Author's Note: I think weekly updates work pretty good for Journey from Sin C: Not too long a wait but not too quick for me to need to force myself to write :D

Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine, even if I'd do anything to own Wes ;_; Please Nintendo, give him to me for Christmas?

Summary: Rui and Wes were let off the hook for snatching away the raging Flaaffy, though, the town wants to pummel them silly. Now with three of these wild Pokémon, they see they are digging themselves father and farther into their quest. Sherles has added to their mission... what is wrong with Duking, and what is Pyrite hiding from everyone...?

Wes's Team:

Lune (Umbreon)

Imp (Espeon)

Tenzin (Makuhita)

Flame-O (Quilava)

Flaaffy (Flaaffy)

Wes and Rui took Sherles advice about avoiding Pyrite's trademark duel square. So the rest of the day was spent hidden away within old Fateen's home, cramped up together in the closet-sized bedroom. It wasn't a comfortable arrangement, especially with Imp complaining about Lune stepping on his tail constantly. Rui didn't like small spaces either, and whenever she attempted to stretch herself out, some body part or another would sharply press against poor Wes. It was a train wreck, and Wes had decided they'd continue their 'dark Pokémon' search once the sun set. People would be out and about but, the cover of darkness would cloak them.

When they'd first returned to Fateen's quarters, they were met the old woman's bemused face. She took in their rustled appearance, humming as if very amused. Wes' goggles hung over his eyes and he panted, Rui's back pressing against the door, slumping. "I'll assume things went well?" Imp and Lune hung close to the teenagers' sides, equally as tired as they for the moment from their haste.

"Dandy," Rui managed to say between breaths, flushed.

Wes however grunted moodily, shoulders sulking as he crossed the wooden floor. "Never assume Mother," he replied once he managed to catch his breath. "Makes an ass of you and me, you know."

"I'll make an ass out of myself all I want child," Fateen replied rather sassily, grinning as she shot the young man a devious look. "I can assume many things with how you two look right now all sweaty and breathless there."

It took Rui several moments to realize what the old fortune teller was implying before she turned many shades of red. Wes though just balked as Lune raised his head from where he now lay by his master's feet. His old red eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Wesley, standin' there like a dyin' Magicarp isn't gonna help you..."

The following that occurred after such a statement left Fateen clutching her stomach in hysterics as Wes shuffled into the closet-sized bed room, closing the door behind him rather moodily. "...I hope he realized I was just kidding. Rui, darling, you sick...? You are quite red." She managed to comment after her giggle fit.

She was a screwball, Rui had decided that same afternoon. Sure, they'd done good with snatching the crazy Flaaffy but being chased down by almost half of Pyrite wasn't something she'd been looking forward to. Then getting arrested and being thought as basically insane by the only police force Orre really had. Well, least they'd gotten released with the demands they fix things, which was nice...

...even if that meant most of Pyrite would be blacklisting them, and probably be wanting to snap she and Wes like pencils. That was the cost to deciding to take up the roles of vigilantes.

"Are we vigilantes?" Rui inquired to herself. She sat on the mattress, back to the wall. She was throwing a baseball up at the ceiling with Imp watching her do so with dull purple eyes. He was bored, and obviously wanted more of an adrenaline rush than hiding here all day.

The faint thumping was driving Wes bonkers, Rui could tell. Yet, she still did it. Holding in a smirk, she continued her ball tossing routine. His back was to her as he sat on the floor, his fingers rubbing Lune's ears as the old Umbreon lay curled upon his lap. After the twentieth thud, Wes finally turned his head with a indigent look.

"Do ya mind?"

"Not at all," she hummed, Rui continuing to throw the ball up and down.

She could hear him sigh. They'd been hiding out in here for a few hours now, and obviously, it was wearing the both of them down. "Can't you do somethin' else? Like... somethin' that won't drive me to punt a baby?"

Rui stopped for a moment to peer at her companion, arching a ginger eyebrow in amusement. "Thank you for that mental image Wes."

