Well here's chapter 40 and I think this one may be a good thrill for some of you. Anyways last chapter Our protagonist Flare and Black appeared to have a bit of a problem at the end and now things will pick back up from their. Thanks again to the reader and everyone that supports the story in any way. Also really quick I'd like to say I updated my profile to have character descriptions and I did make a link to deviant art which leads to a pic of Black I drew up on my new drawing table. (I'm still getting use to is so it's not pro level). And I knew I said that last chapter in the author note but I had to add that Author note later since I had to leave right when I updated that chapter. Anyways enjoy the chapter and I'd really love to here some reactions and thoughts on this one.

Chapter 40: A Futile Escape

Point of View Flare

My head was now throbbing in pain as my eyes slowly cracked open. All I could quite remember right now was me talking to Black and then everything went black. Once I got more control over myself I took in the area I was in and I quickly realized that we were in the back of a vehicle similar to a van, one of the vans that you would here people being kidnapped in. Everything back here was dark though and the only reason I put those clues together was because I could hear an engine running along with me constantly bumping around from the rough ground the van was driving on. The windows appeared to have cardboard covering the windows but there were a few holes in it which allowed light to shine through and help me make out the area around me slightly. Besides the constant bumping noises from the van and its engine all I could hear was the sound of rain pouring down on top of the van.

After a few seconds of me trying to regain my complete consciousness I tried to move but I quickly noticed that I was tied up to something with rope and I couldn't move a single limb on my body and then on top of that I noticed there was a muzzle on my mouth so I couldn't yell for help or even talk. I then struggled to move my head enough to see what I was tied to and I saw Black out of the corner of my eye.

The umbreon appeared to be dead asleep like I was a few seconds ago and him and I were both tied back to back and it looked like he had no free limbs either. Realizing that I wasn't alone I then started squirming and trying to make movements with the few muscles I could use in an attempt to wake up Black so he could help me out of this. As I was constantly making movements Black and I then both slid to the other side of the van as the van made a very sharp turn. The downside to that was that I was the one who hit the wall of the van but then Black's unconscious body then pushed me against the wall and left me very little breathing room and at that moment I felt very Claustrophobic and I just wanted to be untied right away.

I then started letting out loud grunts which was the loudest noise I could make with the muzzle on my snout and I just wished Black would wake the hell up and help me get some room between him and the wall I was pried against. Then as I was grunting I then felt another force send us flying to the back of the van, but luckily for me Black was the one who absorbed the whole impact and softened my blow, which was good because if it was the other way around I would have suffocated since he is three times my size. Black then let out a pained groan put showed no sign of waking up.

I then noticed that the van was no longer moving and that the engine was off. Then I heard a loud creaking noise and the back of the van opened up. I couldn't see much since I was facing the opposite direction, but I struggled my head to look back and I could make out a blaziken standing by the door looking at us.

"Hmmf your not supposed to be awake, guess I didn't use enough tranquilizer on you" I heard the blaziken say as he grabbed Black and turned his body which I was tied to so he could see me.

I then got a better look at the blaziken who covered in nothing but scars which gave him a really tough look. Along with his scar's he also had a lot of muscle build which could only make him as tough as he looked. The blaziken also had a sling that went over his shoulder and around his body and went under his other arm and reconnected back by the shoulder. The sling had a lot of equipment on is such as a tube gun, a few ninja star's, some tube gun ammo and a really big knife that had a razor sharp blade. Now from what I could see from behind the blaziken was that we were no longer in Cyllage city and that it appeared we were in a forest in the middle of nowhere, which was never a good sign when you were kidnapped but then you add the white mini-van we were in and I just prayed that this wasn't what it looked like.

"How long have you been awake" He then asked even though I couldn't reply "Oh right your muzzle" he said as he reached towards me and grabbed the muzzle and began unlatching it off my snout.

"If you scream or do anything to draw attention I'll kill you right here" he then said as he took the muzzle fully off and my first reflex was to flex my jaw a few times.

"Let me go" I then demanded in a serious tone.

The blaziken then just looked at me funny as he pulled out his knife that was on the sling "I'm afraid that's not going to happen Flare" the blaziken said.

"How do you know my name" I then asked as I tried to recall who he was.

"You don't know me but I know you" he then said as he began to throw his knife up in the air and the blade did many flips and he caught it perfectly without even caring about how dangerous it was.

"What do you want from us, are you with those pokemon trying to capture Black" I then asked.

"No, I'm here to eliminate you and him" the blaziken said and my ears instantly dropped as I realized how serious the situation was.

"Wha-why" I then said as I began to panic.

