This story Contains Strong language, comedy, sexual references, Rape, violence and minor blood You have been warned!
Pokémon language Barrier is Present
telepathy and Translators Are NEEDED to understand poke speech

"human/ translated poke speech"
'Pokémon speech / telepathy/Aura'
thoughts
I don't own Pokémon!
Game freak does, I just own my Oc's


Kitos slowly made it to a set of stairs that were surprisingly intact enough to climb up to the second level floor. He had the towel wrapped around his neck while drinking the last of the water he had used for Tempest's injuries. He placed the empty bottle into his pack as he began to ascended the stairs. "I hate that I left Tempest behind, but at least I understand what Mom meant now - it feels good to help a pokémon in need."

His hand went straight to his ribs. He began hissing in pain, shaking slightly, "D-damnit… that tussle with her pack didn't help my injuries any... I need to find a place to sit down and check how badly I'm hurt. Let's hope there's a medical room up here somewhere."

The Banette and his Shuppets slowly descended down from the ceiling, watching as Kitos got back to his feet and continued to climb the stairs with some complications. "Sir, we should strike now while we have a chance... A few Shadow Balls will take care of this human easy!"

The Banette turned looking to his second in command. "Oh yes, but what's the fun in that though? We'd damage our packs only access to the second floor and we can't afford that to happen I'm afraid..."

The Banette smacked the Shuppet on the back of its head, causing it to flinch in pain. "And I do remember that I'm the one in charge here, so we're going to play a little game. The Shuppet simply nodded as the Banette returned his attention to the human with a grin. "Push forward and keep yourselves hidden from his sight. We're going to have some fun."

The Shuppet soon vanished while Banette floated in place, giving a low growl. That and I cannot let that human make it to the medical bay - not with the both of them near that room. Shade will kill me if I let this human make it anywhere near there.

Kitos reached the top of the stairs and checked his surroundings and saw that more doors were either missing or hanging off their hinges. He was able to see that the rooms up here were more for research and study based on the pokéball designs. "...Okay now I'm praying there is a Medical room up here now." Kitos looked to one of the rooms and noticed that a door that was hanging in place was now suddenly gone.

Wasn't that door just there..?

With caution, Kitos took a few steps towards the now missing door. A loud clang caused Kitos to freeze in place and jerk towards the source that caused such a noise only to find that a wrench had been the source of the noise. The only problem was the wrench had no place to rest in order to fall. It just appeared out of nowhere...

Ooookay now I know for a fact that was not there. I was just standing there for Arceus sake...

He stared at the wrench for a few more seconds then turned away, heading towards the room, curious on why the door suddenly vanished. Just as he made it to the entrance something crashed into the doorframe right next to his head, causing him to stumble back and fall onto his rear. "What the fucking hell was..." He stopped talking as what he saw next horrified him. The same wrench that he had just looked at was now embedded halfway into the metal door frame. "Oh fuck!"

"Kekekeke..." He heard giggling… a very sinister giggling... He slowly shifted his gaze from the wrench and saw a shuppet slowly descending down from the ceiling staring deep into his eyes causing his body to seize, Kitos knew what was going on now.

Ah shit… those are ghost Pokémon - shuppet if I recall… this ain't good.

A set of red eyes slowly descended from the ceiling, giving a much deeper tone of laughter, causing his eyes to shrink to the size of pen drops as the eyes slowly materialized into a Banette. "I must say, you have quite impressed me. Most humans would have already started to scream upon the minor display that my Shuppet and I have given you. You're handling this quite well if I do say so myself." Kitos sat there listening to the Pokémon. His body couldn't register what his mind was telling it what to do - this was not only a serious problem but he was still in pain, making it even more difficult to move. "W-what the hell was that shit for?"

The Shuppet started to giggle even more as they started to slowly spin around Kitos, causing his fear to spike. "Why, after all this time here, are you simply that naive boy?" Kitos' gaze shifted to the grinning Banette. "You're in our territory and we want you gone. Diana couldn't do the job even with her cold demeanor towards your kind and as for Tempest I am highly disappointed in her for trusting you the way she did while being in charge of this pack when she should have easily electrocuted you to a mumbling crisp."

