It figures that after I uploaded a chapter for the first time in years, fanfiction's story stats completely break. Even so, it's really nice to see people still reading this story, old and new faces alike. I just want to say that you're all appreciated.

And with that, here's chapter 14.

"I can't have anyone spread around this message yet. If a single message gets out, Team Saber will be alerted and they'll shut it down as soon as possible. They aren't prepared to completely take over, at least not yet, but you would be risking your own safety.

"But Team Saber isn't perfect. Given enough messages, they won't be able to silence all of them. It doesn't matter what medium it goes through, the news, the papers, a blog, whatever. As long it's seen and people are alerted to it, then there's a chance we can stop them.

"The Johto and Kanto regions should be enough. After I've delivered a message to all the cities and towns in them, I'll stir up trouble and get the attention of everyone. Not just Team Saber, but the media as well. It'll have to be enough to cause the news to be broadcasted region-wide, but I can manage that. When that happens, spread this message everywhere.

"Team Saber, as powerful as they are, makes mistakes; I managed to escape from them. And if things go well, another mistake will be able to rip a hole right through them. Be that mistake."

Colvin sighed, looking up at the ceiling of his room. Okay, he thought, One more time.

He laid down on his bed and palmed the light bulb in his hand, grimacing at it. The incandescent light bulb was normal in almost every aspect with the only difference being the metal electrical contact. On the end of it, there was a rubber button that turned the bulb on and off.

It was something he had requested be given to him the day before and, to his surprise, it had come quickly. That was good. He needed all the time he could get for this.

He placed the bulb in his left palm and closed his fingers on top of it so that they covered most of the glass globe. Then he took his right hand and wrapped it around the remaining visible glass and the metal base, leaving his thumb to rest atop the button. Breathing in, he pressed his thumb down and turned on the light bulb.

Instantly, light began pouring out of the bulb. There was a rush of heat as his hands shrouded all of the light. He could see the tiny gaps between his fingers illuminated to a soft orangish yellow and made sure his grip was still tight. After the initial shock, he let himself relax and concentrate.

One second. It was tolerance training. He needed to get used to being in light again whether he liked it or not, no matter how much it hurt. Two seconds. It would be pointless going after Matthew if he could only do it in darkness, and he knew Team Saber would want him to begin searching as soon as possible. Three seconds. He kept holding onto the light. So far, it was warm, but not uncomfortable.

Four seconds. Now the pain started. While dull at first, just a small stinging, it quickly evolved to a burning that made him feel like he was laying his hands against asphalt on a hot summer day. Five seconds. He clenched his teeth and kept pushing through. Six seconds. There was still a lot more left in him and he wasn't about to give it up yet.

Seven seconds. The pain rose. Light blasted against his hands, making him feel like he was holding a fireball. Eight seconds. His hands began shaking and he gripped the light bulb harder to quell it. Nine seconds. He was almost at his limit, but he could push just a little further.

Ten seconds. It was unbearable now. His hands demanded they be released from the light, but he kept pushing. Eleven seconds. He needed to keep pushing. But the burning, the burning, the burning. Twelve-

"Fuck!" he hissed, pressing the button. The light was cut off and the pain stopped.

His hands opened, letting the light bulb drop from them and onto the bed. It rolled to a stop against his body, but he paid little attention to it. He raised his hands up to his face. Despite how much pain he had been in, his hands showed no signs of damage. The Doctor had explained to him that while there was no physical damage, his pain receptors still fired due to the dark type in him reacting to light. 'A bug in the new formula' was the way it was told to him. He rested his head against his pillow and breathed out.

Twelve seconds. A new record, yes, but he would need to work more. Though, for little less than a day of progress, he felt satisfied with how far he had come.

"Are you done torturing yourself for today?" a voice said.

Colvin looked to his side and saw Neo standing in the middle of the room, a small smile present on him.

"It's not torture, it's tolerance," Colvin replied bitterly, his voice low.