"Listen just tell me where your friends are and I'll promise they won't feel any pain or even see it coming at all" the blaziken said as he continued to play with his knife not even caring about how inhumane this was.

"Your after my friends to" I cried out as I started to really worry about them.

"Pretty much everyone you know is on the list" Once I heard those words I instantly just wanted to jump up and inflict some serious pain on this guy for even talking like this in such a casual voice.

"You stay the hell away from them or I'll-" I began to say before he interrupted "You'll what? You're the one tied up and your death can be easy if you just cooperate" he then said as he sheathed his knife and focused his attention back on me.

I only replied with silence since I wasn't going to help someone as sick as him. "I'll tell you what, if you tell me where to find them I'll let you go since your not a high priority target" The blaziken said with an offer that I'd never consider taking.

"If I sell them out they'll all die and if they die I may as well be dead. I'm not selling them out" I replied with a growl.

The blaziken then let out a laugh that really pissed me off since he was laughing at such a dark situation "Good choice fennekin, I would have killed you either way" He said as he continued laughing obnoxiously.

"Go to hell" I snarled towards the laughing blaziken.

"Well is there any last things you'd like to say, maybe I can pass on your last words to your friends while I'm finishing them off" The blaziken said as he picked up the muzzle to put it back on me.

"No but I got something for you!" I shouted out as I shot an ember at him and spark's and smoke clouded the area in front of me and I couldn't see a single thing.

"Are you done" I then heard the blaziken say as the smoke from the attack cleared up. The blaziken was just dusting himself off from my ember as if it did nothing and there wasn't even any sign of damage on him.

"I was going to offer to put you to sleep so you didn't have to suffer but I'll let you watch as you slowly die helplessly" he said as he sent a strong punch between my eyes and dazed my vision. Then he grabbed me and pulled me towards him and strapped the muzzle back on me.

"I like you kid, you got spunk and your loyal to most of your friends, excluding your friend their of course" he then referred to my argument with Black from last night. I completely forgot about that and it saddened me that that was going to be out last conversation ever and I was going to die as an un-loyal pokemon that treated his friend horribly. The truth was I was just angry that night and I just needed to vent and Black just happened to be the pokemon I vented on.

"You know kid I do actually remember you from one other place" the blaziken said as he held his chin and reflected back to something.

I just sat there and stared at him as I wondered where he could possibly know me from. "Back in Geosenge around five years ago or maybe six" he said as he looked at me with a sly smile. My eyes instantly shot open and I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Yeah I remember seeing you being brought out of that facility by the police, aren't you lucky though? Most pokemon in your situation were put to sleep, your only alive because they thought you had a chance of living a normal life" the blaziken said as he reminded me of horrible memories. I was now growling as best as I could with the muzzle on my mouth as I gave the blaziken a death stare in an attempt to tell him to back off.

"Why are you looking at me like that kid, after all you were able to live a good life after that from what I could tell? You were given a family, friends, a place you could be loved and call home. I could even say I'm a little jealous that someone like you got a second chance at a normal life" The blaziken said and my growl's grew more aggressive.

"Although you meeting that umbreon was a death sentence for you and your friends. Anyways I'll leave you with those thoughts while your still alive" the blaziken said.

The blaziken then shut the door of the van and I could hear him walking towards the driver seat "Okay this is it for you guys, hasta luego kid" the blaziken said as I heard the gears in the van shift and before I knew it I could feel the van moving on its own. Soon after the elevation of the van changed and I could tell we were rolling down a hill slowly.

As the van's incline changed Black and I then began sliding again then we both rotated and unfortunately for me I was smashed against the wall and Black again except for this time we were at an angle so I could hardly breathe or move. I was now beginning to panic as I frantically looked around the van for a way out. Then I spotted a piece of metal sticking out of the van wall and it appeared to be sharp. But it also appeared to be too high for me to but our ropes by a few inches.

An idea then snapped in my head and I began to wiggle and thrust our way towards the odd piece of sharp metal sticking out of the van. As I inched forward I could diffidently tell the van was picking up speed and I was starting to wonder where the van was going to end up.

After a few seconds of inching my way forward I then felt a strong force send me and Black flying into the air and I heard a loud splashing noise outside as the van slowed down a little. Luckily for me when we went flying the force put me closer to the metal I was trying to get to and I was now only a few inches away.

