This chapter will begin the darker ark of the Shifters and Shadows story. I know I've pointed out places before where we begin to deal with darker themes; this is no exception. I mainly post this as a warning to any younger reader, as it is not my intent to cause one to dwell on these darker aspects, but all the same, it may happen. I believe that if one has at the very least read Maximum Ride, they should be good for this chapter, though I will admit that each person has different tolerance levels. I just wished to point out that though we have seen mentions before of trauma in certain characters' pasts, it was just a hint of what was to come. For there are truths that will be discovered in this arc, and they are not the kind that are easy to bear.

A quick response to reviewer Guest: I appreciate the OC submission, but when I checked it, most of the information you provided was somehow cut out by the review system, leaving me with very little to work with. When you review this chapter, please also re-submit your OC's information.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Pokémon, or the unnamed scientist, the sailor, and the submitted OCs.

Memorial Day is the day we honor those who have served our country, fighting to protect that which we hold dear. To all those who have risked their lives in combat: A very heartfelt Thank You!

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Chapter 23: Captive

The party was still going full-swing, the music loud and thrumming with staccato beats and rhythms that tugged at me, trying to call me back. I did my best to ignore it though, opening the door to the back part of Professor Oak's lab. Slipping inside the dim passage—the lights were off to conserve power and the sun was shining brightly today—I softly shut the door behind me and headed down the hall to a side room I was coming to know well. Normally, I wouldn't have been allowed back here, but at the moment I had special permission…

A faint, soothing hum emanated from the room ahead, and I gently pushed open the door. Inside the small room was a line of incubators, one of which was online. Star was curled underneath it, and she flicked her eyes in my direction, though her head remained on her paws until I sat down next to her.

"Hey, Star…" I murmured, scratching her behind the ear. She leaned into my touch. "You're missing a fantastic party. Is the Egg still doing all right?"

Her low, growling purr rose briefly above the pitch of the incubator, and I smiled. "It must be, then. Still, I wish I could still understand you…But your language is foreign now, and I can't get hang of it any more…" I sighed, slightly frustrated. Mild concussion indeed….That one had cost me. I knew if I Shifted I'd be able to understand Star, but there was a problem with that: she had a fierce maternal instinct, and wouldn't even let me near the Egg when I wasn't human. I'd suspected all those weeks ago when she'd started acting aggressively towards the others that she might've been expecting, and so when the Egg had appeared, I wasn't too surprised. But that had just taken things to a whole new level, and only when my friends and I arrived here did it start to make sense. Star was a new mother, and her Egg was a little more fragile than normal—not in regards to the shell, but the Shinx inside. She wasn't quite sure what to do about that fact, other than keep everything at a distance until the Egg hatched. So Professor Oak had given me access to one of the incubators, and Star had spent practically every free moment in here ever since.

I got to my feet, peering into the incubator. The Egg was nestled in a pile of blankets, a couple of sensors stuck to it to monitor its health. The screens attached to the monitor were brightly lit with the data scrolling across them, and I couldn't help but feel excited when I saw that the Egg's stats, though lower than normal, were right on track and indicating a healthy Pokémon within. Dropping back down next to Star, I hugged her around her shoulders. "The Egg's doing wonderfully. They'll be a little frail at first, but you're going to have a beautiful son or daughter. Congratulations, Star!"

Her purring reached a triumphant crescendo, and I leaned my face into her soft mane. Star had been one of my first three Pokémon, caught before I had lost my ability to understand Wildkin speech when human. The third had been Diana, my Staraptor, currently back at the party and—last I saw—enjoying the company of a fine-looking male of her species. I briefly wondered if there might be more Eggs in my future…

The tone of Star's purr suddenly dropped, becoming a low growl. I felt her tense, then she sprang to her paws, stepping in front of the incubator. "Star? What's wrong?" I reached to touch her with my mind, getting an impression of her emotions. Danger. Protect my son!

"Protect…" A sudden cry from outside shattered the air, and Star bristled, a faint charge running through her mane—one she would not release until she had to. Instantly I was on my feet, putting myself between her and the incubator as a second line of defense. The link flared; Kitt! We've got trouble!

What is it?!

Hunters; at least two of the professional teams! There was a note of terror in David's voice. Not to mention their crews, and some of the Mercenaries!

The whole place is in chaos. Emma added. A number of people have taken charge, but there's only so much that can be done. Worse, most are just here to cause panic, the others are only taking select Pokémon: the exceptionally strong ones…including yours!

I felt panic flare in my heart. My Pokémon…I'd left them vulnerable! I couldn't do anything; I had to stay with Star and the Egg….Then the panic evolved into pure horror—Members of my foster family were here, too!

Cameron, contact the others!

What's wrong? His voice was strained; he was using his Aura.

Have you seen an older woman with a Ninetales, or a Jolteon, or an elderly Primeape recently?

Yeah. They were herding a number of other Pokémon away from the fighting. Diana and Kirito are covering them.

And Ash?

Leading a charge into the thick of it. Michael cut in. There's Shadows all over the place…

Shit, shit, shit….

Jake, what's the matter?

We're losing Pokémon. Abbi and Amanda have gone down….

No! Not them! Not with their past…!

I'll see what I can do, Emma called back. Cameron, watch out!

Wha—uhhn! Cameron suddenly fell silent, his side of the link cutting out.

Cameron!

He just got brained by a fruit tray. I'll cover him! David yelled. Kitt, get down here!

I can't! The Egg!

Tch! I'd forgotten…Stay there with Star; I'm assuming she's with you?

She won't go anywhere the Egg isn't! She's its only protector unless the father shows up!

What are the odds of moving the Egg to a safer location?

