Chapter 2

I've missed so much

"Ugh." Sunlight peered through my eyelids and I tried to cover my face with my tails. My head was pounding.

I thought the sun was supposed to be comforting for fire types.

I groaned again as I tried to wake up more, noticing the sun nearly at its highest point already. Memories of the day before flooded back. I was still lying in front of my own grave. Now though, I was alone.

I figured Mai would leave when she could. I mean, I probably seemed insane to her. I chuckled a little, remembering how I made Lyn think the same when he found me. It felt weird to laugh, though the physical reaction felt more disturbed than any kind of uplifting.

I'm apparently awful at introductions, too. Was I always so timid? As a human I could remember several contests I took part in, all with some pretty large crowds. Did I shy away from their cheers? Ah what does it even matter anymore. I'm some kind of Pokemon that doesn't understand how dying works apparently.

My heart was heavier than it had ever been before. It's not like I've never dealt with death in my life before. It's not even the first time I've been brought back to life, if that's what you want to call it. I had everything I had ever wanted, though. An adventurous life, great friends, and even a potential mate!

My fur felt weighed down. I rubbed my eyes. My back and legs struggled to pull me up. Every bone in my body felt uncomfortable and weak. The panicky feeling in my chest stopped me from even considering trying to clean my fur. I was a mess.

I walked in between the Lucario and Vulpix statues to the edge of the cliff, where the entrance to the old guild used to be. I could still see it in my head. The large pink building in the shape of wigglytuff that did nothing but house the ladder down to the base. It was a sheer drop to the rapids below now. I wondered if anyone else could still be alive before sighing.

They'd be super old by now if they were alive. How would they react, seeing me alive? Mai hadn't exactly had the best reaction in response to my "claim." Would it be better if I just let them remember the "me" from back then?

I sighed, I couldn't believe the way I acted. Mai was a complete stranger and not only did I scream at her. I also cried into her fur until I fell asleep. I appreciated how she had comforted me, though.

My tail flicked nervously as I remembered how I had basically slept on top of her. I sort of wish I got to know her better. She's the only person I've interacted with so far. I couldn't believe that for a second time, I've found myself in this town.

I'm all alone and basically lost depending on how much has changed in the last sixty fucking years I missed being dead and all. I'm going to have to meet more people, again. I miss Lyn, he did most of the talking while I stood by him quietly. The most I did was comfort any young we saved from dungeons. I didn't even talk much to the other Guild-members.

I shook my head of my thoughts, knowing they wouldn't help me. It's probably best to head to the guild first. I felt an odd wave of nostalgia hit me. The memory of when I finally succumbed to Lyn's pleas and told him I'd make a team with him. The first dungeon we explored as we searched for some stupid pokemon that managed to steal an item from Lyn.

I couldn't hide the fact that I enjoyed the experience. Learning how to use this new vulpine body. Having memories of teaching my own Vulpix helped greatly. It was like a dream to breathe my own pretty flames. The exhilaration even distracted me from the whole "I'm a pokemon, alone in a new unfamiliar world" thing.

Of course now that Team Reborn(Lyn's dumb idea) isn't a thing anymore, I'd have to start all over again. I felt that telling others that I'm not dead, or even as old as I'm supposed to be might be a bad idea. Mai hadn't mentioned any rumours about me being a human once, so I guess that the guild kept that secret even after I died.

I wonder if their rule on at least two pokemon needed to make a team is still in effect. I pushed a small rock over the edge, watching as it fell all the way down to the raging waters below. The waves struck the base of the cliff over and over, only pulling back to show a bed of sharp rocks. I'd most likely die if I fell down from here.

Not that I'd kill myself. It was just getting harder to fear my own death when I've literally experienced it twice, now. I stretched out my front paws over the edge, my short claws popping out. I subconsciously let out small flames with every breath. I wouldn't mind starting a team with Mai if I found her again. She may not look like she's very high level at all, but at least she seems to be good company.

Thump!

I jumped at the sudden noise and turned around with my fur standing on end. I relaxed as I saw none other than Mai standing at the top of the stairs. I sighed in relief, but then noticed that she was completely pale with her maw wide open. "It-Its not worth it! Please don't do it!" she shouted.

I met her gaze, with my brow furrowed unsure of why she seemed so distressed. "Do what?" I looked behind me, seeing my back paws right on the edge of the cliff. "Oh… Oh! No, no!" I walked away from the edge. "I wasn't… I mean, I was just thinking about other things."

Colour finally came back to her as she shook her head wildly. "You can't do that to me! My heart can't handle that sort of scare." She took a deep breath. "You made me drop my food, you know."

