Worlds Apart

by Tired Gamer

Sequel to "A Touch of Darkness". This takes place primarily in the World of Darkness setting, but involves a Pokemon character, hence the crossover label. Now that Nyarth has escaped one Hell, has he entered another... forever?

Author's Forward

This tale is the flip-side of "A Touch of Darkness": it occurs primarily in a setting nothing like Pokémon, yet deals with the little creatures (and one creature in particular). The setting is a world very familiar to players of WhiteWolf's game systems: the World of Darkness. This is the sequel to "A Touch of Darkness", but it follows Nyarth. It has alot of dark themes, gore, and strong language. There's violence against minors, against people, and against undead. You really don't want to read this unless you absolutely want to follow the story of Nyarth, or are a fan of very dark fiction. Be aware this fiction is most certainly not for the faint of heart or people who aren't mature (either by age or mental capacity). Also, this fiction bears two endings; I was not sure which I wanted, so I inserted both.

-=-=-=-=-

Worlds Apart
by TG


"No one commands me. No man. No god. No prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What is a claim of power for ones who defy death? Call your damnable hunt. We shall see who I drag screaming to Hell with me."

-=-=-=-=-

"Oh my head!" Nyarth checked that his charm was still there before rising out of the heap of garbage. Garbage, yuck! At least it was softer than pavement.

"What the hell are you!?"

Nyarth looked up. He was tall, but so were most humans. He had short dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Something about him felt odd. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

The man leaned down to look Nyarth straight in the eyes. "You aren't Miyamoto. Who... and what... are you?"

Nyarth grinned to himself. So this is the guy that Miyamoto was talkin' about? "I'm afraid Miyamoto ain't gonna be droppin' by. She's a little unavailable..."

The man furrowed his brow. "What do you mean she's 'unavailable'? What happened?"

Nyarth looked down at his paws. "She's unavailable... 'cause I killed her!" He swiped the man's throat with both sets of claws, catching him off-guard.

The man gurgled and stumbled back, holding his neck as his entire throat poured blood out. He dropped to his knees, continuing to gurgle.

The dark Meowth quietly walked up, watching the guy weakly reach out towards him. Just as quickly as he had slashed the man's throat, he grabbed onto the human's neck and lunged forward. The man tried to struggle, but quickly became limp. Nyarth woke up to find ashes around him, and his head swimming. He looked up to see that the sky was becoming light. "If her powers got different, I bet mine are different now. No sense findin' out sunlight will turn me into dust..."

He spied a car nearby, a very nice car. Probably used to belong to the guy he just killed. The dark Meowth rummaged through the left-over clothing, finding a wallet and two sets of keys. What Nyarth found in the trunk was a little unnerving: a young girl. She was still alive, but it was apparent the vampire had been using her as a midnight snack, as she had very pale skin. The unnerving part wasn't that it was a young girl, but that she had beautiful, long strawberry-red hair... her resemblance to Jesse made Nyarth even happier over the guy's death. The girl looked at the dark Pokémon in fear. "Don' worry, I ain' gonna hurt ya." He ripped off the gag.

The girl whimpered. "Wh-What are you?"

Nyarth looked around. "I'm a Pokémon. I'm also gonna need to hop in this trunk for a nap..."

The girl's level of fear increased tenfold. "You're a vampire...?"

"Don' worry, I ain't aimin' to snack on ya like that guy did. I killed him, so he's not comin' back fer ya either."

The girl looked up. "You... you're going to sleep?"

The Meowth looked around inside the trunk. There were pillows, air holes, and it even looked like there were some fans. "Hey, you gonna freak out if I hide in this trunk with ya? I don' wanna set ya out all alone in this place... There's no tellin' what will happen. Hey... I don' suppose ya know where this guy lives, do ya?" Nyarth reached in and tore off the girl's bonds.

The girl, shaking, climbed out of the trunk. "I... I know where he hides out. Do you want me to drive you there?"

Nyarth looked the girl up and down. From her yellow blouse to her blue jeans, she oozed "normal". "Hey, jus' how old are ya? I don' want ya gettin' into any accidents or gettin' pulled over..."

"I, uh... failed my driving course. But I don't want to spend another day in that trunk, please let me drive!"

Nyarth looked up at the sky. "Alright, but it better be close by, I don' wanna be tryin' to walk around in the sun... no tellin' what it'll do to me." He handed the car keys to the girl and walked around to the passenger side. He watched her nervously get into the car, fumbling to get it started.

She smiled nervously. "I.. I'm pretty sure it's near here." She put the vehicle in gear and slowly crept down the road. Several times she jumped when a car would beep at her.

Nyarth looked out the darkly-tinted windows. "I don't mean to rush ya..."

The girl spun the wheel, sending the car into an alley. Slowly it crept up to a garage of some kind and the girl looked around. "Uh... where is it?"

Nyarth watched her searching. "Where's what?"

"The remote, to open the garage..."

The dark Meowth stood on the passenger seat and pulled a small device from under the passenger visor. "Ya mean this? I jus' press this button?"

The girl nodded.

As the Meowth pressed the button, the large door slowly started to open. He carefully tucked the strange device back under the passenger visor. As soon as the car stopped, the door closed. Nyarth yawned and popped the door open, looking around the garage. It was empty, with a single door in the back.

The girl stepped out, glancing around. "Uh... I.. I don't know about this..."

Nyarth walked up to the door, slowly unlocking it while he stood on his tiptoes. He started to open the door when the girl put her hand on the door. "What's wrong?"

"He, uh, has a security system... I don't know what the code is... I was blind-folded most of the time."

The feline thought for a moment. "Hey red, ya mind if I take a peek up there... hear what ya heard?"

The girl knelt down nervously. "I... uh, guess... Will it hurt?"

"Nah, it shouldn' hurt... Jus' relax yerself." He casually touched the girl's forehead. Where was it... hmm... there it was. The girl had heard five digits being entered. The tones were just like a telephone. "Get ready to drive outta here if I trip the alarm."

The girl nodded, but the feline wasn't there anymore. The door was wide open and she could hear lots of beeping. Then there was three beeps and silence. "Uh... hello?" Suddenly the strange cat reappeared in front of her, which caused her to jump.

"Sorry 'bout that... it's safe to come in now." He turned and started to walk in, then turned back. "What's wrong, red? He ain' in here... and if any of his buddies are, I'll take care o' them."

The girl nervously walked into the small hallway/utility room. She glanced over at a large refrigerator humming quietly. "That... that's..." She jumped when the feline grabbed her hand.

"Hey, ain' nothin' gonna happen to ya." He closed the door to the garage and locked it. He looked at the girl's expression. "Hey, what did that guy do to ya anyhow? I mean besides takin' a bite outta ya..."

The girl wandered into a kitchen, glancing around. "I... he kidnapped me. I think he was using me as a hostage against my family..."

Nyarth nodded, closing the door behind them and locking it. "I take it yer family is powerful or somethin'?"

The girl nodded. "Um, they're powerful, I guess you could say that..."

The dark Meowth extended his paw to her. "My name's Nyarth."

The girl took the paw and shook it. "My name's Leanne. Uh, what are you?" She followed the cat out of the kitchen into a living room. "I've never seen a cat like you before..."

Nyarth jumped up onto the sofa and sat down. "I'm a Meowth. I bet ya never heard o' them."

Leanne shook her head.

"Ever heard of a Pokémon before?"

Leanne furrowed her brow. "Well, my little brother is into this card game called Pokémon. I think there's a cartoon that it's based on. It's Saturday I think, I bet we can catch it on TV." She reached over and picked up a remote, turning on the wide-screen television. She switched channels around until it came to some credits.

The Meowth watched the television intently. It had been so long since he had last watched one.

Suddenly the credits vanished to be replaced with a strange little animation. "And now for the conclusion of the Kids Dubba-u Cee Pokéthon. Over four hundred and thirty-five thousand of you voted on our website for your favorite Pokémon shows of all time! At number eight, you voted for the Orange Islands episode where Meowth rules! That's next on Kids Dubba-u Cee!" The animation disappeared to be replaced with a field similar to a Pokémon stadium with silly pop music playing.

Nyarth watched intently as creatures exploded on screen he had personally felt the attacks of. It was almost like watching a stadium match as it was broadcast, except this was obviously an animated children's show. It was so... mind-boggling, to watch this animated character called Meowth, talking almost like he did. Every time Jesse appeared on-screen, he amazed at how grown she looked, and her voice... it was so much older! Her attitude was totally different, yet somehow similar. The kid she was with, James, was such a dolt Nyarth caught himself laughing several times. When the show ended, it left Nyarth utterly confused. Was he really just something from a cartoon?

"I... uh, I hope I didn't make you angry..."

The feline re-focused on the girl. "Nah, I mean... if ya found out yer whole existence was jus' a game, what would ya do?"

The girl shrugged. "I guess I would just accept it and keep going." She looked around the room nervously before yawning.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Leanne shrugged. "I guess I'm tired... I was in that trunk all night."

"Well red, how 'bout we both take a nap? You can take the bed, I'll sleep out here."

Leanne rose unsteadily and walked into the hallway towards the bedroom.

There was a cry of pain. Nyarth raced towards the bedroom and stopped to find Leanne sitting on the floor in front of the bedroom door, trembling. "Hey, you okay?"

She shook her head. "I tried to walk through... but it hurt..."

The Meowth walked up to the door, looking around for any hidden traps. He looked down at his feet and noticed a small line of something. He picked up a bit of the material, looking at it. "Eh, this guy's got silver and gold dust lyin' here." He carefully gathered the dust into a small pile and picked it up before walking side. He laid the dust down on a low dresser and walked back. "Okay, try to come in now..."

Leanne weakly got up and walked into the room, flinging herself down on the bed. She rolled over. "I don't know if I should be doing this... what about my family? Shouldn't I call them or something... let them know I'm still alive?"

Nyarth shook his head. "I don' know... But I think ya should rest up first. No use passin' out. When ya wake up, we can get something fer ya to eat. Then we'll go back to yer family. How's that sound? Leanne?" The girl was sound asleep. He pulled some covers over her, then walked out onto the couch and fell asleep himself.

-=-=-=-=-

"Wake up!"