He still wasn't completely used to the idea of another being inside him. It was something he accepted, but still bothered him to no end. Neo hadn't given any reason for Colvin to distrust him… yet. A tiny piece of doubt still lingered in his mind, and he intended to keep it there.

"So, it's necessary torture," Neo said.

"It is necessary." Colvin swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I'm as useless as a fucking fire type in the ocean right now. Twelve seconds is better than nothing but not nearly enough."

"Perhaps. However, a light bulb against your hands would hardly give you the same effect as the sun on your body."

"Yeah, don't remind me." He pushed himself up and stood, "Just small steps for now. Getting a full dose like I did yesterday would just cripple me. I need to work my way up." He shuddered, remembering the immense agony that had coursed through him. If the light bulb was a fireball, the lights in his room had been hell on earth.

Neo shrugged, "I suppose I just don't see the point of it all."

Colvin felt puzzled. He began walking toward Neo, "You just don't see the p- What the fuck happened to 'I want what you want?'" He stopped in front of Neo, his narrowed brown eyes making perfect contact with Neo's indigo ones. "Were you lying to me?"

Neo's expression didn't shift at all. "I didn't lie, Colvin. I do want what you want. I simply think using a light bulb to build your tolerance hardly seems like the best way to achieve what you want."

Colvin kept eyeing him, trying to find a chink in the armor that would show Neo's true nature, but found nothing. He backed off and started pacing back and forth in his room, going from the door to the back wall. "If I'm going after Matthew, I need every bit of preparation. So, if you've got any other ideas, I'd love to hear them," he said, adding sarcasm at the end.

Neo faced him, "Not at the moment. There are not many options available to us as of now. I apologize for not being able to do much."

Colvin stopped and looked at Neo. "Well that's really fucking helpful. How about you don't comment on what I do then, huh? I'm at least doing something."

"I understand. I'll still let you know if anything does come up," Neo said. His tone was simple and polite but did little to ease Colvin.

He rolled his eyes, "Arceus, you're annoying. I-"

The sound of the room's door sliding open made Colvin tense. Not looking, he quickly moved away from the center of the room and pushed himself up against the wall. The door, now fully open, let in a strip of light the width of the door where he once stood. Neo had vanished from his spot.

Colvin furrowed his brow. Who was coming in here? His training wasn't until later, so there wouldn't be any guards. And there was no way he had done anything that pissed off Team Saber either, he made sure of that. No loud noises, no lights broken, nothing. So who was it?

His answer came as a tall figure stepped into the room. He immediately recognized Soul as she came further into the room, closing the door behind her and snuffing out the light.

He had only met her yesterday when he broke the lights in his room, only being a name to him before. He had been certain that there was going to be punishment for the lights, and when he saw the leader of Team Saber come into his cell, he thought he was done. And yet, it couldn't have been further from the truth.

She had surprised him. A far cry from the cold and authoritative image of the boss he always held in his head, she had been kind and soothing to him. Something that he thought he would never experience again, something that he thought had been lost in the past. It almost felt as though he was with Julia again, comforting him as he attempted to find sleep. No, there was no punishment for him yesterday. On the contrary, it was a reward.

But now she was here again? There wasn't any reason for anyone to be in his room, especially someone of her ranking. He thought she would have been doing any number of things more important than coming to his room. So why?

A thought came to Colvin, Did she… come here for me?

He could see Soul looking around at her surroundings, likely not seeing much in the completely dark room, unlike himself. Carefully, he pushed away from the wall and approached her. His footsteps were quiet and didn't alert her.

Coming close, he realized how tall she actually was, only being two inches shorter than him at most. He slowly reached out with one hand and tapped her shoulder, trying not to scare her.

To his surprise, she didn't jump away at the touch. She turned herself towards him, a smile on her face. With him close and her sight likely adjusting to the dark, Colvin knew Soul could see him.

"Hello, Colvin," she said. Her tone was the same as yesterday and like a gentle massage, it relaxed him immediately.

"Hi, Soul, I… I didn't expect you to come here," he replied, feeling immediately calmer than when he was talking with Neo. "Why are you here?"