Kitos thought back on Diana and Tempest both, neither one of them trusted humans at all. They both had former trainers as well from what he was able to understand. He wasn't sure about Diana but her hate of trainers could have been a possibility. He also took note of their reactions towards his kindness - they were cautious and refused to let their guard down for a moment, even if he was being sincere.

Even now, these Shuppet and Banette showed nothing but disgust and hate towards him. His focus remained on the Banette who started to float a little closer towards him but stopped at just a few feet away from his face. "You're no trainer but you've got the attitude for one. You're afraid but keeping your cool, possibly thinking of a plan since you have no Pokémon by your side." The Banette gave a small chuckle as the shuppet kept themselves circling around Kitos' preventing anyway of escape. "That puts you at a disadvantage here since we are all ghost Pokémon, so attacking any of us will not work whatsoever. Just like that old professor always said back at the lab, 'Always have a Pokémon by your side, no matter where you go, even in the tall grass.'"

Kitos' finally figured it out. Their attitude, the anger towards humans, specifically Pokémon trainers. It all made complete sense to him now. "These Pokémon were betrayed by their own masters. The rejected, shiny Pokémon, the weak, all of them. It's no fucking wonder they hate humans. My kind can't be trusted after they gave their full trust, only to be given such a deep betrayal..."

"But I'm afraid your time has come." The Banette raised his small doll-like arm as its Shadow Claw begun to form around it. Kitos could only stare in pure horror as he started to realize this might just be his end.

This can't be how this ends... I finally feel I have a purpose thanks to Mom, I finally stood up to Lynda… The Banette's Shadow Claw fully materialized, he grinned down to Kitos.

"It's been... interesting…. but your time's up!"

And after all this time, Alura held such deep emotions for me and finally confessed how she truly felt about me…

The Shuppet made sure to cover his escape routes and ensured there was no escape for him, but what none of them had noticed yet was the aura stone necklace was starting to react, not only his emotions, but to the danger he was in.

Alura truly cared so deeply about me...

"Say goodnight!" The Banette swung his attack. Kitos could only close his eyes as he accepted his fate.

For once, I'm... finally happy…

As those thoughts emerged, a burst of energy came from the stone that rested upon his neck, stopping the Banette's attack and surrounding Kitos in a blue barrier, surprising and even pushing the ghost Pokémon back and away from such a strong light. "What is that energy?!" the Banette screamed in pain, trying to find the source of this energy.

Kitos' eyes shot open and saw that he was now protected by a barrier. He saw that his collar was now shining brightly. "The aura stone... it's... protecting me? ...Alura, did you know about this? he thought to himself.

Kitos shook the thought from his mind as he got back to his feet, feeling slightly rejuvenated from before. He still felt a lot of pain but ignored it and rushed down the hallway he was originally trying to enter. The ghost types held their eyes closed, backing away into the shadows to try and flee from the light. Banette soon began to blindly attack the area, launching Shadow Ball attacks left and right, missing Kitos and even hitting some of his comrades, "A-after him! Don't let him escape!" Some of shuppet couldn't follow the order as their leader continued to blindly shoot ball after ball of dark energy. One of the shuppet rushed forward and fired a Night Shade attack directly at Banette, sending him back.

The Banette groaned, looking up to his ghostly comrades then to the one who attacked him, "You have got some nerve girl!" Banette growled at the shuppet who refused to move from her spot.

"No offense to you sir but you're blindly attacking the area and hitting nothing but our home and ourselves. I can't just let you cause harm unto us like that!" The Banette rose his arm but then took notice of the area around him - he had indeed caused some damage to the upper level and even struck down three of his own, making him lower his arm in response.

"I-I'm sorry." his gaze shifted downward while the female floated to his side.

"It's okay…" One of the shuppet looked around for a moment and noticed the faint glow.

"Sir, he's escaped and ran down the main hallway on this level. What do we do?" the shuppet asked of his leader who groaned and held his head slightly while the female tried to aid him.