Zero! I asked the Professor about that, remember?! I—Star hissed, puffing her fur up and making her look twice her size. A Pupitar crashed through the wall, and I instinctively ducked as debris went arcing overhead. The sound of breaking glass drew my attention to the incubator to the right, and I realized how close it had come to the Egg…to Star's son. Keying in the command with shaking fingers, I opened up the incubator and removed the Egg, holding it close—and just in time, because a second Pupitar took out the doorframe and left a Pokémon-shaped hole in the wall. If it wasn't for the hinges on the door, the pieces would have fallen—they had been cut cleanly in half. Shards of the door sliced cleanly through the dome of the now-empty incubator and cut my skin as I shielded the Egg.

David, I'll call you back. I couldn't believe my voice was steady. Was I going into shock?

Kitt! What's wrong? Are—Crud!

David abruptly dropped out of the conversation, but I had bigger things to worry about. I didn't recognize the Hunter who stepped distastefully through the Pupitar-shaped hole in the wall. She looked around with one eyebrow raised. "Why are you here?" I called, I allowed myself to slide down the wall, drawing my body up around the Egg. Star snarled at the Hunter, tail lashing.

The Hunter didn't answer, just pointed at me. I felt the Egg rock in my grip, then suddenly pull free, surrounded by a pale glow. It began drifting towards a Mismagius that had appeared in the doorway, and Star yowled as she realized what was happening. She lunged at the Ghost-Type, and I gasped as it lost its hold on the Egg.

Another pale glow caught the Egg, this one pulling it gently back. Still paralyzed by the close call, I could only look around for the source of the Extrasensory attack that had just saved Star's Egg. A pair of luminous eyes blinked in the shadows, and two shapes darted out to catch the Egg when the psychic energies that held it up faltered.

"Got it!" Puck crowed, though he toppled over onto his back. The floppy-eared Pikachu released his grip on the Egg, and it rolled off of him and onto Millie's five tails as the Vulpix spread them into a soft fan to further cushion the Egg's descent. I'd never been so glad to see my fellow Foundlings where they weren't supposed to be. Finally breaking free of the temporary paralysis that had gripped me, I lunged forward, scooped up the Egg—freeing Millie's tails in the process—and retreated, nudging both the Foundlings behind me as the Hunter studied them both with interest.

The fur of Millie's tails puffed up as she retreated, her entire posture screaming her fear. We didn't know why she only had five tails; if she had lost one in an accident or if she'd only ever had that many. Puck continued to look relatively at ease, but part of that was his ears—they seemed unable to take any pose other than hanging limp, which usually gave him a serious if not slightly melancholy look, contrary to his mischievous nature. Part of it was his natural devil-may-care attitude, but even now he seemed unnerved underneath it. The experimental translator Puck wore around his neck hummed slightly with the extra voltage that bled into it from his body, but other than that, he made no sound.

"Get out of here." I hissed at them. Millie's eyes flicked to me, but other than that, she didn't move. Puck tensed. "We can't run much further. The lab's surrounded. We got separated from the others and came here, but it was a close thing."

Star, realizing her Egg was unharmed, turned her attention back to the Hunter. With a roar, she unleashed a Thunder attack at the Mismagius, who fainted instantly. While the Hunter was distracted, I turned my attention back to the Foundlings. "Just find somewhere to hide, then. I don't want to lose any members of my family in addition to the Wildkin partners I've already lost."

"What about the Egg?" Puck asked. His translator sparked, filling his voice with static—it must have gotten damaged.

"I wish I could let you take it, but the two of you will be hard-pressed to defend yourselves. You saw the Hunter looking at your translator and Millie's lack of a sixth tail—you know what that means. Now go!"

Millie bolted, Puck following a second later. They didn't get far, though. A frigid blast of air wove quickly around them, creating a gleaming lattice of ice that held them in place. Millie immediately tried to melt it with Ember, but a thin tendril of ice wrapped itself around her muzzle, cutting off the attack. A similar tendril had cut into Puck's translator, disabling it—and since it read the vibrations his vocal chords could not turn into sound, he was rendered mute.

The icy air that had paralyzed the Foundlings surrounded me an instant later, before I could react, and I found myself incased in ice up to my elbows, the cold seeping into my skin. There was just enough room to adjust my grip on the Egg so it didn't touch the ice; I had no way of escaping. Star whipped around to gaze at me, panic beginning to flare in her eyes. A Froslass swept gracefully past, her cold little hands snatching the Egg from me. She brought it back to the Hunter, who held it in front of her; the ultimate hostage. Star's ears flattened to her head as the Hunter poke just one word: "Surrender."

For a moment, the only sound was Star's anxious pawsteps as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Give me back the Egg!" I yelled. A thin wailing sound began in my mind; from Star's sudden flinch, she heard it, too. A low rumble began deep in her chest as she stalked towards the Hunter, the emotion in her eyes close to murder. The Hunter raised the Egg higher above her head. "Stop now, or I drop the Egg." Her voice never rose above level tone, but I shivered. The wailing grew louder; more desperate. I suddenly remembered this sound, and I felt my insides go cold. It was the same wail that had haunted my nightmares growing up…

Star froze, her growling changing to something akin to a pleading whine. She knew that this Hunter had put her in a position where she could do nothing. My proud Pokémon sunk into a submissive posture, desperate now to save her Egg. She looked back at me sorrowfully, but there was nothing I could do: As soon as the Froslass had stolen the Egg, the ice had closed up around me, pinning my arms tight. Tears welled up in my eyes; I could do nothing, nothing!

