Book II: Impending Twilight

Chapter 129: An unpleasant return

Point of View Aiden

My feet… my poor feet… After so much walking I couldn't even feel them. We had finally made it around midnight to the end of the mountains, but at this point I couldn't even feel my feet, they might have frostbite.

The others looked just as exhausted. The quilava's movements swayed all over the place, Lucy was dragging her feet as her tail sagged along the ground.

At least we were in a forest now, which the trees offered a bit of shielding from the wind. Plus, down here it wasn't nearly as cold.

As the night continued we all struggled onward. We were so close to the city, we couldn't stop yet. I just couldn't wait to see Snowbelle and finally sleep somewhere that wasn't messed up.

First thing I planned to do when I get back is to find somewhere to take a nice hot bath. Then find a cozy bed and sleep till it's well past noon. It was the least someone could ask for after being tortured like that. Plus, I did just save an entire group of pokemon… or so I hoped. I mean I never did see if anyone else got out. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Just thinking of what kind of treats awaited in Snowbelle made me all giddy with excitement. I couldn't wait, I wanted to be there now!

A long silent walk had passed by the time we came out on the other end of the forest, Snowbelle finally in sight. All of us stood atop a hill, looking at the sorry presentation of the city. I collapsed to my knees in defeat, my eyes stuck on the ruins of the city..

"I just wanted normal," I uttered in defeat collapsing into the snow in the fetal position, not wanting to live in this world another second.

"Aiden… we need to press on," Lucy urged me, but I wasn't having it.

I held myself tighter, feeling myself on the verge of tears, "I just want to lay in bed all day reading comic books and playing Nintendo."

Lucy sighed, "Well damn, that does sound good, except I'm a little more concerned on where two-thirds of Snowbelle went!" the servine shouted, bringing back out the scary side of the demon-snake.

I whimpered a bit as I rolled onto my side and pushed myself out of the snow. "Suppose we should go see what's up, huh?"

"Probably not a bad idea," Lucy nodded. "Plus, the quilava probably needs some medical atten-"

"I'm fine," he shot her down. The smaller fire type kept his eyes on Snowbelle. "My top priority will be reuniting with my friends, that is if they're still even alive."

"That reminds me," I spoke up as I walked in front of the quilava, obscuring his view of Snowbelle. "You and I, we need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you, our little partnership was a mutual-" the quilava choked as a vine ensnared his throat.

"Listen, I recall you agreeing to talk if we helped you. Now, I'm a bit annoyed, so if you want to keep a head on those shoulders I'd suggest spitting out some answers. Or make my day, I haven't decapitated someone in a good while," Lucy's voice sent tremors through me. For once she was using her evil for good…

The quilava flailed around as he tried to free himself, flames spewed from his mouth but he didn't get close to landing his mark.

Merrick shouted out at Lucy, "You bitc-" her vine tightened, making him gag.

"Alright, what did you want to know, I'll make him talk?"

"Why are you helping me?" I asked her.

"No, ask him, not me!"

"Right," I nodded, looking down at the struggling hot-head (literally). "So, I'm just mostly curious of what the heck you guys are trying to accomplish. Like, you literally messed up my life to get whatever you were trying to do, so don't you think I deserve some kind of explanation on why?"

The quilava lashed around, before ending up on his side. His eyes darted up, locking onto me. "You really think if I tell you it'll change anything. It doesn't involve you, I suggest you walk away with what little yo-" Lucy's vine's tightening, making the quilava jolt in panic.

"Answer him," Lucy hissed.

Merrick scowled, "Alright, seeing as I like having a head, I'll talk. But, in return you have to help me find my-"

"Not happening, talk." Lucy strangled him.

"Gah, fine!" he snapped. The quilava trembled as he glared up at us, the flames around him crackling in fury.

Point of View Flare

As I agreed, I returned to our hideout in the convenience store at dawn. Zylen had been passed out by the time I arrived, Annie cradled in his arms as he leaned up against the wall. If it wasn't for the fact my sister was in a coma, I'd almost say they looked cute cuddled up together.

Naomi sat across the store, lying down half asleep. I didn't want to bother Zylen from his rest so I took a seat next to Naomi. The umbreon's head rose up and she gave a yawn.

"No luck?" Was the first thing I assumed.

She shook her head, "I looked everywhere I could, but nothing." Naomi sighed as she laid her head back down on the ground, "I'm assuming you were unsuccessful as well, seeing as Black isn't here."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "I'll probably be going back in about an hour, but first I need some rest."

"Is that really a good idea?" Naomi asked.

"No, but Black's in danger, I don't have time to sit around only thinking of myself."

"I understand, but I do have to ask something. What exactly was it that you wouldn't tell me about the WPA? Something happened, what was it?"

I should have known this question would come up almost immediately. Course she needed to know the truth, but I wasn't even ready to accept the lies I've been fed all my life. Plus, Zylen was the one who witnessed it.

I fumbled in my spot, finding myself uncomfortable, "Well," I cleared my throat before going on with the far-fetched story of what the WPA really was. It was only a five or so minute explanation, but forming the right words to come out with it was no easy task. By the end of my explanation Naomi was left speechless, her eyes lost in thought.

"So yeah, that's what the WPA really is. They've been lying to us, and that zoroark there witnessed it all."

Naomi shook her head free of her trance, "And you trust him?"

