Hello everyone! Here's the next installment in my series, Temna, so please, enjoy! I figure there are a few of you who read ToxicMachamp's story as well as mine, so I apologize for the slight bashing of his character, especially to you Toxic. But, this chapter may remedy that.

Anyways, this chapter should make up for it. That's what I have planned at least. I'm typing this up before I even begin typing on the actual story, so I have no clue how this works out in the end. MxF won the poll, soooo….. the first lemon will either be this chapter or the next, depending on how it all works out. Nothing is definite, I learned that quickly.

Aurumn48, as always, has been a big help, so thank you for that bro.

Alright, there is one last thing. Another friend of mine, The Misrepresented, has just breached the 100,000 word mark on his story. (Props for that bro.) Be sure to check it out, because it contains what seems to be everyones favorite thing in the world: Politics, sex, more politics, Military scenes, even more Politics, and let's not forget the ever important POLITICS. All in all, it's a really good read. (Though we don't agree on everything.) His story goes by the name The Reaper, and it details the life and adventure of Michael Higgs, a man who joined the Reapers (Basically our SEALS) to help fight against crimes like sex trafficking, the drug industry, and many of the unmentionable things that go bump in the night. Anyways, it's an amazing story, so please be sure to check it out.

Actually, this is the last thing. A teacher whom I was very good friends with died yesterday. (5/14) He… was a very religious person (Very accepting of others beliefs as well), and he loved to tell stories. Like, a lot. We never learned anything in his class, but everyone loved him. I remember one time, we got into a friendly debate over whether donald trump would make a good president or not. Before he actually ran! I decided that in honor of his memory, I'm going to include him in the story, either as a preacher or missionary of sorts, or as a storyteller for the young in the Dark Army base. He would have liked that.

Shadow Eclipse Alicorn- Bro, if you want that, then you're in luck. As I said earlier, expect it either in this chapter, or the next. Probably this one.

Anyways, on with the damn story, I'm sure you didn't come to see me rambling.

-!-

(Temna POV)

Two years into my life as a mercenary, one of my targets asked me a question: Did it bother me when I killed, regardless of whether they were innocent or not? His question stuck with me, and still has to this day. Of all the last words the man could have chosen, he didn't request anything of me. No, he wanted to know if it bothered me to kill.

In truth? It did, or rather does. I killed well over 100 people and pokemon within a period of five years, on an average of two contracts a month, all before I fought for the Memories. Then, that number easily doubled. I remember every single one of them. Their faces before they knew I was coming, the fear in their eyes when they realized the danger they were in, and the pleading of their mouths as I brought a shard of ice down mercilessly.

That man is the only reason I spare anyone at all, for he is the one who made me question myself: "Is this right?" If I was honest, I don't know, nor will I ever. But, since Papa died, it's been the only thing I know. So I will continue, in spite of the pain and heartache it causes me.

Valencia offers consolation from time to time though. On long nights, when I have nightmares about my victims, she will visit me in my sleep. With her, the nightmares fade for a little while, and nothing exists except for me, floating in an endlessly empty void. I never see her, but I know she's there, because each time I feel her warm embrace. She loves me, that much is obvious. But do I feel the same? I don't know that either, because I don't know what love is. There is much I don't know, but when sleep does come, that means there is plenty of time to contemplate.

That's where I lay now. While my physical form lay down in bed, more than likely receiving a restless sleep, I dream of the endless void. Endless… Endless… Ending.

-!-

Note: Trying a different kind of writing. Gonna shift to 3rd person, see if it works better for me.

Temna grunted lightly as something impacted his side. He rolled over and looked up to see Duke standing over him, a rather annoyed expression on his face.

"...Can I help you?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

Duke scoffed. "You can, actually. By getting off your ass!" Temna deadpanned. Duke didn't really scare him, but he found it bothersome. "Ugh. What is so important that you have to interrupt my sleep, little it is?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe meeting your partner? How can you even sleep with the sounds coming from down the hall?"

Honestly a good question. Once Temna was deemed slightly trustworthy, he was given a room of his own, unfortunately on the opposite side of the hall of a very... active... couple. Their room was the source of the noise, and he was kept up the first part of the night by the multitude of noises coming from it. Granted, that wouldn't have changed what happened when he eventually did fall asleep.