"Care for the wounded. We'll easily track him down once everyone has recovered from my mistake…" The Banette looked towards the hallway and grimaced. "Forgive me… I failed you, Lady Astra."


-Hallway-

Leaning against the wall, Kitos held his side where his ribs felt like they were on fire now. He looked to and fro, not seeing many rooms down this hallway. It seemed more of a strict area for management only. "There has got to be a place to rest… I can't keep going on like this nonstop…" His gaze shifted towards a set of doors. He pushed himself off the wall and eased himself inside. Once inside, he closed the doors behind him. he slumped against them and allowed himself to slide onto the floor wincing. "Please Arceus, I'm begging you, I can't keep going..."

A set of sky blue eyes were watching over him however. "So this is the human that has been running around here - injured and exhausted at that. A simple snap of the neck and he would be finished."

Kitos glanced around the room as he kept his hand placed against his ribs. "Alright… find a chair, couch… I don't care, a corner will be fine… just let me sleep, no more attacks, no more surprises please." His hands reached up to his neck, catching the Pokémon's attention as he spoke. "Alura, you gave this aura stone to me to express your trust and love to me. But... was the other reason because you knew I might be in danger?"

An Aura stone? Only the Lucario breed can use that mystical gem. It's extremely rare and valuable and yet this human has it. The only time a lucario surrenders their Aura stone is when they found their-. She paused her thoughts for a moment as her gaze returned to the human who got back to his feet and wandered around room now. He mentioned a name - Alura, was it? Alright, my curiosity is peaked. With such a powerful gem given to this human, he must be very special to this Alura…

Kitos looked around the room seeing that it was a manager's office. Internally groaning, he looked back to the direction he came from. "I wonder if Tempest is okay… Maybe... she might know where I could rest safely." He turned only to stop himself for a moment and looked down, clenching his fist tightly. "No… her pack would attack me… With her recovering, it's best to leave her alone with her pack and hope nothing bad has happened to her…"

Kitos shifted his gaze back towards the room he was in and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's see what I can do here with my options now… Diana's kits have my blanket and snack bag so that's gone. Tempest has my jacket and I used most of my wrap for her injured leg..." He rubbed his arms lightly, his eyes continuously scanning the room with difficulty. His gaze drifted to a desk that had been turned over and pushed towards the corner of the room. I seriously hope no one is hiding behind the desk...

As he made his way towards the desk, the Pokémon watched the human carefully, keeping full focus on him and his actions. ...Let the fun begin...

Kitos reached the desk and slowly leaned over and noticed a couple of blankets bunched up. In the middle he saw a ball of black fur, making him stop in his tracks. "Oh shit…" He slowly took a step back and raised his hands up in the air. The Pokémon smirked in amusement as she watched the human actually back away but her smirk quickly vanished as she heard whimpering.

Moving forward he sat his pack down to the side of the desk and eased around the corner. The Pokémon was an Umbreon. "An Umbreon…" He noticed that it was shaking and shivering. It coughed and gagged violently, making his heart sink. "This Umbreon is sick… but then that means..."

Kitos thought back to what Tempest had said before he was told to run. His gaze went back to then Umbreon. It's the leader's mate…

Slowly, he turned to his pack and started to dig into the lower pocket of his backpack, pulling out a couple of vials. He checked the labels on them before he found a couple that would work. From the way she's reacting, she's suffering from a high fever and dehydration. She must've been like this for sometime now if what Tempest said is true.

How long has she been like this though, still...i've got to try and help her.

The Pokémon kept her distance, though worry was laced in her eyes as she continued to watch over the both of them. Whatever you're up to human, you better not try anything foolish. One false move and-. She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a low, but very weak, growl.

Sister…

Kitos shifted attention to the Umbreon who rose to her paws, only to stand there shaking but was very unstable. "H-how did you… get… into my quarters?" she questioned Kitos but soon fell into another coughing fit, collapsing back onto her makeshift bed shaking Pokémon forced itself to remain where it was and watch. Its gaze shifted to Kitos studying his body language and saw that he was studying the female Umbreon carefully.