"Sorry.." I muttered, nervously pressing down on one paw with the other. "Wait. Why did you come back? I thought you'd have left." I raised my head. I almost felt happy to see that she came back. Smiling felt too difficult to do, so I kept my normal expression.

The Eevee reached down by her front paws, grabbing a small paper bag, only stopping to push a few of the berries that had fallen out back in. She gave a small smile before talking through the bag in her teeth. "You asked me not to leave. Remember? I told you, I won't unless you ask me to." I turned away and felt my face grow warm, slightly embarrassed that she brought that up.

"Well," she continued, "technically I lied a little. I left when I woke up to get us some food and tell my boss I was taking the day off. Seeing how you were still asleep… I didn't want to wake you. You looked too peaceful to wake up and drag around town." She padded her way over to me, dropping the bag of food and rummaged through it. She offered me a pecha berry.

"Th-Thank you." I barely whispered as I took the berry. It's sweet juices made my tail shiver. I couldn't remember the last time I ate. She grinned happily in response, offering a random assortment of other berries. "Are... Are you sure you want to stay with me?" I timidly asked. "You didn't have to skip out on work."

"As if I'd say no to hanging out with the 'Hero of Time'! Besides, work is boring and half the time being broke is almost worth not having to be there." She chirped oddly cheerfully.

I let out a quiet whimper, staring at my paws. "I appreciate it, but… you don't have to entertain such a crazy idea just to make me feel better. I mean for all you know, I'm probably just some random 'mon wanting attention and making up stories." I felt her paw on my shoulder. I looked back to find her leering at me and I almost jumped in fright.

"I'm not entertaining anything, alright?" With the burning conviction she showed, it felt like she was staring into my soul.

"Crazy or not, I've made my choice to believe what you said. There was nothing made up about the emotions you showed me last night. So I believe you, okay?" I held back my tears, nodding. "Good. Now, let's finish up our meal and I'll show you around the town!" She announced, excitement filling her voice and body.

I ate my share, albeit much less than Mai, not being as hungry with so much still plaguing my mind. She hopped up urging me to follow, which I did in my own time. After several minutes of walking, we came upon multiple house-like structures on either side of the walking path. I had to stop myself from gaping at them with wonder. I could tell they were nothing like the much more advanced building I first grew up in, being a human.

However, these houses that were made of something very close to brick and possibly more looked structurally sound, nothing like the few homes I saw outside of dens back before I died. There were the odd shops, as well as the Guild, that sported the face of a Pokemon as part of it's architecture. These were nothing like that. Some were even two stories! The uniformity was almost unnerving, as if a step closer to what humans called their own evolution. Mai walked ahead, not paying the houses any mind since she was so used to them.

Are any of the buildings the same as I remember? Did Lyn have the Wigglytuff building changed into his own head before whatever caused it to be torn down happened? If he did, I'd be so upset to find out I missed it. I missed so much, didn't I?

I had to stop myself from thinking about this. The awkward silence between the Eevee and me wasn't helping. "Mai?" Her tail flicked in response, apparently lost in thought herself, "Where do you live?" I asked, feeling genuinely curious.

She giggled "You've gotten brave all of a sudden." she retorted, avoiding my question.

"N-No!" I stopped, my tails curled around me to cover my embarrassment. "That's not-"

"I know, I know." She laughed harder. "I'm just kidding. I actually live in a den by the beach. I was headed home when I found you trying to swim. The den's nothing special, though." She turned to me, walking backwards. " Why'd you wanna know?"

"A den?" My tails flowed back behind me as I tried to catch up. I struggled to keep my paws walking forward normally and tail aloft enough to avoid the ground, having not fully recovered from my embarrassment. "Not one of these houses?"

"Tch. I wish I could afford a house like these." She noticed my confusion and continued. "The rent. It's much too high here. Only the richest, snobbiest Pokemon live around here. The rest of us live in either the housing tunnels or dens outside of town."

"The rent?" It wasn't a new concept to me by any means, but hearing it come from a Pokemon felt off.

Even after sixty-five years, I'm constantly trying to remind myself I was human. It really doesn't matter anymore. I'm a Vulpix.

"Right... Dead for sixty years…" Mai hesitated, thinking about her words. "Be patient with me on this, I didn't exactly live through this. Everything I learned about this was also from a money grubbing prick I had the delight of calling granddad."

