Book II: Impending Twilight

Chapter 134: The search

Point of View Flare

"Zylen, where are you?" I grimaced as I inched my way through the lower levels of the basement. Seriously, where was he?! He said he'd catch up when he could, and despite having more than enough time, he still hadn't. Not that I couldn't handle this place on my own, but having an experienced friend makes a whole world of difference. Really, I would have taken any buddy to tag along with me. While agreeing to this seemed easy, going through with it was a bit nerve wracking.

The whole stealth thing was new to me. Sure, I've snuck around plenty of times when I was younger, but never was it anything on this level. One mistake, one wrong movement and I could be captured or even killed. I could only imagine what they'd do to me if they got ahold of me again. I doubt Dawn would let me get away a second time, they'd probably just make it easy and kill me on the spot… maybe they'd hold me hostage as leverage against my friends.

I shook my head before clapping my hands against my cheeks. "Shut up, idiot," I barked at myself, trying to remind myself that I had to stay positive, keep my mind on track. Less doom n' gloom and more sneaking around.

I did as Zylen told me, I stuck to the shadows, staying as low to the ground as I could. Didn't help that I was a bright fiery-yellow, but I was what I was, an obnoxiously colored fire-fox that more belonged on someone's contest team than a recon team.

Every few steps I would light a small flame in my palm and throw it forward. The flame would flicker in the darkness, and I'd see the cob webbed walls, the crumbling stone floor before the flames would die down. All that would remain was a dark passage of a maze. Most of the challenge came from not tripping on the clutter of the basement, most of which seemed to be old antiques, scattered books to storage boxes. One bad move and I'd trip and snap my neck, then my story wouldn't have such a good ending.

I wasn't sure how far I had gotten before the sound of voices made me jump from my spot. I couldn't think of where to go, and suddenly the layout of my surroundings became jumbled in my head. Without thinking I moved to the wall, but where I thought my hand would meet a wall I instead met with the air and I found myself falling.

The fall felt like slow-motion. I had a chance to think 'what have I done?!' before my body tumbled down the wooden steps like a rag doll, each step painfully jabbing and knocking the wind out of me. When I met the cruel stony ground at the bottom, I didn't move. I couldn't even breath at every part of my body aching to no end. The whole tumbling part was a mere few seconds, yet the pain would no doubt last a week if I was lucky.

"Arceus… why me?" I moped as I crawled up from the ground, every muscle and joint screaming in pain from the attempt at movement. Using the wall to help keep me up, I used my spare hand to dust myself off. My head throbbed for a moment and my knees didn't seem to want to cooperate but I managed to rise.

"Where even am I?" I asked, mostly due to the fact that I didn't recall there being stairs nearby. Had I missed it? I was about to light a flame in my palm, but suddenly the sound of voices could be heard from the top of the stairs.

"I swear I heard something over here," a male voice said in shock. "You heard it too, didn't you?"

"Yeah… right. All the stuff going on around here has you all paranoid now. Let's just keep on going with our patrol, I doubt there's anyone down here, and even if there was would you want to mess with em'?" The voices continued, but faded as the two went further down the corridors.

For a while, I wasn't convinced that I was alone again. I had to wait at least five minutes before I built up the courage to create a flame in my palm. The first place I looked was up the stairs to see how far I had fallen, but after looking it wasn't the fall that concerned me, it was the way I came in. It was bricked off!

"How?" I quickly hurried my way up the stairs on all fours, ascending normally would be too much strain. At the top I confirmed that it was bricked off as I thought. "No way," I said as I reached out my hand to see if I triggered some hidden button, but instead what I got was much different. My hand phased clean through the wall, almost as if I was a ghost. My jaw dropped cartoonishly as I waved my hand in and out of the illusion.

"What the…" I uttered as I retracted my hand. I carefully inspected it before giving it another poke. My hand really was slipping through it. Next, I poked my head out along with the flame in my palm and on the other side was the hall I had been in before I fell. I pulled back in and descended the stairs.

For some reason someone had placed an illusion there, for what though was my question? Could the WPA be hiding something, or maybe Black was within? All I knew was the illusion was enough to warrant my search and I was going to find out.

