Authors note: I have been waiting to publish this chapter for a long time. I had this scene in my head since Michael first met Azure. I am sorry for the wait. Also for those of you reading this, Chapter 7 has been heavily modified along with various parts of the story. Ash is no longer in this story, and he has been replaced with a character that suits the plot and will come into the story several more times. Read this chapter carefully, I put a lot of effort into it!. This chapter may be very violent and graphic, but the rating will not change.

THE CHRONICLES OF

LEGENDARY EEVEE

Chapter Twenty One: Nightmare

An explosion sounded behind me and I resisted the urge to look back as I ran, carrying Azure by the scruff of her neck. The sheer suddenness of the past events left me in a state of shock, just a few minutes ago I was lying down in my cage, and now I was in a desperate dash to escape from Arcanine who had gone crazy and was killing everyone in sight. The sound of a building collapsing thundered through the air, Arcanine's fight with Eva must be intense. Azure had stopped crying but her eyes were still wet and she still made sounds of pain because of her dislocated leg, each bounding stride causing her pain. I kept running until I was gasping for breath and had to set her down. Azure didn't even try to get up with her injured leg and laid right where I set her on her side.

I rubbed her back to comfort her while she let me look at her leg. The ball of the shoulder had been pulled out of its socket and was painfully outside of where it was supposed to be. She whimpered when I touched it, her tail finding mine to squeeze.

"It hurts…" she whimpered. My heart ached at seeing her in pain. I held her close as I cursed myself for not breaking out of the cage sooner. If only I had been stronger.

"Azure, I'm going to fix your leg, but its going to hurt." I warned and she nodded ever so slightly. She didn't resist as I rolled her onto her stomach so her injured leg stuck out to the side. I placed one paw on her shoulders to gently hold her down and grabbed her dislocated leg with my other paw. I gritted my teeth and pulled.

There was a sharp click and Azure screeched and flailed. I prevented her from hurting herself by holding her down, but one of her hind legs accidentally whacked the side of my face. It lasted for only a moment, but it was heartrending. I pulled her into a close embrace, and she pressed herself into my chest fur. I forgot for a moment that there was a insane killer hunting me down and breathed in her scent, cherishing this moment as it could be my last with Azure.

A roar sounded in the distance, a roar of anguish and pain and rage. Azure recognized the roar and totally panicked, struggling to her feet after testing out her still hurt leg. A fireball shot off into the distance, igniting the section of the forest where we were. He had heard Azure's screech earlier and guessed at where we were! I seized Azure in my mouth again and started running as the whole area around us started to catch on fire. A huge quadrupled figure started chasing us and I changed direction and used Quick Attack right into the smoking section of the woods. This way, the flames and the smoke would give us a chance to escape.

The fetid air burned my nose as I drew in breath to sustain my mad dash over the now burning forest. Azure's eyes were wide and terrified when I set her down and shot a Shadow Ball at a wall of flames to clear a path. She got up on her own, driven by her fear of fire and did a limping run on three legs while I fended off the flames with Shadow Ball. The smell of smoke and the fire had kept us hidden from Arcanine, but he was a creature of fire and we were not, we had to get out of the burning part of the forest before it was too late. Some part of me wanted to turn around and fight Arcanine once and for all, but I couldn't do that, I had to make sure Azure was safe.

"Michael, the Dimensional Scream." She whispered as she had to stop and cough with the smoke in the air. My eyes were watering from all the smoke, this was getting bad, the fire could kill us before Arcanine could. I grabbed her scruff and ignored my need of air and started running again, breathing through my nose. I mentally forced myself to run faster. Even though I had gotten stronger from my earlier defeat, I was still no match for Arcanine. If he caught us….then at least I would let Azure escape by fighting him to the death. Whatever had happened to him, he could no longer be reasoned with. The heated ground was burning my pads, and exhaustion was screaming at me to stop, but I couldn't until I was sure we were safe. The bundle of warm fur I held in my mouth gave me strength to keep running.

Despite my efforts, I had to stop and broke into a fit of coughing. Azure looked at me with worry, nudging me urgently as my lungs were burning from all the inhaled smoke. I felt weak, the heat was getting stronger as the flames approached. I shook the dizziness from my head and Azure bent her neck to let me grab her. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a storm was approaching fast. This was great, a storm brought with it rain and rain would put out the fire. I ran again, feeling the strain of running for so long without getting enough air. I had to make it out of this hell alive and with Azure, failure would mean death. The fire was far behind us now, maybe I was going to make it.

