Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Dreamstone

by Slink34884

A Fennekin's family is killed, leaving him as the only survivor. The last thing his father said to him, "find the Dreamstone". Now with the help of an Espeon with a troubled past and a young Vulpix, he must find the mythical artifact, dodging the Evil Team Hatred at every step. But can he afford to look when finding the stone might cost him everything?

13. Capable

So how's it going? What is this, three months in a row?

Here we go, chapter 13. Time to see how life at the Hatred base has been for Slink and Vix. Or not...

Everyone ready? Hobey-ho let's go!

---

The nightmares were terrible.

Screams. Vix's screams. Eve's screams. Abby. Sierra. All of them in incredible pain. Scenes of violence, of fear, and of torture appeared before my eyes.

A silver operating table stood in a sterile white room. Pure, except for the blood splattered across the floor. Large flat discs covered in lights surrounded the table, some even stretching down from the ceiling to hover only feet from the table. As I watched a green Chancey burst through the doors, rolling Vix along on a stretcher. Vix's eyes were open, but she didn't move. She didn't react to any of the noise, or even squint her eyes to block the light. In fact her eyes were glassy and dull. Only the slow, almost invisible, rise and fall of her chest convinced me that she was even little fox was transferred to the table as the Chancey picked up a blade.

Eve wiggled desperately against her bonds, even as the ropes dug painfully into her legs. All four of her limbs were twisted into painful, cramped positions. There was absolutely no slack in the ropes. It didn't matter if her lashings caused permanent damage by cutting off her circulation, she wasn't a prisoner. The Greninja, Smoke, walked up to her,climbing the stack of oil-soaked logs that were piled under Eve. Each step was complimented by a loud clatter as the logs shifted under his weight. In his right hand he held a flickering torch. The two met eyes as the Greninja smiled. Then he vanished, the flickering flames illuminating Eve's face as the torch began to fall.

The moon was full, but the thorny, twisted branches of the trees obscured it. Shallow pools of silver dotted the ground; the only remains of the forest-strangled light. Abby sprinted through the pools, her red fur and skin seeming to glow impossibly in the dark. She was panting hard, painfully hard. She didn't seem to be following any kind of path. As thick tree trunks loomed out of the darkness, the Absol was forced to dance aside while continuing the mad dash. Once or twice she wasn't fast enough and she slammed into a tree. I could see gashes all over her body that served as painful reminders of these mistakes. Her labored breathing seemed to echo forever in the deathly silent forest, but far behind her I could just make out another sound. Wood splintered and trees vanished from the sky with every booming footstep. It was chasing Abby.

Sierra crawled through a nearly pitch black tunnel. He could barely move his limbs, and his sides scraped against the earthen walls of the tunnel. The air was filled with dust, and small cascades of soil choked him every time he inhaled. Sierra shimmied a few feet then paused as he gathered his hind legs beneath him in order to push himself forward again. He inch-wormed a few more feet, before the whole world began to shake. Sierra flinched as soil began to cascade around his head. He wiggled more, forcing himself to move faster. "Abby," he screamed through a mouthful of dirt. He managed to pull himself a few more feet before the earth shook once again with a ear bursting boom! The walls didn't just crumble, they collapsed. Sierra desperately clawed his way forward as the tunnel imploded behind him. His tail was buried, then his hind legs. The last I saw of Sierra was his red eyes, filled with terror, before they were smothered with earth.

I was dragged into another hellscape. "Please, let it stop!" I screamed in my head, or out loud. I wasn't sure which was which.

I opened my eyes, but instead of another vision of death, I was in a void. It was pitch black, but I got the impression of openness around me. The only feature in the endless expanse was a tiny orange flame only a few feet in front of me.

It grew and shrank in a way that made me feel as though it was breathing. The tall, thin shape wiggled and danced without even a breath of wind surrounding it.

I stepped closer. I couldn't help it. Fire was an ally, a part of me. There was no way it could hurt me. At least, I hoped.

I sat as close as I could to the Fire, and I felt it drift towards me, like we were long lost friends or something. I was grateful for the company, or any comfort in what was surely the end of time.

"Wake Up!" I jumped as I heard the voice. It was small and very high. There was also something about it, the way things were pronounced, that gave me the impression that the speaker was young. Very young.

"Wake Up!" There it was again. Two words, like a whisper on the wind. But despite how quiet they were, it felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds each. They distorted the world around us somehow.

I looked around but there was nobody there. It was just me and the flame.

"Wake Up!" The voice came again. But this time I knew the source. As each word was spoken, the small flame at my side flared slightly. I stared at it, but that was it. Two words. I got down closer, so my snout was nearly in the fire. I inched closer to it, and the instant my nose touched the flame, it exploded. White flames washed over me, and for the first time in my life I experienced pain from the heat.

"Wake Up!" Came the scream as the fire engulfed me.

I was on my feet in an instant, breathing hard. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what I had just seen. I looked around the room, but everything was as it was supposed to be. Sunlight streamed in through a small split in the curtains. Eve was curled up tightly on the bed, the Expedition Gadget still sandwiched between her paws from last night.

I was surprised that I hadn't woken her up yet, especially after I woke up screaming. I closed my eyes and lay back down at the foot of the bed, my paws rubbing my temples. It had just been a dream, right? Just my brain trying to come to terms with what had happened yesterday, right?

A shiver ran down my back, like an ice cold finger tracing down my spine.

"Slink?" Came Eve's voice. I opened my eyes and turned to look at her. She had lifted her head from the pillow to regard me, but she was still curled up on the bed. The screen of the Expedition Gadget was alive in her hand, but the look on her face said that there was nothing to report.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked. I stood up and moved to sit next to her.

"Kinda," Eve said. She looked down at the Gadget once again. I wasn't sure what to say. It felt like there was something in my stomach trying to eat its way out. I suddenly became aware of a horrible, metallic taste in my mouth. "Why were you shouting?" Eve asked.

"Oh, I was-"

Eve cut me off. "Nevermind, that was a stupid question. Nightmares woke me up so many times last night too. Not that I slept well anyway."

I nuzzled up to her, but I didn't say a word. Neither of us did. We both could only really focus on one thing right now, but the Expedition Gadget remained still and silent.

Eventually something made noise. My stomach gave a huge rumble, and Eve's head snapped around to look at it, as if she expected Kegan to send us a message through my digestive system.

I heaved a sigh. "Eve, we aren't helping anything by staring at the stupid thing. Kegan will message us when he has news. There is nothing more that we can do. Killing ourselves here won't do anything for Vix."

"Well then, what do you suggest?" Eve asked not taking her eyes off of the Gadget.

I felt terrible suggesting it, but I knew it was what we had to do. "Let's go get breakfast. We can get some food, we can even get Sierra and maybe Abby some, and whenever that thing rings we can go immediately to the Expedition Society."

We were silent again for a few moments before Eve finally turned to look at me. "I guess you are right. We probably should get some food considering we haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. And Arceus knows Sierra wouldn't dare leave Abby to get himself something to eat." Eve shakily got to her feet. "Thanks Slink, I'm glad one of us is still thinking rationally."

"Eve," I said trying to be reassuring, "Candice brought both of us back from the brink. She can fix anything okay, and if they needed something like blood, or your Morning Sun they would have contacted us. Vix is going to be fine. She has to be. We just have to have a little hope."