I dragged my hand along the dusty wall as walked forward just to be sure there weren't more. At the end of the hall I could make out a bright illumination. I drew closer in the same way a venomoth would be lured in by light, intrigued by the mysteries within.

I stumbled into an open room, surprisingly the air was much clearer and the lighting had nearly casted away every shadow. I definitely stumbled into an odd place. Books were scattered all throughout the room, not in any particular system but instead in vast mountains. Along with that was lab equipment, steel tables, an outdated looking computer, cutting utensils, tongs, everything you'd expect. Admittedly, the science equipment was a bit chilling, almost looked like a butcher shop with the way the steel table had red rust along the edges, or even the cages that were scattered about in the corners of the room.

"What in the hell did I walk into?" I whispered, feeling those chilling fingers creeping up my back, warning me to turn around and forget about this room. It really felt like I stumbled into some horror movie, the room where the killer tortures his victims.

I walked over towards the computer desk, particularly towards a book that had been left open. I was a bit surprised to find that the pages had been held together with string, the book lacking a proper spine or even a cover. Someone had made these documents, and every page was covered in notes. Despite my illiteracy I still skimmed through. At first, I found some chemical formulas, then as I continued to flip I found pictures that had been put in the book.

The book nearly slipped from my fingers, I looked back behind me thinking that running wasn't such a bad idea now. My eyes did go back to the pages, finding the disturbing imagery of pokemon that were cut up on tables, some still holding some light to their eyes but had a disgruntled and tortured look to them. A leafeon in one picture was withering away, it's cranium cut wide open exposing its brain. As I skimmed through I found more of other pokemon, lots of them having their heads cut open, some even having their brains cut up into pieces.

"Arceus," was all I could think to say as I covered my maw, feeling very sick. Suddenly, the sound of wood creaking made me jump!

A voice could be heard, someone was coming for me! I spun around, book still in hands, my eyes frantically darted around before settling on a small cabinet. As quietly as I could I bolted to the cabinet, opening the two wooden doors and crouching down and curling up into a ball on the inside. My first attempt to close the door failed as I pinched my tail, I flicked it in and managed to get the door almost closed all the way, but I was too big for it to close fully. The crack allowed me to see in the room, I hoped the shadows would keep me hidden. I knew if I breathed too hard it'd be over, they'd hear the clanking of the wood shelf and know where I was.

I waited silently, hearing the voices growing closer to me. At first, I couldn't make them out, then I recognized one to be a man, someone with a rough voice, the other being a female, one that sounded young, almost my age young.

"That bastard," the man scowled. "I'll make him pay, pay for all of it in blood." Through the crack of my hiding spot I made out two pokemon walking into the room, a zorua and a servine. The zorua paced back and forth while the servine collapsed to the ground and leaned against the steel leg of the cutting table. In her arms she cradled a case, despite her exhaustion she still managed to cling onto it for the sake of the contents.

The zorua grumbled, "Just you wait Ghost, I'll make you pay," the zorua said with a low growl.

"It's fine Rhys, at least I'm alive," the servine spoke up, her voice tired, "I could be dead, it's not reason to rush things."

"No, I refuse to say it's fine!" the zorua rose his voice, "That man has done enough, he's going to feel every bit of pain he has ever inflicted on us, I'll see to that."

The servine didn't respond, her silence catching the zorua's attention as his head snapped back at her, his ears perked up.

"So, you did hold onto it like I asked you to," Rhys stated, his eyes infatuated with the case. "So much could have fallen apart if you didn't hold your silence, I was right to put all my trust in you, Lucy. Thank you," the zorua said, his rage washed away with sincere gratitude, his voice almost sounding tender. "I won't let anyone hurt you again. Though, I am curious, how exactly did you manage to escape Genesis? Ghost would have never allowed his enemy to escape."

Lucy looked up towards the zorua, "I made a friend along the way of my journey…"

"I see, it's not like you to interact with others, but this friend helped you escape?"

"He was the only reason I managed to escape." the servine sounded deeply wounded, her words aching and full of regret.

"I sense something's wrong, what happened to this friend? Did he not make it?"

"N-no, it's not that," Lucy shook her head. "After we escaped I parted ways with him, despite him not wanting to… He wanted me to go with him and help with something I couldn't bring myself to do, so in the end I left and went back by your side where I belong."