The Hunter nodded in Star's direction, and the Froslass's eyes narrowed. The temperature dropped as ice blossomed around Star; within moments, the ice had bound her, rendering her as helpless as I was. The Hunter called out a new Mismagius; this one easily lifting my paralyzed Luxray and levitating her out of the hole in the wall. Star yowled and wailed; I could hear her claws scraping the ice even though she could not move her paws. Her cries joined the wailing in my head, which had reached a fever pitch; a third keening voice had joined them, and it took me a moment to realize it was mine. The Hunter turned to leave, and I managed to cut off my voice long enough to regain control of it. "The Egg…!"

The Hunter seemed surprised to realize she still held it. With a cold look at the Egg, she tossed it away from her. My heart stopped; There was no one now who could catch it, the Egg was going to smash…The wailing in my head cut off as the Shinx inside realized he was going to die, I heard Millie's muffled cry, knew Puck would have screamed too if he had been born with a voice…terror flooded my mind; was the link open, could the others see…? Was it from the Egg, or was it mine…? As the Egg fell, I saw a flash of ruby light; heard a shriek within my head, crying out just one word: ANAKIN…!

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I jolted awake with a cry, still filled with terror and certain I would see the smashed shell before me. It's not true it's not true it's not true…..Grandmother Ninetales had burst in at the last moment, searching for the Foundlings, but instead finding a precious new life an instant from being annihilated. She'd barely caught Anakin in time, snatching from the air with Psychic and bringing him gently to rest among her tails, curling them protectively around his Egg. Emma and Jake had thundered in moments later, but the Hunter was already long gone, and Star with her. Cameron had spent the next week trying to fix Puck's translator, while Professor Oak, his assistants, and Michael worked to determine what Pokémon had been taken and if any other labs had come under attack. As it turned out, the Pokémon research labs in Sinnoh and Hoenn had also been hit, as had the HQ Lab in Orre—though Michael had heard that the Pokémon he's left behind had bought enough time for everyone to escape, and the Porygon 2 managing the sensitive information on Purification had been able to hide the data and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Even the ONBS network had been defended, though I later learned that Wes's Pokémon had been in a similar situation to Michael's at the time. And as for me…that was when the fight for Anakin's survival had truly begun.

After a few more moments of trying to sort out the terror of the past and the reality of the present, I abruptly realized two things: first, I could move again; second…I was human. I hadn't realized I had Shifted back—in fact I must've dozed off because of the drugs I'd accidentally been shot with, meaning I had no idea how long I'd been in the back of the van with Bane. Speaking of Bane….

He'd toppled onto his side at some point; I felt my face heat up as I realized I was pressed up against his back with my face buried in his shoulder, his bound hands digging into my stomach. Then it hit me that it wasn't just my face flushing, part of it was Bane's fever. It had gotten worse while I was unconscious. He probably burned hotter than even a Shifter when it came to body temperature, and we were a couple degrees hotter than a normal human—I couldn't be sure what his normal temperature was; maybe it was in the fever range for humans. Fire Types burned hotter than any other species, but how much of his Pokémon half had Bane inherited…? I knew how warm his skin had been during the brief moments our hands had touched, and it was much warmer now, but how should I know what his fever range was? And with the Firekill in his system…what was the impact it would have? All things considering, I had no way of knowing just how badly he was sick…

With a sudden jerk, the van stopped. I tensed up, straining my ears for anything that might tell me what was going on. There was another harsh lurch, and then the floor seemed to give way, much as it does in an elevator…we were descending. But to where?

Bane stirred, but he seemed to be out cold, or at least mostly unaware. I wasn't sure how much of it was the drugs and how much of it was the Stun-Spore-induced fever, but whatever it was, it was hitting him hard. There was a faint rasping sound as he inhaled, though the coughing seemed to have stopped for now. I had no idea if this would be the worst of his illness, but for now, it seemed like he wasn't getting any sicker. He mumbled something that I couldn't quite catch as the lift we seemed to be in ground to a final halt.

The van's back door flew open, harsh florescent lights hurting my eyes as two of the Hunters reached in and pulled me out, each taking me by one arm. Blinking against the glaring light after being in pitch blackness for so long, I realized that I was in a long, narrow hallway, and that it was Icy and Silence who held me. I also remembered why Icy's voice sounded familiar: she was the one who had taken Star! I did my best to lunge at her, but she and Silence held me firmly, and the Firekill still in my veins continued to keep me weakened. I could only imagine what it was doing to Bane…

They had hauled him out of the van now, Radio-Man and Techie taking him firmly under each arm, though they seemed to be supporting him more than anything. Bane's eyes were mostly closed, his pupils dilated to the point they took up a good portion of his irises, which had tinted red, probably because he was sick. One ear twitched feebly, but other than that, they hung as limply as he did, suspended between the two Hunters. Injured shut the door as soon as they were clear, but before the Hunters began to take us to wherever it was we were supposed to be headed, a Beheeyem materialized out of nowhere and addressed Radio-Man, projecting its telepathy so sloppily that I knew everyone in the hall could hear it.

Master Yarvin, you have returned! I take it your hunt was a success?

Radio-Man—er, Yarvin…was that an Orre name, or was it just me?—rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm back. And as you can see," He gestured with his free hand at Bane, "the hunt was a success. We got the mutt…finally." He muttered the last part almost under his breath.

The Beheeyem immediately turned its attention to Bane. What an odd creature. Sir, may I ask—are you half-Kin? And if so, are you this fabled half-Kin that everyone's been talking about for the past—

"Shut up, Goldenrod," Bane muttered, doing his best to stare blearily at the Beheeyem. Despite the situation, I snickered. I never would have guessed my hybrid ally was a Star Wars fan…

Well, I say! The Psychic-Type stuttered, making the resemblance to a certain 'droid even more apparent. Flustered, he spun and began levitating down the hall, before realizing that there was another captive present. Madam Were, may I enquire as to your presence here?