She spent another minute to formulate an answer before finally starting. "About 50-55 years ago, maybe? The town started expanding as much as possible to make room for all the new Pokemon coming in. Ever since… I guess your team saved all of time, Pokemon from all over the world have been moving to Treasure Town in droves. Anything to be closer to the champions recognised by the Legendary Dialga. Some for comfort, some for.. merchandising opportunities."

She flipped around again, now walking by my side. "After all the horrible things happening in the world back then. Random chunks of the world being frozen in time and nobody really being able to do anything about it. Most thought they were abandoned by the Legendaries. At least until you guys showed up. Word spread, Pokemon lost faith in their own Guilds. They moved as close as they could to those who actually did something. The Guild that saved the world. The Heroes of Time rather."

"But I was already... long dead by then." I interjected with a sigh. Cruelly reminding myself of my abnormal place in this world.

Mai nodded with a frown. "It took time to get here, most got here by boat. Which were being built like crazy to handle all the demands of people fleeing to Treasure Town."

"Sure, it sounds weird now, but nobody really knew if all of this world ending stuff was truly over. When they finally got here only to find one of their heroes dead... I've been told many mourned, not even knowing their hero. They were just too grateful for what you had done to not be hurt by your passing, I guess. "

"Guildmaster Lucario accepted all of the new Pokemon in stride. He organised those within the Guild and even those who were only residents of the town to help build. The town at this point started functioning entirely around the Guild. They built more and more to welcome all the new residents of Treasure Town."

"The Onix and other rock types, as well as any ground types dug into the earth. The tunnels under the town are where a majority of the Treasure Town residents live now. I originally lived there with my family, but when my grandfather died, my mom and I moved to the new den I live in now."

I walked closer to her, worried about her being upset. "So your family moved here at the beginning of all that, too?"

She nodded solemnly. "My grandfather was another one of those who hoped this place would be a gold mine for business once the community began to thrive. He apparently did well for himself for nearly two decades before what he calls a mistake happened. My mother was born a little while after he met some leafeon trying to sell herbal remedies. Apparently she left him with my mom soon after since she didn't want to be tied down."

Her voice turned spiteful. "Mom says he was always sour after that and that I shouldn't hate him for it. As awful as it sounds, I wasn't really bothered by his passing. If anything, life was actually easier after we moved into the den. Plus the beach was a nice bonus."

I clenched my teeth a little, feeling a headache start to form from so much information. I tried to make the conversation lighter. "Yeah, I love the beach too. I didn't really get the chance to bring it up with him, but I was actually considering having a place built in-between the Guild and beach. It's very beautiful there."

"Yeah..." She sighed. "Sorry, I went off on a tangent there." She shook herself as if to rid herself of less than pleasant thoughts. "Anyways, the town did well for a little while. Resources started running low, though. Lucario was starting to grow desperate. Theft, as well as other crimes, were at an all time high. Nothing was working and pokemon were starving and slowly leaving the town. So they finally settled on outsourcing nearby towns that were flourishing."

"Of course, this came at a cost. Even with transport overseas being much more common by then, Treasure Town's debt was growing. An old chatot came to Lucario with an idea. It saved the town. Every home, even the small homes in the housing tunnels required a small amount of poke to live in each month. The amount was higher or lower depending on the quality of the home. Those above ground quickly ran low on poke. And if you couldn't afford to live here, you were then evicted. The Police were even involved for those who refused to pay."

"That's just how it is, though. The less demand there is for food probably helped quite a bit, too. Pokemon panicked because of this. They tried to get jobs anywhere they could and then they tried to join the guild for the free housing."

"Lucario struggled keeping all those who joined in check. They weren't taking missions, and when they did, they usually failed. Lives were lost. The guildmaster kicked almost everyone out of the guild and enforced an introductory test. Since then, not many try joining the guild anymore. They gave up after finding out what the test was. I sure as hell did." Her voice grew quiet, sounding depressed.

"You wanted to join the guild?" I asked, unsure of how to comfort my new friend. Guiltily relieved she seemed to be out of history to tell. My brain was starting to short out.

"It was my dream. I just don't have it in me. It took me years, but I've figured it out. You've either got natural talent or some crazy amount of experience… or it's just not gonna happen. Besides" She feigned a weak smile to me as she tried to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "I've gotten pretty good at my job. I've got almost all the prices memorised at the store. So I'm used to it. Better than being stuck in a childish dream."

"O-Oh... I was hoping to. I mean-nevermind..." I shied away from her gaze.

"Nevermind? What is it?" I stayed quiet, nervously looking at anything else. She sped up and stopped in front of me. "Ruby, tell me. Please?"