"I see, well should I ever cross paths with this friend know that I'll be in his debt."

The servine stood up from the ground, "So, I understand you've got two important hostages in your custody right now?"

"Indeed, I do," Rhys smirked, "A rare umbreon and the infamous leader of The Crimson Dawn. Quite the catch."

"Can't say I like either of them," Lucy sighed. "I do owe that Lucario though, back in Shalour he tortured me just to squeeze information out of me. As for the umbreon, Ryder, he's a total wimp. Couldn't stand that moron."

"The umbreon isn't quite the same anymore," Rhys said thoughtfully. "He was weak from the start, malleable, he was nothing but clay that I could sculpt into whatever shape I desired with enough work. Thanks to him I got what I wanted, now at the top of the chain."

"Speaking of the two, where are you keeping them? Might give that Lucario some payback."

Rhys shook his head and didn't look too amused as he focused his attention towards a door I have not ventured past yet. "In there, but I won't have you antagonizing them. They'll both be dealt with soon enough, and because of that I'll at least allow the two of them some peace in their final days."

"I see," the servine frowned and finally set the steel case she was carrying down on the table. "So, what exactly is this place? I feel like I'm back down in another Genesis base… It's going to trigger some PTSD, I swear." The servine's body language suddenly made sense. If she had been in a Genesis lab then no doubt she had suffered the horrors Black had once described to me.

"I won't be down here for long, of course if you find this room unpleasant I won't force you to stay. I do believe you deserve some rest, but with the chaos unfolding outside I do wish for you to keep a bodyguard. I won't let anyone take you again."

Lucy gave one weak nod, "You still didn't answer though, this place is creepy."

Rhys kept silent for a moment, simply ignoring the servine. The servine looked up at him with an upset glare, one that lacked trust in someone that she seemed to have a bond with.

"This is the home of Edgar Avery's. Long abandoned, and the years have taken their toll on the old manor, so I figured why not borrow it, enjoy the old history and notes of the old Ghost before I finish things. Perhaps there is still something I can learn before our final battle."

"You mean this was Ghost's home?" The servine seemed shocked.

"More-so his family manor, which he inherited through unorthodox means, but that's a story for another day. It doesn't matter if I take the manor today, what is his will soon be mine by right. Every last bit."

"I'll just be relieved when all of this is over," Lucy sighed. "Anyways, knowing that pokemon were probably cut up down here I'm going to take my leave. I've lost my edge when it comes to that stuff for now. I'll leave this with you." Lucy tapped on the case before taking her leave, not once looking back.

The zorua watched until she was well on her way. Now that he wasn't distracted as much I had to take extra care not to breath too hard. The illusionist grumbled before a bright flash of purple surrounded his body and took on the form of a flareon. The pokemon grabbed the case in his maw and when he turned towards me I got a clear look at his face, a face I could never forget!

"Zack…" I Whispered, but in my head my mind was screaming it! What in the seven Hells was going on?! Why was Zack's father a zorua?! Why?! No matter what this couldn't have been right, and how long was this guy taking on that form? Was it like that when I met him in Shalour?

All while those thoughts kept racing through my mind the false flareon calmly made his way out of the room.

I didn't dare move for at least ten minutes. I couldn't, I was too shocked and scared. Something truly evil was going on with the WPA, something that was beyond public knowledge. Now more than ever I knew I needed to find Black and get out of here as soon as possible. He needed to know what was going on if he didn't know, and maybe he'd know more. Surely, he would, he's been in the loop of things too.

When I gained the courage, I crawled out from my hiding spot. My body was stiff and could barely move, but that wasn't stopping me.

I ran over to the desk that the steel case had been set on. I was utterly disappointed that the illusionist was smart enough to keep it on him, stealing it could have been important and made things so much easier. Still, that didn't mean I couldn't take some souvenirs with me. Then I could figure out more about this Edgar who he claimed was Ghost.

I grabbed the book I originally was searching through, and then chose two more at random. Then I followed up by checking the drawers. Inside was a large collection of outdated cassette tapes. Seeing as I was illiterate I took a small stack. When I collected everything I wanted, I went to the corner of the room and grabbed a small sack. I held it upside down and emptied out a bunch of rusty old tools. I threw everything in the sack and headed towards the door where he said he was keeping Black.