Temna shook his head. "Luck, and a little prayer. Now give me a moment. I need a moment to stretch, and then we can go meet my partner. As you can see, I'm so excited."

Duke nodded his head, then stepped out into the hall, giving him time to get ready. Temna stretched slightly, then sat back. He turned his head and slowly picked through his flat fur, removing bits of straw from the bedding he lay on earlier. Finally, he stood up and walked out of the room, popping various joints as he took steps. A quick glance to the side revealed Duke keeping pace with him, then passing him to walk in front.

"May I ask where we're going?" called Temna. Duke looked back at him slightly before continuing. "Not far. Just to another living wing. Your partner, as of late, is apparently just as lazy as you."

"Lazy? I'm not lazy."

"It's two in the afternoon."

Temna stopped himself. Since when did he sleep that late? Probably Valencia again. She did want me to rest some, and not "overexert" myself. A moment later, he could feel her presence in his mind. Don't blame me for your own laziness. I said "overexert yourself". I'm not going to control when you wake up. He shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought, then ran to catch up to Duke. Together, they rounded the corner, revealing a hallway much like the one Temna's home was on. Unlike his however, this one looked older, and each of the rooms obviously belonged to someone, judging by the amount of accessories surrounding each entrance. Two of the rooms had doors on them, and Duke walked up to the second, banging on the dark wood. On the fifth bang, the door creaked open slightly, revealing a familiar female Weavile, who looked rather tired.

"What do you want Duke?" she asked, rubbing the back of one of her claws over her eyes. "Can't you see it's my day off?"

"Not anymore. Meet your new partner. Get familiar with him, you two have a mission in a week." At that, he stepped out of her line of sight, revealing Temna, who sat there with a stunned expression on his face.

She looked him over briefly, before noticing his expression. "What? Have I got something on my face?" Temna didn't reply to that, but instead gave a hopeful, "A-Audrina?"

Audrina looked confused briefly, before a stunned expression crossed her own face. "No way… Glaceon? Is that you?"

He smiled happily. "It's Temna now, but yes. The one and the same."

As one, the two ran at each other before embracing, Temna getting knocked onto his back by the speed of the slightly larger Pokemon. Audrina pulled back after a moment, holding him at arms length.

Giving no warning, she kissed his short muzzle as hard as she could before embracing him again.

Temna blushed at her abrupt contact, but rubbed her back lightly with a paw. He could understand why she reacted the way she did. She had missed him, obviously a lot. He smelled her fur, catching a chilly mint scent. Yeah… He had missed her just as much.

"Ahem."

Audrina and Temna both blushed before releasing each other and turning to face Duke, who looked at the duo with a raised eyebrow.

"It would seem you two already know each other quite well. Since we're all so wonderfully acquainted, we won't need to waste time on introductions, and you can explain how that is."

Audrina, who was now fully awake, leaned back against the stone wall, Temna soon following suit on the ground. She spoke up first, Temna electing to listen in alongside Duke. "That might be a little easier for Gla-, er, Temna, to explain, but I'll try my best. I came here from the village above the dark army base, near the top of the Doxah Mountains. Temna lived on top of the mountain with a man named Francis, who took care of him. I used to work as a food vendor, before my home was destroyed in a fire that ravaged a fair part of the town. My siblings and I left town, seeking shelter at their home, only to find an empty house with a pile of dead pokemon outside of it. Winter would be rolling through soon, and we had nowhere to go, so we stayed there for a while. After food stores ran out, my brother, sister, and I, we had a fight. We broke apart, and my brother and sister left, trying to find their own way. I was left alone, and... "

Audrina began to tear up slightly at that point, and Temna leaned against her side, in an effort to console her. This time, he spoke up.

"The pile of dead pokemon was a group hired to kill my Papa, and we managed to fight them off, though not without loss. He was killed, and much like Audrina, I was left alone. For reasons my own, I trained to fight, and became a well known mercenary in the upper area of the country. Soon after the plague struck the major cities, the Memories hired me to fight for them. The rest, as they say, is history."

Audrina, who had spent a little time stroking Temna's fur (not that he minded) to calm herself down, blushed slightly and spoke up again. "I actually had a bit of an interest in him later on, before he disappeared. We had been friends all his life, and most of mine. I was beginning to… have feelings for him."