I sighed, giving up. "I was actually sort of hoping you'd consider joining the Guild with me. I don't really know anyone, and I enjoy your company..."

"You…" She stared at me incredulously. "You want to make a team with me?" I heard the disbelief in her voice and I started to feel sick.

"S-Sorry.."

"Yes." She answered abruptly.

My head shot up. "Huh?"

She had tears in her eyes. My stomach cramped as she screamed. "I said yes! I want to make a team with you!" She almost jumped onto me, in an impromptu hug. "Ruby! Thank you!"

"Wh-What? What about your job?" I wanted to retreat into my tails. Not that I disliked her hugging me, but out of nowhere, in public? I was starting to get panicky.

"That was a lie, Ruby! I desperately wanted to join you in the guild, I didn't think you'd be interested in me as a partner." She nuzzled into my face, I pulled away with my heart beating really hard.

"Ah..." I shook my head fervently. "Welcome to the team, I guess."

She grinned from ear to ear. "I won't let you down!" She ran around me energetically. I glanced around nervously for any onlookers. There were very few 'mon outside. Even though we were in the town square now. There were plenty of buildings, one much larger than the rest right in the middle. The only people outside were cleaning. They mostly paid us no mind.

"Mai? Where is everybody?"

She glanced around quickly. "There's hardly ever pokemon out above ground around this time. Guild members are usually up around dawn to pick out missions and supplies. They work during this time, and come home at night. Since the guild is such a large presence here, the entire town usually follows their 'schedule.' They make the most money here, and buy the most stuff."

"I see.."

"If you want," she started. "We can go ahead to the guild and let them know we plan on joining."

"Sure." Her tone made it sound like she was begging me to. I couldn't say no to her pleading face, regardless.

"It's this one!" She ran to the largest building nearly in the center. On our supposed tour, she walked us straight towards the Guild first. I exhaled out my nose a bit in mirth before following after her. I couldn't lose this worrying feeling in my chest.

Would Lyn be okay with this? Is all of this really a good idea? We ran past a large bulletin board filled with papers begging for assistance. I felt a little annoyed at how many were still up, but then relented, guessing it was because of how many people lived in this town. Mai pushed one of the large doors open and we headed inside.

I felt flabbergasted at the inside of this building. The main area was quite spacious. Towards the back was a staircase that stopped at one door before splitting off into two. They lead up to several rooms that wrap almost all the way around the building. There were four nondescript doors on the ground level as well, two on each of the far sides.

The roof above was covered with glass, the sun above still high, now nearly an hour since I woke up. Another bulletin board was up against the back wall, several letters covered it too. Right in front of us was a large desk against a podium that went all the way to the ceiling. A Bisharp sat at the desk with his hand around a pen, silently writing into a notebook. His eyes flicked up to us before returning to his notebook.

"Welcome back, Mai. You haven't tortured another male to join you again, have you?" His voice was smooth, almost melodic. He was met with silence as an answer. The scratching of his feather pen on paper echoing alongside our footsteps through the incredible building.

She walked up to the desk with a big smile on her face. I followed her, trying to hide my amazement.

"We're here to ace your dumb test, Jeremiah." She smirked at him.

The Bisharp dropped his pen in the crook of the book, before placing it down. He crossed his arms and looked us over. My heart raced as his eyes stayed on me much longer than Mai. "It's not my test, young Eevee. A bit of respect goes a long way." His eyes looked me over again. "Where are you from, young Vulpix? You're familiar, but nothing comes to mind. Forgive me."

Mai spoke up. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" My blood pressure spiked in panic.

"And what wouldn't I believe, pray tell?" He inquired, his eyes squinting a bit.

"You should recognise her! She's-"

Pomf

She stopped as my tails batted against her face, one even popping into her open mouth. I shook my head at her. "I'm nobody important!" I interrupted. "Just got here from overseas."

I pulled my tails from Mai. With her face red, she looked away and muttered. "I should be more upset about that than I am."

He stayed silent for a moment. Looking back and forth between the two of us, before grabbing his face. "Sure, I'll pretend like that didn't just happen! No problem." He sighed. "What's your name, young Vulpix?"

"Ruby. Named after the hero of time, no relation."

"Jeremiah, pleasure to meet you dear. Are you sure about joining under that name? I know it sounds cruel to ask you to go by a different name, but Guildmaster Lopunny may be a bit hard on you for it." I nodded, refusing to change my name. "So be it."

"Is Hapi here?" Mai piped up.

"Guildmaster Lopunny." He corrected her.

"Is Guildmaster Lopunny Hapi here?" She asked, now glaring at him.