Somebody violently shook the dark Meowth. Nyarth opened his eyes to a man in a dark trench coat. He then noticed he was being held by somebody... or something. It was wolf-like, and it easily held the Meowth in a single clawed hand. It's fur was uneven in many places, suggesting heavy scars lie beneath. It was also missing an eye, but it looked more like a birth defect than a battle scar. It's size suggested it stood well over eight feet tall. "What the heck is this?"

The man flicked a cigarette butt at the Pokémon. "What does it look like? We're here for the girl."

Nyarth looked around. "What do ya mean? She's in the bedroo... aahh.." He felt the creature squeeze him, its claws digging deeply into his flesh.

"No she's not, you dumb Wyrm-trash... we already checked the bedroom. Tell us where the girl is now or my friend is going to use you for a stress ball. You know, those things you squeeze and it bulges out?"

Nyarth gulped. "Uh, listen... I don' know why yer after her, but if she ain' in the bedroom, she's gone. I bet she woke up and went hom... oooowww..."

The man held up his hand, ceasing the torture. "Somehow I believe you. Where did the leech go that lives here?"

Nyarth blinked a few times before he figured out the man meant vampire. "That fella's dead... I killed him and rescued the girl. Are you her family?"

The guy chuckled. "Like we'd want that little brat in our pack. She's a weak little girl, which is why it was so easy to kidnap her the first time."

Nyarth looked back up at the thing holding him, then at the man. "I thought she got kidnapped by that other guy?"

The man slapped Nyarth hard. "You're a pathetic fool if you believe that weakling leech powerful enough to steal the girl away from her family! Only the Pack of the Golden Circle had what was needed to take her away."

The dark feline shook his head to clear it. This guy was one slice short of a pizza. "Hey, what do ya want with that girl anyways? She's jus' a kid fer Persian's sake..."

The man moved like he was going to strike the feline again, but stopped. "You're not worth my rage, cat. And she's not just any kid, she's the only granddaughter of Chun Zi'Chang..."

Nyarth blinked a few times. "Is he a really powerful guy?"

The man was about to strike Nyarth again when there was a commotion. A tall and very muscular man walked in, his hands grasping the arms of Leanne. Her clothes appeared to have been slashed viciously a few times, and her hair was matted to her head by sweat.

The muscular man looked to have the hint of claws, as well as pointed ears and fangs. He shoved the girl towards his apparent boss. "She stumbled her way here, right into our arms. Apparently she escaped from here and was attacked by street thugs. We're lucky she didn't get killed."

The other man, the boss, nodded. He grabbed the girl, causing her to whimper. "Thought you could get away from us, did you? No prey escapes the Pack of the Golden Circle... especially not a whiny little bitch like you!" He backhanded her, causing her to fall to the floor crying.

Nyarth struggled, causing several bones in the wolf-creature's hand to dislocate. It quickly clamped its other hand around the Meowth, growling low. "Leave the kid alone! If ya want someone to beat on, take yer abuse out on me!"

The heavily-muscled man guided the girl up off the floor, his claws digging into her arms, which made her whimper even more.

The apparent boss laughed as he returned his attention to Nyarth. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Bigshot, opening his mouth. Especially such a big one as yours. Maybe my friend should use you as a big furry towel to wipe his mouth when he finishes killing Black Spiral Dancers? Of course, I don't know which is worse... the taste of those Wyrm-infested scum, or your stinky Wyrm-ridden fur."

"Leave him alone, please..."

The man turned around, staring Leanne down. "Did I give you permission to talk? Huh!?" He backhanded the girl again while the heavily-muscled guy chuckled.

Nyarth started to struggle again. "You bastard, leave her alone!"

The man chuckled to himself, wiping the thin trickle of blood running from the sobbing girl's mouth. He licked his hand before continuing. "Maybe I'll let Fenris' Eye take her... Gaia knows my favorite enforcer deserves a little relaxation... What do you say?"

Nyarth struggled some more as the wolf-creature guffawed at its master's suggestion. "Grr... lemme go and I'll make sure he won' walk straight ever again!"

The man smirked. "Really, you almost sound convincing. William, pop the little furr-ball."

Leanne struggled, crying. "No! Please! He didn't do anything to you!"

The man backhanded her again. "Shut up!"

The wolf-creature began to squeeze Nyarth, making the dark Meowth cry out in pain.

Leanne started to struggle even more violently. She suddenly fell forward to the floor, alternating between sobs and growls. This caused the wolf-creature to stop crushing Nyarth.

The leader looked at the heavily-muscled man. "What the hell's wrong with you!?"

The other man shook his head frantically. "She's doing something funky..."

Nyarth's eyes widened. "Le-Leanne?"

Everybody looked down at the floor when the growling got louder and the sounds of ripping fabric penetrated the air.

The leader freaked. "This can't be happening! She was only supposed to be a kinfolk!"

Nyarth blinked several times, then found himself dropped back to his feet. "Leanne?"

What rose from the floor was not human, though it wore the remnants of human clothing. Black fur and sleek forehead gave it an almost panther-like appearance. It glanced quickly at the four beings surrounding it before turning on the leader. With lightning speed it pounced on the man, who appeared to be growing. It bit the man on the neck, causing him to gargle and start spitting up blood.

The wolf-beast leapt onto the black creature, its claws ripping down the creature's back, causing it to roar out in pain.

Nyarth turned to see the other man, previously heavily-muscled, turn into another wolf-creature and flee. The dark Pokémon jumped onto the wolf-beast's back and swiped several times at its neck.

The wolf-beast howled out in pain before it and Nyarth were thrown backwards by the other creature. The black creature leapt after the wolf-beast, mauling it viciously with razor-sharp claws. The wolf-beast opted to knock the black creature back as it jumped over to its master's side.

Nyarth watched as the black creature jumped forward and slashed the wolf-beast before biting its neck.

The wolf-beast responded by frantically slashing and pounding at the black creature as it was slung around in the creature's jaws like a play-thing. There was an audible pop and the wolf-beast went limp. The creature tossed the dead body to the ground, where it quickly changed back into a heavily-disfigured man wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans.

The creature turned and looked down at the Meowth, growling. It slowly started to advance, noticeably limping and bleeding from several nasty wounds.

Nyarth put up both his paws. "Leanne... I know ya gotta be in there somewhere... I know yer hurtin', but ya gotta calm down. Comeon Leanne... jus' listen to my voice. Ya remember yer friend Nyarth, right?"

The creature stopped in front of the feline Pokémon, breathing heavily. It stood there, looking down at Nyarth.

Nyarth slowly moved his paws downward. "Jus' calm... take deep breaths..." He noticed it... she was trembling. He carefully reached out towards a clawed hand, watching her reaction. When he took it, he noticed the trembling started to lessen. "That's it... jus' let it outta ya... Ain' nobody gonna hurt ya."

The creature slowly started to sag forward, forcing Nyarth to let go and put his paws up. He groaned as all of its weight started to come down on him, but it also started to quickly lessen. By the time it had gotten to its knees, all that was left was a half-naked girl. She immediately looked down at her shredded clothing and all the blood that covered her face, running down her neck and splattered across her body, as well as blood-soaked hands.

Nyarth put both his paws on the girl's arms, watching her break out into trembling again. "Yer gonna be alright..." He used the back of his arm to clean away some of the blood on her face. Suddenly she vomited up blood and pieces of flesh. He shook off some of it to the side.

Leanne wretched some more as Nyarth patted her back. She started sobbing, looking at her blood-stained hands. "Wh-What have I..." She started to look behind her. "Oh.. Oh my God..."

Nyarth spun her head back facing him. "Don' look... jus' don' look." He patted her back as she wretched again, shaking and sobbing. When she stopped gagging, she grabbed onto him and began to alternate between wailing in pain and crying in terror. All the dark Pokémon could do was hold onto the girl tightly and rock her. When he and Jesse had first been reunited, and started their vampire hunting, he had spent many nights having to console the girl. Now just as then he couldn't help but cry... the memories and the moment just as overwhelming with a girl he didn't really know.

It felt like an hour had passed before the girl quieted down to simple crying. She pulled back, then smiled weakly.

Nyarth blinked. "What?" He was surprised when the girl cleaned her hands on the sides of her blouse and wiped away tears... tears of blood. He looked down at them, then checked with his own paws. "Blood... that's pretty weird. We don' need anymore blood 'round here..."

She grabbed the feline Pokémon into another hug. "Th-Thank you for caring, Nyarth..."

Nyarth nodded the best he could. "It wasn't nothin', red. I'm jus' sorry ya had to go through all that..."

"I... I never knew... I mean..."

The dark Pokémon pulled back. "Hey, yer talkin' to the wrong cat here. I never knew this place had critters like this. Though I knew there was somethin' nice 'bout you... but I didn' think ya were a cousin or nuthin'."

Leanne giggled a little. "I mean... I didn't know I was full Bastet. I thought I was kinfolk as well..."

Nyarth blinked a few times. "Uh, ya wanna run that one by me again? You sayin' ya didn' know ya were a cat?"

Leanne shook her head. "I... I didn't. I always felt different, but I thought that was how it felt to be kinfolk. That means I'm related to Bastet, but wouldn't change into... that thing." Her voice became very low. "I... I hope I didn't hurt you..."

The feline shook his head in response. "Nah, nuthin' that won't heal. Speakin' o' heal, you got some bad cuts..." He pointed at several gashes on her back. "We better get yer family here-"

A accented voice came from behind the pair. "They are already here." An older man walked out of the hallway. He was decidedly Oriental, with long, graying black hair tied tightly at the nape of his neck. His chestnut-colored eyes surveyed the carnage on the dining room floor through thin, wire-rim glasses. He was wearing a white outfit that was decidedly Chinese in style and cut.

Leanne's lower lip trembled and she began to slowly rise off the floor. "Gr-Grandfather?" She stumbled towards the elder man, throwing her arms around him and sobbing.

He carefully placed his hands on her slowly-bleeding back. "Granddaughter... it is very good to see you are still alive."

The girl pulled back. "Grandfather... why didn't you-" She was silenced when he placed a finger on her lips.

"These things will be informed to you very shortly, granddaughter. First you will be still so I may perform the healing ritual." He closed his eyes and mumbled something as he placed his hands on her back. Quickly the bleeding wounds closed. "There, now you will not be bleeding and upsetting others."