The steel door had a lot of weight to it, and I found that the door only pushed back against me as I struggled to open it. With a loud grunt, I pushed with all my might. The large door scraped against the ground, making a loud screech I prayed no one would hear the horrible scream of the metal on the stone floor.

The door finally did open I was met with a long hallway devoid of light. I lit a flame in my palm, forcing back the shadows. Quickly I found that the hall was full of steel cages… The shadows ominously dancing around the steel bars as I caught flashes of the red stained steel, bones and a stench of shit and decay made my hands instinctively shield my nose. Despite things I'd seen in the past, it was a truly horrifying sight.

I pressed onward, hand trembling over my nose, the smell and disgust making my eyes water. The walk down the hall to the door at the end was long. I was more than tempted to let the flame in my palm to vanquish into nothing, blindly wander to the end and ignore the horrors, but I couldn't bring myself to. Burning deep within I felt a flame rising from within my chest, hatred. Hatred for the ones who would allow such horrors to happen, torture pokemon all for some sick experiments.

When I reached the end of the hall I met with another door, this one being much lighter and manageable to move without exhausting myself. I pushed the door open with ease and entered in the room. A dim cell waited within. No window in sight, only a lantern. The shadows of the room swished around, flickering around a lucario who my eyes immediately caught. The fighting type looked up at me, his face heavily scarred along with half his body being covered in red stained bandages.

I swallowed hard knowing who this man was. I turned my stare from him. Hidden in the shadows a mass of dark shadowy figure hiding in the umbra of the cell. My heart fluttered from the sight of him. How long had it been? It felt like a lifetime, a year at least, but in reality only a short span of a few months had truly come to pass. I steadily started towards my friend, but the anticipation soon had me rushing to his side and dropping down to my knees by his side.

"Black! Black c'mon wake up, it's me!" I said in excitement.

Black didn't even budge, his soft breathing being an indication of his slumber. "Hey, Black, wake up!" I rose my voice as I lightly smacked him over the head. Doing so I realized was a mistake as my aching hand made me recall the hardness of an umbreon's skull.

"That won't work," a deep voice called from behind, a voice sounding like sandpaper on sandpaper, rough and cold, even scary.

"You…" I turned back to the lucario.

It was hard to believe, that he was the one, the pokemon responsible for hunting us down and trying to kill us. The leader of the Crimson Dawn, Mandus. He wasn't what I expected. For one, he was an old man that should've retired in a mountain. Still, the many scars that were scattered throughout his greying fur was an indication of his experience. The lifeless-grey in his left eye showed a permanent wound, one that had no doubt deprived him of his sight in that eye. Not only that, his left arm carried severe burns, and his shoulder was covered in thick bandages with blood bleeding through, even his right leg was mangled (It was safe to say that the left side of his body had seen much better days…).

I finally meet him, a man responsible for a chunk of my pain… and he's pitiful. Half dead even.

"You're Mandus," I growled, feeling an overwhelming heat rising from my chest once more. I swear I was going to kill him before this was over, he played a role in Kana's death. Could I really pass up a chance like this? No one would ever even know it was me, they'd go on thinking it was just another WPA member, or even Rhys or Zack.

He was mine, all mine.

The pitiful man didn't say a word, instead he only stared at me with this look of disapproval. Like he didn't fear me, or like I wasn't worthy of even helping him if that's what he thought I'd do. Oh no, I wasn't going to free him from his chains, but I would free his soul from that hideous mortal coil. Vanquish one evil from the face of this world.

"So, you finally managed to get ahold of Black, but here you both are chained up in the prison of an even greater threat than yourself."

"Don't think you can dishonor me anymore than I already have been, braixen," Mandus scoffed.

My fist tightened as I spat out at him, "You're a murderer, my best friend is dead because of you, hundreds more too!" Right there I lost control, my right first lashed out and hit the lucario square in his right cheek. His head snapped to the left and he would've fell if he didn't manage to catch himself. His arms trembled from his weight. He was pathetic, nothing more than a broken pokemon. No, he was less than a pokemon.

"If you seek vengeance for those you have lost then I am yours," the lucario said as he looked back up at me. "You won't find killing me will change much, I've lost this war. Better to meet my end by your hands then by the hands of Rhys," The lucario admitted in defeat.