I could feel the pressure in the air, much too timid to try to break the silence, I remained silent. "No." He finally answered. "She's out on a job. She'll be back tonight though. I can set up your test for tomorrow morning.

"Okay, bye!" She suddenly said, running outside. I bit my tongue looking from the door to Jeremiah.

"You choose interesting friends, miss Ruby." I nodded to him and ran after Mai.

Once out the door I found Mai waiting for me. "What took you so long?" She asked as if it'd been more than five seconds. "Nevermind that, we should talk strategy, Hapi punches really hard."

"W-Wait, what? We're fighting the guildmaster?" I stuttered out.

"Yeah, that's the test! Told you, it's pretty hard. So out with it, what moves do you know? Do you know what level you are? I'm not that high of a level, but I have some really cool moves!"

"M-Mai! Slow down." I leaned back a bit, crossing my front paws.

She took a deep breath. "Heh. Sorry. Just really excited for this."

"It's okay, just give me time to answer your questions… I know pretty much all the fire moves a vulpix can learn. As well as Extrasensory and Energy ball. My level.. when I was still alive, it was almost seventy."

She looked astounded. "S-S-S-Seventy?! What the hell do you mean, seventy?!" she screamed.

I pushed my paw against her mouth, "Mai, please! Lyn and I were very active explorers. It just sort of happened." I pulled away once it felt like she wasn't going to shout again.

She looked dizzy now, catching her breath and finally calming down. "Hehe.." She shook her head, "Oh! We should tell my mom!"

"O-Oh, okay." I followed after her, wondering if this having to chase after her thing is gonna be common. She started to go to the path we came here on, but first ran into one of the other buildings. The sign said that it was Felicity Bank, just like it used to be. I walked in after her. The room was separated in two. A very small section was all we had to walk in. The rest was blocked off by a counter going all the way around. Beyond the short counter, you could see a dirt ground broken into different sections by higher placed dirt. A sandslash was talking over the counter to Mai.

I walked over to meet them, "What's your password dearie?" The Sandslash asked, her voice was like that of an innocent grandmother. I didn't hear what Mai said, but the Sandslash dug into the earth immediately after, coming back up with a bag. "And how much will you be withdrawing today?"

"200 poke, please." The eevee responded.

Sandslash quickly pulled out the needed amount and retreated underground again after giving it to Mai in a smaller bag. "Have a nice day!" she ended with.

Mai turned to me. "Hey, do you think you still have an account here?"

I glanced at the Sandslash, who kindly waved at me. The memory of a small Sandshrew shrilly cheering while watching her father dig into the earth before retrieving the amount of money I had asked Persian for came to me.

I shook my head of the thought, "I might.. But I don't know if it's a really good idea... I'm not supposed to be… you know. Alive." I whispered to her.

Mai shook her head, the poke bag in her mouth jingling. "All accounts are completely private! Even if she knows, she can't tell anyone."

I grit my teeth, still not sure, but I walked over to Sandslash anyways. "What's your name, dearie?"

"It… It's Ruby." I said, quietly.

She hesitated for a moment, before opening a very large book. I couldn't see its contents. "Do you know your account number?"

I told her the mixture of numbers I must've said a thousand times. This was perhaps the weirdest time.

She squinted at me, looking me all over. I got really uncomfortable and considered just calling it quits and running. "You sure you aren't missing a digit or two?" I shook my head. She looked down to the book reading for a bit before stopping, glancing at me and then the book again. She looked up to me. "This account has been moved to a joint account by the request of the previous guildmaster. You wouldn't happen to have the password for this account, would you?"

I took a deep breath, knowing what Lyn's password used to be. "Team Reborn is... the best.. damn team in the world." My face burned from embarrassment.

She stared into my eyes for nearly a whole minute in silence. My heart was beating so hard. I want to get out of here. I shouldn't have tried this. What am I doing?

"Here." She placed a sheet of paper in front of me where I can read it. "This is the contents of Team Reborn's account." My jaw dropped at how many zeros there were. This bank apparently functioned like Kangaskhan's storage too, having several items. I read through the list and felt my heart jump as I saw one item in particular.

"Mai?" I motioned for her to come over with my tails.

"What is it?" She saw the paper. Now with eyes the size of plates, she whimpered.

"What's your favourite colour?" I asked.

"P-P-Purple." She was hyperventilating. I showed Sandslash the paper and pointed out a few things and asked for 2,000 poke. Not thinking I'd really need more. She nodded, and dived into the ground.

