Chrono's P.O.V.

"We've never had to fall back on a plan B before. But I am glad I get to get in on the action sooner." I was sitting the center of the entrance room, which was pitch black.

I unsheathed my claws and raised them up to my face. "It's been a while since I've had to use these. Last time was when I had to beat that Espeon into submission. Evolving like that without permission. And then he escapes.

I looked towards the door. I could hear someone approaching.

'The knight in shining fur has arrived, eh? A murderer fighting against another murderer. This'll be fun.'

Psyko's P.O.V.

"Arceus above, these bastards keep on coming." I glanced over my shoulder at Morph, who was leaning against the wall. He was breathing heavily. 'Damn it. I wish I could do something for him.' I turned back around and lifted the bodies of a red Raichu with a silver tag, a grey Houndoom with a gold tag - which Morph explained to me as meaning changing two types of a pokemon - and a white Gyrados that could fly with a gold tag.

I tossed their bodies with Psychic against the wall and leaned against the wall beside Morph, closing my eyes, exhausted. "You did good, especially against those Golds."

I laughed dryly. "This is tiring. How many will we have to fight?"

"I have no idea. But we're close to the next guard resting room. So let's get moving." Morph, with one hand on the wall, began walking. His leg was definitely getting better. I just felt guilty about not being able to do more for him and for being the main cause of his injuries.

I walked slowly beside him, leaning slightly on him since I was still exhausted from the fight. "Hey, Psyko."

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind me asking... could you tell me about your life outside of this place?" I gave him a puzzled look.

"Why do you want to know?" Morph smiled sadly, still looking forward.

"I haven't seen the outside world in over a decade. I'm just... curious I guess."

"Um... Of course. I'd be happy to. But in return, you need to tell me about your life before you got trapped in here."

"Deal."

"Alright. Here goes nothing. So, as you know, I work as a therapist..."

I proceeded to tell Morph everything. From when I first moved to the city of pokemon to when I met Miragem. Although, I omitted the part where Snowdrop found him in a pool of his own blood. Also when we walked in on him crying in Snowdrop's bathtub. And also when Enfer told me about her past. That was something that was a bit too personal.

"And then I got kidnapped by some purple pokemon and I woke up strapped to a table." When I finished, Morph shook his head.

"Most of those memories consisted of this 'Enfer'. She's important to you, yes?"

"Important?" I put an arm on my chest and smiled. "Yes. Very."

"So you're in love with her." I gawked at Morph with wide eyes. The smugest look I'd ever seen spread across his face. "Oh ho ho."

"Was... Was it that obvious...?" I wasn't going to do some cliche thing where I get all red in the face and deny it. I'm Psyko! I don't get embarrassed when my crush is found out.

"Of course it was. When you described her to me, the way you seemed to swoon just from talking about her." He cleared his throat. "'Her charcoal eyes are so beautiful And you'd easily get lost in them.' Or how about, 'She has the softest fur that I could lay on it and never get up.' Or, my favorite, 'She gets embarrassed fairly easily. And when she is embarrassed, it is the cutest thing ever!'"

I looked away, slightly embarrassed that I'd been so obvious. "Oh..." 'Well he was gonna find out soon. Once we get out of here, I don't care who's around. I'm gonna grab Enfer and kiss her until she can't breathe! And if she rejects me, then I'll bury my hurt deep in my heart and play it cool! Cause I'm Psyko!

"I don't have a problem if your lesbian. In fact, I'm happy for you. Having a loved one to go to once you get out of here."

"When WE get out of here." I corrected.

Morph looked somewhat sick. But before I could ask, he pointed ahead. "We've made it to the guard resting room." He walked into a door with a sign saying it was the guard resting room.

I sighed stared after him. 'What was that about? Like hell I'm leaving alone.' I approach the door and fling it open.

It's nearly identical to the other one ten Areas ago. Blue carpeted floors, comfy chairs strewn about randomly, a couple of tables, and one oddly placed vending machine that only sold packets that read 'Bodily Enhancement'.

I couldn't stop my mind from wondering to that Eevee Morph had mentioned. The one in Area One. Although it might've explained some things about Miragem's random appearance and deadly injuries. But anybody with a brain cell can tell that it is physically impossible.

