Hi again! Arg, it's currently past midnight when I'm doing the last minute editing, so you guys understand if there's a few spelling mistakes, right? Speecking of which, go visit my profile before flaming me about the spelling mistakes, you'll understand afterwards! :D I can let you know that english isn't my first language, find out where I'm from and lots more on my profile! God I sound like some sells-person.. -.-'

Anyway, I really hope you like the story. I know my way of telling it is long and sometimes pointless but try to bare with me, okay? :)

Enjoy, R&R please!

The gruesome sound of the alarm clock pierced the silence inside the tent. Two brown haired men slowly started to move in their sleeping bags and the younger one made sounds of protest as the older one slammed the alarm off.

"Oh please don't be six o'clock already?" the younger one sighed as he opened his tired eyes. His red irises stared at the blinking green digital numbers and he let out a heavy sigh.

"At least you got a few hours of sleep Damien.. I got back at around five and barely got any shut eye.." the older man complained as he sat up in the fairly large tent.

Damien continued to linger in his sleeping bag and he glanced at the other man.

"Well if you'd taken Alakazam or Rapidash like I suggested you'd been here a lot earlier dad.. It's your own fault if you didn't get any sleep" he said and finally got up.

Michael sighed in frustration and rubbed his blue eyes. He knew perfectly well that it was his own fault for not getting any sleep but why did the boy have to remind about it? Last night's trip back to the ruins had been everything but pleasant and he'd cursed to himself every ten minutes about leaving his Alakazam with Damien.

Damien stood up and walked in the other side of the tent and grabbed a small red and white ball from his things. He pressed it once to make it larger and then tossed it lazily in the air. There was a loud pop followed by a red light. A small orange crab looked up at it's trainer and waited for instructions.

"Wha'd ya say for a little wake up call Krabby?" he smirked at the little crab that already knew why it was sent out. It to smirked in it's own way as it shot a stream of water from it's mouth to it's trainer's face and then – to his surprise – Michael's.

Damien couldn't suppress the faint chuckles as he watched his father jump high in the air from the surprise. Well, at least they were fully awake.

"So what did Dawn think about the book?" Damien questioned his father after a long days work. He was curious about his little sister and after the morning he and his father hadn't had time to discuss family affairs.

Michael tore his gaze from his notes to face his son. The boy had a smile on his face but as his father he could tell it wasn't genuine.

"She loved it" he said with a ghost of a smile on his face as he remembered his daughter's expression when he handed the book to her.

Damien's face gained a little more life as he imagined his sister reading the book and marveling all the tales and myths it hold. He let out a sigh of relief; maybe they weren't done for after all.

"That's good. Did you tell her about it?" he looked at his father with a serious face.

Michael stared at his son. That face of his held eyes that had seen way too much for a nineteen year old. He just nodded and returned to his notes.

"She wants me to be there when she sets off next week" he said in a casual tone while studying the bits of paper on his desk. When he didn't hear a reply from Damien he figured he should just continue.

"..I told her at you'd come too" he almost whispered it as he sensed his son tense up.

"You know that's not possible dad.. Next week is too late to see anyone ever again if we're right" he replied grimly as he picked up a sheet of paper that he'd dropped just then.

Michael fell silent for a while before he turned to face his son once more. Damien seemed to be paralyzed as he stared blankly at a sheet of paper he'd dropped earlier. The boy's features were grim as he seemed to be having a silent conversation with himself. Michael frowned; this was becoming more of a habit ever since they'd started working at the ruins.

"You know you don't have to be a part of this Damien" he stated as he watched his son return back down to Earth. His face was emotionless as he stared back at his father.

"Don't be stupid dad" was his only answer to the matter in hand. What was his father even thinking? Of course he would be a part of this, he was a part of this after all. There wasn't a choice to back down now and leave all the work to dad. No, he couldn't bare live with himself it he did.

"Hey, it was just an idea. If you don't like it then just forget about it." Michael said quietly as he started to rub his forehead.

"But promise me this; you will go see your sister during this week. It doesn't matter if you skip work, I'll just say your needed home. Dawn hasn't seen you for what seems like forever and I bet you miss her as much as she misses you" he pleaded to his son who still seemed paralyzed in his chair.

Damien slowly switched his gaze to his father but it took a while before he answered anything. He seemed to be debating about the choices he was given. Finally there was some life on his face.

"Fine, I'll visit Twinleaf in a few days. I'll stay the day and return after Dawn goes to sleep, happy now?" he sighed as he's eyes travelled to his belt were he held six small red and white balls.

"Besides, my Pokemon don't seem to like this lifestyle as much as I'd hope they had. Maybe I'll give one or two to Dawn as a going away present. Most of them are bored out of their minds just doing nothing anyways.." he thought out loud and Michael couldn't hide the genuine smile on his face. How had he known that Damien would give Dawn one of his precious Pokemon?

Maybe there was still hope after all.