I tripped over the branch of a fallen log and went tumbling, losing hold of Azure as I rolled in the dry ground. The incline made me fall for a bit before I was able to roll to my feet. I called for Azure and strained my ears for an answer. I barely heard it among the flames and dashed toward it recklessly. Raindrops were beginning to fall and put out the fire, but it was still too soon. I found her trapped against a wall by a wall of flame, too scared of the flames to move. Using Shadow Ball, I put out the flames with a small explosion and hurriedly pulled at her fur telling her to move and snap her out of her fear.

I heard a cracking sound and a tree started to fall, right on top of Azure. Acting without thinking I sped forward and shoved her out of the way, surprise showing on her face and then horror when she saw the heavy tree start to fall. There was no time to dodge, it landed squarely on my back.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed and there was a slight cracking sound and it felt like my back had been crushed. I was immediately forced to the ground and my rib cage bent and nearly flattened with the weight of the tree. Pain like a thousand bruises and beating was all I could feel and all the air I had left was used screaming at the pain until I could only make a soundless scream, mouth still open and a metallic taste started in the back of my throat. It took me a moment to realize Azure was screaming along with me in horror.

"MICAHEL!"

Crushed by the tree, my mind was beginning to black out and I was fighting to stay conscious. I pushed up with all my legs, but all I was able to do was get a quick gasping breath before the weight was too much for me. Azure ran to my side and nudged me desperately, looking with horror at the tree slowly crushing all my bones into powder. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth brought the feeling of despair, I was going to die. I pushed again to get a breath and spoke in a voice so weak and raspy it was barely a whisper.

"Azure….run…"

"No! I'm not leaving you!" she said with determination. She grabbed my scruff and arched her back to pull, but she wasn't strong enough. She pulled so hard her teeth actually drew a little blood. Not giving up she kept trying until her feet slide on the caked earth and she fell. Undeterred she tried again while I pushed out with what strength I had left, but even our combined efforts was only able to make me slide under the tree an inch. Pushing with her hind legs and back, she kept pulling on my scruff trying to get me out from the tree, her feet leaving small furrows where they scrabbled for a hold. I watched in shock, she was refusing to run even when it was hopeless, trying to save me. Did she feel the same way I felt about her…did she love me?

The sound of heavy pawsteps and feral snarling made her turn around, and Arcanine was emerging from the forest, his fanged teeth bared and red. A look of pure terror showed on Azure's face and as Arcanine slowly padded forward, she took frightened steps backwards.

She bumped into me and jumped, so scared she was shaking in fear. Suddenly she glanced back at me, seeing me helplessly getting crushed my the tree. Something changed right there as she looked into my eyes, a strange look coming into her deep blue eyes as the fear left her, replaced by something I couldn't identify. She turned back to face Arcanine, no longer backing up and standing over me protectively. There was a stare down match between them and for the first time in her life, she didn't cower in fear. Arcanine growled and got ready to attack, his huge bulk rippling under his blood colored fur. She glanced back at me one final time and charged him head on to my horror.

A soft and warm crimson light began to rise out of Azure's fur until it coated her in a shroud. I realized with a start that this was the same attack that had broken me out of the cage. Unfazed, Arcanine charged forward to meet her attack without any sign of remorse or hesitation. Sheer shock flooded through my mind as I realized what attack Azure was using.

Azure used Return, the crimson light switching to whatever she attacked him with as she hit him with a full on charge despite her injured leg. It seemed to be impossible to comprehend but Azure's attack easily overpowered Arcanine's attack and the small brown fox sent the fire beast skidding back a bit from the power of the attack. I was shocked, Return was a move that got stronger based on feeling of love and companionship, and the attack had been stronger than Arcanine. My heart thudded in my chest, Azure loved me!

But as strong as the attack was, it wasn't enough.

Skidding back a bit from the force of the attack, Arcanine lurched forward and swung a huge paw and batted away Azure's small body with a heavy sweep of his clawed paw. The impact could be easily heard as she let out a shriek of pain and went skidding on the ground. Because of her leg, she couldn't hope to get up fast enough to dodge his scything jaws.