Trust a Beheeyem to realize what I was but not how that related to why I was here. "No, sorry. But, I do have a favor. Is there anyone here who can get me Salveyo weed? My friend here inhaled Stun Spore, and he's pretty sick right now…"

I believe there is some present in this facility. I shall inquire—

"No, you won't," Yarvin cut in, glaring. "Beheeyem, go report to the lab officers that we've arrived. And don't bother with the Salveyo weed."

After a moment, Beheeyem vanished. "Now, let's finish this job," Yarvin growled, and I found myself swept along as the Hunters headed for the door at the end of the hall.

Beyond the door was another hall, this one dimly lit, forcing my eyes to adjust once again. I heard a soft sigh from Bane; the harsher light from before must've been hurting him in his sickened state. This hall was much wider, with branching passages here and there. But the main distinguishing features of this hall were the translucent doors sent into it…cell doors. Each glowed dimly blue in the darkness, except for one, where the lights were off completely, hiding whatever was caged within. Bane and I were dragged over to the cell next to this one as Yarvin keyed in a code; the door went transparent, then opened. I was immediately shoved inside, stumbling as I caught my balance before I fell. They took a moment longer with Bane, unbinding his wrists first, though as soon as they released him his legs buckled, and I barely managed to keep him from cracking his head open on the hard tile floor. One of the two Hunters who had arrived late to the ambush sniggered.

"Hey, do you think…?" He began, before the other cut him off. "No. Now get your mind out of the gutter and come on. There's still work to do before the others get back. He stepped back as Yarvin keyed in another command to the touchpad just outside the cell door, and the transparent panel slid back into place, sealing Bane and I inside.

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I looked around the inside of the cell as the Hunters' footsteps retreated. There wasn't really much here, even though the cell wasn't as small as it could have been—in fact, it was actually a little larger than the cell I had been held in five years ago. There was a single cot pushed up against one wall, a coarse blanket folded at its foot. I managed to half-lift, half-drag Bane over to it, and he curled up on it, shivering slightly. I pulled the blanket over his shoulders before checking out the only other feature in the cell other than the overhead light: A door set into the back wall of the cell. It opened into a tiny bathroom, furnished with the essentials and nothing else. I peeked into the cabinet under the sink and the towels folded neatly inside and shivered. I wasn't an empath like Rui was, but Grandmother had often wondered if maybe I had a touch of something similar in my blood. Somehow I knew that Bane and I weren't the first to have occupied the cell—and I had a feeling I knew what had happened to them. The fact that our captors seemed to have purposely designed this cell with human occupants in mind was unnerving, to say the least…

There was a soft thump from the main part of the cell, and I hurried out of the tiny bathroom. Bane had rolled off of the cot, the blanket tangled around him. He seemed to be completely out of it at this point, beginning to mumble nonsense under his breath again. Was he getting worse…?

I began to make out snatches of words here and there as Bane's voice picked up a little bit of volume. He was muttering something about being sick, and going to the hospital…the hospital? He seemed fine to me, though, before all this happened. Maye he's remembering something? It seemed to be. He curled in on himself as another series of coughs shook his body, but it wasn't the kind of coughing that resulted from getting a cold or fever. They seemed…well, they seemed deeper somehow, like the problem was something rooted within him. But they also seemed to be a remembered ailment, too…maybe he'd been ill as a kid?

He kept rambling for a while about various visits and stays at different medical facilities, so it seemed that was the case. It was strange, though—his ramblings at times seemed to be describing his memories, but at other times, he seemed to be talking to someone—a doctor or nurse, his parents, or, on occasion, someone named Cecile, who I assumed was a childhood friend. The topics varied, but almost always came back to one thing: Whether or not he could leave on a Pokémon Journey.

"But I…" Bane began at one point, seemingly remembering a discussion on the very topic, "I know I'm still sick. But surely they'll have thought of something! I'm better now than I was…Besides, my birthday's less than a year away… I've just got to go! I want to see the world, to travel like Cecile is….." I got the feeling that that had not ended well.

The topic came up twice more, apparently with the same results. He was simply too sick…And then, suddenly, a change: A breakthrough…a cure! Maybe not permanently, but enough to send Bane's sickness into remission. At age twelve, he was finally deemed heathy enough to begin his journey, though there was the chance it would not be a long one. Still, Bane was smiling as he remembered the moment; it had to be one of the happiest of his life...

I had a sinking feeling I knew what was coming next.

I could almost see what was going on as Bane continued to speak, reliving his past as his fever continued to burn inside of him, replacing the flame he had lost to the drugs. Out the door and off to get his first Pokémon; Fenniken, Chespin, or Froakie, which would it be? Any one of them, as long as they could become a great team. And then off to see the world…

Bane fell silent for a moment, twisting his head. "Hey….who's there?" he called. "Why are you following me?"

Bane twitched, as if trying to turn, to look behind him. "Sh-show yourself! I—Hey!" he shook violently, seeming to try and free himself from someone's grip. "Let me go! Hey! Stop it! Where are you taking me? Answer me…please?" The last bit was said in a half-whisper, the terrified voice of a twelve-year old who had just realized exactly what was going on and had no idea what terrible world he would be plunged into. Growing up, I had known the dangers I had faced for being Shifter. But to an ordinary human kid who had just set off on his own, the idea that he could be snatched from the streets in broad daylight must have been overwhelmingly horrific…

Bane shivered, and I reached out, then pulled my hand back. In the grip of his delirium, would he even recognize my touch for what it was? I had no way of knowing if I could even snap him out of this memory… "It's been a long drive…." He murmured softly. "Where ae they taking me…? The air…it smells so sweet…" He lapsed into silence. Drugged, I realized. They've knocked him out…

"I hear…I hear propellers….I'm dreaming. I see blue sky, blue oceans…am I really being spirited away? I must be so far from home…." He lapsed into silence, trapped in his past. Had they drugged him again at this point?

