"I knew it!" Azura shouted, before leaping over the rushing water.

Spark yelped, but dodged away from her as she landed. The Thievul and Nickits looked spooked, and promptly ran off down multiple pipes and other passageways.

"W-wait a second!" Spark pleaded, leaping back from one of Azura's swipes.

"Did you wait a second when you killed Aloe!?" She shouted, before looking over at the pile of wooden boxes.

They began to float, an azure aura encasing them before they flew towards spark. He yelped once more, before firing a bolt of electricity at one, which exploded into splinters. The rest met their mark though, slamming into the Jolteon painfully. He cringed in pain, before discharging a strong jolt of electricity into the boxes, which almost instantly turned to ashes.

"A-Azura! W-wai-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence, as a beam shot from Azura's gem, hitting him.

The pain coursing through his body was so strong, he couldn't move. It was as if he was paralyzed. The moment the beam stopped, another followed suite.

"You'll wish I killed you sooner than I'm going to!" Azura shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Another beam followed the second, then a third, and a fourth. They kept coming, as Spark nearly fainted from the pain. This wouldn't leave a physical scar, of course, but it would leave a mental one. He began to notice they slowly weakened, after the thirteenth beam. He wrenched his eyes open, staring as Azura cried and shot Psybeam after Psybeam. He could feel his own energy draining, but he saw her legs begin shaking.

"Why did you kill him! Why! Tell me now!" She cried, still firing at him.

"I-I-If y-you st-stop!" He pushed out, his voice shaky.

She seemed to not be listening, as she began walking closer, until her gem was pressed to his forehead, firing Psybeam over and over again. Static began building in Spark's fur, before a small shock went straight into Azura. Her body went rigid, as she stopped firing Psybeams and fell to the side. He began to pant as he stood, regaining his composure. Sparks erratically shot from his pelt, his ears twitching rapidly as he stared at her. He slowly backed up, before sitting on his haunches.

"L-listen t-to me." He ordered.

Azura glared as her body convulsed slightly, before she sat up. "Why should I listen to you? You killed my soulmate, and tried to kill me."

"Y-you attacked f-first."

"You said you were going to kill me."

"S-s-supposed to."

Azurs looked at him closely for a few seconds. "That's not something you should say to anyone. If I wasn't paralyzed to the point of almost not being able to move, I'd attack you right now."

"Fair." He shrugged, shuffling his forepaws.

The two looked at eachother for a few seconds, before Spark coughed a few times. He began to look at Azura, before it seemed he was looking through her.

"Uh… are you ok?"

He shook his head rapidly, focusing back on her. "Oh no… It's happening. G-go b-bellow the h-hospital. I think… I-I think a d-d-doctor is waiting f-for you… or s-something…"

He gripped his head with his forepaws, and fell onto his side. He began to twitch rapidly, as if he was having a seizure, before going still. Azura gazed at him slightly confused. As he slowly stood, he looked around.

"Y-you… Where a-are we?"

Azura looked at him, and began to feel her paralysis fading. She shook her body slowly, and then stood up, stretching.

"I think I remember you. Have you been to Slag Town?"

"Wh-what Town?"

Azura once more stared at him, before her eyes flashed blue. She gazed into his mind, looking into his memories. The conversation they just had was there, but seemed as if it was fading. She looked deeper, seeing that deep down he remembered Slag Town. Now interested in this Jolteon, she pushed deeper into his mind, but began to feel her strength fading the deeper she went. Soon, she came upon a memory that caught her attention. It was hazy, and extremely faded, but she watched as the memory played out. She was viewing through Spark's eyes, as she looked into a black void. Red eyes stared back through it, as strange, smoky tentacles began to grow from the void, wrapping around her. In fear, she pulled herself free from his mind quickly, which if you were an experienced, strong Psychic, would be no problem. But alas, she was no longer that strong, and upon leaving his mind, Spark's eyes rolled into his head and he fainted. Azura stared in shock at the Jolteon, before pawsteps resounded around the room. From one of the tunnels came the Thievul from earlier. He looked around at Spark and then Azura.