Lune raised his head faintly to offer something of a glare at his male master. Nipping at Wes' fingers, he demanded that he resume his petting. "Stop bein' so whiny. You sound like Imp right now."

"Hey, I am not whiny!" Imp replied with a hiss, sitting up gracefully from his seat. "So stuff it, old man."

Lune stood up stiffly at that from Wes' lap to stare at his brother. Scowling, Lune pinned his ears. "How 'bout ya come down 'ere and say it to my face pretty boy!"

Imp rested his head against Rui's knee nonchalantly. "Oh, I would Lune but its too scarred up for there to be a face!"

Wes gave his two pets a hard look, grunting sourly as he huffed loudly, "Okay, that's enough! We're just, tired from bein' cooped up like this."

"Well, you guys are but I was perfectly okay with bouncing my ball." Rui held up her leather ball happily, only to have Wes swipe it away and throw it as far as he could in the small room. She pouted. "No need to take it out on my poor ball, Wes."

Wes said nothing, just leaned his head back against the edge of the small bed. Rui looked down at him as she adjusted herself to sit upon her knees. Imp wasn't too happy with that, the Espeon grumbling to himself as he turned himself to curl into a ball. Though, Imp could forgive mildly as long as Rui kept scratching his ears like that. She pet him, and Imp gave something of a purr, stretching his lean body out across the lumpy mattress.

"We should check on that Flaaffy," Rui suddenly suggested, peering over Wes's head to look down at him. She reminded Wes of a Mankey sometimes, he could only bemuse. Seeing as she was pretty out there like one too.

"Check on it? There's barely room for us as is!" Imp said in reply, the fennec-fox-like Pokémon looking toward the young woman.

"Imp kinda has a point," Wes replied, golden eyes fixated upon his companion's pale face. Her ginger hair hung messily down as she looked at him. "Wild Pokémon hate to be in a closed enclosure like this, and those 'dark' Pokémon as we're callin' 'em for now are ten times more dangerous. I let Tenzin outside once and he still beat the crap out of me. We need to be more tentative."

"Speaking of Tenzin, you didn't forget what he did to my leg, right guys?" The Pokémon pointed to the scar upon his foreleg where the Makuhita had dealt the powerful blow just days ago. His arm had been twisted and broken, and Imp didn't want to go through that again.

"Least ya got cleared just around the first few nights Imp. I was in the ER part of the center for our whole trip. I'm still sore from those Pokémon." Lune looked toward his younger brother as he sat at Wes's side. He looked to Rui. "They're fighting machines, and need to take it one paw-print at a time."

Rui gave a sigh. "I realize that but don't you think being in here would be much more roomier than those Pokéballs?"

Imp and Lune shared a glance at that comment. Well, there was some truth to that. Unless you had one of those fancy whatchamacallits Luxury Balls, Pokéballs weren't the most fun things to ride in for long periods of time. It was the whole reason the two Eon brothers disliked being stored in them. They couldn't remember a time Wes willingly put them in those devices outside of when they'd been stowed away in Sherles' desk drawer just hours ago.

"That, and they need some human compassion Wes. I still have some of those herbal soaps we could use. Fateen could let us in the main room to make sure the new Pokémon are alright."

Wes lightly pursed his lips thoughtfully. "They do Rui but not now. Its too risky for us. Tenzin is alright as is but Flame-O and that Flaaffy are still too emotionally unstable to be trusted in a enclosed space like this." He paused. "Especially since Flaaffy just lost its trainer, its probably rather traumatized from me snagging it."

The red-headed woman wasn't too happy with this but she knew the snatcher was right. He was a smart one, she didn't doubt such a thing. It was too soon to try handling their two newest recruits, but it broke Rui's heart knowing they were suffering inside those tiny balls. Even in their capsules, Rui could still feel the aura they radiated. It was so strong and powerful, laced with a tight cord of fear and anger. It just wasn't natural, and heaving something a breath she didn't even know she was holding, lifted her head up to break she and Wes's steady eye contact.

"We should at least let them battle."

Wes looked mildly cautious.

