A/N - Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! Sorry the schedule has been a bit out of whack recently. I want to keep updating on Saturdays, but running a DnD group in the evening is messing up my routine a bit and I've not quite managed to juggle the two just yet. There will be another two updates before a short hiatus. I've had very little creativity recently, and I'm hoping to drag myself out of this slump pretty soon. Part 4 is currently seven completed chapters, and I want to finish it before I start updating that section to make sure there are no continuity errors. I've also got a couple of back-stories to write (one of which I am almost done with) which will tie into that section too.

Please bare with me. I'll try to catch up as best I can!

Trigger Warning - Blood.

36 - Monster

The lab was pitch black at night. Enigma had never feared the dark. He'd been that creature in the dark that pokemon feared for many years. However, the eerie sobs and whispers from the surrounding captives made the dark in the lab wildly unsettling. He sat huddled in the middle of the cage, keeping his ears trained on the raichu beside him. He'd taken over the heliolisk just before nightfall, giving the reptile a much needed break (and further voiding any hope Enigma had of making a swift escape).

When the lights came back on, marking morning, Enigma screwed his eyes shut as the brightness stabbed at them. He raised his paw before his face and peeked between his claws at the figure shuffling into the room pushing a dining trolley. The furret. He'd heard the other captives address her as Sandpaw, and the small little runt that usually accompanied her went by 'Scout'. The latter wasn't with her this time, and she seemed a lot more relaxed in spite of it. She chatted to the captives in a pleasant voice. They always seemed happy to see her. Every morning she was beaming, and this time was more-so without having to chase a child around.

That was until it was Enigma's cage she had to attend to.

The slender ferret-like pokemon hesitated as she turned towards him, cradling a small plate of berries in her paws. Her smile vanished and her ears drooped, and she glanced away from him, unable to look him in the eye.

The raichu rose to open the hatch for her - a convenient little slot beneath the main door of the cage. It wasn't a convenient size, however, meaning plates couldn't be piled that high. Thunder's cheek's sparked in warning, and an electrical surge flowed through the cage, giving off stray sparks that peppered Enigma's body and caused him to hiss.

Sandpaw quickly slid the plate into the hatch and her fur puffed out from the static. She backed away as Thunder snapped it shut and returned to his position beside the swinging cage.

Enigma continued to stare at the furret, who shuffled her paws together while backing away. He hadn't even made any effort to escape. He knew it was futile. But she would be such an easy target. Normal-types like her would be immune to his shadowy moves, but his killing blow was effective against anyone. A heart was a heart, after all. No pokemon could survive without one. As his crimson gaze trailed over her, Sandpaw's eyes filled with tears.

The entire lab had fallen silent, all eyes trained on the trapped assassin and the anxious furret. It made Enigma's voice sound all the more louder as his quiet comment sliced through the air.

"Not going to say anything to me?"

Sandpaw's mouth opened, but she closed it again just as quickly. Then she turned to retrieve her trolley and left the room. The door swung shut behind her, but didn't close completely. It was pushed back open as Rio slipped inside. The meowstic stopped about half way into the room, and the air radiating off him reeked of malice. He still sported a nasty bruise around his right eye, which squinted at Enigma accusingly.

Enigma toyed with the hem of his scarf while staring headlong at Rio, hiding how much the meowstic's demeanour unsettled him.

Rio tutted a few times. "Trying to intimidate my staff now, are you?"

"I just wanted to thank her for my breakfast," said Enigma.

"It didn't sound like it." Rio glanced down at the plate of berries and flicked his tails, reaching for his key. "But you've no time for breakfast I'm afraid. We're busy."

Enigma tensed like a tight coil, digging his claws into the base of his cell. Rio held the cuffs in one paw while the key levitated before him.

"Thunder, keep him down."

The raichu looked over his shoulder at Enigma and unleashed a fine jolt of electricity. It coursed through Enigma's body, stiffening his muscles and making it impossible to move. Before he knew it, he was in the cuffs again, held by the large rodent. The only mercy that followed was a wrinkly cheri berry to remove the effects of Thunder's paralysis. Enigma had no option but to follow after the raichu, lagging behind on the long chain while Rio talked incessantly.

"Today will be a little different," said Rio. "We'll be raising the stakes in your training, putting you in an actual battle scenario. Your target today will be much more willing to fight back than a piece of metal nailed to a wall."

