Intertwine Dreams

by FireHybrid

Imagine being put in a world with creatures of your own creation, and that's basically what's happened to me. Read my other story, New Beginning, to get an idea of Hybrids before you read this. I'm so, so sorry for the delay, but 6 is ready! Enjoy!

4. Chapter 4

This is set in about early October.

Chp. 4- The Pro's and Con's of Friendships and Love

The dark type. Although seen by many as the reincarnation of evil, they are truly not. They simply tend to take a more aggressive attitude than other types of Pokémon. They are tough, bold, fearless, daring...

"Fire Storm? I'm scared..."

Everything Houndor is not...

"*groan* Houndor? What's wrong now?" I moaned, glancing up at the clock. My peaceful sleep had been interrupted at 2:30 in the morning.

"I hear something in the closet. I think it's after me..." Houndor whimpered, looking over at the closet.

"Houndor, we went over this. There's a wild Ratatta in the walls we're trying to get out. It's not gonna come after you..."

"But I'm scared...can I stay up here with you?"

"If it'll make you feel safe..." I sighed.

"Thank you..." I was laying on my stomach, so Houndor climbed onto my back and made himself comfortable up there. I sighed and tried to go back to sleep without moving too much.

I don't know what it is with Houndor, but he is one of the most cowardly Pokémon I've ever seen. He's even scared of his own shadow! What kind of dark-type Pokémon is scared of its own shadow?!

I still care for Houndor, like my other Pokémon. Still, I can't help but wonder what exactly is the matter with him. It's not that I want him to be all tough and insensitive; I just want him to be able to stand up for himself. I've had him checked for any sort of physical problem that might be causing him to act the way he does, but apparently there's nothing wrong.

Anyway, I slept till about 8:30, since it was a Saturday. With help from Feraligater, I moved Houndor off my back and went downstairs, not bothering to shift forms or even throw on a shirt with my jeans that I'd slept in. Mom was away at a big Scrabble tournament, something she's very into, and wasn't going to be back until Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how well she did.

"Morning, Rick." I yawned, stretching out. Rick was sitting at the dining room table in his Hybrid form, munching away on a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

"Morning, Fire Storm. Sleep well?"

"If you don't count being woken by Houndor at 2:30 in the morning, then yeah, I slept great." I grabbed a bowl and spoon from the kitchen and went into the dining room. "You the only one up?"

"Yeah, besides you..." Rick took a spoonful of cereal before going on. "Oh, your AIM thing was going off before when I was on. I was just shutting it off when it said you got this high-priority e-mail. It was from PokeBobVaporeon."

"Bob? Geez, what's he up to now?" I like Bob, but he can be a bit of a bother sometimes. He sometimes starts asking me questions about my story and stuff...I usually don't mind answering, but when he starts asking for all the details and stuff that I never really worried about, it can be kinda annoying to come up with answers.

After a quick breakfast, I went to my now state-of-the-art computer, and in the time it would've taken my old Gateway to connect to the Internet, I had three different windows running; one for my e-mail, another for Utopia, (It's a game on the same site as my e-mail service. Check it out; it's pretty cool!) and one for Word to work on what's been happening here. I post the more interesting parts of what happens around here while still working on, "A New Beginning". Most people believe what I post in, "Intertwine Dreams" is a mere fic, but I really hope to contact any of those who remember the Shadow World...damn, now Chris has me doing it, too!

Anyway, checking my e-mail, I saw that in fact Bob had sent a message. I quickly opened it and read the following...

"Make sure to watch the morning news (channel 4, don't miss even one showing)."

"See if you can spot any really dumb crooks. Humans only, Hybrids don't count."

"Oh, and get some money ready for bail. I'll pay you back. Thanks in advance."

This can't be good, I thought. You never ask someone to get money ready for bail unless they're ready to do something illegal.

"Uh, Rick? Do me a favor and turn on NBC?"

"Sure, but why?...It's just Access Hollywood."

"I don't know, but be prepared." My sensitive ears could easily pick up the broadcast from the TV below.

"Hello and welcome to our special live showing of Access Hollywood." A newscaster announced.

"Thanks John, for our top story today..." a second voice started to say, but suddenly there were screams and someone was shouting.

"Rick?! What's going on?!" I yelled, starting off down the stairs.

"There's some nut with a gun on the set!"

I got down in time to see a young guy about 19 with blond hair and glasses was on the set, holding out two handguns. He shrugged off an overcoat to reveal a black T-shirt saying "I Shot J.R." in white letters on the back of it.

"Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!" he yelled as the host dove behind a nearby desk. Then, in a different, possessed-sounding voice, "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every mother fucking last one of you!"

"Who the hell is that guy?!" Rick yelled in shock.

"I don't...no...he's not that stupid..." It couldn't be...

Suddenly music started to play what I later learned was the Pulp Fiction theme music. At this point the power went out and the T.V. only showed a blank screen.

Rick and I just stood there in shock. I still couldn't believe he could do that. I mean, I never really seen him as the brightest bulb in the box, but he's still a smart kid. He wouldn't do something this stupid...

"Hey, what's all the yelling about?..." Chris walked out of his bedroom, sounding like he was still half asleep.

"There was some nut on Access Hollywood with guns! He was threatening to shoot everyone!" Rick informed Chris.

"Geez...hey, Fire Storm? What's wrong? You got that look on your face like that time I told you I thought I saw Phoenix was sniffing your jacket you left behind a few weeks ago."

"I...I think we know that nut..." I managed to get out.

"What? Are you feeling O.K?"

Before I could respond, the T.V suddenly turned back on. Everyone was still in the studio, and Officer Jenny was handcuffing the guy who'd charged in.

"...take a joke?!" Officer Jenny was now handcuffing the guy from before while the video camera taped it all.

"You have the right to remain silent. Any..." Officer Jenny started to say, but the guy cut her off.

"I choose to wave that right. Oh woe is me! I am woe! What wretched fate hath befallen thine faithful seeker!? Forsuth wherefore didst I set mine own self upon yonder sunset horizon!?" The guy was speaking like he was in a Shakespeare play or something.

"Umm..." Jenny seemed very confused. "Anything you say, can and will be use..." she started to say, but was again cut off.

"If these hints are too cryptic I'll try some easier ones! I want my puppy!!!" the guy yelled. "Why have you for..."

"Alright that's enough! I'm taking you downtown." This time Officer Jenny cuts him off.

"Hey what about my *gack!*..." he started to say, but Jenny suddenly jerked him off the set.

"I'll do it at the station." she said sharply while she dragged him off camera.

"What the hell was that?!" Chris asked no one in particular.

"I dunno...that guy wa..." Rick started to say, but I quickly cut in.

"BOB! YOU FREAKIN' MORON! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Chris and Rick just stared at me. I know that sounded really stupid, but I didn't really think I was being the stupid one at the moment. What the hell was Bob thinking, charging onto the set of a live T.V show with guns! Now he wants me to go down to the city and bail out his sorry butt?!

After I'd calmed down, I'd explained to Chris and Rick exactly what had happened. Chris let out quite a string of curses while Rick just shook his head and muttered, "moron..." On the plus side, it meant we could take a trip into the city, something pretty much everyone wanted to do.

As we waited for everyone else to get up, it occurred to me that I had to work today at the Center. No problem, I thought. I've got tons of sick days saved up. I'll just use one of them. Hell; Joy won't even care if I'm going into the city. The place has been dead lately, anyway. Guess I'd better make the cal...

"Hey, Fire Storm. Someone's at the door." Chris informed me as I picked up the phone in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I hear them." I could hear the knocking coming from the front door. Little early for someone to be knocking on my door, I thought as I went over to the door. I opened the door, thinking it was probably the paper boy or something.

"Hello, can I help...Serena?!"

Serena Vulpos, a.k.a. The_Seraph, was standing in front of me, looking down at the ground. The Ninetales Hybrid tails swished about slowly, and she was fidgeting about, like I've often seen her do when she's nervous. Her hands were lying gently on her stomach, and her clothes were torn up.

"Hello..." she said quietly, still fidgeting a bit.

"Hi...come on in..."

Serena nodded and stepped in slowly, still holding her stomach. Chris and Rick seemed as surprised as I was that Serena was here. She should've been in New Mexico by now...

"Uh...can I ask what you're doing here? You should be halfway across the country." I asked her.

"I'm not going..." she quietly replied.

"Well, yes, we can see you're not there now." Chris noted. "What do your parents think of this?"

"Umm...I never told them..." She looked close to tears.

"Hey, it's alright...you can stay here for a while..." I assured her. Lord only knows everyone else is. "I dunno suppose you wanna tell us why you ran away?"

She shook her head. That was fine, but I still thought it was kinda odd she come all the way from New Mexico to here. As we spoke, Amber came out of her room.

"Morning everyon...oh, hello Serena." Serena had come over once or twice before she was supposed to go, and Amber had met her a few times. "Are you O.K?"

"I've been better..." she admitted.

"O.K...I think we still have that futon upstairs open...did you bring anything with you?" I asked. She shook her head, looking down at her slightly torn clothes. "Oh...well, you can borrow some of Mom's clothes. I'm sure she won't mind."

Serena nodded again. She seemed awfully quiet...

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Rick offered.

"Sure..."

"Serena...are you O.K? You seem awfully quiet." I said.

Without warning, Serena suddenly collapsed to her knees and began to cry. I quickly knelt down with her, having no clue what was going on.

"Hey! What's wrong?"

"I...I..." That's when I noticed her shirt. She'd moved her hands to dry her eyes as she cried, and I could now see the lower front of her shirt was covered in blood.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt?" She nodded. "Oh...come on, let's get you to Amber's room here and get you bandaged up. It's right down the hall here..."

I helped Serena to her feet and gently walked her down the hall to Amber's room. What the hell happened to her? What was she doing to get herself hurt like this?

"Are you hurt bad?" I asked. She shook her head. "O.K., come on...What happened? Did something attack you?"

Serena kept her head down as she sat on the bed. This was not like Serena at all...

"If you were hurt by a Pokémon, you might have been poisoned or acquired some sort of virus. I really need to know what happened if we're gonna help you."

"Curtis..."

"Curtis? Who's Curtis?"

Serena started to sob again at this. I decided I'd better not press the subject too much.

"Shh...it's alright." I sat with Serena on Amber's bed, hoping to God I didn't say something that would make the situation even worse, like I usually do. "Where are you hurt?"