She moved back. "I... I changed grandfather... and..." She glanced back at the bodies before turning back and gagging.

The elder man nodded. "Yes, I see what you have done. We must hurry quickly from this place before the stray wolf returns with his pack." He carefully took her hand and began to guide her back through the kitchen, but she stopped him. "Yes, what is it granddaughter?"

"Grandfather... my friend, we have to take him with us." She pointed back at Nyarth, who to this point had been merely watching them.

The elder man peered down at the dark Pokémon. He gained a skeptical look. "You have befriended a dead... something? What is this thing you are claiming as your friend?"

"I'm a Pokémon... a Meowth to be exact."

The elder man nodded slowly. "So it talks as well. Strange feline that speaks, who are spawned from the mouth of corruption, what does my daughter owe you? Tell me now and I will repay her debt... time is short so haste is a proper course of action!"

Nyarth looked at the floor, taken aback by the man's bluntness. "I, uh..."

"Grandfather, he saved my life! Please take him with us... he doesn't have anyone else!"

The elder man nodded again. "You speak well of this corrupted creature, which you know to associate with is against my teachings. I must believe you are not making light of his deeds." He focused on Nyarth. "Very well, corrupt creature. You may come with me and stay in my home until such time as my granddaughter's debt to you is repaid. Come child, we have wasted enough time moving our mouths." He began to walk down the hallway out through the garage, which had lost its door.

The dark Meowth followed the pair out into a quickly-darkening alleyway. Close to the end of the alleyway was a small, white car. Nyarth had no sooner closed the back door as it took off. He watched the perpetual silence that fell over the interior as they motored along through winding back streets and alleyways.

"Grandfather?"

The elder man kept his eyes on the road. "What is it, granddaughter?"

The girl folded her arms, nervous. "Why didn't you tell me I was a full Bastet?"

"You did not wish to learn about your heritage. I cannot force knowledge on those who wish to remain ignorant."

Leanne looked down at her hands, still slightly bloody. "So you let me change into a monster and kill..." Tears began to trickle down her face.

"What was done cannot be undone. Only with great shame and anger must you have let the beast break free. The blood you see must not be innocent if it bleeds from those who have committed such acts on you. Shed no tears for the guilty blood on your hands, granddaughter."

She clenched her hands into fists. "That doesn't matter, I still killed them! I don't want to be a killer, I just want to be left alone..."

Nyarth reached forward and put a paw on her shoulder. "Hey red, we all don' wanna be killers. Jus' some of us got made ones 'cause that's jus' the way Fate works."

Leanne glanced back at the Meowth. "Why are you taking his side? If had I known what I was..."

The dark Pokémon shrugged. "I'm not takin' his side. I'm jus' sayin' if ya knew what ya was, would it've changed what happened? I'd say ya still would've killed those guys... and whether it would've been while ya were outta control or not ain' important."

She bit her lip and doubled over, sobbing. "I don't want to be a monster..."

Nyarth started to reach forward to pat the girl on the back when the elder man's hand grabbed his paw. "What?"

"She must come to accept things as they are. You cannot coddle or comfort her in not accepting the truth."

Nyarth moved back onto his seat. "Ya can't force her to grow up in one day either. She ain' had time to work things out, and she needs a little assurance that she ain' all by herself."

Leanne sat back up, wiping away some of the tears. "It's okay, Nyarth... Grandfather's right about me not wanting to accept the truth. It's just... I don't want to be a bloodthirsty monster."

The car stopped momentarily, dragging Nyarth's attention outside. Wherever they were, it was a strange place. Buildings were grouped closely together, many several stories tall. Most buildings possessed wood-shingle or clay-shingle roofs, with signs hung over the small street between them. The roadway alternated between cobblestone and paved asphalt. All of the signs were in a very strange language, which Nyarth faintly recognized some symbols of. "This sure is a strange place ya taken us to..."

The elder man nodded and continued to drive. "It is Chinatown, where my family has lived for over one-hundred years." He turned down a narrow alleyway and drove until it ended at a small building. As the car stopped, a peal of thunder rumbled in the skies overhead. It was swiftly followed by a crack of lightning and more thunder. "Let us get inside before we are soaked."

The dark Meowth hopped out of the car, following Leanne. As he was about to enter through the large double doors behind Leanne, something stopped him. It was a bit like somebody had shoved him back. "Hey, what's this about?"

The elder man walked to the door. "I see you are not immune to the sacred powers of this holy site. You may enter corrupt one, but you would do best to behave yourself."

Nyarth nodded and started forward. Strangely enough, he entered the building without difficulty. "What is this place anyhow?"

"It is a shrine to the spirits of my ancestors. Be cautious how you act, or you may anger them."

Nyarth couldn't tell if the older man said the last in jest or threat. The dark Pokémon followed the older man through the strange house, occasionally noticing statues or stone tablets with strange writing. The place was definitely old. "Hey, where did Leanne go?"

The older man stopped. "She has gone to her room, where she will wash herself of today's evils and rest. Do not concern yourself with her well-being any longer."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The man turned around and gazed down at the dark Pokémon. "My granddaughter owes you her life... and until she has reached maturity, her debts are my debts. I will see that this debt is paid so long as it is in my power to do so, and does not put my own life in jeopardy. That debt does not allow you to be her friend."

Nyarth blinked a few times. "What do ya mean by that? I ain' interested in no debt, I jus' wanna stick with the only friend I got here. It ain' like I'm contagious or anything..."

"She cannot be your friend. You are tainted and unnatural. When the time comes for her to do battle against evil, you will become a weakness. Beings of evil more powerful than you stalk this world. They will gain possession over you and force you to hurt her or worse. Tragedy and pain will stalk your friendship with her."

The dark feline shook his head. "You don' know what yer talkin' 'bout! They won' make me hurt her... I'd rather die!"

The older man nodded. "I sense you believe your words, but you do not understand their deeper meaning. Your taint gives other creatures of darkness greater openness to your mind. That is a danger not even you may ward off forever. Like a chess pawn, you will be set against my granddaughter. She will choose... to live in sadness after killing you, or to leave you with that sadness. Will you force her to make this decision?"

Nyarth looked down at the floor. "N-No... I don' wanna put her through that kinda stuff."

The man nodded. "You are a paradox, dark one. I have never known a creature such as you, or a vampire with your compassion. Tell me how one such as yourself came to be cursed with dark blood."

Nyarth shrugged. "A lady named Miyamoto accidentally got here from another world. She got turned into a vampire, and when she went back she spread it all over that world. I was one o' her first victims."

The man nodded again. "So you come from another place... this explains your strange appearance. Why did you come to this world?"

The dark feline kicked at the smooth floor nervously. "I'd killed Miyamoto by drain' all her blood. My friend Jesse let out a real powerful creature called Selebi, that was supposed to turn everybody back from bein' vampires. This Selebi said I now had the darkness Miyamoto brought from this world, and I had to take it back or it couldn't restore everybody. I got here the same way Miyamoto first got here."

The man seemed lost in thought before returning his focus on the Meowth. "I sense you speak the truth, dark one. There are untainted mortals with less honor and courage than you. Perhaps I was mistaken to believe you just another vampire."

Nyarth looked up at the older man. "Ya said somethin' 'bout a debt... is it in yer power to make me normal again?"

This question caused the man's eyebrows to rise. "You ask what many say is impossible, dark one. I sense this is in relating with my granddaughter..."

Nyarth nodded. "Yeah, ya said bein' a vampire made me trouble fer her. I also wanna be able to go home some day."

The man thought about this for a moment. "It is not in my power to cleanse you of such powerful evil... but there may be another who has such power. Be warned, my debt is not his debt... he is not bound to repay it."

Nyarth nodded again. "I'll take what I can get."

The man nodded in response. "We may leave immediately if that is your wish."

The cat Pokémon looked around. "Ya think he'll be up this late?"

The man smiled. "He is a man of strange habits."

-=-=-=-=-

The rain was pouring as the small car parallel-parked in front of a row of buildings. The dark Meowth hopped out and quickly ducked under the long canopy running between the buildings. Only one business appeared open, a book store. "Ya sure this is the place?"

The man nodded. "It is our destination." He opened the door and walked in.

Nyarth shrugged and followed him. As soon as he entered the book store, he felt a tingling sensation, and noticed the lights were uncomfortably bright.

Behind the store counter sat a middle-aged Caucasian. His brown hair was cut short and his dark-blue eyes scanned a book in his lap while idly scratching a closely-trimmed beard. He was wearing a black button-up long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. "Whoever you are, it's ten-oh-four and the book store is closed. Unless you have a private account, come back tomorrow... I open bright and early at eight."

The Asian man nodded. "I do not have a private account, how do I get one?"

The man behind the counter looked up and nearly let the book slide out of his lap as he stood. "Chen... what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were retired from the game?"

The Asian, Chen, nodded in response. "That is true Mr. Furgesson, but the Pack of the Golden Circle did not see fit to heed such titles."

"Hey, what's with the formality? You're still welcome to call me by my first name. And what's this about the Golden Circle? I thought that gang of miscreants was leaving Chinatown alone?"

Chen nodded again. "Am I, Edward? Our last meeting did not end so friendly... As for the Golden Circle, they foolishly attempted to blackmail me into giving them several priceless relics."

Nyarth kept his eyes on the floor to keep from getting a Psyduck-level migraine. Regardless of that, the dark feline still found it hard to think.

Edward shrugged. "Well... things didn't end very cozy the last time. Sorry to hear about the blackmail... what did they get on you?"

"My granddaughter."

Edward blinked a few times. "Who thought up that crazy plan? Is Leanne alright... you need my help getting her back?"

Chen nodded. "My granddaughter is doing well. She extracted herself from the situation by killing the pack leader and his enforcer."

"Hey, you didn't tell me she was full-blooded..."

Chen nodded again. "That is a point of contention on her part."

Edward shook his head. "Better you than me. How's she taking it? Was it spontaneous or... well, you know."

"My granddaughter is furious she was not informed... but she will adapt. I believe it was her first time... and a frenzy."

Edward hopped back onto the chair. "Ugly... I hope the new pack leader is a little wiser. So why did you pop in now, five years later? It can't be to brag about your granddaughter taking out two foolish wolves. Or did Phoenix tell you to come here?"