He caught her between his hideous fangs and jerked his head side to side vigorously. Numb shock ran through my head as there was a snap and her head lolled back unconsciously. The sound of her neck breaking made my blood freeze. With another jerk of his head he discarded her to the side where she landed in a crumpled heap…and didn't get up.

"NO!" I screamed and fought to move, but the tree was too heavy. I strained my muscles until they stung like knives but still I couldn't move, anger replacing shock as I stared at her limp form, not twitching in the slightest, bleeding from where his fangs had pierced her. Arcanine seemed to be interested in my reaction. Azure still didn't move, her blue eyes were still open, and dim.

"Azure loved me and now she's dead!"

I scraped my claws on the ground so hard lightning bolts of pain shot through my pads as I tried to pull myself out from under the tree and hold her in my arms and try to get her to wake up. My teeth clench from anger. I wanted to tear Arcanine into a thousand bloody pieces for this! The pressure in my head was building, like a caged beast trying to escape at last.

"Azure, I won't let him hurt you, I promise."

"You…murderer…why her!" I yelled despite having a tree crushing my rib cage, the pressure in my head now at the bursting point and spreading across my whole body. Hot tears of rage starting to fall down from my eyes as I looked at her prone body. I couldn't keep that promise to her, I wasn't strong enough. I had been too weak to save Sparky, and now I was too weak to protect Azure. Why was I never strong enough? No matter how hard I tried, I never could protect anyone who was close to me. Why! WHY!

"Why do you care so much anyway?" Arcanine snarled, his insane eyes flashing.

"SHUT UP!" I roared, feeling an electrifying fire flood through my veins, feeling the addicting rush of power begin to fuel my rage. It felt like I was burning, but I didn't care, all I cared about was that I was going to shred every single last drop of blood in Arcanine's body. I was going to make him pay, I was not going to be too weak again.

He took Azure from me, I was going to take his life!

Suddenly Azure twitched and groaned, blinking her eyes and trying to get her legs under her. There was a second of stalemate as we both stared in shock at someone we had thought dead start to move. Arcanine snarled and lunged,

And I felt something shatter in my mind and black lightning tore out of my body.

Θ Azure's POV Θ

Pain. That was all I could feel as suddenly everything went black as if someone had turned out the lights. For a few seconds I panicked as I couldn't feel anything before reality and pain brutally returned. My neck hurt, but it wasn't broken. It took me a few moments to get a hold of myself, and I heard snarling and yelling. Desperation at the thought that I was still fighting Arcanine helped chase away the blackness which threatened to consume me. I strained my legs to try and get them under me and blinked as my eyes were still open.

There was a shocked expression on Arcanine's face before he suddenly lunged, fangs bared this time to bite me in half. I cringed, expecting pain when suddenly a strange feeling shot through the air. There was the sound of wood shattering and ferocious snarling as a black blur intercepted Arcanine in a frenzy of claws and fangs. The attack sent them both into a rolling death match until Arcanine kicked off the feral black mass which landed on its feet a distance away, snarling.

It was Michael, but something was desperately wrong. His brown fur was now jet black and spiked up in an intimidating appearance. His paws now sported huge curved and serrated claws that gouged the ground. Wicked obsidian colored fangs stuck out of his mouth, now wet with blood. There was something wrong with him, the protective presence he once offered was replaced with a ferocious, terrifying presence. His eyes were messed up, now showing a crescent shaped slit of blood red.

"I'm gonna kill you!" He roared in an unrecognizable voice that scared me before he launched himself forward at Arcanine with wild abandon and speed that shouldn't have been possible for his size. Arcanine roared and charged forward, baring his teeth and hurling himself upon the demonic eevee.

Blood sprayed as claws tore through fur and fangs met flesh. I watched in horror as Michael fought with wild abandon and bloodlust. Gash after bloody gash appeared on Arcanine as the two tore into each other. Twisting around suddenly, Michael fastened his teeth on Arcanine's back. The fire beast rolled again and again to dislodge him before slamming the feral Pokemon away with Iron Tail, knocking him away again.