Kitos watched the signs carefully, she was extremely weak, an Umbreon who is known to have strong defensive capabilities being this weak was not good, her coughing had become labored as she panted giving him a chance to see the color of her tongue was somewhat pale in tone.

She was definitely poisoned, and by the it looks of it she's been enduring it for far too long. "I walked inside Umbreon and, just by looking, you've been poisoned for the past few days, haven't you?" This caught the Umbreon off guard as she watched the human carefully.

"W-what are you talking about? All you have done is woke me from my rest." Kitos kept his gaze locked with the Umbreon's and noticed it started to unnerve her somewhat.

"You're dehydrated, you are unable to stand there properly, your legs are shaking from it, you're struggling just to keep your stance somewhat steady." The Umbreon looked up to the human, surprised by his deduction but continued to growl weakly as she bared her fangs towards him.

"Yes, I… have been poisoned. If you're only here to take advantage of me then you sure as hell found a good chance to do it… You might as well get it over with while I'm still breathing." She gritted her fangs, feeling defeated and started to shift her body to present herself, only to feel Kitos had placed his hands on her back, surprising her even more as she felt him ease herself into his arms and against his chest with her belly exposed. "W-what the hell, I can't believe you're actually… no, let… let go of me, you pervert or I'll..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she went into another coughing fit.

It hurt him seeing the Umbreon suffering like this. He rubbed his right eye for a moment as he helped her onto her side so she could ease her coughing fit, rubbing her back to help try and comfort her through her pain. "I'm not going to take advantage of you Umbreon. You need medical help and I might have something that'll help."

the other Pokémon perked at this information even more curious now, "..did he start to cry when my sister was whimpering in pain..no..I'm imagining this, but what… does he mean by that? the mysterious pokémon thought while the Umbreon laid there, staring at Kitos.

"W-what do y-you mean you have something that might help?" she asked in a curious but was defensive tone seeing the vial he held in his hand now. "I won't fall for any of your tricks… I've done that enough as it is." the Umbreon groaned, keeping herself held low shaking but kept her eyes focused on the human.

The other Pokémon, however, was growing concerned for her sister's safety but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to take action against this human but she couldn't, not when she sensed no malice or negativity coming from this human... This tension is getting to me… Why am I so curious about you, yet my protective instincts wish to kill you? Is it because of the stone? Or is it because I can sense your moral actions are genuine?

Kitos helped the Umbreon back onto her back, making her growl before a scent caught her nose - a mixed smell of berries now filled her senses. "...Pecha berries... And I smell other berries." She sniffed the air lightly, licking her lips for a moment. "Oran… Cherri?" She was soon greeted with a vial, the same one she saw him with. She sniffed the mixture, realizing that the sweet scents were coming from the small tube itself. "...What's your g-game human? What do you want me t-." Before she could finish, the vial was pressed to maw and tilted back as the contents soon eased down her throat, catching her completely off guard.

"Drink Umbreon. The more time we waste, the higher chance the effects may not work. It'll take care of the poison and regain your strength." Even though she felt it was already too late, with how long she had been poisoned, she figured a free meal wouldn't be such a bad idea in her book if she had to die like this. Without much of a choice at this point, and too weak to fight back, she simply closed her eyes and slowly drank the rest of the contents of the vial.

Stop trying to give up, you knuckle-headed sister of mine… Her sister frowned from her hiding spot, reading her sister's thoughts. Once the Umbreon finished the vial, she sighed, enjoying the taste of the substance which surprised her. She turned her gaze to the human and huffed slightly, wiping away the small amount that leaked from the side of her maw. "You're wasting your time human. I've been poisoned for far too long. It's too late, but hey… at least when I go this time, at least I won't feel abandoned like I was before i suppose. So… I guess, thank you for being here with me…"

There it is again… Abandoned, rejected, and left behind. She's just like Tempest's pack... And the banette… Is this place where they all stay now? Kitos thought to himself as he picked up another vial. He didn't want to hear her talk like this. "Hush that shit up. I'm not letting you give up on yourself like this." He reached around and held the second vial up. "Here, a second dose wouldn't hurt and it might even boost the effectiveness of the first. I'm honestly not sure if it will or not but damn it I'm not letting you give up on yourself like this."