"You're a trainer Wes, you yourself should know battling your Pokémon helps strengthen your bond with them."

The ex-criminal rolled himself over so he could face her fully. Lune stepped back slightly to avoid the possible outcome of being accidentally crushed by his male owner's legs. "I know that red," he told her with a nod. "But these guys are too dangerous. Last thing we need is one of them killin' someone else's Pokémon. They want our heads as is."

Lune was mildly surprised by his boy's more cautious approach.

"Pyrite is known to be brutal though Wes. You're doing too many ifs and buts right now. We can't just let those Pokémon suffer." She felt rather desperate as she stared at him with her mouth slightly open. "Wes, you don't get it. I can feel them right now. Some plastic ball isn't going to protect them or us. No matter when you let them out, they're going to be feral. I can't take feeling their emotions like this, just being close to them is screwing me up..." Rui clasped her fingers together in her lap, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She closed her eyes, and Rui could feel herself become hyper aware of everything in the room. She could feel the beating of her heart from within her breast, the deep breathing of Imp and Lune as well as Wes'. The fluctuating auras the new Pokémon had were messing with her senses, the woman feeling as if someone were pricking her vein with a sharp pin. Even the strange energy she always felt from Wes hovered oddly, and from behind her eyelids she could easily imagine that honey gold glow he carried with him. He was in thought, she realized, and Rui felt the wispiness of it practically reach toward her.

There was also something else calling out. She didn't know what exactly. Absently without much thought, she obeyed, the woman leaning forward, fingers reaching out...

...only to tumble off the bed sharply. Wes hadn't been aware of the strange mental bubble his female friend had been in, but he certainly did now with her sprawled over him. He felt stiff beneath her, and he sighed loudly.

"Rui, I think you're a bit top heavy..."

Any embarrassment she felt then intensified at that as she glared down at him, as well as mild anger. "Creep," she grumbled, swatting him against the jaw. His eyes were just wide, not entirely sure how his comment had been so out of line.

Wait.

Oh...

His jaw dropped and Wes scowled with something of a red face. "I'm not some pervert, yeesh. Besides, you're the one who fell on me if anythin'!"

Rui hummed sheepishly in reply at that as she tried to untangle herself from her friend. Wes struggled with her, grunting as he managed to sit up. He pulled Rui up with him by the shoulders.

Imp quipped up loudly, "The tension is thick between these ones..." He was trying to stifle a laugh, which just earned him a scowl from both Rui and Wes alike. "What? I'm just speakin' the truth... gosh."

Wes grumbled to himself as he brushed his arms off. Rui could see he was a little flustered, and she didn't blame him as she too just tightened her lips into a thin line. Now sitting on the floor, she shuffled her weight slightly so she could sit next to her male friend.

She looked at him. "Um, sorry about slappin' you before. Heh..."

Wes just looked indifferent as he cradled his jaw with the palm of his gloved hand. "Don't mention in it, iron fingers," he replied, managing a smirk for her favor.

Rui curled her lips slightly as she lightly kicked him in the side of his leg. He just looked at her in mock pain as she huffed, arms crossed like a unhappy little girl. "You're such a jerk."

"Says the one who keeps hittin' me." The words came out almost sing-songy, and Rui had to pinch her nose to resist snorting at the odd sound.

Lune watched the two with amused eyes before Wes finally turned to him, the young man trying to stretch himself out. Rui pushed him with her elbows, telling him to stop hogging the floor. He just shot back a comment of his own and continued his leisurely stretch without much more of a problem. Though, Rui wasn't too pleased with being cramped up like she was.

"Lune, can ya tell what time it is?" Wes inquired.

"Indeed I can, it feels like five-thirty, at least." He turned his eyes to one of his glowing rings. With night falling, they seemed to glow brighter and brighter, as if the Umbreon could feel the power of his evolutionary element pulsing through his veins. In a way, Lune was like a living clock. "It should be growin' dark."

"Why don't we just, oh I dunno, say, look out the window?" Imp pounced from his seat on the bed to poke his head out the closet door. Wes reached out after him to stop his Pokémon.

