Chapter 23

Rescue Part 6

"Zero!" Furno shouted the moment he saw his friend. He burst into the room, only to come to an abrupt halt.

Zero was standing in the center of the room with his back to Furno, his arms hanging heavily at his side. His head slightly bowed. In front of him, a mere foot away from the Riolu, was Morpheus. The cephalopod-like Pokémon grinned widely, as if he was happy to see the Monferno, though his apparent joy didn't reach his eyes.

"Well, well. I didn't expect to see you again," Morpheus said, sounding genuinely surprised. "I had figured that you and your team would have ran back to the Resistance with your tails between your legs!"

Furno's eyes narrowed; an angrily growl rumbled in his chest. "Give Zero back," he demanded.

"Oh?" Morpheus hummed, amused. "You make it seem like I'm keeping him hear against his will."

"I won't ask again," Furno warned.

Morpheus chuckled, not appearing worried in the slightest. "I'm not keeping him here," he insisted, raising his tendrils in a placating manner. He took a step back from Zero, his grin never leaving his face. "See? He can leave whenever he wants."

Furno glared heatedly; an angry growl his only answer.

"Go ahead," Morpheus prompted. "If you don't believe me, ask your friend. Ask him to leave. I won't stop you."

Furno was obviously skeptical, but he was desperate. Keeping his glare firmly on the still smirking Malamar. "Zero. Come on. Let's get out of here."

The Riolu didn't move.

Furno's eyes snapped to the former human, his scowl melting away into a look of concern. "Zero? Come on. We have to get out of here!"

Zero still didn't move. He didn't so much as twitch. He just stood there with his back to Furno, his head slightly bowed.

Furno's glare returned full force as his attention snapped up at Morpheus' chuckle. "What did you do to him?!" Furno all but snarled.

"Nothing!" Morpheus exclaimed as if affronted, though the sentiment was lost due to the psychic-dark type's cruel gaze. "I simply opened his mind to a new way of thinking. Why don't you show him, Zero."

At the sound of his name, the Riolu jolted. His entire body tensed, his back becoming ramrod straight. Slowly, he turned around to face Zero and Furno felt his heart sink.

Bright, ruby red eyes, once full of kindness, curiosity, and determination, were now dull. Horrified black eyes stared into blank, lifeless red, trying to find some piece of his friend still there, but he saw nothing.

"I'm afraid that young Zero was a little…shocked by certain revelations," Morpheus said, sounding concerned. "I was… alleviating his confusion when you arrived."

Furno's eyes snapped back to the Malamar and he saw red. Burning raged flooded through him like magma. His tail flame burned furiously, his inner fire yearning to turn Morpheus into a pile of ash.

"Turn him back," Furno growled, his voice hardly louder than a whisper.

"Hmm?" Morpheus hummed. "What was that?"

"Turn him back!" Furno roared, his tail flame erupting into a pillar of flames. "Turn him back now!"

Morpheus actually took a step back, caught off guard. His expression quickly schooled into an expression of apathy. "Watch your tongue, boy, or else—" Morpheus yelped as he ducked under a stream of fire.

Furno was angry. No, he was beyond simple anger. His friend, his best friend, the one who'd been through everything with him… Seeing him standing there like a simple doll…it burned him. He'd felt fire before, he'd even been burned by it once or twice, but nothing compared to what this. Nothing compared to the feeling that burned him from the inside out.

He couldn't think clearly any more. Any thought he had was burned away by his fury. The damn blocking his volatile temper bubbled within him ever since his evolution finally burst; flooding the fire-fighting type with a desire. A desire to burn everything and anything if it meant setting things right.

"RAAH!" With a primal roar, Furno lunged towards the Malamar, all reservations abandoned.

Eyes wide, Morpheus spluttered out a shout, "Protect me, Zero!"

In a blur of blue, Furno was intercepted. Eyes wide, Furno hesitated, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to slow down. Before he could recover, a hard fist buried itself in Furno's stomach, causing him to gasp. He stumbled back, clutching his stomach as he stared at his friend.