Serena got control of herself and pulled up her shirt a little, showing a large clean cut across her stomach. It looked much like the Phoenix received my first night here.

"Ow...what were you hurt with? A knife?"

"A claw..."

"A claw? What kind of claw?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Shh, it's O.K...are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No..."

"Good..." Amber bought over the first-aid box to me. "Can you do this on your own, or do you want some help?"

"Help..."

"O.K...you want one of the other girls to help...or Chris, he's a doctor..."

"You."

"Me?!...Sure, if it makes you feel better..."

Amber seemed to take this as her cue to exit and left the room, staying outside with everyone else. I pulled out one of the Super Potions from the kit, checking to make sure it was still full.

"This might sting a little, O.K?" Serena nodded in response. I sprayed the potion gently, hoping to lessen the stinging sensation. She flinched a little, but otherwise looked fine.

"O.K., that should be fine in a couple of hours…do you want help bandaging it?"

She nodded, so I put the potion away and pulled out the roll of bandages. I wrapped it around Serena a few times, tying not to brush against her tails too much. She murred a little(a murr is like a canine version of a purr) when I did brush against them and started to smile a little, but I didn't think too much of it. After I went around her about six or seven times, I ripped the bandage and used a little medical tape to keep the bandages in place.

"Thank you, Fire Storm..."

"You're welcome." I assured her. "Here, why don't you rest for a while? We'll get you some food and clothes in the meantime, and you can get a shower when you're rested up..."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Stay with me, please?"

"Sure." I quickly opened the door to the room and looked outside. Rick, Amber and Chris were all waiting patiently outside, probably thinking Serena and I wanted to be alone.

"Hey guys, can you get Serena some food and something to drink here? I think Bob can hang out in a cell for a little while."

"Sure. If he's dumb enough to get arrested in the first place, he probably deserves to sit in a cell for a while." Rick noted before heading off to the kitchen.

"I still can't believe he was dumb enough to do that..." Chris muttered as he followed Rick.

"Is this guy alright, mentally?" Amber asked. "I don't think any sane person would actually do that."

"To be honest, I'm not sure." I admitted.

"Alright...I'd better help them..." With a sigh, Amber went into the kitchen to help with the food. I was just about to close the door when Eevee came bounding down the stairs, looking very upset.

"Fire Storm!" he said, running over to me. "We need to talk, now!"

"Eevee, can this wait? This is a bad ti..."

"No, this can't wait! Your friend Chris had been using my litter box, and it's very disturbing to go to the bathroom where someone else has!"

"Eevee, Chris has to use your litter box; he feel through the toilet the last time he tried to use it. Remember he went around her naked until Mom threatened to kick everyone out of the house? We need to get the proper fixtures for him…"

"Well, why can't we get them then?! If it keeps other people from going through my private space..."

"Eevee, that stuff costs a lot of money, and unless you guys like the idea of going hungry for a few weeks, I can't pay for it, and Mom's got enough trouble with the stock market going all haywire. Her day trading job isn't paying well enough, especially with everyone else living here. She's talking about charging rent from them..."

"Well, then could you at least talk to him about it?!"

"O.K., I'll try again. Hey, why don't you go in the kitchen and ask Rick or Amber to give you a snack? I really need to talk with Serena here."

"Serena's here?!" Eevee peered into the room to check what I said.

"Eevee, please! This is very serious!"

"Oh, alright..." he mumbled, going off into the kitchen. I closed the door again as I went back into Amber's room.

"Sorry about that." I apologized to Serena. "Things have been a little crazy..."

"Dan...I'm sorry..."

"Shh, it's Xavier now." I had to wince at the mention of my old name, but I tried not to show it. "It's alright. You didn't mean for any of this to happen..."

"O.K..."

"How long have you been trying to get here, anyway?" I asked.

"About two days..." Serena reached to her belt and pulled off a Poké Ball. "I got this though..."

"You fought it?"

"Yes...normally I wouldn't, but I heard it challenge me, and it said it'd go with me if I caught it...it moved so fast, I never even saw what it was. My Pokémon slowed it down, and I heard it breathing in the weeds, so I threw the ball and caught it...but Curtis wanted it and he..."

"Shh, it's alright." She sounded like she was going to start getting upset again. Serena looked over at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"You were always far too sweet..."

"Oh..." I could feel myself blushing under my fur. "Thanks..."

"You know, you've been one of my only true friends..."

"Oh, come on. You have lots of friends besides me."

She shook her head. "People like me, people hang out with me, but not people I trust like you."

"Serena...I..." Ah man, I dunno how to handle this! When it comes to handling emotional people, I always crack like an egg dropped off a 10- story building!

Serena leaned against my shoulder and sighed. Phoenix had done this with me sometimes, but this time, it was so much more...welcome. I wasn't feeling my flesh crawl under my fur like I usually do.

"Serena..."

"D-Xavier?" Damn it, someone tell me what the hell I should do!!

"Yes?"

"I..." She looked down before going on. "When I..."

"What is it?"

"When I first saw you in the Center I...umm..."

"Yes?"

"I realized I liked you...a lot..."

"Serena..."

"I mean it...I..."

"Shh, it's alright. Just take it easy..."

Serena sighed again as she went on. "That's why I came here. I wanted to tell you..."

"What?"

"I like you Xavier Canin." She looked up at me before going on. "I like you a lot."

"Serena...I...I..." Dear God, let something... anything happen! Give me an answer! Have a fire start somewhere! Have Furret go into another of her psychotic fits! Please, something happen!

"Xavier..."

"Yes?"

Serena wrapped her arms around my chest and hugged me to her as I felt her cold, wet nose nuzzling my neck.

"Serena..." I was used to being nuzzled; Phoenix did it once in a great while, but this was so much better. This time, the nuzzles were coming from someone I knew for a while and cared for. Someone I really cared for...

"Yes?"

"It's...it's...it's nice to have you back." I gently placed my hands on her sides, holding her as she continued to nuzzle my neck. I could feel my tail wagging steadily behind me, but I didn't care.

"Thank you." she murred, hugging me a little tighter. Soon I felt her warm tongue working around my neck, the heat contrasting with her cold nose. It felt odd, but yet so nice at the same time.

"Serena..."

"Yes?" I guess she realized what she was doing, because she stopped to look at me.

"You...you really need to rest and let that wound heal up."

"C-can you stay then?"

"Sure, I'll get in the chair over here..."

Serena smiled as we slowly let go of each other. She laid herself out on the bed while I pulled the chair over from the corner of the room.

"Xavier?"

"Yes?"

"Do you miss the old life?"

"I do...and I don't." I admitted. "Sure, there's stuff I miss from the old world, but there's also a lot I don't miss." Serena nodded in response.

"I'm the town's gym leader. Did you know that?" she said with a little giggle.

"No...but it does explain why you didn't want to leave."

Serena shook her head. "That's not why I wanted to stay."

"Oh?"

"I didn't want to leave because...of you. You were filling my head; I didn't want to leave."

"Serena... I never knew." Serena looked down as I continued. "How long have you felt this way for me?"

"A while now. I...I just didn't know how to say it. I felt so shy about it. Me, shy...there's something new."

"Serena..." I didn't know what to say. Here I was, me, the guy who had the worst trouble talking to women, suddenly had one of my best friends now talking about her feelings for me. The thing is...I'd kinda been feeling the same way about her...but am I ready? Can I risk moving Serena up from, "Friend who's a girl," to, "Girlfriend," without screwing up our friendship terribly?

"Why don't you let that Pokémon out?" I suggested, hoping to maybe get a little time to think about my feelings for Serena. "It probably doesn't want to stay cooped up in there."

"Oh...O.K..." She sounded hurt; maybe I shouldn't have tried to change the subject like that...

Serena reached to her belt and pulled off a Poké Ball. She looked at it for a moment before pressing the button and releasing it.

As the Pokémon formed, I expected it to be something simple, like a Sentret or Ratatta. As soon as I saw what Serena had caught, though, I realized something; this was no normal Pokémon!

"Oh, you're so cute!" Serena said, moving down to hug her new Pokémon. All I could do was stand there and gawk. How the hell did she catch...him?!

"Fire Storm...what's wrong?" I guess Serena noticed the way I was looking at her new Pokémon friend.

"Serena…do you know who that is?!" I asked, trying not to shout. She'd either never studied this Pokémon before or she was just being totally brain-dead. I hoped it was the first one.

"Huh? Oh!" Serena pulled away from her new friend to look at him. "Sorry, I never got your name."

"My name is Raioku." the legendary electric dog responded rather calmly.

"Hi, Raioku!" Serena went back to hugging her friend, obviously not knowing who Raioku was.

"Serena, that Pokémon…it's legendary!" I barely kept my voice at a normal speaking level.

"What?!" Serena pulled away again to look at Raioku. "O.K., I never saw it in the game…"

"Remember when you went into the Tin Tower…the burnt down one? When you fell through the floor and saw those three Pokémon, and then they ran off…that's one of them. He's legendary!" I repeated.

"What?!" Serena looked at Raioku for a few moments before hugging him again. "COOL!"

Serena may not have been bothered by the fact that she was hugging a legendary Pokémon, but I was a little bothered. Why would a legendary Pokémon like Raioku allow himself to be captured like that? It could've easily outrun any of Serena's Pokémon friends.

"Um…excuse me, Raioku? If I may ask…why did you challenge Serena like that?"

"It's alright." Raioku assured me. "I saw her as a very worthy trainer, and I challenged her to prove my theory. I was right; she and her Pokémon are very skilled. I lost, and I made an agreement with myself to protect her at all times and train with her to improve my skills."

Besides, she's kinda cute, isn't she?

"What?!" Where'd that come from?! I heard it…but not with my ears. It was more like a thought that just suddenly popped into my head. But…how?

"Huh?" Serena pulled away from Raioku to look up at me. "Fire Storm? What is it?"

"Didn't you just hear that?!"

"Hear what?"

"Um…nothing…" Maybe I just imagined it…

Trust me, you didn't imagine it.

There it was again! Where was it coming from? I looked all around the room and out the window, wondering if someone was using a psychic Pokemon to mess with my head. No, I didn't see anyo…wait, why is Raioku smiling like that?…

"Fire Storm? Are you O.K?"

"Yeah, fine…" Raioku! That's where it was coming from! That little…

Good guess, Growlithe boy. Now, on to other matters… He looked up at Serena, who was still looking at me oddly. Well, what're you waiting for?