'Poor Eevee though. Forced to do all those horrible things. And so young too...'

"Psyko? You done spacing out?" I blinked and looked to my right. Morph was sitting on one of the chairs, his injuried leg propped up on another one nearby.

"Oh, sorry." Morph looked down.

"Now that we might have a moment to rest, I feel like I should explain some things to you. Things that I probably should have mentioned earlier." He gestured to a chair. "Take a seat."

I sat down quickly, eager for some information. "Go ahead."

"Alright. I'll start with the beginning. Let's start with Area One..."

"When I got here, there were only ten Areas. And at the time, Area One was the most crowded place, rooms sometimes holding three victims. And if they killed each other, they didn't care. I was one of those pokemon."

"'One of those pokemon'?"

"I got stuck in a room with two other pokemon who got similar treatments as me. One of them killed the other to prove he was the strongest. Then, he came for me. I barely survived. But, according to the diagnosis from after the experiment, I shouldn't have stood a chance. This sparked interest in Mistress Chrono."

"'Mistress Chrono'?"

Morph brushed off the question. "Anyways, she saw potential in me. Therefore, I had the displeasure of seeing all of Area One..."

"And?"

"It was horrible. Blood stained the walls in the corridors. Pools of the stuff lay by the entrance to each room. Some rooms that had glass to view into them were completely red. It was like someone took buckets of blood and tossed them everywhere." Morph's hands began to shake. "Screams of agony were mixed with the screams of pleasure. But the most prominent noise was one voice. It was the voice of a child."

"A child?"

"A child screaming for their Mommy and Daddy. A child screaming for anyone to come save them. Of course I asked Mistress Chrono what that was about. She explained that it was her new 'special toy'. But what really bothered me was her sinister smile on her face when she said that. I knew she wasn't telling me everything. But I didn't dare ask. I was lucky that she didn't punish me for asking a question to begin with. Mistress Chrono gave me a 'grand' tour of the whole Area One. It wasn't what it's like now."

"How so?"

"Area Fifty would eventually contain what Area One used to. Experiments that couldn't be controlled. Experiments that would shatter the mind just to create a monster. I got to view several of the experiments that happened in Area One over the next few months." Morph put a hand on his forehead. "Just thinking about them make me want to throw up."

"..."

"But then, as Mistress Chrono was taking me to view another experiment, I heard something familiar. It was the same child I'd heard months earlier. Somehow, even as a child who was being subjected to whatever they saw fit, a CHILD was still calling for help. Most pokemon would've broken down after a few weeks at most. But this child was holding on to hope that someone would save him. Then Mistress Chrono said something. 'Little toy is pretty good. Only problem is that he's so loud. I wish he'd just break already. It'll make things much more fun.'"

"Morph-"

"Something about the way she said that made my blood boil. Sadly, I'd never get to act upon it until over a year later. Chrono said it was something special. She locked me in a room with only a window in it, which showed an empty room. After nearly half an hour, across the room through another window, I saw Chrono appear with an Eevee. Apparently the glass was one-way because she didn't even register me. The Eevee looked dead inside. His eyes were dark brown. No life in them."

"After a few minutes, a Gallade, a Lucario, and an Absol appeared in the room. The Gallade left soon after. I couldn't hear what they were saying. But soon it didn't matter. I didn't care once the Absol sliced one of the Lucario's arms off."

Psyko's eyes widened in shock. "M-Morph..."

"That's when I realized who that Absol was. He was the big baddy. The one responsible for all our pain. I looked past them and my eyes met the Eevee's. I knew he couldn't see me but I could see him. I could see something fill his eyes. Not life. But guilt. And sadness. He was just a child. He didn't need to see anything like this."

"The Absol proceeded to rip the Lucario's body apart. Cut open his stomach and..." Morph closed his eyes tightly.

"You don't have to tell me."

"It was horrible. Worst than any of the experiments I'd viewed. And the Absol was enjoying it. Smiling." Morph paused, his whole body shaking. Psyko couldn't really blame him. Having to recall all those awful memories...