Enigma narrowed his eyes. "What? You're throwing in live bait?"

"In a manner of speaking." They stopped by the training room and Rio motioned to the door. "Your session awaits."

Enigma hesitated. His entire mouth had turned dry. Something didn't smell right. He was filled with the exact same fear he got whenever Yurlik threatened him, except this time he couldn't run away, and he'd bet his bell whatever was on the other side of that door could move a heck of a lot faster than that overweight honchkrow.

Rio's patience wore thin and he shoved the door open. His eyes flashed blue and Enigma was buffeted into the bare training hall. He heard the door click shut behind him, and his eye immediately went towards the growl emanating from the far corner.

A tall midnight lycanroc stood hunched in the shadows, his lips frothy with saliva. His red eyes were filled with the blazing fire of hatred. He wiped a heavily clawed paw across his muzzle and took a step towards the banette.

Enigma took a step back as he assessed the situation, scanning the room for each and every shadow. His tail brushed the wall, and his blood turned cold as the room seemed to shrink around him.

Enigma licked his dry lips and turned his attention back to the lycanroc. "I guess this is about your sister, huh?"

Lou's mane bristled and he threw his head back, unleashing a furious howl that shook Enigma's insides. The lycanroc lunged towards him, claws radiating dark-type energy. Enigma slipped past him, trying to melt into the floor. He only made it part way before the cuffs stopped him, but it was enough for Lou to soar over his head and land behind him. The lycanroc's claws lashed at the wall, tearing through the tiles to reveal the wood beneath. He turned, fixing his crimson eyes on Enigma. The banette scrambled back, dragging himself awkwardly out of the shadows. He tossed a shadow ball at the lanky wolf before bolting towards the corner Lou had come from, the chain clattering behind him louder than his frantic bell. The lycanrock ducked his attack and galloped after him, claws raised.

Enigma's back brushed the corner of the wall and his heart hit his throat. He raised his arms as Lou brought his claws down in a night slash attack. Enigma yelled as angry gashes sliced through his right arm. Lou gave a triumphant howl, raising his paws for another attack.

Enigma ducked, rolling between Lou's legs in a jingling ball. He dragged on the chain, catching the lycanroc's ankle and dragging his paw out from beneath him. Lou stumbled as he turned towards Enigma, falling against the wall. It gave Enigma enough time to back away before the nimble rock-type found his balance and took off after him. Enigma spread his arms, creating a fiery wisp. It struck Lou's raised paws head on, searing them with a nasty burn.

Lou barked with frustration, spraying Enigma with spittle. Enigma struck out with shadowy claws, aiming straight for the wolf's chest. Lou's eyes flashed and a grin spread across his muzzle. He grabbed Enigma's paw and twisted, raising the banette over his head. Enigma struck the floor behind him and the wind left his body. He coughed a few times before pushing himself to his feet, but it was the delay Lou needed.

The wolf leapt on top of him and raised his paws above his head. Burned or not, it wasn't going to stop him launching a throat chop at point-blank range. Enigma's eyes widened and he dug his claws into the floor. He had to do something. Anything. Otherwise his remains would be scattered about the training room.

As Lou brought his arms down towards Enigma, the ghost vanished, and Lou's paws struck the hard floor. The electricity running through the cuffs cut Enigma's range short, dragging him back to reality. Lou's frustrated howl was strangled off as Enigma re-materialised as though emerging from a warm, furry cocoon. He staggered forwards, his heart racing, and he heard the soft thud as Lou slumped to the floor behind him. The lycanroc's weight jerked on Enigma's chain, causing his bell to chime in protest.

The banette stared down at himself, and his blood ran cold. He barely even recognised himself. He stood in silence, save for the torturous dripping of fresh blood from his fur and scarf. His breathing turned ragged and he flicked his paws, trying in vain to remove it. He didn't want to even look at Lou. Didn't want to see the damage.

He'd taken lives before, but somehow… this was different.

He wasn't a pokemon.

He was a monster.

Rio cleared his throat from his hidden vantage point, but Enigma didn't look up from his paws. "Well… that was certainly… effective. But wow, look at the mess."

Enigma barely heard him. All he could see was red. His paws, claws, the floor…

'There's a reason it's forbidden! It's not just some taboo thing to phase through someone else. If my kind were still alive I could be put to death!'

