I didn't know how much time had passed before we stopped running, nor did I know how much distance we had actually covered in the process. As we ran, my thoughts were completely focused on the possibility that the fusion pokemon were in the midst of catching up to us, having escaped the blockade Blaziken had made. I never saw anything whenever I shot a look over my shoulder, but I preferred to be safe than sorry.

We all agreed to stop when we reached an area where the street broke into two, one continuing forward towards the southern district, and the other turning towards the western district. Lining the streets were a set of apartment buildings and small stores, in which all of them were damaged so badly it made the entire area look like a scene out of one of those end-of-the-world disaster movies. Cars littered the streets, some thrown upside down, some driven into the windows of those aforementioned stores, and some even torn into pieces and scattered all over the place.

I gulped. Something big had been through here. Something very big.

"We'll rest here," Drew said, out of breath from the running we had done. "I don't think those - whatever the hell those are - are following us now."

I looked at Drew, mentally calling him crazy for picking this place as a temporary sanctuary.

Drew caught my eye, and, seeming to read my mind, he tossed his head forward. I followed his direction, my eyebrows rising at the sight of an abandoned gas station that sat on the corner of the two separated streets. Unlike everything else, it actually seemed intact; or, at least when compared to such things as the shredded cars all around us.

We headed forward, each of us spreading out to secure the area, our pokemon being just as cautious. When we all confirmed that the place was safe, we approached the actual gas station, where I looked inside through one of its broken front windows. It was mostly dark; the only sense of light that existed was within the lights that lit up the fridges, which were still working and cooling beverages that had been for sale. With that, I was able to see the aisles of snacks, seasonings, and other items that were spread throughout the station. Of course, the employees who had been working here were gone, leaving behind proof of how desperate they really were through the money-less cash machine that lay broken in front of the checkout booth.

I turned my head, noticing that Drew had already walked through the door, his absol right behind him, who stopped every few seconds to sniff the air. I walked in after him, Lionel following me, and I gestured for Harley and Soledad to keep watch outside as we secured what would most likely be our base at the moment. Blaziken stayed close to Absol as they both moved through the various aisles, Metagross breaking away from the group to check the manager's office. Meanwhile, Drew and I made our way to the back, keeping our movements quiet so we didn't have a chance of alerting anything in case there was something bloodthirsty hiding amongst us.

I let out a sigh of relief when Drew shook his head at me, having looked into the bathrooms. We met back up with our pokemon at the entrance into the station, where we then gestured for everyone to get inside.

Using some pieces of wood from the torn up buildings outside, we started a small fire in the middle of the station with Blaziken's help. We all sat around it, and I was glad to feel a sense of warmth – a sense of actual security since this all began – as the fire cackled and danced to a song that no one could hear. I looked at Drew, whose eyes were focused on the flames; I could see their reflection in his gaze, as if he was thinking the same exact thing that I was.

"Well?" Harley then said, his voice breaking the silence that had been covering us. With the fact that the whole area was abandoned and dead, any noise, no matter from whom, sounded awkward. "What the hell were those things that were chasing us back at the hotel?"

"I don't know," I said. My frown tightened. "But I've seen one of them before."

At that, Harley and Soledad exchanged surprised glances, whereas Lionel and Drew only looked at me silently, already knowing what I was referring to.

"Back at Lilycove," I began, "before we all boarded the train to get here, one of those…things was revealed to be hiding in the train station. I accidentally disturbed it and it came after me. And, well, if it hadn't been for Drew it probably would've killed me."

"I heard about that incident," Soledad said. "They confirmed it to just be a sort of golbat, right?"

"But that's just it," Drew cut in, sounding frustrated; I couldn't blame him for despising the confusion we were all in. "It wasn't just a golbat. It looked too different to be a golbat. It may have been part golbat, but it was also something else as well."

Lionel shifted. "Then does that mean that the caretaker's pokedex was wrong?"

"Probably," I said. "Even 'brand new' devices can still have flaws, more flaws than an old one."