What was I waiting for? What was he talking about? Serena looked at both of us, maybe catching on to what was happening.

Come on, kiss her already!

"WHAT?!"

"Fire Storm! What's wrong?!" Serena asked, looking very concerned. What the hell was Raioku thinking?! If he weren't supposed to be a minor god and Serena's new friend, I'd strangle him!

Come on, you know you like her. She was talking to herself before about how much she liked you, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way. What are you waiting for?

"I…I…" My head was starting to spin. I cared for Serena a lot, but…I just didn't think I could summon up the courage to just outright kiss her. Still, I liked her a lot…

Come on, you know you want to…

I could feel the lump in my throat as I struggled to keep myself from following Raioku wanted. Why did I want to avoid this so bad? Serena was willing to come out for her feelings about me; why couldn't I do the same?

"Serena…could you stand up for a minute?" I asked slowly. I was already too far in; I couldn't back out now…

"Sure…" Serena slowly stood up, her tails twitching ever so lightly. God, here it goes…

Grabbing her by her shoulders, I pulled her to me, turned my head to the side and locked my muzzle onto hers. Serena seemed shocked at first, but quickly relaxed while I moved my arms around her and hugged her to me. She started to hug me herself as I moved my hands down to gently stroke her tails. Serena moaned lightly in response as she hugged me slightly tighter.

Looking back, I can't help but think about how odd the circumstances were for my first kiss. Both me and my girlfriend were covered in fur, locking muzzles with one another, our ten combined tails wagging wildly…somehow this was a little different from what I thought my first kiss would be like.

After what seemed like forever, I finally pulled away from Serena, my arms wrapped around her waist as I stared into her eyes. She was so beautiful, so nice to be around…sure, she's a little ditzy sometimes, but she's still very smart. She obviously liked me too, even though I'm not really sure what she sees in me. I sure as hell wasn't going to just drop her and hope beyond hope that'd I find another female like her somewhere else. As they say; beggars can't be choosers.

"Serena…" I didn't know what to say, but I was pretty sure my actions had said what words couldn't.

"Fire Storm…" She had a look in her eyes…I couldn't tell at first what it was, but then I realized; it was love. She loved me. She loved me…

"Serena…should we tell the others? I'm sure they'll want to know."

"It's up to you; you've been spending a lot more time with them than me."

"Alright, we probably should tell them. We'll do it together…but what about your parents? Do you think they'll understand?"

Serena shook her head. "Probably not. They'll be mad enough that I ran away; if they know I did it just for you, they won't be happy at all."

"Oh…well, we'll worry about that when the time comes. In the meantime…" I looked down at Serena's bloody shirt, "You still need to rest. You've got a big wound that needs time to heal."

"O.K…" After we held each other for another minute or two, we slowly let go of each other, Serena moving down to the bed and crawling under the covers. I smiled as I thought about what had just happened…I had a real girlfriend. Me, the guy that'd thought he'd never have anyone really care for him, had a girlfriend…

"Thank you Serena; thank you so much…" I knelt down to her and nuzzled her muzzle gently. She smiled gently and quickly fell asleep, her smile still noticeable on her muzzle. Raioku curled up beside the bed with her, quickly falling asleep. I slowly went outside to let her rest.

After I closed the door to her room, I had to control the urge to let out a huge howl of joy. Someone loved me, and I loved her back! She'd come all the way from New Mexico just to come back to me! If that's not love, then I don't know what is!

"Fire Storm?" Amber peered around the corner of the kitchen. "Is everything O.K over there?"

"Wha…? Oh yeah, great…" I was still lost in my thoughts; not exactly the condition to be in for an intelligent conversation. "Serena's asleep."

"Good; she needs the rest. We going to wait a while before picking up the jail bird?"

"Yeah, sure…" I slowly went upstairs to my room, ignoring the confused look on Amber's face. Going to my room, I found Eevee chewing away on a piece of meat. It smelled fresh and there was blood all over Eevee's face and the floor around him.

"Eevee…where'd you get that?"

"Chris gave it to me."

"Oh…what poor wild Pokémon did he get this time?"

"Hmm…" Eevee stopped chewing to think for a second. "Tastes a lot like that Pikachu he got last week."

"Ah…" I haven't exactly forced my Pokémon to practice their hunting skills, but I have set them up with Chris to get a few pointers. I don't like to hunt and kill myself. I'll go out into the woods once or twice a week and practice tracking and hunting, but I don't kill. I'll go to my Growlithe form and tackle Pokemon; at most bite them once, but nothing that'll kill them. I actually have games going with a few of the wild predator Pokemon, seeing who can get the most prey Pokemon in a row without losing one, or even hunting each other; non-lethal of course. I'm doing bad right now, but they're experienced hunters, whereas I'm just a tame Growlithe Hybrid.

I'd just laid out on my bed when Chris came in. He smiled at Eevee chewing away on his meal, then hopped up onto the bed.

"Hey ther…whoa!"

"What?"

"Man…" Chris whistled as he looked me over, "I haven't seen this in a while."

"What?!"

"Fire Storm, you have one bad case of…puppy love…" he said with a smirk.

"Hey!" I almost smacked him for two reasons; listening in on me and Serena and the bad pun. "You were listening?!"

"You think one closed door is gonna keep these ears from hearing something?" Chris wiggled his ears slightly. "Besides, can you blame me for being curious?"

"I guess not…but that still doesn't mean I like you listening in on my private conversations.

"Hey, can you blame me for being curious?" he repeated. "You two were alone, Serena asked specifically for your help…I couldn't help myself!"

"Alright…but if you spy on me like that again, especially when I'm with Serena, you're dead."

"Got it."

"Why? What happened Chris?" Eevee asked, looking up from his bloody meal.

"Nothing kiddo. Finish that up and I'll see about getting that Ratatta that's driving everyone nuts. Maybe we'll roast it…or barbecue! That's be great!"

I looked at Chris oddly. The hard part with him is figuring out when he's being serious and when he's yanking your chain. Just as I contemplated this, the female Espeon that used to belong to Daley hopped onto the bed, rubbing up against Chris. Since we'd rescued her about a month ago, she's been very friendly toward Chris. If you want to know exactly HOW friendly, you'll have to look at Chris' story.

"Hey Solara." I said as she rubbed her head against Chris. "How are you?"

"Good…" she sighed happily as Chris rubbed against her.

"Solara!" Eevee leapt right in between Chris and Solara, ending their romantic moment as they dove to opposite sides. "Are you gonna help me and Fire Storm train tomorrow? Are ya?! Are ya?! Are ya?!"

"Eevee!" Eevee gets really hyper when he thinks about evolving. He wants to be an Espeon like Solara, and I've asked for her help in teaching Eevee what it's like to be a psychic and giving him a few pointers. The only thing that's hard is getting up early in the morning and taking him out back to train. Usually I sleep in till about 6:15 on school days and about 10:00 on the weekend; now sometimes I have to get up by 7:00 on the weekend so Eevee can get the benefits of training in the sun.

"Of course, Eevee. I'll be there." Solara said with a smile.

"Yay!" Eevee bounded off out of the room to somewhere. Sure, Eevee's young, but he acts like such a little kid at times…

"Well, we'll leave you alone. I'm sure you could use the time to yourself." Chris said as he and Solara hopped off the bed and headed toward the door.

"Thanks. You two behave yourselves!" I called after them as they left. Yeah, I could use some time to mysel…

"FIRE STORM!"

"What?!" Nidorino burst through the bathroom and onto the bed, followed a second or two later by a blast of water. He leapt out of the way of it, which meant it hit me full blast.

"GOD DAMNIT!!!" I cried out, feeling the huge pain shooting through my body. It kept up for three or four seconds, then suddenly stopped. Trying hard not to move too much and aggravate my already aching body, I looked into the bathroom and saw Feraligater, looking very angry for a second, but when he saw what he did that face of anger quickly turned to one of fear.

"Feraligater…" I said through clenched teeth, "You have exactly 10 seconds to bring me a towel and an explanation, starting NOW!"

"Fire Storm! I am SO sorry!" Feraligater quickly rushed over to the bathroom closet and pulled out a towel from the rack before bringing it to me, trying to dry me off himself. "Does it hurt bad?"

"Yes it does!" I moaned. "Get your first aid kit!"

Feraligater continued to towel me off as Nidorino pulled over the first aid kit with his teeth. I slowly and shakily reached down and opened it, pulling out another Super Potion. It was from the first aid kit for the Pokemon, but I wasn't going to wait for someone else to bring up the regular kit. I sprayed the potion all over my body, feeling my body slowly becoming numb to the pain from the water. Regular water doesn't hurt, but water from water-types hurts like hell!

"Alright!" I said as I took the towel from Feraligater and dried myself in a few places, moving off my now soaking wet bed, "What was that all about?!"

For the next five minutes, I listened to the blame being passed back and forth between the two of them. I didn't catch it all, but it had something to do with Nidorino eating all of Feraligater's snacks and Feraligater getting upset about it and chasing after Nidorino… I just couldn't keep up with who was at fault.

"Alright already!" I pointed toward the bathroom. "Nidorino, you're in trouble! It's not Feraligater's fault that you ate all your snacks already and he didn't! I'll punish you later. Feraligater, never, EVER use an attack in this house again unless it's in self-defense or you ask me to first. I'll over look it this time, but next time and you'll be REAL sorry! Now, both of you get in there while I change my clothes!"

They both quietly obeyed. They maybe my friends, but I'm still have to be an authority figure over them or else all hell would break loose around here. Sighing, I dropped to my hands and feet and shook off whatever was left of the water like a normal Growlithe or pretty much any non-human creature does. I then quickly changed all of my clothes and put on sweatpants and a T-shirt this time.

"Alright, you two can go…but don't cause anymore trouble!" I yelled through the closed door. They scampered off through the other door while I looked at my now soaking wet bed. It'd dry out on it's own in a few hours, but I was becoming tired between the attack and lack of sleep.

I crossed the hall over to Mom's room; she wasn't home, and her bed is very comfortable. I slid down onto it and curled up, not bothering with blankets; my fur and high body temperature from being a fire-type kept me more than warm enough. I was fast asleep within seconds.



I slowly awoke, my eyes being forced to adjust to the sudden darkness. What time was it? How long was I asleep? Why didn't somebod…

"Hello, love. Sleep well?"