Chen adjusted his glasses. "Your fears over Phoenix are unnecessary, Edward. The honorable Phoenix played no part in this decision. I came here with someone..."

Edward looked around. "Where... I don't see anyone. Or was your friend blocked from entering?"

Nyarth shielded his eyes while he glanced up. "Uh, hi there."

Edward hopped off his chair and leaned over the counter. He looked at the dark Meowth with a bit of uncertainty, when his pupils changed color to white for a moment.

Nyarth took a step back. "What was that?"

Edward stood back up. "I guess it's been a while since you were here Chen... I don't allow vampires to stroll inside." He leaned back over the counter. "Are you feeling hot?"

Nyarth kept his eyes on the floor. "No, but yer lights are givin' me a headache..."

Chen looked surprised. "What is this lighting?"

Edward walked over to a row of switches and clicked two off. The lights of the room flicked momentarily. "Some of the lights are special, they put out filtered sunlight. Vamps come in here, they start roasting and run out before they burst into flame. I guess your friend here is special too."

Nyarth blinked a few times to get the image of the lights out of his eyes. "Eyes that go all white and lighting that puts out sunlight... This is guy is yer friend?"

Edward walked out from behind the counter, stopping in front of the Meowth. "This friend is a man who used to blow up vampires for shits and giggles. I don't appreciate having them shamble into my business uninvited... especially vampires powerful enough to bask in partial sunlight. You better start explaining very quickly why this... thing... isn't already history, Chen."

The Asian man nodded. "This creature saved my granddaughter's life, and has proven itself a honorable soul in my eyes."

Edward glanced up at his friend for a moment. "That's some explanation." He knelt down, looking at the dark Pokémon.

Nyarth gulped. "Uh, I hope ya mean that as a good thing..."

Edward stood back up. "Chen doesn't throw around 'honorable soul' casually. You earned a lot of respect." He glanced over at Chen. "What I want to know is why he brought you here."

"I wish to gain a favor from you, a very powerful favor."

Edward walked over and closed the store's front door, then locked it and flipped the sign to "Closed". "Why do I get the feeling this favor is going to be earth-shaking?"

Chen bowed low and stayed in that position. "If it is in your power, I wish for you to rid this creature of his vampiric taint."

Edward stopped next to his friend. "Really, that's all? Just remove his vampirism?" His tone was sarcastic. He carefully pulled Chen up. "Be serious, Chen..."

"Do you have the power?"

Edward chuckled. "Do ducks fly south in winter? Of course I have the power. But be real, Chen... I'm retired from supernatural life. That last tangle with Phoenix cinched it. And if I start throwing around that kind of power, this block won't need restoration... it'll be a big pile of rubble."

Nyarth looked between the two men before turning to Edward. "Uh, jus' what are you talkin' about? Whose this Phoenix guy, and what's gonna blast this place?"

Edward knelt down in front of the Meowth. "You obviously don't have much experience in the supernatural, so I'll be gentle with you. Phoenix is a celestial spirit, I guess you could call him a god. He and I don't get along very well, as you might have figured out. The rubble comment was due to certain, ah... people... who very much want to find me. So if I use my power, I'll show on their radar... and they'll pop in for an unwelcome visit. They have a tendency to get rowdy and blow stuff up. You understand all of that?"

The Pokémon nodded. "So if ya fix me, you'll get attacked?"

Edward stood up. "Attacked is a strong word. Annoyed... hassled... forced to take out the trash, that's a better way of stating it."

Nyarth looked around the book store. "If yer so powerful, what're ya doin' here? Why aren' ya runnin' the place?"

Chen and Edward exchanged amused glances.

"I like living a normal life here, rather than playing god. I'm also keen on keeping this planet from being destroyed. If I tried to take it over, the resulting battle would destroy this world and a few others. It's better if I just keep quiet, let others squabble over the scrapes, and only step in when really nasty business requires my attention."

Nyarth shrugged. "I jus' wanna get home."

Edward walked over and flicked the light switches, causing most of the store's lights to shut off and others to dim. "I know from my brief glance at your aura that you aren't from this world... what part of the cosmos you hail from?"

"Uh, you ever heard of Pokémon?"

Edward snorted. "I knew I had seen you from somewhere. That's a whole different part of reality, though... no random portals connect this world and the ones there."

Nyarth kicked the ground nervously. "Well, uh, in my world somebody invented this gadget that takes ya places. Someone got dumped here by accident and was turned into a vampire... then came back and infected her world with it. To make a long story short, I brought back the darkness she took to my world."

Edward nodded to himself. "That explains quite a bit. You committed diablerie very recently... I take it you diablerized this woman?"

"What's diablerie? Do ya mean did I suck Miyamoto dry?"

Edward nodded in response.

"Yeah, I took her out and the guy who made her when I first got here."

Edward looked at Chen. "Who?"

Chen thought for a moment. "I believe the residence I found him at belongs to a creature named James Ester..."

Edward immediately put his hands to his forehead. "Awww crap, not the Tremere Primogen! Your friend dusted the second most powerful non-ancient vamp in San Francisco! No wonder he's immune to casual sunlight, that little bastard Ester enchanted his essence..."

Nyarth blinked several times. "Uh, ya mean I'm in big trouble?"

Edward shook his head, looking up at the ceiling. "That's an understatement..." He returned his attention downward at the Meowth. "You're as good as dead! Wait, this gets worse doesn't it..." He spun around to come face-to-face with Chen.

Chen nodded. "The vampires of this city will find the werewolves' blood in Mr. Ester's dining room. A hasty conclusion may lead to a war."

Edward mimicked Chen's nodding. "My thoughts exactly. Why were your granddaughter and this guy there in the first place?"

"It appears Mr. Ester kidnapped my granddaughter from the werewolves..."

Edward chuckled a few times. "No doubt to get the ancient relics for himself. Let's just hope the elders in the pack clean the whole mess up and forget about revenge."

"Uh, what about me?"

Edward turned and looked down at the dark Pokémon. "There's no question about it, I have to get you out of here. I'm sending you home as soon as possible."

Chen put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "You cannot do that, Edward. His leaving is how the curse was lifted from his world. Returning him may return the evil and doom his world."

Edward sighed and shook his head. "So in order to get rid of him, I have to cure him. If I don't cure him, his world will be doomed. If I leave him here, a blood hunt will tear the city apart. You sure know how to ruin a guy's retirement, Chen... twice in fact!"

Chen patted his friend's shoulder. "At least I did not come here at Phoenix's request."

Edward rolled his eyes. "This time, Chen... this time. You keep racking up favors like this and you'll bankrupt your karma."

Chen laughed. "There is a saying... it is better to use power wisely than to never use it at all."

Edward snorted. "You just made that up. Now get out of here before I call in my I-O-Us from last time."

Chen smiled and nodded. "As always, Edward... your charity is without equal."

Edward escorted his friend to the door, opening it. "Feel free to drop by... but try to make your next social call just a social call, okay? Lady Fate tend you, old friend."

Chen exited and turned, bowing low. "I am forever in your debt. Farewell, Phoenix-Child."

Edward closed the door, then watched the older man leave. "I can't believe he still calls me that... and I can't believe he got me to do his dirty work again!" He locked the door.

Nyarth looked confused. "Uh, why do I get the feelin' I jus' been pawned off like a cheap watch?"

Edward turned and walked back to the Meowth. "That's not a feeling, that's reality. Chen dumped you in my lap because he didn't want to trouble himself." He started to walk into the back of the book store.

Nyarth followed him, weaving through book cases. "He seemed like a nice guy. He said you were the only guy he knew who could help."

The human stopped at a door, pulled out some keys, and unlocked it. "Chen really is a nice guy, he just has a tendency to think I'm the only one who can help him at times." He opened the door, which led to a staircase downward. He waited for the Meowth to get onto the landing before closing and locking the door. "Follow me down and don't touch anything except the floor."

Nyarth nodded, starting down the steps. "What do ya mean... there are other guys who can help me?"

Edward shrugged as he continued to descend. "I'm sure there are other mages who can help Chen if he needs it."

"What's a mage?" Nyarth stopped when the human peered back at him. "What did I say wrong?"

"You've never heard of mages... sorcerers... wizards?"

Nyarth put his fist in his hand. "I get it, yer one o' those magic types... I heard of ya, in fairy tales."

Edward shrugged and continued descending. Eventually the stairs opened out into a larger room. It was decorated with several book cases and a large stone arch that led into darkness. A small couch and a reading chair were the only furniture. Edward pointed at the couch. "Sit and be still."

Nyarth hopped onto the couch, looking around. "So this is where ya live?"

The human stopped in front of the book case. He pulled out a large, black leather-bound book, then sat in the reading chair. "I live upstairs, there's an apartment above the store." He began to flip through the book, perusing section titles.

"Uh, then what's this place... a private readin' room?"

Edward stopped for a moment, peering over at the feline. "If you really must know, this is part of a caern... something of a spiritual holy site. The building was built on it over a century ago when it looked like some abandoned watering hole." He continued perusing the book.

Nyarth looked around. "What's with everybody and their holy places?"

"Not very many of those in this twisted place... You've just bumped into a few people that happen to have them."

The feline looked for a clock, but none were in sight. "Hey, if ya want we can do this after ya sleep or somethin'..."

Edward chuckled as he read the book. "I can forgo those things. I just want to get you out of here before the vampires in this city realize that guy you killed is really dead. Once you're gone, they won't have anything to go after. They'll go back to their petty squabbles, and no-one will be the wiser." He closed the book and rose from his chair.

Nyarth looked up. "Ya done already?"

The mage shook his head as he walked through the arch into the darkness. Immediately a larger room was lit. "Get in here..."

The feline hopped off the couch and walked in. "My name's Nyarth..." His voice trailed off. The room was lined with pillars that supported arches, several spaced with niches holding statues of people the Pokémon didn't know. The center of the room was dominated by a circle of smaller pillars which rose to support more arches. Inside that the floor was carved out to form a shallow pool of crystal-clear water.

Edward turned from a small stone slab that apparently served as a table. Next to that was another niche lined with stone shelves. Both table and shelves were littered with jars. "Try to walk inside the circle of pillars, Nyarth."