Damien surprised both Dawn and Johanna a few days after Michael had visited by suddenly appearing at their door. He was wearing a vine red colored shirt and loose black pants and his hair was weathered from the wind. He'd flown to Twinleaf with his Fearow that he'd caught years ago in Kanto and stated that he'd be staying for the day. Dawn was more than happy to see her beloved brother and the two of them spent the day together.

To entertain his sister, Damien had brought all of his courant Pokemon with him. Asides his Fearow he also had Jolteon, Rapidash, Crobat, Linoone and Houndoom. They were all used to Dawn and greeted her happily as she raced to hug and kiss them.

Damien smiled as he watched her play tag with a few of them, while Linoone was by his side. The nineteen year old put his hand on the badger-like Pokemon's head and began to stroke it. The Pokemon was content by the shone affection and closed his eyes.

"You like it here buddy, being home an' all?" he questioned it and got a quick nod in response.

They were silent for a while, both enjoying the feeling of being back home. Damien watched how Dawn raced to catch his Houndoom and stumbled in her own feet causing her to fall on the ground. The tall dog-like Pokemon stopped immediately and trotted to her side to check if she was injured. As soon as it was in her reach, Dawn sprung up, tagged the Pokemon and ran laughing in the other direction. The Pokemon was stunned for a while before it began running after her.

Damien sighed, how could anyone be clumsier than his sister?

"Think you could keep Dawn safe an' away from trouble if you'd stay here?" he tried to keep his voice as normal as possible but knew right away that it hadn't worked.

Linoone opened his eyes and stared at his beloved owner, blue eyes meeting red. It was as if it could pick up the slightest changes in his mood and he was demanding to know why the sudden change.

Damien silently cursed to himself for his terrible acting skills but quickly recovered. He put on the most lovable smile he had to offer and looked at Dawn again. The smile was genuine for he really loved and cared for his sister.

"Dawn's supposed to start her Pokemon journey by the end of this week and I don't have that much confidence in her for her to be able to take care of herself. She'll need a strong and experienced companion by her side to keep her safe. And I know for a fact that my courant lifestyle isn't the best for you guys 'cause you get bored so easily and I literally don't have any free time these days" he explained to his faithful companion who listened quietly by his side.

"I've thought about it a lot and I've decided to leave some of you guys here in Twinleaf with Professor Rowan or with mom. I'll keep either Fearow or Rapidash to travel from place to place. I know that you in particular can't wait to get going on another adventure" he went on and forced a smile on his face – it hadn't been easy to make that decision.

Linoone sat by his side quietly and took his time taking in what his owner had told him. He could sense the sadness from him but there was also something else.. Grief maybe? Whatever it was, this must have been a hard choice for him and he didn't want to cause more worries for his owner.

Linoone nodded in response and Damien visibly relaxed.

"Thanks buddy, I knew I could trust you" he sighed happily and stroked the Pokemon once more. Now that he knew Dawn would be looked after he felt it was easier to breath.

"There's still one more thing to do before I can relax" he thought absently as both he and Linoone watched the frail blue haired girl who kept falling out his prized Rapidash.

Dawn was probably the luckiest girl in the world right about now. She had literally drowned in happiness when Damien suddenly appeared by their door and told them he came to visit.

"Where's my favorite little sister when you need her?" he'd shouted as soon as their mother had opened the door. "Did she trip over a Burmy and brake her arm or something?" he'd joked as his mother had almost suffocated him as she'd hugged her only son.

Dawn had come running downstairs with a hug grin on her face.

"Har har, Damien, very funny" she'd answered sarcastically and hugged her brother tightly.

The day had gone by too quickly talking to Damien and playing with his Pokemon. She had been really surprised by the fact he'd taken his courant team with him, although she knew Damien would sooner or later send them home anyway.

She had had so much fun imagining her life as a real trainer and she couldn't wait for Friday. Damien had been generous enough to let her take a ride on his Rapidash (after he'd convinced her on riding with a saddle) and she was currently trotting along the roads of Twinleaf Town. Damien had stayed home to talk to their mother.

They came to an open field just on the edge of town and Dawn couldn't help but give Rapidash some more rein so it could gallop and stretch it's legs. The Rapidash understood what she wanted and it started to gallop casually along the side of the field. Damien had told them not to go fast so they settled to a fairly slow pace.

Dawn loved the feeling of the wind in her hair as they staidly began to reach the end of the field. All of Damien's current Pokemon were very agile but Rapidash toped them all; even now they were going faster than for example Jolteon could run.

She smiled when she remembered what her brother had told her about his team.

"Oh sure you could have defensive tanks or strong attackers but when you've got speed on your side your practically immortal. I mean how are they gonna attack or prepare themselves if they can't even see you move?" he'd always told her when she had doubted his 'all-mighty-team'.

When she was younger she'd always thought strong attackers were the best Pokemon to have on your team with a few tanks to balance the team. Damien however had never believed in such a thing and preferred to use speed as his number one strategy. Of course he too used strong attackers and defensive tanks from time to time but most of his Pokemon relied on speed.