They must have, for it was a while before Bane began speaking again. "…Where am I? This small room…there aren't any windows, and the door…is this a prison cell? Why am I here?" A note of panic entered his voice again. "Someone's coming…I can hear steps outside…and growling…they're bringing something with them…I-I'm scared…" He curled up, as if huddling in a corner. His voice trembled as he called, "G-go away! Just…just go away! Go…it's not working! The door's opening now…But I can't run, can I? I don't know anything about this place… Those two men…are they the ones that grabbed me? What are they struggling with in that sack…? Are they…no! No, don't put in in here! Help…!" Bane tensed up, as if expecting to come under attack, then paused, uncurling slightly. "Huh…? What is…A-a Pokémon? A Growlithe? But so strange…your fur is golden… you're so soft…." A hand reached out, as if to pet the phantom Pokémon. "You…you like me…"

A tiny smile crept along Bane's face, his eyes opened a hair but still unfocused. "I never thought I'd meet a Growlithe like you, with such beautiful fur. But you were just so angry…was it at them? I can understand…they brought me here, too…" He head came up, as if his attention had been caught by something. "…I'm the one? What do you…hey! What do you mean…?" Trailing off, it was a moment before Bane continued. "I think it's just you and me now, Growlithe…"

There was no way to tell how much time passed for Bane as he relived the past. It could have been hours or it could have been weeks that he sat in that long-ago cell with a Shiny Growlithe for company—I had no way to tell. He spent a lot of time talking to that Pokémon, telling him of his hopes and dreams, and of the fears that were growing as he spent more and more time here. There were times tears ran down Bane's cheek, times he laughed as he remembered his Pokémon companion's attempts to cheer him up, times he twisted and turned with worry, wrapping the blanket even tighter around him, then struggling loose. I could almost feel tension in the cell building, for I knew inevitably where this had to lead, and I knew that the time for that cataclysm was rapidly approaching. My heart went out for the Hybrid who struggled with not only a cocktail of poisons in his blood, but also with his past, because I knew what effect such a transformation had on its victims, having been bound both to one and to one who had witnessed the event…

"Something…something's wrong…Growlithe, do you feel it? Something's different today…" Bane tensed. "The door's opening…they haven't done that since they threw you in here…Hey! Let Growlithe go! Give him back! Growlithe! Growlithe, help!" If Bane hadn't been on the floor, he would have probably fallen out of the cot. He was flat on his back, though in his memory, it seemed like he was being marched down a hallway. "Where are you taking us? And—Hey, don't come any closer with that! I said stay away! Stay…"

When Bane spoke next, it was in a detached monologue, as if he was observing now, not experiencing. Had they shot him with something that left him free to observe, but not to act…? "They've taken Growlithe away. I don't know where he is or what they're doing to him. They've got me strapped down now on a gurney, and I'm being pushed through the halls…right, left, left...I can't keep track. All I can see is the ceiling…are we doubling back? This place can't be that large…"

A pause, a breath. "I'm in some sort of room…The air smells like that of a hospital…clean and sterile. There is someone here…I can't move my head…I can't move at all…! There is a man standing over me now…some sort of scientist…he seems young. But…there is something…wrong. He keeps talking about something I don't understand…What does he mean, Soul Specific? That I'm not a complete match? That the trial won't work…? What trial? Surely not…I'm not here for… No way…"

Panic. "No…no, no, no, no, NO! Let me go! Let me go!" Bane began struggling, trying to pull free of invisible restraints. "You can't do this! You can't! Get that needle away from me! Growlithe! GROWLITHE!" Bane screamed again for the fire Pokémon to help him, trapped fully in a remembered nightmare, his voice raw with the terror he'd felt. Then, suddenly he stiffened, one last plea for help dying on his lips as he fell limp. This was it, I knew. The point of no return…I heard something stir in the other cell, but ignored it…

A tremor ran through Bane's body, then another. I saw a muscle in his neck twitch, then another in his arm…he twisted as the twitching continued, then increased. Then he thrashed against the remembered bindings, as his body convulsed…this had to be muscle memory; there was no way he would have been conscious for this… Blood ran down Bane's palms where his claws cut them, and the scabbed-over puncture in his neck reopened…His ears, unmoving before, suddenly folded tight…Bane cried out, though from pain or terror, I had no idea…What twisted mind had done this to him?!

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Bane's eyes briefly flickered open, the irises ruby-bright, before they fluttered shut again. He lay trembling, half tangled in the blanket. Unsure of what I was supposed to do in a situation like this, I grabbed a handful of toilet paper from the bathroom and pressed it against Bane's neck to try and stop the renewed bleeding from the puncture. It was a long time before he spoke again. "I…I'm back in the cell. Growlithe isn't here…I can't hear him breathing. I feel…I feel so strange…wrong. It's too loud, too bright…the smell of antiseptic too strong…the floor against my cheek is so hard…I hurt all over, but my legs worst of all….what happened to me?"

A harsh inhale. "No….NO! They can't….This can't… This can't be real…I can't be awake! I have…I have claws…A-and fur…My ears…they feel like Growlithe's…what…. what did they do to me?!"

Then, in a broken whisper, "What am I?"