"I know," she said hanging her head. "I just-" her voice broke "- I don't know what I would do if this doesn't work. I don't know what I would do if Vix or Abby are hurt permanently, or if they don't make it, or…"

She trailed off, her shoulders quivering. I decided it would probably be best for her to take her mind off Vix for at least a moment. "Why don't you pack up our bags for today?" I suggested. "I don't expect that we'll come back here for a while. I have to go to the bathroom, okay?"

She nodded slowly, but didn't speak. I slipped from the room and into the bathroom. I hopped up, propping my forepaws on the sink and using my left paw to turn on the water. I didn't have to use the bathroom, I just needed to get the horrible taste out of my mouth.

I lapped up some water and swished it around before spitting it out into the sink. I froze. The water swirling down the drain was bright red. I raised my head until I met my reflection's gaze. I opened my mouth, and nearly lost my balance. My tongue was completely black, and each of my teeth were a deep brown color. Everything was coated,stained, with blood.

I barely made it to the toilet before I lost my stomach. I froze again once I saw my sick. Floating around in the bile were long brown strings that looked a lot like coffee grounds. Blood, it was blood, and I knew it wasn't mine.

I lost my stomach again, and again, and again. The water was running constantly as I desperately tried to wash it out, to clean the blood from it. Memories flashed before my eyes. Terrible memories. I could recall the taste of fresh blood, and the odd sensation as it pulsed down my throat. I could feel the crunch of bones and arteries in my jaws, and the slowly weakening struggles as Sparkle tried to get away.

I don't remember collapsing into the corner, I don't remember the door opening. My breath came in short gasps that failed to fill my lungs in any capacity. I wasn't sure if I was sobbing, or simply in shock, but all I could get in or out were little chokes of air.

Eve was there. Her forehead pressed against mine. "Shhh, shh. Breathe. You are going to be fine, but you have to breathe."

My heart was in my throat as I forced air into my lungs. I sucked in a huge breath and let it out as a combination of a groan and a scream. "Why?" I managed to grunt. "I killed them?"

Eve's voice was soft, and strangely distant as she answered. "I don't blame you."

I tried to pull myself back together, but I didn't even come close. It felt like there was a frozen pit in my chest. It was a hollow empty feeling that made me violently shiver. "But I killed them, in cold blood. How…?"

"You did what you had to do. If I had been in your place, I would have done the same thing. I'm just sorry that you didn't get more."

My stomach rejected that thought, trying to dispel even more of its contents, but I was completely empty and all it did was make me gag. It was strange that Eve was this… bloodthirsty. I completely understood where she was coming from, but at the same time…

She knew I had been aiming for Shane when Sparkle had pushed him out of the way, and for some reason that didn't upset her. I knew that yesterday had changed things, but I hadn't realized that it had changed them that much.

I fought my way to my feet. "No more. There has been enough death." I begged softly. To myself? To Arceus? To Eve? Did it really matter? Thankfully Eve didn't argue, although I did catch a glimpse of the Expedition Gadget being held by her tail. It was a simple reminder of why I had killed.

We weren't the only ones leaving our apartment that morning. Our neighbors across the hall (a Metang and a Typhlosion) had their door open and were arguing. I heard the words "rent", "partner", and "Meltan" thrown around but not much else. Further down the hall a Houndoom mother was standing in the doorway of apartment 2F calling for her son to hurry before he was late for school.

For a moment I was jealous of these ordinary people living their ordinary lives. Then with a twinge of shame I realized that I would never wish on them anything like what I was going through.

We ended up going to Sparky's again. Partially because it was one of the only places open this early, mostly because it was only a couple of blocks from Society HQ. The second we got any news we were gone, and we didn't want to have to wait for long.

Eve placed the Expedition Gadget on the table as we ate. It felt like she had put a body on the table. I felt my gaze gravitate towards it at all times. I barely tasted my omelette, and Eve hardly touched her pancakes.

We both flinched as the screen suddenly lit up and a cheery tune started to play. Eve reached out to answer, but hesitated. She took a deep breath before pressing her paw firmly onto the screen.

"Hello?" Kegan's voice rang from the device as clearly as if he had been sitting there with us. "Slink? Eve?"

Eve's mouth was moving, but no words were coming out. She had paled considerably, her fur going from heliotrope to lilac. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"We're here Kegan." I rasped. My mouth had gone completely dry.

"Oh, good." He said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I wanted to let you both know that Vix is out of surgery. Candice is keeping an eye on her for the next fifteen minutes to make sure she doesn't have any complications."

"How is she?" Eve squeaked.

Silence. A long silence followed, except for the slight crackle of the line. Finally Kegan spoke, but his voice didn't sound like him. It was deeper, and somehow less solid. "I'm not going to lie to you guys. It's not good. She and Abby both sustained life-altering injuries. Candice did all she could, but you can't fix everything. I'll tell you more when you get here."

With that the call cut off leaving Eve and me in silence.

I offered to let Eve go ahead while I stayed and finished up at the Diner (we still had to pay and get something for Sierra) but she refused. She didn't want to go without me. Everything felt mechanical as I counted out the money, leaving it on the table while Eve went and asked for a small order of bacon and scrambled eggs. We probably could have fed Sierra off of our leftovers. We had hardly eaten after all, but we figured it would be more considerate to get him his own order.

Once that was all taken care of, it took everything Eve and I had to not sprint directly to the Expedition Society. Although, we did walk much faster than normal. Eventually we entered the tower-like Society HQ.

As we entered the lobby, we looked around. It was mostly empty, but Kegan was sitting behind his desk. Well, was sitting because as soon as we entered he got out of his chair and rushed over to us. "There you two are," he said somberly, "so I have to tell you-"

"Tell us on the way!" I snapped as I dashed for the stairs, taking them three at a time. I could just hear Eve and Kegan scrambling to keep up with me. When I reached the doors to the hospital though I froze. Despite how much I wanted to, I couldn't make myself go inside.

Eve stepped up next to me and wordlessly offered me her tail. I nodded numbly, as she wrapped her tail around mine. We pushed the doors open and stepped inside. Of the dozens of beds that ran the length of the room, only three were occupied. Just inside the door was a bed containing a large red mass of fur. Abby. I tried to ignore the fact that from the neck up she was completely cocooned in bandages. The bed next door to her was occupied by a matching blue ball of fuzz. Sierra snored softly, but he kicked and mumbled uneasily in his sleep. I wondered what time he had finally settled down.

Eve gravitated towards the other end of the room. Tall mint-green screens had been erected around a bed, blocking our view of the occupant. However since Nurse Candice was standing watch outside, I knew exactly who was inside.

It felt like I left my stomach behind as Eve and I marched towards Candice. Ahead, the length of the hospital seemed to grow, the Blissey stretching off into the distance. Part of me wanted to turn tail and run again, but I knew I had to face this. Your fault! Your fault! a voice chanted in my head.

"Fine," Shane huffed to himself, almost growling. "Now slowly and carefully lift that bag over your head, set it on the ground, and come sit next to me!"