I know I left a considerable amount in there just in case something happened, but this was nearly twenty times that! It had to be Lyn's money. I hope he didn't mind me using our account. I shouldn't use much of this money if I can avoid it. Although, I don't think I could spend a quarter of it if I tried.

The Sandslash appeared again. She handed me a small black bag that was designed for quadruped Pokemon to wear. It had the symbol of an explorer badge on the front which looked much more faded now. "A note came with one of the items, dearie." she mentioned. "I left it in there for you"

I nodded curious as to what it was, but decided I'll find out later. "Let's go, Mai."

"Y-Yeah... okay." She replied, still in shock.

"Have a nice day!" The Sandslash called out to us as we left. I really expected her to react more. I was certain she noticed… but she didn't say anything.

Mai and I made our way back to the beach. After maybe ten minutes, she broke the silence. "Ruby?" I looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Are you sure about... about making a team with me?"

"Of course, I told you before. I enjoy your company." I answered without a thought, really confused on why she looked so sad all of a sudden.

She sighed. "But... what if I'm just using you? None of what I'm doing feels fair to you. I thought I was helping at first, but you're so much more capable than me. You're strong, and you probably won't be short on poke ever. You barely even know me, but I'm just butting into everything."

I glanced downwards. "I really don't understand what you mean, Mai. I guess I'd want to get to know the real you, then." The beach came into view as we kept moving forward.

She replied quickly, "Even if.. all I do is drag you down? I'm nowhere near the partner Lyn was. I'm poor, weak, and selfish. There's plenty better pokemon than me out there. All much more deserving to be in a team with you."

"Mai!" I felt my fire flicker with my frustration. "What does it matter if you don't have much money or experience? We're just starting. No, you're not Lyn, but he didn't start out perfect by any means! Do you have any clue how many times he's driven me insane by his obsession with bringing every criminal to justice?"

I groaned and shook my head. "You're Mai, and that's who I want as a partner. No one else. So please, stop trying to convince me you're anything less than you are."

She was completely taken off-guard by my sudden ferocity. Avoiding looking at me, her ears twitched anxiously with reddened cheeks. "Okay. Thank you... We should get to the den." She turned and started to run, but froze in her tracks a few steps away.

"Mai?" I ran forward a bit to catch up. She was looking ahead to the beach. Her face was pale and she looked terrified. "Everything okay?" I followed her gaze and felt my heart drop.

An Alakazam stood at the shoreline, right above the limp body of a Lopunny. He was holding only the head of the poor bunny by its ears. Fresh blood dripped from where its neck would had been. I heard him sigh as he scratched his head. "Even in death, she has such a sour face." His voice was eerily calm. My haunches raised as I quickly looked around for anyone else. We were all alone. It seemed like he hadn't noticed us yet, somehow.

This is bad. This is really bad.

I shook my head, I had to stay calm. I began to slowly back up, looking to Mai so she'd do the same. As she recognised the body, Mai let out a sharp cry "Hapi!" The fur on my back stood. I glanced back to the Alakazam. His eyes met my own, and his glare made my blood run cold.

Shit.

"You two must have some very poor luck." He clicked his tongue. He suddenly disappeared, the head falling to the ground with a thump. I didn't have any time to think, jumping into action immediately. A flash of yellow appeared beside Mai, who was still frozen in sheer terror. I tackled her out of the way. I flicked my tails, a purple fire fizzled into existence and flew straight into the Alakazam.

I quickly summoned as much fire into my chest as I could. "Oh ho ho!" He spoke with the same eerie calmness from before. I felt annoyed as I realised my will-o-wisp did next to nothing. "Now I wasn't expecting some random kids to actually spark some interest." He showed his unnaturally white teeth in a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "That Eevee should thank you. That hit would have almost ripped her in half."

I heard Mai pull herself up behind me, but I didn't risk glancing to see if she was okay. I had to somehow get away from this guy, I couldn't tell whether or not I could actually handle fighting him. Even more so considering I'd have to protect Mai. This predicament made me miss Lyn even more, he was much better at dealing with teleporters.

"Mai!" I shouted, hoping she'll listen. "I need you to get as far away from here as you can! I can handle him alone until you get some help!" I scowled through what I hoped wasn't a lie. My muscles were already struggling. Something was wrong. I should have been able to get Mai away instantly and that will-o-wisp didn't even seem to burn him a little.

"As if I'd leave you alone! He killed Hapi!" I nearly jumped at the agitation in her voice. "I promised I'd stay with you, no matter what!" A ball of dark energy shot out from behind me, flying straight at the Alakazam.