'Oh come on! ya trainin' to be a freakin' assassin! Who cares if it's forbidden or not!'

There was so much blood. So much…

'If something went wrong I could seriously hurt you.'

Enigma slumped to the floor, still staring at his claws. What had he done?

'I don't believe ya'd ever hurt me.' *laugh* 'I don't think ya could hurt anyone if ya tried. Although, I won't tell Lord Hydreigon that.'

Enigma wound his claws into his mane and let out an anguished roar.

Rio sighed bitterly. "Thunder, take him to the lake. I don't want to alarm the other captives by letting him waltz back in there in this unsightly state."

...

The frozen north was no place for a dragon.

Those were the words that repeatedly swam around Rumble's head as he perched on an icy rock, watching his depleted swarm as it fluttered back and forth around him. Their screeches, often unheard by other pokemon's ears, penetrated the snow as they searched for anything beneath it that was neither ice nor soil. Frost coated their wings and fur, making their flight laboured as they pressed on ahead of Rumble.

The noivern ruffled his wings and beat them a few times to warm up his muscles before joining them. It had been a brief rest. Nowhere near long enough. But he feared if he rested too long he'd freeze to death, then Echo would win.

They'd long since crossed the ocean, arriving on the frozen isle almost two full days ago. Dawn was already breaking, painting the snowy landscape a nightmarish shade of red. Black clouds smudged across the sky, stretching beyond the jagged mountain in the distance. The mountain marked the edge of the isle, of that Rumble was certain. Yet it would take days to cover the entire isle. One huge expanse of white, hiding one small cocoon beneath its snowy depths. That was the decision he'd come to. If it had landed here many thousands of years prior, then surely it must be buried?

The swarm flew into a frenzy, their shrieks becoming louder and excited. Words reached Rumble's frostbitten ears and he turned his head towards the speaker.

"I think we've found something!" The noibat's nose was trained on the ground. "The echo is more musical here! Almost as if we've hit crystal!"

"Then get digging!" Rumble's roar came out as weak as a litten's purr. He turned his face aside in embarrassment and retreated back towards the rock he'd previously occupied.

Behind him, snow erupted like a geyser as the swarm blasted it with sound. Rumble faltered, turning his head back towards them. The smaller bats unfortunate enough to be struck by the snow slumped to the ground to be lost beneath the slurry, their cries cut off forever.

The sound waves cleaved through the snow, uncovering rocky pinnacles in their bid to find the crystal. They were making slow progress. At this rate they'd all freeze to death before any of them found it or made it back, then Hydreigon's forces would be back at square one.

Rumble muttered beneath his breath and shot back towards them. His huge dish-like ears vibrated and he clenched his jaw against the pain. The noibat veered aside, not wanting to be caught in the aftermath of Rumble's boomburst. He opened his jaws and let out a violent roar, blasting the surrounding snow and creating a deep hole several metres wide on all sides. Once the aftermath subsided, the noibat rejoined him, some shaking snow off their heads and wings. All eyes fixed on the cavern, squinting through the snow as it tried to settle back down. Poking from the ground were hundreds of statues. The elements hadn't been kind to them. Their forms were disfigured, some lacking faces or limbs. Those that Rumble could make out wore angry or terrified expressions, their mouths forever open in a roar. Glinting among them was a jagged shard of black stone, shimmering in the dim light.

Rumble's lip curled back in a sneer, and he took a step back, casting a wary glance at the statues. But something tugged at him. A strange inkling that he shouldn't abandon the crystal so dismissively.

He waved a wing towards it then tucked it back tight into his body. "Dig it out. Let's see what it is."

The swarm set to work, aiming their wind and sound attacks at the snow surrounding the rock. As it was carved away, the black rock turned out to be a lot bigger than the shard had indicated. Its surface shimmered like ice as the swarms' shadows flit over it in the rapidly oncoming dawn. The more Rumble watched, the more he became convinced they'd found what they were looking for. Hot fire surged in his chest as his excitement grew. It looked nothing like the picture in that book. It was more egg-shaped, crowned with three sharp points that were almost ornamental, as it if had been carved. It lay in the cavern at an angle, its final point still wedged in the snow.

Rumble rose to join his swarm and reached out with his talons to grab it. But no sooner had his foot touched the surface, all his strength faded away and he slumped to the ground beside it.

