A/N: I know, I know, I'm confusing you with Freedom, especially my regular reader Alex (Bless you ^_^) Ok, hopefully this chapter will clear everything up. If not, tell me please!
Disclaimers: You all know this by now, I don't own Pokèmon, if I did I'd be very rich ^_^
The real truth
What do you mean I'm just some THING? I'm better than all of you! They said I would never make it through everything, but I did! Let them bring it! – Thoughts by Leevee.
Samantha stood over the operating table, looking at the young Houndoom boy. He had a long black spearhead tail, a set of dull grey curved horn protruding from his head. His wrists and ankles had some sort of bone like bracelet around them, and his collar bone had a strange skull shape in the center, same colour as his horns, his collar bone was also large, sticking out through his dark fur. His stomach and chest was covered in a light brown fur. His eyes were closed, but as Samantha examined him, a single lid lifted, revealing a deep red gaze. He was chained to the table, unable to escape.
"Remind me again why we used a human to create a dual type?" She asked, glaring at one of the scientists in the room. He cowered under her gaze.
"He...he was a volunteer, wanting to know what it would be like to be a Pokèmon. We were originally going to turn him into a simple rock type, but he insisted on using his own Houndoom for the experiment."
"And we let him do that?"
"Yes Ma'am, it was essential to see if a dual type would survive, let alone if he was originally a human. It made the DNA encoding much easier than those we started from scratch. The same with those where we used actual Pokèmon, in your case with your Charizard."
"I am only familiar with a few, how many in total were once another creature?"
"Two humans, both the dual types. There was a total of four used to be Pokèmon, including your Bret."
She thought for a moment, watching the Houndoom anthro.
"And how many of them are currently removed?"
"Erm…I do not know Ma'am."
"I see...You may go now"
The scientist left her alone with the Pokèmon, and she sat down on a seat next to the table. He had such long black hair, longer than her own even.
"It's such a waste, to see someone like you waste your life for your Pokèmon. You could of become a great trainer, but instead you wanted to see Pokèmon in another way. You wanted to be one."
His finger twitched slightly, his eyes slowly opening. She looked at him, and blinked.
'If Jale can get along with them, then I can too!' she thought to herself as she watched him. She smiled lightly.
"Hello there" she said gently.
He blinked.
"Errrr..." She had run out of what to say, and just looked at him.
His lips curled in a snarl, his tail swung into the air and he twisted, trying to free himself from the table. She stood up.
"Calm down, there's no need for this. Calm yourself!"
He didn't listen to her. He growled loudly, thrashing about madly. Suddenly a chain snapped, then another and another. He sat up and roared at her. She scrambled around, looking for the aesthetic. It was on a trolley next to the table. She reached out to grab it, but before her hand reached, the spearheaded tail of the boy swung past, knocking it away. She staggered backwards, frantically trying to escape. Puffs of smoke rose from his jaws, his red eyes transfixed on her. A clawed hand reached out, gripping her neck tightly. She let out a gargled scream, clawing away at his arm in a panic. She found herself gasping for air as his grip tightened. She kicked out with her legs, her black shoes dropping off her feet. He sat upon the table, so her kicking was useless. She stared into his eyes, gripping his hand with both of hers, trying to find away to escape.
"Jale? Where did your friend go?" asked the silky voice of the fox anthro-Pokèmon.
"Friend? Oh you mean Sam. She went to erm...check up on another of the Anthros."
"Another one? How many of us are there?" asked Bret.
"There's a total of about fifteen. Originally there was sixteen, but one died during formation."
"Formation?" hissed Venom.
"You were all created, in different ways for some. We call the way you were all created your formation" explained Jale.
"What happened to the sixteenth? How did he die?" Ember chimed in.
"I do not know. They never told me. They said it was not my place to know"
"Why not?" came another question from Bret.
"Well, you see, I...err..." he began, yet unsure of how to tell them. "I'm here to study your behaviour, not how your made."
"Oh, like you told me before!" Ember exclaimed, grinning.
"Yes. In the canteen" He looked at Venom "You were there too"
Venom nodded, while Ember sat there deep in thought, trying to remember exactly what Jale had said.
"You said something like studying Pokèmon behaviour. The emotions, thoughts, feelings and actions. How behaviour reflects the personality" She smirked at Jale. "You capture individuality within drawings."
Jale was amazed at how she had remember everything he had said, almost word for word. It had been hours ago since he had told her, but she remembered almost every single word. Suddenly she started laughing at him.
"Your mouth is open" she giggled
He quickly closed his mouth. He had no idea he had opened it in the first place, probably to say something. He blushed slightly.
"He's gone red" Bret said.