Bane moaned softly, still reliving that terrible moment when he discovered he'd been transformed. When he was brought back before the scientist who had forced the transformation upon him, and when he was taken back to his cell, still disoriented by the changes and the revelations and unable to walk on his crippled feet. I listened as he spoke of the time he'd spent adjusting, terrified that some new experiment would be thought up before he could figure out a way to escape…and I listened as he described the day he finally broke free, the building going up in flames around him as he barely avoided recapture; the difference between making it and not making it even slimmer than it had been for my friends and I the day we faced a similar trial. How he'd run until he'd collapsed, and hidden himself away in the ruins of a forgotten house. How he'd learned to survive, gradually beginning to grow stronger.

There was no way to tell how long Bane had been speaking; he often went silent as he fell deeper into unconsciousness, and the intervals between his memories varied. Occasionally, I heard something shift in the darkened cell—was someone, or something also listening?

Gripped by his fever, Bane spoke of venturing into a seaport, trying to get back to Kalos, and how he'd been terrified the whole time, attempting to stow away on a small boat, and being discovered by another sailor…and how that sailor had taken pity on the terrified Hybrid, and helped him get home. And then…

Bane shivered. "I…." He made several noises deep in his throat, but the words could not come. A faint trembling ran through his body before he relaxed, completely comatose again. I pulled the toilet paper away from his neck, though small fragments still clung to the downy golden fur. The puncture had re-scabbed, forming an ugly knot of dried blood, bits of toilet paper, and strands of fur. I brushed Bane's hair back from it and sighed. If only I had Salveyo Weed…

Glancing back to make sure he was all right, I headed back into the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth from under the sink and soaking it in cold water from the faucet. Winging it out, I took it back to Bane and wiped it across his forehead, following his hairline and passing the cloth behind his ears. It was something I remembered Grandmother doing for me when I was sick, and it had always seemed to help…and there wasn't much else I could do. Droplets of water caught in Bane's bangs and on his eartips, and made tiny lines in his fur where gravity pulled them downwards. In the dim light, they seemed to shimmer slightly, and I saw suddenly how vulnerable Bane was. He'd been through so much, and I knew that years of wandering had left their mark on him as well. He'd seemed so lonely…And sad, too, when he'd had to reveal himself. And knowing now some of what had caused that...he'd created barriers around himself, both protecting and isolating him, but those barriers had been stripped away now, and I caught a glimpse of who he might have been underneath…

Bane tilted his head towards my hand, some deep part of him seeking the water in the washcloth I held. He pressed up against it, and I realized that the cloth had dried out. "I'll be right back," I whispered, and I quickly returned to the sink, this time leaving the washcloth dripping with the extra water. Kneeling next to Bane, I brushed clinging tendrils of damp hair back and draped the washcloth over his forehead. I flicked a droplet of water away from the inner edge of one of his ears, leaning back on my heels as he sighed softly and returned to the depths of his fevered slumber. I wish….

A sudden sneeze snapped me to alertness; I was up in a defensive crouch in an instant, though a faint stiffness in my muscles warned me that I wasn't in the best of shape for fighting—All I'd be able to do was to hope no one called my bluff. The sneeze was followed by several more, and I found myself letting my guard down slightly. It sounded like it was coming from the other cell…When the sneezing stopped, I cautiously called out, "Gesundheit…?"

There was a snort. "Well, that's pretty hypocritical, considering where we are." Yep, definitely from the other cell. "I'm afraid I don't quite know where that is," I admitted, hoping to keep the conversation flowing. Maybe I could learn more from this other prisoner—If he was a prisoner. "I don't suppose you do, though?"

"Not a clue, sister." Came a semi-irritated reply. Oops, guess he picked up on my suspicion. "Wish I knew, though. Hell, I don't even know how long I've been trapped in this damned pit. What's the date, anyway? Or at least the date you got grabbed."

"Umm…." Naturally, I had sort of forgotten the date, considering all that had just happened, but it came back to me after a moment. "May seventh? I think? I dunno how long I fell asleep for, and I haven't seen the sky since I was tossed in the back of the van they used to bring me here. It's throwing off my sense of time."

"They do that on purpose you know; supposedly, it makes us easier to contr—May seventh?! Of what year?!"

Had Bane not been sick, I was sure that the other prisoner's shout would have woken him up so fast he'd have hit the opposite wall before he saw it."2015."

"Ah, shit…" He moaned, "I can't believe this…"

"What?"

"Seven years…I've been locked up for seven years… She's gonna be worried sick…"

"Who is?" I asked.

"My sister…I promised her I would get my Pokémon, and then I'd take her with me on my journey…I hope she's all right, on her own…"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just the two of us, and since I'm older, it was my job to protect her. But then I got caught…I got away once, but she was already gone, and since I have no clue even where I am, I have no idea how to get free and go looking again. All I can do is hope that she's left on her own journey now, and that nothing's happened to her…"

Something about that rang a bell. "How old is your sister?"

"She was nine when I left; I was thirteen. She'd be about sixteen now. Man, I wish I could go look for her! I'm worried sick!"

I bet she is, too, I thought, trying to think of a way to voice my suspicions. "Why'd you leave her behind?"

"To be honest, I was really worried about leaving her for a day or so, since we weren't exactly in the best situation. Especially since she'd had a bad encounter a few weeks before with a trainer and his Crawdaunt. I'd been…away, and barely got back in time, and she was petrified for days afterwards. But I had to get a Pokémon, so I could take her away from all that—and I wasn't even going very far to get that Pokémon, either, just to another part of the city. I told her that if I didn't come back, to leave and set off on her own."

I thought that this guy was crazy for saying that…or my suspicions were about to be confirmed, in which case, I'd forgive him. "I made sure she had company, though. There was this Pokémon who's been hanging around—and I'd caught Emma feeding him once. They'd been doing this for a while, and while I wasn't thrilled, he was pretty loyal to her. He was the one who managed to hold off the Trainer's Pokémon until I could get my sister out of there, and when he turned up later badly hurt, we took him to the Pokémon Center, and they let us stay until he was healed. So I knew she'd have an ally…In case I never came back. And I didn't…"

I let his words sink in for a moment. "May I ask you one thing?"

