types are swell and all, but when they're locked up in an enclosed space together, they tend to get a bit...antsy. "Yikes."

"Yup. 'Yikes' just about sums it up," Midnight agreed.

"But still," Zory continued thoughtfully. "Unfezant's usually easy enough for you to control. What happened? Was something...bothering you?" Her eyes narrowed at the last question.

Midnight started guiltily, and scratched the back of her head in what she hoped was a confused manner. "Bothering? What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"I mean if someone was disturbing you earlier."

"Oh. No no no, nobody was disturbing me. What makes you think someone was bothering me?" Midnight asked, her face scrunching up into a puzzled expression. Hopefully it'll fool her.

If Zory had eyebrows, she would be raising one right now. "So you're telling me that you yelling a while ago didn't mean anything?" she asked drily.

Midnight blinked stupidly, and smiled sheepishly. "O-oh... You heard that?" she coughed.

Zory rolled her eyes. "Please, I don't think there's anyone within a fifty-mile radius who didn't hear you," she said, smirking slightly. "Pidgey rejects, heh."

So she was there. "L-look, sorry if I disturbed you. I was just really mad, and the Pidoves were really getting on my nerves, so..." Her voice trailed off, and she simply shrugged, her face burning. "... Sorry."

Zory waved her apology away dismissively. "No need to apologise. I mean, if I didn't know you any better, I might have been offended on my friends' behalf."

"Then it's a good thing that you know me better," she said, grinning cheekily. Midnight knew exactly what Zory does to people who had offended her, be it intentionally or not, and she was internally grateful for not being on the Zoroark's hit list.

"Mmhmm." Her face then became more serious. "Now stop avoiding the question. Who was bothering you?"

Midnight's smile faded. "Wow, you really know how to kill the mood, don't you?"

"Midnight..." Zory growled warningly.

"Alright, alright!" she squeaked, holding her hands up in surrender. "If you must know... David was questioning my right to walk around in the base and made fun of my ability to punch, so I decided to give him a...demonstration." Zory snorted. "But Eden caught me in the act and blamed me for starting it. It's no big deal, to be honest..."

"But they're still giving you trouble," Zory persisted.

"Yes," When her eyes narrowed dangerously, Midnight hastened to pacify her. "But like I said, it's not a big deal. David was just acting like his usual, jerkish self and Eden was doing what the rest of the adults would have done if they were in his shoes. Trust me, it was much worse before I met you." She shuddered for effect.

That last statement didn't seem to placate Zory, however. In fact, it seemed to infuriate her more. "What I would like to know," she growled through gritted teeth. "is why that David kid's always out to get you."

She gave Midnight a pointed look.

"Oh... U-um... Weeeell, I'm not really sure myself. I guess he just hates me," Midnight said vaguely, Ee insides squirming about uncomfortably.

Zory didn't look all that convinced, not that Midnight could blame her. She had only told her bits and pieces about the ongoings of the Pokémorphs for the past five years, and even the little information given was a tad far-fetched to Midnight. But what was she supposed to tell Zory? That she had been beaten, bullied and neglected by her supposed family? That her only friend had turned against her because of an incident (that was technically her fault)? That her own father wouldn't lift a finger to protect her, or at least do something to stop them? Sure, if she wanted Zory to storm into the base. All the possible scenarios she imagined happening after that involved a pissed off Gardevoir.

But even if she stopped lying through her teeth and started letting Zory know about her situation, what good will it do? Sure, the weight of all her lies would probably be lifted off her chest, but after that? Zory will most likely offer her a place to stay at her home, but the Pokémorphs will send someone to look for her, and it's not like Zory could abandon her mother and brother to run away with her. The Pokémorphs may not care much about her, but they were definitely concerned enough to keep an eye on her. Why they wanted to do that, she had no idea.

"Midnight, is there something wrong?" Zory asked, alarmed by her friend's silence.

"No, no, there isn't," she answered absentmindedly, still lost in her own thoughts.

Zory. Sweet, kind, concerned-for-her-friends Zory. Midnight chanced a glance at her, and she saw creases on her forehead as Zory stared at her with eyes clouded with worry. She could only remember only one other person looking at her like that, and that was years ago. It felt almost...alien to her. And she didn't want to lose it again.

If she told Zory, she would definitely do something stupid and reckless, and Midnight didn't want that action to protect her to be her last. Maybe one day, when Midnight found a way to escape the Pokémorphs and travel to a faraway region to live by herself, then she'll tell Zory. But not now.

"Uh... Midnight?" Zory called out tentatively, and reached out to touch her shoulder lightly. There was no reaction whatsoever.

It was rare for Zory to feel frightened, even when she was facing a much bigger opponent in battle, but now Zory was positively terrified. Midnight's eyes were glazed over, and she was staring straight ahead with a blank face for who-knows-how-long. It was almost like she was possessed by a ghost Pokémon. "You still there?"

"Hmm?" Midnight turned, life returning to her eyes. She blinked once, and finally noticed that Zory was looking at her as though she had grown an extra head. "Yeah, I'm still here. Why? What's wrong?"

Zory looked like she wanted to throttle Midnight. "'What's wrong? 'What's wrong'?! You just zoned out for no reason, that's what's wrong! You scared the crap out of me!" Then her fist collided with her shoulder unexpectedly. "Don't do that again!"

"Ow!" Midnight reached up and probed the punched spot. It felt tender underneath her finger. "Yeesh, don't worry. I was just...thinking about some stuff. Private stuff," Midnight added when she saw Zory open her mouth.

Her mouth snapped shut. If this was ow Midnight reacted to questions about her personal life, then she didn't want to pry any further. "Hmm... If you say it's private, then I won't force you," she said. "But you do know that you can come to me if you have a problem, right?"

Doubtful. "Yes, of course," Midnight said with false cheerfulness.

Zory smiled back. It wasn't the cocky kind that she usually had, but a gentle one that siblings would usually give one another.

Now Midnight felt worse.

"Well, c'mon!" Zory said chirpily, blissfully unaware of Midnight's inner turmoil. "Let's get going! I didn't make you come all the way out here for nothing, after all."

"O-oh... Yeah, sure," she replied weakly, and she shakily got up to her feet.

"So?" Zory turned to Midnight. "What're you gonna morph into? Anything but an Unfezant, I bet."

"You think?" Midnight sighed. "I guess I'll turn into a Minccino."

Closing her eyes, she focused on an image of a Minccino, otherwise known as Audrey, and changes began almost immediately. Gray and white fur grew first, covering everywhere except for her eyes, mouth and the insides of her ears. Her body then started shrinking, her torso and head growing rounder and pudgier as her arms and legs shrank. Her fingers and toes turned into soft, rounded paws, and her nose shrunk until it resembled a dot. Her ears enlarged and slid up to the top of her head, and a fluffy gray tail grew out. Lastly, scruffs of fur poked out of her head and neck, giving her the appearance of a lovable fluff ball.

The Minccino's memories flooded her head next. Unlike the Unfezant, Audrey's memories ranged from roughhousing with her siblings to using her tail as a broom to sweep her family's den. But it was mostly cleaning, really. In fact, it was like every single day of Audrey's life was spring cleaning day. Midnight grimaced.

"D'aaw, you're so cute~" Zory cooed, ruffling her head to give her a scruffier look. "You're like a little fluff ball..."

"Hey! Stop!" Midnight squeaked in Audrey's high-pitched voice, swatting Zory's hands away with her fluffy paws. Unfortunately, that gave her the opportunity to snatch them and make remarks about how adorable they were.

Minight's ears were lowering further and further with each statement, bright red patches blotting her cheeks. But at least Zory was happy. "Please... L-let's just go..." she whined.

Zory tittered. "Hahaha... Alright, I'm done." She scooped Mindight up by her armpits and dumped her into her mane, electing a squeak from the Minccino. "You're staying in there unless I tell you to come out, young lady. Don't want you overworking that back of yours, capiche?"

Midnight was restraining herself from rolling her eyes with much difficulty. "Capiche."