The Umbreon laid on her back and stared at the vial. The encouraging and kinds words from this human stunned her, especially after all the years that had passed with herself and her sister. "...Alright." Without any objections, she started to down the second vial with more vigor. As she drank, her eyes opened little by little, her body language even starting to change. The hidden Pokémon stood there, having heard what the human said to her sister and saw that she was actually starting to perk back up a tiny bit. She could only stare in surprise as she saw her sister slowly recovering.

It's… it's actually working!

Kitos was surprised at how quickly the Umbreon drank down the second vial. He smiled, seeing that it was working. What he didn't expect was the surprisingly loud belch she gave off. "...Excuse me…" He shook his head and reached over to the bottle of water that rested next to the other three vials he had pulled out in case something else was wrong.

"You'll need some of this to rehydrate yaself but it'll also help wa-." He was cut off as she had somehow snatched the bottle from his possession, uncapped it, and started to chug the water with both her front and back paws holding it in place catching him by surprise. "...Well, someone's feeling better now."

"Better would be an understatement..." she sighed. Kitos looked up towards the sound of the voice and saw a figure in the shadows. Before he could say anything, the hidden Pokémon moved forward into the moon's illumination, revealing herself to be an elderly Espeon, evident by her graying fur. Her crystal blue eyes shined with a powerful light within them, showing that, despite her age, she was not someone to be taken lightly. Kitos watched as the Espeon casually made her way over to both the Umbreon and himself. She gave a small smile as she watched her sister finish drinking the water with such energy. "This is, honestly, an amazing improvement. I'm not sure what exactly you gave her but… I thank you for helping my baby sister." The Umbreon groaned, still holding the bottle in her paw as she looked to her sister.

"I'm not a baby anymore sis, come on! Can't you cut that out for once?" The Espeon smiled even more as she felt a tear run down her cheek and nuzzled her sister.

"Not a chance in hell..." The Umbreon groaned but nuzzled her sister, soon after giving her a light lick on the cheek. Kitos smiled, seeing the kindness they held for each other having felt that same feeling from when he had helped Tempest coming back to him.

Now I understand completely mother... "I'm just glad I was able to help, though I couldn't help shake this weird feeling as if someone was watching me." The Espeon gave a slight giggle as she sat down on her haunches and smiled at Kitos.

"Considering you are invading our packs territory, I believe it is a given." Kitos rubbed the back of his head.

"I understand, trust me... I won't be staying long but something is bothering me. Is th-." Before he could finish, a loud belch was heard from his lap. Looking down he saw the Umbreon had a content smile on her maw and kicked the plastic bottle away, sighing happily now. Kitos smirked and watched as the Umbreon gave a weak yawn and curled up into his lap, making him smile. He reached over and began petting the back of her head, making her smile and lean into his touch. "Guess someone has a belly full." Kitos gave a small chuckle before he shifted his gaze to the Espeon. "She'll need food if she's been in this condition and from what I've heard from Diana. Gathering food is now scarce due to the destruction of the berry forest."

The Espeon nodded her head for a moment then looked up to Kitos. "Out of curiosity, how can you understa-."

Before she could finish, Kitos pointed to right his ear. "Translator. My mother gave it to me in case I found or met any injured Pokémon wherever I go - it's why I have all the vials with me." She looked to the vials close to him. Using her Psychic, she levitated one of them to her and began to read the label.

"Cures burn condition - mixture of Rawst, Oran, Cherri and… Starf berries." The Espeon had this bewildered look after reading the last berry off. "Starf berries are an extremely rare berry to find around here in these parts how in celebi's name were you able to ahold of these?"

Kitos rubbed the back of his head sighing slightly. "My mother makes the mixtures from the garden she has outback. Since she retired, she found a love of making berry mixtures that complemented sweet and sour and a slight bitter to help even out the taste and boost the effects of what she combined. I'll have to let her know that I used two of her special poison cure mixtures so she can make another batch."