He half-heartedly lifted his arm, catching the shadow ball. "I'd suggest listening to your Vulpix friend. Not that you'd get very far. You're several levels too early to do anything worthwhile in this battle. Maybe massacre would be a better word to describe this?"

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I racked my brain for a plan. I feel weaker than I used to be, but there's no telling how much experience I lost. Can I really handle this? "If you're going to stay, Mai, keep your distance! Don't even consider any physical moves." I heard a huff of annoyance from her. Hoping that was in reluctant agreement, I shot out a quick ember.

The alakazam just sidestepped to avoid it, "Come on, now! Make it interesting!" He ordered us. The shadow ball he stopped grew in size. Now nearly five times larger, he shot it towards me. He snapped his fingers and two more shadow balls on either side of him flew at me as well. I inhaled sharply, jumping as high as I could to dodge. "Too simple!" He cheekily informed me, pointing up. His attacks followed his command, throwing themselves up at me.

I kept charging up my fire blast and used fire spin from my tail in order to protect myself. I groaned in pain, being unable to block the whole brunt of the attack. Noticing Mai had launched another shadow ball, I sent my fire spin towards it. Now glowing red with heat, our moves increased in speed.

Just as it was going to hit him, he teleported a few feet away to dodge and my cheek twitched almost into a smirk. "How's this for interesting!" I screamed, launching the hottest fire blast I could. I quickly focused on a disable, getting it just in time. His calm demeanor broke for a second as he failed to teleport again. Panic filled his face as he crossed his arms to protect himself. As my attack hit an explosion erupted, nearly blowing me back. Sand filled the air, obstructing our vision.

Since when has my fire been this strong? I'm still so much weaker, though.

"Holy shit, Ruby! You're incredible!" Mai called out. I turned to her, unsure of whether or not I should tell her I had no idea that would actually work. It was then that I noticed she was bleeding from her head. I must have hurt her when I tackled her out of the way earlier.

I won't let my weakness get her hurt anymore!

I bit my tongue, turning back. "Stay on your guard!" Until I saw him unconscious or dead, I refused to calm down. I tried to focus. The sand made it difficult to see anything in front of us.

"What do you mean?! There's no fucking way he survived that!" Mai began to walk towards me.

I caught sight of something bright, confirming my fears. "Wait! Mai!" A psybeam shot out, coming right for me. I had just enough time to deflect it. I built up a quick ember.

"R-Ruby!" Mai screamed. I glanced over to find another psybeam that was directed at her. If it doesn't kill her, it'll seriously hurt her! I whipped my head around and threw my attack in front of her instead, just barely managed to block the attack. I tried to jump out of the way of the other one. The beam hit my side, I screamed out in pain as I was thrown a few feet away.

Alakzam's outline appeared as the sand finally began to settle down. "Ahahah! I haven't felt anything like this in so long! This.. this burning! My skin's even melting away!" He cackled as he came into focus and the sickening smell of burnt flesh assaulted my nose. His arms, chest, and face were covered in burns. "I'd have never thought some random vulpix would be able to make me feel so alive!"

The burns on him started to bubble. My eyes widened as I watched them heal before my very eyes. Whatever it was, it was so much stronger than using the move recover. His wounds were actually sealing and fading away! Like they never happened! "Your name! It's Ruby, like the pseudo-legend, right?! I've heard stories about her strength. I considered most of what I heard to be rumours. But now!" He faded for a second, only to appear right in front of me.

I built up some fire as fast as I could, but before I could release it, he grabbed me by the throat. "A-Ahh!" I choked out the fire I had prepared, coughing up smoke. He squeezed my neck unbearably tight, pulling me up into the air.

"Ruby, no!" Mai screamed out for me and shot a shadow ball at Alakazam. It hit his head and he didn't even flinch.

His unnerving smile grew. I desperately tried to claw at his hand. It was getting hard to breathe. "M-Mai.. Run.." I managed to say between gasps and coughing.

Alakazam's eyes flashed as I felt him try to invade my mind. I couldn't focus enough to fight it or use extrasensory to protect myself. "I thought you were only a distant family member, or even her daughter or granddaughter. However, that doesn't explain how you have memories of defeating the legendary Dialga." His breathing was starting to get erratic. "This explains your fire!"

He popped his neck nonchalantly. "But how? How are you alive? How are you so young? You seem confused, too. You have no idea, do you? Why you're suddenly so weak."

Please… Please just let us go. She doesn't deserve this. He ignored my current thoughts and dug deeper, eliciting a cry from me as the pain only grew. My only hope at this point is that Mai runs, seeing how outclassed we really are. Or maybe even someone swooping in at the last moment to save us.