"Don't you try that shit on me!" I snapped as I kicked the lucario's supporting hand out from below him and sent him crashing to the ground with a disgruntled grunt. "Think I'm going to feel bad, or that you can take away the value of me taking your life? I don't care if you're some broken down crippled man, I'm still going to rejoice in the fact that I get the honor of cleansing you from the world."

The lucario scoffed, "A monster, huh?" The lucario almost sounded amused as his eyes beamed into me, catching a glimpse of my reflection in his eyes. "Go on then, slay me, boy, end this, let my chapter in this world end at long last."

"I plan to," my right hand rose, a flame forming in my palm as I pointed it at the lucario to cleanse him in a hellish flame. A fitting end to baptize him in flames, let his suffering be atonement for a least taking Kana from me.

"But my curiosity does want to know why Black? Why go through such lengths to hurt an umbreon when you're pretending to be some kind of revolutionist?"

"Revolutionist, is that what they call me?" the lucario gave a dry chuckle.

"No, but that's what they made you out to be, a sick twisted pokemon trying to bring down the world."

"They weren't wrong," Mandus admitted. "I wished to break this Hell we call our world, and from the ashes build a new world, one where pokemon could start over."

"And what, be king of the ashes with Black?"

"So close to your friend, yet never once did he speak the truth to you. Perhaps if you two manage to elude the WPA and somehow wake him up, then maybe he could tell you himself."

"That's not an answer!" I barked, "Why?!"

"Go on boy, finish me," the lucario sternly spoke. His eyes looked directly at me, telling me that he wasn't afraid, instead they were almost yearning for it.

I sucked in a deep breath as my hand remained pointed at him. Killing him would be a great step forward, fixing a lot of problems in this world. None of us would have to worry about him hunting us either, but something inside me told me not to, that it wasn't the right answer. Killing was killing, wrong no matter what.

"That's enough!" Someone pulled my arm, yanking me from the lucario. My head snapped to my left, finding Zylen firmly holding me.

"Zylen…"

"Killing him isn't going to fix anything," the zoroark defended him.

I was left breathless to the point of the flame fading out in my palm. My arm just went limp in his firm grip, and I found myself unable to produce any audible word. All I was sure about was the look in his eyes, the way it said that he wasn't going to let me no matter what. I'd have to kill him to get to Mandus.

That… that was not an option.

"Why?" I finally managed to spit out, my tone full of hate. "Do you realize what this man has done to me and my friends? Maybe not directly, but he's the one who's been ordering all these people to attack me and my friends. Do you realize how much I've lost because of him?!"

"I know Flare, I kno-"

"You know nothing!" I pulled my arm and felt the tug of the zoroark's grip, for a moment he had no intention of letting me go, but after a moment his grip loosened and I fell back a few steps. "It's because of him everything has gone so horribly for me! And you know what? This is the monster who sent his pawns to murder my best friend! Everything's falling apart in my life because she's gone, I'm surprised I've even climbed as far out of my hole as I have!"

"I know what it's like, I've lost friends before, lots, plus your sister," Zylen said. His eyes averted from my own and towards the ground, "And I already told you this, she was everything to me, half the reason I even did half the stupid shit I did. He may be responsible for a lot, but now we need him."

"For what?!"

"Because, if I can't get Isaac myself, then he's going to be my hostage and used as bait for me to personally get to him. Then I can use him to save Annie. After that I don't care what happens, I'm taking everyone I care about and we're getting as far away from all this madness as possible."

Mandus grumbled at that, "You really believe that a malevolent mastermind like Isaac would fall for such childish trickery?"

"It's a start," Zylen scoffed. "Still, don't take it the wrong way, I know we worked together for a period but I have to put those I cherish first."

The lucario didn't seem the least bit pleased as he stared the zoroark down.

"You get your friend and I'll take the lucario," Zylen ordered.

I nodded and did as he said. I walked over towards Black and kneeled onto one knee. Surprisingly the umbreon and I weren't that much different in terms of height, though I still knew he weighed probably twice my own weight… Unlike him, braixen's weren't meaty and thick boned, we're built like twigs I learned, nimble and weak, but good at being quick on our feet.