I nodded before reaching slowly for the strap of my shoulder bag. It opened slightly as I lifted, and I could see the glow of the extra badge I had stashed in there after the whole Abby incident. I hesitated for a second. Once I took my bag off, there was no way I would be able to get it again. Was I giving up our only chance of escape?

It felt like a punch to the gut as I realized it. This wasn't right. We couldwin this. I took a deep breath in order to calm myself down. I needed every ounce of Psychic I could muster if this was going to work.

I spun in place so that I was facing Abby, Sierra, and by extension, the Fighters. My eyes briefly flared pink before twin bolts of Psychic energy shot towards the two Fighting types.

And then everything went wrong.

Crash, who had Abby pinned, started moving just as soon as I did. He picked up Abby by her head (it's amazing that he didn't snap her neck in the process). The Gurdurr holding Sierra though wasn't as fast as his friend. He had been standing with his side to me. He only managed a quarter turn before my Psychic bolt hit him. It looked as if he had been slapped by an Onyx's tail. The flesh between his hip and his rib cage distorted and jiggled, denting into his body from the force.

He cried out from pain and shock before a loud ringing crack echoed through the room. His eyes glazed over, and he seemed to fold in half across the blow, past the point that should have been physically possible. He didn't make a sound as he hit the ground. He was already dead.

I reeled back in shock. What had I just done? I had simply expected to knock him away from Sierra, not break his spine in half! Sierra either hadn't noticed, or he wasn't fazed. He scrambled to his feet faster than Stanley could hit the ground.

Despite his Type disadvantage, Sierra charged at the Throh that had pinned Abby to the ground again, her bright green eyes peering frightfully from between his thick orange fingers. "Stop," he commanded nervously, "if you move any closer, she will pay!"

Sierra froze. It was a complete stalemate. I'm not proud of what I did next, and looking back I wish that I had handled it so many other ways. I reached out with Psychic and wrapped a tendril of thought around Crash's throat.

"How about this for a plan?" I shouted. "You let the girl go, and I don't crush your larynx. Don't believe me? Check your buddy Stanley over there." I could barely believe that the words were coming out of my own mouth. The Throh's eyes widened as he became aware of the tendril I had around his throat.

I forgot about Shane.

A sharp pain bloomed in my leg, another in my chest, and a third in my neck. From each point a numbing sensation spread through my body, and I felt my Psychic fading. I reached out and tried to throw the Throh, getting him away from Abby at the least, but the tendril passed through his neck like it was made of smoke before fading away.

I was lifted off of my feet, and dragged backwards away as Shane reeled in his Payback. Thus I could only watch in absolute horror as Crash's shoulder pulsed. The shockwave flowed down his arm before reaching Abby. I didn't actually see what happened, but I heard Abby cry out before her cry was immediately cut off by a wet crunch.

No. NO! I switched from Psychic to Fire faster than I had ever done before. The air around me exploded into flame as my red eyes flared scarlet. The spears of shadow immediately dislodged as they were eviscerated. I spun towards the Umbreon, but before I could do anything a burst of water knocked me sideways.

My Fire was so intense that the water never hit me. It expanded into steam long before it struck me. The force and mass of the water however, swept me off my feet and extinguished my halo of flame.

As I looked up, I met another pair of blood red eyes. Smoke stood over me with a mass of Shadow in his hands. He smirked at me, but before he could strike he stumbled back with a bloody gash in his chest. A raving Sierra leapt over me. "That was for my daughter you bastard!"

I rolled to my feet, unsure if I could even help. "Slink," Eve suddenly screamed. Obviously Smoke had dropped her to try and eliminate me, and she was doing everything she could to both get my attention and avoid the battle ensuing around her. "Slink, they still have Vix!"

Suddenly I was laser focused on the Tyrantaur I could barely see across the room. Vix was still wriggling in his grip as he sprinted towards the exit. I moved faster than I thought I could and suddenly I was in front of him. My anger had gotten hot enough to give me my fiery aura again.

"Drop her now, and you may go." I growled deep in my throat.

Quake stumbled back half a step, but he recovered quickly. He held Vix up so that I was sure to see her. "Let me by. Otherwise something...unfortunate...might happen to her."

I didn't hesitate a second. I opened my mouth. The flames that I produced weren't red, yellow, or orange. A brilliant white stream of flame with a bright blue core shot from my muzzle, striking the Tyranitar in his chest. He roared in pain and instinctively raised Vix to shield himself. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even think about stopping. I guess I could say that I knew the flames wouldn't hurt her, at least not for a while, but I couldn't. That didn't even cross my mind

And then he began to squeeze. Quake had Vix in a bear hug, and was squeezing his arms tighter. Vix cried out in pain, and started squirming and beating at the Tyranitar. Unfortunately she was rapidly running out of air. There was a rapid series of pops, followed by twenty or so sharp cracks that split the air.

Vix slumped over in Quake's grasp. He dropped the limp Vulpix, and leered at me before slumping over.

Psychic always felt limited. It was powerful and extremely versatile, but there was only so much I could do before I ran out of power and became mentally exhausted. Fire on the other end felt endless; a deep well of power that I had never seen the bottom of.

In that moment, I know I got as close to the bottom as I ever had.

I felt just like I had that one fateful night when everything changed. Rational thought left me, and all I could feel was a want, no a need, for revenge. Quake wouldn't cut it, he was dead or unconscious. Either way he couldn't properly taste my rage. There was one person who needed to pay. The ringleader, the puppet master. Shane.

I turned, the entire world obscured in a red fog except for that black fur and blue rings. I shot forward, sprinting with everything I had. The last death had been an accident, this one I meant with everything I was, am, and will ever be.

"Shane!" came a muffled scream. I closed my eyes as I dove. I felt something shoot by my nose, but it was too late. I wrapped my jaws around a throat, biting down and shaking my head until I felt a satisfying crunch and I could feel bursts of hot blood spurting down my throat.

With a feeling of victory I opened my eyes and felt my fire vanish in an instant. Hanging limply from my jaws was Sparkle.

"Slink?" Candice was staring down at me curiously. I suddenly realized that I had been lost in my own head (an unfortunate side effect of my Psychic Type).

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "go on."

Candice regarded me sadly. "As I was saying, the surgery went fine, but there was only so much that I could do."

I could feel the anxiety radiating from Eve. "Just get on with it!" she snapped.

Candice flinched before moving on quickly. "Well, first off fifteen of her ribs were completely broken. That isn't the easiest thing to fix, and honestly we can only wait for them to heal. If that wasn't enough, one of the ribs splintered and punctured her left lung. Again, I did everything I could to repair the damage. Honestly that is where most of the time spent on surgery went. I don't think she will ever have the endurance or energy that she had before, but that should be the worst of it. Actually another rib nearly speared her heart. If it had been only a millimeter closer… we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The Blissey hesitated before continuing. I felt my heart pounding in my throat. So far everything seemed, well not fine, but these injuries would heal and Vix would more or less be back to herself.

"But my main concern is her back. Two of her vertebrae were shattered." My heart stopped and sank in my chest. "Both are right next to each other in her lower back. Medically there really isn't anything we can do with it at the moment. We currently have her in an immobilizing body cast. It will eventually heal on its own."

I could barely find my own voice, and when I did it was raspy and hollow. "What does this mean? What is going to happen to her?"