The dark Pokémon shrugged and walked up to the stone pillars, but as he started to enter a feeling of dread overcame him. He stepped back. "Uh, I don' know 'bout this..."

The human grabbed a small jar and walked behind the Meowth. He reached down and grabbed the feline's arm and started to drag him inside.

Nyarth struggled, thinking he'd easily shake the human's grip on him, but nothing happened. "Hey, my strength! Comeon, lemme go!"

Edward stopped at the pool's edge. "Your powers won't work here, and that includes strength. This is going to burn a little, but it will not kill you." He dropped the Meowth into the center of the pool, eliciting a yell of surprise and pain from the Pokémon.

"I can' move! Gimme outta this stuff, it's burnin' me up!" Nyarth flapped his arms wildly in a comedic attempt to fly.

Edward unscrewed the cap of the jar. "It's not doing any real physical damage to you." He began to spread red dust in a circle directly inside the circle of pillars.

"I'm not kiddin', lemme outta here! What're ya doin'!?"

Edward finished the circle of red dust and carefully recapped the jar before setting it down. "This is to keep your friends from leaving. Releasing wraiths on the neighborhood isn't very nice."

Nyarth continued to struggle. "Whatta ya mean? What friends?"

Edward got down on his knees before the pool. "When you diablerized those two people, you drew in their souls. You still have part of them inside of you, which is part of the power you took. Now just stay still..." He reached out and very lightly touched the water, sending small ripples outward.

When the ripples touched Nyarth, his form shimmered and the feline froze. A dark steam started to rise from him and swirl upwards to form a heavy mist above the Pokémon. "Wha... what's happenin'?"

Edward stood as the mist coalesced into three forms. Two were humanoid, a male and a female, while the third was a blob with many fanged mouths. "Your friends are here."

Nyarth looked up. "It... it's Miyamoto and that guy! But what's that other thing?"

Immediately the eyes of the two humanoids snapped open and both began to wail incomprehensibly.

Nyarth put both his paws to his ears. "Ahhh, what is this...!?"

Edward put his hands to his own ears with a pained expression. "They're pissed off, that's what's happening!" He pointed at the two humanoid forms. "Silence or I'll send you both to Oblivion!"

Both spirits immediately stopped. The male floated down to come eye-level with Edward. "What do you want of us?"

Edward shook his head to clear away the ringing. "I called you out because I want you both excised from the cat."

The male and female glanced at each other before he turned back. "What will you give us in return for what the feline has stolen?"

"I'll send you two to the Shadowlands instead of straight to Oblivion. Part of the deal will be to break your fetter connection with the cat. Is it a deal?"

The male spirit glared back at the Pokémon before returning its gaze to Edward. "What guarantee do we have of surviving the Maelstrom?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "You don't... how you survive is not my problem. I simply make sure you get there without getting caught in the Winds. Now is it a deal?"

Both spirits nodded.

Edward knelt down and touched the pool. A dim light appeared around the Meowth briefly as both spirits dove downward into the pool. The light quickly vanished, returning the pool to just water. He glanced up at the black blob as its mouths slowly worked open and closed, all possessed of long fangs. "Now what to do with you..."

Nyarth looked up at the black blob hanging above him. "What is that thing anyhow?"

"It's part of Caine's essence... Caine was the first vampire. All vampires in this world carry a bit of his spirit inside of them, which is what gives them their powers as well as their weaknesses."

The dark Pokémon shrugged, not really understanding all of that. "So why don' ya just blow it up or somethin'?"

Edward snorted. "That's easy... but if I do that, you'll die. That thing is the force which is sustaining you past death."

Nyarth looked down. He didn't think he was going to go home in a box. "So ya gotta kill me to send me home..."

Edward stood back up. "I said I would get you out of this... and I don't go back on my word very often. I'm just trying to do it without resorting to brute force." He knelt back down and slowly stirred the water with his finger.

A few minutes passed before Nyarth cleared his throat. "Uh, not to sound impatient or nuthin', but what're ya doin'?"

Edward continued to swirl the water, not glancing up. "I'm speaking with the spirit of this place, seeking guidance..." He suddenly stood up and pointed to the black blob. "Come here!"

The black blob slowly floated down near the human.

Edward shivered. Everything sane and rational told him to destroy the thing immediately. Instead, he pointed at the blob and it began to howl and gibber from its many mouths.

Nyarth put his paws to his ears. "What're ya doin'!?"

Edward continued to point at the blob, his spare hand covering an ear. As he continued, the gibbering and howling became louder. The blob's form started to shimmer. He dropped to one knee, as the pain from the sound started to overwhelm him.

"Hey, look out!"

The thing knocked Edward onto his back on the floor. Suddenly a dozen fanged mouths were biting him, sending stabs of pain racing all through his body.

Nyarth struggled, but his feet were planted in place. "Turn this thing off! Lemme help ya!"

The mage felt himself bite his tongue as he tried to grit his teeth. "Get off me you little bastard..." The blob gibbered incoherently with its free mouths. "Let's see how you.. like.. the taste.. of.. THIS!" He shoved his arm into one of the free mouths, which promptly bit down hard. Suddenly the blob began the squirm and howl, its gibbering becoming louder and faster. "Give.. it... give it to me... AHH!" Blood was oozing from every point the mouths were biting or had bitten the human.

Nyarth doubled over in pain, clutching his chest. "Ahhh... what's happenin'!?!?"

Edward sneered in satisfaction as the monstrous blob's howling became louder and it started to pull back. "Where do you... think.. you're going!?" He clenched his other hand in the black ooze the thing had for a body. "Got ya! Now.. let... GO!" He ripped his arm out of the blob's mouth, his fist clenched tightly, two fangs remaining in the wound.

The blob's howling grew louder as the mage shoved it away. Slowly its form began to steam and bubble, a black blood-like substance pouring out of its mouths and spraying all over the place. Where the blood struck the pool it steamed away, leaving the water pristine.

"Cover!" Edward yelled as he rolled over, his fist still clenched.

Nyarth covered his head just before the black blob exploded, raining black liquid everywhere except the pool. The Pokémon still felt a tight pain inside his chest, but it had lessened. He looked at the black liquor all over him. "I jus' had this coat cleaned too..."

Edward slowly stood up, still bleeding from over a dozen places. "Where there's a will, there's a way..." He opened his hand, revealing a small white object. It glowed and pulsed, shimmering almost like a milky liquid.

Nyarth blinked a few times as the pain completely went away. "Whoa, what did ya do? And what's that light in yer hand?"

"I reached inside of that thing and grabbed what was left of your essence. Sorry about the pain, but I had to hold on tightly to keep that thing from pulling it back in."

The Pokémon blinked a few more times. "Ya.. ya mean that's my..."

Edward shrugged. "Soul, essence, katra... call it whatever you like, it's what that black blob formed around. Without this, it had nothing to manifest through."

Nyarth looked at his paws. "Wait, but ya said if ya destroyed that thing, I'd die 'cause I was already dead."

The mage looked down at the small form in his hand. "The power of this place is sustaining you. If you left, this little flame would slowly go out and you would die."

"So I'm a goner anyways?"

Edward glanced up from the small light. "Normally, a person could survive having their essence drained to this small a flame. They would become deathly ill, but over time their essence would strengthen and grow back. You see, it's the living body that protects and nourishes the flame... gives it a place to grow. You don't have a living body, Nyarth. You're dead, but your spark was sustained just enough so that you remained here. The blackness provided the remainder of the power needed to drive your dead corpse around, and it only required the essence gained by draining blood to survive."

Nyarth looked down at his paws again. "So yer sayin' I'm already dead, I jus' don' know it yet?"

The mage shrugged and looked back down at the small light. "I'm saying that your body is dead, but your soul... the animating life force... still lives. Once your soul is snuffed out, then your spirit will vacate your corpse and travel... elsewhere."

"I thought soul and spirit were the same thing?"

Edward slowly moved his hand from under the light and it began to float in place. "Your spirit is the embodiment of you... your thoughts, feelings, and memories. Your soul is what lies between spirit and body. It sustains your spirit on this plane of existence and provides a way for your spirit to operate your body. Does that make any sense?"

Nyarth scratched his head a few times. "So my soul's sort've like the puppet strings on a puppet?"

Edward tilted his head to one side. "If the puppet's weighted down with lead and the strings have been gnawed at by rats... yes, that could work."

Nyarth folded his arms. "Gee, thanks fer the vote of confidence..."

The mage shrugged. "I don't do symbolism very well. Any suggestions?"

The cat Pokémon shook his head. "I don' understand half this stuff. I got that my soul was inside that black thing and the black thing was keepin' it alive..."

He smacked himself on the side of the head. "Of course, I completely skipped the obvious answer! I don't need to make you alive again, I just have to find something to sustain your soul..."

Nyarth blinked a few times. "Uh, what kinda thing would do that 'sides that black thing?"

"Let's find out..." Edward closed his eyes and slowly knelt down to touch the pool of water, swirling it with his hand. A dim light appeared in the pool.

'Why have you called me?'

Nyarth looked around. "Who's that?"

'I am a servant of Unicorn.'

The feline Pokémon glanced over at Edward. "Uh, ya got a call..."

'He cannot hear you. So long as he concentrates, I am able to manifest. Tell me what it is I have been summoned for.'

Nyarth scratched his head. "Uh, ya know about undead, right?"

'I know you live beyond death.'

"Uh, I just got rid of that Caine guy, and I'm sorta not gonna survive without some help..."

'You wish Unicorn's aid in sustaining yourself beyond death?'

Nyarth nodded, then wondered if the spirit thing saw him.

'You do not wish to accept death?'

Nyarth thought for a moment. "Well, uh, I ain' from this world... I had to come here 'cause a lady brought this Caine thing to where I live. I jus' took it back so things could be fixed. If that lady hadn' brought that Caine thing to my world, then I'd still be alive..."

'You made a noble sacrifice. Noble sacrifices are cheapened when their consequences are undone.'

Nyarth wiped away tears, noticing with a sense of satisfaction that they were not tears of blood. "But I jus' wanna go home! I got a friend, and she means alot to me... I wanna see her again."

There was a momentary silence.

'Your sacrifice was for love?'

Nyarth nodded.

'Unicorn has seen your tears and has looked into your heart.'