I nodded, "Of course, Zylen's like an older brother to me, he wouldn't fabricate something like that, especially with everything that's going on." I stared over at Zylen as he snored away with my sister, if he would wake up this could maybe be easier on me.

"I've been meaning to ask, who are those two? I don't recall your trainer ever having them around, were they caught after Shalour?"

My ears flattened a bit as I leaned away from Naomi a bit. I should have known this question would come up too, and like the last one I wasn't ready for it, but this one I especially wasn't ready for. To explain things to her would be to reveal the truth of everything. Could I honestly trust Naomi? Black always did, I never knew why, but I never saw Naomi the way Black did.

"It's a long story, and I don't know how to answer really," I nervously replied. "The braixen is actually my older sister that I haven't seen since I was a child, the zoroark's a close friend of ours, kind of like a older brother as I said earlier. As to what their relationship is now, I haven't had a chance to figure it out."

Naomi's face lit up with a smile, "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, no one did."

"Wait, no one?" Naomi's brow rose in confusion.

I nodded, "Seeing as things are going to Hell in my life really fast, I may as well tell you. Just promise me you won't ever tell anyone; I'll tell them when I'm ready."

"I can do that," Naomi agreed, her ears perking up in interest.

I took in a deep breath, she was going to be the first person I ever admitted the truth to. "Well this whole no one knowing I had a sister thing is because of my past. See, everyone thinks I was some poor fennekin raised by an abusive owner, which Alex thinks too."

"But you're not, are you?" Naomi said, catching on pretty fast.

"I'm not," I gave a dry chuckle, my heart starting to race. "Truth is, I lied a lot to everyone to keep a secret safe." I looked away from Naomi, "When I was a kid I was a part of Team Flare."

Silence followed, I turned towards Naomi finding that she was stunned in the shock of my answer, her mouth slightly agape, stuck forming a word in her mouth.

"Why I didn't tell anyone," I said as I got to my feet, feeling that I didn't want a break anymore.

"Wait!" Naomi sprang to her feet too. "It's not that I'm judging you or anything, I just never really would have expected that from you."

"Well, that means I did a good job," I said quietly, walking towards the exit.

"You really think anyone is going to care?" Naomi called after me. I stopped in my tracks, waiting to see where she was going. "Everyone in your group seems to be very understanding, save for the moody absol. It was clear when we all met that I did things in my past too, you accepted me on the most part I'm sure, everyone else did, Black especially."

"I get that, but the difference is when we met you we knew that was who you were. These are people I lied to my entire life. How do you think you'd feel if you had to break the image that everybody had of you?"

"I already have done that," Naomi replied.

I turned back to her, "You have?"

She gave a slow nod, "My brother, Dante. I left home for a long time, years even, and all this time he thought of me as some sweet little sister that could do no wrong. Well, last time I saw him I had revealed to him that I was no longer that sweet little umbreon, and that I hurt people. Not only that, it hurt him more when he found out about Stark and I. So, I do know what it's like to tell the truth about something that might hurt others."

"And what happened between you two?"

"Well, for now I'm giving him a good amount of time to come to terms with what I am. He could handle everything up to the point of me loving Stark, he couldn't accept it. Now, he's infuriated with me so we left on bad terms."

"I see…" I whispered. I didn't see how this was supposed to help, that was a terrible story to tell me right now of all times.

"The reason I told you that though is because you can't deny the truth."

"But you ruined each other's relationship."

"That might be true, but I can't deny what I am and what I do. He's my brother and I love him, so I wanted him to know the real me, not some version of me where I'm constantly hiding things. Sure, we might not see each other for a while, or maybe never again, but there comes a point where you have to choose what you want. I wanted Dante to make his opinion of who I really was."

"Yeah but… I feel like you kind of did that for Stark."

"And he was worth doing it for. If I hadn't told Dante he would still be with me, and I would have had to leave Stark. Dante had his choice, he chose to be spiteful, I did everything I could for him."

"I get what you're saying. I don't know if that helps me though."

"Keeping secrets can be hard, Flare. If you ever run into your friends again you're going to have to make a choice, your sister and zoroark friend, or your newer friends. You won't be able to hide the truth forever, especially not with you and her looking so alike."

Hearing those words made my chest feel empty. She was absolutely right. If I did reunite with everyone I couldn't bring Annie and Zylen with. There would be too many questions, too many secrets. And I wasn't about to start that with everyone again. I couldn't keep lying like I am now. Maybe if I did tell them the truth they'd hate me, but in the end it'd make the choices of where I'm going a lot easier. At least with telling them who I am, my sister and Zylen can be with me if I do go back. If I ever can that is.

I gave a forced smile at Naomi. I wasn't feeling happy, but I was most grateful for her insight. "You're right, thanks for the talk."

"No problem," Naomi smiled back. "While you're gone, I am going to take a look at your sister like you asked. Just be careful while you're out there."

"I will be."

Point of view Gray

"Let's go, absol," the sylveon barked as she strutted past me.

"And where is it you're taking me?" I followed her down the street of where I had been asking the locals of Stark.

"I got a lead on our albino umbreon friend," Lily replied, her tone frustrated. "Just remember that we're going to put him down, not negotiate."

"I'm aware of that," I grumbled.