Dawn had developed respect to all and she didn't mind what Pokemon in particular made her team. What mattered was that they were her's and they would battle in their own style.

Rapidash gradually slowed down as the field ended and turned back home. Dawn patted the fire-horse's muscular neck and gave it some more rein so it could walk more freely.

"Thanks for the ride boy, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did" she chatted to the horse as she saw her house getting closer by each step. The horse neighed happily in response and Dawn couldn't suppress a smile.

Damien stayed until midnight when Dawn finally fell asleep. They'd been talking about his earlier adventures in Sinnoh and when he realized Dawn hadn't asked him anything for a while he noticed she'd fallen asleep on the sofa. He'd carried her to her room and tucked her in like the horrible absent brother he was and stayed by her side for a while more until she was fully asleep.

But there was another reason he had offered to take her to her room in the first place. He still had something worth doing before he returned to the ruins; this was the last time he'd ever step into this room after all.

The book wasn't hard to find, it was lying on her table with pieces of paper sticking out to mark her favorite tales. It didn't surprise him to see a mark on "The Pendant of Ampyr and the Beast of the North". The tale had been one of his own personal favorites when their father had shown the book to him. The irony in it!

He quickly checked no one was looking, neither inside nor outside the house, and stuck his hand inside one of his pockets. He pulled out a small white letter and slid it in a chosen spot in the book. Now there was only the matter of hiding it so she couldn't find it before Friday.

He let his gaze wander around the room and finally set his red eyes on Dawn's old desk she'd used to do her schoolwork on. He quietly made his way to the desk and opened one of the many small cupboards it held. He emptied it in a matter of seconds, placed the large book on the bottom and then re-filled it, trying to place everything like it had been. When he was content with his work he closed the cupboard and let out a relieved sigh.

His work was done. If everything went as he and his father hoped, that letter would never been read by Dawn. However, if things ended up as they suspected, Dawn would sooner or later find the letter and have to end their doings.

"I sincerely hope it'll be later, for Dawn's sake.." he whispered to himself as he took one more look at his baby sister and left.

When he got back downstairs his mother was still sitting of the sofa with her Glameow resting on her lap. Johanna smiled at her son.

"Thank you for coming today Damien, it really made Dawn's day you know. She's been talking nonstop about Friday and couldn't wait to see you" she thanked her son as he made his way to the door.

"Yeah, no problem mom. It's been a while since I've visited, right?" he replied a bit guiltily as he put his coat on. He walked up to his mother who had set her cat-Pokemon on the sofa and stood up so she could hug her son.

"Are you going to make a habit of suddenly appearing in front of our door?" she teased him but Damien knew she was serious.

He had to bite his lip to keep a casual face.

"Don't know, I though of bringing some of my Pokemon back here to the Prof. They've been really bored up in the ruins 'cause I haven't got any time to spend with them. I also thought about given Dawn one of them for her trip 'cause lord knows what she's gonna get herself into" he replied and smirked as he thought about his sister.

In truth, he'd just lied to his mother. He wasn't coming back, not to even drop off his Pokemon. He'd done that while Dawn and Johanna had prepared dinner and he'd taken a quick walk through town. The only Pokemon he had with him was Rapidash so that he could get from place to place. He planned on releasing it in a few days or just giving it to one of his friends, it seemed like such a waist just dumping it after all the years he'd trained it..

Johanna seemed a little unsure about her son's words, she knew perfectly well when he was lying (which wasn't often) and it was usually about something dangerous or sad. She had a nasty gut feeling that he was planning something dangerous again.

"Damien" she said in a low and lovingly tone. Her son's eyes wandered around the room and refused to meet her own.

"If you were to plan on doing something dangerous, you'd let me know, right? If something was bothering you, you'd tell me?" she started and gave her son a caring look.

He still didn't face her. Instead he glanced at his watch and made his way to the door.

"It's getting late, I don't want Radidash to spend all night carrying me back.." he said quite absentminded as he turned the doorknob and stepped outside.

"You know, just the other night after Michael left, there was an Absol on our guard" Johanna whispered frightened. Damien froze in his tracks.

"An Absol? What was it doing here?" he bluntly asked, he already knew the answer.

"They say Absol only appear before people to warm them of a disaster.." she whispered and looked grimly at her son. She knew he knew the tales of Absol.

"..Oh" was all he answered as he let out his Radidash and mounted it. With a last glance at his mother and childhood home, he pressed his calves on Rapidash and signaled it to gallop.

The fire-horse took off instantly gradually getting faster until it reached full speed. The flames of this mane and tails would serve as light on their way to the ruins.

Johanna watched sadly as her son took off into the night on his beloved Rapidash and quickly lost sight of them. It had become cold again and she felt a shiver go down her spine. Suddenly, Glameow was by her side and hissed loudly into the darkness. Johanna slowly looked up fearing what she might see. Her nightmare was just about to get worse.

"..Absol" she whispered in terror as she once again met those glowing red eyes.