It was a contented sensation, having the three spirits within him, Adolf thought. The pain that hollowed out his insides was satiated. Yet there was no time for an after dinner's sleep, as the spirits began to speak.

We are now within you, Adolf. You will follow our lead. As clear as his own consciousness, the voices of Claus, Elise, and RED were one with his own. We will travel east to the road, then south to the nearest town. You must not be seen.

Adolf followed the acute smell of human to a nearby path. It looked clear, so he ventured southward. After a few kilometers he noticed a hiker in the distance, and descended into the nearby bushes. The hiker, a large man hauling camping equipment and a large satchel, waddled down the path. Adolf's breathing was heavy, and his sweeping back was stiff. His attention was so focused on the hiker that he didn't notice his stiffened spine teeter over his hind leg, and he finally tripped over a small pile of branches. The hiker stopped and whipped his head in his direction. He reached for his belt, and released a Pokeball. A fierce Absol emerged from a flash of red light. Adolf stood in shock until the Absol started charging him, readying its claw for an attack.

Out of nowhere, Adolf charged past the Pokemon towards the hiker and tackled him to the ground. The Absol descended into the woods, hearing the snap of his trainer's spine as Adolf's sheer weight crushed the hiker. Adolf's heavy breathing subsided, then:

LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE, ADOLF! Elise yelled.

He roared, "What did I do- OH GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED-"

WHAT DID YOU WANT HIM TO DO!? I HAD TO STEP IN, Claus interjected

"Wait, YOU did this? You made ME do this?"

DO YOU WISH TO BE CAUGHT!? THIS IS THE COST. WE WILL INTERVENE IF AND WHEN NECESSARY. YOU WERE SEEN, AND THAT IS FINAL, RED commanded.

Adolf was silent. Was he truly any freer than he had been? Was it better being consumed by his former passions, never to be fulfilled by the grim knowledge he now bore?

This is the sacrifice you have made in being our prophet. Look at your wrist-

Adolf looked; under his fur, a fluorescent red scar formed a thin contour from the center of his palm to his arm bone. It emanated a dull pain throughout his arm.

As your sins against our cause accumulate, this scar shall continue to grow, and the pain shall worsen until you can no longer bear it. Do not let it consume you; just follow our lead. There is nothing we can do about him now. Search the body.

Adolf reached down and picked up the hiker's satchel.

Take any food, drinks, and potions you see. Everything else is useless.

Adolf emptied the satchel, sorted the goods, and then slung it onto his back. RED interjected-

WAIT. Where did the Absol go?

Suddenly, there was rustling in the nearby bushes. The Absol emerged, staring pensively at the body of his former trainer. He bowed his head in his direction, and began to tremble.

He is weak. The time is perfect. You must capture him. Grab the Pokeball from his belt and put it out of its misery.

"Wha-"

DO NOT QUESTION ME AGAIN.

Adolf was quivering as his wrist began to ache. He unclipped the Pokeball from the belt, and fumbled with it in his shaking paws until it opened. Adolf slowly approached the Absol, who was now rubbing its head into the hiker's feet, hoping he would awaken.

At that moment, the Absol looked directly into Adolf's eyes. Adolf couldn't get himself to do it. He wasn't ready to upset any natural orders, not today. He wasn't ready for such cruelty. He took one step back, but then a sharp pain gushed through his wrist until his arm was projected forward and the Pokeball was released.

Adolf panted, and his vision was blurred. Once it returned, he saw the divots in the snow where the Pokeball moved, and the captured Absol, at rest.