The sylveon and I both quickly made our way through the city. The fairy type pushed many of the civilians out of her way, not caring in the slightest. I was still convinced that there was something off about her. She didn't act appropriate for a WPA agent, especially someone who worked under Zack like I did.

To say the least she was a condescending pokemon, not unheard of for a snobby fairy type. Even the way she strutted around made her seem like she was some proud being that looked down on others. None of it added up, my absol intuition said so, especially with how strange Zack was acting.

When Lily had informed me that we were in the area Stark had been spotted I was sure to do my job and keep my eyes open for him. I scanned around the area, but found nothing in the runned down area of the city. With all the clutter of human's it was hard to make out one pokemon, even if he was abnormal in appearance.

Tents had been pitched all over the streets, fires burned in trash cans. The humans and pokemon of this area had taken over the streets, turning it into their own camp. The sight was odd, mostly because it looked like bums had taken over Snowbelle, but I knew these were just desperate times.

As I searched out for the umbreon I'd occasionally gawk at the sylveon, trying to read her. All I could get of her was the snobby look. I had wanted to call her out of it, especially how she always seemed to walk out in front of people without a care, like she always came first no matter what. She even almost trampled over some children at some point.

Worst of all she would constantly yell at me, telling me to keep my eyes out. It took everything I had not to lash out at her. If this kept up I was sure I was going to have to bump sylveon's up to my least favorite eeveelution…

"There!" Lily barked. I turned to see her paw pointing at an albino umbreon crossing the road, not noticing us. "Let's go in for the kill," she sneered, sprinting at him.

I followed behind her, even though I had no intent on killing him in the middle of the street. The umbreon spun around, shadows coming to life around the umbreon. Lily skidded to a stop, her ribbons taking on their own lively movements as well.

"Caught you," the sylveon gave a toothy grin. "Now, come with us, we need to have a talk with you down at the WPA base."

Stark revealed his fangs as he snarled, "I'm pretty sure Rhys and I had an agreement, is he really going to go back on his word like that?"

Lilly simply laughed, "An agreement, I have no idea what you're-"

"Don't play games with me." The dark energy surrounding Stark grew, hissing as it melted the snow at his feet. I inched back at the sight. I couldn't help but remember the way Black fought with his own energy. It was a reminder that the power they wielded was evil and made to kill.

"I really have no idea what you're spouting, do you, Gray?" The sylveon chuckled, glancing back at me with amusement. I wasn't sure how to react. It was clear this was some game to her, and I doubt it was coincidence that Start associated her with the notorious Rhys.

"What did he mean by that?" I questioned the sylveon, ignoring Stark.

The sylveon's amused smirk disappeared into a scowl, "Just what the Hell do you mean by that?" she nearly repeated my own question. "Think I actually know what he's going on about?! No, I don't!"

I turned to Stark, finding that his frustration was only worsening from her response. I didn't trust him either, but I hardly doubted she was speaking a single word of the truth.

"Dirty liars," Stark muttered. "We had a deal, I should have known this is what Rhys would have done."

"Whatever," Lily snorted. "Keep crying about irrelevant crap. Wouldn't be my top pick of last words."

"And what about Naomi?" Stark questioned, his voice lowering as he focused solely on her, "Is she on your list too?"

Lilly simply shrugged, "I don't know, she's not my priority right now. I'm sure she will be though, after I take out some other trash."

"Is that so," Stark gave a dry chuckle. "Unfortunate for you, those were the wrong words."

"Excuse me?" Lily broke out in a laughter. By now all the humans were taking notice of our commotion, exactly what I wanted to avoid. Instead of running they all started forming a ring around us, almost like this was some kind of fight club. I picked up two humans making a bet on a winner, another cheering us on. I shuddered at the stupidity some humans had… Why did it have to be the humans that were around for all events?

"I was going to let you live," Stark went on as he walked to the left of the sylveon, his eyes locked on her, choosing to ignore me for now.

"Right, and I was going to let you go free," Lily laughed. "Absol, be my support. Just wait for your chance and take that stupid head off his shoulders."

"I'm not decapitating anyone!" I shouted at her. A shiver ran down my spine. No way was she WPA, that literally went against everything we were trained for.

"Jeez, you're no fun-"

"Are you serious?!" I snapped, making the sylveon grumble in displeasure. "The WPA is supposed to enforce peace and set a good example, not showing everyone that it's okay to slice off someone's head without even giving them a trial!"

"I don't know," she laughed as she looked around the crowd. "Right, now these humans look like they want a show. You think after everything that happened they care about law and order? Most of these humans had everything taken away from them. So, this is probably some form of venting for them."

"You're insane…" I said as I glared at her. "Why would Zack of all pokemon choose you to work alongside me?"

Lily laughed, "Because, didn't you have some burning desire to rip this guy to shreds?! I mean the report said this umbreon slaughtered all of your friends?! Why wouldn't you want to kill him?! He's the reason for all of your detriment! Wouldn't you like to finally see justice prevail, for him to get what he deserves?!"

I paused at her reasoning. My eyes drifted towards my paws, remembering that terrible day. It's true, I wanted to see him dead. He deserved it, but that wasn't why I joined the WPA. A good friend of mine set a good example, wanting all pokemon to be treated equally, criminal or not. For this pokemon being his killer, I would honor his will, I wouldn't be what this sylveon wanted me to be. If I did, then I would be no better than Stark.