"After half an hour, Mistress Chrono came back for me. She explained the Lucario had tried to rescue that Eevee I'd seen. She said, 'We can't have anyone stealing our precious toy now can we?' That's when it hit me. That Eevee was the child screaming for his parents. The look in his eyes. He'd been broken. Completely, physically and mentally, broken. But that wasn't all. I knew it was over for him when I saw..."

"What did you see?"

"It was so small, I'd nearly missed it. But since I was a Gardevoir, I used my powers to enhance my sight. No normal pokemon would've been able to see it. In fact, without any help, nobody would've been able to see it. But it was there. I know it was. We all had it. But his was special."

"What was it?"

"Inside of his eye. In the deep, dark blue of his eyes. Five tiny characters were swimming the ocean that was his eyes. In both eyes."

"What were the characters?"

"'T.O.Y.0.1'"

SubMiragem's P.O.V.

"Uh oh."

What do you mean 'uh oh'?!

I raised my paws to cover my eyes, collapsing on the pavement. "D-Damn it! No!"

The hell's wrong?!

My eyes burned. Like a hot needle was tracing small, delicate lines in my eyes. Lines that formed characters. Characters I was way too familiar with.

"T.O.Y.0.1."

T.O.Y.0.1.?

I lowered my paws and my eyes flung open. The world seemed to be much more red. Just a side effect I guess. "This pain... Damn it..." I rose shakily to my paws.

The hell just happened?!

"We need to get out of here. NOW. Quick Attack!" I tore down the street, injuring my paws several times on some sharp rocks on the road. But I cared more for my own life than a few boo-boos on my paws.

What is going on?!

"Somebody that is not them knows. I don't know who or how. All I know is that they're near. And if they think they can control us without proper knowledge on how it works, They're wrong! Dead wrong!"

What-

"Shut it! Let me focus! We need to get out of here. Now! Otherwise, we're in REAL danger of being killed!"

Snowdrop's P.O.V.

'Miragem? Can you hear me?'

Nothing. When I tried to communicate with him when he was screaming mentally, I could feel the presence of his mind. But now, I couldn't. Like someone had taken their claws and shredded the thin line connecting our minds.

I wrapped my paws around myself. I hadn't had a dream of Chandra in months. But each time was worst than the next. And when I had them, I had friends I could lean on. But with Psyko in some facility and Enfer trying to save her, I had nobody.

I never told them what the nightmares were about. It hadn't even been half a decade. I'd eventually have to tell them. But not now.

'What about Miragem? He should be coming back soon, right?'

I quickly shook the thought away. 'We might be friends but not at the level of "Hey. I had an emotional breakdown. Mind if I cry for a bit?" Plus, whatever they are, he has his own problems that are on his mind. Like having to fight his own mother...'

'Chandra... What do I do? I wish you were here. You were always calm and level-headed, even that one time when some other man tried to take me away from you. You even had the gall to make jokes.'

Snowdrop: Age 13

"Um, sorry. I already have a-" I was cut off as the Leafeon stepped closer.

"Forget him. C'mon, baby-"

"I'm not your baby!"

"Snowdrop? What's going on?" I looked behind me and saw Chandra standing there, smiling softly at me.

"Oh no!" I fell on the grass over-dramatically. "This Leafeon is hitting on me! Make him stop!" I smirked when the look of dread passed over the Leafeon's face.

Chandra walked closer, eventually stopping inches away from him. His smile was kind but his eyes told the complete opposite. "So. Like sealing girlfriends, huh?"

"Um, well you see-"

"Listen here, buddy. I can understand why you'd hit on her. Snowdrop IS the most beautiful pokemon in the region." I felt my face heating up. It always did when he complimented me in front of others. "But, pal. I suggest you turn around, take five steps, and then start running. Cause the only one who gets to admire Snowdrop's beautiful body is me!"

If that Leafeon wasn't here, I'd probably tackle Chandra to the ground and kiss him for half an hour. Thankfully, that problem was soon resolved when the Leafeon turned around, took five steps, and then bolted out of here.

"I'd say I handled that well. What do you think, Snowd - mmph." I tackled Chandra to the ground, locking our lips. I broke away quickly and smiled down at him.