Duke let out a little laugh then, and smiled. "Beginning to? From what a saw not a moment ago, those feelings are still there. And, judging by how he reacted, he feels just the same. The grim, sorrowful expression in his eyes just… disappeared, at least for a moment."

Temna and Audrina both blushed again, causing Duke to snicker. "Hehe. That's cute. You two do whatever you want with each other, as long as it doesnt interfere with your training. Remember, you both leave on mission in a week, so I expect you to be ready. Duel some, learn each other's fighting styles, whatever you need to do, save kill each other. I've got some business to take care of, but I will be checking in occasionally."

With that, he turned around and walked away. Audrina watched him and, once he rounded the corner, turned to Temna, bugging him once more. He nuzzled into her, and the two stood there for a moment, not a single thing bothering them.

"What happened to you Temna? After I showed Elisia the bodies, and we couldn't find you or Francis, we thought you might have been killed... or worse." asked Audrina, still refusing to release the Glaceon.

He tried to pull out of her grasp and, upon failing, sighed. "I can answer, but I just woke up, same as you. I'm hungry. If you'll let me go, we can head to the cafeteria and I'll explain everything there." He tried once more to pull out, and this time succeeded.

Audrina stood up and rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed. "Oops. Sorry about that. I've just... missed you. Can you blame me though? It has been at least five years, and I thought you were dead."

"It's fine. But that's all the more reason for us to catch up. At the cafeteria. Do you mind leading the way? I still haven't managed to make my way there in recent times.

Smiling, Audrina nodded her head and turned, walking toward the exit Duke had just used. Temna followed, and a few moments later, the duo rounded the corner.

-!-

"Well. That was a bit of a walk." remarked Temna, as they stopped in front of the entrance. Audrina nodded her head in agreement. "Don't I know it. This place is a lot bigger than most realize. I've been working on the Dark Army two years, and I still haven't met everyone and gone everywhere in the damn thing."

"Two years? Wow..." Temna replied, pushing open the door. He allowed Audrina to pass him into the cageteria, then looked up to check out his surroundings. He was in an average sized cafeteria, and from what he could tell, it was divided into two parts, half of it for the carnivores and omnivores, and the other for the herbivores. They walked to a small table in the first half, and she tapped him on the shoulder.

"You chill here. I'll go get us some food." Temna just let out a little snort in reply. It took her a moment, but she caught herself. "Hehe. No pun intended." With that, she turned around and walked away, heading towards the short line that made up the carnivores and omnivores.

Temna was left alone for the moment, but that lasted for all of two seconds before a certain familiar Sylveon sat down across from him, its head down. Toxy. Temna watched him warily for nearly a full minute before he let out a sigh.

"What do you want Toxy?"

"..." is all he could hear.

"I can't hear you. Speak up."

"I said I'm sorry." he said, this time looking up at Temna. "I shouldn't have done what I did. I just can't help myself sometimes. You looked so cute, and I-"

"Not... really helping your case." came Temna, cutting him off. The Sylveon's head dropped down again, and Temna regretted interrupting. He looked down as well, thinking.

Is he being truthful? Should I even consider trusting him? He does look like he feels bad about it... Fuck it.

"I'm probably going to regret this, but it's fine Toxy. I forgive you." Immediately, his head popped back up, amixed look of confusion and amazement on his face.

"Really? Thank you! I thought you might still be mad at me."

"Well, to be honest, I'm still a little agitated about it, but it's fine. I'll deal. Say, when did you wake up? And how long did that ice last?

"I don't think it was long after you, Lura, and Candy left. Some purple Gardevoir woke me up and asked me what I was doing hanging from the ceiling. We couldn't get rid of the ice, so I must have been there for... five hours? Eh."

"Only five? Jeez, I need to work on that... Where is Candy anyway?"

"Speak of Giratina, and he shall appear." came Candy's voice from behind them. Temna turned around to see Candy standing there with a paw on her hip, and a vegetarian tray in the other. "You called? Wanted to take me up on that offer for fun?"

Toxy snorted and fell out of his seat laughing, and Temna just sat there with his mouth wide open. Then he felt another tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Audrina standing there, a huge tray filled with their favorite berries, as well as a whole roasted linoone. Looking up at her face, he could see an amused expression written across it. Shit. I think she heard that.