Zory grinned her wolfish grin again. "Alright then, let's go! You comfortable in there?"

"Um..." Midnight's eyes barely peeked out of the giant mass of fur, and it kept tickling her sensitive nose too. But it was surprisingly warm and cosy inside. "Kinda..."

"Good enough for me." Zory bent her knees, preparing to leap over to another branch.

Suddenly, there was a faint noise that made Midnight's ears perk up. It was emitting vibes that she was wary of for some reason, and she blurted out "Wait!" before she could stop herself.

Zory's feet had just left the branch at that exact moment, and Midnight's shout prompted her to bury her claws deep into the tree bark and hug it for dear life.

"W-what...th-the hell...?" Zory gasped, trying to tug her claws out of the tree. "What was that for?! Besides nearly making me fall."

Midnight, who had nearly been thrown off and was now holding onto clumps of fur for all she was worth, meekly muttered, "I-I heard s-something in the bushes o-over there." She pointed a fuzzy paw at the clump of bushes behind the tree they were in.

Zory frowned. Whatever Midnight heard must have been bad if she was acting like this. Or maybe it was just the Minccino's instincts acting up. Deciding to humor her for a while, Zory glanced at the bushes that she had singled out.

It was as still as the rest of the bushes here, and there wasn't any unusual noises to be heard.

"There isn't anything there," Zory informed her, and the Minccino's shaking receded slightly. Yup, definitely the Minccino's instincts. "Maybe it was just your imagination."

"Yeah... Maybe..." Midnight murmured softly. Zory detected a trace of doubt in her voice.

Oh dear. Ugh, how do you distract a Minccino...? "Lighten up! Tell you what, I'll take you to those Berry bushes I've been telling you about," Zory suggested.

She could feel Midnight shift a bit. "Berry bushes?"

That's it. Just appeal to the Minccino... "Uh huh! I think there's even one full of Pecha Berries." That was the magic word. Paws pressed against her back as the Minccino's head shot up eagerly.

"Pecha?!" she squealed, practically bouncing up and down in place.

Zory had forgotten how much of a child Audrey really was. "Yup! So if you sit tight and stay quiet, I promise we'll be there in a flash!"

"Okay!" And just like that, the mysterious noise in the bushes was forgotten. All the Minccino was focused on was sinking her sharp teeth into the pink, juicy Berries. Zory felt Minight plop down without a peep.

Midnight's obsession with Pecha Berries and Audrey's childishness is a perfect combination, Zory thought, making a mental note to use this to her own advantage next time.

"Then you had better hold on back there!" Zory called and, without a second more wasted, hopped down onto the branch and started leaping away.

"Wheeee!" Midnight squealed gleefully, paws clutching fistsful of fur and feet thumping energetically against her back. It hurt a little, but Zory didn't mind. It was refreshing to see Midnight act like this instead of being so miserable and moody all the time.

Now, if only she would be like this more often...

When the duo's rambunctious laughter faded into the distance, the clump of bushes that Midnight had pointed out earlier rustled noisily, and two women, a Houndoom and Pyroar stepped out. The humans wore identical red, outlandish uniforms that had bits of twigs and leaves stuck on them. They didn't appear to be concerned about the state of their appearances at the moment, however. They were both conversing intensely with one another in hushed tones, as if they were afraid they will be overheard.

"Did you see that?" the woman with blue, looped pigtails demanded. Her eyes were hidden behind high-tech visor, but her partner had no doubt that they were shining with excitement.

"Yes. I was here," the woman with sleek, vibrant orange hair replied in a deadpan voice. Her partner sometimes asked the most ridiculous questions. "But now that we have witnessed the shapeshifting process, the idea of morphing doesn't sound as appealing."

"But Aliana!" the blue-haired woman gasped, genuinely shocked by her response. "Think about it! The idea of turning into any Pokémon we wish..." There was a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "Team Flare will be unstoppable!"

"If we can get our hands on them," Aliana reminded. "Remember, we have to wait for the Molecular Inhibitors and the grunts to be shipped in from Kalos, and we still have to locate the rest of the...'Pokémorphs'," Her voice was dripping with disdain when she uttered that word. "and report their whereabouts to Dr Xerosic. Then, we wait for further instructions."

The blue-haired woman made a face. "Ugh, that sounds like a lot of work. Can't we just chase that one down and bring it back?" she asked in a voice that sounded suspiciously close to whining.

"No," she snapped. "Dr Xerosic has already planned many...experiments that he wishes to conduct on them. If one of them expires, then at least he will many more to spare. Plus," Aliana cast an almost fearful look around her. "we cannot risk running into that infernal fox again, not after last time. If we attempt to capture that one Pokémorph, we might get lost and risk getting found by that Zoroark, or even worse, by one of the Pokémorphs."

"So?"

Aliana pursed her lips. Oh, how dearly she wanted to sic her Pyroar on her partner. But alas, her boss still has some use for her, so for the time being, she just had to put up with her incompetence. "So, if that Pokémorph managed to alert its comrades of our presence, we will have an entire race of dangerous and violent shapeshifting humans at our heels, and before you know it, our entire plan will be over before it has ever begun! You did read the copy of the report on what happened to those two Pokémon Rangers, didn't you?"

The blue-haired woman's face turned sour. "Ugh, yeah... I see your point. But still, what if that one doesn't come back in time?" she pressed.

"We can afford to let a few slip," Aliana answered dismissively. "After all, what can a few children do to us?"

"That's what they said about those kids two years ago," she muttered, but Aliana didn't hear her.

"Come on," she said commandingly, turning to walk down the path, her Pyroar walking faithfully by her side. "There isn't a moment to waste. The sooner we report to Dr Xerosic, the sooner the grunts and the Inhibitors can be brought here. If all goes well, then we will be back at Kalos by the crack of dawn tomorrow, ready to take over the region!"

"Overplanning much?" the blue-haired lady groused as she and her Houndoom struggled to catch up.

"It is better to plan ahead than to charge in recklessly, Mables," Aliana said over her shoulder.

Mable bristled. "It's Mable, and you know it!" she hissed.

"Whatever." Her lips curled upwards into a sly, barely visible smile.

"They won't know what hit them."

Several hours later, dusk has fallen on the Unova region, casting its orangey-pink rays everywhere it could touch. In every town and city, humans and Pokémon alike were preparing to turn in for the day, the humans closing up shops and the Pokémon trying to catch their dinner. All in all, it was a rather normal evening.

Meanwhile, in the Lostlorn Forest, a not-so-normal sight came trudging down the path in the form of a disgruntled-looking Zoroark with a dripping wet and sulking Minccino sitting cross-armed in its mane. Normally, this would be an unusual sight to humans, but nothing too mind-boggling. What was truly mystifying was that the Zoroark and the Minccino were arguing. Never in Pokémon history has anyone ever seen such vastly different Pokémon come within two feet of each other, much less talk to each other in such heated tones. Of course, to a human, they would hear nothing but a slew of aggravated growling and squeaks. But to a Pokémon, they can hear the actual conversation for obvious reasons, but it didn't tone down the oddity of it.

"...said I was sorry!" Zory protested, her irritated tone at complete odds with her words. "Look, how is it even my fault? I told you to hold on tight, and you were the one who didn't listen!"

Zory's words were fuel to the fire that was Midnight's temper. "I was holding on tight! I was holding on so tightly that I thought I was going to rip out your mane! But what did you do? You decided that it'd be funny to hop from branch to branch like a deranged Treeko! It was a miracle that I fell into a lake instead of a, oh, I don't know, the ground?" she screamed shrilly.

Zory had to hold in her snickers. Despite the gravity of the situation, it was really hard to take Midnight seriously with that voice.

Unfortunately, she wasn't doing a very good job at it, for Midnight's face darkened significantly.

"It's not funny!" she snarled, misinterpreting the cause behind Zory's stifled laughter. "This is the third time I nearly fell to my death today, Zory! THIRD!"

"Yeah... Things are really not going your way today, huh?" she said, trying, and failing, to sound sympathetic.