This wretched cold.

He lifted his head and barked commands as he weakly rose back into the sky, organising his swarm to lift the cocoon from the snow. As he hovered above it, his eye went back to the statues. One of them, a rhydon, stretched a stony paw from the snow, its mouth open wide in a silent warning. Rumble shuddered and shook it off, turning his attention back to the noibat swarm. As the crystal was raised from its snowy prison, white clods fell from it onto the statue's head and shoulders.

It took at least ten bats to lift the crystal and carry it awkwardly back towards the mainland, leaving the snowy landscape behind. Yet his swarm was rapidly tiring. The cocoon changed claws several times before they even reached the coast line, leaving a trail of exhausted noibat lying in the snow. Rumble hoped deeply that the cocoon wouldn't be lost to the foamy sea on their flight back.

...

It had taken over an hour for Enigma to get all the blood out of his fur. A cloud of pink spread over the lake as he strained what was left of it out of his scarf. His heart was still racing, but his mind was clearer. He plunged the soggy back into the lake and glanced back, fixing a crimson eye on the raichu behind him. Enigma had grown used to the faint electrical charge from the cuffs, but they didn't mix well with water. He'd received several nasty shocks trying to wash himself. The cuffs however… rusty red-brown patches congealed around the chain and lock. Enigma hadn't wanted to risk trying to get them clean. Rio could deal with those.

Thunder watched as Enigma continued to try and remove the blood from his scarf. For some reason, they'd also sent that furret. She stood beside Thunder, discarding the soiled sponges Enigma had used to scrub his fur. He still didn't feel clean. He felt he'd never be clean. The only part of him that hadn't received a thorough bloody dousing was his bell, tucked safely away.

His scarf was probably as clean as he was going to get it. He strained the water out, satisfied there was no longer any tint of pink. The ragged thing was so sodden he couldn't wear it. It took a good while to get enough water out until it stopped dripping, yet it was still heavy.

Thunder tugged on the chain, signalling he'd had enough. Enigma gave a sigh and slumped along behind him, each step followed by a jingling lament. The sun peeked out of the clouds long enough to warm his damp back, but the cold wind bit through his fur accusingly. Enigma closed his eyes briefly. What was wrong with him? He'd abused his powers to kill countless pokemon. Why was this any different?

He clenched his jaw and stared down at his scarf. Perhaps it wasn't any different… but it felt it. For years he'd felt like a monster. To stop someone's heart was one thing, but to phase through another pokemon and come out covered in their blood? It was as if he'd been looking down on himself, witnessing it through different eyes, seeing himself for the monster he truly was.

Enigma often didn't remember the faces of those he'd killed, yet they'd careened through his head like some ghostly carousel with looks of fear and anger. Ordinarily he wouldn't care. He'd stopped caring a long time ago. But one face had stood out from the rest. Whether or not he'd remember those he killed, he'd never forget the first time.

That look of fear and realisation when his victim realised what he was doing. The horrid scream that had followed. The tears that had stung Enigma's eyes for hours afterwards. One act of revenge had turned into years of slavery.

He'd never thought of it as slavery. What had happened to him?

Quite unexpectedly, a new face filled his mind. Not a victim. Or at least… not one he'd successfully killed.

A smiling mawile. Fearless. Bold enough to confront him. She wasn't frightened of him. Unlike Rio, she didn't have him in chains. And for some reason, she'd wanted to help him.

Why? Why on earth would she want to help someone like him? Someone who had tried only seconds prior to end her life? If she'd seen what he'd done to Lou, would she still feel the same?

Enigma almost laughed at that. A bitter, choking sound. Of course not. She'd see him for what he truly was.

He blinked dry eyes and let his scarf flop to the floor of the cage beside him as he stared out through the bars at the countless eyes watching him. Curious. Perhaps a little fearful. Each one trained on the cage as it swayed gently on its chain. He heard the lock snap into place over the hum of static and realised he'd sat down inside it willingly, without even realising. It said a lot, actually. It was a fitting place for a monster.

...

Review Replies:

Williamlap - Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying this story =D I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Harlequin is one of my favourite characters to write in this story (as are many of them really, but I do have a soft spot for Harle, Enigma, Spark and Faith!) Time will tell about the Milkwort roots! Sorry there was no space for them in this chapter XD

Thanks everyone! Please R&R!