I grabbed at the umbreon and grunted as I tried to lift his weight. I only got him one third off the ground before dropping him and falling back.

"I'm going to need a hand here," I looked back at the zoroark.

"This isn't going to work out too smoothly…" he groaned as his hand reached towards the radio piece in his ear. "Naomi, do you have a copy?"

"Yeah, I hear you," the umbreon responded over the walkie-talkie.

"Miraculously Flare and I, Zylen that is, managed to find both Mandus and Black. We're going to initiate our retreat now. Make sure everyone else is getting out of here too."

Point of View Stark

How much longer was I going to hold on?

Drip, drip, drip, all I could think of was that annoying trail of red droplets flowing behind me. She was going to find me. It was only a matter of time. Scarlet would maybe hold her own for a few minutes, then she'd die in vain. She should have abandoned me.

Drip, drip, drip.

The snow was hard to fight through on three limbs. My left paw was now rendered useless. As I flexed out the limb all I could see was where she had made her clean cut, taking off over half my paw and leaving only a third from where my wrist was… I wouldn't even be able to stand on it properly.

I bit down in a horrible feeling, something I had a hard time fathoming… disgust, anger, spite, a strong insatiable lust for revenge! If she took my paw, then I'd take two of hers! Or so I'd say, but in truth I knew I was defenseless against her. When the absol recovered back to full health there wouldn't be a chance of me beating her ever again.

'I'm just a crippled monster now,' was what I told myself. It doesn't matter though, none of it mattered, so long as I made it back to Naomi. If I could just do that one thing, then maybe everything wouldn't fall apart.

As I struggled one limp at a time the light snow was beginning to fall harder. It was no surprise that the day could get worse.

My eyes struggled to make out the path ahead. Everything became blurs, and it felt as if everything was moving around and enclosing around me, yet somehow the path ahead felt endless. A blue figure moved into my view, it's hand resting on a tree for support, but clear as day I could see that shade of red, dripping and pouring out from the pokemon. A mess was soon at her feet, and her legs gave out and she was reduced to her knees as she gave out painful pants.

I inched forward towards the creature, soon realizing that this dying pokemon was the one who prolonged my life by mere minutes. Her eyes glanced over at me, hardly a flicker of life in them. Her hand slipped from the tree and went to the ground, but her strength gave out as she fell to the ground.

"Scarlet," I gasped, mortified of what she had done to herself in an attempt to save me. I limped my way over to the greninja. Her hand clenched at a deep rip from her stomach to her side. Her hands clenching at the opening did little to stop her fatal wound.

"It's not looking good," the greninja said in a whisper.

"No, it doesn't look like it," I agreed, not even sure how to respond. "Are you able to stand?"

"Not for long." I watched as my former comrade struggled to climb her way back up onto her feet. It was a terrible sight to watch, to see a pokemon who was always so composed and strong broken down.

She was going to die. I knew that.

"If you can move we need to get out of here. Both of us are wounded, if she comes after us we're dead."

Scarlet didn't even bother to respond, not even a nod, which was great in my opinion. Just what I needed was an unresponsive partner, especially when we had that freak on our tails.

A twig snapped off to my left, my head spun and my heart sank. She had found us so quickly. Her eyes peered into me, her intent more than clear.

Was I going to die? With how hard my heart had been pounding against my ribs I had to think so. It was true fear, I was forced to be in confrontation with her again, I would never outrun her with my injured paw.

"Did you really expect to escape me?" the absol scoffed.

I didn't have a single word to utter out in response. Despite my pitiful efforts, I knew it was only a matter of time before she caught up to end it all for me. For once in my life I was going to be the prey. The thought ran through my mind, and I couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle from the irony.

"Have I missed something?" Dawn asked, her eyes darting around to find some missed context to my sudden outburst.

If it prolonged anything for another second, I would humor her, "I've spent all my life hunting down and killing, I've never once been the hunted."

"So?" the absol scoffed.

"It's terrifying," I admitted. "Being run down, knowing that it's over, cornered into your grave. I've felt this from time to time, but never actually noticed how it made me feel."

"That's it, self-pity? What a pathetic man you are." Dawn shook her head at my words, a white blade of energy forming over her horn as she bounded towards me.