"Wha?…Serena?!" I was under the covers of the bed with Serena lying next to me, smiling up at me as I blinked sleepy.

"Of course it's me!" she said with a little giggle. "Who else would it be?"

"I…" A sudden wave of warmth washed over me as I saw my now serious girlfriend smiling at me, causing me to smile myself. "Yes; that was kind of silly, wasn't it?"

Serena nodded before placing a hand on the back of my head, stroking me gently. I reached over and gently did the same with her, feeling her inch ever so close to me. We stroked each other for what seemed like forever, until we were muzzle to muzzle. I slowly leaned forward for a kiss; a kiss from my lov…

*FLASH!*

I was moving slowly in a dark forest, in Hybrid form and usual bounty hunting attire. I had my adhesive gun out, moving behind the trees towards the clearing. I could hear and smell my target right in the middle of the clearing…but there was someone else. Someone familiar…

"Alright, bitch! I've got a hostage, and I've got nothing against making some new holes for her!"

Damn, why do the cowards always have to get some innocent mixed up in their trouble?… Sighing, I came out slowly, gun drawn out. Standard hostage proced …no …GOD, NO!

"Fire Storm!" Serena yelled. The balding human behind her had an arm around her neck and appeared to be jabbing something into her back. I had to resist the urge to show any extreme emotion; if I showed any sign of pleading or recognition, she was as good as dead.

"Alright buddy…" I said slowly, keeping my gun pointed at him and Serena. It took a lot of self-control to keep my voice steady. "You're in enough trouble as it is. Let's not add murder to that."

"Put the gun down!" he ordered. "Put it down and I'll let her go!"

"Alright, alright…" I slowly lean down and dropped my gun; normally I wouldn't leave myself so vulnerable, but he had my lover; I wasn't going to risk her life now. Besides, as soon as he let her go and I got her clear, it'd be a simple matter to stop…

BAM!

I braced for impact…but nothing. A gun went off, but it wasn't at me. Who was shot?

"Uhh…"

"SERENA!" He shot her! The bastard shot her in the back! He shoved her to the ground as she clutched at her chest before running off into the woods.

"Serena!" I rushed over to her, blood leaking out of her back and all over her clothes. He shot her in the heart! She was losing blood fast; too fast! Without thinking, I scooped her into my arms and bolted toward the road; she needed to get to a hospital!

"Fire Storm…"

"Shh…save your strength. Everything will be O.K…" I hushed her, forcing myself to top speed. This couldn't be happening! I couldn't lose her like this!

"No…Fire Storm, I…I can't…"

"No! Serena, you have to! Please, hang in there! Please…for me…"

"I…I-I feel tired…so weak…"

"Serena! Please, stay awake! Don't leave me!"

"Fire Storm…I…I love you…I don't wanna leave you…"

"Serena…I love you too…please don't go…" My eyes flooded with tears as Serena's blood began to cover my hands and arms.

"Fir…e Sto…" Serena let out a little gasp, then went limp in my arms as he eyes rolled back in her head.

"No…NO! Serena, wake up!" I shook her violently, trying to revive her. "Wake up! Wake up! Please…wake up…"

I slowed quickly, dropping to my knees and crying loudly as I clutched Serena's now lifeless body to me. She was gone…the only girl I've ever loved…dead in my arms before we even had a chance to build our relationship…

FLASH!

I was standing outside a cemetery, dressed in a fine suit…but why was I here? It was raining and dark out, so dark…

"We are gathered her today to mourn the loss of Serena Vulpos…"

I looked through the gates of the cemetery to see everyone in the house except me standing around a casket, as well as Serena's family. Everyone was crying…but why wasn't I there?…

I noticed the paper in my hand, but I didn't bother to really look at it. I just quickly glanced at it before looking back up. This wasn't right; I wanted to say good-bye to my lover! I tried the gates doors, but they were locked tight. What was going on?! Why couldn't I see my lover one last time!?!…

That's when I took a look at the paper in my hand. I slowly read the words out loud on the official looking paper.

"This is a court order to prevent Xavier Canin, Growlithe Hybrid, from coming within 500 yards of the body of Serena Vulpos or any member of her family…oh God…oh GOD!"

I immediately tossed the paper aside and tried to climb the fence, crying out Serena's name. My cries were ignored by everyone as I tried to climb the slick bars. Every time I was about to reach the top, the fence would grow another two feet high My grip kept slipping, and it was too hard to keep climbing. Why was this happening?!

"It's your fault!" a loud voice called out of nowhere. "It's your fault she's dead!"

"No! I loved her! I never wanted her to get hurt!" I cried out, my hands slipping and causing me to slide down to the bottom.

"She's dead! It's you're fault! She died because of you!"

"No! I loved her!" I yelled, leaning against the bars as I tried to climb again, only to slip down again. "I loved her! I LOVED HER!"

"She's dead because of your love! She's dead because of you!"

"No…I loved her…" I started to cry heavily again. "I loved her…"

"It's your fault! It's your fault! It's your fault!…"



"Serena!!!!"

I bolted awake, my fur slick with sweat. Serena! Where was she?!

"Fire Storm!" Serena rushed up the stairs and looked around quickly to see me, then rushed over to the bed. "What's wrong?!"

"Serena!" I rose to my knees and hugged Serena to me, stroking her head. "You're still here!"

"Of course I'm still here!" She hugged me too, but seem confused. "Are you alright?"

I was too scared and relieved at the same time to answer. It was just a nightmare…a terrible, terrible nightmare…

We silently held each other for a while, Serena probably realizing I wanted to be comforted. It felt good for her to be in my arms, letting me know everything was all right without having to say a word. After a while I slowly let go and got a grip on myself.

"Fire Storm, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Serena, I just…" I looked into her eyes when a dreadful thought suddenly hit me; what if that dream was predicting something? What if my love for Serena really ended up killing her? Could I afford it?…no, I was being dumb. Nothing like that would ever happen…would it?

"It was just a really bad dream; I'm sorry if I scared you." I said with a little whimper. I felt uncomfortable with telling Serena what really happened. What if she believed what happened in the dream really would happen if she stayed with me? I didn't want to lose her…

"If you're sure…" Serena slowly pulled away from me as I got my feet on the floor. "Are we going to pick up your friend from jail now?"

"I think we'll have to, yes. He did ask for me specifically, and I don't want to leave him in there forever."

"Hmm…you're right. Still, what he did was very odd, not to mention dangerous. Is he alright, mentally?"

"You're not the first to ask that, but I think so. He just gets a little out of hand sometimes.

"If you say so, but I'm still a little concerned with his behavior."

"It'll be fine; besides, I'm not sure you're the best one to talk about odd behavior. Isn't this the self-proclaimed winner of the best online blink contest?" I said with a smile.

"Well…" Serena looked down, and though I couldn't tell, I was sure she was blushing under her fur.

"Come on, let's go downstairs. I just wanna grab a bite to eat, and then will go."

Serena nodded and started for the stairs while I followed not far behind her. Why was I getting so worried about her just because of one little dream? I mean, I'd been able to keep my own mother from finding out my double-life; I'm sure I could keep Serena far away from my bounty hunting. I've told her about the things I've done, and even though she admits it sounds exciting, she said she would never do something like that for a job…and yet that damn dream kept playing over and over in the back of my head. What if something like that did happen, despite all my efforts to keep it from happening? I'd never be able to forgive myself…

I'd probably have continued thinking about that, had I not seen Eevee playing with Chris and Andrea's kids. They were tackling each other, rolling around; basically having a great time. I smiled as I pushed that dream away for now, laughing to myself at the humor and cute way they all played together.

"Enjoying yourself there, guys?" I asked with a smile.

"Eui!" Eevee squeaked before being tackled to the ground by Chris' daughter Brave Stalker. His other daughter, Spike Fur, soon followed, piling on top of all of them. They all laughed and squeaked in happiness before rolling around again, looking like one big ball of fur as they moved under the table.

"Be careful down there!" Serena called down as I went to the kitchen to make the call to Joy. After a few rings, Joy picked up. I'd barely gotten the words, "Hey Joy" out of my mouth before Joy broke in.

"Xavier! Thank God you called! Look, could you come in early today? The place is swamped!"

"What?! The place is usually dead on Saturdays!"

"I know, but you know that grape festival that was today at the winery? Well, someone slipped something really nasty into the grape juice that everyone drinks to celebrate the anniversary of the winery's building. Everyone's got really bad stomach cramps, and I've got all sorts of sick people here that need care!"

"Oh…I was calling to let you know I couldn't come in today…"

"Oh no! Please Xavier, I really need you today!"

"Geez…Joy, I have to bail someone out of jail…what if I got someone to go in my place?"

"I guess that would work. Who could send?"

"Hold on a sec." I put down the phone and went looking for the others. No one else was around except for Serena, Chris' kids, Eevee and Houndor. "Uh…Serena, where is everyone?"

"Oh; I forgot to tell you. Rick had a bunch of art he was going to sell at an art convention a few towns over, and everyone else except me, Houndor, Eevee and the kids decided to go with him. They would've been back by now, but there was a big accident on the highway. The van is still here, but they're all stuck in that rented car behind a lot of traffic. They called and said it'd be a while before they got back."

"Dang…" I really should pick up Bob…but how could I if I had to work?

"Serena? Would you mind going into work for me? I need to get Bob, but Joy really needs help at the Center and you're the only one I can get on such short notice."

"Sure, if you can give me a ride. I'm sure your friend really needs the help."

"Thanks." I smiled and quickly returned to Joy. "O.K. Joy; Serena will fill in for me."

"Thank go…no! Not on the new carpet!…please, hurry!" Joy quickly hung up. I quickly threw on my jacket and started to leave when it occurred to me.

"Oh…I should probably take the kids with me, shouldn't I?" I asked as Eevee and Chris' kids rolled out from under the table, finally collapsing into a heap on the floor.

"Probably." Serena nodded. Luckily the car seats for the kids were still in the van, so all that was left was to grab their toys and bottles and stuff. Eevee decided he wanted to come to, so he rushed into the van. I was just leaving to lock up when Houndor came down the stairs.

"Fire Storm? Where are you going?" he asked.

"Oh; Houndor! I'd forgotten you didn't go with the others."

"No; Rick said it was a big place and that it was far away. It sounded too scary to me."

"Right." I had to resist the initial urge to sigh and shake my head. "Well, I need to go to the city and get a friend…and now that I think about it, you should probably come along."