"So…" Harley said. "What you're trying to say is that the things that just tried to make chop suey out of us are mixed pokemon?"

"Fusion pokemon is what I call them," I replied.

"But how would they be made? How do these things even exist?"

"Obviously not naturally."

Soledad frowned. "You think they're manmade? You think some sinister entity's behind this?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Drew muttered, disgust clinging to his tone. "Only some sick bastard could create monstrosities like these."

"Like Team Rocket?" Lionel said.

"Maybe. Or maybe this is all the doing of a new group trying to experiment with things that no organizations we currently know would dare try. Yeah, that's just what we need."

I returned my eyes to the fire, my voice growing quieter. "But why attack us? Why send those monstrosities down here?"

"Maybe there's something here they want," Lionel said. "Maybe they want the source that powers all of Enfer – you know, that generator thing beneath the ground? - and they're sending these fusion pokemon to get rid of anyone who could possibly threaten their plans to obtain it."

I groaned. "Sounds like the plot to a bad horror flick."

"But it also sounds realistic," Soledad said. "I mean, undoubtedly since this city's creation it's been advertised a few times. Any power-hungry organization who's heard of it would want something to do with this, or at least an arrogant one who's willing to get it by any means necessary, even if it means creating those things."

I buried my face in my hands. "I don't know. I just don't know."

"Look," Drew began, standing up, "the important thing right now is to reach the southern district of this city and get the hell out of here. We'll rest for now – we'll probably need it – but we should leave in the morning." He frowned, turning around and walking towards the station's window. He stared up at the dome, which, following his gaze, I could see was still obscured away by the smoke of burning buildings. "Or, at least at the first sign of artificial daylight," he corrected with a grunt.

"Okay," Lionel said, standing up as well. "You guys get some rest. Metagross and I will keep watch."

"Thanks," Drew replied. "We'll take turns."

Lionel nodded, heading out the door with his metagross right behind him.

Soon, the fire was put out and we all spread out across the floor, using whatever supplies existed within the station for comfort. Harley and Soledad slept together on the other side of the room, their pokemon by their side, whereas Blaziken slept beside me, her position being that of sitting up against the wall, head slightly bowed. She looked like a warrior by doing so, but I couldn't blame her for keeping her guard up, even in a moment of peace.

I looked over, on which a couple of feet away Drew slept.

I slowly breathed out, watching as his chest rose and fell silently. Smudges of dirt covered his arms and clothes, and a small cut was on his cheek from when I had to pull him to the ground as Blaziken created a blockade for us back at Lugia's Grotto. And, even with these, he was still handsome. Despite everything, he still slept peacefully; he still looked like the Drew I knew.

I felt my hand slightly clench. The Drew I knew…

Part of me…wanted to move closer to him. Part of me wanted to find security in him rather than only just in a makeshift fire. Memories of the night we had spent together flashed through my head, where he had served as my security, where his arms had cocooned me, and I felt protected from any force, no matter what it could've been. And, even with the fact that we were now being chased by monsters – by pokemon that had been changed into mindless killers – the idea of being in his arms again filled me with a sense of hope.

But no. I couldn't, because in a situation like the one we were in, I couldn't blow up the walls around me just because I was scared. What Drew had done still hurt, and I was still debating on everything that had happened between us since we first arrived here. I couldn't betray the morals I had grown up following…certainly not now.

I tore my gaze away from Drew, and I forced my eyes closed.

I was awoken by a large crash, or some kind of sound that was coming from the back of the station. I looked to the side of me, where Drew had also been startled into consciousness, Soledad and Lionel looking just as confused as we were. Harley ran into the station from outside (I assumed that he had been assigned the last shift before morning), his cacturne right by his side.

Quickly, Drew got up, his absol following him, and they both ran towards the back of the station. I jumped to my feet, Blaziken mirroring me, and we both went after Drew, hoping that the foreign noise wasn't what we all feared it was…

When we stepped outside into the lot behind the station, I felt myself relax at the fact that what had caused the noise wasn't a fusion pokemon, but instead…

My eyebrows rose.