Midnight silently swelled with fury, and went to bury herself deeper into Zory's mane without another word.

"Aw... Hey, don't be like that..." No response. "C'mon, you little fluff ball, I was joking!" Silence. "Look, one day, when we have our own families, we're going to look back at all of these and laugh, alright?"

...

For one crazy moment, Zory thought that Midnight had jumped off and sped away to some unknown place without her knowledge. "Uh, hello? You're still there, right?" Zory's arm reached back, and her claws skimmed Midnight's ice-cold fur for a split second before a soggy paw smacked her hand away.

Ah, she's still there.

"Midnight, please don't act like this," Zory groaned, but the Minccino didn't respond. "Fine, you leave me no choice."

Quicker than the eye could follow, Zory reached back and plucked Midnight out of her mane by the scruff of her neck. She must have been stunned by the turn of events as she was completely still while Zory carried her to the front, but she then began fighting tooth and nail to escape her grip, small paws scrabbling against her claws.

"Midnight, would you stop that!" she said roughly, shaking her like a rag doll. Zory was mildly surprised that the usually hot-tempered, yet (somewhat) mature, girl would throw such a childish tantrum, but then again, part of her conscious was Audrey's.

Midnight paused, but only to glare up at the Zoroark. Was it just Zory, or did she confusion mingling in the anger?

"Who's Midnight? My name's Audrey, you big meanie!" the Minccino said nastily, and, before Zory could come up with an answer, started fighting again. Zory then noticed that her eyes were not their usual shade of midnight blue, but the colour of mocha brown, which was the natural eye colour of a Minccino.

Oh, for the love of Arceus...

"Grrr... Midnight, I can't believe that you let yourself get beaten by a wimpy Minccino," Zory growled, much to the Minccino's bemusement.

Alright, Zory, think! What did Midnight say about this kind of situations... Uh, this will be a rare occurrence, but if this happens, then I have to snap her out of it... But how...?

"Um... Hey, Midnight, come back? Please?" Zory asked hesistantly, but there was no indication that Midnight even heard her, and Audrey wasn't letting up in her frantic escape attempts. Eventually, her broom-like tail lashed out and whacked Zory across her face, causing her to let out an unintentional squawk of pain. Audrey would have managed to wriggle free from her captor's grip had Zory not tightened her claws around her tiny torso.

"Let me go! Or else, I'll yell for my mummy and you'll be in big trouble!" she threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," Zory snorted. "Now, how do I snap Midnight out of it...?"

She had no clue whatsoever on how to bring Midnight back, and she couldn't recall Midnight mentioning a definite solution to this. Plus, Audrey's wiggling was starting to get really distracting.

"Grrr, would you hold sti- No, hold still! Stop it! No, stop- Gah! I said hold still!"

SLAP!

"Ow!" Audrey's head jerked sideways, the shape of Zory's handprint forming on her right cheek. "Y-you..."

Zory panted lightly, her palm stinging slightly. I...slapped her. I slapped a child... she thought numbly. Zory could see tears welling up in the young Minccino's eyes.

Oops.

"O-oh Arceus. I'm so sorry!" she blubbered, but the Minccino's mouth twitched downwards. "Nononono, don't cry! Please!"

No such luck. Audrey sniffed pitifully, blinking as tears started to roll down her cheeks...

...and the mocha brown colour faded into midnight blue.

The Minccino blinked again, frowning at Zory in confusion. "Uh, Zory? Why are you holding me like this? Why am I crying? Why...does my cheek hurt?" She reached up and cautiously prodded the reddening mark on her cheek, and she winced. "Zory...did you just...?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know how else to bring you back!" Zory said swiftly, cringing from the murderous glare Midnight was giving her.

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Ugh, can't believe that you'd be so desperate as to slap a child," Midnight complained, rubbing her swollen cheek gingerly.

"Well, next time, please tell me how to bring you back the proper way," Zory said. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she tenderly brushed the tears off her face. Minight's eyes snapped to her face. "Um... There's no need to cry," Zory said gruffly, her face burning.

Midnight's face turned redder than the slap mark on her face. "'M not crying..." she sniffed, and her face scrunched up as she let out an ear-shattering sneeze. "Achoo!"

"Oh dear." Midnight's sneeze brought Zory's attention back to her freezing fur and trembling form. "Crap, I don't have anything to dry you off with... Uh, I hope you don't min hiding out in my mane for a while, at least until I can get you a towel or something." As she said this, she carefully placed Midnight back into the warm mass of fur.

"Th-thanks..." she said through chattering teeth, crawling into her mane and curling inside.

"No problem! After all, it's the least I can do for you, especially since I was the one who tossed you into a lake," Zory said jovially as she started to walk again.

Midnight's insides were burning with shame at her words, especially when she recalled the way she had yelled at her and insulted her unfairly. Zory had tried I bring her back to the base quickly when they realised how much time had passed by, and although Midnight ended up falling into the lake, it wasn't really Zory's fault. And now, Zory had just apologised for something that wasn't get fault.

Midnight had to say something.

"Uh... Zory?" Midnight called out.

"Yeah?"

"Um..." Midnight wrung her soft paws nervously. "A-about earlier... I..."

"Yeah?" Zory prompted.

Midnight closed her eyes. Just say it. If Zory can do it, so can you...

"I-I-I..." Midnight cleared her throat. "I just want to say that...that I'm s-sorry."

"You're sorry?" Zory echoed.

"Y-yeah. About earlier, when I called you a...a..."

"A what, exactly?" Zory asked, and Midnight could have sworn that her voice turned teasing for a second.

"A... A deranged Treeko," Midnight finished in a mortified whisper.

Zory snorted, then chuckled, and finally started guffawing. Midnight's mouth fell open. "W-why are you laughing?" she squeaked, a tiny portion of her mind fearing for her friend's sanity.

"Ahahaha! Did you really think that I was mad about that?" Zory asked incredulously.

"Ah... Yes?"

"Pfft, as if! I'm only mad that you let yourself get beaten by a Minccino. Don't you dare be so careless next time, alright?" she admonished, though her playful tone ruined the effect of her words.

Midnight was embarrassed, but at least the leaden weight in her chest lightened considerably. "Yeah..."

"Aaaw, why so gloomy?" Zory pouted. Midnight simply gave a barely audible hum. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll accept your apology, alright?"

Midnight's downcast expression brightened somewhat. "Y-yeah... Thanks, Zory," she said lowly, a hint of a smile lingering on her face.

"That's more like it!" Zory said cheerfully. "Make sure you stay like this, alright?"

"Alright!" Midnight said, and she settled back, considerably cheered up.

Zory started moving again. Midnight laid on her back, staring at the starry sky as the rays of the sunset retreated along with the rapidly sinking sun. It wasn't really comfortably having her thick layer of fur to cling onto her, especially in its wet state, but the warmth and the sense of security Zory's mane provided was more than comforting.

Silence reigned for the next fifteen minutes. Zory was valiantly ploughing on, ignoring her increasingly sore leg muscles, while Midnight gazed at the now dark sky, silently counting the stars they passed by. Off-handedly, she wondered if one of them was Jirachi.

The rocking motion that Zory created while walking was strangely soothing to Midnight. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... Her eyelids were drooping, and she unknowingly curled up into a ball as she gave out and adorable yawn.

This did not go unnoticed; Zory felt a certain warmth blossoming in her heart as she felt her small form curling up on her back, and she slowed down so as not to wake her up.

Honestly, I wish that Midnight would be like this more often...

Meanwhile, Midnight was getting drowsier by the second. The forest noises were getting dimmer and dimmer, and her eyelids drifted close. Getting...sleepy... Drifting away...

Gradually, She fell asleep, her chest heaving at regular intervals and little puffs of breath escaping her. Zory continued travelling in silence, sorely wishing for someone to talk to.

"Ugh, this stinks..." she groaned, making sure to keep her voice at a low level. "Wish Midnight was awake." She paused to listen to the young Minccino's soft snores. "Heh, never knew that falling into a lake could take so much out of some-"

BOOOOOM!

