Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, be it the idea, the creatures, or the world. Some of the characters in this story are my own while others can also be creditted back to the original owners. I take no credit for anything not mine, and thank the creators of Pokemon for giving me inspiration.

Author's Note: What an ominous title! I take a little bit of liberties with the "natures" of Pokemon found in the games, tweaking them to my own needs (Mwa ha ha?) And everyone gets a deeper look at Ventus as a person, yay

Chapter XXXVII: Hate

(Ventus' POV)

Since the attack, and consequential capture of Growlithe, our progress had been… Really slow. We'd barely moved from that one spot, in fact. At Cheryl's counsel, I called out Kirlia once more and administered a potion to her wounds – According to the forest-haired woman, the strange healing concoction would not only cure her physical wounds, but also triple her energy recovery; I didn't know that part. After all, Sye certainly didn't mention it. The psychic, afterwards, was quickly returned to her Pokeball to speed up the whole recovery process even more – I now stared at my newest Pokemon acquisition; Growlithe. I was rather hesitant about letting him back out.

Cheryl, still holding Riolu in her arms – Boy, those two were getting pretty chummy – Came to stand beside me, studying my face for several seconds, before asking; "Something wrong?"

I gave a half hearted shrug of one shoulder, "A little nervous; think he'll be mad at me?"

"Who, Growlithe? Why would he be?"

Despite my anxiety, I grinned back at her, shaking my head slightly, "Well, not ten minutes ago I had him slammed into the ground – Twice – Blasted with fire, and then I sucked him into a tiny ball when he was unconscious. I dunno about you, but I would be a little more then miffed at all that."

Cheryl giggled, "Point." She conceded, before giving the ball a gentle tap, "Only one way to find out though."

Nodding, I opened the sphere, and in a bright flash, Growlithe appeared… And tackled me to the ground. But this time, he looked not the least bit ready to attack – Rather the opposite, for the puppy looked… Well… 'Ecstatic! That's the only word for it!' He was positively beaming!

Barking out his name with much excitement and enthusiasm, the dog leaped from my chest and began to rapidly run circles around my downed form – All completely heedless of his injuries, at that. "You've got to be kidding me…" I whispered in disbelief, as Cheryl gave me a hand up, "Where's all this energy coming from? He was out cold not ten minutes ago!"

The woman had no answer for me, and it wasn't unlike the fire-type came to a stop before me that we noticed all his energy was… Well, gone! He'd gone from running in circles, yapping his head off, to physically panting in exhaustion – All in the course of a minute. That couldn't be normal. I reached for the Pokedex, handing Cheryl a one of the potions I'd picked up, "Could you give him this? There's something I want to check while he's out here."

Smiling, she nodded, and handed Riolu off to me, before taking the bottle – Quick as could be, the fighter scrambled up to my shoulder and clung there, staring down at the Pokedex screen as he tried to ignore the darkness around us. Thankfully, the little machine was had a backlit screen, so I didn't need the flashlight to see it. "Growlithe. Classification; Puppy Pokemon." The machine began.

But it wasn't the description I wanted, rather some information on this particular Growlithe – And sure enough, something caught my eye that answered my unasked question; "Here we go; Excitable nature." I stopped short, giving my friend a curious glance, "Excitable nature?"

She didn't look up, but rather continued to administer the potion to Growlithe – The fire-type too exhausted to do anything beyond a slight flinch every now and then. "Every Pokemon has a nature – Some are docile, some are loyal, some are… Well, they can be anything, really. It's basically a quick note about how the Pokemon acts, or what to expect from it personality-wise."

I scratched at my head with my free hand, "So, excitable means… I began, hoping she wouldn't actually make me ask, and look downright clueless in the process.

To my relief, or perhaps more to Cheryl's downright kindness, she went on, "It means your Pokemon has a lot of energy… To begin with – But burns through it almost three times as fast as any other Pokemon… Your battle just now would be a perfect example, come to think of it." She looked up at me, a sheepish grin coming over her, "I really should've noticed it then, come to think of it."