"He also payed us to take him somewhere." He explained, running over and encompassing the fainted Jolteon in his tail.

As the Thievul began back down a tunnel, he turned to Azura. "By the way, why's your name Azura? Isn't azure a blue sorta color?"

Azura nodded. "My psychic is an azure color."

"Ah. Noted." He said, before dashing off down one of the tunnels.

"Wait how do I…" Azura sighed, looking around.

The lights strung on the walls began to blink, before they went out. She sighed louder, before looking around as best she could. She noticed a faint light in the drain system, which rushed a few feet before her. Tentatively, she placed a paw in the cold water. Her paw met stone, so she walked into the water. As she began down the tunnel carrying water to an unknown light source, she slipped. She fell onto her side, as the strong currents began to push her forward. Luckily, it wasn't deep enough for her head to go under. As she was floated down the large drain system, the light came closer and began to grow in size. Just as it got to its brightest, she shot out of whatever thing she was in and landed in a small creek. She coughed a bit, looking around. Slowly, she climbed the sides until she was out of the creek, and in a familiar place. The trees all around her, the concrete path, it was all nostalgic to her. She was at the park. Azura smiled, before shaking herself dry and began down the path. She walked for a few minutes, before coming to a stop at an also familiar pond. Everything seemed so familiar today, including the Liepard sitting at the pond edge, swatting something every few seconds. Deciding not to be rude, she began forward, ignoring her mind some reason wanting to push the Liepard into the water. As she neared, his ears flicked, before he turned and gazed at her.

"Oh! Azura! It's nice to see you."

"Hey Nate. What are you doing?" She sat down beside him, looking at the pond.

Nate shrugged, before faintly smiling at her. "Nothing really. Lacie went out to do something, so I came here to watch other Pokemon. What are you doing? Aren't you wanted?"

Azura looked at the water, which rippled slightly. "Yea. I came out to look at the park, see how it is since I've been gone. I got sidetracked and basically found a whole new section of the city."

"Oh?" He looked at her, interested in what she had said.

"Yea. Some drain systems or something, there was a base or something when I went in."

"Why'd you go into the drain system?"

"Someone stole one of my wedding bands right out from under my nose." She explained, before looking away slightly embarrassed.

He looked at her questioningly. "I don't suppose you happened to drop it, did you?"

She looked down at her foreleg. Both wedding bands were barely a fraction of any unit of measurement apart. They sat above the joint that allowed her paw to move, gleaming slightly in the sunlight.

"He tricked me into taking one off. But he gave it back."

"Mhm." Nate looked away from her, gazing at the pond.

Azura followed his gaze. At the center of the pond, spiking out of the water, was a statue. It was a pillar made of stone, with a crystal Milotic wrapped around it. Water seemed to endlessly drip from the crystal scales. The two sat and stared for a while, as Azura began to think back. She had just allowed the Pokemon who had killed her mate to leave. She had her grip on his mind, yet didn't leave him a vegetable, unable to move or speak. She thought she could have crushed him into a paste, yet didn't. A sinking feeling filled her, as she realized the weight of the situation on her shoulders.

"If someone killed Alex, would you seek revenge?" She suddenly asked.

Nate looked away from the statue, back to Azura. "It depends. If it was unintentional, no. If he provoked them into self-defense, no. If it was in cold blood, yes. I say these right now, but that's only what I think I would do. You never truly know how you'll react in a situation until it happens. If someone murdered him right here and now, there's no telling what anyone would do. The killer could faint from shock. I could faint, I could attack, I could blank out. You never truly know."

Azura looked at him, then down at her paws. "I met the Pokemon who killed my mate. I hurt him a lot, mostly mentally. The only physical damage I did was hurl a box at him. And when we calmed a bit, and he fainted, I didn't take advantage of the situation. I didn't get revenge."

Nate tapped her shoulder, making her look at him. "You met Andre?"

"No, I met the Jolteon who overcharged his machines or something."