The Espeon levitated the vial back to its original place as she looked to Kitos. "Your mother gathers berries and mixes them together? She doesn't add any chemicals to any of her batches?" Kitos shook his head as he turned towards the vials.

"My mother would rather use what nature has to offer than use anything man made like some of the chemical cures… though the only one she has to rely on recently is the full restore spray since she's not been able to get any herbal plants till next season due to a shortage from where she buys them I'm afraid."

Her sister decided pipe up, "And I didn't taste any... You know I'm allergic to anything artificially created or chemical based. It makes me sick. It's why our former…" The Umbreon lowered her gaze and head slightly, recalling a bad memory. She felt herself growing sad but quickly perked up when she felt someone tickling her belly a small giggle escaped her as she desperately tried to swat away the culprit, soon quickly gaining the advantage. She turned and saw that Kitos was the one tickling her and huffed. "Don't tickle me..." She turned her head and pouted slightly only to be assaulted with more tickling, bursting into a fit of laughter before she rolled off his lap giving him a look. "Stop it I say!"

Kitos crossed his arms. "Stop worrying about the past. They're missing out on a fun-loving Umbreon. They screwed up but you're better off without someone who only wanted you for their own personal gain." Kitos reached over and rubbed the side of her cheek. She sighed and leaned into the affection and looked up towards him.

"You're right... I am better off - my sister and I both are."

The Espeon smiled, seeing that her sister wasn't just recovering but up and was finally moving. She was also glad that her sister didn't see this human as a threat now. With that in mind, her instincts kept her on guard, no matter how kind this human genuinely was. After all, it was hard to break old habits. "Thank you again for helping my sister Kitos. I will honor you with my name. You have… slightly… gained my trust. My name is Astra and this here is my sister." She nodded to her sister who straightened up and smiled.

"My name is Midnight. I am, and will be, in your debt… uh… Kitos was it?" Kitos shook his head.

"You owe me nothing and… wait, how did you-." The Espeon gave Kitos a look that spoke for her. Kitos facepalmed and groaned. "Right, Psychic-type - I'm an idiot." Midnight gave a sinister grin and pointed her paw towards him.

"Hey sis, this one actual admits he's an idiot! I think it's a miracle from Jirachi himself!" Midnight gave a small giggle before she fell into a fit of laughter once more as Kitos started to tickle her again.

"I'll give ya something to laugh about!" Astra gave a small smile and saw something she hadn't seen in years: bonding. Between human and Pokémon. With no pokéballs involved or being forced to do anything against their will. It was something she never thought she'd see in her old age.

Your presence here may have been a blessing in disguise… Maybe…


-On the first floor-

The entrance doors creaked open and slowly closed back into their place as a dark figure slowly entered the corridors of the factory. Making its way through the building, the figure stopped and sniffed the air a few times before it growled. "...I smell a human…" As it made its way down towards its room, it took notice of the burn marks and damaged door nearby, even taking notice that rooms roof had collapsed right next to Diana's room. In a worried run, he made his way to the door and opened it and saw no difference in it except seeing that Diana was with her kits, all of whom were fast asleep. Diana's ears perked up from hearing the door creak and turned towards the being, a smile quickly crossing her maw when she saw who it was.

"Welcome back, sir." The male smiled and waved at her.

"Rest, Diana. I've returned with minor complications." Giving her a small smile, he turned and continued his way down the hall. It wasn't long till he reached the cafeteria area and didn't see any of the four usual canine Pokémon in their room. "...Where are they..." As he turned to step out of the room, he heard a small crackling noise. Looking down, he saw a broken flashlight laying on the ground. He lowered down and took a few sniffs at it, growling as he did. "I knew it… there is a human here. I need to find them now."

As he made his way down the hall, he saw the halls of his home were completely destroyed, and laid in ruin. What remained of the ceiling and walls were covered in the remnant of fire attacks and dark energy burns where Dark pulse and other varias attacks had struck. "They must have put up one hell of a fight to use so many attacks in such a short amount of time." He eyes drew towards what remained of a large pile of rubble. His eyes instantly dilated as he saw a group of Pokémon. He pulled his paw back and channeled energy into his paw and slammed it against the remaining rubble, blasting it away clearing the path.