I looked back at the Pokedex, looking over the pieces of information regarding natures – Basically, all it contained was a much longer, drawn out explanation of what Cheryl had just told me. But it did almost mention that Pokemon like my Growlithe were problematic to train, because it was so difficult to get them to calm down. I shut the machine, and tucked it away, "I'll just get him to stick to ember and the like for awhile – You know, simple, easy attacks. Ones that won't wear him out so quickly."

Cheryl nodded her approval, and handed me the empty bottle, "All finished – With some rest, he'll be good as new." She told me with a smile, I tucked the bottle back into my bag.

I recalled Growlithe – And quickly, before he could start racing around again – And took Riolu from my shoulder, instead choosing to carry him as we walked – After all, Team Galactic was still around, I wanted to be sure I had a hold of him if we ran into them suddenly. Cheryl took the lead this time, moving the flashlight all around as she walked, checking the area, investigating every noise with interest. She may not have been a treasure hunter like the rest of her family, but it seemed habits like those were hard to break. All the while I followed, I tried not to focus on WHY we had to be so cautious – Capturing Growlithe had lifted my spirits immensely, and I preferred not to ruin that with anger again.

"Can I ask you something?" Cheryl suddenly asked, not bothering to turn and face me as she kept a steady pace forward.

The question snapped me from my concentration, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Go ahead."

"Why do you hate Team Galactic?"

A deep frown settled in – So much for high spirits; "That's a really stupid question." I replied; quickly adding, "No offense, I mean. The answer should be, well…"

She giggled, stopping at last and turning to me, "Obvious? No offense taken, I guess I didn't word that as well as I thought. I just mean… Why do you hate them so MUCH? Even mentioning them just now… Well, you look so furious right now." She tilted the light up to my face to further prove her point.

With my free and, I blocked out the light, shutting my eyes until it was lowered once again – Riolu too, stared up at me now, but I knew he already knew the answer. He was there; hell, he was apart of it. "I know what they're after." I answered at last, "I know what they want to do – To me, to you, to everyone in the world. To every person, and every Pokemon. Their after the world itself, they want to control it, and we're all just expendable stepping stones on the road to claiming it."

Though controlling the whole world sounded like something… Unreal - Simply undoable – Cheryl took it completely seriously. She choked back a gasp as she covered her mouth with one hand, the other holding the flashlight quite shakily, "They disgust me – The whole lot of them." I went on, deciding it best to forgo explaining the situation with commander Mars; thinking of her, of her honor, only confused me. It confused my feelings. It confused my very hatred for Team Galactic.

Cheryl could only nod, at last getting some control over her quivering before starting to lead me off again, down the forest trail. Silently, I followed after her. "You're not afraid? Not even a little?" She asked in a whisper, as though afraid to speak any louder.

In a way, I wanted to be honest; I was downright terrified. For me. For Riolu – For all my Pokemon, really. As much as I'd toyed around with them, getting in their way and even stopping their commander, I knew Team Galactic was dangerous – Rowan would not have forbade me opposing them if it were otherwise. They could really, truly, hurt me, if it came down to it. They could kill me, if they got the chance.

But still, another part of me wanted to sound tough, to look brave in Cheryl's eyes, if nothing else. She was scared, I needed to be brave; after all, I was her escort BECAUSE of Team Galactic – If I fell into fear, how could I protect her like I said I would? At last, I settled on an answer; "Someone has to stop them. That's all there is too it."

It wasn't really an answer, not to her question, at any rate, but it seemed satisfactory enough for her not to ask again. Rather, she fell into silence for several minutes, a small rift seeming to open up between the two of us as we walked. Had I said the wrong thing? Was I too boastful of myself? Maybe she just didn't believe me, or believe IN me, even. "You're really brave." She said at last, so quietly I had to strain to hear it – And even then, I wasn't even sure if she had spoken at all.