"Have you thought about the Jolteon's position? It's Andre who put your mate into the hospital. It's Andre who likely made this Jolteon finish him off. Maybe Andre has something the Jolteon needs. Maybe he offered them a large amount of money, money that their children need, so that they don't starve."

"Are you justifying murder?" Azura squinted at him.

He looked shocked for a second, before rapidly shaking his head. "No! Gods, no! I'm just saying, look at it from others point of view. What you did was reasonable in my opinion. Look, if your son was starving, would you take a life to get the money to feed him? If you could end someone's life to care for another's life, would you?"

Azura looked into his eyes, tears beginning to well in hers. "I would…"

The Liepard shook his head. "That's what most of us think. But when it comes down to it, and they're begging you to let them live, and you look into their eyes, you couldn't do it. Only a heartless Pokemon could look into another's eyes before they kill them. Speaking of heartless, not every criminal is heartless. You're considered a criminal. Are you heartless?"

Azura looked away. "I get it, Nate. I get it."

Nate nodded, before standing and stretching. "Well, I'm going home. Lacie should be back soon, and our sister and nephew are coming over to visit. It was nice talking to you, tell Alex I love him."

As he turned, Azura leaped up, running over to him. "Wait, can I come with you? I want to see Lacie."

He turned at her and began to grin mischievously. "Oh, a little prison romance, huh?"

Azura deadpanned, glaring at him. "Why would you immediately think that?"

He shrugged. "I was just joking. Yea, you can come."

Azura chuckled, slowly shaking her head. "She's the first friend I made since I came back to the city."

Nate began walking, as Azura stated close by. "She's the friendly type, yup. Sometimes a little annoying, but still."

Azura nodded in agreement, keeping pace with him despite his longer legs. The hospital basement could wait. Besides, it was probably a set up so she would get caught or something.

(Warning, this section has a bit more violent stuff than usual.)

"Oh yes…" An intimidating voice said, the tone dripping ecstasy.

An Arcanine stood over a large Buneary, a devious smile on his face as he press down on the Pokemon with his large paw. The Pokemon was flailing about, scratching wildly at him.

Kelvin leaned closer to the Buneary, a frown spreading across his muzzle. "You ferals don't know when you're dead. It's disappointing really, you don't realize until it's already done."

From a few feet away, Andre glared at the Fire type. An Eevee was on his other side, his view blocked by Andre. The Umbreon had the small Pokemon's ears pressed to his head. "Hurry up Kelvin. Andrew can only be occupied so much."

The mentioned Pokemon was looking away, and suddenly gasped at an interesting tree. Kelvin groaned, glaring at the Umbreon.

"These things take time, Andre. If you would have let me keep that Espeon, I would be satisfied with a single feral every few days. But no, sentient Pokemon are off limits." He pressed his other paw down on the Buneary's leg, as a sickening crack resounded through the woods.

The injured Pokemon began squealing in pain, before flailing more violently. "You are sick, Kelvin."

"Says you, who kidnapped a child and had one of his parents killed, and the other still out there somewhere, a danger to both of us." He moved his paw to the other leg, repeating his action.

"Be quiet about that! I could get in enough trouble just for being around you while you needlessly torture a feral."

"Psh, they don't even have laws protecting these guys. The only bad thing is their screams don't sound genuine." He brought his face close to the Buneary's, flames beginning to flare out of his mouth.

"I know that, but it would be strange if a Councilmon's bodyguard gets his rocks off by brutally attacking other Pokemon."

"Atleast I can get off..." Kelvin muttered, before releasing the flames in his maw.

A scorching blast of fire shot out of his mouth, encapsulating the poor Buneary's entire body. The feral's screams were drowned out by the roaring of the flames, and the oxygen was yanked from it's lungs. Soon it became still, it's flesh shrink-wrapping onto it's charred bones. After a few seconds, all that was left of the Pokemon was a pile of ash, vaguely in the shadow of a Buneary. Kelvin stopped the flow of fire, before a quiet moan escaped his lips. A jolt of pleasure ran through his body, before he turned to Andre, who was looking at a tree alongside Jacky. He walked over to the two, and sat down.