"I do want to kill him," I admitted, my paws shaking in anger.

"Glad to hear it, now let's-"

"But if I was to slay him here that would just be plain old murder, no justice at all. What kind of example would I be setting for everyone here, my colleagues, my friends? I'd be no better than every other murderer that walks the streets. Killing is killing, I won't conform to what you want me to be. I will capture him and give him a fair trial, not whatever this is here."

The darkness around Stark weakened, his eyes showing the impact my words had on him.

"Isn't that unfortunate," Lucy shook her head at me. "You had one simple job, and you're useless to me. We didn't come here to give him a fair chance, we came here to execute him like the low-life-scum he is. Now, you can go crawl back to the WPA base like the worm you are, I have no need of you."

"No," I growled. "I don't recognize you as an agent of the WPA. You don't act like one, therefore I can't let you go around slaughtering pokemon as you please. So instead you will stand down and let me handle this."

"You really want to betray the WPA like that? Because if you try to harm me that's what this act of transgression will be taken as. Care to change your attitude?"

I shook my head at the sylveon, "Something isn't right around the WPA, I can sense it. From them using someone like you, to the way Zack is acting. It doesn't add up. I may not have a horn to sense these things anymore, but I know something is very wrong around here. So tell me, are you part of the source of this problem?"

Lily sneered at me, "I have no idea what you're spurting out."

"I see," I simply answered, her expression being the true answer.

"So it's going to be like this then?" Lily sighed. "Can't say this will be fun anymore with two against one." Her ears drooped down, her head turning back towards the umbreon. "You wouldn't happen to have a vendetta against him that'd give us a temporary alliance, would you?"

"No way in Hell would I ever team up with either of you," Stark snapped.

"Whelp, this isn't looking too good anymore," the sylveon sighed as she walked towards the crowd for an escape. "I concede for now, but next time we meet-"

"You're not going anywhere." I cut her off. "Instead, you're going to give me some answers on what's going on. You've obviously showed that you've been lyi-"

"Just shut it already!" Lily snapped, her ribbon slapping me across the face as the crowd roared in excitement.

I recoiled back and crouched low, seeing that beating her unconscious was going to be my only option. Stark charged in from behind, making the odds in my favor.

"Shit!" Lily snapped as the umbreon shot a shadow ball at her. The crowd split apart as the sylveon dove out of the way, the ball of dark matter exploding into a glass window of a small shop.

"Hey, watch it!" I snapped at Stark. "Mind the fact that you can still hurt the civilians!"

"What we need is for them to get out of here, they're going to get in our way," Stark replied, charging up another attack in his maw. He leapt towards the crowd, spraying off darkmatter like a flamethrower. The size was small, but enough to scare some of the humans off.

Screams sounded through the streets again, making it seem like this city could never get any peace and quiet. Within a matter of seconds the street was nearly cleared.

"There, now we can just focus on each other," Stark stated. "Judging by how she acts, I doubt she would have controlled herself for their safety."

I'll admit, his actions were unexpected, but he was right. The civilians were just going to be in our way. It would have been easy for him to just ignore them and go all out, but he chose to scare them off just to keep them safe.

When this was over him and I were going to have a long talk. Not that I forgave him, but things needed to be discussed.

"Well, come on now, you two guys going to gang up on me or not?" Lilly's head kept turning between us.

"Don't say it like that…" Stark growled.

"What, feeling uneas-"

"Stop trying to distract us from the fight!" The umbreon snapped. "I swear, I don't know what it is with everyone lately but all they do is try and talk during the fights! Has anyone been in a fight before, there usually isn't this much talking!"

Lily laughed, "Alright, alright, let's settle this, boys."

Point of View Aiden

"Well, out with it," Lucy demanded, keeping the quilava ensnared. By now the quilava had cooled down, especially since he was pinned to the snowy ground.

"Well…" Merrick weakly started. He trembled in place, his mouth half open, words stuck in his throat. I could tell this wasn't what he wanted. Funny, because I didn't want any of what they put me through, so I didn't really give a crap. He was going to cut, even if I had to beat it out of him, or in this case if Lucy had to strangle it out of him.

The quilava cleared his throat and took in a deep breath. He pressed his feet into the snow as he looked up with a fire in his eyes, as if determined to make us see things in his light. "The goal of the Crimson Dawn is to bring peace to this world."

"I find that hard to believe," I sighed. "I mean you're literally hurting people, and are recognized as a terrorist group of pokemon. And what about Shalour, that was pure evil. Mind explaining how any of that has made the world a better place?"

"Shut it, you probably wouldn't understand-" Lucy started strangling the quilava, shaking him around the snowy ground. He gave a sad attempt of kicking and clawing, but was only left panting on the ground, the white in his eyes turning a pinkish color.

"Will you stop that!" he screamed at Lucy.

"Then answer the question!"

Merrick stared the servine down for a few seconds, before turning back to me with just as much resentment. "Alright, what happened in Shalour was a distraction to get to the umbreon. Not only that, to show the WPA and Genesis that we were a force to be reckoned with."

"And why the whiny-emo-umbreon?"

"Right," Merrick dryly chuckled. "We never did tell you why we wanted him. Why not ask the servine though, she probably knows, if she was close to Rhys that is."

I glanced at the servine, a bit surprised. "Wait, do you?" I questioned her.

