Woo-hoo! Got another chapter done! It took me 3 attempts to get it started properly so that the story could flow- damn, this was a tough one for me.

Sorry guys, we only learn the Zoroark's name this chapter- we'll look more into his blade in the next one, I promise!

Before I forget, special thanks to

illuminari storyteller

for sending me the Zoroark character! ^^

Enjoy this chapter everyone XD

/

A small, white paw, gently dipped into the still water of a small lake. The paw was held there, just below the surface, before the leg was slowly dropped inside. Not long after, a second leg descended into the water. Then, all movement stopped for a while as the owner of the limbs stared down into the water. Xela, after spending three days under the endless care of the Blissey family, and ventured to this lake to clear her thoughts- to let her mind wander would have probably been a better phrase. Her expression blank, she continued to stare down at her reflection in the water, purposely shifting her weight onto one side to provoke steady rippling atop the waters surface. She watched silently as the ripples grew, slowly and silently, only to disappear as they faded out of existence. So many questions were running through her mind, so many emotions that she had yet to sort through. At least a week had passed since the incident with the Magicarp at the lake-Czar had unearthed thoughts she'd had buried in the depths of her mind for years. No, not thoughts, longings- family, love, a sense of belonging. Yes, she'd openly admitted to herself on many occasions that she'd wanted a family. However, this was the first time since her parents died, since she'd felt the dull throb of heartache- since she'd acknowledged her inner desire for what she'd lost all those years ago. The sickest part about it was that she had no recollection of how many years had passed since the demise of her family- hell, she didn't even know how long she'd spent in the settlements to begin with.

Every moment spent in that hellhole felt years- her underdeveloped body and mind had no means of coping with the stress. She'd known only darkness while in her prison room, and she was only granted a few fleeting moments in the light during the random visits to-well, she didn't have it in her to think about it. So, she never knew what time it was. Since the visits were random she had no way of knowing how many days had passed between the nightmarish events. She may have been trapped in the settlements for as little as a week, or as long as ten years. Not that it mattered anymore, the damage done to her sense of time was so intense that she'd yet to fully recover. She'd wake knowing it was morning, and in the blink of an eye she'd find the sun setting over the horizon- then she'd have no idea if the sun was setting on the same day she woke, or if she'd been so out of it that more than one day had passed since her waking. Without a sound, she stepped forward to walk the rest if the way into the water, submerging her underside and hind legs as she went. For a fraction of a second, a content look appeared on the Absol's face as she felt the water come into contact with her skin- the water was cold, but it felt nice. Closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed happily and tilted her head back- she'd been needing some time to herself for days now. With the Blissey family fussing over her half the day, and the Zoroark silently staring at her the entire day, she'd been growing increasingly irritated during her time in "Rehab"- or at least thats what she'd come to call it.

The only reasons she hadn't taken off, were the fact that the Blissey had been seeing to it that she didn't make it far out of the log before being confronted, and that she still wanted to get to know the Zoroark. Her expression soured somewhat at that thought. She'd been trying to get to know the Zoroark since day one, but every attempt she made was of no use. She'd tried initiating a conversation only to retrieve a blank stare, and on a few occasions, a quiet grunt. She'd offered him portions of her food in exchange for parts of his- she and the Zoroark were being given different foods, for reasons that only the Blissey knew about. However, every attempt at trading ended with him completely ignoring her offer, before he eyed her with an intense stare. Sighing irritatedly, she dropped her head enough to submerge her mouth in the water- she blew a few bubbles out of spite. Honestly, she was starting to get annoyed with everyone. The Zoroark bothered her because he remained dead silent, and constantly stared at her- and she meant constantly. She'd woken up on more than one occasion to find him staring at her- meaning that he'd been watching her sleep. As for her reasons for being cross with the Blissey family, there were a number of them. First off, there always seemed to be someone keeping an eye on her- she was pretty sure that Joy, the Happiny, was spying on her from the bushes. Then there were the constant physical check ups- she'd been given as least two or three a day since the Blissey treated her wounded shoulder. They'd test her reflexes, check her teeth for signs of improvement- they'd even had the gall to try and wash the bloodstains out of her fur.