"What's so interesting about this tree?" He asked.

Andre shrugged. "Andrew just thought it looked interesting."

Jacky nodded. "It looks like a Trevenant!"

The trio sat for a few minutes, staring at the tree silently. Andre coughed, before standing. "Alright, let us head on to the Ruins of Victory. I have to be back by tomorrow. We already decided earlier today, and the anointment is tomorrow."

"Blah blah blah, we don't care about your government stuff, Andre. Let's go look at the ruins." Kelvin said, standing and beginning off.

The Umbreon sighed, before lightly nipping Jacky's scruff. The Eevee stood, and ran off towards Kelvin in excitement. He chuckled a bit, before catching up and heading deeper into the forest around them.

"Hello? Anyone home?" A voice echoed in the house.

Hela stepped forward, looking around. The house was silent, save for the occasional tick of a clock somewhere nearby.

"Anyone?"

A fluttering of paper answered her, as a purple mist filled the hall. The door was slammed shut behind her, as she yelped in fear. The purple mist began to concentrate, before a Mismagius solidified. Well, solidified isn't the correct term, but you get what I mean. She glared at Hela, before floating down to her level.

"Officer Hela."

"Kimara."

The Mismagius stared for a few seconds. "I see you're off duty. Why are you here? You have no warrant."

The Houndoom sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I just had a few questions for Andre. Where is he?"

Kimara looked around, before floating back into the air. "Visiting the Ruins of Victory with his bodyguard and Andrew."

She looked down, slightly downtrodden. "Oh. Could you answer a few things for me?"

The ghost seemed to consider, before nodding. "Sure, sure. Do you like tea? Wine? I have a bottle that's as old as this house. Sadly, I can't drink either."

"Tea is fine."

Kimara nodded. "Alright, follow me. Not even Andre knows about my room."

Hela nodded, following the Mismagius as she floated slightly above the carpeted floor, drifting towards the staircase. She began to hum to herself, inspecting a few of the rails. One of her tendrils moved forward, opening a small hatch on one of the rails. A small lever was flicked, as she shut the hatch. A groan echoed as the staircase began to lightly shake, before a few stairs slid to the side, revealing a passageway. Cobwebs hung from the inside, as Kimara floated in.

"Haven't had to use that in years." She chuckled to herself, as Hela followed her inside.

The dank, musty scent of the old passageway made the Fire type sneeze a few times, nearly lighting a few scraps of wood on fire. As they went deeper, the smell began to clear. Soon, it became a relaxing, earthy smell. They arrived in a chamber, richly decorated in purple. On the right wall, there was a shelf with various trinkets and curiosities. There was bottles, filled with various different liquids, a figurine of a strange Pokemon unknown to Hela, and a skull. The skull looked old and fragile, almost as if it was a thousand years old. Hela walked over to a circular table on one corner, and hopped up onto the purple velvet stool.

"What's that stuff on the shelf? It's illegal to own bones, unless it's a feral's."

Kimara giggled slightly, floating over to a shelf on the wall parallel to the entrance. "That's Andre's ancestor's. The first one I worked for. She wrote in her will specifically for me to get her remains. She was a strange Jolteon, I tell you."

She floated up what looked like a small stove, setting it down on the table. A bowl containing leaves floated off of the shelf, and then a bowl containing water.

"How so?"

As Kimara began to prepare the tea, she began to explain. "She had an obsession with mythology. She's the main reason I've worked with the family for so long. Heck, I basically raised Andre all by myself. His dad helped a little, poor guy worked himself to death, it slips my mind what his occupation was, though. But his mother was too concerned about living lavishly. Anyway, his ancestor was a strange Pokemon. They say she sometimes spoke to herself, about the gods and such. She even gave me this thing." The Pokemon figurine floated off the shelf, over to the tsble. "Apparently, she saw it in one of her dreams and carved this out of stone."