"I...I don't know. At least not yet. Since she is immobilized I won't know the extent of the nerve damage until she heals. She could be perfectly fine in nine weeks, or…"

"Or?" Eve whimpered to herself.

"Or she could be paralyzed from that point down. Worst case scenario, she will not be able to use her back legs or her tails again." My legs gave out, and I felt like I was going to be sick again. I barely caught the Blissey's next words. "Thankfully she still has that Firestone in her stomach. Once she Evolves, she should be completely healed. Of course it would also be unhealthy for her to evolve before adolescence, so she may have to wait a while. Again, I simply do not know."

We were all silent for a while. Eve must have shut off our connection, because I couldn't even feel her thoughts. It was fine by me. I didn't want anyone else in my head either. "Can we see her?" I finally asked.

Candice nodded as she took a step back, raking away the curtain with the back of her hand. Eve and I shared a glance before we stepped forward together.

I barely recognized her. Her curly bangs were flat against her head, mostly obscuring her eyes. The fur around her muzzle was dyed a deep brown from blood that had leaked from her mouth. From her neck to her tails, Vix was entombed in a stark white cast. Her legs and tails poked out, but hung limply. Her red-brown fur had lost some of its luster. It was the same color as dirt, no not just dirt. Barren soil. She seemed completely lifeless.

I didn't see anything else, because I ran. I ran just like that night so long ago. The night that I thought would be the worst one I would ever experience. This was almost as bad.

Because this time I did have a choice. This time I could have saved Vix and Abby. We could have left that confrontation without any bloodshed. The only one who would have needed to die was me.

But I made a selfish choice.

I was trapped in my head. As a Psychic type that meant so much more than for any other Pokémon. Every iota of my consciousness was trapped in a grey cell in the center of my mind. All I could see were images and memories of my failures. My failure as a leader, as a friend. The dozens of ways I had failed both of my families.

All I could do was stare at that single image of Vix laying motionless and broken on the bed. I could see every detail, and I knew every single particular would be burned into my mind. Especially that stupid black ring around her tail that was the cause of all of her problems. I wondered if that was why she chose to wear her bracelet on that tail, to hide that sign from the world…?

Wait a second, where was her bracelet? Kegan and Candice were both aware that it was vital that she never be separated from that thing. Then I realized exactly what the Nurse had said. "that Firestone in her stomach…" Vix didn't have the stone in her stomach. None of this was right.

Wake up!

"Slink." came a voice that both broke me out of my thoughts and scared me half to death. I probably would have jumped, but unfortunately there was something very solid above my head. As I came back to myself I realized that I had decided to hide under the bed for some reason.

"Down here Eve," I grumbled as I slowly crawled out rubbing my head.

Eve, to her credit, didn't even bat an eye at where I had ended up. She did however look extremely concerned. "Slink, you just ran off. Are you okay?" She barely paused a second. "What am I asking? Of course you aren't. I don't think anyone would be after seeing that." She sighed looking down at her feet. "I know it reminds you of what happened to your family. I know that you probably can't face that again right now.

"Slink, I have to admit that I am scared. The Hatred lured us right into their trap. They are getting bolder, and more desperate. I hate to admit it, but we have to do something."

"Like what?" I shook my head at her. "They want me dead, they want Vix, and I'm not sure anything we do will stop them from attacking again and again until they eventually win."

She growled and stamped her foot. "We have to do something! I will not put Vix into danger anymore." There was a pause. "Maybe we can bargain with them."

"What makes you think that will work? What do we have that is that valuable?"

"Well," Eve said, "when Shane was arguing with you over who he was going to take hostage, I heard Smoke muttering to himself. I'm almost certain I heard him tell Shane to get a crystal from you. Maybe we can give them that."

I froze, my mind spinning. A crystal? I thought back to my vision, to that day in Leo's house. What did the Hatred want with it? I remembered Leo saying that it was his trump card that he would've used to get the Hatred off of his back. What exactly was this crystal?

I decided to play dumb. "Eve, I have no idea what you are talking about. What crystal?"

Eve narrowed her eyes at me. "That day we met Leo. I swear we found a crystal in his house. What did you do with that?"

So they knew we had it, but they still didn't know where it was. That was all I needed to know.

"You know Moon, maybe if you let me out of this illusion we can talk."

"Slink," Eve said, taking a step towards me, "what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering I gathered up as much Psychic as I could and sent it as a huge pulse of energy right at her. If I was wrong it would've most likely knocked her out, but I wasn't wrong. As the bolt struck her she didn't stumble back, she didn't collapse, no she completely vanished.

I sent waves of Psychic in every direction. Instead of striking the walls and ceiling they impacted and stretched an invisible membrane all around me. They caught and tore at the skin, leaving huge rips in reality. Stark white light shone through these gaps. Finally I let out a burst of Psychic energy in every direction. The membrane around me bulged before shattering. I was free.

The plain white room was revealed around me as the illusion fell away. I was nearly blinded by the glaring light that filled the room and reflected off of every surface in the featureless space. The only dark spot was a wall-spanning window, through which I could see Moon's red eyes staring back at me.

She grinned and shook her head at me. I kept my own expression neutral as I shrugged. She laughed, before waving her hand, signalling someone. Behind me the horrible grating screech of stone scraping against stone filled the room.

I sat down, letting out a heavy sigh as the hallway door (a foot thick slab of stone that was perfectly concealed within both the interior and exterior walls) finally finished opening. In past days I would have made a break for it, but I simply sat there glaring as Smoke and Quake quickly rushed in.

"Interesting," Moon said as she entered the room. She had put on large half-moon glasses and was rapidly writing notes on a pad of paper. "Was this the fastest you've ever broken one of my illusions?"

I shook my head. "No, the one where you had Eve, Vix, and me running around a carnival was the fastest." I grinned at her. "Were you even trying that day?"

Moon regarded me over the top of her glasses with a slight smirk. "I thought you might be getting bored with my usual fare. Besides, I figured somebody should try asking nicely for the information we want. It was worth a shot."

I will admit that Moon was probably the biggest surprise about life as a Hatred prisoner. Since they couldn't kill me, the Hatred decided to try and find some information in my head to at least make me useful. Originally they tried to pry open my mind Psychically, but after the first "expert" tried and walked away speaking incoherently they changed tactics.

Because of our deal they couldn't torture the information out of me, so they did the next best thing. Every day they brought me to this room that supposedly amplified Moon's power of illusion, and she would weave an illusion around me to try and make me spill the beans.

Over the two weeks I was imprisoned, I had been put through thirteen different realities. I had broken out of seven, and in the other six Moon had dropped the illusion as soon as I figured it out.

Strangely, despite this daily hell that Moon put me through I couldn't help but like her. She was extremely intelligent, and she reminded me a lot of Eve in the way that she devoured books. She also had a fascinating wit about her, and an insane attention to detail. I couldn't help but think that if she hadn't been a Hatred member I would have gladly asked her to be a part of the team.

"So, what tipped you off today?" Moon asked.

I bit my tongue. This was the tricky part. Normally the thing that helped me out of the illusions were the fact that they parroted lies I had told to the Hatred. Like with Vix's Firestone being in her stomach. I couldn't exactly tell Moon that my lies had tipped me off. Thankfully, despite her OCD levels of attention to detail, Moon normally got at least one detail wrong.