All of a sudden, the earth beneath her feet rocked and shook. Zory stumble about before losing her footing and falling flat on her face. Midnight was startled out of her deep slumber, and she shot out of her mane while trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"W-wha-? W-what happened?" she mumbled sleepily, looking around blurrily.

Zory's limbs were still badly shaken from the sudden explosion and her ears were ringing, but she managed to pull herself up while holding onto a nearby tree for support. "I-it was an e-explosion," Zory gasped, trying to steady her breathing.

"But where did it - Oh, sweet mother of Arceus," Midnight breathed.

Zory glanced at Midnight, who was pale and slack-jawed, then lifted her gaze to the thing that had captivated her. Then her mouth fell open.

A thick column of smoke was rising from a fiery glow located in the middle of the forest, and various screams issued from there. Coincidentally, that was where Midnight's home was.

"No no no," she muttered in a panicked tone, stepping back and clasping her paws over her ears. But it did little to quell the horrifying screams that sent stabs of terror to her heart. "Please... We can't move again..."

"Midnight?" Zory called worriedly. She had never seen her friend act this way before. "You okay?"

"No!" she snapped. "Of course I'm not okay! There's someone attacking my home! Again! We have to get there!"

Zory's eyes widened; Midnight was definitely serious about this. "But Midnight, think about it. Whoever the attacker is must have dozens and dozens of backup to overwhelm the Pokémorphs like this. We're only two Pokémon, one Zoroark and one soaking wet Minccino."

"Don't remind me," she grumbled.

"So how can you hope to fend them off?" she finished.

"Well... I... That is, we..." Midnight was at a complete loss for words. "No, I... We just have to get there!" she said stubbornly.

Zory was still unconvinced. "But..."

Sensing hesitance from Zory, she clambered up her head and hung herself upside down, so that she was staring straight into Zory's light blue eyes. "Please... That's the only home I have," she whispered pleadingly. "Please, Zory... For me?"

"..." Ultimately, those huge Lillipup eyes won her heart over. "... Fine. Get in there before I change my mind."

Wasting no more words, Midnight scurried back into her mane. "You know, I thought that you would be arguing much more against this."

"Don't get your hopes up," Zory snapped. "If we get killed in some way, I'm blaming you."

Midnight mulled over it for a while, and she shrugged. "Fair enough." She held fistsful of fur in her paws to prevent herself from falling out. "Now let's go!"

Without a second thought, Zory fell on all fours and bolted towards the base. Midnight watched as trees zipped past in a blur, her thoughts jumbled up as she tried to figure out the identity I the intruders. But no matter which organisation she thought of, she just couldn't imagine how they had managed to find out about them.

Just who are they...?

"Oh... Sweet, sweet Arceus..." Midnight whimpered, staring at the scene before her with abject horror.

The once stark white and pristine building was now marked with numerous burn marks and riddled with holes. Most of the once sparkling clean windows were shattered, with the sharp glass pieces littering the grassy ground, and the ones that were more or less intact had black smoke billowing from them. Flames licked the lower levels of the base and we're slowly creeping upwards, and attacks were shooting out at random. But the most prominent feature was the wide, gaping hole that was where the front gate used to be.

Zory whistled lowly. "You know, I imagined my first sleepover with you to be in a house that was not turning into a pile of charred rubble," she said flatly, ducking under a stray Thunderbolt.

Midnight couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is... Does this look like the time for jokes?!" she screamed hysterically, on the verge of ripping her fur out.

That question stumped Midnight. What were they going to do? Inside was pure chaos, and she had no idea where to start first. They were supposed to drive the attackers away, obviously, but how? She didn't know who was attacking them in the first place.

"I just... Let's just attack the enemy!" Midnight ordered.

Zory facepalmed. "Really, Midnight? That's the best you've got?" she deadpanned.

Midnight flushed. "No, I... Gah! Just attack the ones I tell you to attack!" she cried out in frustration, and hopped out of her mane. She fell on all fours and made a mad dash towards the entrance.

Zory's heart skipped a beat when she saw Midnight's tiny form scamper across the ground, and she made to snatch her up. But she was a second too late; Midnight was already halfway across and running towards the roaring inferno in the building.

"Wait!" Zory bellowed. "Midnight, don't run o-!"

But before Zory could finish her sentence, several things happened at once; Zory saw a pale gray blur zip past her and towards Midnight, but before Zory could properly identify the blur or shout out a warning to Midnight, something heavy slammed into her back and sent her crashing, pinning her to the ground. Distantly, she heard Midnight scream.

"Midnight!" Zory gasped. What happened? It doesn't sound like she was in pain...

"Hey, scumbag! Get off me before I- Mmph!" Whoever was standing on top of her shoved her far into the dirt, nearly breaking her neck in the process.

"You had better shut your mouth before I shut it for you!" a gruff voice snarled in her ear, his foul breath hitting her face. Zory gagged.

"Ugh, get a breath mint," she complained.

Her assailant growled warningly, but luckily for Zory, a distraction came before he could tear her head off. "I have the other one," a cool, female voice said monotonously, and Midnight's voice squeaked, "Let me go, you brute!"

Zory's heart sank. Painstakingly, she twisted her head as far as she could, and she could see a glint of white, razor sharp nails and a pair of wildly kicking feet. The other one had Midnight.

"So what do we do with this one?" the male voice asked, and a foot was driven hard into her ribcage. Zory stifled a groan.

The female one fell silent, seemingly contemplating the problem. Zory took this time to free her arms from under her, but her assailant was too heavy. Zory mentally cursed her inability to blast their attackers to oblivion.

"... Just get rid of her. We only need this one," she said. "But make it quick, Houndoom."

"Got it," Houndoom said, an undertone of malice in his voice. "Time to put you in your place, little girly."

Now Zory was struggling harder than ever, but Houndoom had her immobilised. With her unable to move a muscle, Zory could only wait for the blast of fire that would undoubtedly hit her. Faintly, she heard Midnight suck in her breath, and she wondered what Midnight was planning.

A second later, Zory got her answer.

An ear-splitting screech hit them, the sound shredding up her eardrums and pounding madly on her brain. Her mouth opened to unleash a scream of pain, but she couldn't even hear her own voice above all the racket. Her hands flew up th protect her poor ears-

Wait, her hands?

The weight above her had vanished. Zory quickly clambered to her feet and staggered away from the piercing sound, hands still over her ears. Before her was a Houndoom and a Weavile in a similar position as her, and in the middle was Midnight with her mouth wide open, a deafening screech filling the air around her.

Seeing that the enemies were now distracted, Zory yelled out to Midnight. "Oi! Midnight, let's run!"

She wasn't too sure whether Midnight could even hear her, but thankfully, the Minccino's head turned, and she closed her mouth, cutting off the horrendous noise.

Zory raced forward and scooped Midnight up, kicking aside the recovering Weavile in the process, and petted towards the gaping hole as fast as she could. "Just hang in there, Midnight!" she shouted, hugging Midnight tightly to her chest. "We're almost th-"

"Dark Pulse!"

Reacting instinctively, Zory leapt to one side, and a beam of dark blue and purple orbs passed by them harmlessly, blasting the ground and creating a miniature crater.

"Oogh..." Zory groaned. "Ow... Midnight, you alright?"

"No... Squished...under..." came the reply from under her.

Zory jumped, then hastily rolled over to reveal a gasping Minccino. "Oh Arceus, I'm so sorry!"

"It's...fine.." Midnight coughed.

There was mirthful, yet sinister, laughter from behind. "What's the matter? Out of breath already?" the voice taunted. Midnight painfully picked herself up and turned to face their assailants, ready to fight them off.

The one who tried to blast them from behind turned out to be a Mightyena, who was snarling viciously at them both. Beside him was the most eccentrically dressed woman Midnight had ever laid her eyes on. She wore a red, very outlandish dress with a strange flame symbol on the belt of her outfit, and an odd-looking high-tech visor as well. She had blue, looped pigtails and a malicious smile on her face.