A…man?

Indeed. Digging through the trash that filled the dumpster by the station's wall was a man who was probably in his late thirties; with spiky, black hair, unshaven stubble, and clothes that were ragged and dirty, as if he was a homeless person who had been living on the street all his life. Behind him was a cart filled with various items – mostly half-eaten sandwiches and clothes that were only slightly less ragged than the ones he was currently wearing.

"Hello?" I spoke, coming closer to the man. A sense of relief flooded me at the fact that we had finally found another source of life. Innocent life.

"Dirty, dirty, dirty!" I heard the man say as he continued to bury through the contents of the dumpster, his words coming out quick. He reached deeper, his entire upper half now concealed. "Always dirty! You think with a place that expects to make money they would be a little cleaner. They aren't though, but am I one to complain?" He giggled. "Oh no. No, no, no. One man's trash is another man's treasure! Oh yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

I blinked, looking behind me at Drew; as well as at Harley, Soledad, and Lionel who were now beside him, just as confused as I was.

"Um…" I said, turning back around to face the man, who was still burying his way through the contents of the dumpster. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes. Yes I did. I heard you perfectly! Why do you ask?"

"Because…you didn't answer?"

"Oh, I answered, dear! You said 'hello?' and I answered! I responded! I said something in response to your own spoken words! Isn't conversing fun?"

Okay. I was creeped out.

"Who are you?" Drew asked, stepping forward.

"What?" the man in the dumpster said. "Who am I? Why do you ask? Why does it matter? In this situation, why does anything matter? Names aren't gonna save us."

"Somebody's been drink-ing," I heard Harley mutter behind me.

Drew growled at the man in the dumpster. "What do you mean?"

At that, the man picked himself up from out of the dumpster, landing on the ground and dusting himself off as if he had suddenly become an eloquent gentleman.

However, that façade went out the window just as fast as it had come in.

The man laughed, stepping forward until he was right in front of Drew and I; wide, dark blue eyes that had bags under them switching between us. "What do I mean? I could mean a lot of things. Just by one simple sentence I could mean so many things! Isn't it amazing?"

Drew and I shared a confused glance.

"Oh, don't be so cautious, friends! In a time like this, allies need to be made! Strengths need to be combined! And we can't do that if we're suspicious of everyone we come by, right? We all want to survive this; we all share the same goal, so why not work together?"

"It's going to take a lot more than that for us to trust you," Drew muttered.

"Aw, really? What a pity. What a shame. Tsk. Tsk. Oh well. You all seem to be a pretty good group, I'm sure you can survive this. I'm sure you can survive the demon."

My heart skipped a beat at that. Was he referring to the monster that first began the attack on Enfer? The giant one? "W-what did you say? Demon?"

The man threw his arms up. "Yes! Demon! A vicious demon! He stalks the streets, destroying everything in his path, because that's what monsters and demons are made for, right? To cause anguish? To cause pain? To destroy everything that is innocent? Oh, a demon he is! Yes, yes!" The man jumped forward, bearing his fingers in the form of claws, showing his teeth and letting out a vicious snarl. He then began to stomp around, even stepping on some small rocks purposely as if they were buildings. "His eyes burn red like infernos, his scales are unbreakable! His claws can tear through anything, and he is bigger than any living thing that has ever existed! He breathes fire like a charizard, but yet can also shoot a hydro pump that is stronger than any blastoise's. He can shoot lightning from the tips of his claws, and freeze an entire ocean with a mere flick of his tail. Oh, such a marvelous demon he is! Such a powerful, stunning pokemon! Too bad he's bad!"

I debated with myself on whether this guy was just a desperate man looking for attention by any means necessary – by throwing out random stories that weren't true, but still appealing to people who were terrified of the situation. On the other hand, though…

"How do you know this?" Drew asked before I could. "Are you friends with it or something?"