The conversation at its end, we progressed silently for some time. I could think of nothing to say to her final comment, for even a simple "thank you" didn't sound right – I wasn't being brave; hell, I'd have turned and run if there was someone else to handle the Galactics! I may have hated them, immensely at that, but that in no way meant I wanted to fight them. At least… Not when I could think clearly. When I was around them, even one, reason faded utterly from my mind – And all thoughts of retreating, or running away left with it. When I was around Team Galactic, all I wanted to do was beat them into the ground, and make every last one of them pay for what happened to Riolu in Jubilife city. In my eyes, I saw Ketrick, his grinning, superior smirk and cold, almost hauntingly dead eyes as he gave the order to attack, again and again, in every Galactic I saw. True, they all looked almost identical to one another, but even Mars, in her own way, instilled in me that same rage – And then took it away, when she left upon defeat.

All I knew, deep down, was that someone – Anyone – Had to stop the Galactics. And if no one else, not even the police, or the gym leaders… Hell, not even the elites! If no one else was going to even try, then I would. I would try, and hell, I might very well fail, but Team Galactic could NOT continue unopposed. 'There's too much at stake.' I told myself, over and over again, 'Too much at risk.'

"How much farther?" I asked quietly, the question surprising even me – Here I was, in Eterna forest at long last, but all I wanted to do was get out of there.

Cheryl didn't stop, nor did she turn, "We're about halfway through now, maybe a little more. By the time morning rolls around, we should be out." Her voice was calm, not at all shaky anymore, but despite that I could still tell she was deeply bothered by what I had told her.

Then, as we left the forest, we would see the sun. I gave Riolu a gentle pat on the head, 'Hear that buddy?' I wondered, the faintest of smiles creeping to my face, 'No more darkness, just wait a little longer.'

I steadily began to realize, looking down at Riolu, my eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness here, just like I thought they would. True, I couldn't make out any fine details without the flashlight, but I could SEE Riolu – I could see Cheryl walking ahead of me, I could even make out, albeit faintly, the trees off to either side. My Pokemon still lay comfortably in my arms, fearful of his surroundings and content just to remain still and wait for the whole ordeal to be over.

Cheryl screamed as the ground before her exploded.

Snapping from my thoughts, I looked on ahead as the woman fell to the ground, completely overcome with shock – Before her; a pit had formed as a result of the attack… But what attack? Where had it come from? Who was attacking us now?

I heard laughter; it stung my ears with familiarity. I rushed to Cheryl's side, pulling her upright as the source stepped out from the sea of trees. "It's been awhile, boy." Ketrick said with a smirk, giving a hearty nod to the ground before us, "A simple hello, from me to you – Consider it a welcome to Eterna forest, compliments of Team Galactic."

Sure enough, Sammis was with him; the outwardly silent man said nothing as he stood beside his cohort, a Pokeball in each hand. I knew what was coming, but now that I knew who it was, I felt a new sense of despair; I feared for my self control. "You two…" I whispered, my voice wracked with anger, with hate. "I thought it'd be a long time before I saw you again."

Cheryl gazed at me with confusion, "You know them? These two Galactics?"

I didn't answer – Rather, Ketrick himself cut me off, "This girl is different from the last – Such a ladies man, hmm, Ventus? Not enough thrills from getting in our way, is that it?"

"Shut up! The hell do you know!?" I cried out, a flush of embarrassment washing over me – Now he was just taunting me!

Ketrick rubbed his chin, his grin becoming little more then a sneer, "I know I owe you one, for Jubilife city, you little brat. But I guess that little incident didn't make you any smarter, given what you did at the Windworks earlier today." He went on, not giving either myself or Cheryl a chance to cut in, "It was embarrassing, the whole lot of'em, running back to base because of one little brat. I don't know what commander Mars was thinking – She could've crushed you!"

No doubt my friend was wondering just what he was talking about, but there was no time to explain. Riolu whimpered in my arms, struggling to hide himself from the Galactics – I wasn't sure if it was the darkness now, or who it was we'd encountered, but either way, Riolu was defiantly not up for battling. I found some relief in remembering that Cheryl had me heal both of my other Pokemon before all this.