The constant handling was slowly but surely making her want to bite them- if not for her sense of self control, she probably would have already. Then there was the food. Yes, she was malnourished. Yes, the Blissey and her family members probably knew more about the food sources in the area than she did- but that didn't mean that they had to control every little thing she ate. The Zoroark was given different foods everyday, meaning that he was given variety- but Xela was being given no such treatment. She, had been put on a strict diet of eggs, berries, and fungus. Sure, the food tasted fine, and it was probably better for her than what she tended to eat on a regular basis- when she bothered to eat at least. The problem was that she was given no variety. Chansey eggs, Oran berries, blue tree fungus- everyday it was the exact same food. They wouldn't even let her cook it. She'd gotten to the point where she was willing to mix all three of the foodstuffs together to try and gain a new flavor- all she managed to do was make herself gag. Blowing more bubbles in the water, she sighed irritatedly and moved her feet around a bit. She'd come to the lake to try and calm herself down, to try to relax and let herself unwind- but all she seemed to be doing was antagonize herself further. Seemed it was time for her to take, more drastic measures. Glancing around, she checked to see if the Happiny, or any of the other members of the Blissey family seemed to be nearby. She couldn't see, smell, or hear them, so she guessed that they must've decided to leave her alone for a while.

With the coast clear, she paddled her feet and moved further into the lake, quickly finding a spot deep enough to submerge the rest of her body. Without so much as a thought, she dived beneath the water and dug her claws into the murky ground to keep from floating back to the surface- then she fell completely still. She didn't know when she'd started doing this, nor did she know what it calmed her down so much- all she knew was that when she was underwater, she felt at peace. What was really unique about the situation, was that she could stay underwater for a very long time before she felt the need to resurface for air. Twenty-five minutes minutes was her limit thus far, and she was sure that over time, she'd get to the point where she could go for an hour without air. The trick to her odd talent was remaining completely calm- so calm, that her heart rate slowed to an incredibly low pace. There weren't any other Absol in the world with her ability to say underwater, and not drown. She could recall one incident, when she had opened her mouth to take a breath. She'd felt the water rush down her throat and fill her lungs, but it neither choked her nor drowned her- it just left her body when she exhaled. That, was how calm she became while underwater, and as the recollection of that incident entered her mind, she decided to give the experience another go. Slowly, to not break the calmness of her body, she opened her mouth and closed her eyes. Without the slightest fear of what may happen, the took a deep intake of breath, and she felt the water quickly fill her lungs- then she held it there. While a normal, land dwelling Pokemon would find the sensation of cold water in the lungs painful, she found it oddly pleasant.

The pressure on her insides neither frightened her, nor harmed her. When she chose to exit the water and breath air, there was no urge to cough, no stinging sensation in her chest- no trouble breathing whatsoever. Content with time having water in her lungs, she slowly exhaled the water- but just as the last of it was about to exit her body, something grabbed her. In an instant, her peaceful state was shattered. Her heart rate jumped, her body reacted, she took a sharp intake of breath, and she began to drown. Then, as she was yanked out of the water by whoever had grabbed hold of her, she was smacked firmly on the back, and forced to exhale the fluid that threatened to suffocate her. Coughing uncontrollably, she was pulled against a strong chest and pulled back to shore- she collapsed onto the muddy ground and proceeded to expel the water she had swallowed. Her chest heaved, air was painfully forced in at out of her lungs. Her voice rang painfully with every cough, her eyes pressed tightly closed as she attempted to recover from the unexpected ordeal. Then, after minutes of uncontrollable coughing and wheezing passed, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the wet earth beneath her. That, had been her first experience with the sensation of drowning- the first time she'd nearly drowned. No wonder so many Pokemon strived to avoid being underwater- drowning was more painful than she'd thought it was. Panting, she shook her head in an attempt to steady herself, before she abruptly turned to the side to see who had yanked her out of the water and thrown her into such a panicked state.