"Friends?" the man repeated. His face paled. "Oh, no, no, no! I am not a friend with the demon! I am just Bane. Ellis Bane. A poor unfortunate soul who has been thrown into this chaos just like you all have. But," Ellis added, raising a finger, "I know many secrets about the demon. Oh yes I do. Oh yes I do. Many, many secrets. Secrets that may be helpful to some, but worthless to others, and even a sign that I need to be locked up and kept away from other people. Oh yes. Many secrets. Many, many secrets."

"Like?" I said.

Ellis put a finger to his chin. "Let's see…what is there? Oh! The demon is not alone. I'm sure you've seen the other ones? The lesser demons? The ones that hunt after you, as well as anyone else who escapes their father's wrath? Oh yes. Those lesser demons are the children of the big demon? Fitting, eh?"

My eyes widened. "How-"

"How is that possible? I dunno. How would I know? I'm just a crazy man digging in dumpsters for some food. I'm not a scientist. I was told I'm not a scientist, but instead a crazy man that needs to be locked up before I cause trouble with my outrageous theories! Outrageous, yes!"

Ellis suddenly leaned forward, and I took a step back. No, it wasn't out of caution. He smelled.

"Here's another secret," he whispered. "The main demon controls the lesser demons. They're hunting you – they're hunting everyone – because he told them to."

My face paled.

"Why should we believe you?" Drew growled, stepping in front of me and preventing Ellis from coming any closer. "As you just said, you're just an insane person who's been locked up before. And for reasons, obviously."

Ellis pulled back. "Why so much distrust? Everyone distrusted me, and I was thrown away for it. What if I'm right? I'm not saying I am, but what if I am?" He wiggled his finger in front of Drew's face. "Then you're gonna wanna wish you listened to me. Mmhmm. Besides," he added, walking around us, smirking, "I'm one of the few people in existence who knows the name of the demon."

Drew snorted. "It has a name? You said that names wouldn't save us."

"Ah, but that was one of the situations where I was evidently wrong! Don't you see? I would admit when I'm wrong whenever I'm wrong, as long as I'm aware that I'm wrong! I'm trustworthy! Anywho, the demon's name could save everyone, or at least those who are still alive."

"How so?" I asked.

Ellis stepped away. "Oh no. No. No. No. I couldn't tell you. They might hear me. I've already told you too much. They might hear me if I tell you more, and they'll certainly lock me up again. Or maybe they'll feed me to the demon. Oh, I don't want to think about it!"

Drew arched a brow. "Who? Who's going to lock you up again?"

Ignoring Drew, Ellis reached into his cart, pulling out what looked like a black marker. Then, he began to draw on the wall of the gas station, writing something.

"I cannot speak any more, friends! The true enemy is in the shadows; they are everywhere. They can hear me. If I tell you anymore – if I tell you the demon's name – they'll have my head. Oh no, I can't say his name. Oh no. That's the key to defeating him; thus, I mustn't say it! Otherwise, they'll kill me!"

When he was done, Ellis pulled away from the wall, capping the marker and tossing it back into his cart. He looked back at us.

"Run, friends!" he said. "Run away as fast as you can! Run from the demon! Run from his children!"

"We're heading back to the surface," I replied. "They have escape pods in the southern district."

"Oh no!" Ellis buried his face in his hands. "That won't work! Don't you know? Once the demon is done with this place, he'll go to the surface and he'll destroy everything that is there! There is no point in going back, because he'll come after you! No matter what you do, the demon can find you! Hide your scent! Hide your body! It won't matter! He hunts on your fear!"

"Our…fear?" I repeated, but before I could say anything else, Ellis was already riding his cart down the street.

"Farewell, my friends!" he called out to us. "Good luck!"

And he was gone.

I looked at Drew, whose brows were furrowed in thought.

"The hell was that all about?" Harley asked, walking up to my side.

I didn't answer. Instead, I walked forward, looking at the wall Ellis had written on.

In big black font were the words…

My eyes widened.

'The demon's name is…'

I looked down at the final word.

'…Kruismara.'