"The apartment number," I told her. "I barely noticed it on the way out of the building, but when I ran back to my room I realized that I was going to the 'wrong' apartment."

"Damn," Moon said cheerfully. "So which apartment do you live in? 2C?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's the one."

Moon raised an eyebrow at me before shaking her head. "Would you tell me even if I was right?" I flashed a sarcastic smile at her.

"Fine," she said, closing her notebook with a snap. "It was a delight as always, Slink. Any requests for tomorrow?"

"Can we do the carnival games again? I'm a sucker for the ring toss. All of this death and disfigurement is really getting me down."

"I hate to interrupt," Smoke suddenly butted in, "but the hour is almost over. We need to get the Fennekin back to his cell."

"Of course," Moon said waving her hand as if to dismiss us. "Bye Slink, try not to die before our next session." She made it sound as though she was my demented therapist, or that I had any choice in the matter. Although, chalk another one up for why I liked Moon. She was the only Hatred member that used my name rather than "Fennekin" or my favorite "hey, you".

Smoke and Quake lead me down the hallway. In any other circumstances I would have felt extremely important, walking along with two "bodyguards". Actually that was almost accurate. Half of their job was to protect me from any ambitious Hatred member that wanted to try their luck by attempting to kill me. Of course, Smoke kept a closer eye on me than anybody else. I think he knew that I had something up my sleeve.

Most of the time it was a huge relief to get back to our cell. Today, however, it was more like seeing water after a year in the desert. I was inside only a few seconds after they unlocked the door.

"Slink?" Vix called as I entered. I looked around, but she wasn't anywhere that I could see. "Up here," she said. I glanced up to see Vix perched catlike on the windowsill. She hopped off, bounded off the wall, and landed right in front of me. "Ta-dah!"

I just stared at her. In retrospect it was probably a bit creepy in the moment. Then I pounced on her.

"Slink! What the-" Vix shouted as I tackled her. "Slink, what are you doing?"

We had settled with me wrapped completely around Vix. I was desperately clinging to her with my face buried in her fur and tears freely streaming down my cheeks.

"Slink, seriously. What is going on? Are you okay? Was today really bad?" Her voice changed quickly from annoyance to concern.

I couldn't help but laugh to myself. The entire time we were captured, I was trying to keep things together for her sake. Now here she was trying to comfort me.

"Yeah," I said, "today's scenario was a bit…" I hesitated. Vix didn't need to know what I had seen. "It's just really good to see you after all of that."

Vix purred against my chest, and I hummed. It was only about one o'clock, but today's session of "let's get Slink to spill his guts" had been extremely taxing. Honestly I would've been perfectly content just snuggling with Vix and going to bed.

Unfortunately that was the exact instant that Vix and I both heard the door being unlocked again. We both got to our feet, turning to face the door. I flinched as Sparkle poked her head in.

"What do you want?" Vix asked grumpily. On the other hand I was staring at my feet, refusing to look at Sparkle. Like Moon, I actually kind of liked the Raichu and I was especially ashamed that I had killed her in fantasy world.

"Shane sent me. He said that he wants to talk to the Fennekin." Sparkle seemed to be her usual cheery shelf. I wondered if Moon had told anyone what had happened in the illusion?

"What about?" I asked. I was more curious than anything. Although with my luck, it would be Shane telling me that they were going to do whatever they wanted with Vix tomorrow and that I was about to die.

"I don't know, he didn't say." Sparkle said with a shrug. "He just told me to come and get you."

I sighed as I stepped forward, but Vix grabbed my back leg with two of her tails. "Don't do it Slink. You shouldn't have to do anything more. What else could they possibly do to you if you refuse?"

Separate us, kill me, I thought to myself. Out loud I said, "It's fine Vix." I glanced between Vix and Sparkle. "One hour, remember. Start now."

Vix hung her head but nodded.

I tried not to worry about Vix too much. Other than the fact that they really wanted to get the Firestone "out of her" I was certain that they didn't want her hurt. My main concern was that she would get caught in the crossfire if anything happened.

Quake stomped silently behind me as we walked. Sparkle floated along in front of me, and she didn't say anything either.

"So what does Shane want to talk to me about?" I asked.

Sparkle glanced back at me over her shoulder. "I don't know. He just told me to come and get you."

Oh. I felt a little uncomfortable. When Smoke escorted me I expected a completely silent journey full of tension. The few times that Sparkle had taken me somewhere, she always tried to engage me in polite conversation.

I'd never started a conversation with her, but it was worth a shot. "So, how come it's always you, Smoke, Stanley, Crash, and Quake who are always carting me around? I mean I saw the size of your organization, it seems like you guys could all take a night off occasionally or something."

"We're all a part of Shane's team," Quake said behind me.

"Well, I'm not." Sparkle said. "I'm just doing this as a favor for Shane. I work in electrical. I'm in charge of making sure that the base has power."

"In that case, I think you need to double check around the prison. From what I can see a few lights are out at the least." I meant to grumble to myself, but Sparkle must have heard me. She turned and grinned at me. "So, what is with Shane. Is he like the leader of the Hatred or what?"

Sparkle shook her head. "Not entirely. Don't you know anything about our organization?"

"I haven't really had a chance to ask considering every time I see you people, you are trying to kill me."

"Everyone in our organization is divided into groups that each have a different job. Recruitment, Research, Water, Electrical. You get the gist. Each group has a leader that is elected by the rest of the group. Apparently Shane was popular. I think he is actually both the youngest leader, as well as the leader who has been in the Hatred the shortest."

"So his team watches me and Vix twenty-four seven? What is their group's job?"

"You," Sparkle simply said. Oh.

"So what about Smoke?" I asked trying to change the subject quickly. "Eve told me that Smoke was the one who recruited Shane. Now he works for him?"

Sparkle shrugged. "Smoke used to be the leader of our recruitment group. In fact he's been a part of the Hatred longer than anyone I know. He's fast, stealthy, and is very good at surveillance. Obviously he was the best choice to locate potential new recruits and maybe give them a nudge or two in our direction if need be.

"But that changed when Shane got assigned to the group that was supposed to find and kill you. I think Shane saw Smoke as a mentor or something. When Shane got promoted to leader, he asked Smoke to join his team. Considering Smoke was already a leader, I really have no idea why he did it."

Sparkle was silent for a moment. Then she abruptly turned to face me, coming to a dead stop in midair. She drifted down so that she was at eye level with me. "Slink, I just wanted you to know…" she paused, biting her lip. "Moon told me about how you killed me in your illusion today."

I blushed and looked down at my feet. "To be fair, I was aiming at Shane and you guys had all but killed Abby and Vix."

"I get it. I understand." Sparkle drifted over and put a paw on my head. "Let's be honest, it was probably just as much Moon as it was you. Slink, I don't agree with everything the Hatred does to achieve its goals. I only came along on the mission to capture you because Shane asked me to. I don't believe in kidnapping or killing in order to help shiny Pokémon."

I wasn't sure where this was leading, but Sparkle plowed onward. "I wish it didn't have to happen like this, but eventually Shane, or Smoke, or somebody is going to kill you. I just wanted to let you know that it's like when you killed me in the illusion today. I wanted you to understand."