Midnight glared heatedly at the mystery woman, and her grin grew wider. "So you do have a little fight in you! I love it when my victims struggle and squirm!" she cackled.

"Um, Midnight?" Zory whispered, eyeing the Mightyena warily. "Do you know who she is?"

Midnight shook her head slowly. She had never seen this woman before, but the flame symbol somehow made her feel uneasy.

The blue-haired woman seemed to have read their minds. "You don't know who I am?" she asked, sounding a little disappointed. "Very well, then let me introduce myself. I am Mable, one of the four Head Scientists of Team Flare, and we are here to capture your people!"

Team Flare. That name rang a bell to Midnight. She recalled a time, two years ago, when she had overheard Maria and her second-in-command, Kyle, discussing something about "Flare", "Ultimate Weapon" and "being careful". At that time, she didn't see the significance in those words, and had forgotten them in a few days. But now she wondered if they were referring to this "Team Flare".

"Team Flare?" Zory muttered with disgust. "Ugh, I've already had enough of this. What do you say about knocking both of them out and running into your base?"

However, before Midnight could reply, she heard shuffling behind them. She whipped around, and her eyes widened when she saw the ferocious-looking Houndoom and Weavile blocking the entrance. They were trapped.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Mable tittered, obviously pleased with the situation they were in. "My job is to round up every last one of you, and I intend I finish what I started!"

Midnight felt her stomach drop. She couldn't possibly know...

"Oh, I saw your little performance," Mable continued. "Though it doesn't look all that pretty, I'm sure that Dr Xerosic will fix it."

"But... How?!" Midnight blurted out. Everyone in the vicinity, including Zory, stared at in astonishment. "How did you even get here?"

"Oh, maybe it's because of this," she said, and presented a gadget attached to her wrist with a flourish. "It negates all the illusions the user sees. Plus, we added a little feature to understand Pokémon speech. Of course, we have Grings Kodai to thank for that."

Oh, so that's how she's answering my questions...

Suddenly, there was a ringing noise. "Hmm?" Mable fished out a phone-like device and turned away to answer it. "Yes, what is it?"

"I am nearly done with loading the trucks," came the crisp voice of Aliana. "If you're not too busy blabbing our plans I someone, I need you to round up the remaining ones for me."

Mable's face coloured. "Yeah, yeah. You know, I'd have an easier time with this If you would just give me back my Magnezone!" she said testily.

"Just get to it!" With that, her hologram vanished.

Mable was scowling heavily by the time she was done, but she managed to fix back her nasty smile as she turned back. "So sorry about that," she said sweetly. "Someone was just reminding me of what I'm supposed to be doing, so enough with the chit-chat. Houndoom and Weavile, distract the Zoroark. Mightyena, after that Minccino!"

Almost immediately, the Mightyena pounced on Midnight before she could even move. She yelped as his jaws clamped down on the scruff of her neck, and Mightyena started carrying her to Mable.

"Hey, let go of me, you mangy mutt!" she squeaked, thrashing around frantically. "No, stop!"

"Midnight!" Zory shouted. She moved towards the retreating Mightyena with her claws humming with dark energy, but Weavile and Houndoom intercepted her path with a well-aimed Ice Beam and Flamethrower respectively. "Tch! Get out of my way!"

"Just because you say it doesn't mean that we'll listen, girl," Houndoom snorted, and he leapt at her arm with his mouth gaping. Thinking quickly, Zory dropped and rolled aside, aiming a quick jab at his stomach and causing him to drop like a rock. She jumped to her feet, only to get hit by Ice Shard from behind.

With Zory fully distracted, Mightyena managed to bring Midnight to the waiting Mable without further incident, despite the Minccino's valiant struggling. "Good job, boy!" Mable praised, and Mightyena smiled smugly. "Now, time to put this on you..."

She took out a strange, bracelet-like device with thin needles lining the inside. "What? You're wondering what this is?" Mable asked upon seeing Minight's confused expression. "It's a Molecular Inhibitor. It prevents the rearrangement of your molecular structure, or in other words, it stops you from morphing."

It took Midnight a few seconds to comprehend all of that, and by that time the Molecular Inhibitor was nearly closed around her neck. "Wait, no! Stop!" She started to struggle violently, grunting as her tiny arms strained against the closing death trap. Midnight inhaled deeply, ready to unleash another Hyper Voice. But Mightyena's huge paw fell over her mouth, covering over half of her face and silencing her, and with her diminutive size, Mable managed to subdue her rather easily.

"Ah ah ah," she said teasingly, finally clasping the device around her neck. Prickles of pain shot through her body as the ring of needles pierced her neck, and she could feel a cold, foreign liquid injected into her body. It travelled throughout her body from head to toe, freezing every particle within her and causing her to shudder. "There you go! Now, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Midnight didn't reply. With Mightyena's paw covering her nose and mouth, she could hardly breathe, let alone speak. Combined with her still wet state and the nitrogen-like liquid coursing through her, Midnight was one unhappy Minccino.

"Come on, Mightyena. Let's get this feisty rat into the truck before getting the others." She sat a glance at the ongoing fight, in which the Zoroark was backed into a corner by Weavile and Houndoom. "You two, come and assist me when you are done."

Midnight's frightened eyes made contact with Zory's weary ones. "Zory! Help me!" she tried to say, but all that came out was "Mm mmf! Mmmm!" due to Mable still covering her mouth.

"Midnight!" Zory squawked in alarm. "Hold on!" She tried to run to her friend's aid, but Weavile drove her back with a Night Slash. "Oh, for the love of Arceus, would you go away?!"

Midnight gulped; she was on her own this time. "Mm..." she whimpered, her ears lowering. Stupid Minccino body... Stupid, weak Minccino body...

Suddenly, there was grunting and two heavy thuds behind them. "What th- Kyaaah!" Mable shrieked, her arms flying up to protect her face and dropping Midnight in the process.

Midnight fell onto the ground in a tangled heap, the wind knocked out of her. "Oof! Ow..." All of a sudden, a low growling made her freeze. Mightyena was lying low to the ground, snarling and ready to pounce on her. She wheeled around, ready to use Slam on him, when there was a sudden glint of metal slicing through the air. The next thing she knew, Mightyena was lying on the ground with three bloody scratches on him, and a Lucario wearing shades was standing over him, blood dripping off its three metallic claws.

Wait, a Lucario wearing shades? She knew this Lucario!

"Aaron! You saved me!" Midnight squealed in delight!. "Thanks!" Aaron was one of the few Pokémorphs that she could tolerate having around, and also one of the tougher fighters. It was no wonder that he was still alive and kicking.

"You're welcome," he said, and his eyes fell on the collar on her neck. "Oh, you too?"

"Huh? What do you mean by 'you too'-" It was then Midnight first noticed an identical Molecular Inhibitor around Aaron's neck. "... Oh."

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm just lucky that I was still in my Lucario morph when they got me," he sighed.

"You!" Mable snarled, and they turned to face the infuriated woman. "Why do you always have to get in our way?! Mightyena, get him!"

The Mightyena staggered to his feet, blood streaming out of his wound in a steady flow but otherwise unharmed. Behind them, she could hear the two Pokémon stirring feebly. "Ugh... Midnight, I'll take care of them. You take your friend and run," Aaron ordered, falling into a battle stance.

"But-" Midnight tried to protest.

"Now!" Aaron snapped. "Hey, you! Zoroark!"

Zory, who was leaning against a tree and gasping for breath, jerked in surprise. "Yeah?" she panted.

"Midnight's not going to leave on her own," He ignored Midnight's squeak of indignation. "so I need you to get her of here! Now!"

The urgency in his voice finally convinced her to comply. "On it!" She leapt over Houndoom and Weavile and dashed towards Midnight, scooping Midnight up (and adding "Sorry." in an undertone) and running away.

"Wait, we have to help him!" Midnight argued, attempting to squirm out of her grip. Unfortunately, it was about as easy as escaping a Frillish. "Zory!"

"Don't help me, help the others!" Aaron ordered, firing an Aura Sphere at the snarling Houndoom and sending him tumbling. "I'll be fine!"