"The city?! But…" Houndor whimpered, "it's so big…"

"Well, tell you what Houndor; you can either come with me or stay home alone…well, no, not alone. There's still that Ratatta in the walls…"

"NO!" Houndor whined loudly and covered his head with his paws. "I'll go with you! Please don't leave me here by myself!"

"Alright, go get in the car and I'll be there in a second."

"Can I get my leash?"

"*Sigh* Yeah, you can get your leash…."

Houndor ran back upstairs, running down with his leash and collar in his muzzle. He doesn't want to get separated from me, so he always wants to be on his leash so he won't get lost. I've told him all he has to do is stay near me, but he still insists on the leash. I've given up trying to convince him otherwise. I slipped on the collar, hooked on the leash and led him out to the car.

Serena and I didn't say much as I drove to the Center. I guess neither of us really knew what to say. We'd both confessed our feelings for each other; what was next? We should probably do stuff together, but I had no experience dating. I had no clue what to do, and I guess Serena didn't either.

When we got to the Center, I could already see Joy really did need a lot of help. There was a huge crowd in the parking lot of all sorts of people. The humans looked green in the face and gills, and there was an acidic smell in the air that smelled distinctly like what came out of my mouth in Chp.2 when I realized who Phoenix was.

"Wow! Joy wasn't kidding!" I muttered in disbelief, looking around. "What the heck happened at that festival?"

"I don't know…I probably should get in there." Serena started to get out, then turned around and gave me a quick kiss on the muzzle. "See you later."

"Right…later…bye…" Serena just smiled at my sudden loss of vocabulary and rushed through the crowd into the Center.

"Fire Storm?" Houndor moved up from the middle of the van to take Serena's spot. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That thing Serena just did. Why'd she hit her muzzle against yours like that?"

"Oh, that…" Yeah, I was going to explain to a baby Pokemon about love when I didn't know a whole lot about it myself. "She…did it to show how much she cares for me."

"I care for you. Should I do that too?"

"No, no; that's a different kind of caring…" I started off toward the city as I continued. "The kind of caring Serena and I have…it's called love."

"Love?"

"Yes, love; it's when two people care for each other very much; more than anything else. They always want to be with that person and make sure nothing bad happens to them."

"But…I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You don't want anything bad to happen to me, do you?" Houndor asked with a slight tone of worry in his voice.

"Of course not! I love you too; I love all you guys, just not in the same way I love Serena."

"I'm confused…" Houndor said. "You love us, and you love Serena, but not in the same way…why not? What's different about your love for her and your love for us?"

"Well…Serena is a very nice girl; someone who maybe one day I'd like to marry and have as a mate. You guys…I really care for you all, but I don't want to marry or mate with you guys. Still, there are other things that you can give me that Serena just can't. That's the kind of love I have for you."

"Oh…" Houndor sat in silence for a while before saying. "I still don't think I get it."

I smiled. "That's O.K. It's a complicated thing; I'll explain it to you more when you're older."

"O.K." We made small talk the rest of the way, though I did have to stop twice, once to feed the kids and once to change them(always a fun thing). I'd called my assistant district attorney friend(she handles the cases of most of the guys I catch, and I have to go to court to testify against them; me and Phoenix have become pretty friendly with her) early in the trip, and she got the place where Bob was being held just as I entered the city.

When I reached the precinct where Bob was being held and gotten inside, I could see him doing tai-chi(a form of meditation) in his cell. He was about 6'2" with blonde hair in a Caesar cut and a fo-man-chu beard (That's what he calls it). He wore a pair of sandals, a pair of sweatpants, the, "I shot J.R." t-shirt and a long gray overcoat on his slim frame. He also wore sunglasses with flip up sun lenses, which were currently up at the moment.

"Excuse me," I went to the main desk and spoke with the officer there. "I'm here to bail out that guy." I pointed at Bob.

"Oh; him…" The officer looked through a book in front of him, then glanced down a page. "May I ask what your relationship is to him?"

"Uh…he's my brothers wife's sister's cousin…" It was lame, but it sounded better than, "He's my ally in this world that shouldn't exist because Pokemon is just supposed to be a highly marketed video game and I created Hybrids for the purpose of writing a story."

"Whatever." He obviously didn't care. "That'll be…$250,000 dollars."

"WHAT?!" For about half a second I thought of saying, "Screw that!", but regretfully I pulled out my checkbook for Phoenix's account. She must've been saving up for a while, since she had almost half a million saved up in there. She said I could use it if I ever had an emergency; I'd just have to make sure she didn't see her next bank statement.

"Here you go." I filled out the check and signed it, handing it to the officer. "Let him out before I change my mind."

"Sure; I'm surprised somebody actually came for him in the first place." The officer picked up a set of keys from the desk and walked over to the cell.

"Someone approaches" Bob said without looking up.

"Uh, right." Must stay calm; must stay calm… "Alright, you've got a LOT of explaining to do!" Bob picked his head up and looked at me oddly.

"Do I know you?"

"I want my puppy? Yeah, I think you know me!" That's when he saw the keys in the officers' hand.

"Oh, keys!" He quickly reached through the bars and snatched the keys from the officers' hand.

"Hey!" The cop just shook his head and left, muttering, "Drop them on the desk when you're done."

"Bob, please don't make this any harder than it has to be…"

"Are you gonna unlock the cell or what?" he asked, ignoring me.

"I need the keys to unlock the cell." I pointed out.

"Oh, right." He reached through the bars and unlocked the cell himself, then opened it and stepped out. Something told me it was going to be a long ride home…

"Alright, let's get going…" Bob, however, didn't follow.

"Do I know you?"

"Do you know me?! We've been chatting online for months! How could you not know me?!"

"I'm sorry, but I have no clue who you are. You said something about my puppy?"

If this were an anime, right about now would've been the time you'd see the vein swelling on my head. I could feel the Zap Cannon in the holster of my jacket against my chest, and it was a challenge to fight the urge to pull it out and end this quickly. Sure, in the long run I'd be arrested for murder and probably spend a good portion of my life in jail, but the immediate satisfaction was hard to ignore.

"Yeah, I got your puppy outside…" I said through clenched teeth. "Come with me and we'll go get him."

"Cool. My name's Yugoth, Robert Yugoth, but you can call me Bob."

"Right…" I quickly dropped the keys off on the officers desk and went outside with Bob. The second Bob closed the door behind him I felt ready to punch him, but he got the first words out.

"We clear?"

"What?" I was confused but looked around anyway. "There's no one here."

"Good. Sorry about the act, but I gotta cover my trail. You understand, don't ya?"

"Yeah, right. About that…WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING DOING SOMETHING SO STUPID ON LIVE T.V?!" I yelled, unable to control my anger anymore. Bob responded rather calmly.

"It's all part of my master plan. Step 1; get to New York City. Step 2; get your attention…"

"Well you succeeded there!"

"Thanks; where's your car?"

"Over there…" Urge to kill rising… "Don't even THINK you're driving…"

"No problem, but I call shotgun."

"Fine…" We got into the van, but Houndor ran into the back as soon as he saw Bob enter.

"Fire Storm! There's a strange person in the car!"

"I know Houndor; he's a friend of mine. It's O.K; he won't hurt you."

"You sure?"

I had to pause for a moment before responding. "I'm sure."

At least not intentionally, I silently added. Houndor slowly approached, shaking so much I was surprised the whole car wasn't shaking as well. Bob smiled and gently stroked Houndor's head. Houndor let him, but still shook like someone hit with an Earthquake attack.

"Hey, what's with the leash?" Bob asked, reaching back and gently picking up Houndor's leash.

"It's his idea; I'll explain later." I started the car and we were off. I thought there'd be a lot of silence, but Bob quickly filled the air with talk.

"It's a good thing you got my e-mail; I was starting to worry that you might not have gotten it."

"No, I got it…" I sighed and shook my head. "You know, you could've just wrote an e-mail and told me you were coming in for a visit; it wouldn't have been a problem."

"Eh." Bob shrugged. "I suppose, but that was more fun."

"Right…" I tried to think of something else to say before the urge to slug him overtook me. "So, besides causing a huge scene and getting yourself arrested, is there anything in particular you wanted to come over for?"

"Yeah; there's a lot I wanna talk about, but we can do that at your house…could you turn down into that alley?" he asked, pointing ahead of us.

"What?! Why?!"

"I need to get my stuff."

"Your stuff? What kind of stuff?"

"My stash."

"Your stash?! Are you taking drugs or something?!"

"Nah; just my stuff from home."

"Grrr…alright…" I slowly pulled into the alley, really trying to resist the urge to blow his head off. He is your friend, he is your friend…

We both got out of the car. I went around to check on the kids while Bob starting searching under a dumpster.

"What are you doing?!" I half-yelled at him in confusion.

"Looking for something…there!" Bob pulled out a metal rod of some sort. Before I could ask what it was for, he went over to a nearby manhole and used the rod to open it up.

"You left your stuff in the sewer?!"

"Duh. Where else would I put it?'

"I…oh, just hurry up!"

I watched him slowly go down through the hole, then began to check on everyone. There were no bad smells or anything coming from the car, so the kids didn't need to be changed. Eevee was having a great big talk with the kids, and Houndor was busy shaking. I picked up Houndor and gently began to stroke him, trying to calm him.

"It's alright Houndor; there's nothing to be scared of…"

"You don't understand Fire Storm; you're big and brave. You don't have to worry about anything. I'm not; I need you to protect me. I'm too little…"

"Houndor, just because you're little doesn't mean you have to be scared of everything. Nobody's out to try and hurt you…"

"What about those guys who wear those towels on their heads and live in those caves? They said they want to get rid of everyone in America, and we all live in America!"

"It's O.K…" I thought about the huge line of cars I saw heading to ground zero for the 9/11 attacks and remembered the despair and anger I felt when I saw the replays of the planes hitting the towers. "They won't be able to hurt us. Our President and the military will stop the bad guys who wear towels on their heads…do you remember my special name for those guys?"

"Nutjobs?"

I smiled and stroked Houndor again. "Good boy. You remembered."

"Hello? Can I help you?"