Much to her surprise, and to her dismay, she found the Zoroark staring down at her- he had been the one that nearly made her drown. Shakily, she turned more to face him properly, her legs wobbling beneath her shaken frame. Ignoring her all the time and refusing to talk to her was one thing, but nearly making her drown was the last straw. As soon as she regained her ability to speak, the stamped her feet into the ground and proceeded to chew his ass out.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Xela shouted angrily, the fur on her neck and along the middle of her back rising.
"What?! Did you think it would be funny to watch me almost drown?! What is your problem, what did I ever do to you?!" She snarled angrily as she strode forwards, jumping up and standing on her hind legs once she was directly in front of the silent Zoroark. She was still a few feet shorter than him, but at least she'd gained enough height to give him a piece of her mind.
"I have been trying to get you to say something for days! But all you do is sit there and stare at me like you've never seen another living thing before! What?! Do I look so odd to you that you can't take your eyes off of me for one fucking minute?! Well look in the mirror crystal face, cause I'm not the only freak around here!" She continued to shout, extending one of her upper legs to smack him in the chest as she ranted at him.
"You wont talk, all you do is stare- I don't even know your name yet! I already told you mine! Show some friggin manners and introduce yourself! Act like you know what I'm saying- do something, anything, just stop staring at me all the time, your freaking me out!" She shouted loudly, her voice loosing some of its anger and taking on a tinge of confusion. As usual, all the Zoroark seemed capable of doing was standing there and staring at her like she'd spontaneously grown a second head. Was a response really that much to ask for? Because the Zoroark certainly seemed to act like it was.

Groaning loudly in defeat, the illusionary fox' stare succeeding in making her more nervous than she was angry, Xela slumped onto the ground, lied down, and proceeded to bury her face in the mud. Honestly, of all the experimented Pokemon she could come into contact with, she had to find the one that seemed incapable of any form of communication. She'd of screamed into the ground had he not been standing right in front of her- no point in making a bigger fool of herself. Then, there was an unexpected change of events- the Zoroark decided to speak. About time.

"Lance..." The Zoroark said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper- but Xela still heard it. In an instant, she yanked her face out of the mud and stared up at the illusionary fox, her eyes wide with surprise.

"W-what..?" Xela asked hesitantly, her voice stuttering a bit. Either she was going crazy- er, crazier, or the Zoroark had actually spoken to her. After a minute or so of complete silence, she was given her answer to that question.

"My name...Is Lance..." The Zoroark, Lance, said slowly, as he extended an arm to introduce himself properly. After a moment of complete bewilderment, Xela lifted one of her paws and let him take hold of her- he helped her stand up as they shook "Hands".

"Oh...Well, h-hello Lance...It is a pleasure to, meet you..." Xela said hesitantly as she stood up, eying the Zoroark suspiciously- his eyes remained unchanged, but the crystal markings on his face seemed to be glowing more than they did before. Though she found that odd, she decided to leave that particular matter alone. Besides, she had something more important to talk about.
"Did, you, come all the way out here just to tell me your name?" She asked slowly, a suspicious tone in her voice- Lance immediately nodded, and she groaned internally. Seriously? He was going to say one thing to her, after being silent as a rock for days, only to immediately revert back to being quiet? Scratch that, silent as a rock wasn't the way to put it, because there were rocks that made more noise than him. Sighing, she sat down and bowed her head slightly in momentary defeat- but then a though crossed her mind. Lance had yanked her out of the water, and she'd been in the center of the lake. She also knew that the water was to dark to see more than a few inches, so not even her white fur would have been noticeable from the surface- all of that meant that the Zoroark had no means of spotting her in the water. So, if it wasn't possible to see her, then how did he know she was underwater? The answer to that question was simple- he had watched her go into the water. As in, he had been in the area, staring at her from an unknown location, long before the idea of going for a swim even crossed her mind. In an instant the rage she had felt earlier returned with a vengeance.