The figurine seemed to be an amalgam of different Pokemon. It's bird-like head seemed a bit mechanical, the bolts on its cheeks well defined. What looked like feathers adorned it's neck, making a small mane. The forelegs were bug-like, with two appendages on the front, and one on the back. The back legs were mostly normal, aside for the draconic scales shielding it's outer thighs. A fish tail stuck out the back, seemingly useless to the creature. The most stunning part was the crest on it's head. It looked as if a second head began to grow out, but didn't develop fully.

"Did she say what it was?"

Kimara shook her head. "She said in her dream, it was fighting another strange being. That's about it. After that, she began to study different things. She always wanted to give me my memories from before I died back. But, we aren't here to talk about her. We're here to talk about her last descendant, with even a drop of her blood. Well, I say that, but her son was almost as interesting. He once hosted an or-"

"No thank you, onto Andre please." Hela looked away from the Mismagius, slightly embarrassed.

Kimara chuckled, before the bowl she had finished the tea in floated over to Hela, and then fell before her. Two sugar cubes floated in the reddish liquid, which quickly began dissolving. "Thank you."

Kimara nodded, as the Houndoom began to lap up her tea. Her eyes widened as she cringed slightly, pulling her head back, coughing.

"This tea is horrible!"

The Mismagius began giggling, before shrugging. "It's been atleast 50 years since I last made tea. And even longer since I've changed either the leaves or the water. You just drank really old leaf water. It shouldn't hurt you, though."

Hela sputtered, coughing a few more times before clearing her throat. "Alright. Andre. Why hasn't he tried taking a mate? Someone at such a high rank, and with so much wealth, is sure to attract plenty of Pokemon."

Kimara looked at her, sighing. "He was attacked once. I told him not everyone cares about sexual things in relationships, but he ignored me."

Hela nodded, taking mental notes. "Why did he adopt Andrew specifically?"

Kimara looked away, sighing once more. "I have never lied once in my entire afterlife. I didn't know."

"Didn't know?"

"Yes. Nothing more you'll get out of that question."

Hela raised a non-existent brow, before nodding. "Did he… adopt Andrew to-"

"No, don't imply that or I'll have to escort you not-so-kindly off of the property." Kimara interrupted.

Hela simply nodded. "Sorry, there's always the chance. There are no records of an Arcanine named Ferin in any documents I searched through. Is he from this region?"

Kimara nodded. "Born and… born here and lived his entire life in Feldon."

Hela nodded once more. "I did, however, find a few documents about the fire in the forest a few weeks ago. One Ferin and Andre are known to have been in. I'm just going to say it blankly, Kimara, I'm a Fire type. I can tell when a fire is set intentionally."

Kimara didn't respond, averting her gaze. Hela cleared her throat. "I recently went back to the site, and found charred bones. That wouldn't be so strange, but the part that got me was, there was unusual amounts of ash nearby. I'm pretty much the only Officer even remotely interested in the incident that happened back then. Even my partner has been telling me to back off of it. Is there something Andre hasn't told the I.L.E?"

The Mismagius turned her face back to Hela. "We all have secrets, Hela. I know what you're poking at. I know you're suspicious. What I tell you here and now is the last thing you'll hear from me personally. And I have never lied in my life."

One of her tendrils floated forward, poking Hela's chest for effect. "I have protected this family for generations. I have seen the darkest thoughts a Pokemon can have. I have seen the happiest moments one can experience. And Andre is nowhere close to either of those."

Hela put up a paw defensively, a gesture of submission. "Hey, I just want to learn if what happened was true or not."

Kimara floated forward, her face inches from Hela's muzzle. "Hela, I say this to you as a worried third party. You're biting more than you can chew, girl. I can have you fired just for being here right now."

Hela's relaxed demeanor fell instantaneously. "You confirmed every suspicion I had. Thank you for all of this information, Kimara."

The ghost's calm expression fell to one of shock. "I… I'm over a thousand years old! How did I fall for a trick like that!?"