"Shoot. I've got nothing better to do."

"What was this Pokémon?"

"A Riolu, and a scrappy one at that. My sister named him after a character from a storybook I…found…for her. She sure loved that old legend…"

I knew it! "Was the Riolu's name, by any chance, Aaron? And was he Shiny?"

"How…? Yes! Yes he was!" The other prisoner's voice was suddenly filled with an emotion I suspected he hadn't felt in a long time: Hope. "You've seen my sister?! How is she?!"

"I…I've known your sister for some time now," I replied, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. After all this time… "She's fine. She's a Coordinator now, and Aaron's evolved, and she's got lots of Pokémon and several friends—including me—that have become like family to her. And….Emma hasn't given up yet. She's still looking for you, Brandon."

00000000000000000000000

There was a choked noise from the cell, and then silence.

"You're lying."

"What?" I blinked; the edges of my vision blurred briefly my eyes tried to reabsorb the forming tears.

"You're lying." Brandon said, his flat tone tinged with anger. "How do I know you've met my sister? I remember some of the things they did when I first got here. They injected me with some kind of truth serum so they could collect information like that."

My temper flared. "I just got here with someone who's been drugged, inhaled Stun Spore, and in case you hadn't just heard his story, has had his whole life screwed over because he's been turned into a Growlithe Hybrid! Do you think that if I was a plant, I'd be stuck here?!"

His next sentence, though quiet, was harsh. "That's what the last plant said, when he was brought in with one of the victims—who later didn't make it. And all of us who were here at one point or another have had our lives changed for the worse. I'm the only one left, through luck and self-preservation. Mostly luck. So give me one reason why I should trust you. One piece of information I know that only Emma or I could know. Then I might believe you."

I swallowed, regretting my outburst. "I'm…I'm sorry. I know people who have gone through similar problems, but…I guess I never realized how bad the situation could get. We were all lucky, I guess…"

I heard Brandon shift in his cell. "Go on."

"Emma…she never said a lot about you, mainly because she got upset when she did. She misses you so much…When she heard of a Shifter—a Charmeleon Shifter—in Hoenn, she dropped everything to return, hoping to find you, and she was nearly heartbroken when she couldn't find you."

"That sounds like Emms, all right… I was the only one she ever had looking out for her…"

"And as for things I do know…Well, she said that you were the one who came up with the term "Shifter"…"

"Actually, I didn't. Emma had trouble saying 'Shapeshifter' at first, so I shortened it to ''Shifter' so she could say it, and eventually the shortened version stuck."

"Um, what else….? Oh, one of my friends held a cinnamon challenge a month or so ago. Unfortunately, one of my other friends tried to eat the whole box."

"That was a dumb idea. Why'd he do that?"

"Emma joined in. She was just sitting there, calmly spooning the stuff into her mouth, trying to get revenge on the instigator of the cinnamon challenge for a prank he pulled on her, but my other friend became an accidental victim instead. She said you were the same way."

"That's true…We both do love our cinnamon. Okay, what else?"

"Well, she told me this funny story once when I was really depressed in order to cheer me up. Something about how there was a ratty old Vulpix plushie she was rather fond of, and how when a Poochyena stole it...Now how did that go…? Something about a Charmeleon in a tattered tuxedo with his head stuck up a drainpipe…?"

"Okay! Okay! I believe you!" Brandon almost yelped, and for a second, I snickered. Guess that one had really been embarrassing…."Only Emma would know the details of that little incident. Please tell me you're the only one who knows about it…"

"Um, no, I think she told a few other people," I said, and he groaned. I didn't mention that she'd sworn us all to secrecy and quashed any snickering in the link any time she caught us remembering that story. After all, the only reason she told was because it was a guaranteed pick-me-up in the height of tragedy. That, and I was pretty sure Cameron and David were still skeptical about it having actually happened. After all, some of it did get pretty strange. Like the one-eyed tap-dancing Gothitelle. I mean, Gothitelle didn't even have feet, as far as I knew. And then there was the little detail about it tap-dancing. Still, considering how crazy my childhood had been at times, and the fact that I was telepathically bound to a teenage clone who could grow fangs and a tail at will, I was a little more inclined to believe her. Jake hadn't had any doubts about the authenticity of the tale, and Micael seemed on the fence abou it. I wondered riefly how the others would react when they found out that it had all actually happened…

The others…

Brandon must have picked up on the change in my mood. "What's wrong?"

"My friends…Some of them…most likely all of them…they were captured, too…"

A hiss of air. "Shit…they must be gearing up again…How many are Shifters?"

"All six of us, split between Natural and Altered. And one who's different. And there were three human kids grabbed, too!"

Brandon's voice became urgent. "Age range. How old?"

"Us? Or the kids?"

"Both."

"Sixteen, roughly. And four others—A couple in their early twenties, a girl probably about eighteen, and one about fourteen or so. The kids looked to be from five to eight."

"Damn it…"

"What's wrong?"

"…Nothing we can do anything about for now. What's your name, by the way?"

"Kitt."

"Wish we coulda met under better circumstances. Anyway, the least we can do for now is wait. Oh, and get your friend healthy again. What's his name, again?"

"Bane."

"Right. Well the—"

Brandon made a gagging sound, breaking off-mid sentence, and a thump sounded from within his cell, as if he had been standing and fallen to his knees. An abrupt glow lit up the side of the cell, and I realized that the wall seemed to be made of thick, dark glass. Thin cracking webs of lightning flashed over Brandon; lightning that was familiar to me. Yet it looked like he was fighting the Shift. But why?