"Hey! Were you spying on me?!" Xela exclaimed, jumping back onto her feet and puffing out her to demonstrate her agitation. No sooner had the question passed her lips, had a nervous look appeared on Lance's face. No doubt about it- he had followed her here and watched everything she'd done before she went underwater. Then, he'd probably flipped out when she didn't resurface after a few minutes, which would explain his suddenly grabbing her and nearly making her drown.
"Uwa..! You, you creep! I'd have half a mind to claw your eyes out and make you smell your way around from now on!" She said in a shocked tone, her eyes wide and her expression one of anger and embarrassment- she should have realized that she was being watched. Not one second later, Lance lent down and closed his eyes to allow the Absol to do as she pleased- the motion both shocked and frightened Xela. Was he being serious?
"W-what? You didn't actually take me seriously did you? No! That would be a death sentence you idiot! I'd of been better off letting the humans have you if I planned on seeing you dead!" She said nervously, lifting one of her legs up as if to block a blow to the chest. Honestly, she thought he looked like he was trying to receive punishment for something- that meant he had a type of nature that lead him to repay wrongdoings by accepting odd punishments or tasks.

So, she stood still and thought her next response over for a few minutes. She honestly didn't want to hurt him, nor did she think he honestly wanted her to harm him. Then, maybe she could get him to give her something- that something being the information she'd been trying to coax out of him for days. The issue was that Lance didn't seem to be the talking type- the gruff, quiet ring to his voice meant that he had not spoken a word in a very long time. Luckily for her, she knew exactly how to get around that particular issue- she only needed to get him to agree to it.

"Neh, do you really want to repay me- repay me because you nearly drowned me?" Xela asked slyly, putting her paw back on the ground and watching intently as the Zoroark nodded his head and opened his eyes.

"Well, if that's the case, then I want to know who you are..." She said slowly- a confused look appeared on Lance's face, though, his eyes remained oddly calm.

"But...I already...I..." Lance said hesitantly, his voice quiet and strained from lack of use- though the point he was trying to get across rang loud and clear. Good, she had his attention. Now all she needed to do was coax him into agreeing to, her odd request.

"That's not what I mean..." Xela said calmly, shaking her head for a moment before sitting back down. She was about to get into a very long, one sided conversation- she might was well get comfortable.
"I want to know everything else I've asked about you these past few days. Where you were born, what your parents- your family, was like. I want to know how you became...What you are today..." She said slowly, and in a calm tone of voice, being sure to watch every one of Lance's reactions. The Zoroark's expression went from blank, to confused, to curious, back to blank, and then the process continued. Good, his attention was secured.
"I want to know how you escaped, how long you've been free- how long you were captive. The list goes on forever, and I have an easy way for us both to get what we want out of this..." She said, pausing for a split second to raise an eyebrow at the Zoroark, who attempted to return the gesture- however, it seemed that moving his eyebrows was not a renounced talent. All he managed to do was lift both of them and unintentionally stare at her wide eyed- Xela would have laughed had she not intended on keeping the situation serious.
"...Interested?" She said calmly after her short pause, before falling completely silent to wait and see if Lance would give her a reply- verbal or otherwise.

For a long time, the area remained dead silent as the Zoroark picked through his thoughts. He'd close his eyes a moment, then re-open them and scan the area calmly. He'd shift his weight from foot to foot to give his legs periodic times of rest. His ears would twitch with the slight breeze, and he'd flex his claws in concentration. Once or twice he tilted his head sideways, and stared awkwardly at the Absol, who calmly returned his stare- though it may have unnerved her slightly. Then, after what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a few minutes, Lance offered a short nod, signaling that he had interest in what Xela had in mind. When he nodded, he made an "Uhh" sound that sounded almost like a hiss.