"Imp, get back 'ere!" Lune scowled at his brother, the old Umbreon chasing after the other Eon. His teeth clasped around Imp's tail and the Espeon scowled rudely.

"As much as I love you brother, and believe me, I do and all... but I really hate when you do that! I can't do anythin' to you! Freaking type advantages!" Imp could only slouch his shoulders.

Lune looked proud of himself, tail wagging slowly like a young Eevee pup. "Don't worry Imp, Wes'll ask you for the mornin' time before ya know it."

Imp looked to his night-time counterpart with a grunt, though said nothing more. However, voices caught the young male's attention and the Pokémon raised his ears. "Hey, you guys hear that?"

Wes stood up, cautious as he went to the door. Leaning against it lightly, he jiggled the knob to let it hang ajar. Golden eyes lightly narrowing, he could see the hunched form of Fateen as she sat at her fortune telling table. A tall and buff man stood across from her, his large hands splayed along its surface. His stature looked weak, head bowed.

"...I don't know what to do anymore Mother," the stranger said, looking hollow. "They got me good, madam Fateen."

Her old head dipped low in a nod as she reached across the table to take his hand. "I know m'dear," she hummed, soft and tender. "But things will let up, I can see it."

He scoffed. "'Let up?' I needed a laugh," he added with a sigh.

"Duking, since when have my predictions ever steered you wrong?" Fateen looked mildly insulted, the light of a candle nearby setting her face ablaze in colorful reds and oranges.

"Since you literally avoid tellin' me what I need to know at the point in time." Duking's face was twisted unhappily, the man pulling his massive palm from her frail grasp. "You do this all the time."

Fateen just shook her head in a mixture of disappointment and pity toward him.

Wes could feel Rui creeping to stand behind him, her breath tickling his jawline. "Duking... isn't that the man Sherles wanted us to figure out? In exchange for walking out free...?"

Indeed... Wes could only think, wrinkling his nose. His back supported Rui's weight as she tried to poke her nose into whatever conversation Fateen and the large man were having. Imp's bat-like ears were perked very high as the Espeon sat just beneath his male owner's knee.

"It is not my place to mess with destiny. I am only a messenger, its your job to find where you're going."

Duking sighed, his nostrails flaring. "I don't have much time though Fateen," he quipped, sounding desperate as he looked down at the tiny woman. "Please, you of all people should understand...!"

She was solem as she raised herself up to stand. Her hands rested at her back as she turned slowly, the fortune teller breathing softly. "Duking, I do understand. My Sight lets me see many things," she murmured. "I can see tomorrow, yesterday, and even far beyond that. However..." She limped slowly toward one of her many book shelves at the back of the room. Wes could see her very clearly now as she hovered by the door. However, her attention was on a book. It intrigued him, and he could hear Rui's breath hitch too in curiosity. "It is not my job to be a puppet master."

Her jaw was slightly tight, and for a moment, he wondered if the old woman could see he and Rui as they spied out like naughty children on Christmas Eve. Her gaze seemed to see straight through them before she turned back to Duking.

"Do you understand me Duking?"

He was quiet, nodding respectfully despite how hurt he seemed. Rui could feel it in powerful waves, and her knees threatened to buckle at the heartsickness he felt. What was it that was tormenting this poor, poor man? One who Sherles said was so powerful?

"Pyrite has had some disturbance with all kinds of people lately with weird Pokémon. We haven't managed to git much out of the investigation, because our hands are too tied. Especially since Duking signed the Colosseum over to a strange band of men right out the blue." Sherles words echoed within her mind, and Rui frowned. Was it those men who were causing Duking such misery? Sherles had said all Duking now did was hide within his house, meek and hesitant...

There was the sounds of feet padding off, and by now, Rui had taken a seat upon the mattress, her hands on her lap. Wes turned away to close the door, quiet as he didn't want to explain to Fateen why they'd been eavesdropping like they had. He took a seat beside her, and the two exchanged looks.

The puzzle was falling into place...