I hadn't expected that at all. I wondered if we would have been friends too had we not been on opposite sides. We met eyes, and I saw a warmth in those big blue eyes that seemed foreign on any Hatred member's face. It gave me the courage to ask a question I had wanted to ask for a while. "Why me?" I breathed. "Why do they want to kill me?"

Sparkle instantly dropped her gaze, looking almost guilty. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and turned away. "We better hurry to Shane's office. It's already been fifteen minutes and who knows how long he'll want to talk to you." She zipped off down the corridor without a second thought.

We turned down yet another hallway where a door hung open with warm yellow light pouring out of it. I was actually a bit excited. Everywhere in the base was lit with white fluorescent bulbs. The warm yellow light was a far cry from sunlight, but it was better than nothing.

"Shane," Sparkle called, "we're here." Sparkle lead me into the room with Quake stopping to stand guard outside.

Shane was sitting behind an ornate, but still rather small, desk studying several overlapping maps. On the floor behind his desk there was what seemed to be a physical version of the Pokémon Nexus. It was a small sphere mounted in a gold frame with a map of the world painted on it. I scoffed at how inefficient it had to be. What happens if a new land is discovered? Are you supposed to completely repaint the map?

Other than a few bookshelves behind the desk, the walls were lined strangely with red velvet curtains. This would have been more odd, but then I noticed that the curtains across from Shane's desk hung open revealing that the room was much deeper than I would have guessed. I noticed a couch, TV, kitchenette, and two doors in the back that I assumed led to Shane's bathroom and bedroom.

Shane glanced up from his desk and sat back, running a paw over his head and scratching at his ears. "Thanks Sparkle." His eyes went wide, and he blushed slightly as he noticed that the rest of his home was on display through the curtains. "Oh hey, could you um…"

Sparkle laughed before flicking her paw and causing the curtain to jerk shut. "You seem a bit flustered today. You alright?"

"Yeah," Shane said. "I went to grab a map from my room and I forgot to shut the curtain when I got back."

"You could take a break for a few minutes," Sparkle said.

Shane immediately shook his head. "No. I have a week left to find where we are supposed to go. I've only narrowed it down to three continents." Shane glanced backwards at his paint Nexus, and I noticed that there was a lot of red ink all over it that definitely didn't belong. Three continents, Sand, Air, and surprisingly Fire, were crossed out along with countless islands that occupied the Sea of Wonders. I did notice however that one of the islands was circled with several arrows pointed at it. The twisted dark tree symbol that I was beginning to understand was the Team Hatred Symbol was stamped right next to it.

Suddenly though, none of that mattered. All of my attention was brought inwards as I felt a mind scrape against my own. I quickly raised a Psychic barrier around not only my mind, but all the way along my connection with Vix and around her mind. I waited, bracing myself for further contact, or worse a full fledged attack.

Nothing. I waited patiently for another few minutes, but there were no other Psychic energies around me. Remember the Deal, I sent in the direction the intruder had come from. Stay out of my head!

I reluctantly left my head to find that Shane and Sparkle were just staring at me. "What?" I snapped.

"Shane," Sparkle started quickly, glaring at the Umbreon, "apparently wants to talk to you alone. I told him that that is a bad idea."

Shane glared at me. "And I said that you would behave yourself. Won't you?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Probably," I grumbled, "as long as you don't give me a reason to...misbehave."

The Umbreon smirked at Sparkle. "See, nothing to worry about. And besides if he starts something, I can take him for however long as it takes you to get in here."

Sparkle huffed, but slowly drifted towards the door. "Quake and I will be out in the hall if you need us."

"Thanks mom," Shane grinned, "now please leave."

As the door shut he turned to me. He sighed and slumped in his seat, nearly laying down in his chair. "Have a seat Fennekin." He gestured towards a pair of stool-like chairs with green nest-like padding forming the seat. I hopped up, using Psychic to give my jump a slight boost.

"So," Shane grinned impishly, "I hear today's illusion was a bit...problematic."

"What did you want to talk to me about, Shane?" I growled.

"Fine," he huffed. He stared at me forcing me to meet his gaze. "According to our agreement, I feel like I should inform you. In one week we will use Vix for what we needed her for. That means you have approximately eight days left. After that time we will kill you."

I didn't dare to glance away, blink, or show any outward emotion. My mind was reeling though. One week. I guess it was at least three weeks longer than I could have hoped to live, but I still hated it. I didn't want to die.

"Is that all?" I asked calmly, although my voice shook. If it was fear or anger I didn't know. For a minute I pictured that moment in the illusion where my Fire had burned everything away but my absolute abhorrence of Shane. I imagined myself leaping over this desk and snapping his neck before Sparkle or Quake could stop me. It passed in just an instant.

Shane narrowed his eyes at me. "No. You tried to kill me in the illusion today." It was like he read my mind. I subconsciously ran a search for that Psychic presence from earlier. "I thought you were above that."

"Maybe you finally crossed the line for me." I snapped. I felt myself heating up, but I took a second to cool off. Now wasn't the time. "You've chased me across a continent and back. You want to kidnap or kill most of my friends, and you've nearly succeeded several times. You won't just let us live in peace. And, oh yeah, you murdered my family!"

Shane had the audacity to look confused. Not angry, not shocked, not even sadistically happy. Confused! "We… we didn't…" he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" I growled.

The Umbreon snapped from confused to angry in an instant. "How dare you accuse us of that. I can't speak for some members of the Hatred, but my team would only kill in self defense. Other than you of course." He said in disgust.

"You liar! Eve told me about the night you left town. What about that Vaporeon, Rob? How about Jolt? Mach?"

"What did you want me to do? They attacked me, and the Hatred defended me."

I was shocked that I had to explain this. "You could have disabled them. Eve knocked Mach out. He wasn't going to hurt you. Why did you have to kill him?"

There was a long silence. "What are you talking about?' Shane gasped.

"They found him when they found Eve. His throat was slit. The Hatred were confirmed as the murderers."

Shane shook his head, but he sounded a bit unsure. "How do you know it wasn't that Blastoise trying to gain prestige and power? He was always out to get me. It couldn't have been the Hatred. And the same is true for your family. It was you setting the house on fire that killed them!"

"How dare you! Shut up about my family! I would never-"

"But you did," Shane argued. "I'm sure it was an accident, but you are the one who killed them. We were even going to let them go."

"No. When I dropped out of the trapdoor they were alive. I was going to come back to help them and then their auras vanished. That is when I set the fire. Think about it Shane, they were Fire types. The fire wouldn't have killed them."

Shane glared at me. "They were all still alive when I left the room to find you. I left… Smoke to...stand...guard…" he trailed off. "Smoke…"

"Killed my family," I snarled. "They were completely innocent in all of this. But your man killed them!"

"They were trying to hide you, that should be reason enough." Shane wouldn't even meet my eyes.

"You don't believe that. I know you don't. Maybe you should try looking inward Shane. Why are you the good guys again?"

Shane growled at me. "Just because you don't agree with our means doesn't mean we are the bad guys!"

I snorted. "Yeah, because you all are so innocent?"