Michael jumped to his feet somehow ignoring the deep bloody cuts all over him and charged head on at Arcanine. The black lightning encasing him was using his body like a puppet, forcing him to get up and keep fighting. It was as if he was able to push his body to such an extent he was tearing himself to pieces. There was no strategy, only feral bloodlust as he sped past Arcanine with an Extremespeed, opening a long gash in the fire beasts side.

Arcanine retaliated with his own Extremespeed and they both disappeared in a blur of speed before a spray of blood showed and Arcanine had Michael pinned down with his greater size. Fangs and claws tearing into the arm that held him, he tore out of the fire beasts grip just as a stream of fire nearly incinerated him. He had been a second too late as the fire badly burned Michaels back leg, burning all the fur away and leaving it red and raw. Again he was hit with Iron Tail as he attempted to attack Arcanine rather than dodge, sending him skidding across the ground.

He leapt to his feet again, ignoring injury as the black lighting condensed in a ball in his mouth and he shot an empowered Shadow Ball at Arcanine. The fire beast dodged with Extremespeed and lashed out at the demonic eevee who was fast enough to dodge with his own Extremespeed. A black blur cut a gash across Arcanine's chest as it shot by. When it made a second strike, Arcanine struck Michael with a powerful bat of his paw. He was able to dodge Arcanine' Iron Tail that tried to smash him into the ground by using Extremespeed.

But there are always physical limits that cannot be ignored, no matter how hard you are forced to push yourself. The Extremespeed put too much pressure on his already weakened body.

Both his left legs shattered at the joints when he tried to change direction too fast. This time Michael uttered a howl of pain before crumpling to the ground, the black lighting still trying to pull the bones together and make him keep fighting. Arcanine shot an intense star shaped blast of fire that was so hot I felt it even from where I was. Too broken and hurt to get up, he couldn't possibly dodge it as the attack hit him directly in a show of fire.

"No!" I cried, smelling burnt fur already as the flames obscured my vision of Michael as they towered upward. There was no way he could have dodged that, the fire killed him. He was dead! My shocked mind tried to deny the fact hopelessly as Arcanine turned around. He grinned arrogantly and showed his teeth, still bleeding from multiple injuries.

"Your turn, bitch." He said, bit for some reason, there was an inward frustration in his eyes. Like he had expected some feeling or something by killing Michael. The same expression he wore after killing Mightyena. Like he expected that murdering them would ease his pain. He took a step forward, baring his fangs as he prepared to maul me to death. I backed up fearfully, too scared to turn away even for a second, still in shock of seeing Michael die.

"Arcanine….please." I begged but he suddenly shot forward and a huge paw batted me to the ground. Before I could get up, he slammed his foot on my shoulders, forcing me to the ground painfully. I couldn't breathe, he was putting so much weight on me it felt like my spine would break. I opened my mouth in a soundless scream on pain as he slowly unsheathed his claws into my back. Just as he was about to flay the fur off my back, he stopped and froze. In the direction where the raging flames that had killed Michael were, an unnatural feeling shot through the air, sending a chill down my neck with a feeling of dread. Utterly shocked at what he saw, Arcanine's pin on me slacked so much I was able to wiggle free and turned to see something that made my very blood freeze.

The flames turned black, and a chill resonated through the air from the unnatural fire. Twisted strands of black lightning, shot off in all directions, and a shadowy figure rose amongst the terrible energy. The surge of black flames died down to reveal…a monster.

It was no longer Michael or anything that even looked like him. His body was mutated and twisted beyond recognition and liquidly shadow covered every inch of him, making determining his real shape difficult as all that could be seen was the inky black energy covering him. Its limbs were elongated and twisted and bearing huge scythe shaped claws that seemed too big for it. The vague shape of the shadowy monster was like a panther/fox combination that looked menacing. Furthermore, the monster was now the size of Arcanine. Four writhing tentacle like tails whipped around behind it as if they had a mind of their own, seemingly made entirely out of dense semi transparent energy.

Arcanine looked taken aback for a second before charging toward the monster in the ring of black flames with a somersaulting Flame Wheel attack. The monstrous figure that was once Michael did not even try to dodge, it threw its head back and roared.