"No you won't!"

"Just run!" Aaron snapped. A light green bone of energy formed in his paws, and he swept it at his enemies in a wife arc. "Run now!"

Without another word, Zory sped off into the building with Midnight in her arms. Whatever thoughts Midnight had about coming back for Aaron later was driven out of her mind when the searing heat hit her. Hard.

"Oh Arceus, it's so hot!" Midnight shrieked, trying to escape the heat by burrowing herself deeper into Zory's arms. But it only made it worse.

"How do you think I feel? I'm already trying not to hop now," Zory groused. "Anyway, where do we go now?"

"Um..." Midnight scanned the area as Zory avoided the scorching flames with a grimace. "We should get to higher ground, so... Ah! Go through that door! There! On the left!"

"Okay!" Zory hopped and skipped over to the door labelled "Apartments", the blistering heat in the ground biting her feet, and she grabbed hold of the doorknob. A second later, however, she jerked back her hand with a pained scream. "OW! What the?! It's boiling!"

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll just blast it down," she said, inhaling deeply and unleashing a blast of sound waves. The force blasted the door right off its hinges, and it skidded a few feet away in a pile of broken wood and splinters.

"Oh... Well, that works too." Zory chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway, let's go."

They both shot off into a hallway full of doors lining either side, metal plates with various names engraved on them adorned on each of them. Midnight remembered them looking freshly cleaned and swept without a speck of dirt anywhere, but now it was anything but clean. Broken beams from above had fallen, and more than half of the doors were smashed in, the contents within strewn everywhere.

"Oh. My. Arceus," Midnight breathed. "This is even worse than that time at...at..."

"What? What did you s- Yah!" They were in the middle of the staircase, and the weakened steps gar way to the combined weights of Zory and Midnight. Her foot broke through th floor, and she yelped as her body- and Midnight -slammed into the heated ground face down. "OUCH!"

"Gah! Get off me, get off me!" Midnight screeched, feeling as though a Snorlax was sitting on her. That, and that it felt like she was lying on a stove.

"Oh Arceus, I'm so sorry!" she coughed, pushing herself up and gingerly freed her foot from the hole.

"Ow... Remind me to hide in your name next time," Midnight groaned as she hung limply from her arm.

"Right." Zory looked at the ruined hallway. "I don't think anybody's here, or else they would have heard us and come running, be they allies or enemies."

"Who cares?" Midnight suddenly said, her tone unusually harsh.

"Um... Apparently the Lucario that you somewhat liked cares," Zory countered. "Don't you want to save your family and friends?"

"No," Midnight said flatly. "Now let's go before we fall through the floor."

Zory made a sound of discontentment, but Midnight had a point. If they stayed there any longer, something might fall on them and seriously injure them sooner or later. She swiftly ran up the stairs, making sure to put as little weight on the weak floor as possible, and entered another hall. It was pretty much the same as the one below, except for the holes in the floor and a bow noticeable layer of smoke above.

Zory gagged at the repulsive smell. "Oh... Ugh, let's get this over with..."

"And remember to stay low, or else you'll suffocate," Midnight reminded, scampering into her mane and covering her own nose.

"Alright." Zory's feet were already starting to burn now. "Here we go, right...now!" She immediately sprang forward, taking quick and light steps an skirting around the holes, even as they crumbled beneath her feet, while holding her snout in her hands. But the putrid smell of burning...well, everything, made her eyes water so much that if it weren't for Midnight yelling directions in her ear, they surely would have fallen through one of the holes.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there wasn't anyone in this hall, nor in the next two hallways. As they progressed further up, the smoke got thicker and thicker to the point that Zory's line of vision was a blur of colours, and she was giving out hacking coughs. But she didn't dare bring her hands up to wipe away the tears, unless she wanted to breathe in more smoke than necessary.

Finally, both of them reached the second last floor. It appeared that the fire hadn't spread that far, but sooner or later it will reach. Zory took this opportunity to gulp down large amounts of fresh air. "*cough**cough*... Oh Arceus, my throat.."

Midnight jumped out of Zory's mane. "C'mon, we don't have much time," she said quickly, running forward to search go any survivors.

Zory proceeded carefully, kicking aside the rubble as she observed her surroundings. Compared to the last four floors, this one was an absolute wreck. She wondered what was so special about here that it was given extra attention.

"Arceus, what a mess..." Midnight whispered, jumping over a pile of broken wood that used to be a door and peeked into a room. "Oh no!"

"What?" Zory said sharply, her body tensing as she prepared herself for an attack. "Did you find something?"

"No! It's my room!" Midnight wailed in dismay, running inside. Zory followed suit, taking in the scene before her. Almost everything was flipped over, and all of the compartments in her drawer was scattered all over the floor, the contents strewn everywhere. Pieces of paper had been torn out of her notebook, and there were holes in the floor where her bed and desk used to be. There was one thing apparent from all of these; someone had been searching her room. "Someone... Someone trashed it!"

"No kidding," Zory muttered. "Wonder what this Team Flare was looking for?"

"They must have thought that I was one of the higher-ups," she moaned.

"Huh? Why would they think that?"

"Because the last few floors are reserved for the high-ranking people," Midnight answered, poking through the mess. "Luckily, I managed to get my own room before- Oh! It's still here!"

"What's still there?" Zory asked, bemused, watching as Midnight pawed through her things and snatched something up.

"My bag!" she said happily, holding up a worn satchel that matched her hair colour. "It's one of the few things that I own, actually. Just give me a minute to get my stuff."

"What?! No, I won't give you a minute!" Zory yelled, frustrated at the sight of the Minccino scurrying around and shoving her possessions into her satchel, which included a stuffed Buneary, a pouch full of money and some clothes. "We could end up dead, or worse! And you're worried about your stuff?"

Midnight stopped and straightened, staring at Zory seriously. "Zory, stop worrying so much," she said flippantly, ignoring her flabbergasted look. "This are the only things that really belong to me. And besides, the only reason I came here was to save my home, not the Pokémorphs. And now it's burning to the ground." At this point, Midnight's voice choked up slightly. "So now, I'm running away. Far, far from here."

Zory mulled over this for a bit. While she knew that Midnight wasn't overly fond of some of the Pokémorphs, she was somewhat surprised that she didn't want to go looking for her friends and family, since Midnight was loyal to people she was close to.

Maybe she thinks that there's no chance I saving them, her mind tried to justify. After all, that blue-haired freak's friend said that most of them were in the trucks, and they're most likely heavily guarded. He family must be one of them.

"Fine," she conceded, much to the Minccino's pleasant surprise. "Get your stuff together, then we'll go."

"O-oh... Uh, alright, Zory," she said numbly, clearly not expecting Zory to be this agreeable. She stuffed one more article of clothing into her body and slung it across her body, tying knots into the strap to make it fit her body length. "Alright, let's go."

"Finally." Zory picked Midnight up and stuffed her into her mane. "Now, let's ditch this place." Zory walked over to the window and placed her foot on the sill, boosting herself up. The fire was drawing closer and closer, and she could feel the warmth of it. Great... I better make this quick...

But as she prepared to jump into a nearby tree, a sudden thump from the far end of the hallway startled Zory so much that she tumbled off and landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

"OOW!" Midnight shrieked. "Oh, come on!"

"Shh!" Zory hissed, silencing the fuming Minccino. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? " Midnight asked crankily.

"That. It sounded like someone fell down the stairs." Her ears perked up at the sound of running footsteps. "And whoever they are, they're heading this way! C'mon, let's check it out! It could be a Pokémorph!"

"Wait, no! It could be an enemy!" Midnight argued, but she could do little to stop Zory as she started towards the door. Zory stepped outside, turning to see what the disturbance was, just in time for a heavy weight to collide into her.

"Gyah!" Zory yelped as the three of them crashed and rolled across the floor in a tangled heap. The floor below them creaked ominously.

"Get off me!" the body below her demanded, and she was shoved off with a surprising amount of strength.