"Zero…?" Furno whispered, both horrified and confused.

"I'm afraid your friend is fighting for the winning side now," Morpheus said, his smug expression returning.

Furno hardly heard the Malamar. All his rage was snuffed out in an instant. "Zero…snap out of it," he whispered desperately. "You've got to snap out of it!"

"That's not going to work," Morpheus scoffed. "My Hypnosis is far too powerful for a few simple words to break him of his trance. He is mine, both in body and mind. My puppet. My weapon. The perfect weapon for the Emperor."

"Damn you," Furno growled, though with significantly less intensity than before. He turned back to Zero with a desperate look. "Zero, please. You have to fight it!"

"You just don't get it," Morpheus said, shaking his head. "He is no longer your friend. He's no longer anything really. A mere instrument and I its player. Allow me to demonstrate. Zero," he called, causing the Riolu to perk up, "kill him."

Furno only had time to sharply inhale before Zero was in front of him. Furno hastily brought up his arms in defense, but they were easily knocked aside by the Riolu's lightning fast punch. Zero's fist smashed into the side of Furno's head, jarring the Monferno and sending him crashing to the ground.

Furno groaned in pain; the room swimming. Blearily, he scrambled to his feet, attempting to back away, but was met with a crushing blow to his stomach followed by a kick to his temple. On sheer instinct, Furno spat out a burst of flame at his attacker, only to quickly cut off his attack when he saw his flames engulf his friend.

"Zero!" Furno cried out. He took a step forward to help his friend, only for a wave of energy to come shooting from the fire and strike the Monferno in the chest. The wave of energy exploded violently, the force shoving Furno back several feet. He managed to remain standing, but he was hunched over, wheezing in pain.

"Like I said, words won't work," Morpheus commented, appearing far too pleased with himself. "He won't stop until I say. Pain is nothing to him. He is the ultimate weapon."

Furno didn't get the chance to reply as Zero was upon him again. Furno struggled to fend off the Riolu's relentless attacks, fighting every urge he had to form any sort of counter attack. He couldn't fight back. His mind was still processing the fact that his friend was trying to kill him.

Strike after strike, Furno dodged, blocked, or endured, unable to fight back. He kept locking eyes with Zero, desperately hoping to see his friend fighting for control, but each time he was met with dull and empty eyes.

The Playful Pokémon suddenly gasped in pain as a sharp pain exploded across his flank. Staggering back, Furno stared wide eyed as Zero pulled back his shadow wreathed paw from Furno's bleeding side. Still reeling, Furno was unable to block the strong kick that sent him tumbling to the ground yet again.

"Pause," Morpheus said, causing Zero to abruptly freeze mid-lunge.

Taking the momentary lull, Furno struggled to regain his footing, coughing harshly as he struggled to regain his breath. Looking up, he saw Zero had remained in place as if frozen in time. Behind him, Morpheus stood imperiously.

"I believe that was a suitable demonstration, no?" Morpheus asked coyly. "Zero is completely under my control."

"Damn…you," Furno growled, clutching his side.

Morpheus only chuckled in response before turning to Zero. "Come here."

Furno could only watch helplessly as his friend once again followed Morpheus' order and marched solemnly to stand at the Malamar's side. Morpheus smirked, stroking the Riolu's head in an almost caring fashion. "Good boy."

"Don't you touch him!" Furno snarled, taking a step forward. He immediately halted upon seeing Zero tense in preparation to defend Morpheus against Furno.

"Oh? Do you need another demonstration?" Morpheus asked, a threatening grin splitting his face. "Next time, I won't stop Zero from killing you." Furno winced; his mouth shutting with an audible click. If anything, the Overturning Pokémon's grin became wider. "I didn't think so." He then turned back to his stoic puppet. "I believe it's time we depart."

"What?" Furno exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"There's no reason to stay any longer. I've obtained what I've come for," Morpheus replied flippantly. "With the rest of your little…rescue party preoccupied; this is the perfect chance to leave."