Lucy didn't so much as look away, but gave a nod. "I do, I just never really had a reason to tell you. Technically I'm not supposed to tell you, but I suppose I do owe you one."

"Why did you keep that from me?!"

"Calm down," Lucy scowled. "It's just that I never had a reason to, we were more focused on Genesis than Crimson, plus as I said I didn't want to tell you much."

"Ouch," the quilava chuckled, "Your girl is holding out on yo-" Lucy strangled him again.

"We are not like that!" she screamed at him with all of her pent up fury.

When she stopped the quilava was left wheezing on the ground, struggling for air. "I just assumed, you two were snuggling together the whole time in the cave…"

"Because it was cold! I'm not a fire type, I could have died! Ever notice how most plants die in the winter?! Now start answering the damn questions before I break that neck!"

"Fine!" he snapped once again. "If I tell you it's not going to make sense though. So, if you must know the truth then we're going to have to go back hundreds of years. Ever heard of a tale about a race of eeveelutions known as Aevons and Eons?"

"No…" I awkwardly replied, looking at Lucy to see if she was just as confused.

"He's telling the truth, but I'll just explain it, since he'll probably screw it up." Lucy's vines loosened around the quilava's neck, freeing him. He didn't waste a second throwing himself a safe distance from Lucy. He kept his eyes on her, staying in a defensive position.

"So, the story goes like this: long long ago back when people still bashed each others heads open with rocks and stuff, there was a different type of eeveelutions. They still evolved like the rest, but it was their powers that made them different. Eons had control over all elements, Aevons had a lot more physical strength and more power in their one element."

"Is this a joke?" I asked, unsure if the two were messing with me.

"No," Lucy replied before continuing. "Now, over the course of time as these eeveelutions bred with other pokemon their genes spread out more, and over time the gene became less common. Nowadays there are very few, and most that do have the genes to have these powers don't realize it. They just view themselves as pokemon that look strange, since Eons have red eyes and Aevons are albinos."

"Wait… red eyes," I started as I envisioned a clear picture of the emo umbreon. "Didn't Black have red eyes, shiny umbreon usually have yellow, right?"

"Mhmm," Lucy nodded. "So, now you know the truth about Ryder. He's a rare form of eeveelutions that is thought to be extinct."

"So… what does this have to do with world peace and destroying Shalour?" I eyes the quilava.

"You tell him, I'll have no part in being responsible for these secrets," Merrick turned his head like the snob he was.

Lucy sighed, "Think of it like this, an Eon, which is what Black is, absorbs energies from the world around him. Eon's need access to elements to use their powers, they can't just randomly shoot a bolt of lightning, unless an eon is a jolteon. So, in other words an eon can steal powers from another pokemon if trained well enough. Example, you shoot a flamethrower, an eon can absorb that power and use it against you."

"Interesting…" Was all I could manage to spout out. There was no way this was the truth, Lucy and Merrick just didn't want me knowing the truth. That had to be it.

"So," Lucy started back up, "What do you think would happen if an eon was to absorb powers from a Legendary?"

"Okay… stop," I drily started. "If you're not going to take my questions seriously then fine, just don't take me as a complete moron."

"It's the truth," Lucy insisted. "You were the one who wanted to know, and now you're going to deny the truth?"

"Yeah, because this shit is stupid!" I snapped back. "Come on now, Eons and Aevons?! That's the most retarded name I ever heard of, is that really the best you could come up with?!"

"I'm not the one who chose the name!" Lucy shouted back, throwing her arms to her side.

"We done here?" Merrick grumbled. Lucy's vines loosened around him as she wore the same frustrated look the quilava wore. Merrick scurried away from her, being sure to keep a vines distance from her.

"Well, I guess we are," Lucy crossed her arms, looking at me with malice. "Since he really thinks after everything we went through I'd lie about something as dumb as that."

I snored at the servine, "After half the stuff I've been through you would be surprised how some people treated me, that's including you too, Lucy."

"No one forced you to stay with me," she retorted.

"Yeah, but who busted your ass out from that Hell? Oh right! Me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Lucy snapped. "Is this going to be something you're going to bring up every chance you get?!"

"Perhaps! Maybe if you wouldn't bullshit me like this I would be persuaded!"

"Arceus!" Angry-quilava shouted. "Do you two ever stop fighting?!"

"No!" We both shot back in unison, before looking back at each other with angry glares.

Merrick turned towards the city, "Well I'm out, I've had enough of you two, besides I got things to take care of."

"Right, best work on your story for next time," I snidely replied to him, letting him go free. I gave a sigh as I turned back to Lucy. I looked her in the eyes. With Merrick's quick departure it did remind me of one very important thing, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to get to it. "So, we're at Snowbelle. Guess that means this is it, doesn't it?"

Lucy didn't reply and averted her eyes, holding her silence. If I didn't know better I'd almost say she looked disappointed, like she didn't want it to end. Or she was perhaps thinking of a witty comment for our final departure from each other.

I couldn't lie, I hated Lucy at times, but I would miss her a bit. She wasn't Ivy, but in a way she did manage to remedy some possible boredom. Who knows, maybe over enough time she'd only hit me three times a day.

"So you're going your own way?" Lucy asked, her voice a bit shocked.

I nodded back at her, "Well, I don't really have any incentive to follow you any further. It's clear I don't love you like I thought I did. As a friend, it's clear you don't look at me that way, so how could I for you?"