Shane was deathly quiet. The mood in the room took a much darker tone as black smoke began to leak from Shane. "Shut up! You don't know anything." He turned to the side, raking the fur there up to reveal knotted scar tissue that stretched from his right shoulder blade, around his leg, stopping on the top of his paw. He carefully brushed his fur down again, covering the mark before continuing. "I had only been with the Hatred a month. They were still training me, and I hadn't been assigned to any section yet.

"We were up on the Moltres Cape, over by Steelbay. We were just supposed to get supplies for the base. I wouldn't have even been there except Rose, my mentor, had me follow along for 'work experience'," he laughed bitterly. "There were only five of us; all civilians. Whatever this organization might have done, they were innocent of that.

"Were were on our way home; leaving peacefully with things like flour and medicine. We were literally only a few feet from the safety of a Dungeon when we ran into another party. They saw who we were, what we were, and then they attacked us. The Expedition Society attacked us unprovoked.

"It was a bloodbath. We were outnumbered two to one. I am the only one who survived." He swore to himself. "The best I could say is that at least most of them had quick, painless deaths. But not Rose. She was the best of us, she had done nothing wrong, but that Ivysaur got the worst of all of it.

"They were aiming for me. Any one of them probably could've killed me in an instant, but it was a game for them. One of them used Magnitude, something that most of us couldn't have countered, much less survived. I froze as the ground split apart beneath my feet. I couldn't even bring myself to move even as I lost my footing and I began to fall. Then I felt a searing pain on my leg. A thorn covered vine was wrapped around me, keeping me suspended only inches from oblivion. Up above Rose used a pair of similar vines to defend herself as best she could. I was amazed at her power as she pulled me up while continuing to defend herself.

"I was safe, but there was nothing I could do for her. It was a Phanpy who finally overcame her. He slammed into her, knocking her back as the gaping fissure slowly began to close. I pulled on the vine, trying to save her like she had for me. The thorns bit deep into my flesh, " he rubbed at his right foreleg unconsciously, "but I refused to let go. I thought I had saved her, but when the ground snapped shut, I heard her scream.

"She didn't die right away. That would've been to merciful. No, I waited with her for hours. I waited with her until Smoke and Quake got there. I waited as Quake ripped the very earth apart and Smoke pulled her free. I watched as the pressure was relieved from her body, and she finally began to bleed. I watched her collapse and die!" Shane brushed his eyes with the back of his paw. "So don't you dare single us out as the bad guys, Slink. Your side is just as guilty in this conflict."

I was stunned, but not silenced. "That doesn't make what you are still doing okay. That doesn't make you the good guys. What the hell are your ends? How could they possibly justify murder and kidnapping children?"

Yellow met red as we stared each other down. "All we want is a safe place for Shiny Pokémon. You are a threat to that goal."

"Well congratulations Shane. Your 'goal' has killed innocents too. I'm not saying that my side is any better, but don't hold yourself up and say you couldn't do it." I met his eyes, and I know he saw the flames flickering within them. "Because we both know now that I could." I leapt down from my stool and knocked on the door. "I'm ready to go!" I called to Sparkle. I didn't look back.

The second I got back to our cell, I collapsed onto the pile of straw in the corner. I was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Unfortunately the whole talk with Shane had given me way too much to think about. I wanted, and needed, to collapse, but that meant I couldn't think.

I used a technique my father taught me. He had called it his "think tank". Basically, it created a Psychic pocket somewhere in the mind where my consciousness could retreat to along with any thoughts and memories so that I could continue to try and solve a problem while my body and parts of my mind could rest.

One week. That was the situation that stared me down as I retreated into my head. I had one week before they killed me and used Vix for what they wanted. Actually I had less than a week before they killed me. I wasn't about to let the Hatred use Vix for anything. Thus I had six days at the most to either get Vix out of here, or convince her to Evolve and leave me to die.

Personally I preferred the former. Despite how - questionable - my illusion world had been, it was accurate specifically in one place. Nurse Candice. "Of course it would also be unhealthy for her to evolve before adolescence…". Once she had found out about about Vix's self-destruct plan, Candice had treated me and Eve to a painfully long lecture about how damaging it could be for Vix to evolve too early. Technically there was no guarantee for any physical or psychological damage, but I didn't want to risk it.

That meant I had roughly five days to come up with a way to get Vix out of the Hatred's bunker.

Well, maybe. Another part of my meeting with Shane kept coming to mind.

"You could take a break for a few minutes," Sparkle said.

Shane immediately shook his head. "No. I have a week left to find where we are supposed to go. I've only narrowed it down to three continents."

One week. This couldn't be a coincidence could it? Shane had been looking for something somewhere, and he somehow had a deadline of only one week to actually find it. Now he's saying that he intends to use Vix like a living map, also at a point one week in the future.

Hold on, there was something else today that was odd. In the illusion world, Moon had asked me about the crystal shard that I had found. Why now, when the Hatred was only a week out from something major, did they want to know about the crystal? Plus, they had asked about it for the first time today. For the past two weeks they had asked me about my father and what he had taught me, or stuff about my life with Vix and Eve. I hadn't even thought about the crystal for weeks.

I didn't see any glaring connection between these points, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. Perhaps I was reaching, but I knew that the crystal probably had something to do with the Dreamstone. Was the Hatred looking for the Dreamstone too?

Clang. I was suddenly ripped from my head space as a loud sound woke me up. I looked around blearily for the source. It was much darker now with barely any light filtering in through the window. How long had I been asleep? Vix was frozen, with her shoulders bunched up like she expected a physical blow, in the middle of the cell. On the floor behind her was a large metal tray with two plates of food on them. Well, what used to be two plates of food. Obviously Vix had accidently dropped the tray and the two plates had spilled, their contents scattered across the floor.

"Sorry," Vix squeaked once she noticed I was awake. "I was trying to bring dinner over to you but then I accidently...dropped it."

I shook my head. "Vix, its fine. I don't mind eating it after its been on the floor. With that oozing sore over there," I gestured towards our toilet, "I'm amazed that we haven't caught all of the diseases already." Vix laughed softly as I stood and stretched. "Why were you bringing it over to me?"

"Because you have had a rough day, and it's my fault." Vix grumbled.

"What?" I asked. "How could it be your fault?"

"The only reason why you have to do any of that is because of me. They put you through an imagined hell every day only because you told them I have a Firestone in my gut." Vix huffed. "I just know that you wouldn't be in this situation if I wasn't here."

If you weren't here I would be in a far worse situation and/or dead, I thought. What I said was, "Vix, I chose to do this. It isn't your fault if I choose it. Besides, if it means keeping you safe, I'd put up with anything."

Vix looked down and blushed which meant she didn't see me approach her. She didn't expect it when I pulled her into a tight hug.

What neither of us expected was the voice in our heads. Awwww.

Vix and I flew apart while I threw up every mental defense I could. Slin- I briefly heard disjointedly as I forced them out of my head. In the back of my head I sensed something familiar about the presence, but I wasn't about to stop to figure it out.

It...me, Eve…ink! I froze, but I kept my walls up. I turned to face Vix who had paled slightly with her mouth gaping open.

"Slink, was that..? Could it really..?"

Eve. I simultaneously wanted to jump with joy and break down into tears of relief. Even with everything I had been through I had tried to retain my faith that Eve would come. But with everything that had happened today, there was no way that this was actually Eve. It was Sparkle or some other Psychic trying to trick me, right?