Then it hit me. Cameron had been the same way at first…because his DNA had been tampered with. They'd done something to Brandon, tampering with his DNA! He couldn't control his Shifts! But…what had they done to him? When Cameron had fought his Shifts, the lighting had only appeared if he'd been fighting for a long time. Which meant…how badly did Brandon have to struggle to maintain human form? And what could cause such a radical change in his DNA?

The lightning flickered and died, and I heard Brandon panting as he tried to catch his breath. Fighting a Shift—or even Formlock—was exhausting. "Are…Are you okay?" I called.

"No." Brandon replied, his voice thick and rough. There was a low, almost growling note to it, as if his throat had partially changed. "I haven't been okay in seven years. I'm just a little better off than most who've been here before me." I heard him hiss in a quick breath. On some level, he seemed to still be fighting.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked. It was a foolish offer, but down here in the dark, with Bane still comatose and Emma's brother suffering from the effects of genetic experimentation, I felt trapped and as helpless as I knew we all were. I needed something to try and take my mind off of the situation, especially since deep down I knew my friends were just as trapped as I was. And there was something else, too…something that left me on edge.

"Not to help me," He rasped. "But you can keep caring for your friend; perhaps, when he wakes, he'll have recovered, and that's one more of us who might stand a chance. Also, keep watch. I need to rest now, so you will be the only one alert."

I heard Brandon shuffle to another part of his cell; heard the squeaking of his cot as he curled up on it. For a few moments I listened as his breathing slowed, then I turned back to Bane. I knew part of it was the Stun Spore, but with as still as he was, if it hadn't been for the faint, rapid movement of his chest as he breathed, I would have thought that he was no longer alive. Then again…I had no idea how badly the sickness was ravaging his body. For a Fire Pokémon, getting cut off from their inner flame was a dangerous event, leaving them vulnerable. And with Stun Spore, if one breathed in too much or it was left untreated too long, it could be fatal. It was sometimes easy to forget that, in today's world, but it was still true.

And then there was the Fire Stone particles Bane had inhaled. What was that doing to him? He was half-Growlithe, after all, but he was also half-human. What genes did each part of his DNA carry? Was it possible he could be affected by the Evolutionary properties of the Stone? Was part of the reason he was sick possibly that he was trying to fight Evolution? I couldn't know—Shifter DNA was strange in the fact that Evolutionary Stones and other items normally didn't work on us. But there was the odd case of a Shifter's Pokémon form Evolving…Yet I had never heard of a Hybrid of any kind, other that Jake, and he was a unique case…

Was it possible Bane was the only one of his kind?

It was probably true, since it seemed that Hybrids were not a naturally occurring species, unlike Shifters. It sounded odd to put it that way, but then again, Shifters were a species apart from humanity, anyway. We had an extra set of DNA hidden within our cells, and a set of genes that allowed us to change which set was dominant, changing our form. Yet Bane…while our two sets of DNA were kept separate, his were mingled, leaving him stranded between two forms. Between two worlds, and alone…

A part of my mind continued to dwell on this thought even after I pushed aside. I tried to ignore it as I began untangling Bane from the ratty blanket; surely he'd be more comfortable on the cot, even if he was too deeply unconscious to notice the difference. Maneuvering his limp body was hard, but in the end I managed to get him back on the cot with the blanket draped over him and the washcloth—now scorched a little at the edge—redampened and once again across his forehead and dripping into his hair. There wasn't anything else I could do, and I began pacing around the cell again, though after a couple laps I began avoiding a couple spots along the wall and one closer to the center of the cell; there was something about those places that felt wrong, like the air was a little thicker and the world ever-so-slightly off-kilter. A faint dizziness accompanied that feeling, though I didn't know why.

After a while, realizing I was getting nowhere, I sat back down, leaning against the wall near Bane, where I could see the corridor outside the cell door. Like Brandon had said, it was my job now, as the only one awake, to keep watch, in case something happened. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that—I had a couple ideas, but I couldn't know which one was more likely. Still…

I tilted my head back to look at the ceiling, lost in shadow. Where were we? How far had we traveled to get here? For all I knew, we could be in Johto, or Kanto, or even Orre. Or further—Fiore, or Almia. And with no light from the outside, I could not tell the time. Was it evening yet? Dawn? How long had we been gone?

I found myself humming, the soft noise the only sound other than the silence. After a while, the humming became a soft singing, something I normally only did when I was alone, since I'd never felt I was very good. The song was one Grandmother had taught me, a lullaby in an old Firekin tongue. "An mai hala daru, el tein enra fel; Elis sol rai, elis sol rai. Emnel eveli sier, tu nol elren san; Elis sol rai, elis sol rai…"

Soft pale-gray mist, tiny beads of dew; the dawn has come, the dawn has come. The sky grows bright, night is leaving; the dawn has come, the dawn has come…

The tears came again, but I kept singing. I…I had to stay strong, but to be honest…I was scared. Scared for myself, scared for everyone, scared for what might be coming. I guess…in a way, I'd become used to being able to find the others, because cut off like this, I felt terribly alone. As alone as the day when I was ten and had learned that I would never again hear a Wildkin's voice. As alone as when, in a day lost among distant shadows, I was left in the unforgiving snow by a mother and father I could not remember.

I…I want…to go home…

"Eliss ara su; aluu eri am elinaul. Ralu arin ela kol,l tu fariin suwil. Ralu yelin sul, em arin kalu tol."

Close your eyes; fear not the dreaming. I am here, watching over you. I will stay here, I will keep the night away.

"Sarin ara su; yaru kalin etara tan. Elis sol rai, elis sol rai…"

Open your eyes; see the sky brighten. The dawn has come, the dawn has come…