"I see…" Lucy uttered, her stare lowering.

The look of disappointment was something I didn't expect. Why would she act in such a way, unless it was to make me feel regret? She hated me, I knew it, why would she feel sad that I was leaving? She should be jumping with joy! Hell, I could be right now!

"Where are you going?" She asked, looking up to meet eyes with me.

I sighed, "Hell if I know, probably go join some carnival or something since I look like this now." I held my hand up into view and stared at it, reminding myself of the atrocity that occurred. Nearly dying and all almost made me forget, but her question reminded me.

"It's not over, you know."

"I know that, but what future do I really have left?" I turned from Lucy as I pressed my hand to my face, digging my claws into my scaly skin. And what future did I have was the real question? I had nothing left to give anyone. No. I had no one left to give anything to. I was alone, the only reason I pressed on for so long was because of the false hopes I clung to, and Lucy was my last one.

"The rest of your life," she answered.

"Right, that's what I'm afraid of. What if I can't find anything to do with all this time I have left? Everything is gone, and I have a whole lot of emptiness in my life. No David, no Ivy, don't even have a home. I got nothing, and now I have to start life again from scratch."

"Didn't you have an old trainer at one point? Why not just go back to her."

I quickly answered, "Hated her. She was a bossy little snob that wanted way too much of me."

"What about your human's Mom, didn't you say at one point she was-"

"Think she wants to go through the trouble of fireproofing her house for a charmeleon she probably never even knew existed?"

Lucy sighed, "Well, I really don't know what to tell you." The servine chucked to herself.

"What's so funny?" I crossed my arms, not liking it whenever she laughed, because usually she had sinister intentions behind that cute laugh that was really evil.

"I just thought about suggesting for you to continue following me. Of course, I know that was stupid, since you hate me now and stuff."

"I want to live," I simply answered.

"Well you're technically dead," she joked as she gave a pitiful laugh.

"And you got me killed in a way."

Lucy laughed at my response, whether it was sincere or fake I couldn't tell, but by the end the servine was left with that same empty expression. I didn't like it, it was no bueno.

"Well your future is your own now," Lucy smiled, "I wish you luck on wherever you end up."

"having some luck would be a nice change of pace," I chuckled, praying that she didn't jinx me or something. I turned in the opposite direction of the city, ready to head out in a random direction. "Just one final thing I'd like to ask. All that time we spent together, did you really hate all of it?"

I wasn't sure why I had to ask, like some part of my brain just wanted to work things out. I could tell by the expression the servine wore that she was a bit caught off guard, maybe she saw through me. Might have been easy, I was never a hard pokemon to read.

Lucy shook her head, "What I said in the Genesis facility was a lot of pent of anger. Yes, you got on my nerves a lot, but truthfully I wouldn't have admitted this before, but I did like having you around sometimes. You have an interesting spunk to you, like you're not afraid to be yourself, even if it is completely quirky."

"So that's how it was," I said as I thought over her response. "Well then, I'm glad we can leave on somewhat good terms then. Just be safe, Lucy." I started walking from Lucy, each step a fight.

"You too," Lucy replied as I left her.

As I put more distance between us I had to wonder why I felt how I did. Leaving her should have been a simple task, yet why was I feeling remorse? My feet didn't want to move how I wanted them to. They wanted to run back…

"She's not Ivy," I told myself over and over. Yet my brain wouldn't listen to my words. Lucy equally Ivy for some dumb reason in my head. Why?! Am I just this stupid to like her!? Or am I just horny for someone like Ivy and can't stop myself!?

"Aiden, why are you just standing there?" Lucy said from behind.

I glanced back, seeing the seven steps I put between us. For some reason I thought I had walked a lot farther. Too dumb to even run while I can, why am I so dumb? Arceus, please smack my stupid face, I need it.

"I don't know." Of course I fucking knew why! I clenched my fists, I couldn't face her. If I did she'd know that I was stupidly attached to her. As my hands started to tremble I knew it was clear, I was scared. I didn't have a clue what to do, and the servine was the only thing I was ever able to truly cling to after I found out the truth of David.

"Idiot," Lucy scowled.

I turned back at her with a bit of shock, "Excuse me?"

"I said you're an idiot," she repeated, a good amount of bite in her tone. The servine suddenly looked infuriated. Her cold red eyes shot at me as she stormed at me. My heart rate spiked up as I flinched back, but lost my balance and fell to my rear. The snake-lady stood over me with her arms crossed. "You do realize you can't stay with me right?"

I only managed a nod, every part of me felt like jello.

"You know it too, I'm trouble. You're a good pokemon Aiden, it's time you move on, I'm just going to hurt you again. Besides, you'll eventually wake up from this dream and realize I'm not Ivy."

"I know," I uttered, grabbing the snow from the ground in my claws. "It's just hard to let it go. Whether I like it or not, I do care about you more than I like to admit."

"That's sweet, but it won't work."

"I get that, but I don't know how to stop thinking it. I know if I leave I'm just going to come back, because I'm still chasing Ivy… or maybe I do actually like you."

"No, now you're trying to justify your obsession. You don't love me you better get that through your head." Lucy gritted her teeth as she glared down at me.

"Unfortunately my dear, I'd have to say I am, if these feelings weren't then I wouldn't know what is."