The pool around Nyarth began to swirl. The small light slowly floated over to hang before the Meowth. "Uh... what's happenin'?"

'That which this world has stolen will be restored.'

Nyarth opened his mouth to ask what the spirit meant when several spouts of water from the pool rose. Like tendrils they reached out and wrapped themselves around the small light and the feline. He watched in strange fascination as he slowly started to sink down into the water. The water disappeared to be replaced with a faint howling and a smoke-filled darkness. A creature that looked like a large white horse with a golden horn jutting from its head walked out of the smoky darkness.

Nyarth looked around, then at the creature. "Uh, where am I?"

'You are in the Umbra, the spirit world.'

The feline looked down at himself, but he was still solid.

'You are not dead.'

The Pokémon caught himself chuckling. "Uh, um... what am I doin' here?"

The horned horse walked straight up to him and leaned down. 'You are here to receive that which this world stole. Please touch my horn.'

Nyarth nervously reached out and touched the creature's horn. A feeling rushed through him that was like being struck by lightning and getting the world's best back scratching all balled into one. He realized he was no longer touching the creature's horn but simply standing there reaching out. "Wow, that was pretty strange..."

The creature nodded its head up and down, then bent its head down. The small light floated down from above them and stopped at the tip of the horn. A golden energy crackled down the horn into the small light, causing it to grow to several times its original size. The creature moved back and the now-golden light remained in place. 'Now go... return to your world with Gaia's Blessing.'

Nyarth nodded, then lost his breath when the golden light slammed straight into his chest and then went inside him. Suddenly he found himself struggling in murky water, his chest on fire. A hand appeared out of no-where and grabbed the Meowth's arm, dragging him up. Nyarth surfaced in the pool, coughing. That was when he noticed the water was again only knee-deep to him. "What're ya tryin' to do, drown me!?"

Edward patted the Pokémon on the back as the feline sputtered and coughed. "Sorry, I didn't know one could drown in shallow water."

Nyarth stood up, also noticing he wasn't covered in blood. There was something else... he was coughing! "Uh... what the heck's goin' on?" He sucked in a deep breath and let it out, though the last bit was in a short spurt of hacking. "Hey, I'm breathin'! I ain' done that since... since a long time!" He put his paw to his chest and felt something pulsing. "I've got a beatin' heart!"

Edward shook the water off his hands as he stood up. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

The feline looked down at his paws. They were still midnight-blue with black highlights. "Hey, I'm still black 'n' blue! What kinda fix is this?"

The mage shrugged. "You expect a god from another world to know what your natural appearance is? Just be happy Unicorn restored your body to working order. Whatever you said, it must have been convincing for Her to do that."

Nyarth nodded to himself, quietly thanking Unicorn, whoever She is. He looked Edward up and down. "Hey, what happened to all the bites?"

"That was all done inside of you. From the moment I touched the pool, to the next when I pulled you out of the pool... it was all inside your head. It all took just one minute."

The feline hopped out of the pool, a little peeved he was all wet. "Well, I guess there's just gettin' me home left to do..."

-=-=-=-=-

ENDING ONE

Edward scratched his beard. "That's going to be the tricky part, I'm afraid..."

Nyarth examined himself in the pool and noticed his fangs were still longer, as were his claws when he popped them from their sheaths. "Hey, I still got big claws and fangs... Wait, what do ya mean by 'tricky part'? What was all that stuff we jus' went through?"

"Getting a portal straight to your world is impossible. Your portal probably did it by brute force and ignorance. From this end, things are a bit trickier. The only way to get you there is as a passenger on a one-way flight with me."

The feline blinked several times. "Ya mean ya gotta come along? What's the big deal on that?"

Edward got an annoyed look. "I can't just pick up and leave this world. The dimensional mechanics are different... that part of reality doesn't make use of sub-dimensions like this place does."

"Uh, ya wanna run that one by me one more time in my native tongue?"

Edward moved his hands, stacking one on top of another. "This reality has this world, and then another one that's right under it called the Umbra... the spirit world. Your reality doesn't have that, at least not like it is here. You with me so far?"

Nyarth nodded.

"My power comes from a thing called an avatar, which is basically a piece of a god. All mages here have one, with different mages having avatars of differing power. Avatars are normally unique to a mage and stick with him or her wherever they may go."

Nyarth nodded again. "But yers don't, 'cause it's special, right?"

Edward got an annoyed look again. "You're right, but for the wrong reasons... My avatar is non-existent."

The feline scratched his head. "But I thought ya said mages got their power from them?"

"I lost mine quite a long time ago. In order to save my life and further his own goals, Phoenix manifested part of His power in the form of a new avatar for me. My new avatar is connected to Phoenix in the same way your puppet is connected to his master."

Nyarth nodded. "So in order to leave, ya gotta cut the strings... and this Phoenix won' like it?"

Edward nodded in response.

The pool darkened.

'There is a great deal more to it than that.'

Nyarth looked around. "Hey, who said that?"

Edward turned to the pool. "Are you always listening for your name? Can't you just for once miss butting into a conversation?"

Nyarth looked into the pool. He saw the faint outlines of two fiery eyes. "Uh, is this Phoenix?"

'I am simply a part of the greater whole that is Phoenix.'

Edward snorted. "Don't get technical."

The Meowth looked between the human and the eyes in the pool. "Uh, I was jus' wonderin' if I can be sent home... He said ya had a thing where he can' leave, but that's the only way I can get home..."

'That is correct, the one you speak of is my servant. His abilities depend on his remaining in this reality.'

Edward leaned over the pool. "Stop avoiding the damn question, Phoenix! Are you going to allow him to go home, or are you going to go against Unicorn's... and by extension, Gaia's... wishes?"

Nyarth got a bit worried. "Uh, I won' push the guy... if he don' wanna send me back, that's okay with me..."

The mage shook his head. "No, Unicorn wants you to return home... and Phoenix is going to have to decide which risk is greater: Gaia's wrath or losing control over me."

The eyes in the pool narrowed. 'You have placed me in an inconvenient position. A fortuitous occurrence, but one you are happy to accept.'

Edward smiled. "Call it payback for what happened three years ago."

'Where would your resolve be were I to not agree? Unicorn may be angry with me, but She will still expect you to deliver the creature to his world. You will be stranded somewhere far from home, with very little chance of ever returning.'

Nyarth looked up at Edward. "Hey, it ain' worth you gettin' stranded..."

Edward waved the feline off. "If I get stranded there, all the better. Your world must be better than this one... any world must be."

The eyes in the pool widened for a moment. 'You are willing to sacrifice all that you have here?'

The human shrugged. "What do I have? A caern slash node slash freehold... big deal, there are plenty of people better suited to protect it. So all I'm left with is a sleepy book store and being the human equivalent of Dr. Who. Real big reasons to stick around there."

'Edward, you do not realize the danger you would be in outside this reality. Without your powers, you would be exposed to a number of your enemies' attacks.'

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, Phoenix. Dangers? You mean fuzzy rodents that expel lightning?"

The eyes in the pool narrowed. 'Enemies outside this realm that would destroy you if they knew of your existence. Powerful enemies your mother sought escape from.'

Edward narrowed his own eyes. "What do you mean? My mother was a physicist at UCLA. Kara Susan Times was no more an alien than I'm your 'child'!"

'She came to me, using her technology... she entered my personal realm and requested asylum on this world. In exchange for my protection, she promised service to me. Her enemies discovered her whereabouts and forced their way into this world. I hid her from them as long as I could, long enough that she gave birth to you. She did not die in natural childbirth.'

Edward turned around, studying the outlines of the pillars to avoid direct eye-contact with the pool. "I wish you could lie, Phoenix... Then why did my father lie to me?"

'I believe your father thought his wife had abandoned him. Is it not natural for a mortal father to wish to protect his only child from such a horrible revelation?'

"Was she human?"

'She was of a Earth that is more advanced.'

Edward nodded to himself. "So who are these enemies you talked about?"

'That I do not know. They possessed technology to mask themselves and their powers. They came in a strange ship which moved through time and space.'

Edward turned around. "I have to get this... person... back to his world. I'll do it with or without your blessing... but if I have to face off against these enemies, it would be nice to not go down without a fight."

Nyarth coughed to gain attention back. "Uh, not to sound rude, but I don' wanna make ya get into a fight. Gettin' yerself into trouble ain' worth gettin' me home."

'Unicorn has already decreed that you are to return to your own world. This action cannot be stopped without dire consequences.'

Edward nodded. "I'm willing to do it. The only question is will I be on my own?"

Several minutes passed in silence.

Suddenly, the water of the pool caught on fire.

"Uh, Nyarth... I think we better move back..."

The cat Pokémon was behind a pillar. "Way ahead o' ya... I never seen water on fire before..."

The fire slowly rose upward from the pool, gaining form. Reds and oranges shifted as a large bird-like creature slowly took shape. Human and Pokémon had to cover their faces against the waves of heat as the creature finished forming. The fiery bird towered over the small pillars, nearly touching the ceiling of the chamber.

Edward wiped sweat off his forehead. "That's because you've never seen Phoenix manifest."

The heat lessened as the bird turned its head, looking down at either mortal. 'I cannot deny Unicorn's wishes, but neither will I allow you to foolishly rush into the maw of death. So you shall regain your own avatar by merging with mine. Are you prepared?'

Edward had trouble looking up into the flames. "What do you mean? Will I have all my powers? What's going to happen?"

'You will still possess the powers you have now, and a great deal more. It will be as if I am your shadow, an extension of you. There will be no Phoenix-avatar separate from yourself.'

Edward blinked a few times, both from the heat and the enormous implications. "What about your manifestation... your presence in the Umbra?"

'When one looks upon your spirit, they will see this form before you now. When you wish my full manifestation, you will simply reflect that shadow in the physical realm.'

Edward nodded, vaguely aware that he was agreeing to a great deal of responsibility. "I'm ready." No sooner had the words escaped his lips than the fiery bird swirled into a column of flame that smashed into him. Through the roaring sound he could barely hear his own screams, and then just as soon as it started it was over. For some reason, the floor seemed alot closer now.

Nyarth leapt about like a cat on a hot tin roof as he stood next to the man sitting on the floor. "Ya okay? Hey in there, this floor's hotter than a Charizard's breath!"