She shrugged. "I didn't trick you. You just started accusing me of accusing Andre, and that lead me off. Sad thing I'm not wearing a wire. But then again, that Metagross at H.Q knows Miracle Eye, so it shouldn't be a problem recovering the memories to use as evidence."

Kimara began to smirk. "You have no evidence though. Just me warning you to not dig your nose so deep."

Hela shrugged, before standing and bowing. "I know. Just wanted to get even the slightest admission. I'm going to pay Slag Town a visit, then the orphanage at the town Andre supposedly adopted Andrew at. Once I uncover anything, this web will unravel faster than…"

She began to think for a few seconds, before shrugging. "Guess I'll never be a detective if I can't come up with some smart stuff to say."

As she turned and walked towards the exist, she turned her head slightly over her shoulder. "Oh, by the way, Bash is outside waiting for me. Don't try to attack me."

Kimara sighed in defeat, shaking her head. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Hela smiled, before heading back towards the entrance to the passageway. Kimara simply watched silently, before fading into thin air.

"Ta-dah." Nate said as his house came into sight.

Azura looked at the one story house, made of brick and with a tin roof. It was sandwiched between two larger buildings, with stone steps leading to the red door. 2 windows sat on either side of the quaint house, one revealing a small living room, the other showing a smaller kitchen. He walked up to the house, and pushed the door open. Azura followed, entering into a hallway with lemon-yellow carpet, and cream colored walls.

"Dad! I'm home!" Nate shouted loudly.

"What!? Who's there?" Came another shout from the living room.

Nate walked into the room, followed by Azura. The room had a box television in one corner, pointing towards an old, stained leather rocking chair. The carpet here was the same, and a couch sat on the left wall. In the rocking chair sat an elderly Glameow, squinting at the two who had entered.

"He's sorta deaf." Nate explained.

Azura nodded, having already figured it out. The Glameow stared at her, still squinting.

"Finally found you a cute girl, huh Nate?"

Nate sighed loudly. "I told you already Dad, I don't like girls."

"Huh?" The old Pokemon turned his head slightly, his ear facing the Liepard.

"I said I'm gay!" He said louder.

"You payed? Oh! Buy me one too! Or better yet, pay for more time!" The Glameow said excitedly.

The Dark type groaned loudly again, before walking over to the couch and hopping up. Azura looked at the Glameow, who was now focused on the television. She focused on him, and felt the mental link take hold.

He's gay. And I'm not an escort.

I know, I just like messing with him. The Pokemon thought back, visibly surpressing a chuckle.

She chuckled a bit herself, before joining Nate on the couch. The television was playing some old cartoon. A Torracat was chasing a Rattata, but couldn't catch him even once. Currently, they were running in circles in a house. Azura watched with interest, before Nate stood up suddenly.

"I promised her I would cook. Crap." He said, leaping off of the couch.

Azura stayed silent, watching as he ran off to the kitchen. Various clattering noises filled the air, as Nate apparently began to prepare food. She chuckled slightly, before focusing on the T.V.

"So, what's your name?" The old Glameow asked from his chair.

Azura, still focused on the television, answered "Azura."

"Azura… that's a nice name. I'm Chakal. You look so much like the guy Nate brought home the other day."

She began to grin. "That's my brother. I bet I can safely say that we'll be kin sooner or later."

Chakal began to smirk. "Oh boy, if you were here the other day, any bit of innocence you think he had would be out a twenty floor building."

From the kitchen, Nate's voice rang out. "Dad, be quiet or I'll put you in a horrible nursing home!"

The Glameow batted a paw at the air. "Go ahead! I'll leave everything to Athos'!"

"He'd give it to me!"

"He's not old enough to legally give you any property!"

"Then Harmony'll give me it!" Nate called back.

"Then… bah, you're right. Hurry up and cook, or I'll put you back in the orphanage."

"You can't, I'm twenty three."

The Glameow began to grumble jokingly, as the Liepard laughed from the kitchen. Azura smiled at the show of affection, watching Nate's father as he turned and smiled at her.

"I wasn't lying. I've never heard a bed creak so loud in my entire life." He snickered, before returning his gaze to the television.