"Alright then..." Xela began, shifting her weight a bit to sit more on one side than the other- she was halfway laying down and halfway sitting.
"I have...A unique talent that, lets me see into the memories of others while I dream...If I lie next to you tonight, while you sleep, I can look into your memories and see everything I want to know, as you remember it..." She said slowly, her voice taking on a tinge of nervousness as Lance's expression changed. He still looked a little confused, but she could tell that he was doubting whether or not he wanted someone, invading his mind like that. Nevertheless, she intended on telling him everything that happened during her little, well, she hadn't given the skill a name yet. She'd have to think of one as some point.
"But, there, are a few side effects- I won't lie to you about that..." She said, before taking a momentary pause to make sure he was giving her his undivided attention. Once content, she continued.
"Once we start, you wont be able to wake up until I do, and the ordeal can be...Very challenging on our bodies, and our minds. You may wind up dreaming about my past for a few days, or weeks afterwards. I may be unable to stop dreaming about your memories- for how long, I have no idea. When we wake, we'll both feel sick to our stomachs. Our bodies will be trembling, and we'll be covered in sweat even though our bodies will feel deathly cold. Aside from that, I don't know of any other side effects..." She said calmly, before falling silent for a moment to stare up into Lance's eyes- he seemed lost in thought.
"But if you don't want to do it, then we're going to stay out here all night, and we're going to talk. And I don't mean I'll say something and you listen- I mean I'll ask something and you answer..." She added, more as encouragement for the Zoroark to agree to her, using her talent on him, than anything else.

As expected, Lance remained silent for a very long time. He was thinking over the expectations of both his options- he didn't really seem to think that he could deny both of them and go about his merry way. While he thought he did virtually the same things he had done before he decided to take interest in what Xela had in mind- the only difference was that the markings on his body would light up for a few seconds, only to dim down and nearly vanish. This particular sight really caught the Absol's attention- either he had complete control over how brightly his markings lit up, or, they took on a glow depending on his thought process. Either way, she found the dimming and brightening of his crystal blue markings oddly fascinating- she didn't realize that aspects of her own body seemed to sync up with his changes. Namely, her pupils would overly dilate whenever his markings took on a brighter shine, and they would narrow almost to the point of disappearing. Had she realized that her eyes were doing this, she'd of had no idea why they were- but she would have promptly looked into it. Then, after the long period of silence passed, the Zoroark decided to make his decision known.

"I'll...Go with the dream..." Lance said hesitantly as he lifted one of his "Hands" to scratch the side of his head, right below his ear. Going with the option that required less speech seemed to be the best one for him- even if it made him somewhat nervous.

"Alright then..." Xela said calmly.
"Tonight, after we've eaten...We can do it then..." She said before standing completely up, and turning towards the water.
"As for right now, I'm not quite ready to go back...You, run on ahead. I'll catch up with you once I've gone for a swim..." She said quietly, before dropping her feet into the water and diving in- she wanted to wash the mud off her fur, and experience the calmness that the water gave her for a while longer. Then, she'd go back to the log, choke down the meal that the Blissey would undoubtedly for her to eat, and she'd get prepared for the nights events. Once ready, she'd lie down next to, or on top of Lance, and they'd both go to sleep. What she hadn't told the Zoroark was that her talent was involuntary- if someone had previously been standing on a spot, and then she lied down on that spot and went to sleep, she'd dream about that someone. She'd actually been having dreams about members of the Blissey family for the past few days. Those thoughts in mind, the Absol dove to the deepest part of the lake, and sunk her claws into the mud to stay in place. Then, she decided to see if nearly drowning had altered her ability to inhale water and not choke on it...

/

Alright, before you ask- NO! XELA IS NOT A WATER TYPE!
The whole ordeal with "Breathing underwater" could be one of two things.
1. She's just that calm underwater
2. The experiments gave her the ability to breath underwater- as in, she has a set of aquatic lungs inside of her normal lungs. She just can't switch between the sets unless she's completely calm. So, startling her would lead to her lungs suddenly switching from "Aquatic" to "Land" while underwater.

As for her, other talent. The one we wont see until next chapter. I want YOU, my viewers, to come up with a name for it. If not, I'll just start calling it "Dreamscape" or something. I'll let this...Idk, poll? Build up options for a few chapters before I decide to name it- as in, it won't be named until the next time Xela uses it.

Until then-

Comments? Reviews? Character offers? Flying purple octopuses? XD Disregard that last option ^^