Jale quickly tried to regain his composure by standing up. He swallowed hard and looked at the three hybrids. Bret seemed to have let his gaze wander up towards the ceiling, Venom stared out of the barred window, his tongue flickering. Ember however, was still watching him.
'What does she consider me as? Does she see me as a parental figure? I was the first person she really saw close up and trusted. Am I just a parent to her or is there more to it than that? I wish I could tell her. There has to be a way to tell them all.'
"You've gone quiet. Ran out of things to say?" came a familiar silky voice
Jale smiled, shrugging slightly "I really don't have anything else to tell you at the moment" He told her, knowing there was so much he wanted to tell, but wasn't allowed.
"Can we go see the Houndoom Jale?" she asked, eye glowing brightly, eager to know more.
"I'm sorry Ember, without being given access, not even I am allowed in to see"
"But your friend will let you in!"
"She's not allowed Ember, she's not even allowed to let anyone in that hasn't been authorised to enter"
"Why?" asked Bret, gaze returning down from the ceiling.
"Err...Well, I don't know"
"Issssss there anything you do know?"
Jale shrugged
"I don't know everything"
"Well you should! That voice seemed like she knew a lot" Ember chimed.
'That voice is a threat! She'll find out about it all and warn each and every one of you! You have to stop listening to her! Ember, please...Don't...'
Jale shrugged
"It doesn't matter" he said, ending the conversation, even though Ember threw him a hurt look. He was going to take Sam's advice.
"P...please...let me...Urgh..."
The doctors body slipped to the ground and she lay the unconscious. Spaded tail swung behind him, wet black locks falling over his broad shoulders. Stepping away from her, his deep red gaze wandered around the room
'You've hurt her' said a voice inside his head.'Like I care! She can die for all I care' he replied scornfully.
'You'll care, soon, you'll care' 'Leave me alone'He snarled and walked towards the door. Throwing his weight against it, he landed in the hallway, door crashing upon the ground. Rising, he ran down, heading, well, he didn't no where, and he didn't care. He was going to be locked up in a room to be experimented on.
"What the...?" came a voice from another room. A young male scientist bolted out of one of the nearby labs just in time to spot the Houndoom anthro running down the hall. "Quick! Someone call the Professor and fetch the tranquillisers, the Houndoom anthro is loose!"
People ran to his orders, running left and right.
"Wh...what's happening?" came a voice from within the room he came from
Turning, he looked inside, smiling gently "Don't worry, it's nothing that concerns you"
"Are you sure?"
"Asel, I promise, it's nothing" he told her gently. "Your safe now"
"But...but, I'm scared"
"You shouldn't be, your stronger now Asel, and powerful. You'll never be scared again"
Asel blinked, her longer ear twitching. "I...I don't feel the same anymore. I'm a Sneasel now aren't I?"
"Yes"
"I haven't always been a Sneasel. Urgh, my heads all spinning. I'm confused" Asel said, placing the metal claws upon her head lightly. "Thanatos, have I always been called Asel? I...don't remember"
He nodded slowly, sitting upon the bed next to her "Yes. You've been called Asel all your life. You've been my little sister all your life, and no matter what you are, your still Asel, my baby sister"
"Sister..." she muttered, leaning against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, hugging her. "My little Asel" he whispered.
With the chase for the Houndoom anthro going on in the building, Ember quickly ran through the commotion without being noticed. Venom and Bret weren't too far behind. Jale had been called to help with the finding of the run away Pokèmon anthro, so the three had the chance to find out what was going on elsewhere in the building. Darting in one direction, Venom headed away from the other pair, and soon, Bret had left Ember to run along the corridors alone. She soon found herself back in the pod room. Stopping, she stared at each of the Pokèmon left within the pods.
"WHICH ONE OF YOU IS IT!!?" she roared, standing within the centre, gaze glaring at each in turn.
When she received no answer, she roared again, this time, a wordless, forever echoing roar.
"What on earth is going on in here? What the hell?! You shouldn't be in here!? Where's Jale!?" came Thanatos from behind her. Standing next to him with a blanket draped over her shoulder was Asel. Her longer ear twitched every now and again.
Turning, Ember looked at them both. Her nine tails flowed behind her, the tips rolling across the floor.
"What are you doing in here? Your supposed to be with Jale" Thanatos asked.
"Stop shouting Than, she's scared, can't you see?" Asel said, stepping towards the angry Ninetales anthromorph. "She just needs to calm down. I'm sure Jale will be here soon"
Ember took a step back as Asel came closer.
"Asel, be careful. She can hurt you"
"You said I'm stronger now brother, that I shouldn't be scared"
"But she's the fire type, your Pokèmon, your Ninetales"
Ember froze. What did he mean? She belonged to someone? Jale said something about some being created from Pokèmon that people used to own. But this person that she was supposed to belong to was an anthro just like herself. It didn't seem right
"Lea?" the Sneasel muttered, reaching out to her.