A shockwave shot in every direction as it roared and Arcanine's attack was completely stopped and the fire beast was thrown back fifteen feet before crumpling to a landing on the ground. The shockwave of the roar knocked me over despite the fact that the attack had been aimed at Arcanine. I was utterly terrified. It was a roar like I have only heard once before, and will probably never hear again. It was the kind of roar that sucks all the warmth in your body and replaces it with ice, the kind of roar that shatters any rational thought and fills your mind with panic and fear. The kind of roar that makes you want to run and hide and curl up into a ball until you know that it is safe hours later.

The roar from the Dimensional Scream

The figure started slowly walking toward Arcanine with its four tails whipping around behind it. Snapping to his feet with a hidden reserve of energy, Arcanine disappeared in a burst of Extremespeed and re appeared behind the four tailed black beast. He never even got the chance to attack, without even looking back one of the monsters four tails struck Arcanine across the jaw, spinning him like a top and knocking out a few fangs. Slowly turning to face him with terrifying movements, the monster started at him and I saw its eyes, and they terrified me.

Any hint of the kindness and gentleness of Michael was gone, his black eyes replaced with glowing red eyes with black slits. There was more of the bloodthirsty red color in his eyes that there was of his own black. Those eyes did not comprehend anything around it, it just craved for violence. The eyes held anger at the world, a terrifying hatred for existence gleaming in them. This was not Michael, this was some monster that had taken over his body. This was no longer a fight of us verses Arcanine, it was a giant free for all to try and survive this horrible monster that had been unleashed. I saw an emotion I had never seen before in Arcanine's eyes, never once in his life had he ever shown what he was now.

Fear.

The tails on the monster reared up like snakes and stretched out to strike Arcanine who attempted to dodge with Extremespeed, but the tails stretched and caught him, lifting him in the air and throwing him. I had to scramble out of the way to avoid being crushed by the falling Arcanine. The fire beast groaned and got to his feet shakily, showing signs of exhaustion and severe blood loss. He readied a ball of flame in his mouth and shot a Fire Blast at the monster. All four of the creatures tails arced in front of it protectively and the Fire Blast hit the tails, annihilating one but the other three were damaged. They instantly regenerated, they had no physical form, they were condensed energy. The four tails lashed out and struck Arcanine again, I heard a rib crack where one of the tails struck the frantically dodging Arcanine. Fear was gleaming in the once proud and arrogant Pokemon's eyes, searching desperately for a way out.

The black monster that was once Michael sped forward so fast it was like he teleported, batting Arcanine to the ground cruelly. A clawed and black hand gripped Arcanine's foreleg and the monster broke it in three places, the cracks sounding through the air along with Arcanine's howls of pain. This was wrong, I never liked Arcanine much, but I never wanted to see him tortured, the sound of his pained howls echoing sorrowfully. I sped forward, somehow finding the courage by thinking that if everything just stopped Michael would be okay.

"Stop it! Don't do this just-" I never finished that statement as one of the four tails whipped around seemingly with a mind of its own and struck my underside. I went flying and landed in a heap, hunching up in pain. It felt like a sledgehammer had hit me in the stomach. He hurt me.

In this distraction, Arcanine was able to wiggle free and stuck the monsters side with an Iron Tail. The attack was powerful and hit the monster, but all it did was push it back a bit before the four tails reared up like scorpions tails and stuck the Fire beast, three of them making deep gashes in his back but he was able to dodge the fourth with tried to impale him brutally. Surging forward in a whirlwind of impossible speed the black monster appeared before Arcanine and slashed him across the face and chest with its huge claws, leaving gouges that would probably never heal as the force of the attack knocked Arcanine over and his paws slid over the edge of a cliff, his front claws desperately grabbing at the ledge.

Both arms severely wounded and hurt, the Fire type somehow held on, watching with frustration in his eyes as the monster appeared above the dangling Arcanine like an angel of death. I suddenly recognized this was the same frustration I had seen in Michaels eyes, anger at ones own weakness. Despite the fact that Arcanine had devoted everything in his entire life to fighting, he still was not strong enough, there was still someone more powerful that him. For the first time in my life, I saw Arcanine cry and he let go of the mask he held over his emotions and his eyes looked so impossibly sad and hurt and confused.

Weather Michael was going to save him or kill him, I never found out. As Michael's tails arched over his black bulk, Arcanine let go of his own will. Throwing his paws in the air and letting himself fall swiftly before his back hit a rock and broke, then his body was swept away in the river. He had committed suicide rather than be beaten for the first time in his life; hanging onto the only thing he had left: pride.