"I-I won't let you!" Furno said, wincing at how weak he sounded.

The Malamar paused mid-step. He glanced at the Monferno; a dangerous glint in his eye. He raised a single tentacle, causing Zero to snap into attention. He said nothing, but his threat was clear.

One wrong move, and your own friend will kill you.

Furno visibly winced. He tried to glare defiantly at the Malamar, but it looked more like a painful grimace. He made no move to pursue.

Morpheus snorted conceitedly before turning away and beginning to walk. Zero followed behind him without a word.

Furno stood there, rooted on the spot and silently smoldering. Fists clenched and unclenched. His teeth ground against one another, threatening to crack under the force of his jaw. His tail flame spluttered indecisively; a furious pillar one moment and a weak flicker the next.

Zero was walking away, getting further and further away with each passing second, and he was just standing there. He was just standing there as his friend was being taken away! He couldn't just let that happen! He had to stop them, but he couldn't fight. He couldn't fight his friend.

Furno's breath hitched. His heart hammered in his chest. A dull ringing echoed in his ears. Dark spots were beginning to color his vision.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could do was watch. Watch as Zero walked further away.

All of a sudden, a memory cut through the pain inducing fog. Something Monty had said to them when they had first started training at the Latios Division. Back during his first ever spar with Zero.

"Don't hesitate!" Monty had called to them, his form that of an Alakazam. "Use everything that you have at your disposal. Don't just half-ass it!"

"But I don't want to hurt him!" Furno exclaimed, affronted; Zero nodding his head in agreement.

The Ditto sighed. "Listen, not giving it your all in your training will do you more harm than good in the long run," he explained. "Battling strong foes makes you stronger, yes? Well, this is more so when training with against ally. As you spar, you learn the others tendencies and movements, allowing you both to more effectively cover their weaknesses and play off of their attacks in real-life combat. What's more, as you begin to learn each other's fighting styles, and begin to take advantage of them, you will force the other to come up with new and inventive ways for them to gain the upper hand."

Zero frowned, still unconvinced. "I understand that, but…" he hesitated; red eyes alight with confliction. "I still don't want to hurt Furno."

Monty smiled patiently. He crouched down so that he was eye level with the two younger Pokémon. "You trust Furno, don't you?" he asked the Riolu.

"Yes," Zero responded immediately.

"And you him?" Monty asked Furno.

"Yeah!" Furno responded.

"Then keep that in mind. Know that the other would never willing cause permanent harm to you," Monty said. "In battle, it is imperative that you trust your allies. Trust that they are there for you. Trust that they'll have your back. Trust that every move they make is for the group and nothing else. Even if you get hurt, you can't give up that trust. Do you both understand?"

"Yes," the duo responded solemnly.

"Listen here, both of you," he said, suddenly stern. "In this line of work, you will both experience pain. That is undeniable. You will face foes stronger than yourself time and time again and you will get hurt. There is no avoiding that." He paused, looking both Pokémon in their eyes as they stood frozen in rapt attention. "However, it is in those situations, where you are in so much pain that you want nothing more than to curl up on the ground, you have to stand up. Let that pain be what drives you to keep going. To overcome whatever obstacle is in front of you."

Monty reached out and placed his hands on their shoulders. "You both have so much potential, I can tell just by looking at the two of you. I'm certain that, together, nothing is out of your reach. You just have to keep moving forward. Through the pain and hardships, just keep moving forward…"

Moving forward…through the pain…

Furno exhaled. Slowly, the world came back into focus. His gaze instantly snapped to Zero's retreating back. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he knew, to save him, he would have to cause his friend harm.

"Sorry, Zero," Furno whispered to himself. "I hope you can forgive me."

All at once, flames erupted around Furno, curling around him like a large swirling cocoon of fire. With a roar, Furno launched himself forward, barreling straight towards Morpheus and Zero.