"It's ok Asel, she doesn't remember"
"It's not that she doesn't remember me, she doesn't recognise me." She smiled gently at the Ninetales anthromorph, a smile that Ember felt she had seen before.
'Listen to her closely Ember, she'll tell you things you need to know'
"Lea, please, just listen to me. You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. You used to be my Ninetales, you know what a Ninetales is don't you?"
Ember nodded, her back pressing against a pod that held a strange anthromorph. Two huge gun-like appendages stuck out from his shoulders. His skin was a light blue hue, eyes open wide, watching what was going on around him. Wires and tubes hung from his body, his feet barely touching the bottom of the tank. None paid any attention to him, not even Thanatos.
"Well, you used to be my Ninetales, I trained you, raised you, watched you evolve. Then, then I became ill, very ill. My brother found a way to make me stronger. I was to become this, this Pokèmorph. I'm part Sneasel, Lea, but I'm still your friend."
"My name is not Lea. I'm called Ember. Jale named me"
Asel gasped "You don't understand! You're my Pokèmon! You have to believe me Lea!"
"My name is Ember!" the fox's jaw snapped. "I don't care what I used to be, this is what I am now!"
Asel sighed, nodding "Your right. This is what we are now"
"Asel, listen to yourself. Your still my sister"
Asel turned to look at Thanatos and sighed.
"No. I'm Asel, the Sneasel Pokèmorph, not Asel the Pokèmon. You have to understand and accept it, just like I'm gonna have to"
It was only then when Thanatos noticed the creature in the pod Ember stood infront of. Pushing past her, he stared in and the gaze was returned. Ember snarled, lifted her hand to swipe.
"Ember! Don't!" shouted a voice from the door.
At his voice, she let her hand fall, and then her body into his arms. The deep blue eyes stared into her's, the warm smile upon his face soothing her.
'I know what it feels like now' she thought to herself.
"What are you doing in here and where are Venom and Bret?" Jale asked as he slid down onto the ground, still holding the anthro.
"I...I don't know. I was running ahead of them, and when I looked back, they were gone"
Jale didn't seem to care what Thanatos and the two scientists he had found were doing. It was not his place for him to know. He was in charge of the creature he held and that was all. His hand slowly lifted to stroke the gold hair upon her head. It was soft, one of the softest things he'd ever touched. A smile crept onto his lips when she began making a kind of purring noise.
"It's ok Em, they'll be found soon, just as long as your safe"
'Just as long as your safe. Ember, I promise you, I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise. Hell, Sam was right as usual'
"Come on, let's get you somewhere else" he said as he stood, lifting her with him.
She allowed herself be led away, taking one look back at Asel, then her red eyes focused on where they were going.
Her screams echoed through the corridor to his pointed ears. Eyes slitted over the blood red gaze, spaded tail swinging behind him. The screams came again. Fingering the skull shape upon his chest, the Pokèmorph slowed to a walk, passing windows on either side of the long corridor. He had no idea where he was, except that he was still in the research building. Passing one of the windows, the screams were louder than ever before. Gazing inside, he saw figures standing around inside a room, some busy looking at computer consoles and screens, but at least three were looking through another window that lead to another room. His fists clenched tightly when he saw what was going on inside that room.
None inside seemed to notice the creature standing outside, all were too busy with something to do with the creature that was chained in the next room, wires and cables attached to her body, each firing powerful bursts of electricity. Each time they fired, her screams found their way to his ears. Long black tail with a strange lightning shape at the end swung around until she was shocked, and it struck out, electricity firing from the tip. Her long ears fell when the shock was over, but flew out again once the wires attacked again. She was chained in mid air, hanging there, taking what the scientists threw at her. Snarling, he punched the glass window making the one's inside jump.
"It's him! Get him now you idiots!" screamed the Professor.
Recognising the man instantly, the Houndoom anthro took off down the corridor again while scientists burst out of the room to chase him. Only the Professor and one scientist remained.
"Keep shocking her until I give the order!" shouted the Professor, knocking the scientist around the back of his head with a clipboard. Covering his head, the man nodded and went back to his work.
'Why...? Why are they doing this to me? Please...stop, your hurting' she pleaded, yet, had no way of saying it. This time, no voice spoke to her and the torture began again.
A/N: Guess-em-what? I know this instalment is long overdue, but, I haven't had time. I thought I should grace you with this now as a veeeeeerrryyy late Christmas present.
Happy Birthday!
P.S. Please, please, please Read & Review and I'll love you forever.
P.P.S. I need a nice name from the Houndoom anthro, I haven't been able to come up with anything. The best choice will get your name added to my story, and even YOU mentioned in it somewhere.