"Fun huh? And when were you going to tell me you had a... playmate?" Yep. Temna blushed furiously and tried to stutter out an answer, but Audrina had set the tray down and held up a claw.

"Don't worry about it. None of my business anyways. However, I wouldn't mind going at it sometime. Kinda obvious I still like you."

Slowly, Temna brought his head down to the table and began banging it lightly against the wood surface. That marked the third time someone had offered him sex in the past two days, fourth if he included Toxy. Admittedly, he had known Audrina before, and she had shown interest in him at the time. But why? He definitely wasn't the most attractive 'mon around. That, in his honest opinion, went to Audrina.

Said Pokémon, as well as Candy, let out a giggle. "Well, I'll leave you two alone for a little while. Bucke asked me to lunch outside, so I've got a date to keep. See you later Temna." She turned around and began walking toward the hopeful looking Luxray, who was waiting at the entrance. She threw a goodbye wave over her shoulder, and Toxy took that as his cue to get up as well. He shot a wink at Temna, then skipped off, a cheerful "goodbye floating off of him.

And so, Temna and Audrina were alone once more, a rather awkward silence filling the air between them. Audrina was the one to break it, clearing her throat.

"So... those your friends?"

"Eh, more or sylveon is a maybe, but Candy kind of... picked me, I guess. Why?"

"No reason..." she replied, using one of her claws to slice off a large chunk from the linoone. She handed it to Temna on a small plate with berries, then spoke up again. "Its just... You're really dense, you know?"

"What makes you say that? Other than the obvious." he asked, gesturing to the food.

"Very funny. But that's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"That lopunny." she said, as if she were stating the obvious. Which, more than likely, she was.

"Candy? What about her?" he asked, more than a little confused.

"She likes you. I can't exactly tell if it's a full on romantic like, but she sees something in you, and she wants it, if you catch my drift."

"She does? Geez, I thought she was just messing with me. Either way, she knows what'll happen if she doesn't ask first."

"Oh, she can ask all she wants. I however-" she paused and leaned down next to him. "Don't need to." With that, she licked the tip of his ear, pulling back to see a pink-faced Temna. But he wasn't embarrassed.

"W-whatever...", he stuttered out. Out loud, Audrina let out a giggle. "Your face says different."

"I'm going to ignore that... I said I'd answer whatever questions you had, so let's hear them."

"I only have one, because I don't really want to know what happened in the village."

Temna's eyebrow raised. "How do you know about that? I haven't said anything to you about it, and I'm pretty sure it was a "mission" that got me captured.

"Pfft. Yes, it's definitely a secret, of sorts. Doesn't mean I don't hear things. Now how is it you came to be a mercenary? More so, where did you get the skills? From what I remember, Francis sheltered you from all that."

"That he did. Papa was a good person, and he didn't want my personality to change from all the conflict that comes with the mercenary lifestyle. Unfortunately for him, that's what happened. To answer your question, it's what I turned to after Papa was killed. At first, I was driven by revenge. Now, it's the only thing I know. As for how I got the skills, a… teacher took me under her wing. Taught me everything I know. She even went as far as to give me a few aces up my sleeve, so to speak."

"Don't be arrogant. And really? Who is this person?" Audrina asked, curious.

"That's… personal information." In truth, he didn't tell her because he didn't feel like explaining he wasn't crazy.

"Temna…" she said, her eyes softening. "You've never kept secrets from me. Why now?"

"Believe me, I would tell you if I could. But I don't know if that would place you in danger or not. Audrina, there are some things people and pokemon are not meant to know. Understand?"

She nodded once, and he smiled. "Good. Well, if that's all, what is there to do for fun around here?"

Audrina stood up then, the tray in her grasp. "Come on. I'll show you."

-!-

"So. What are we doing today?" Audrina asked, turning to face Temna. He tilted his head in thought, before nodding once. "In terms of a workout, not much. I heal faster than normal, but my leg is still healing."

He held up the injured forelimb, moving it gently. "I'm going to need to use today to finish healing up, so the only thing I'll be doing is meditation. Which means-"

"I'm free to do whatever?"

"...Yes and no. Yes, because you're probably going to do so anyway, no because you still need to do some training. The only reason I came out of my room is because I was hungry, and you would have dragged me out anyways." said Temna, giving her a knowing look.

Audrina nodded. "You know it. Got anywhere special you need to go to 'meditate?'"