From beside Ketrick, a Pokemon stepped out of the darkness; the Galactic grinned down at it, before returning his gaze to me, "I see your little pup is still cowering after our last match – But I'm surprised, I didn't think he'd walk away from that at all!"

My blood boiled at the mockery, "Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" Under normal circumstances, I'd have checked the new Pokemon out on my Pokedex, but rashness was overtaking me – I reached for a Pokeball, "You're not going to hurt him again! I'm going to stop all this right here!"

Though internally unsure what ball I had grabbed, I didn't care. Either of my Pokemon would suffice – I just had to stop him. Stop his mockery. Stop him from hurting anyone, or anything else. I threw the ball; Kirlia stood before me. Ketrick only grinned, "Big mistake."

Cheryl grabbed my arm, "That's an Umbreon!" she told me, her words, at last, managing to break through my anger and make some sense to me – Umbreon was a dark-type Pokemon… What had I done?

Sammis released each Pokeball in hand, while Ketrick tossed his second; they were pulling out all the stops now. Machop and Zubat were familiar to me, but Sammis' other Pokemon… I'd never seen it before. "Snorunt!" The tiny, cone-shaped creature called, waving its miniscule arms angrily in my direction.

"Four against one?" Cheryl gasped; taken aback completely by this, she stepped back, looking quite unsure of herself.

"This is how they work." I spoke coldly, "Outnumbering, overpowering, downright strong-arm tactics against any opponent, no matter who it is." My mind reeled; I saw Jubilife city again, I felt the rain on my skin, the tears on my face. I saw Riolu lying helplessly on the road, Machop attacking him again and again, and Ketrick cheering him on the whole while. I saw it all again. I felt it all again.

"Not again!" I screamed angrily, "Never again!" Without a second though, I threw the other Pokeball; Growlithe blazed into existence, howling its presence for all to hear. "I don't care if you do have me outnumbered – This time, things will be different. This time, I'm going to make you both pay!"

Two more Pokeballs struck the ground, and two more unknown Pokemon appeared, just to my right. Surprise overtook the anger, and I looked; Cheryl stood beside me, looking more determined then I had ever seen her before. "You were right, Ventus." She spoke quietly, low enough for only me to hear, "Someone does have to stop them."

Her Pokemon were foreign to me; one looked rather egg-shaped, bright as could be, especially in this dark forest, with a smile that would've been contagious, had I not been on the brink of fury. The other was a bee – A queen, from the looks of it – One that towered in height, surpassing even Cheryl in that respect. Like Kirlia, this Pokemon – Clearly a bug-type – Looked almost as though it wore a dress of some kind, decorated in black and orange, and ending in an almost honeycomb kind of manner. The Pokemon buzzed as it hovered, rising and falling effortlessly in the forest air, and staring coldly at the Galactics, almost as though it knew just who they were.

"We fight on even terms this time. How interesting." Sammis finally spoke – He didn't need to say much, for Ketrick did most of the talking, "But it makes little difference."

Ketrick eyed the newest arrivals to the battle with some distaste, before settling his gaze back at me, "And the pup? He's just going to cower and hide this time? What a joke – You should've tossed him, like I told you before. This is why you're merely trainers and we, the Galactics, are unstoppable – Power reigns supreme over all, and the weak are discarded like yesterdays trash." His words stung, again and again, Cheryl herself stifling a gasp at them, "Maybe this time, you'll learn that."

"The hell with you!" I cried out, my voice drowning out his utterly as it echoed and resounded throughout the forest, "No more words, no more lectures, enough already! I can't stand it anymore! I'm going to end this RIGHT NOW!"

--

I'll come right out and say this here; I am DREADING writing the next chapter. 8 freaking Pokemon simotaniously? Are you KIDDING me? But as bad as that might seem, theres one wayyyyy down the road thats going to be a hundred times worse ;) That said, the battle will kick off right off the bat next chapter, and likely run the entire length of it as well. We're quickly coming to the end of the forest now, by the way, so expect a different POV chapter to be in the works before too long (You'll know when ;) )