"Don't call me that!" Lucy hissed, "Or I'll make sure you aren't able to fornicate ever again."

"I'm just kidding around," I chuckled as I sat up. "Still, this is me just saying it again, I won't be able to change how I feel."

"Okay seriously, what exactly was so amazing about her again? Aside from the stupid stuff you already mentioned. Like really, what did she do that made you so obsessed? I'm trying to find a connection here besides us being the same species."

"Heh, well lots of things. She's someone I knew most of my life; she was my childhood friend after all. We did everything together, went on adventures, explored different places to eat, joked together, got in trouble together. Had lots of passionate fun with each other to-"

"Too much information!" Lucy smacked me across the face with a vine. "And I said something to link us together! I know we've never done anything close to that… or we better not have because I never consciously consented to anything!"

"I wasn't getting to any of that…" I mumbled, regretting my rambling as I rubbed my burning cheek.

"Listen," Lucy started back up, "It's clear that I have only one choice if I don't want you to follow me anymore. I don't want you to get hurt anymore, so I'll give you one last chance to leave." Lucy pointed away, signaling for me to get moving.

"And if I say no?" I had to ask.

"Then, I'll make sure you aren't able to follow me." Lucy's vines slithered back out of her shoulders.

"So you're going to kill me? That's a bit ironic since you're trying to keep me from getting hurt. Just saying."

Lucy's vine shot at me. I jumped back from it as it left a line in the snow where I stood. "Yikes, watch what you're doing with that thing!"

"I already told you, this is what's going to happen if you don't leave!"

"Maybe I want to go to Snowbelle myself!" I spat back, blowing smoke from my nostrils. "Besides, I don't think you got what it takes to beat me, Luce."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Lucy gave a toothy grin. Suddenly I felt that she was a little too into this, and maybe I had awoken her sadistic side again.

"Maybe it is," I gave a confident sneer, crossing my arms as I looked down at the snake.

Point of View Stark

The sylveon wasn't much of a challenge for the two of us. To say the least she attempted a few clever tricks, but when she went in for the draining kiss I knocked her unconscious. She must have thought I was stupid, maybe Ryder would have fell for that again, but I learned from his mistake. Of course the sylveon would use her trump card.

The absol and I both dragged her out of view. Luckily I had scared away all the humans earlier, so no one was around to see what happened to the little fairy. We settled for just outside the normal part of the city. We laid the sylveon down in a plaza that was almost an oasis from the destruction. Ash was still scattered about, coating the area in a grey dust, but otherwise most of the smaller cafes and such were untouched.

"So, you knew this sylveon?" the absol spoke up. His eyes were stuck on me. No doubt they held a lot of distrust to them, and even a bit of resentment. I couldn't blame him, I did do a lot to his life.

"Barely," I answered as I took my eyes from the absol and stared down at the pitiful sylveon. "Her name is Lily for starters, and I can promise you that she does not work for the WPA."

"And how could you be so sure of that?"

"Because, she works for a man known as Rhys, does that name ring a bell at all?"

The name made the absol nearly jump up in shock, his eyes wide in terror. "You mean she infiltrated the WPA."

"How much has the WPA told you grunts about what's going on?"

"About what, I don't get it?"

I sighed as I padded away from the absol, keeping a safe distance. This guy had a short fuse, last thing I wanted was to tell him the cold truth and have him get all worked up on me. I'd had enough psychos blowing up on me for a lifetime.

"So you're oblivious to the fact that Rhys has been working with the WPA very recently, and not only that, but the WPA is soliciting the help of mercenaries that will probably be here any time now. If the news of Yveltal hasn't scared them off yet."

The absol chuckled, but it was a spiteful one, "You really think I'd believe-"

"Look at her." I pointed a paw down at the sylveon. "Don't you think it's kind of weird that they'd send you to kill me along with that sylveon."

The absol paused to think for a moment. "And why would they really want to kill you? You're a killer, no doubt, but at the moment you should be the least of my concerns."

"I know why."

"Better start talking," he demanded.

"It's a complicated situation." My ears flattened against my head as I realized how grim the situation was. "Say, when was the last time you say Zack?" I questioned him. I had my theory on what was going on, and if the absol answered how I thought he would, then what I suspected is true.

"Earlier today, why?"

I didn't reply to him. I simply inhaled a breath and allowed myself to process the meaning of this. Their wasn't really many ways a flareon I just killed could be walking around. No doubt, Rhys had me kill him to take his place. Maybe.

This also means that the absol was dead weight for me unless I came up with a damn convincing lie. I was possibly the only one who knew Rhys's little secret, and now he was trying to go back on his word and silence me. That meant I couldn't rely on anyone loyal to the WPA, after all, I am the one who brutally murdered their leader.

All I know is that if I wanted to buy time, I had to come up with a convincing lie.

"Is your boss acting normal?" I questioned him

The absol shook his head, "No, not really. He seemed a bit cold, detached from his usual emotions, didn't look at me like a comrade, more like a gun he was trying to point at you. He even prioritized you over Black."

"I see," I said thoughtfully, still trying to pick a direction to go with for my lie. "I have a theory," I started, feeling a grin forming on my face, "If I'm correct, Rhys has probably disappeared off the grid very recently. Now, it's no secret that Rhys needed power so he can achieve his goals."

"Right," Gray said, sounding confused, but still kept his eyes locked on me.