"What?!" Morpheus exclaimed, whipping around at the sound of Furno's shout. Blanching, the Malamar dove to the side to avoid the vicious Flame Wheel. "Zero!"

The hypnotized Riolu, immediately leapt into action. He charged towards the Monferno as the flames faded from around him, his paw practically crackling with fighting-type energy. The Emanation Pokémon thrusted his paw forward, a Force Palm aimed at the Monferno's unprotected back, only for his target to suddenly duck under his attack. Spinning on his heel, Furno whirled around, ducking under Zero's Force Palm and delivering a blinding Mach Punch into the Riolu's stomach.

Time seemed to freeze in that very second. For brief moment, nothing moved. Morpheus' expression was a frozen gasp of disbelief, Zero's face remained blank and distant, and Furno's eyes burned with determination. Then, just like that, time restarted. Furno's fist duck deep into Zero's stomach, the force behind the punch lifting Zero off the ground. With a shout, Furno continued the with the motion, jettisoning Zero into the air.

The former human's expression remained blank, but he coughed sharply as the air left his lungs. The Riolu crashed to the ground in a sprawled heap, momentarily stunned.

"What? You…" Morpheus spluttered, disbelief and outrage warring across his face. Anger seemed to win as a murderous snarl stole across the psychic-dark type's face. "Zero! Kill him!" he screeched.

Furno tensed as Zero picked himself off the ground. The Riolu appeared dazed, but it was clear that he was not out of the fight. A small flicker of guilt reared within the Monferno, but he quickly pushed it down. He would have time to feel guilt later. He couldn't give Zero time to fully recover.

Furno dashed forward, flames circling around him like a large wheel as he rushed forward. Zero attempted to move out of the way of the attack, but he was a second too slow and the Flame Wheel crashed him. Flames licked across the former human's flank, but he didn't cry out. Instead, he braced himself and caught the flame-engulfed Monferno.

Face still blank, but now with an edge of exertion has he pushed back against Furno's attack. Zero was pushed back several paces, his feet digging shallow trenches in the ground, before he came to a stop, his paws clenched around the still ball of fire that was Furno. Before Furno could react, light flashed from between Zero's paws before an explosion engulfed the two of them as Zero's Force Palm detonated.

Furno leapt from the plume of smoke, wincing in pain as his body stung from the explosion. His eyes widened as a wave of energy burst from the smoke not a second later, barreling straight towards the still airborne Monferno. Furno could only cross his arms across his chest before the Vacuum Wave struck him.

The fighting-type move exploded viciously, accelerating Furno's already hasty decent to the ground. The Playful Pokémon managed to land on his feet, but his entire body was smarting. Looking up, Furno was forced to put his pain aside as he saw Zero rushing towards him, paw extended for another Force Palm. Furno ducked under the attack and struck Zero across the face with a Mach Punch.

The Riolu stumbled, but kept attack, substituting his Force Palm with a Shadow Claw. The elongated claws slashed violently at Furno, forcing the Monferno to backpedal. Furno's eyes narrowed as he was forced to continue to dodge his hypnotized friend's wild attacks. He jolted in surprise as his back suddenly met the rough, unyielding bark of a tree. He had been cornered.

With his prey cornered, Zero suddenly switched up his attacks again. Orange energy engulfed his paw as sent a punch into Furno's gut. Furno gasped, but grit his teeth. He was quick to bring up his arms and hunker down as Zero sent another Power-Up Punch towards the Monferno's.

Again and again, Zero sent punch after punch towards the Monferno. Furno did his best to block and endure the attacks, but he was given no opportunity to counterattack or even move out of the way.

"Yes! Pummel him!" Morpheus cheered from the side, clearly enjoying seeing Zero ruthlessly attack his friend. "Crush him!"

The Malamar's command seemed to spark something in the Riolu, as his attacks began increasing in speed. Furno grunted as he was struck repeatedly, each attack gaining strength as Power-Up Punch increased the Riolu's strength. As Zero reared back for yet another attack, Furno struck.