"That was for taking care of that Leafeon. And this is for all those compliments." This time, I locked our lips for much longer. When I kissed him like this, I didn't need breath.

After I evolved, I've been in control most of the time when we kiss. He probably like being dominated. Some weird fetish maybe.

After several minutes Chandra pushed my head away gently, cupping my face in between his pass, both of us panting. "Huff... Arceus above..."

I smirked. "Like being dominated... by your girlfriend... do you?"

"You... huff... bet I do..."

"Dirty boy... How can you be so intimidating to others but when your around me, your like putty in my paws?"

"Really now?" His paws moved to my sides and, before I could stop him, flipped us over so he was on top now, electing a small "Eep!" from me. "You say that. But after threatening that Leafeon like that, I'm feeling... famished."

"R-Really?" He had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Mmhm. And, to answer your question, I just channel my emotions and eventually turn them into love. Love for you."

"How does that work - " I never did get an answer to that question as he forcefully smashed our lips together once again.

'Or even that time my mom found us kissing before she knew we were dating.'

Snowdrop: Age 11

"C-Chandra, we can't - Mmph! - i-infront of m-my house. M-My mom might-"

"Shh." Chandra shushed me with softly, his voice slightly muffled against my cheek. I was currently on my side with Chandra lying beside me. It was nighttime and I was looking at the sky before Chandra had lay down beside me. Where he'd come from I didn't know. And after a few minutes of silence, he'd randomly kissed me.

And now, he was kissing me gently all over my face. On both my cheeks, the corners of my mouth, my neck, my forehead, my ears, and even my nose. And my face was on fire while I squirmed from his kisses. He'd kissed me before but not like this! And in front of my home where we could be easily spotted!

"M-My mom-"

"Hmm? Are you ashamed of dating me or something?" He asked innocently. Anger flared up in my stomach.

"Of course not! I... I l-love you... You know that... Idiot..."

"I know. I just wanted to hear you to say it." Chandra smirked at me. "Therefore, there won't be a problem if your mom sees us, right?"

"W-Well... Um..." I reflexively looked away. We'd been dating for a few months now. I still wasn't completely comfortable kissing when pokemon could see us. Especially since I wasn't evolved yet. Chandra didn't seem to care. But I was still a bit... self conscious.

My mom knew Chandra was my friend but how she'd react to us kissing in front of our home scared me.

"You worry too much."

"You worry too little."

"Fair enough."

"Arceus above..."

"Hey." Chandra's paw cupped my cheek and he turned my head to face his. He was smiling reassuringly at me and I felt my worries melt away. "I love you. And I'd tell the entire world if I could."

"R-Really?"

"Of course."

I returned his smile and closed my eyes. I could hear Chandra laugh softly before gently pressing his lips to mine.

"Snowdrop! Where'd you run... off... to..." My eyes shoot open and I pushed away from Chandra, who looked shocked. Then, he looked where I was staring and his shock faded.

Looking at us with pure astonishment was my mother. "U-Um..." I had no idea what to say. What could I say?

Thankfully, Chandra saved me from floundering like a Magikarp out of water. He stood up and smiled at my mother. "Hello, miss."

"... Hello... Chandra..."

"Please allow me to explain. This isn't just some fling. This isn't just some small admiration. This isn't a one time thing. I love your daughter. I love her more than anything on this planet. I'd lay down my own life for her if she were at risk. I only ask for your blessing to pursue our relationship. I deeply apologize for hiding this from you but Snowdrop wanted us to be private for a little while. Forgive me."

My mouth hung open. Chandra had just...

My mother blinked a few times before sighing. "Just make out AWAY from our house." She turned around and left, leaving a smiling Chandra and a shocked Snowdrop.

"Well. That went well."

"H-How did you..."

"I spoke from my heart." Chandra walked over to me and easily lifted me onto his back.

"C-Chandra?!"

"You heard your mom. We gotta make out somewhere else." I'd never blushed harder as Chandra carried me away.

Present Time...

'Or even when you were dying. You were so calm...' I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes. 'Lend me your courage, Chandra. Please...'

I heard the front door slam open and then shut again. 'Miragem?'

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and got back under the covers of my bed. I knew how friends acted. He'd be worried if I was up and about.