"Outside, preferably. But I don't think Duke will let that happen. He probably still doesn't trust me enough to not run back to the memories. So like I said, I'll be in my room meditating. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'll need to be left alone."

She smirked at that. "It's meditation. I get it. See you tomorrow Temna. You'll be learning how I fight. Then the next day, vice versa. Oh, and one more thing."

She grabbed Temna's paw, touching it to the stone in her forehead, and his eyebrow raised. "What's this?"

"A little gift from me to you." came Audrina's voice from within his mind. Now he jumped, a little surprised. "A psychic link? But you're a dark type. This shouldn't even be possible…

"I don't know how it works. I've always been able to do it though. The link is weak and can be severed, but we can converse if need be.

"Neat. I'm a little surprised it worked though. Psychic type moves usually have no affect on me unless it's a strong pokemon."

"Again with the arrogance… But that's good to know. Now shoo. I've got to work on my speed, and I can't do that with you here." She gave Temna a small hug, and the two parted, Audrina heading somewhere she could run, and Temna to his room.

-!-

The next day, as planned, Temna and Audrina headed to the training arena, where she planned to show him her skills. The next two days were crucial, as they would be learning how each other fights.

Soon, they were at the arena, and Audrina was making ready to fight her first opponent. It was a flareon who had just evolved. The poor 'mon clearly wasn't ready for combat; he didn't even look like he knew any fire type attacks yet. He apparently did though, because when Audrina rushed him, he panicked and began shooting several embers one after another in her direction. Audrina simply jumped over the stream, kicking him in the head as she passed over his body. The Flareon stumbled forward, managing two steps before collapsing at Temna's feet. He nosed the Flareon, seeing if he was alright. He was unconscious. Audrina turned around and, upon seeing the prone body, frowned.

"Come on… I expected more of a fight than that…"

One of the guards, a Pangoro, pushed the small Flareon to the edge beside Temna, then turned, facing Audrina. "And you shall have it, young one. I must teach you not to be arrogant and overconfident in your abilities."

Audrina let out a scoff, then charged the supposed teacher. He took a swipe at her, but missed as she slid between his legs. She quickly turned around, slashing the backs of his knee joints and severing his hamstrings. The giant roared out in pain, falling to his knees. Immediately a Cadabra rushed in, declaring the match over. He used heal pulse on the Pangoro, and after a minute, it stood back up, walking back to the sidelines as another defeated.

"Just sad…" came Audrina, shaking her head. A small crowd had gathered by then, and they were muttering amongst themselves. Whispers of "Arrogant" and "Ass" could be heard among them. Finally, Temna had enough, both of the rumors and of Audrina's noncaring attitude.

"I'll fight you." he said, stepping forward.

Audrina turned and looked at him, a little surprised.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be watching me fight to learn-" "Your fighting style, I know. But what better way to do that than to actually fight you?" "What, and me toss you around like a ragdoll?" came Audrina, who was still surprised.

"Please. You couldn't hurt me if you tried." said Temna, getting into a ready stance.

"Again with the arrogance..." Nevertheless, Audrina crouched into a ready position of her own.

Along the sidelines, the small group was taking bets among themselves."I got fifty poke on the Weavile." muttered a Delphox. "Always with the Bipeds… I'll take that fifty and double it in the Glaceon's favor." responded an Absol, glancing over Temna's body. A Mienshao, ever the wise in terms of combat, shook its head. "The Weavile is dual-typed. She has more than one natural advantage over him. Even if he can overcome that, he'll have to at least match her speed if he wants a chance of winning. It may also come down to whoever has more stamina."

As it turned out, he could. The two rushed each other straight out of the gates. Temna attempted to headbutt her, as part of his plan was to disable her as quickly. Audrina, believing she could outlast Temna, planned to wear him down over time. Glaceon's in general aren't generally known for their combat capabilities, nor their speed, so she figured she could outlast him.

As they passed each other, she flipped over his head and brought her claws down, leaving shallow cuts in his sides. They turned again, and Temna glanced back, checking the injury. It wasn't serious, but a single line of blood fell from one of the cuts. Damn it. I'm gonna have to clean that up later.