"Ow! What was that for?" Zory said reproachfully, glaring at the escapee, who turned out to be a Lopunny. She could feel Midnight stiffening, for whatever reason.

But before the Lopunny could reply, a shout rang out from the other side of the hallway. "There it is! Liepard, get it!"

"Tch, they caught up already," she mumbled, and, after shooting Zory a resentful look, got up to run..

...only to collapse back into the ground, clutching her right knee and gasping in pain. Evidently the fall had given her more than just bruises.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Zory asked worriedly, and at the same time, the male voice bellowed, "Liepard, use Shadow Ball!"

The Lopunny reacted a second too late, and she would been critically injured by the attack had Zory not pushed her out of the way. As they tumbled to the ground for the second time, Midnight popped out of her mane and unleashed a Hyper Voice at the Liepard, who was already charging up another Shadow Ball. The energy ball blew up in the Liepard's face, sending it skidding backwards.

"Ow... Why, how dare you-" the Lopunny started to growl out, but she stopped short at the sight of Midnight standing beside the Zoroark. "Oh, it's you."

Midnight stared coolly at the Lopunny. "Hello, Allison," she said stiffly.

Zory glanced at the both of them in confusion. Why were they staring at each other with such intense hatred? "Um... I'm sensing a little bit of tension from the both of you," she started hesitantly.

Allison smiled tightly, though her icy blue eyes were burning holes into their heads. "Well, 'tension' is a bit of an understatement, sweetie," she said sweetly, struggling to stand up. "Now, if you would excuse me..." With the aid of the wall, Allison got up and started limping away into Midnight's room.

"Hey, don't go into my room!" Midnight yelled warningly, running after her.

"Oh boy..." Zory muttered, following suit.

But when they were about to enter, the male voice shouted again, "Quick, they're getting away, Liepard!"

Zory turned an saw a male human with fiery red hair and, like the blue-haired freak, a similarly outlandish uniform kneeling beside his now recovered Liepard with a pink spray bottle in his hand. Crap...

"Liepard, Night Slash!" the Team Flare Grunt ordered, and the purple feline darted towards the trio with wickedly curved claws radiating dark energy raised.

Before Midnight could blast the Liepard away with Hyper Voice again, Allison intercepted the Liepard's path, throwing a powerful punch to its face and sending it flying backwards. Snarling, it got up and made another attempt at attacking...its Trainer.

The Team Flare Grunt let out a girly shriek, throwing his arms up and stumbling backwards. "Liepard, what are you doing? I order you to stop!" he said panickedly, but the Liepard kept going for him and trying to tear his arm off.

Allison smirked. "You've gotta love Dizzy Punch," she said proudly, flexing her fingers. "Now stop lounging around and let's go."

She entered the room, brushing past Midnight as roughly as she could with an injured leg. Scowling heavily, the duo followed her to the still open window.

"Now, how do you propose we escape?" Allison questioned, peering over the edge of the window, her face illuminated by the ever growing fire. "Because I don't think we can climb down without barbecuing ourselves."

"You will be holding onto me while I jump I that tree. Midnight," Zory knelt down to the Minccino's level. "I need you to jump down to that tree to check if the coast is clear. There's no need to worry, I don't think they'll care much about a wild Mincci...no..." Her voice trailed off when the black, sinister collar around Midnight's neck came to her attention. "Uh, mind telling me what's that?"

Midnight opened her mouth to answer, then she saw Allison smirking behind Zory. "... I'll tell you later," she finished in a whisper, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of hearing the humiliating story behind the collar. Without waiting for Zory to reply, she hopped onto various objects towards the window, and once she was up there, she made a great leap towards the nearest tree branch. She landed lightly on her feet, and scanned the surrounding area. To her left, she could see various trucks with a familiar flame symbol on the sides, and there were guards posted around them. Could that be where the other Pokémorphs are being kept?

Who cares? she thought sullenly. It's not like they cared much about me...

A hushed whisper broke her out of her thoughts, and Midnight parted a clump of leaves to see Zory looking at her with worry. She glanced back at the trucks, mentally measuring the distance between them. They were parked too closely to the forest entrance for her tastes, but if they could sneak past them quietly, then they might be able to sneak away...

Midnight gave a thumbs up, and gestured for the both of them to come down.

"Alright, coast is clear." Zory turned to Allison. "Alright, you. You are going to climb onto my back and stay quiet." As she said this, Zory helped the Lopunny to get onto her back and made sure that she was holding on tight before balancing herself on the window sill. "Alright, I'll jump on the count of three. One... Two... Three!"

The moment Zory uttered "Three!", she pushed herself off of the sill, and the pair of them went sailing through the air with Allison clamping a furry hand over her mouth. Zory narrowed her eyes, and she positioned her feet when she neared the branch. A second before they were about to land, she threw out her arms and grabbed the tree trunk, abruptly stopping their fall. Allison's knee dug into her rib cage, and she stifled a groan.

Zory had no idea whether Allison did that on purpose or not.

"C'mon, let's go before they see us," Midnight whispered, having clearly not noticed anything. "If we go around them, we might be able to get past them."

The task at hand was easier said than done. While it was simple enough for Midnight to hop from tree to tree, Zory found herself having an extremely difficult time due to the extra weight on her back. Several times, Zory nearly broke the branches while landing on them, and she could've sworn that the rustling leaves drew the guards' attention. She could only be thankful that she thought of sticking to the shadows, or else the Lopunny would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Finally, after a few more torturous minutes, they were right before the entrance of the forest, still hidden in the shadows. Midnight silently gestured for Zory to get out quietly, and she slowly tiptoed past behind the trucks. They were nearing the entrance, the gateway to their escape. Just a few more steps, then...

Crack.

The sound shot through the air, an the blood in Midnight's veins turned icy cold. Under Zory's feet was a branch that was cleanly broken in half.

Immediately, Allison bellowed, "RUN!", and they ore out of the forest just as an order for five of the Grunts to capture them rang out. Midnight, Zory and Allison burst into a clearing, startling a Hiker so badly that he fell back onto his rear, and their feet (that is, Midnight's and Zory's feet) pounded against the ground as they ran frantically towards Nimbasa City.

"Quick, follow me! I know a place where we can hide!" Midnight yelled over her shoulder, zig-zagging around people's feet while Zory barreled through the crowd with the Flare Grunts at their heels. The sea of people parted in alarm, clearing a path for the running Pokémon and humans.

"W-wait up..." Zory panted. Her back was aching terribly from her burden, and her legs felt like they were going to collapse under her. She knew she wasn't going to last long.

Midnight looked over her shoulder, and saw their pursuers were slowly catching up to Zory and Allison. Cursing the Lopunny, Midnight spun on her heel and unleashed an ear-shattering screech at their chasers, knocking them clean off their feet.

Now that they were distracted, Midnight gestured frantically for Zory to follow her through the gateway. Both of them dove in and out of the small passageway, bursting into Route 5 and startling the Trainers there in the process. Midnight panicked lay whipped around, and she found the tiniest of openings in the trees that she surely would have issued had she not been there many times.

"Zory, cast an illusion over us and follow me!" Midnight ordered. Zory sorely wanted to question her actions, given the fact that Team Flare had anti-illusionary devices, but now wasn't the time. Doing as she said, Zory followed her into the grass patches and, much to her surprise, through a hidden opening. They travelled to the end of the grotto, and Zory carefully set Allison down on the mossy ground.

Soon, a flurry of footsteps could be heard outside of their hiding place. As they got closer, Zory could sense her two companions tensing, and she couldn't blame them. They were cornered, and if they were sharp enough to spit the opening, then it'll be five of them versus a ragged Zoroark, an injured Lopunny and a weak Minccino. There was no question as to what the outcome will be.

Zory sucked I get breath as the footsteps came closer and closer...

...and released it when the footsteps passed by without pause. But they didn't dare move from their spot, and it was only after a solid half hour that Midnight gathered enough courage to creep to the opening and poke her head out. After a few agonising seconds, Midnight withdrew Ee head and gave a thumbs up. Zory's heartbeat started to slow down, and she could hear Allison sigh with relief.