A few moments went by in numb shock as I saw the black monster standing motionless right where it used to be, its tails whipping around in a combination of confusion and frustration, like a predator upset over the loss of its prey. I didn't dare make any move as the smoke like wisps on its forelegs and back were getting bigger. Suddenly it spun around and glared at me, and there was no recognition in its red demonic eyes. Frozen stiff with fear it reared back its head and roared.

The shockwave lifted me clear off my paws and threw me back as I flailed helplessly before slamming into a tree. The sheer force of the attack left me too stunned and dazed to do anything while I tried to get a hold of myself, helplessly watching the monster that had once been Michael walking slowly over to me in a menacing way. Why was he doing this, what had happened to the kind eevee that had saved me so many times, that had helped me when I was hurt and comforted me when I was sad. By the time I was able to shakily raise to my feet, the monster was in my face, tails whipping around behind it.

"Michael please, wake up-" I couldn't even finish that statement as it swiped at me with its claws. I flinched back and the tips of his claws sliced through my already injured shoulder, drawing blood as I screamed. The wound burned like fire and ice. Total fear took a hold of my mind as I realized I was going to die like Arcanine and I lost it, screaming in terror and making a mad dash to escape. I didn't get very far before one of his tails stretched out and swept my legs out from under me, sending me crashing to the ground before another tail wrapped around my midsection, squeezing all the breath out of me before I could scream.

It was so cold yet it burned like fire where it touched me, like it did not have a physical form and existed only of dense energy. I was lifted off the ground as it pulled back, squeezing me so hard I thought I would spit out blood. Michael held me in front of him with one tail, a feral snarl showing on his deformed and covered face, teeth bared to bite into me and rip out my insides. I looked into his menacing red eyes, begging him to let me go as I couldn't breathe from the grip of the tail. I was crying but I couldn't help it, he was going to kill me. For a moment, I thought I saw some terrible struggle going on in those red eyes before the tail suddenly jerked and I was thrown to the side. As I went flying I heard a howl of anguish.

I landed at the wrong angle and went sliding over the edge of the cliff. There was a terrifying free fall as I flailed, and by some chance of fate my front paws snagged a tree growing in the side of the cliff. The river was surging underneath me, frothing like the jaws of a predator about to devour its prey. My hind legs and tail was dangling helplessly in midair, unable to find a foothold as I felt my grip slipping, my small claws leaving furrows in the wood. Michael appeared overhead as my injured shoulder gave out and I was hanging with only one paw on the tree, slowly losing my grip. There was a lot of smoke like wisps detaching from him as if the shadowy stuff that covered him was fading, and the black slit in his eye was dilated. He stiffened tails flailing as they got smaller as if unsure of what to do. A burning pain was spreading from my shoulder and I made the mistake of looking. The wound Michael had given me had turned black and the inky shadow was spreading all down my arm. The shock of it made me lose my grip.

There was a howl of anguish and the tails stiffened then all four spiraled downward trying to reach me. There was another roar of frustration as my back hit the cold water and my vision blurred as I went underwater, but the last thing I saw of him was him lose consciousness and slump down as the darkness around him faded. The current grabbed me and pulled me along at terrible speed as I hit the bottom, rocks and other gunk getting caught in my fur. I instinctively started dog paddling until I could reach the surface and took a gasping breath. I had already been swept away so far Michael was no where in sight.

The river spit into two, but I couldn't tell anything as I was slammed against another rock and nearly blacked out. It was only a few minutes before I couldn't swim anymore and the current tossed me around like a rag doll. My lungs were bursting for air, but I couldn't make it back up to the surface. Just as spots of black were starting to appear I washed up against a sandy shore and hung on weakly. Still panting for breath, I couldn't get up for a while, aware of pain spreading from my arm to all over me. I turned to look and utterly panicked. My arm was on fire with black flames, and they were spreading all over me, already licking up my back and ears. Too weak to even roll over as the coldness of the fire took all my warmth away.

"Help…someone please…." I called out weakly as I started to pass out, the flames still on me. I heard a human voice and out of my failing vision I saw a blond haired girl appear out of no where, a look of horror on her face as she saw me. The last thing I saw was a red and white orb hit me on my back and a red light engulf me and send me into a void of no feeling at all before I passed out.