Disregarding the injury, he charged her again, this time keeping low. Sure enough, Audrina met his charge, running even faster at the Glaceon with her claws thrown out at her sides. She made to flip over him a second time, but Temna jumped, his hard forehead impacting her gut. They both heard the whoosh of her breath as she practically bounced off of him. Still though, she landed in a roll, throwing a claw out to the side to both balance herself, and to ward off any attackers while she regained her breath.

Temna, not really wanting to feel the claws on his hide again, disregarded the warning. He rushed straight at her, and Audrina looked up just in time to catch another face full of a headbutt. Temna, however arrogant he was at times, was restraining himself. Groups of opponents? He may not have. But this was a sole opponent, and he'd rather not risk his childhood friend serious harm.

Audrina flew backwards again, crashing through a straw training dummy and impacting the wall on the far side of the arena. Temna and a Gallade in a medical uniform both rushed over, checking to see if she was was alright. From what Temna judged, he had put way too much force into his headbutt. She definitely didn't look like she was getting up anytime soon. But, as always, she proved him wrong. Her eyes snapped open, and she grabbed the scruff of Temna's neck before popping her knee up and slamming it into his jaw. The poor Gallade was sent flying backwards from the force of the action, slamming into the arena wall and slumping. He was the only one out of the three that was actually unconscious.

Audrina yanked Temna in a circle around herself before sending him a fair distance away from herself with a kick. He landed, somehow managing to stay on his feet before shaking once and turning to face Audrina again. Slowly, keeping his eyes on Audrina, he began to back away from her.

Her eyebrow raised, but she didn't back up. Instead, she took up a defensive position with her claws crossed over her upper body, waiting for Temna's next attack.

Perfect. His eyes flashed once, and the red rings around his irises turned a bright blue, almost white. He slammed his forepaws into the ground, and instantly the room grew colder. Pillars of ice came out of the ground, beelining towards Audrina. She watched the pillars carefully, tensing up and jumping. She landed on the first pillar, running towards Temna. Unfortunately for her, he had planned for this. Two pillars away from him, the ice gave way under Audrina, and she sunk into the pillar. Before she could pull herself out, Temna fired a quick ice beam at the pillar, refreezing the ice around her. Before she knew it, she was surrounded up to her arms in ice.

Temna casually approached the pillar, for once exuding an air of confidence. He watched the Weavile struggle, who pushed against the ice with all her might. While she normally would have cut herself out by then, she couldn't do so without risking causing herself harm.

He chuffed. "Don't bother. You're not going to break that ice." She looked down at him, growled once, then began her struggle anew. A few moments later, they both heard it. *Crack*

"Well, maybe she can." He thought to himself. He quickly fired a shadow ball at Audrina, but because he didn't take the time to aim, he hit the ice directly below her. That was all it took. The ice shattered, and Audrina practically flew out of it at Temna. He didn't have a chance to react as her heel slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hit the wall, and with a gasp, collapsed onto the ground, soon losing consciousness.

-!-

Temna woke up a short time later, in the familiar medical wing. The purple Gardevoir he had met previously was standing over him, slowly wrapping a bandage around his side. Looking at his face, she tsked once.

"You can help but come back here, can you? Who do you plan on freezing this time? One of your visitors?" she said. Temna, still shocked that he had lost, turned his head. There was an Absol with a red crest and face watching him, as well as Toxy. He was standing in the entrance, either being wary of Temna's ice, or perhaps showing a form of respect. For a moment, Temna guessed that Audrina had not come for whatever reason. But after a moment, he heard a little chuckle. He turned again to see the Weavile sitting on the bed across from him, She had a similar bandage around her ankle.

Finally, Temna managed to respond. "No one, if I can help it. Toxy, come on. I'm not going to freeze you again." The Sylveon breathed a quick sigh of relief before making his way toward Temna, a smile plastered onto his face.

"I saw the fight!" he chirped, hopping up onto the bed beside him.

"You did? Well, now you and I both know not to underestimate a pissed off Weavile." responded Temna, gesturing with a paw to the smirking Audrina.

"Hey, she didn't get away without being hurt. She sprained her ankle kicking you across the arena."

"... While that doesn't exactly cheer me up, I thank you for trying. So, how long was I down?" The Absol chose to speak up then, sitting down in front of him. " A couple of hours. Duke whined about some mission involving the two of you, so my new job is to keep the two of you out of trouble for the next few days."