"He's a zorua, a master of deception. If he wanted, he could easily take on any form he wants. If Zack was to disappear, Rhys could easily take his spot and manipulate everyone to do his bidding, and no one would probably catch on until it's too late."

Gray didn't respond at first, only looked at me. It wasn't until his third blink that he cleared his throat and spoke up, "That's quite a long leap you got going there. What would make you so sure it's Zack and not one of the other leaders of the council, or Isaac even?"

"Because, didn't you say that your leader, Zack, was acting different?"

Gray nodded, "I did, but it's still a lot to accuse him of anything."

"What about her?" I pointed my paw at the unconscious sylveon. "Tell me with a straight face that your boss would honestly solicit the help of a sadist like her?"

The absol chose to keep his silence again. I didn't care how he responded, I know that he agrees with me to an extent. Maybe not my exact theory, but he knows something is up.

"She's not an ideal choice," he admitted. "Still, I have a hard time accepting such a thing. You claim to know the sylveon, how exactly?"

I scowled at his question. This would only dig me further into my grave if I couldn't answer properly. Or my plan B would be to silence the absol. If he wouldn't accept the altered truth then there would be no helping it, I would have to kill him.

"Alright," I took in a breath, trying to piece together what he all needed to know. "I met her through Rhys." The absol frowned at that, probably thinking he has another reason to kill me himself. "Have you heard of the recent attack by Genesis in the Lumiose subway system?"

Gray flinched a bit, "You're telling me that has something to do with you and Rhys?"

"Correct. My mate and I have been on the run for a while, you know, the other umbreon you tried to kill."

"I remember, get to the point," he scowled.

"It was that day that Rhys came and approached me. Surprisingly, he's trying to fight against Genesis, he wanted to acquire my help."

"And what about Bl-Ryder? He was blamed for taking part in that."

"He was there," I nodded. "Rhys was using him too, which when we encountered Ryder tried killing me, but then during our fight some strange pokemon attacked us. They were the ones responsible for derailing the train."

"You're really full of stories, aren't you?"

"Go find and ask him," I replied. "He saw everything I did, and right now he's probably seeing Rhys's true plans by now too. But because I met Rhys that day, I also met Lily since she seemed to be close to him in some way. Both Ryder and I learned a lot of things about Rhys's plans, now I see that we were expendable."

Gray's face lit up in some kind of revelation from what I had told him. "If what you're saying is true, then Rhys sent me to keep you quiet… That's also why he didn't send me after Black, because he'd probably want to kill him as well."

"That would be my guess. Rhys clearly planned to use your vendetta towards me for his plan."

"And what about Ryder? He's been working for him this whole time, is he even alive?"

"That I have no idea about. He could have fled realizing the danger he's in, or he could be dead. I honestly have no idea."

"Dammit," Gray barked as he started pacing back and forth. "If the flareon I saw earlier was really Rhys, then I believe Ryder might still be alive. If that's the case, we need to find him and-"

"You need to find him," I corrected. The absols' stare snapped back at me, his teeth grinding together.

"What?!"

"This is your battle, not mine. The only reason I helped Rhys is because he promised to do something to save Naomi and myself. Obviously, he lied. Now, I need to find her and try to find some way to put things right so she can have a future. I don't have time for this anymore."

"And why risk yourself for her? Last I remembered she and Ryder were-"

"Yeah, that was a temporary thing," I grumbled. "Naomi and him are no longer seeing each other, ever again. That psycho umbreon messed up enough things for her." I started walking away from the absol, deciding this is where I leave him with the big mess of problems.

"Still, you helped Rhys get this far, you need to set this right!"

Gray chased after me, but I stopped in my tracks, glaring back at him out of the corner of my eye.

"My priority is Naomi. She no longer has support from Genesis for her medicine, and she's practically out. I need to find someone that will help her."

"That's not an excuse, she can wait a small amount of time!"

"No," I replied, keeping my calm as best I could. "She's been put through enough stress as it is. She doesn't even know I'm alive and she's all alone after what happened. It's too much stress for her. I know this kind of stress can be unhealthy for our child."

"Your child…" Gray said, his temper melting away from the shock of what I just implied. He just stood there with his mouth drooped low like a cartoon character.

"That's right," I chuckled, finding the confession a bit weird. "Naomi and I are going to be parents... hopefully. I've decided for my family I want things to be different. I don't want to be a bad pokemon, and I can't put their health at risk by putting them through anymore. So this is where I step away from everything, I won't partake in this battle."

I turned away from the absol. Silence lingered in the air as he stood there in shock. He wasn't the first person I had planned on telling, but the reaction was well worth it. Especially seeing it on an enemy like that.

"Very well," Gray broke the silence. "I haven't forgiven you for what you've done. But, Arceus will be the one to decide your fate."

"Maybe so," I added, before I set out in my own direction.

Chapter End

Author Note: Sorry, I'm late again, but (Insery excuse), and that's why I was late again. On a more serious note, think I'm done making excuses lol, doesn't excuse me from being late on my updates. What happens happens, I'll try and be on time. I have decided my update day is going to change very soon. Probably going to be doing updates on wed or tuesday, because I work 12 hours shifts thurs-sat and I don't have time to do my last minute editing. This chapter was actually done since NOV, I just never felt like editing it lol.

Special thanks to genericgamer207 for the editing!