A small, condensed ball of fire shot out from the Monferno's mouth, detonating with surprising amount of intensity as it connected with Zero's fist. The Riolu stumbled out of the plume of fire, his fur singed.

"Don't just stand around!" Morpheus shouted. "Attack!"

Prompted by the psychic-dark type shout, Zero summoned a small whirlwind of bright blue energy. With a single swipe of his paw, the whirlwind pooled into a single blade of fighting type energy infused wind that cut through the still burning wall of flame, dispersing it and revealing…

Nothing.

Zero blinked, unable to show any more confusion. He looked around the area for any sign of his target, but failed to notice the cracking ground underneath his feet. The Riolu looked down just as the ground exploded outward from the large gout of fire that burst from underneath him.

Whatever control Morpheus had over the Riolu wavered as the former human screamed in pain as red-hot flames engulfed his form. Zero all but leapt out of the flames, nearly falling to his knees from the unexpected pain. Not a moment later, the flames ceased and Furno burst from the ground directly in front of the Riolu. Unrepentant, Furno sent an electrified fist into the Riolu's stomach, lifting the fighting type into the air and catapulting him across the room.

Zero fell to the ground with a loud crash. Furno watched, panting slightly. He had hoped that his last attack had been enough to fell the Riolu, or at least keep him indisposed long enough for help to arrive, but, much to Furno's chagrin, he could already see his friend was already stirring. Slowly, Zero stood on two shaky feet, his expression still blank and empty.

"Dammit, Zero. Just stay down!" Furno growled, both in frustration and desperation.

"I'm afraid that's not an option," Morpheus gloated. "I already told you, he's my puppet! No matter what he feels, no matter how much he gets hurt, he will continue with the task I have assigned him!"

Furno grit his teeth as Zero once again threw himself at the fire-fighting type. Furno blocked the Riolu's attack, his mind racing to find a solution. He winced as Zero managed to push past his guard, striking the Monferno across the side with a Shadow Claw. Furno jumped back as Zero's glowing fist came speeding towards his head, prompting the attack to impact against the ground; causing the ground to crack and cave around the fighting types paw.

The consecutive Power-Up Punches clearly had done their work. The Riolu's strength had practically doubled! Furno couldn't afford to take many more hits!

Warily, Furno eyed the Riolu. Zero was moving much slower than before, Furno's previous attack no doubt having weakened the Emanation Pokémon. Even so, Furno knew all to well how resourceful Zero could be with his back against the wall. Or at least he used to be.

Furno hadn't noticed it before, but now that Zero was moving a little slower, the Monferno saw that Zero's moves were…stiff. Every attack the Riolu made was straightforward with no sign of adaptability. There was no creativity in his movements, no life. He just mindlessly attacked. Zero truly was just a puppet and that thought broke Furno's heart.

Zero lunged forward, this time sending a kick at the Monferno. Furno leaned back, allowing the kick to sail just inches past his nose. Just as the Riolu had both feet on the ground, Furno struck the Riolu with a Thunder Punch. Zero stumbled, unprepared for the electricity that arced through him. Before he could recover, Furno hit him with another Thunder Punch before blasting him with a strong burst of fire.

Zero flew back, body coursing with pain. He landed with a dull thud, his body twitching in obvious pain. However, despite the pain, Zero was still attempting to get to his feet. He had just gotten to his knees when flames briefly erupted around his body. The Riolu opened his mouth in a silent scream, collapsing to the ground just as the flames dispersed.

Furno panted harshly, taking the moment to catch his breath. He could feel the rapidly rising heat within him. He knew Blaze was just on the cusp of activating. If he could just hold on a little more, he might be able to overpower the Riolu and knock him unconscious! He just needed—

Furno's thoughts were abruptly cut short as a bright multi-colored beam entered his vision. The Monferno had no time to react as the beam slammed into his body, sending waves of pain shooting through his body as he was flung backwards. Furno slammed into the tree wall with a loud crack, the wood of the tree splintering under him. He slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Clearly I underestimated your friend's abilities," Morpheus said, eyeing the struggling Riolu with distaste before turning to Furno. "As much as I would love to see you continue to fight your friend, I'm on a tight schedule." He gestured to Zero. "Finish him."