Temna head tilted. "And you are? I think I saw you in the arena, but I'm not sure..." The Absol nodded its head. "Indeed you have. My name is Iah. (eye-uh) And you owe me 100 poke."

Temna cringed. "Why do I owe you- you know what, I don't even want to know. Audrina, how's the foot?"

"Eh, could be better. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get us out of our mission. How is your chest?" she asked, pointing to the bandages on his chest.

"I don't know, I haven't asked. Um, nurse…"

"Call me Mimi. Everyone else does." remarked the purple Gardevoir. She was tending to an unconscious Mightyena, but still, she turned to face Temna.

"Your injuries are almost enough to get you out of your mission, but it's not that easy. Your leg cracked again, this time near the joint. Somehow though it's already healed up. If you heal this fast, then you should be able to take those bandages off of your bruised ribs in a day or two. Other than a lot of strain in your muscles, I can't detect anything. I would block the pain you'll feel in your mind, but it's blocked off to my psychic influence. Any psychic influence, for that matter."

"Something I trained for." said Temna simply, hopping off the bed. He winced as he landed. His ribs were definitely bruised. He could feel it when he landed.

Audrina grabbed a crutch that lay beside her on the bed, and gingerly hopped off after him. Iah and Toxy followed, and wordlessly, they all headed for the Cafeteria.

-!-

(Time skip the rest of the week, because writers block is a bitch. Imma prolly fix this later.)

The rest of the week passed normally for Temna. True to her word, Temna felt completely better a couple of days later, giving everyone plenty of time to get to know each other better. More for Iah than anyone else, they learned that she came from a rather large family, from the other side of the southern border. She was forced to leave because her family hated her. She believed it was because of how she looked, given she was the first red Absol any of them had seen. They soon figured out that that was not the case. Iah was hated, not for her looks, but rather her beliefs (or lack thereof.). She didn't believe in the Alpha pokemon, or any of the other faiths in the world. She was, for all intents and purposes, an atheist. Temna had no problem with that. In fact, until he had met Valencia, he hadn't really believed in anything either. Iah now stood guard outside Duke's room, where she was pretending not to listen in on their conversation.

"So what do you have for us?" Audrina asked, propping her feet up on the table. Duke looked at them, then back at her once, before sighing.

"In the way of fighting, not much. You and Temna will be taking a little trip down memory lane with this one." He said, eyes staring back at Audrina's own. "There is a contact for the Dark Army in every major area of the nation, with a few outliers in the border nations. Recently, our contact in the village Daric in the Doxah mountains went dark. I need you two to find out what happened to her, and if necessary, kill her."

""Not a problem. But why would we need to kill her? Moreso, who is she?" asked Temna.

"Because it wouldn't be the first time one has gone rogue. Our contacts aren't always officially part of the Dark Army, so they have tried to cheat us from time to time. Emphasis on tried. As for her name, Elisia."

Temna and Audrina looked at each other then, exchanging nervous looks. The only Elisia that lived in Daric, or in this case, near it, was the Houndoom that they both knew. Someone they had not seen in around ten years. They both didn't want to kill her, but they had different points of view about it. Temna, per his code, and perhaps personal reasons, didn't want to kill someone he gave a damn about. Audrina, while she didn't want to harm her either, was conflicted. The Dark Army had taken her in, fed her, given her a place to lie her head at night... She honestly did not know what to think, or do for that matter.

"Is there a problem?" asked Duke, interrupting both of their trains of thought.

"...No. Nothing we can't handle." said Audrina, speaking up for the both of them.

"Good. You leave in a couple of hours. Audrina, you've been on missions like this before. I expect you to show Temna the ropes. And try not to get him killed.

"I told you, I was stuck in an Ariados web. How was I supposed to know we were being ambushed?"

"Be that as it may," continued Duke, rolling his eyes. "You'll need to keep him, and yourself, in line. Try and stay on the discreet side of things. No doubt there will be people and pokemon who recognize you when you arrive, so you must keep your true purpose's a secret."

"Alright. I usually try to keep to myself anyways, so that won't be a problem." responded Temna. Duke and Audrina both turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"You've been here for a little over a week, and you've made a fair sized group of friends. What part of that is keeping to yourself?" said Duke.