Azura giggled, before joining him in his television watching.

A few episodes later, the door squeaked open. Azura raised her head and walked to the hallway, and to her shock, she saw something she never thought she would. Something very few Pokemon ever see. It's disheveled white fur was clean, it's red claws glittering slightly in the light. As her eyes raised up the Pokemon's body, she met it's eyes. The sky blue ocean swam with emotions, mostly good ones. It's vibrant red horn was dull, yet still a bit intimidating. If it wasn't for the Pokemon's size and the expression of shock on it's face, it would have been intimidating. It was barely even as tall as Azura!

"Who are you! Did Uncle Nate turn not-gay? Am I gonna have a cousin? Are you my new aunt?" The Absol rapidly asked.

Azura shook her head quickly, but before she could respond, he began talking once more. "Wait, are you my new grandma? Grandpa's been looking, but hasn't found anyone to replace my old grandma."

She looked at the child dumbfounded. "Me? And that old Glameow? Sorry kid, but I'm not old enough to be a grandma. I'm Azura. Who're you?"

Chakal the Glameow began to chuckle from the couch, as the child Pokemon struck a pose. His right foreleg was stuck out a bit further than his left, and they were a bit crossed. He bowed his head, his dull horn tip pointing at Azura. He lowered his front half, before smiling madly. In a flash, he leaped into the air, twisting his body in circles, before he landed perfectly back on the ground.

"I'm Athos! I'm 8, but I could probably beat you up!"

Azura giggled slightly, amused with the child. "Oh my, I wouldn't want to ever fight you! You could definitely beat me!"

Athos grinned proudly. He turned towards the doorframe, gazing out at the normal Absol behind him. "Hear that, Mom? I told you you should let me on the school's battling team!"

The other Absol smiled weakly, before nodding. She followed him inside, greeting Azura with a nod. Unlike her son, her fur was well groomed, her horn not too sharp yet not dull. Her own claws reflected more light than her son's, and her ruby eyes demanded attention from anyone that looked at them.

"No, no. We've been over this, Athos. Not until you bring your history grades up."

Athos looked at the floor for a few seconds, muttering something before turning his head to the living room. "Grandpa!" He yelled.

Azura chuckled, before turning to the older Absol. Her serious expression sparked a bit of fear in the Espeon, but it quickly faded as the Absol gave her a friendly smile.

"Hello. I'm Harmony. And who would you be?"

Azura smiled back. "I'm Azura. It's nice to meet you."

Harmony nodded. "If you don't mind my asking, are you the Espeon that Nate has been talking about nonstop for the past few years? You're more feminine than I imagined."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm that Espeon's sister. Nate invited me over to see Lacie."

Her friendly expression fell back to a blank one. "Oh. One of her friends."

But then a sly smile grew across her face, a glint of curiosity in her eyes. "Or are you trying to be more than friends?"

The Espeon glared at her, before chuckling slightly. "No, no. Even if I was attracted to other females, I doubt Lacie and I would be compatible."

Harmony nodded understandingly. "She can be a bit of a handful sometimes. She's always in some sort of trouble. And she currently is. So, yea."

The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Harmony wordlessly walked off to the living room. Azura sat in the hallway for a bit, looking at the closed door. Time ticked by slowly as she waited for her friend to arrive, but that time didn't come for as long as she sat. As she stood up, and turned to the living room, the door flew open.

"I'm ho… Azura?"

Azura turned and looked at the slightly confused Mightyena, before smiling and nodding.

"Yup."

The first 5k chapter in this story.

There was a really long thing about Halloween right in this author's note, but I figure by the time I upload this, it'll be so far past Halloween, that Easter will be less than a week away. (Boy, was I sorely wrong about that statement!) If not, then I guess I (don't) have an amazing upload schedule!

Anyway, it's finally revealed what Kelvin had planned for Azura! Thankfully, Andre doesn't like prolonged pain for anyone. Sorta weird, seeing as Azura's basically in pain over Aloe and Jacky.

Well, have a good day/night!