Edward blinked a few times and turned his attention to the feline. "I don't feel hot..."

Nyarth shrugged as the stones starting to cool down, and he stopped hopping. He also noticed the human was smoking, or his clothes were at least. "You okay in there?"

Edward nodded. "A little dazed, but I'm fine. Do you want to go now?" He slowly slid up the pillar until he was standing. He patted his clothing, noticing with amusement bits of soot coming off.

The feline shrugged. "If yer ready to go, so am I."

The mage nodded again before walking up to the pool. He snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot my..." He blinked a few times, looking at the leather jacket in his hand.

The Meowth grinned. "Now that's service..."

Edward put the jacket on. "I didn't mean to do that. It's a waste of ability to do cheap tricks, and an invitation for Paradox. Oh well, guess I can berate myself later." He moved his hand over the pool, which began to glow dimly. "You better take my hand, there's no telling if I'll drag you along without physical contact."

Nyarth shrugged and took the human's hand. "As long as ya don' think I'm goin' steady with ya..."

Edward cracked a smile. "Hey, that was pretty good." He stepped forward, sinking into the pool.

"Thank yooooouuu..." Nyarth felt like his stomach had dropped out from underneath him as he was yanked into the pool. A dizzying flash of lights caused him to shut his eyes.

-=-=-=-=-

Nyarth felt something under his feet, then something shook him.

"Hey, open your eyes..."

Nyarth opened his eyes and glanced around. He was standing in a large room. It was the same room from whence he left, except everything was dark. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Edward looked back up at the machine. "So that's how you got there?"

The Meowth glanced back up at the shattered portal. "Yeah... I guess it must've overloaded after I went through it." He turned back and glanced around. This was the place alright. There was the frame that had held the G/S Ball, there were the blood stains and flecks of ash. There was still some leftover gore from all the electrocuted undead.

Edward walked down from the dais, looking at the blackened remains. "Some battle you had here..."

Nyarth shrugged as he hopped off the dais and walked towards the still-open double doors. "This place was packed with vampires. I used a Raichu to thunder them all."

The human shrugged at the name of the Pokémon and attack. He walked through the double doors, and down the hallway. He stopped at the elevator and looked down at Nyarth. "Think we're expected?"

Nyarth shrugged and hit the button, but nothing happened. "The elevator's out. How're we gonna get upstairs?" He got his answer when Edward put his hand on the Meowth's head and both were suddenly in the Lobby. He looked down at the ash at his feet. "Eww, clean up in Aisle 5..."

"Uh, Nyarth?" Edward was examining something near the front desk.

The feline walked over to the front desk. The blackened form of a woman was sitting at the desk, a look of horror on her face. "What the heck is this?"

Edward tapped the woman's head, which promptly crumbled. "Vampires don't drain energy like this. Something else did this..."

Nyarth turned and walked to the windows. "Whoa, what in the name of the Persian!?"

Edward walked over and looked outside. "Well, you don't see that everyday... Was the sky red when you left?"

The sky outside the Silph Company was indeed a dark shade of red, broken by the occasional cloud.

Nyarth shook his head. "Ya sure this is the right place and time... all that stuff?"

Edward concentrated for a moment. "No, it isn't. This is the right place, but there's a gap of about six years from when you left. It happens when you're going somewhere and don't know how fast or slow time moves compared to where you're leaving from. So this is the future of your world... Kind of bleak."

"Ya think? I gotta find Jesse..."

"HAW HAW!"

Edward turned around. At the far end of the lobby floated two red creatures. "What the heck are those?"

Nyarth turned around and immediately froze. "Uh.. they're Haunters... ghost Pokémon. But I ain' ever seen red ones before..."

The human glanced down at the Meowth. "Any special attacks I should know about?"

The feline shrugged. "Stuff like dream eater and confuse ray... oh, and hypnosis and night shade."

Edward chuckled. "You say that like I would know what those attacks do. I'll assume that as ghosts they can attack your life energy..."

Both Red Haunters rushed forward. They made it to about a foot away before both splattered on a green barrier, red ectoplasm dropping to the floor.

"Wow, that's some defense!"

The human shrugged before leaning down, running his fingers through the remains. "Wait, do these things drain life energies?"

Nyarth shook his head. "I never seen'em do that... but these are red, so maybe they do?"

Edward stood, shaking the goo off his fingers. "These things have human life energy all over them. We better find your friend before these red Haunters do."

The Meowth was about to say something when the human put a hand on his head and they were somewhere else. It looked like it might have been Pallet Town. "Hey, I know this place... Why'd ya bring us here?"

Edward shrugged. "This is where the correspondence effect brought us. I just specified your friend Jesse's location and..."

A little girl ran out of a building straight for Edward and Nyarth. "Help me!"

Edward knelt down and stopped the little girl. "What's wrong?"

The little girl had long, dark-red hair that swept off her head. She was wearing a purple dress with black stains on it. "M-Mommy... help her!"

He nodded. "Okay, where's your daddy?"

The little girl wiped away some tears. "H-He's gone... he went to fight the black bird monster! He took Rairai and a big blue bird... and Aunt Misty too!"

Edward looked over at Nyarth. "Help me here, what's a 'Rairai', the big blue bird, and who's Misty?"

Nyarth blinked a few times. "Lil' girl, is yer daddy's name Ash Ketchum?"

The little nodded. "H-How did you know? P-Please help my Mommy... she got touched by the red laughing things and now she's sick!"

Edward picked the little girl up. "Point where your house is." He nodded and started walking, watching Nyarth run to keep up. When he walked in, he immediately noticed several piles of red goo. Lying on a couch in the living room was a woman with blackened skin and long red hair. He quickly put the girl down and she ran up to the woman.

The little girl hugged her. "It's alright Mommy, I got help!"

The woman nodded weakly. "W-Who munchkin...?"

"It's a man and a dark Meowth, Mommy... you know the ones you tell tales about?"

Nyarth walked over. "J-Jesse?"

The woman's eyes slowly focused. "Nyarth... you're here? Am I dying?"

The feline put a paw on Jesse's blackened hand. "No yer not... I came back. I had to come fer ya..." He looked back at Edward. "She needs yer help..."

Edward shook his head sadly. "Unless the Haunter that took her energy was here... I can't create something from nothing."

Nyarth wiped away a few tears, turning back. "Comeon Jesse, yer a fighter... We'll get ya outta here and..."

Jesse weakly shook her head. "I'm sorry... I guess you came back to watch me bite the dust anyhow..."

Nyarth cracked a smile. "Would ya had preferred I showed up at yer weddin? Ya really hitched with that kid Ash?"

Jesse nodded weakly. "Love... does strange things... Got you back here, didn't it?"

The little girl teared up. "Mommy..."

Jesse smiled. "I have to go... help your father battle Black Lugia munchkin... I'll see you later... you be good for me, okay?"

The little girl nodded slowly. "When? When will you come back?"

Jesse took a quick breath. "Every night before you sleep, when you close your eyes... I'll give you a kiss goodnight... Now give me a hug and a kiss..." She wrapped blackened arms around the little girl as tightly as her strength allowed and kissed her. "Go with the nice man outside and... wave good-bye... okay?" She nodded to Edward, who nodded in return.

"Bye Mommy... I'll see you tonight..." She walked up and took Edward's hand and they both stepped outside.

Nyarth watched them leave, then turned back. "Ya... ya know her dad ain't gonna survive..."

Jesse nodded weakly. "Ash did what you asked him to do... he watched over me. Now return his favor, and watch over our little girl..."

Nyarth wiped away a few stray tears. "Yer little girl... What's her name?"

Jesse smiled. "Rose... Rose Miyamoto Ketchum..." She blinked back tears.

Nyarth nodded. "I won' let her ferget a thing about her mom... B-But what's this Black Lugia? I mean... it's worse than the vampire thing out there..."

Jesse weakly shook her head. "I.. I don't know, Nyarth... The red ghosts just appeared and started sucking up living things... and then this big black thing appeared. It looks just like Lugia, but... but it's evil. Ash left with Raichu and his other Pokémon to fight it after he summoned the real Lugia. Can you and your friend escape?"

Nyarth nodded. "We'll get outta here with Rose... It jus' ain' fair, I gotta god to make me alive again jus' to come back..." He leaned down and hugged his friend, crying. "I jus' wanna tell ya I love ya Jess... like ya were my own kid."

Jesse closed her eyes and laid a blackened hand on the crying Meowth. "I know... I feel like you were the only real father I had..."

Nyarth slowly stood up. "Ya know, Jess...." He stopped. She was gone. He wiped away some more tears. "I swear, Jess... I'm gonna kill this Black Lugia fer ya... and fer everybody this thing's killed. And Rose won' ever ferget that her mom died fightin' that thing..." He turned around and walked out of the house. He looked up at Edward and nodded. "Rose, yer Mommy's off to fight.."

A huge Charizard, with Jesse riding it, buzzed the house before flying off towards the sea. Jesse blew a kiss to the little girl as the child waved frantically.

Nyarth wiped away fresh tears, stopping next to Edward. "What was that?"

Edward leaned down. "An illusion... But when she's old enough to understand..."

"I'll tell her... 'til then, thanks fer helpin'..."

Edward stood up and nodded.

Nyarth walked over to the little girl. "Rose, yer mom told me to take care o' ya while she's gone. We're gonna take a trip, so take my paw."

Rose smiled and took Nyarth's paw. "Mommy said you were the best friend in the world and you saved everybody."

Nyarth nodded. "Yer mom's the real hero, kiddo... I was jus' along fer the ride."

Edward walked over. "So where are we supposed to go? I could probably fight this Black Lugia thing, but this planet's suffered enough."

The feline shrugged. "Where could we go? I mean, where did this thing come from... what's it want?"

Edward scratched his beard. "Well, it didn't seem important at the time, but those two Haunters back at Silph weren't from this world. This Black Lugia thing might be the same, and it came here to snack on the life of this planet. Once it's done here, it might move on to the next world. If we skip forward in time, we'll at least have some of it to think."

The Meowth nodded. "Alright, let's jump ahead three months... that sounds good, ya think?"

The older human nodded and put his hand on the Pokémon's head. "Hang on everybody."

The two humans and Pokémon disappeared.