He stepped on through, looking to and from his surroundings as he shouted. "Alright, who the hell caused all of this damn damage?" he yelled. As the smoke cleared, a Golurk, Excadrill, Vaporeon, Floatzel, two Mightyena and a Houndoom stood at the ready to strike at whoever shouted but they all looked surprised when they saw who the actual voice was.

"Pack leader!" they all shouted at once as they respectfully bowed to their leader who waved them off.

"Stand down everyone." His attention turned to the Manectric who was unable to get to her paws but had her head held down in a bow. "...Lady Tempest... you're injured..." he spoke softly as he made his way towards Tempest. Her ears had fallen back, her gaze lowering while the rest of her pack watched carefully.

"With all due respect sir, this is nothing. It'll heal over time. I-." Shade held his paw up and silenced Tempest while his eyes fell onto her leg, seeing the wrapping work done on her leg, but quickly noticed that the scent of the same human was emitting off her entire body. "

"...Did the human do this to you, Tempest?" She shook her head almost immediately.

"Sir, please hear me out about the human. He Isn't the kind of human that needs to be dealt with. He is unlike the others from two years ago. My Injury was caused by the rubble that is behind us because of a miss fire by my mate, Inferno." Inferno scoffed and turned his head, growing under his breath while Maya and Fenrir remained silent as she continued. "He fired towards the human but missed due to being dazed and confused. He hit the ceiling after I had caught up and confronted the human. His attack caused the ceiling to collapse and with me underneath it, he-." Shade's gaze tore into Tempest's eyes as she shrank back from him, knowing he was angry now.

"You're going to blame your own mate for this injury, Tempest? For Arceus sake, he would die protecting you and this is how you treat him!" Fenrir's ears drew back, claws digging into the floor as he listened to how Shade reacted to Tempest. Tempest spoke out as she tried to continue while she held her gaze to Shade's.

"Sir, please, listen to me. The human helped me when we were both trapped on this side of the rubble. Kitos isn-." Shade got to his feet and growled under his breath.

"Enough! It's obvious this human's fooled you Tempest. He is in our home and a serious threat to our very lives. I can't be-."

"Sir! SIR!" Shade's gaze shifted towards a figure mending through the ceiling and revealing the Banette himself.

"Crow. I see you decided to reveal yourself for once in your sorry existence, coward." Crow flinched from Shade's comment.

"My apologies, but the human is on the second floor. He was able to attack and push us back so he could make his escape. We almost had him!" Inferno looked towards Tempest and spat.

"So you still think he is so innocent my mate? Obviously if he is desperate enough, he will strike back! He is no damn different than the rest of them!" Tempest growled towards Inferno.

"You're only pissed off because you lost your chance to kill Kitos when he dodged your attack and cracked your horn in the process adding insult to boot Inferno!" Maya stepped between them and barked at the both of them.

"Guys, knock it off! This is serious. That human is on the same floor with Lady Astra and Midnight, and she's sick! We need to go after the human before it's too late!"

"I couldn't agree more Maya," Shade spoke up as he turned to the pack. "Fenrir, you and Vaporeon are to take Tempest back to the pack's room and get her a proper spot to rest. She needs the energy to recover. Inferno, you and Maya will come with me to help deal with this human. Obviously the human has tricked Tempest into thinking he is an ally." Shade soon turned his gaze towards the Crow as he crossed his arms just as Inferno gained a head start towards the upper levels, "Crow, gather the Shuppet and scatter them throughout the factory and secure the exits and keep in contact with me." The Banette bowed, soon ascending back into the ceiling as Shade took off towards the direction of his and his mate's quarters.

Tempest quickly called out, "Maya, wait!" Maya halted for a moment and turned to Tempest who looked to her with pleading eyes, "Please, don't let them kill Kitos. He won't harm Astra or Midnight… Please… believe me, Maya… Just listen to him - he can understand us!" Maya looked down for a moment but soon turned and took off after their pack leader.