Furno glared hatefully at the Malamar, a scathing comment on the tip of his tongue, but didn't get the chance to respond as Zero was suddenly in front of him. The Monferno's heart sank as he looked up into the Riolu's dull eyes. His paw was already wreathed in undulating shadows. Furno tried to get up, but Morpheus forced him to the ground with his Psychic attack.

"Zero, don't!" Furno cried out, yelping as Morpheus' grip tightened.

"I told you, it's useless!" Morpheus jeered. "Zero is mine now! Now, die!"

Furno tried to call out to his friend, but his mouth no longer worked. He could only look at his friend, silently pleading for his friend to snap out of it, but it was no use. Only blank red eyes stared back at him.

Zero raised his paw, the shadows extending to a razor-sharp claw. Furno couldn't watch. He couldn't watch his best friend do this. He shut his eyes and waited for him impending demise.

A second passed. Then another. A full minute passed before something cold and wet splashed against Furno's hand. Furno's eyes snapped open. Zero was still there, paw still raised over his head, seemingly frozen. His expression was still blank, his eyes devoid of emotion, but they glistened. Glistened with tears that were currently streaming down his face.

Zero was crying.

"What? How is this possible?!" Morpheus shouted, enraged. His psychic hold on Furno faded as the yellow dots on his stomach flashed. "Bow to my will!"

Zero's body jerked, twisting in apparent agony over whatever Morpheus was doing to him.

"Stop it!" Furno shouted. He scrambled to his feet, lunging towards the Morpheus only struck down by a Psycho Cut.

Zero cried out in pain. He falling to his knees, curling up in a ball in a futile attempt to stave off the pain Morpheus was causing him. Morpheus stepped closer, towering over the writhing Riolu, not an ounce of mercy in his eyes.

"Obey!" Morpheus shouted, the spots on his stomach glowing brighter.

Zero's cries became full screams of agony. His body spasmed, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Furno pushed himself onto his forearms, glaring hatefully at the Malamar. "Stop it!" he shouted. He tried to rise to his feet, but nearly collapsed from the pain that cut through his body.

Morpheus paid the Monferno no mind and continued to bare down upon the hapless Riolu. Zero convulsed violently, eyes rolling into the back of his head; his screams beginning to diminish into ragged shouts.

Furno once more struggled to get to his feet. His hand was outstretched, desperately reaching out for his friend, but he couldn't reach him. The pain kept him pinned to the ground. "Please, stop!" Furno pleaded, anger all but forgotten. All that was left was fear.

"You. Will. Obey. Me!" Morpheus shouted, continuing to ignore Furno's desperate pleas for mercy. The spots on his stomach glowed with an almost blinding intensity. The Malamar glared down at the still writhing Riolu, fully intent on making the Riolu bend to his will—

A sudden surge of pressurized water suddenly blasted across the field, slamming into the distracted Malamar. Morpheus gave an undignified squawk as the deluge slammed into him, sending him hurtling into the tree wall. As the Overturning Pokémon was flung across the room, his Hypnosis was cut off, allowing the Riolu to slump bonelessly on the ground, appearing unconscious.

Morpheus groaned, coughing up water as he glared angrily for the source of the attack. "Who dares…?" he growled, furious. His scowl turned into a fearful yelp as a spinning projectile came hurtling towards him. The psychic-dark type dove to the side, the projectile cutting across the tree he had been leaning on, leaving a deep gash before it exploded in a burst of water.

"I dare," Stride said, stepping into the room; his face set in a deep scowl as he glared at the Malamar.

"Stride?" Furno asked, gaping in disbelief. "How…?