"Thank Arceus, that was close..." Allison groaned, rubbing her kneecap gingerly.

"Tell me about it..." Midnight muttered, flopping down onto the soft ground with a sigh.

Allison's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't talking I you," she said coolly.

Midnight stiffened, and she glared at the sneering Lopunny. "I wasn't talking to you, either," she snapped back.

"Guys. This. Is. Not. The. Time," Zory growled out, drawing the squabbling Pokémons' attention to her. "We need to figure out our next course of action, and all you two can do is argue!"

"Well, she started it," Midnight huffed.

"Enough, Midnight," Zory said sharply as she knelt down beside Allison to examine her injury. "Do you need me to get an Oran Berry?"

Allison shook her head. "There's no need to. It'll heal on its own when I morph out."

"Well then, that's one thing out of the way," Zory sighed, and she turned to Midnight. "Now, mind telling me what is that...thing around your neck?"

"Oh." Midnight was now aware of the way the needles kept digging into her flesh. "Well, um... What did that lady say... Oh yeah, it's some kind of inhibitor that stops me from morphing."

Zory's forehead creased. "Oh? Well, is there any kind of latch that I can open?" she asked as she examined the collar closely. Her claws skimmed lightly over the metal surface in search of an opening, but it was as smooth as glass.

"I don't know, but there's no time to waste, so just crack it open," Midnight said impatiently, tilting her head to the side to expose the collar. "And please, make it quick."

"On it." Zory held the collar steady with one hand while she aimed her claws at it. "This might hurt a little, so just bear with me, alright?"

Midnight moaned a bit, and she squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. "Just do it..."

Behind them, Allison was smirking as she made herself comfortable. "Oh, this should be good," she sniggered.

Midnight's eyes widened, and Zory tightened her grip on the collar ever so slightly. "Just ignore her, Mid," she muttered to the Minccino, who looked like she wanted to sock Allison in the mouth.

With much difficulty, Midnight pushed aside we indignation and placed her attention on the important matters. "Just... Just get it over with, please."

"Alright, brace yourself." Dark energy began buzzing in her claws. "On the count of three, okay? One... Two... Three!"

Clang!

The sound reverberated throughout the still, dead air. Midnight managed to swallow down a gasp of pain. It hurt like hell! It still hurt, even though it was the collar that took the brunt of the attack! Even worse was what Zory said often afterwards. "Wow, this thing's tough... Not even a scratch! Sorry, but this might take a while."

Out of the corner of he eye, Midnight could see Allison sporting a smug look, and she gritted her teeth. She was determined not to let out any more sounds. "Just get on with it, Zory."

The next hit produced no results too. It was only after the third hit that Zory managed to scratch it. The fifth one produced a crack in the metal. Finally, the ninth hit managed to break it entirely. "Thank Arceus, that took forever..."

The next thing Midnight knew was a jolt of pain slicing through her neck, and she couldn't help but shriek in pain. "Owowow! Zory, what're you doing?!"

"I'm sorry!" she squealed, jerking her hands away. "I'm just trying to take this thing off!"

"Oh yeah, those things are loaded with needles," Allison drawled in the background.

Zory's eye twitched. "It would've been nice to know that earlier," she growled through gritted teeth. "Don't worry, I'll try to be careful."

"Try?"

"Don't worry," Zory repeated with maddening calm, and then she proceeded to remove the collar with extra care. The silence was occasionally punctuated by hisses of pain and snorts of amusement, and there was much fidgeting, but eventually, the collar was taken off and tossed aside carelessly, the needles stained red. There was a ring of red spots around Midnight's neck, but it seemed mild enough to be cured by morphing out.

"There, it's off," she said with a huff, helping Midnight back to her feet. "Okay, try morphing now."

"Okay." Squeezing her eyes tight shut, Midnight focused on a mental image of herself with long, silky hair, a tall, willowy frame and curvy hips...

.. Oh wait. She didn't have any of that. Oh well, she'll just imagine her plain, old self.

...

... Why wasn't anything happening?

Meanwhile, Allison was impatiently drumming her fingers on her good knee. "Uh, any time now, Willows!" she called out, annoyed.

"... Your last name is Willows?" Zory asked incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because it wasn't important before, and it never will be!" Midnight answered rather aggressively. "And I still can't morph. Whatever that collar had injected into me must still be running through me!"

"Really? Oh well, then I guess it can't be helped. We have to wait until it wears off," she sighed wearily. "So now what?"

"Hmph. Well, I am going back to to rescue my family," Allison said condescendingly. "And I want to get there as fast as possible, so I'll be using my Pokémon morphs to get there. In fact," Allison got to her feet unsteadily. "I'm leaving right now."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Zory said hurriedly as she jumped up and pushed Allison back down roughly. "Where do you think you're going?! How do you even know if they're going back to...to...Keelus?"

"Kalos, you idiot," Allison snorted. "And I heard a group of those scumbags talking about shipping the captured people back to Kalos before that Grunt spotted me. So stay out of my way before I shoot a Focus Blast straight to your chest."

Zory took a step back in alarm, and Midnight leapt to her friend's defense. "Hold it there, Allibrat!" she snarled, though her current form somewhat lowered her level of threat. But she didn't care. "Nobody talks to Zory like that and gets away with it! Besides, you wouldn't last a second against Team Flare."

"What are you going to do, slap me with your flimsy tail?" she snorted. "Anyway, if human children can beat them, I don't see why I can't."

"Five human children with many high-level Pokémon by their side," Midnight reminded. "Even though you can morph into different forms, they'll wear you out before you can even get close to the Scientists!"

Allison fixed a nasty scowl on her face. "Then what do you suggest I do?" she hissed lowly, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Zory stayed silent for a while before her eyes lit up. "Hey, why don't we go to this Kalos toge-"

"NO."

Zory flinched back from the forceful refusal, but a second later she frowned at both of them. "There is a dangerous organisation after you, and you two can't do anything but argue! I don't care what issues you have with each other, I want you two to cooperate with one another, at least until we reach Kalos."

After her lengthy speech, silence reigned between the trio, at least until Midnight sighed. "Fine, but I'm only doing it for you. And just so you know, Allibrat, I ain't gonna take any of your crap during the trip."

Allison sniffed. "I won't if you won't."

"Wha-? What is that supposed to mean?!" Midnight snarled, starting to move towards the sneering Lopunny.

But before Midnight could take more than five steps towards her, Zory slid between them swiftly. "Whoa there! What did I say about cooperation, Midnight?" Zory asked sternly. She scowled and grumbled under her breath, but she sat down, albeit reluctantly. "Now that that's out of the way, does anyone have any idea how to travel to Kalos?"

"By boat?" Midnight suggested, but Allison made a face.

"Ugh, no thank you. I do NOT want to be stuck with humans for hours," she huffed. Midnight rolled her eyes very obviously. "Besides, we don't know whether there'll be a boat leaving soon, and we want to leave as soon as possible."

"What about swimming?" Zory asked. "Do any of you have anything that can swim?"

Allison and Midnight shook their heads.

"Oooookay, guess swimming's out..." Zory the snapped her fingers (or claws). "Hey, what about flying? Allison, do you have a bird Pokémon morph?"

After a moment, Allison nodded. "Yup, I have a Pidgeot morph."

"Great, then we'll travel to the seaside before taking off. Midnight, if the... Well, whatever they had injected into you hasn't worn off, then you can fly alongside Allison. If not, then you'll just have to ride with me." Ignoring their grimaces, Zory stood up, helping Allison slowly get to her feet. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Onwards to Kalos!"

MM's Notes: Oh. My. God. This took forever. It has, like, over 17,000 words, and it took me over three months to type one chapter. I am so, so sorry...

I will be posing this on too. Why? Well, I'm just weird like that. Oh, and it'd be nice if you can leave a review here. Please?

If you have any questions, just post a comment. Midnight Morpher, out!

PS: Tell me if you see any errors, and I'll correct them as quickly as possible. Oh, and just a fact, I kept gagging when I typed out "assets".