"There's more, but it's as if there's a wall preventing me from seeing it." His eyes flashed brighter and my head started to feel like it was going to explode. I screamed out my lungs, the pain was so intense I couldn't even get my paws to fight his grasp anymore. Not even noticing all the shadow balls hitting the Alakazam in the back. "This is amazing! The amount of information I've never seen before, all wrapped up in this cute little skull of yours. I can do without that though. What interests me more is your fire… your heat." I squirmed in his hold.

"Let her go! You're hurting her!" Mai screamed as she tackled his side, bouncing off of him. He glared at the eevee with a mix of hatred and annoyance. His grip just barely loosened. I took my chance and wrapped my tail in flames and swiped him in the stomach.

"Gah!" He groaned as he dropped me. I tried catching my breath, rubbing my paws over my painfully sore neck. He recovered way too quickly. Slowly walking towards me. "More.. Burn me more." He begged. I glared, trying to build up flame again. I didn't even know how to respond to his "fetish" or whatever it is. I just wanted to hurt him.

"Leave her alone!" Mai tried to tackle him again.

He grabbed her by the head right before she hit. "You're irrelevant." He said not glancing at her.

"Mai! No!" I screamed. She was left dangling helplessly by his grip. The movement was so quick, I couldn't even tell what happened at first. I shrieked as I heard the sickening snap. Mai stopped flailing and the Alakazam dropped her body.

She landed on the sand, her neck twisted at an impossible angle. "M-Mai..." I began to hyperventilate. Blood gurgled up from the sides of her mouth. Her eyes gazed into mine in absolute horror. I cried out, words failing me. The life in her eyes slowly faded away and everything in my head blanked.

Time felt like it slowed down. Alakazam antagonized me as he stepped closer, but I didn't hear a word of it. I watched Mai's chest rise and fall much too quickly. Her eyes were a very pretty ice blue. I hadn't even noticed that before. Her ears and tail twitched as her body slowly fell still. I howled in misery.

I didn't want this. I barely even knew her, but… I felt as if I had just lost so much more than a new friend. She should still be alive... It's my fault she died! I asked her to stay with me. I should have tried harder to get her to run away.

Mai didn't deserve this. It isn't fair. This isn't fair! My grief slowly replaced itself with anger. Pure fury filled the pain in my chest. Colours faded away and I grasped at my head felt like it was going to explode, my body felt hot. It was getting hotter and hotter. I growled, tearing my eyes from Mai's broken body to glare at Alakazam. "You monster…"

He scoffed. "I gave the Eevee a quick death, it could have been much worse. Yet I'm labeled a monster?" He rolled his eyes. "No matter, I'll be taking you for your inner flame, not your opinions. Experiments always go better when only one party is in the possession of a tongue, after all." He stepped forward and I felt him try to enter my mind to inflict a hypnosis. I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood. I hadn't even noticed how my tails were growing longer, or how my fur felt like it was on fire. A blinding light emanated from me as my body got taller than before.

He looked surprised, but immediately reacted by launching a shadow ball at me point blank. One of my tails flicked forward and I only saw a red line whip through the shadow ball, dissipating it. Blood poured down onto the sand as Alakazam's arm flew up into the air. His eyes widened as all the pain from his new wound shot through him. I realised I had just evolved, now I was a Ninetales. I scowled at him as all of my tails began to whip forward. "I'm going to rip you to fucking shreds!"

Shlick

In a flash my vision was suddenly upside down, a few feet away. The Alakazam's arm that had been cut off was now reattached and outstretched over the body of a ninetales… missing its head.. "It's regrettable, as much as I want you, I won't risk failure." He said coldly. The body slumped over and hit the ground. Tears took over my sight as I fell, hitting the ground. He grabbed my body and the Lopunny's before teleporting away, leaving Mai and my head. Darkness overtook me once more.

I'm sorry Mai. If only… If only I was stronger.

...

...

You can change this. Only you can do this. Please don't give up.

I screamed out, grabbing at my chest. My breathing was erratic. My eyes opened and I found myself before my grave again. The sun is nearing its highest point. I gasped for air as I looked around. The imposing Lucario and Vulpix statues standing resolute before me. I'm back here… I'm a vulpix again? I heard fast footsteps coming up the stairs. My eyes widened as I saw Mai reach the top step with a bag of food in her mouth. "M-Mai?"

Her ears dropped as she whimpered, almost shaking. "Ruby…" We ran to each other and I hugged her tightly, bawling into her fur. "How?" I shook my head. I had no answers for this.

What is this?