The Greninja glanced at the Monferno, his hardened gaze softening ever so slightly. "Even disgraced, I have connections. Seth wasn't as inconspicuous as he thought." He then returned his glare to the Malamar. "It ends here, Morpheus. I'm taking you in."

"Stride," Morpheus growled. "I'm surprised you're here. We missed you in the initial ambush."

The Greninja merely scowled in response; hands moving to his side as he formed another Water Shuriken.

"It's especially surprising that you'd be saving him of all people," Morpheus added, sounding slightly desperate as he gestured to the unmoving Riolu. "I mean, a human? You?"

Furno gasped. "You know?"

Morpheus opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the Water Shuriken that nearly cut his face. "Oh, did I strike a nerve?"

Stride growled in response, bounding towards the Malamar with a blade of dark energy in his hands. Morpheus just barely dodged moved out of the way, the Night Slash just cutting into his side. The Malamar hissed in pain, lashing out towards the Greninja with a Night Slash of his own. Stride blocked the attack with his own 'weapon', parrying the tendril to the side and kicking Morpheus in the stomach.

Morpheus grunted, stumbling slightly. Off balance, the Malamar was unable to avoid the Hydro Pump that came barreling towards him. The geyser of water smashed into the Malamar, sending him to the ground. Dazed, Morpheus tried to get up, but halted as he felt a sharp blade against his neck.

"Don't move," Stride said, his voice dangerously soft.

Morpheus eyed the blade warily, sweat beginning to bead up on his forehead. He grinned nervously. "You truly are as terrifying as the stories make you out to be. Then again, you soldiers always are."

Stride's gaze narrowed and he pressed his blade more forcibly into the Malamar's neck. Despite the clear threat, Morpheus kept going.

"Though, I still find it strange that you'd come to save a human. Given your…title."

"Stop talking," Stride demanded.

"What's wrong? Did I strike a nerve, Human Slayer?" Morpheus questioned.

Stride froze, eyes widening marginally. For a brief second, his grip on Morpheus slackened, and that second was all the Malamar needed.

The dots on the Overturning Pokémon's stomach flashed, swallowing the room in blinding light. Stride recoiled; instinctively bringing up his arms to block out the light, but the damage was done. He felt the Malamar surge up from underneath him, toppling the Ninja Pokémon. Stride swiped blindly with his blade, briefly finding purchase with something before he was knocked to the ground.

Stride quickly scrambled to his feet, trying desperately to blink away the spots from his vision. However, by the time Stride's vision returned to him, the Malamar was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit!" Stride cursed, eyes blazing with fury.

"Where'd he go?" Furno asked, looking around wildly.

"He's long gone by now," Stride grumbled. He sighed in aggravation before stalking over to the still motionless Riolu.

"Should we go after him?"

"No, we need to get back. Zero is the priority. Hopefully, we can reverse the damage Morpheus has done."

"Right…" Furno said.

"Can you stand?" Stride asked as he picked up Zero.

"Y-Yeah," Furno said. Slowly, he got to his feet, shaking slightly, but remaining upright. The Monferno glanced warily at the Greninja. "Stride?"

"Hmm?"

"…What did Morpheus mean by that?" Furno asked. "He called you…the Human Slayer. What did he mean?"

Stride was silent for several moments. "Now's not the time nor the place to discuss that." The Greninja made to leave the room, but Furno stepped in his way. "Furno," he warned.

"Are you a threat to Zero?" Furno demanded.

"Furno, I wouldn't have gone through this effort of saving Zero if I intended to do him harm," Stride said. Seeing Furno was still unconvinced, the Greninja sighed exasperatedly. "Furno, I promise, I will explain everything when we return to the Latios Division, but right now, we need to regroup with the others and Zero help."

Furno frowned, confliction warring in his expression. Eventually, the Monferno stepped aside, giving the Greninja a short nod. "Fine," he relented.

Stride nodded in response, before exiting the room. Furno stood for several moment before following. His mind a muddled mess of confusion and uncertainty. However, one thing remained painfully clear: Stride had a lot to answer to.