I then looked towards the back door of the van and I could hear the sound of water leaking into the van and before I knew it I felt a wet substance run down to me and Black and I then realized that the van crashed into a lake or something along those lines. Water was now slowly filling the van up and it only motivated me to try harder and I continued to try and thrust me and Black closer to the metal. Once I finally did reach the metal I realized I was correct and the metal was too high to cut the rope with and then I went with my plan B. I then lifted my head up as much as I could until my face was right next the metal and I then pushed the muzzle against the sharp metal and I began sliding the muzzle back and forth as I slowly attempted to cut it off me. The water in the van was now beginning to get a little higher and it was really close to getting higher than blacks mouth and if that happened he'd drown for sure.

I continued to slide the muzzle back and forth and then I took a second to check the water level and it was just now rising past Black's head and he was now probably drowning. I then picked up the paste and began sliding back and forth with a lot more speed and strength and then I felt the muzzle separate and the metal slashed the side of my mouth and blood began to trickle pot of a big cut that followed my snout to the nose. The cut hurt a lot but that was the least of my concerns at the moment.

I then repositioned myself a little a little so I could clearly look at the rope. The water levels where now very high and I was struggling just to keep my head above the water levels. I then inhaled a deep breath and stuck my head under the water and began chewing on the rope. After about thirty seconds the roped finally ripped and I was now free along with Black who most diffidently was at high risk of being close to drowning to death.

The van was now around half full of water and I didn't waste any time I swam to the bottom of the van and bit down on Black's fur and I struggled to bring him to the small air bubble at the top of the van. I continued to hold Black above the water and here and their me and him would both go under water and I'd have to use everything I had to pull me and him back up. The van was now probably around three fourths full and we were running out of time.

"Black wake up" I struggled to yell as I held him in mouth above the water.

After a few seconds of me struggling to hold Black up I realized that it was futile and there was no way that we were both going to make it out alive, I was a very weak swimmer after all and he was very heavy for me to carry. His head was below the water way to long and there was no sign of him even moving at this point. I hesitantly released Black's fur out of my mouth and I regrettably headed towards the door without him. I looked back for a second as I saw Black slowly descend towards the bottom of the van. The van was now literally almost completely full of water and my chances of surviving were very low.

Once I reach the door I took in another deep breath and I went back under water and tried to pull the lever that would open the door up. I managed to pull the lever and the door clicked indicating I could open the door. I then tried pushing on the door as hard as I could but it wouldn't budge.

After a few seconds I swam back up to regain my breath so I could try again. I was barely even able to fit my whole head in the remaining air bubble at the top and I only got two breaths of air before the van was completely under water and this was literally my only chance of escape.

I swam back down to the door and got some room between the door and I and I swam at the door at full speed. The moment I hit it the door opened with very little resistance and I was now free, before I swam out of the van though I looked back at Black for a quick second. He was just floating in the van unconscious still.

'I'm so sorry' I said in my head as I swam away as I felt my breath running out and before I knew it I felt like my mouth was going to burst open in an attempt to get anything relatively close to oxygen in my lungs. Right before I gave in though I finally reached the top of the body of water I was in and I emerged and the first thing I did was take in a deep breath of fresh air.

I then began to swim towards land. Once I reached the muddy shore I dragged myself onto the land with very weak and shaky paws and I looked back to where the van was under water. I couldn't believe this was happening and most of all I couldn't believe I choose to act so selfishly and leave Black to die like that.

"I'm so sorry" I said as tears began to escape my eyes as I instantly began to regret my actions of being a coward and not trying to save him.

"I'm so sorry" I then shouted out as I began to sob from abandoning my friend.

"Black…" I said faintly "I had no choice" I then yelled out as I fell to the ground in defeat and began sobbing and crying from my actions. I may have escaped with my life, but at the cost of leaving my friend to drown.

To be continued…

Chapter End

Author Note: ... huge cliff hanger lol. So a lot actually happened this chapter and some good stuff was hinted in the dialogue between Flare and the blaziken. So as mentioned earlier in the chapter the blaziken mentioned something about Flare five to six years ago, I'd really love to here some theories on that lol. Now I'd like to explain some quick science that is relevant to this chap and could possible save your life one day lol. In the chapter you may have noticed Flare couldn't open the van door when the van wasn't filled with water all the way. But once the van was 100% full of water he opened it easily. It has to do with equal pressure from inside the van and outside the van. So in real life it will be near impossible to open a car door if your vehicle is completely under water. So you'd have to wait until their is equal pressure inside and outside in order to open the door. Anyways I just wanted to explain that since I did add it into the chapter lol and it is something that is handy to know. Now onto the end of the chapter. The end was pretty grave and is a pretty big cliffhanger and I'm going to leave you all hanging off that cliff until next chapter lol. So hang around until next chapter! (Pardon the cheap joke lol)

Thanks for reading and thanks to those who follow and fav'd the story and it'd be awesome to here some theories and opinions on some of the high points of this chapter.