Soon, I heard pawsteps climbing the stairs. Then, the door opened and an Espeon poked his head in. "Snowdrop?"

"Yes?"

"Thank goodness you're okay. I was worried."

"I'm fine. I've been hurt worse." I knew he didn't know what I meant. He didn't need to though.

Miragem rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. "Acreus above. Hopefully this will blow over soon." He moved to the side of my bed and sat down. "This is exhausting."

"'Exhausting' isn't the word I'd use."

"Really?"

"I'd use several words. Like 'I hate this.' Or 'I want everything back to normal."

Miragem smiled. "You're probably right." A few minutes of silence split our conversation. Then, out of nowhere, Miragem ask, "If you kill the pokemon responsible for all of this, would you do it?"

"Of course I would. In a heartbeat."

"That's what I thought. Therefore," Miragem hopped up on my bed and stood at the foot of it, taking me by surprise.

"W-What are you-"

"Do it. Kill the one responsible for this. Kill me. Right now."

I felt my jaw drop as I stared up at Miragem. "W-What do you..."

"All of this is my fault! Its MY fault Psyko got captured! Its MY fault Enfer is off risking her life to save the pokemon I caused to get captured! Its MY fault you got attacked! Twice!" He reached towards me and grabbed my shoulders, dragging me closer to him.

"Kill. Me. Can you? Can you kill me?"

Psyko's P.O.V.

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea. There's probably only two pokemon that do. Anyways, I seemed to have rambled. Sorry. I'll get back to the point." Morph sighed. "This is when the excess build-up of pokemon was annoying our owners. That's when they made Areas Eleven through Twenty."

"How did they expand so much? One Area is HUGE."

"I have no idea. Anyways, with more Areas, they needed more workers and 'doctors', which I'm using loosely. They had no idea they were doing anything wrong. Monsters, they were. Eventually, each new monstrosity of an experiment got their own room. Including me. Along with countless others, we had to do countless tests. Strength tests. IQ tests. You name it, we did it. After all, it was all for data." Morph said that last word with so much venom in it, I flinched.

"For a while, time seemed to be stuck in place for me. I'd do tests. I'd have to kill pokemon or be killed. Then I'd be back in the same room day after day. But, after three years, I finally met with Mistress Chrono again. She was fuming when she showed up. Every time I spoke up, she'd beat me. After the third beating, she commanded me to follow her. Of course, I did it. I had no say in the matter. Then, she led me back to Area One."

"Was it different?"

"Oh, you bet it was. The hall was clean and oddly quiet. After several hours of walking, she stopped in front of a door. She whispered something and the door opened. What I saw was... horrible. Just... horrible..."

"What-"

"I saw the Eevee again. But now, he was lying helplessly on his back, being... forced on by two Mightyena." I suppressed and gasp and resisted the urge to throw up. Just that image in my mind was... "When I saw it, I threw up. His entire cage was filled with... their fluids. And that poor Eevee... 'Be lucky you're not him.' Chrono spat at me. Yeah... I guess I was lucky... 'This little kid just rakes in money.' Chrono had said to me."

"Morph..."

"The entire Area had been turned into a place for... that. With that Eevee being the most popular choice. I was disgusted. A child having to..." He shook his head.

"Enough of that. Time to talk about Area Fifty."

Enfer's P.O.V.

I put my paw up to the huge metal doors and gently pushed it open. The entire room seemed dark and empty.

Except for one thing. A pair of glowing rings.

"Greetings, Enfer. I'm glad you could make it."

I involuntarily took a step backwards. "How do you know-"

"Who I am?" The voice finished for me. "To answer that question, I'll first ask you a question. Who am I?"

"I... I don't... know..."

"I'll help you." The rings flashed brighter and, for a moment, I saw the pokemon; An Umbreon with blood on its maw. "My name is Chrono."

I gulped. 'This is her... The one who is called a monster...'

A pair of claws flashed in the darkness. "Welcome to your special hell, murderer."

Woot woot! More Snowdrop X Chandra! SnowDra?!

Can you tell I rather enjoy writing about them?

Sadly, there won't be much more for the time being. D:

Gonna focus more on the present.

:D