Temna deadpanned then. "The only 'friends' I've made are a Lopunny named Candy, a Luxray named Bucke, a Sylveon named Toxy, and a red Absol named Iah. One of them almost killed me, another felt me up, and two were assigned to me as guards. Not exactly me coming to them."

"Point made. On that note, Iah! I know you're listening, so come in here." said Duke, looking at the door. Said door slowly opened as the Absol in question nosed her way in.

"Yes, Duke?" she asked, a blush from being caught visible on her face.

"Inform the sentries at the entrance of three going on mission. They can be expected back within a week's time. Wait there when you're done."

"Yes sir." she said, before turning around and walking out of the room. Temna turned from her retreating form back to Duke, before tilting his head in curiosity.

"You said three. Is she coming with us?"

"That's what I intend." responded Duke, before pulling out a map of the village. "A week's time. That gives you a day to make the trip up the mountain, five days to complete the mission, and a day to make it back. You're both ice types, so I expect you to be able the trip just fine."

"Damnit." came Audrina's voice from inside his head. He turned from Duke, who was focused on a small map of the village, to Audrina. She was glancing between him and Duke.

"What's wrong?" he asked in his head, mentally directing it toward Audrina.

"I was hoping for a little… private time with you, Temna." she responded, her tone slightly more depressed.

Temna blushed at that, but responded with a little jest of his own. "He gave us five days to deal with something I normally can handle in two. We'll get two rooms at the inn and have 'fun' then."

"Are you two even listening?" snapped Duke, a cold glare on his face. The two turned to him abruptly.

"Yep. Got the gist of it." said Audrina, nodding her head.

"Good. You leave in twenty minutes. But since you were listening, you already knew that."

-!-

Temna and Audrina walked towards the entrance of the Dark Army's base. She was chatting him up about what and who they might run into on the mission, but was electing to avoid discussing Elisia. That would probably be a sensitive topic for a while, because Duke had essentially ordered them to kill the pokemon who acted like a mother to them for years. Granted, there was the possibility of her being injured or something. Not that that exactly appealed to them either. Soon, they arrived at the entrance. A familiar Lopunny and Luxray stood there, waiting with two sentries and Iah, who looked bored.

"Well, look who finally showed up." said Candy, holding up a paw. "You left your poor friend waiting. I was running out of ways to pick at her."

"Aw, you came to see us off? How sweet of you." responded Temna, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You wish. I just came to tell you that you might have a surprise from me and Bucke when you get back."

"A surprise?" he asked, his voice now skeptical.

She just giggled at him. "You'll have to wait and see." she said, leaning down close to his ear. "But I think you'll enjoy it very much…"

She stood back up then, but stopped smiling when she saw the angry glare of Audrina.

"...I think I'd better go." she said then, slowly walking away. Bucke, after taking a moment to nod at Temna and Audrina, followed suit.

"You ready to go?" came Iah, who was looking between the two and the sentries, who looked very impatient. After receiving confirming nods from both Temna and Audrina, she turned to the Gardevoir sentry closest to the door. She nodded once, then slowly began pushing the giant

piece of rock that made up the entrance out and to the side. As one, the three stepped into the morning sunlight, ready to take on whatever befell them.

Wooo! Finally done with the chapter, and at 4 in the morning (Seriously. I pumped two days in a row to finishing it)! I know I told a few of you that there would most likely be a lemon in this chapter via private message, but... shit happens I guess. Regardless, it definitely will happen in the next one. This chapter was shorter than I wished it could be, and I definitely did NOT like the writing, but I had to put something out for you guys. Also, I apologize for the delay. WAY past my o.g. deadline, I know, but would you believe I had setback after setback? First came a set of deaths in the family, something I don't wish to talk about. Then the device I was writing on got a virus, literally erasing the entire chapter as I was getting ready to finish it. (I use google docs, so I was able to replace it about a week later.) During all of this, my family moved, so I've been a fair bit busy with that. Let's see... Credit to EatmyKitty for getting me up off my ass to finish the chapter. Same goes to Misrepresented, WolvenRepublic, and Aurumn48. You guys are awesome. Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter while you're reading this, dear reader who actually pays attention to A/N's. I'm hoping to have it out withing the next three weeks. You'll see what has befallen Temna and his new partners Audrina and Iah. What happens in Daric? What will befall Elisia? Find out next time in "Temna". This is Cadenceheart117, signing off for now. Goodnight, because I really need sleep.