Vaporeon looked to Tempest as they helped her. "Shade's not going to listen nor will Inferno. Astra and Midnight are his only chance now I'm afraid…" Tempest looked to Fenrir who gave her the same understanding look. "I believe you Tempest… but it's out of our paws now." She slowly closed her eyes, giving an involuntary shiver.

'Please Shade,.. believe me when I say Kitos isn't like the other humans from our past, nor our former masters, please for once in your life, trust my word..' why else would you have trusted me with our family's safety…'


-Inside the Den-

"So that's why you're actually here... Because of a bet you and your friends made?" Astra asked as she now laid next to a sleeping Umbreon. She had fallen asleep due to some of the side-effects of the antidote she was given. Kitos nodded his head after he packed up the rest of the vials.

"Yeah, I would have actually stepped down and never came here but a friend of mine's Purrloin, Luna, got mixed up in the bet due to what my friend and his family is currently dealing with and, if I end up losing the bet, she's put into danger. She's never fought a battle and she has no experience, which is what she'd likely be used for. She could end up seriously hurt." Kitos sighed as he looked down the to ground for a moment before continuing, "The only thing I wanted to do was come here, find a room and sleep the night away." Kitos looked to the Umbreon for a moment and smiled, "But it seems to me Arceus had other plans in store for me apparently."

Astra nodded her head lightly but saw Kitos getting to his feet with difficulty. She saw him favoring his left side as he reached down picking up his pack and shouldered it. "Where are you going?" she asked. Kitos turned to Astra and smiled. "I can't stay here in case your pack leader comes back. I saw a room on the way here I could hide out until the morning as long as the Banette and Shuppet don't bother me again." Astra nodded her head lightly.

"That would be wise. I will inform and handle Crow and his group of misfits to leave you be on my orders. They know better then to test the likes of me and, with my sister recovering now, they would not want to test Midnight either whatsoever." Kitos nodded and smiled.

"Both of you get some rest although I think she took that advice way ahead of us." Astra smirked to Kitos and motioned her tail in a shooing manner, feeling herself lighten up.

"Get out of here already or I'll pin you to that wall and tickle you like you did my little sister." She gave a sinister grin while Kitos waved his hands in the air for a moment.

"Uh... mercy?" She gave a small giggle as she looked towards him. "There is actually a room two doors down. It's our medical bay, a room hardly anyone uses right now. It'll serve to help your injuries and sleep the night off." He smiled to Astra and bowed in her direction.

"Thank you, Astra." He turned and opened the door to the room then turned towards Astra. "...Hopefully I can finally sleep the rest of the night off…"

"Oh, you'll rest alright... In a body bag." Kitos turned his attention back in front of him and saw a Zoroark now standing in his direct path, along with a Mightyena and a Houndoom by its sides - the same two Pokémon from Tempest's pack.

"Pack Leader Shade, you've returned!" Astra spoke in high praise of the Zoroark. Kitos stood there as his eyes shrank into small pinpricks. His body forced itself to taking a step back.

The pack leader… Oh no…

The Zoroark quickly snatched Kitos by the shirt and made a one-eighty turn, throwing Kitos right against the wall outside in the hall, knocking the breath out of him. He collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing, his ribs aching in protest. "...Keep him restrained and in place until I come back…" was all the Zoroark commanded as he walked inside the room, leaving the two Canine Pokémon to deal with Kitos. They padded towards him with their fangs bared, ready to strike.


-elsewhere-

Alura shot up from her bed, gasping in shock as she held a paw over her chest. She then turned towards the desk next to her bed and opened the drawer. A small blue oval stone that pulsed lightly was resting at the bottom of it. Gently picking up the stone, she brought it close to her heart and closed her eyes, focusing her aura. She could sense the collar's energy as it resonated from Kitos' aura signature. He's alive but his aura showed he was in distress. Her ears flattened against her head. She opened her eyes as she slowly crawled out of her bed and walked towards her window. A whine of worry came from her as she looked in the general direction he had gone.

Kitos… what's happening to you out there?