* X: Annex *

Anubis, Delta, and Acadia emerged from the woods and took their first steps back onto the sand of the east coast. Delta was overjoyed by the touch of sand and the ocean breeze. He ran and tumbled onto the sand, ecstatically laughing. He rolled around before he finally got up, grinning.

"You sure are happy to be back to the ocean," Anubis examined.

"Hell yeah, I am!" exclaimed the umbreon, shaking sand from his fur.

Acadia walked towards the beach, leaving Anubis and Delta. She was about to get into the water when she remembered the money she had stolen. She backed away and twisted her head around to see her tails. In between the thick, fur-patted bases of her tails was where she had been hiding her money this entire time. She felt between her tails with her nose, making sure the money hadn't gotten wet. 'I haven't swam in the ocean for a while. This damn, stolen money...' She walked out of the water, her tails in the air, and sat on the dryer sand, sighing sadly. 'I shouldn't swim in water anyway. It's not good for types like me.'

The lucario and the umbreon watched her from where they stood.

"She was about to get in the water, wasn't she?" Anubis asked.

"Acadia's a fire type animal. She can't go in water."

"Well, she just got her paws wet. She's... so strange." Anubis averted his gaze from Acadia to Delta. "She left me in the forest last night to go talk with you. What'd she say?"

"She asked me what had happened to me before I started my journey."

"Oh," Anubis scratched at his ear. "What did you say?"

"I told her," Delta replied, frowning.

Anubis' eyes grew wide. "You told her but you never told me?" Anubis folded his arms angrily. He felt somewhat jealous (another 'new' emotion).

Delta bit his lip and frantically shook his head before whispering, "I love her, Anubis... She asked me and I couldn't not tell her. She could get anything out of me if she asked, what with her kind nature and sexy beastiness..."

Anubis' frown suddenly transformed to a smile. "I knew that already, Delta," he laughed. "It's obvious."

"It is?" Delta's eyes dilated as he bit his paw.

"Well, no. I mean I can tell from your aura."

Delta let out a sigh of relief. His ears perked up as an idea came to his mind. "Do you know if-if she... loves—"

"No. I can't read her mind. I don't know why, but she's able to keep her thoughts from me."

Delta shrugged and lay on the ground. Feeling the warmth from the sand was like feeling the warmth from Acadia's fur. He waited a moment before saying, "You want to know about my past, then?"

Anubis gazed forward at the ninetales, deep in thought. "Are you okay with talking about it?"

"It doesn't bother me that much, yeesh."

Delta told Anubis the same story he had told Acadia the night before. Anubis didn't cry, though. There was no reason for him to. Sure, the story had upset him, but he was happy he finally had gotten closure.

He gave the umbreon a brief pat on the head before standing up and stretching. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you, Delta," he said sincerely. "I'm sorry about your parents, too."

"Eh, everyone has to go at one point," Delta responded, getting up and stretching as well. "I've had a tough life, yeah, but at least I wasn't brutally beaten all the time..."

Anubis ignored his comment. "Let's continue up the beach. We still have some daylight."

They collected Acadia and set off up the beach. They travelled about three miles until a loud roar caught their attention. They turned around and saw a large salamence land on the beach twenty meters from them. Three animals slid off the dragon and walked weekly towards the trio. There was another passenger, an odd, green and white being, but she stayed on its back. Anubis, Delta, and Acadia didn't recognize her nor the dragon, but to their disbelief, they did recognize the luxray, absol, and croagunk who stumbled towards them.

Acadia, a look of horror plastered upon her face, cautiously walked forward and yelled, "What do you three want? Leave us alone!"

Anubis entered a fighting stance while Delta growled intimidatingly, his back perked up and his fur standing on end. They were outnumbered, and they were up against a damn dragon!

"Relax," ordered Aimant feebly. "We're sorry for what we have done, but we did it because we had to, or else we'd starve."

"Get a job, scum!" Delta burst out.

Anubis lowered his fist and stared blankly at the luxray. He realized he had never actually assessed her feelings. The emotions that voided from her then were ones of extreme distress. She had been through a lot in her past. Not only her, but the rest of her teammates. All her teammates! The luxray, absol, and croagunk had no families and lived a life of poverty. The dragon had been recently caught by a trainer and was separated from its best friend, the luxray. The green and white creature... watched her lover die before she was caught and nearly raped. Anubis felt a sudden pang of guilt, but something was still sketchy about the group. "Luxray, why didn't you three just ask to join us?"

"Who would want to feed a bunch of filthy tramps like us?" Aimant replied, her legs shaking underneath her weight. "I already know what the answer is, but please, put our problems of the past aside and accept us into your group. I'm begging you..." She was almost certain they wouldn't forgive her and her group, but to her surprise, the blue hound accepted them. "W-what? You mean -..."

Delta and Acadia were just as shocked as Aimant. "What!?" they shrilled simultaneously.

"Your words are truthful, Luxray, and I forgive you. But going the way of a criminal was never necessary."

"Anubis, what the hell are you doing?" Delta asked angrily. "They've been stealing from us!"

"Remember: I can sense their aura. They're weak and if we don't feed them they will most likely die."

"But they tried to kill us that one time."

"Delta, that was in self defense, you fool."

Delta nodded and reluctantly accepted the group just as Anubis had done.

Acadia sighed and accepted the group as well. 'Anubis' aura sight never lies,' she thought to herself as she snickered.

Aimant looked at the salamence with glee.

"I guess you don't need me anymore," it said plaintively, starting its wings up. "So long, friend. 'till we meet again." It jumped into the air and took off from where it had come from, taking the gardevoir along with it.

"Thank you both!" Aimant cried to the salamence and gardevoir. "Thank you two so much!" She coughed and stumbled to her knees, having used too much of her precious breath. The dragon was now but a speck in the distance. "'till we meet again," she mused.

"We better head to a market," Delta advised, regarding the state the group was in.

The six of them walked to the nearest beach town, Longport, while thoroughly introducing themselves. Delta and Acadia still didn't trust them very much. Even Anubis wasn't sure what to think of them, despite their truthful words. Who knows, they could just be up to something. They could be able to conceal their true thoughts from Anubis, just like Acadia. That night, the six animals ate until they were stuffed. The trio had fun, but they were, and will probably remain, very wary of the newcomers.