"GAH!" I turned suddenly, surprised by the new voice behind me. For about two seconds, my Growlithe instincts made me growl at the female Persian Hybrid behind me before I got control of myself. She seemed to be about 14 or 15, with a mostly human shaped body. Her face was human shaped, but was covered entirely in cream fur. Her nose was small and black, and three whiskers stood out on each side of her face. Her ears were on top of her head and poked through her brown hair, curved and covered with black fur. The eyes were human looking, except that her brown pupils were little more than narrow slits(Which actually kinda scared me). The smooth looking circular mark on her forehead like a Persians wasn't too bad; just a little odd looking.

The rest of her body was covered in cream colored fur from what I could see. Her hands were human shaped, though her fingers seemed much rounder than a humans. With her bare feet, I could see she had three rounded toes on each foot instead of the five like a human. Her tail was also cream colored and curled at the end, probably about two feet in length. She wasn't a tall or large girl; at most, she was maybe 5 and a half feet tall. She wore a sweater and jeans against the slight chill in the air. A Spinarak was perched on her shoulder and she held a Teddiursa in her arms.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" the girl apologized in a sweet, soft voice. "I didn't mean to scare you…"

"No, no; it's alright. You just surprised me…" Oh man; if I jumped like that, Houndor probably lost his mind…

"Hi. My name's Houndor. What's yours?"

The Persian Hybrid smiled. "My name's Chantal, and these are my friend, Spinarak and Teddiursa.

"Hello!" the Teddiursa said happily. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi." The Spinarak said, clicking its mouth pincers together. I guess that was supposed to be a smile.

"I…I…" I stared down at Houndor is shock. Usually Houndor runs away with his tail between his legs if he sees anyone at all unfamiliar to him; yet here he was, having a conversation with this total stranger like he knew her forever.

"Oh; sorry." I recovered quickly, trying to remember my manners. "My name's Fire Storm." Chantal…why'd that name sound familiar?

"Hello Fire Storm…" Chantal looked around behind me at the open manhole cover. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but may I ask why that sewer cover is open?"

"What? Oh, that…" This was gonna be hard to explain. "My friend is down there at the moment. He's…looking for his things."

"In the sewers?"

"Yeah; that was kinda my point…" Wait a minute…female Persian Hybrid…nice, gentle nature…Spinarak and Teddiursa…apologizing for things that really aren't her fault…

"Tyger?"

"What?" Chantal seemed confused, but her ears perked up at the mention of the name Tyger.

"Chantal…do you remember a day back in July…it was a Sunday, and you received a strange device wrapped up in the morning papers. It was from Nintendo; a device that, at the time at least, seemed revolutionary. It allowed you to play your Game Boy games online, and you rushed off to try it after a moments debate. However, it didn't go well for you at all. The attachment; nay, your whole computer exploded on you…"

"Hey! How'd you…oh my…" Chantal looked shocked. "F-FireHybrid? That's you?!"

I smiled. "Yup. Nice to meet you in person, Tygerwind8."

"Chantal? You pretend like Fire Storm too?" Houndor asked, confused. I tried to convince my Pokemon friends in the beginning that I really wasn't their trainer and that I came from a world where they didn't exist; I told them everything that happened on that fateful day. They still don't believe a word of it; Eevee and Houndor, the youngest of all of them, think I'm playing pretend, and the others think I'm practicing my role-playing skills or something like that. By now I've just given up.

"Yeah; she made that story up a while ago." The Teddiursa looked up at Tyger. "I think it must be some sort of game; she's always talking about it with people in the computer."

"My trainer does that too. He must like it; he talks about it a lot."

"You two have fun." I said while the two of them continued to talk. Looking up at Chantal, I asked, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Well, I was up here visiting an uncle of mine. I was starting back toward the train station home when I passed by an electronic store. They had a bunch of TVs playing in the window, and I saw this show where a guy was on the set with guns. He reminded me a lot of your friend Bob you told me about, so I went to try and find him and ask him what he was doing. I saw you along the way, and you looked like you needed help. From there…well, here I am."

"I see…" I heard something hit the ground behind me, and turned to see a bag sitting next to the manhole, followed by another bag that flew up out of it. "Guess Bob found his stuff."

"Guess so…" Another bag came out, then Bob climbed out of the sewers, smelling a bit like raw sewage.

"Ewww…" Teddiursa covered his nose with his paws. "Stinky!" I had to keep myself from laughing at that.

"I've got everything." Bob informed me, tossing his things in the van. "Let's get going."

"Right." I looked over at Chantal. "Want a lift?"

She shook her head. "That's O.K. The train station's not that far."

"Oh…well, why don't you come with us to the house? We've got a few people visiting that remember the old world, and we're always trying to find more. There's a train station nearby that could probably get you back on track in no time when you need to go."

"Well…" Chantal thought this over for a minute. "I do need to get home…but I did tell my parents I wouldn't be home for a few more days…alright; I guess I could stop by for a little while."

"Great!" I smiled as Chantal climbed in the middle seats next to Chris' kids. I put Houndor in the back with them and we started off toward home again.

"Oh, wait; before I forget…" Bob reached into a bag and pulled out a very large bundle of money. "Here. This should replace what was spent on my bail."

"Gee; thanks…" I took a look at the money, then put it on the floor between us. "Any reason why you didn't pay that yourself?"

Bob shrugged, then reached into his bag and pulled out even more money. "Here's $50,000; there's five one's and a check for $49,995. Think of it as rent."

"Damn…" I placed it with the rest. "Your money's as green as anyone's, I guess."

"Good. Well, say goodbye to strangers…and welcome stray dogs."

"Wait. What?!" I'd stopped the car in my confusion, and Bob hopped out and started to go down in alley. "Where are you going?!"

"Sorry, but Bob don't know you guys. Bob's gonna leave." With that, he ran down the alley and was lost in the darkness.

"Um…" I looked back at Chantal, who looked as confused as me. "Did you understand that?"

"No; did you?"

"No; I'm just glad I'm not the only one who didn't understand…"

"Eui?" Spike Fur and Brave Stalker looked confused as well.

"Fire Storm? Why'd your friend leave?" Eevee asked.

"I don't know…"

"Fire Storm!" Houndor looked over at Bob's stuff. "Your friend left his things here. Is he gonna come back for them?"

"I don't think so."

"What are we gonna do with it then?"

"I…guess we'll just hold onto it." The people behind me started to get impatient and honked their horns. "Alright! I'm moving!"

We started moving again just when a Houndoom turned the corner ahead of us. It barked loudly and ran up beside the car, keeping up with us as we drove.

"What? What do you…wait…" I turned back to Chantal. "I said Bob was a Houndoom Hybrid, right?"

"Hmm…yes, I believe you did."

"Then I guess this is him…" The Houndoom began to scratch at the door. "Hey! Mom will kill me if the paint job's messed up!" I opened my door to let the Houndoom in. What got me was how he managed to get around so fast. It should've been physically impossible to move that fast.

"Thanks." The Houndoom leapt across my lap and into the empty passenger side seat, barely missing my muzzle with his horns.

"Oof!" His weight on my lap was more than I was expecting. "Couldn't you've gone around?!"

He shrugged in response. The urge to kill was growing strong again. I figured it was best if we just left before it got any worse.

"So, any reason why you couldn't have just done that earlier and saved us all this trouble?" I asked Bob as we started moving again.

"All part of the plan; you'll see."

"Right." I gave him an odd look and tried not to sigh again. He was really testing my patience. "I forget; what's your name again?"

"It's Bob."

"No, I meant your name for that form."

"It's Robert; are you feeling O.K?"

"I meant…GAH!" Brain…breaking down… "Forget it…" I meant the name for his Pokémon form, but I guess he didn't see that.

I looked back to check on everyone, and saw Chantal holding and stroking Houndor, who'd looked calm for once. She must just have a way with Pokémon or something to be able to calm Houndor so much.

"Hey…Overdark," I asked the Houndoom, finally remembering his Pokémon and Hybrid name. "Can you help me out with something?"

"Sure; what's up."

"Well, it's Houndor." I looked back at Houndor real quick before going on. "You see, Houndor's a little…well, he's not like dark-types are at all. I was wondering if maybe you could help me figure out why, being a dark-type yourself."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Well…he just doesn't act like dark-types should. He's kinda a coward, and while I'm happy with him anyway, I want him to be able to defend himself if he ever gets into a fight or something. Maybe you can tell me what's making him so afraid of everything?"

"I could try. Let me see him."

"O.K; hold on." I looked over to Chantal. "Hey Chantal; can I see Houndor for a second?"

"Sure." Chantal placed Houndor on the middle seat where Overdark could see him.

"What do you need me for, Fire Storm?" Houndor asked.

"I just need to see something Houndor." I looked over at Overdark as I stopped at a red light. "Whenever you're ready…"

"O.K." Overdark looked over at Houndor and began to growl at him. I was confused but let him continue, resisting the initial urge to stop him. Houndor whimpered and started to shake a little, looking confused and scared. He picked up the volume and intensity of the growls quickly, sounding quite threatening. Houndor whimpered and cowered back into the seat.

"F-Fire Storm…why's your friend growling at me?..."

"I'm not sure; what are you doing? You're scaring him!" Overdark suddenly stopped and turned back around, looking down. The light changed, so we started moving again while he seemed deep in thought. After a few minutes Houndor calmed down and Overdark looked up again.

"I think I've found the problem."

"Good; mind sharing?"

"Somebody's been mothering him."

"Mothering him? Who would…" It suddenly dawned on me who he meant. "Hey! I haven't been mothering him that much!"

"Hmm; then he's just a freak."

"Hey…" Houndor whimpered and rolled into a ball, not looking at anyone. Oh crap; now he's probably upset with himself for being so afraid all the time. There I go with my big mouth again…

I didn't say anything on the rest of the way back to the Center. I'd decided to patch things up with Houndor over there and explain that I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. It seemed simple enough as we pulled into the Center and I parked the van. We went into the Center, Houndor on his leash while I unloaded Spike Fur and Brave Stalker out of the car and bought them in the Center one at a time. All the sick people who'd been by had left, but the place still had a lingering smell of vomit.

"Fire Storm! Welcome back!" Joy was mopping up the floor while I placed Brave Stalker on a seat in the waiting area next to her sister. "Everything go over well?"

"Hey Joy; yeah, everything's good now." I looked around, trying not to breathe in through my nose. "I'd like to say I missed being here, but today that'd have to be a lie."

"I don't blame you; I didn't want to be here myself after a few hours…" Joy sighed and placed one of those yellow "Caution: Wet Floor" signs down before putting the mop away. "I'm just glad it's over."

"One would think. Where's Serena?"