My heart sank. Or worse, this whole day had been another of Moon's illusions. I had to hand it to her. It was brilliant, having me wake up from an illusion that was nested within another illusion. I frantically tried to think of anything that was factually wrong that I had seen today, but the Hatred had (potentially purposefully) taken me to places that I had never been before.

How was I supposed to figure out whether or not this Eve was real? Well, I guess there was the obvious way.

It was similar to what I was just doing. The think tank. I created a small pocket in my mind, and blocked the rest off with as much Psychic power as I could muster. I dropped my outer walls letting "Eve" in.

As soon as I felt them slip in, I told them what I was about to do. You say that you are Eve. If you actually are then I would like to apologize, but Eve would understand. If you aren't then I am warning you now. Get out of my head, or Vix will evolve.

Slink… I understand. The voice replied. I can't imagine what you've been through the last two weeks. Please, I encourage you to be careful.

Maybe I was being paranoid, but this encouragement only made me more suspicious. I'm gonna ask you a few questions just to make certain that you are who you say you are. Okay, now all I had to do was actually come up with a question. The obvious question would be "where is Vix's Firestone", but if this wasn't Eve just asking the question would tell the Hatred that it wasn't in her stomach.

You carry something in your bag that you said was the last thing "he" gave you. What is it?

I tried to pick my words carefully so that there was a small possibility that anyone but Eve would be able to guess what I meant. Shane undoubtedly would know about the Darkstone, but I didn't think that he would tell anyone else in the Hatred about it. Plus, even if Shane did tell anybody about the Darkstone he probably wouldn't know or even guess that she still carried it.

The Darkstone that Shane gave me when we became partners. I didn't let myself relax.

What did Vix do everyday before we found her? There was probably some chance that the Hatred would know this one, but she only started doing it after the Hatred killed her mother and if they had found her after that, they would have captured her much sooner.

She went to the mouth of her den and watched the sunset. My heart was pounding in my chest. This had to be Eve right.

I needed certainty, so I asked about the most intimate moment we had shared. Nobody except the two of us would know about it. The night we told each other everything, what was the last thing I said to you before we fell asleep?

When the answer came, I felt the hint of a smile and a laugh along with it. You said that once we found the Dreamstone, your family was going to love me!

Eve! I'm not sure what I looked like as the tsunami of relief rushed over me. I know I laughed and I also know that I burst into tears. I tore down every layer of Psychic protecting me. She connected to my mind, and I shuddered with pure joy as I felt her presence for the first time in what felt like years. A rush of memories and emotions threatened to overwhelm me as my own shot towards her.

"Eve," Vix giggled, "you found us! You found us!" As much as I also wanted to celebrate, I quickly hushed Vix. There was certainly somebody guarding our door. If Eve was here to do what I thought she was here to do, it was important that she retain the element of surprise.

It is so good to see you guys. Eve said. I felt relief mixed with sadness flow from her. I was so...so...so worried about you. I was afraid that I wasn't going to make it in time. I thought I was never going to see you again.

Shh, I thought, even now trying to be the strong one, you found us. That is all that matters.

Eve laughed. I'm sorry it took us two weeks, but we found you!

We? I asked. Obviously she wouldn't have come alone, but I needed to know how many people she had. It had to be more than just her and Sierra or we wouldn't stand a chance.

Well, there's me, uh, Sierra, and Kegan. Dimitri came along too. Let's see, we also found Buzz and Leo again. Actually Leo is the only reason why we found you guys. I would never have guessed that the Hatred base was in the center of the Crimson Peak.

Me neither. That's where we were?

I think that's everyone I know personally, but Kegan recruited as many Expedition Society members he could get ahold of. When we told them we are going to attack the Hatred not many of them said no. All in all, I think there are around thirty of us. Eve shrugged. More or less.

Where even are you guys?

We are in the Volcano, but we set up camp outside of the Dungeon. Did you know that there is a Dungeon?

Oh, is that why Vix can see the layout of the whole base? I thought sarcastically.

Oops, I forgot Vix was with you. Anyway we set up outside the Dungeon so we wouldn't be thrown out when it started to shift. But the Dungeon doesn't shift. Even Kegan doesn't quite understand, but this certainly isn't a normal Mystery Dungeon.

Alright. What is the plan? For getting us out? Eve didn't answer right away. There is a plan right?

The beginnings of one. Eve admitted. We have an outline, but we don't exactly have any specifics since there is a lot we don't know. For example, Leo was never allowed into the prison, so we don't know where you guys are. Also we aren't quite sure about the best place to enter.

You will have to talk to Vix about where exactly we are, but in the center of the base there is a courtyard with a skylight. You could drop in there, and our cell is right next to it. It is the perfect entry point.

Eve lit up over the connection. I couldn't help but smile. Her excitement was contagious. Slink, this is perfect! And since we won't have to make a show we might be able to at least get to your cell without raising an alarm.

If you have a Fighting type with you, you will be able to get us out. Crash, Stanley, Quake, and Smoke are the only ones who guard us. We were both silent for a moment. Sure, that was a lot we had pinned down, but there was still a ton that could go wrong.

It was in that moment that I was able to look past the current situation. I remembered the fight Eve and I had had before we were captured. I remembered what I had said. Eve, I want to apologize.

What?

I said some stupid stuff before we were… when I last saw you. Since I've been in here, I've seen… the image of illusion Vix laying broken in the hospital bed revealed itself. Like I said, that image would be burned into my head for a while. ...enough to know that you were right. I was selfish Eve, and I'm sorry.

Are you kidding me? Eve sent. Exasperation would be an understatement to describe the emotion I was receiving from her. I don't care about that. I honestly shouldn't have cared then. Our team's reputation isn't exactly important in the grand scheme of things, it turns out.

Neither of us could help it. We both started laughing. It was a huge release of stress we had both been holding on to for the last two weeks. Neither of us said anything for a while. Both of us were simply reveling in being together again; in mind, if not in body.

Finally Eve spoke. I...I should leave. The longer I'm talking to you, the higher the chance that someone senses me, and then our cover is blown.

All I wanted to do was scream "don't leave me" like a child, but I knew I couldn't. I love you, was all I managed to get out.

I love you too. Now you and Vix should get some sleep you've got one hell of a day tomorrow. Goodbye, Slink.

I shook my head. That feels a bit… ominous. How about, see you later?

Eve smiled, and I felt its warmth. See you tomorrow Slink. With that, her voice and her presence faded. It was like going from a warm summer day straight to midnight in the coldest winter. I couldn't help but shiver.

This change didn't kill the mood however. Vix was still excitedly, albeit silently, dancing around the cell. I couldn't help but join in. For the first time that day, the illusion world that Moon had created slipped from my mind. Vix was alive, whole, and with me. Eve was out there, and she was coming to get us. How could anything be wrong?

At this point in my life, I should have known better than to ask that question.

Before I could close my mind off and protect it once again I saw a flicker, a peek of someone's mind. Just as soon as it appeared, it vanished. I knew it was stupid. I knew it was risky. At the same time though, I felt the need to chase it.

I locked onto the presence, where it had been, and I sent words. Hello? Who are you?