"Very few things make me feel as alive," I blurted out. "There was my first kill, I've never felt greater disgust and satisfaction at the same time. Threatening the human I resent the most in the world, I'd give anything to torment him some more. Personal favorite is the things Naomi will do to me when the sun is down and we're alone, but I get the feeling no one would ever bother to do anything with your ugly mug."

"Think insulting me is going to make your death any more meaningful?" the absol cocked her head back, blade high in the air and ready to take my head clean off.

My eyes closed and my muscles tensed, but soon relaxed as barely smirked, "Oh, suppose there is one thing more." I felt a shift in the air as I suddenly crouched down as low as I could go. A strong wind whipped over me and cut the tip of my ear. My eyes shot open and my legs sprang up towards the Absol. In a split second, I could see the shock in her eyes, that look of realization that I wasn't going to roll over and die for her.

Both my forepaws wrapped over her neck as my fangs found their target and sank into her right eye. My jaw clamped down on her cheek bone, my upper teeth ripping into her eye. As the two of us tumbled to the ground I could feel the bone in her cheek cracking under the pressure, a mixture of her blood and eye fluid gushing into my mouth as the absol gave a grotesque scream. I tugged at her as her claws raked into the side of my neck, leaving a deep gash before she managed to kick me off along with a chunk of her cheek flesh.

Before I knew it the absol was over top of me, somehow, she had managed to roll me onto my back. Her paw pressed over my back, her jagged claws ripping into my flesh. Her teeth bit down on the side of my neck, but not for more than a split second before a water star forced her off me.

"I'll make you both pay, die the most painful death imaginable. Both of you will realize why I'm the White Reaper!" the creature screamed at the top of her lungs, no longer carrying that chilling composure, but a wicked intent that petrified me.

A white aura flared up around the absol as she crouched low to the ground. I knew it was at moments like these that she'd move in a blink, so fast I'd never dream of dodging, but as she lowered down her aura simmered down and she collapsed unconscious from shock.

"Kill her before she can get up," scarlet quickly urged me as she fell to her knees, unable to carry on from her own wounds.

I struggled to get up onto my own feet, my adrenaline was dying down as I inched towards the White Reaper. I stared down at the permanent wound I had inflicted. Her face was truly a disgusting site. In addition to her aged scars now was a mutilated eye in her socket which poured out blood over a chunk of her flesh I had taken away with me, revealing a bit of her bloodied cheek bone

When I stood over Dawn I couldn't help but giving a satisfied smile. She might have already been wounded before our encounter, but a victory was a victory, and there was no greater satisfaction.

"As I was saying, the last thing that truly makes me feel alive is conquering arrogant pokemon such as yourself-"

"Stark!" Scarlet screamed at me.

A sudden burn came across my back and before I knew it I was on the ground bleeding out alongside Dawn. I could feel the deep cut running down from my shoulder to my lower back. My eyes faded in and out of consciousness as I tried to find the culprit behind my new injury, before a paw stepped over me, one with vanilla and purple fur.

It was a struggle just to look up, but when I saw the purloin standing over me I realized my fate. I had killed her friends less than twenty minutes ago. Now she had built up the courage get her sweet vengeance.

"You killed my friends," she muttered out. "They were like my family!" she screamed out, kicking my side and forcing me to cough up. The purloin followed up by cocking back her fist, "And I swear to Arceus you'll suffer for what you did!" a solid punch connected with my jaw snapping my head back as a thick darkness came over my vision.

The last words echoing through the dark being the uttered words of, "Demon."

Chapter End

Author Note: I've seen a lot of authors do what I'm doing now, slowly take longer and longer to update until they fade away without a word. That might seem to be the case, but it's not. I'm just deciding to take things a bit slower and go at my own pace due to not being as motivated lately, and honestly, I feel that me forcing myself to write has made some of the recent chapters suffer. I've seen it in some of the reviews, and I'd never say it before but I knew it from the start, I just felt an obligation to keep up and forgot to just have fun and do it for me, not as some chore. So yeah, maybe chapters will pick up, or maybe they'll slow down a bit. I'll try and keep it at least one a month, and maybe work my way back up to every other week.

Special thanks to Genericgamer201 for editing this chapter.