-=-=-=-=-

Caroline Edwards glanced at the scanner displays. This was depressing. No, this was worse than depressing. Watching a world die was something she was prepared for, but not on this level of sheer brutality. Red Haunters and Gastlys swept through communities, leaving shriveled, blackened bodies. The only thing she could do was witness the carnage, a passive observer in this awful mess. "Computer, estimate on the full termination of all life."

"Full termination of life is estimated in twelve minutes. Exception is the subject on Scanner Five."

A lieutenant glanced at his read-out, a look of confusion spreading over his face. "Captain, I've got a weird reading here!"

Caroline Edwards, Captain of the United Nations Spaceship Exeter, glanced over at the confused LT. "What's the problem?"

Commander Mandy Anderson peered over the LT.'s shoulder. "We've got temporal anomalies! Two of them... wait, something's happening."

Capt. Edwards pulled up the read-out to follow along. Suddenly the data shifted about. "Whoa, what was that?"

Comm. Anderson stood straight up. "The two subjects disappeared and reappeared in a different location approximately seventy kilometers away from their original one."

"Transmat?" Edwards queried.

The second-in-command shook her head. "No readings of any transmat beams."

Another LT. looked up from his display. "You better see this, Captain... I've got four subjects approaching Black Lugia's position!"

Edwards keyed up the new display. "Blue Lugia? I though this thing was white?"

Her First walked up next to her. "The different levels might have variations?"

The Captain nodded in agreement. "Are we tracking those two temporal anomalies? I want to know who they are!"

Anderson walked back to the first LT.'s station. "It's a Meowth and a human. History says the Meowth is this world's Team Rocket Meowth. The human we have no info on, but his readings are..." She blinked a few times, taken aback.

Edwards turned in her chair. "Yes?"

Anderson made eye-contact. "Non-existent... The scanners report the human has a scattering field of some unknown type!"

The first LT. gasped. "They're... they're gone!"

Capt. Edwards turned back to her own display, watching the battle between the Lugias, noticing that level's Ash Ketchum in the fight as well. "Download that scanner data into the log, I want this checked out." She visibly winced when the outcome of the battle finished with the Black Lugia feasting on its native cousin.

The computer chimed. "At 04:49 hours, all life on Level 13.2 was terminated except the subject on Scanner Five."

-=-=-=-=-

The ensign blinked several times at the read-out. "Uh, sir... you better see this."

A lieutenant sat down in the pilot's chair. "Temporal anomalies... three. Can you get a chronal radiation reading?"

The ensign's hands flew over the controls. "Sir, they're off their timeline... by over 5 years. What's strange is I'm getting conflicting readings here."

The lieutenant looked at the scanner data. "Ah, you have to calibrate it for the earlier particles, see? The readings say these folks escaped from the Black Lugia mess, according to the logs for this level. We better pick them up."

Ensign looked over. "Sir? I thought we were to report anomalies back to the Stratus League?"

The lieutenant nodded as he took the Scat Back into the planet's atmosphere. "We are, right along with the anomalies themselves. I don't intend to leave anyone down there in that mess by themselves. You have a problem with that, Ensign?"

The ensign shook his head. "No sir."

-=-=-=-=-

Nyarth looked around. The entire countryside was bare. "This is awful. What kinda thing does this?"

The middle-aged man kicked a small pile of ash. "Something that feasts on life energies. What do you know about this Lugia creature?"

The Meowth shrugged. "Jus' that it's supposed to cause the end of the world. But I ain' ever heard of a black one before. It can' have been this world's Lugia, or it would've been put back to normal."

The little girl, Rose, pointed upwards. "Look, a bird!"

The human and Pokémon glanced up at a small dot that was slowly growing bigger.

"Ya think that's the Black Lugia thing?"

Edward shook his head. "It's a machine. Whatever it is, it isn't from this world. Get ready to run."

The small, winged craft started to slow, and vents on its ventral side began to glow. It banked around, circling the group from a distance, before landing away from the ash-trees. A door on the side of the craft hummed open and a man wearing a uniform climbed out.

Edward motioned the little girl and Meowth behind him.

The man walked up to him. "What are you doing here?"

Edward blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

He glanced around Edward. "This place isn't safe for children... or most living things. Now why don't we just take a ride back to Stratus..."

"Stratus?"

The man nodded. "Just tell us where you parked your ship, and we'll tow it."

Edward smiled courteously. "We didn't come in a ship, I transported us here. Where is this Stratus?"

The man was taken aback. "You transported here on your own power?"

Edward nodded. "Of course... now where is this Stratus, and is it a safe place?"

The man nodded in response. "Uh, we can take you there..."

Edward stared intently at the man for a moment. "Okay, we'll take your ship."

The man smiled. "Follow me." He turned and walked back to the ship, waiting for the others as they got on board. He closed the door and pointed to three seats. "Strap yourselves in." As he sat down in the pilot's chair, the ensign turned to him.

"Uh, sir, the ship's scanners can't read that man. He has some form of scattering field..."

The lieutenant shrugged as the ship's pre-flight check completed itself. "We'll let that be somebody else's problem. I just wasn't going to leave them down here. If there's trouble, I'll take full blame."

The ensign nodded slowly as the ship slowly took off.

Nyarth turned to Edward. "Uh, was this such a good idea?"

The human nodded. "I read their minds, they aren't going to cause us problems."

The feline Pokémon shook his head. "That ain' what I mean... I'm talkin' about wherever we're goin'."

Edward shrugged. "It can't be worse than this place."

-=-=-=-=-

ENDING TWO

The feline hopped out of the pool, a little peeved he was all wet. "Well, I guess there's just gettin' me home left to do..."

Edward nodded. "That's the easy part." He waved his hand over the pool and a dim light began to radiate up from it. "Simply jump in and this portal will lead you home."

Nyarth looked into the pool. "Well, thanks fer all the help. I guess this is the last time I'll be seein' ya."

The human smirked. "I certainly hope so."

"Seeya Eddie." The Meowth jumped in, disappearing.

Edward looked around. "Looks like it's back to business as usual."

-=-=-=-=-

"Ow, not this again!" Nyarth slowly got up off the ground. He was outside, but outside of where? The sky was an angry red and for as far as he could see, the ground was littered with ash. "It looks like this place was on fire or sumthin'." He could faintly make out some buildings far away. One of them looked familiar, with a strange windmill. "Wow, the guy dropped me off outside Pallet Town! Looks like they rebuilt the place. I wonder if anybody's home?"

Four hours and much walking later he came upon the familiar structure. What he hadn't noticed was the building suffered from huge scorch marks. Behind the building, the long fields held nothing but charred ground and huge forms of ash. The feline Pokémon looked at one of the forms of ash and had to take a step back. It looked faintly like a Charizard! "What in the name o' the Persian happened here!?"

He started to walk into town, yet each house he checked held nothing but blackened remains. He came to a vaguely familiar house. A small sign above the door read "Ketchum". He wearily walked up to the door and found it to be unlocked, just like all the others. When he opened the door, he immediately noticed a long, coiled up pile of ash. He looked into the living room and saw two forms on the couch. One was smaller than the other, but it was hard to tell.

As soon as the Meowth walked up to the huddled forms, he knew who they were. Or at least, he knew who one of them was. "J-Jesse?" He was afraid to touch the charred form. He saw the small form was a child, a little girl by the long hair and dress. She had a kid? She had a kid with that Ash guy? What had happened to Selebi? Where was the GS Ball? "J-Jesse... whatever did this, I'll get'em fer ya... I'll make'em pay fer this."

There was a thundering outside, but then it subsided.

Nyarth looked at the door, his ears picking up the sound of movement. Somebody was coming this way. He popped his claws and noticed they were still long. "I guess that ain' bad..."

"Hello? Anyone in here?" A man wearing a uniform slid the door open and immediately pointed a hand-held device at Nyarth. "What are you?"

Nyarth pointed a claw at the guy. "I'm Nyarth, who the heck are you?"

The man put the hand-held device back into a small holster. "I'm Lieutenant Richard Keller, on special assignment to the Stratus League. I don't know how you got here, or who sent you, but you're in a restricted zone."

Nyarth pointed back at the charred remains. "What the heck happened here?"

The man nodded towards the various charred forms. "They're all victims of Black Lugia. This entire level was decimated. I thought you might be the beast, come back here to hide. You said your name is Nyarth?"

The feline Pokémon nodded.

The man pointed back outside. "My ship is on stand-by. Since you don't look like you belong here, I suggest you come with me."

Nyarth sheathed his claws and walked up to the guy, peeking around him outside. Just as he had said, there was a large, winged craft sitting outside. Whatever it was, it wasn't from this world. "I belong here, I used to live here."

The lieutenant walked outside, waiting for the feline to follow. He stopped outside the steps up into the ship. "That isn't possible, unless you left here before the attack and just now returned. Look, there's nothing here anymore for you... why don't you come with me back to Stratus? You'll receive refugee status and be resettled to wherever it is you want to live."

Nyarth looked back at the house. "But... but my friends..."

The lieutenant sighed. "I'm very sorry about your loss, but they're gone. This level doesn't appear to be restoring itself, so this world has no future. I wish I could give you kinder comfort than that, but I'm to report in immediately with my findings. So what's your decision?"

Nyarth turned back, hesitant. "I guess I'll go with you..."

The lieutenant nodded and pointed inside. "After you."

Nyarth climbed up into the machine. The lieutenant pointed him to a jump seat. The Pokémon strapped himself in as the craft began to ascend. "Uh, you don' mind me askin' what killed everybody?"

The lieutenant shrugged from his pilot's seat. "Black Lugia... it destroyed quite a few levels before it was defeated."

Nyarth nodded, the name somewhat familiar. Whatever this Black Lugia was, he was going to make sure it never hurt anyone else. "I promise, Jesse..."

-=-=-=-=-

End of "Worlds Apart"

Based upon concepts and characters from the RPG "Rick's Cafe Americain" on alt.games.whitewolf.


Characters and concepts from "Pokémon" anime (C)(TM) Nintendo, Inc. & GameFreak, Ltd.
Concepts and situations from "World of Darkness" line of games (C) WhiteWolf Game Studios, Inc.
Situations from _ The Lugia Chronicles _ (C) 2000 Denivan Media Services, Inc. - Used with permission.