"She's not here anymore."

"What?!" She was at the Pokémon Center; what could've happened to her here?!

"She went over to her Gym to visit. She should be back soon."

"Oh…" Damn man; get a grip on yourself. You had one nightmare and you're flipping out…

Many of you maybe wondering by now how such a small dream, albeit a very real feeling one, could affect me so much. Well, truth be told, I've always longed for true love since I was 13. I was young at the time, yeah, but knowing somebody cares for me has always been important. Maybe that just comes with the fact that I've never been very popular, and that in the Shadow World most of the friends I made moved away within a few years of me knowing them. It also doesn't help that I was picked on a lot and that I was and still am pretty much shunned in middle and high school; half the time when someone new says hello to me, I immediately think they have something planned to hurt me in someway. Losing someone who really cared for me would really destroy me inside.

Overdark and Chantal walked in, Eevee and the other Pokèmon not far behind them. While the others looked around, I took Houndor aside and tried to explain what happened before.

"Houndor, look, about what happened in the car; I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just want to help you."

"No Fire Storm, it's O.K. I'm sorry I made you upset. You must not think I'm a very good Pokémon…"

"No, no. You're a great Pokémon, really. I'm just concerned about you. I don't want you to be all reckless and silly; I just want you to be able to stand up for yourself."

"I know… I want to be brave like you, but it's so hard. Some things are just so scary, but you're not afraid of anything. Can you teach me how to be brave like you?"

"Houndor…" I was felt flattered; Houndor thought I was fearless? If only he knew. "It's O.K. to be afraid of some things. Everyone needs to be a little afraid; if everyone had no fear, we'd be out doing crazy things that could really hurt us. I'm afraid of things too; in fact, there's no one in the whole world that isn't afraid of something."

"Oh…what are you afraid of, Fire Storm?"

"Well, I'm really afraid of heights for one thing. Bugs are really bad for me too, especially one's that can sting."

"Wow!" Houndor seemed amazed. "Is there anything else you're afraid of?"

"Yeah, but you know now that everyone's afraid of something, and that while you could be a little braver, it's O.K to be who you are."

"O.K; thanks Fire Storm." Houndor smiled and looked happier than before. I petted him before he went over to the day-care for babies of all races. He likes the toys that are in there. I put Brave Stalker and Spike Fur in there with him.

"Chantal? Overdark? Joy? Where'd you all go?!" I called out for everyone, unsure where they'd all went. After a little searching I found them in the Center's kitchen, watching the T.V. in there. They all seemed glued to the set.

"What's going on?"

"Fire Storm…you're not gonna believe this…"

"What?" I watched the T.V., confused. The Gym where Serena used to be Leader was on the T.V.

"…We repeat, this is breaking news coming out of the Apple Grove Town Gym. There have been reports of shots fired inside the Gym, and police are unable to contact anyone inside the building. The number of gunmen or hostages they may have is also unknown at this time, but we'll give you details as we receive them…"

"No…no…NO!" It was happening! My nightmare was happening! Serena was gonna get shot and killed! I was going to lose my friend, my lover… no, please don't let this happen… no…

The next thing I knew, I was falling to the floor, the world getting dark as I lay in a crumpled heap. The shock of what happened was just too much for me to handle. The nightmare was right; I lost the only girl I loved… maybe the only one I could ever love, and it was technical my fault. If she hadn't come, she'd still be alive. If I hadn't asked her to go to work for me, she wouldn't have gone to the Gym… but now she was dead… it was all my fault… my fault…



Everyone was walking out of the cemetery, ignoring me as they walked passed. I called out to them but they ignored me. After they left, the gate to the cemetery stayed open. No one was around…

I slipped through the gate and into the cemetery. Serena's tombstone was easily visible atop a hill. I scrambled up there, blinking back tears.

"Serena…" I stood in front of where the ground slightly rose above the earth, holding back more tears. "I'm sorry…it's all my fault!" I just couldn't take it anymore. I cried. I cried and confessed everything. "I knew that dream was telling me something. I'd knew you'd get hurt if you stayed with me, but I wanted you so badly… please, forgive me. I was so lonely… you're the only one who's ever had deep feelings for me; I didn't want to lose that…"

" But now you're gone! If only I told you to stay away from me; I wouldn't care. You'd still be here… I just wanted you here, wanted you for me… and now you're gone! I killed you! I killed you!!!"

Now the tears really started to flow. I was a fool and an idiot; I didn't deserve to live. I killed the only person who'd ever gotten close to me, and I knew that something would happen to anyone else who tried to be real close as well. I really wanted everyone to go away; get as far away from me as possible so I couldn't hurt anyone else. I'd be incredibly lonely, but no one else would get hurt by knowing me; that was all that was important.

I fell to my hands and knees, pounding the ground above Serena's casket in anger. I wanted her back so badly, but I knew she wouldn't come back. She was gone; gone for good because of my stupidity…

I don't know how much time passed before it happened, but after a while the ground below me started to shake. At first I thought it was Hell coming to swallow me up. As I looked through tear-filled eyes, though, I couldn't see any cracks in the ground. What was going on?

"Wha?..." Beams of light were shooting out through the ground above Serena's grave. I scrambled backwards and got to my feet in time to see the entire ground above the grave disappear as the small beams of light connected into one giant beam. The light was so bright I had to shield my eyes to avoid being blinded. After a few seconds the light died down and I moved my arm so I could see what happened.

"Oh my God…Serena?..." Serena was standing in her now open casket, the dirt and grass flowers above it obliterated by the light. Serena smiled and slowly, very slowly floated over to me, looking as healthy as she ever had. I was too stunned to move as Serena stopped and landed in front of me, gently hugging me and looking up at me.

"It's no mistake, love; it isn't…" she said in her innocent, lovely voice.

"Serena; you're back…" I hugged her gently, looking into her eyes as my spirits quickly grew again. "You came back to me…"

"I never left, Xavier; I never left."

"I promise I'll be better; just don't leave me again, please…" Serena gently kissed the edge of my muzzle in response.

"I never left, and I never will…"



Suddenly I was no longer in the dark, cold cemetery. Instead I was in a bed at the Center, hugging Serena to me as I felt tears in the corners of my eyes.

"Serena?...Serena!" This was real; I knew that for sure. I hugged her tightly, not wanting to lose her again.

"You were worried about me because of your job, weren't you?"

"Yeah…" I sniffed and blinked back some tears. "I had a nightmare before; a man took you hostage and shot you so he could escape… I tried to save you, but you died in my arms…"

Serena smiled and licked my muzzle a bit. "I'm never going to get that close to any of your work hun; don't worry."

I murred slightly and smiled weakly. "Thank you, but I just got so worried. I'd thought you'd leave me, and I really wanted you to be with me. When I saw the report on the T.V about the shooting, I just lost it…"

"It's alright; a man shot off a gun, but he didn't shoot anyone. They were just warning shots." She smiled at me, trying to reassure me.

"Please Serena; don't leave me. Don't ever leave me…"

"I'd never leave you, not for my own life. It'll take more than death to keep me away from you Xavier Canin."

"Serena…" I never knew she cared so much for me. I nuzzled her muzzle gently, letting her know I really cared for her too.

"Xavier…" Serena nuzzled back, letting out a happy little sigh. I couldn't have felt happier if I'd tried…

I can't explain the odd feeling that just came over me next. I suddenly just felt this dark presence coming from outside the Center. It wasn't far at all; maybe a few hundred yards at most. I didn't know what its exact purpose was; all I knew for certain was that the purpose was evil…no, it wasn't just the purpose that was evil. The person behind it; they were evil themselves. They had to be stopped.

"Xavier?" I guess Serena noticed I'd stopped nuzzling and had a deadly serious look on my face. To be honest, I had no idea what was going on either. It felt like some presence was taking over my body, telling me what to do. It felt weird, but it wasn't a bad presence. In fact, it felt like it belonged with me. It took control of my muzzle next; even though I said the words that came out next, it wasn't actually me saying them. Confusing, I know, but I felt kinda confused about it myself afterwards.

"Serena, go into the basement. Have Joy let you in. After you go down, look at the third shelf on your right; there should be a gun with an energy chamber in it. Get it, the box and the cable that are on the shelf and bring them here; now."

"Huh?" Serena looked confused. "Why?"

"Just do it; please."

She nodded and left, looking a little confused. I quickly got up and went to the bathroom, washing and drying my face and cleaning up my appearance. I had been crying judging by the way my fur was moist before I washed and dried it up. It still felt like I wasn't actually doing what I was. As odd as it felt, I didn't think about trying to expel this force that was taking over my body. Granted; I didn't know how I would go about doing that anyway, but the feeling it gave me made me feel calm and confident, and I couldn't bring myself to getting rid of it.

Serena came back with the objects I'd asked for. The gun looked like a regular pistol, but it had an energy chamber and required energy cells instead of bullets. I'd recognized it immediately; it was a Ghost Blaster; one of the few weapons that can hurt a ghost. There was a port for me to plug in the small cable Serena bought and another on the box too. The small box had one big handle on it and a pair of doors painted in a black and yellow warning pattern. It was a trap for ghosts so that when it was thrown underneath them or in them and I pulled the trigger on the Blaster when they were connected, it'd suck them in and trap them. She'd also bought a few energy cells.

"Thank you; stay here." I took the things, slipped the cable and cells into my pocket and hooked the box to my belt, then quickly left through the back doors of the Center. There's a big patch of woods back there. Normally it'd take forever to find anyone back there, but this presence in my body seemed to know where it was going.

I ran for what felt like forever, then stopped. Yes, the source of this evil felt close. I moved slowly, gun drawn and pointed in front of me. I tried moving quietly, but a lot of trees had lost their leaves, which dried up on the ground. Every step I took was followed by a loud crunch. Anyone out here would've heard me easi…

WHOOSH!

"Geez!" I dove to the ground as I heard the all too familiar sound of a Hydro Cannon gun going off. The water soared above me and splashed into a tree a few yards ahead of me. I rolled, turned and fired blindly behind me, hoping the ball of bluish colored energy would score a lucky hit.

"Shit!" I'd missed, but as I got to my feet I could see the ghost Hybrid becoming transparent, causing the water containers on his back to drop to the ground as he ran. I stood there, waiting for whatever was inside me to take over, but after a few seconds I realized I couldn't feel it anymore.

"What the heck is this about?!" I yelled at no one in particular. I took off after him, firing and pursuing the purplish hazy figure in front of me. Being transparent made it hard to see him but not impossible, and when I finally connected with a shot from my Blaster he grew solid looking again. He cried out in pain and slowed as the gun did its thing. (Whatever its thing is, I'm not sure. I just know it works.) Another shot bought him to a stop.

"Time to put this guy away…" I quickly changed cells, then pulled off the box from my belt and hooked it and the box together with the cable. Grabbing it by the handle, I threw it at the Hybrid. It slid right underneath him, waiting to be used. I pulled the trigger on the gun, but instead of a shot the doors on the box opened up and a bright light escaped from it. The Hybrid became surrounded by what looked like bolts of electricity, keeping him from moving as he was slowly sucked in. It was kinda like watching a puddle of water getting sucked up into a wet/dry vacuum. I'm told the transfer is painless for the ghost being captured, but I don't see how it possible could be.

The Hybrid was quickly sucked in, and when he was all the way in a light went off on the trap, telling me the transfer was successful as the door closed. Disconnecting the cable from the gun and trap, I bought it back with me to the Center.

"Xavier!" Joy rushed over with Chantal and Overdark, who both looked confused. They were still in the same forms they had been when I passed out. "What was that all about?"

"I've been having trouble sleeping today; now I know why." I held up the box, showing them it contained a Hybrid. I explained to them what had happened early with me and Serena and how ever since we admitted we had feelings for each other I'd been having terrible nightmares whenever I tried to sleep.

"Is that why you passed out before? Because you thought something happened to Serena?" Chantal asked. I nodded. "Oh… I thought something was bothering you before, but I couldn't really tell what it was. At least you seem better about it now."

"Thanks for your concern." I sighed heavily, feeling really tired. "I'm gonna have to get this guy to the cops soon. I just want to talk to Serena for a little while first."

"That's fine." I thanked them all for understanding and went to Serena, who looked confused as well when I came in.

"What happened?" I explained what happened outside again. "Oh…mind if I try something?"

"Try something?...O.K." What was she going to do? Serena closed her eyes, standing very still. Suddenly it felt like someone was tickling my brain. What was Serena doing?

"Hmm…" She opened her eyes again, looking confused. "Nothing…"

"What'd you do?"

"Psychic…"

"You learned Psychic?! When?"

"A little while ago."

"Oh; what were you doing with Psychic?"

"Reading your mind."

"My mind? Why?"

"Checking for any of the ghost's mind charges that might be left."

"Oh…but you didn't find anything? Is that possible?"

"I think so…" She smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the muzzle again.

"Thanks…" I smiled and blushed under my fur. "Well, I better turn this guy into the police before I get in trouble for waiting too long. Do you want to come with me or stay here?"

"I'm coming!" Serena smiled and went to the car. I gathered everyone else except Joy, who had to stay to close down the Center. I dropped off the Hybrid at the police station, filling out all the paperwork and other boring stuff, then we all went home and went our separate ways. I told Chantal she could stay in Mom's room till she came home, and Bob decided to sleep on the couch in the living room. Chris and the others had returned from the convention, and I explained to them everything that happened and that me and Serena were now boyfriend and girlfriend. They were all very happy for us, though Rick looked a little jealous.

After a quick meal we went our separate ways; me and Serena going into the computer room where the futon was. I changed it to its bed form, then me and Serena sat together on it.

"What a day…" I said with a sigh. Serena smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. I smiled back at her. "It'll take a while, but I think we can really make this work."

"O.K." Serena didn't sound too enthusiastic. I gently took her hand in mine, holding it lightly but firm.

"I really do want to make this work, Serena. It's too soon to tell, but who knows? Maybe this is the start of something big…"

Serena squeezed my hand with her other hand, smiling up at me. "Why not now?"

"What can't I tell now?" I was kinda confused by her question.

She nodded . "Why can't we be together now?"

"Serena…" I was extremely shocked. "Y-you really care for me that much?"

She nodded as her beautiful eyes looked deeply into mine. "I love you."

"Serena… I-I…I love you too…"

Serena smiled and leaned up to kiss me. I let her, gently locking my muzzle onto hers. I gently hugged her to me as she murred loudly, so much so I thought Chantal might hear us in the other room. I murred back and decided to be brave, slowly trying to slip my tongue into her muzzle. She opened her muzzle slightly and accepted it, letting my tongue slowly explore her muzzle.

I expected my Pokémon instincts were starting to drive me nuts. As Serena's tongue slowly wrapped around mine, instead they weren't doing much of anything. As Serena murred loudly and leaned into me, I felt the same way. The stuff we were doing I thought would be really intimate, but I didn't really feel that excited about what we were doing.

As I stroked her tails with one hand and her hair with the other, somewhere in the back of my head I remembered Chris saying something about how Hybrids and Pokémon don't even think about mating or any of the pleasures related to it until their second evolutionary stage, if they have one. Everything I was doing was really just to make Serena happy; I wasn't getting anything out of it. I felt really awkward about what was happening.

RRRRIIINNNGGG! RRRRIIIINNNGGG!

"Fire Storm!" Chantal called out a moment after the phone stopped ringing through Mom's room. "It's your Mom!" I slowly, almost thankfully pulled away from Serena.

"Sorry, Serena. I gotta take this…" She nodded understandingly. I picked up the nearby phone and turned it on, being forced to alter my voice a little. Mom can recognize my usual Hybrid voice in a snap. "Hey Mom; what's up?"

"Xavier? Is that you? You don't sound good."

"Um, yeah, I've…got a little cold."

"I see. You should get to bed early tonight. I was just calling to check up on you… who was that who just answered? I don't recognize the voice."

"Oh…it's just a friend…"

"Oh no! Xavier Canin, do you have even MORE people staying at the house?!" Mom has not been happy with me having all these people over, especially since they're not paying any expenses for all the food and stuff she spends on them. Usually I can get her to stop by asking her why Amber doesn't have to pay; she still says Amber's mother is on a long vacation and will be back any day now, but she's been getting worse about threatening to kick everyone out unless she sees some money.

"Mom, it's O.K! It's only for a few days…"

"It'd better be! Do you know how expensive it is to pay for all thos…"

"Mom, calm down! My other friend is here…"

"Another one?!"

"…And he's already paid $50,000 toward rent."

"Oh…" That calmed her down. "Well… your friends can stay for a while, I suppose…"

"Thanks Mom. Oh, Serena's here too. She'll be able to pay a little too."

"Serena too? What's she doing here… and where'd your friend get $50,000? How old is he?"

"Um…" It just occurred to be I didn't know how Overdark got all that money, and I was wondering if maybe I didn't want to know. "Sorry Mom; you're breaking up! I can't hear you! You must be going through a tunnel or something!"

"Tunnel? Xavier, I'm in the hotel lobby! The phone works fine!"

"The car smells like pine? What? Sorry Mom; call back later! Bye!" I quickly hung up before she could ask anymore questions. The phone rang again almost a second later. "No one get that!"

Thankfully, everyone heard me. The answering machine picked up, but I unplugged it mid-way through. Safe from an intruding mother, I turned back to Serena. I still felt a little uneasy about going back to what we were just doing…

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!

"Sorry…" I actually felt relieved as my cell phone went off. I quickly answered it, knowing who it'd probably be.

"Fire Storm?" Mom again. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure; what's up?"

"Can you go by the house and just see if there's anyone there who looks like he belongs in a jail cell? I'm worried about Xavier; I think one of his friends is invo…"

"Sure thing Phoenix. I'll check it out."

"Thanks; I'm sorry to bother you, but Xavier does weird things sometimes, I just worry…" This could go on for a while…

"The place smells like curry? What? Are you in a tunnel?"

"Tunnel? No, I'm not in a… oh, forget it…" This time she hung up. I shut off the phone and turned back to Serena. Now how would I…"

"Hey! Get back here!" We could see the stairs going downstairs from the computer room, and a Ratatta came bolting up them, turning sharply into my bathroom as Chris followed a second behind it. "I'll get yo…wha! Whoa!" *CRASH!*

"Chris!" The Ratatta ran back downstairs as I ran to check on Chris. He was leaning against the wall, getting up when I found him. "What happened?!"

"I slipped on the stupid tile; where'd that rat go?!"

"Downstairs."

"Good; see ya!" He took off after it again. I sighed and shook my head, but didn't even take one step back toward Serena when Dragoniar came slithering in.

"Fire Storm! You said you were gonna let me play your training simulator today, but I can't find it anywhere!"

"Come on!" It was like this for almost an hour, and by the time I got done Rick was using the computer, and there really wasn't anyplace else where we could get some privacy, so we had to wait for him to leave. By the time he left, it was almost midnight.

"O.K; now we can finish up what we started…" I still didn't really want to go through with it. Thankfully, Serena sighed and looked up at me sadly and sleepy.

"Sorry love, but I'm really tired. I just want to go to bed."

"Oh…" I yawned loudly and started feeling sleepy myself. "O.K; you're right." I nuzzled her quickly, sighing. "Good night."

"Night…" Serena nuzzled me back, then we both slowly went to bed. All of my Pokémon friends were asleep when I walked in. In fact, Frealigater parked himself right in the middle of my bed. I didn't want to risk moving him and having him blast with a shot of water surprise; he's done it before, and it really hurts, not to mention makes it hard to fall asleep when your body is shooting with pain.

I walked back into the hall, seeing Serena had already fallen asleep. I smiled as I felt a warm wave of emotions hit me. Suddenly an idea struck me… I shouldn't… but what was the harm?

I slowly walked over to Serena, not wanting to wake her. The futon was pretty big, and Serena left just enough room for me to slip in next to her.

Serena rolled over and placed an arm around me, still asleep. She smiled lightly but didn't wake up. I slowly placed my arm around her, not wanting to wake her up. I felt another warm wave inside me and smiled. I quickly fell asleep, me and my love in each others arms.



I know; I don't believe it either, but I'm actually done! I hope you all like it. I know I've promised before I'd update more, but this time I really mean it this time. Also, sorry to have to say this, but I have to refuse any more requests to be in the story for now; I've have more than enough for a few chapters, and if I'm going to give people more than bit parts I have to start turning away people until I can get some of the extras out. Don't despair; in the future I'll be asking again, so those who didn't get in now will be able to get in later. Until next time, check out the Intertwine Dreams website at www.khat-fox.com/~pocket-people. See ya!