Soul kept her smile and extended her hand toward him. Not wanting to disrespect his boss, he did the same. She held his hand lightly. "I wanted to see you. Can we sit?"

He nodded, "Is the bed okay?"

"Yes, that would be perfect."

He led her over by her hand, making sure she wouldn't bump into anything, and let her sit down on the edge of his bed. He followed her action and sat down beside her, a small gap between them. Their hands were still together.

The hand she held was the one that had his ring and staring at it gave him mild unease. He didn't want to let go, but Julia was not someone that could be replaced, nor replicated. It was strange having his hand held by someone else. Yet, at the same time, feeling the subtle comfort Soul's hand gave him, he felt a bit at peace. It wasn't something that came often to him, and it wasn't something he wanted to lose.

Eventually Soul pulled her hand away, letting his hand fall to the bed. He let a small sigh escape as the comfort left.

"How are you doing, Colvin?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Just been passing time," he said, adjusting himself on the bed.

Neo suddenly appeared in the middle of the room again. "I suppose torturing yourself with light counts as 'passing time?'" he said.

Colvin flinched, thinking for a moment that Soul had heard Neo. She hadn't, he knew she couldn't, but it still gave him a scare. He was apprehensive about her knowing about Neo. He imagined she would be rather off put if he mentioned he had a voice in his head that materialized into a twin of himself. Shut the fuck up, Neo, he thought, I don't need you right now.

Neo vanished, leaving the room to the two of them once again. Colvin sighed, "How are you, Soul?"

"I'm doing well. It's been a rather… uninteresting day. Perhaps you can help change that."

"How could I help?" Even if her hand wasn't touching his, her eyes felt like oceans he could get lost in if he wasn't careful.

"Talk with me," she said simply.

Talking? That's… it? He was confused. Soul, the leader of Team Saber, had come to him just to talk? He never expected something like this to happen. "Talk with you about what?"

"Anything." She took her eyes away from him, breaking the gaze he had found himself almost hypnotized by, and looked around the room. "Tell me what you've been doing to pass the time."

He nodded and reached back on his bed, finding the light bulb on his sheets and bringing it back in front of him. "I've been using this for training my tolerance to light."

She took the bulb from his hands and looked it over. "So this is what you requested yesterday. I trust that it's working as intended?"

"It is. It's also really fucking painful," he said, giving a small laugh at the end.

Soul didn't reciprocate the laughter. In fact, she appeared to be slightly perturbed at his words. "You've been hurting yourself over and over… I'm so sorry you've needed to do this, Colvin."

Confusion returned to him. He couldn't have heard that right. Her voice was full of… worry and concern? For him? He wasn't sure what to even make of it. First it was the comfort that her hand gave him and now the worry in her voice. There was a storm of feelings brewing in him. It clawed at his memories, dragging them out, seemingly at random, and having them join the fray. Still, despite the chaos, there was a common theme throughout all of them.

Julia.

That comfort, that worry, they reminded him of Julia. She had always been prepared to listen to him, to fret over him, to soothe him, and so much more. But it wasn't Julia this time. It was Soul. Even then, he almost didn't care about the difference there was. Julia would never be replaced, but Soul was giving him that feeling he had missed so much.

Neo appeared in the same spot again. "Colvin…"

Shut. It. He gave his head a shake. You're not buying yourself any favors, so just shut it and let me talk with Soul.

Neo didn't respond and faded away again.

"Where do you hurt yourself with this?" Soul asked, looking down at the light bulb.

Colvin brought his attention back to her, "I hold it in my hands, it helps keep the light away from everywhere else. I'm… only at twelve seconds now but–"

"Show me your hands."

He paused for a moment, then laid out his hands in front of him with his palms up. "They don't hurt anymore. It's not a problem, really, it's just something I need to do to be useful."

She took his hands into her own and held them gently. In an instant, that familiar comfort returned to him, making his body relax. "You are useful," she said, lightly rubbing her thumb on his palm.

While he felt the comfort, there was an uneasy feeling that helped him realize the fact that he shouldn't be doing this. Julia was still out there. Perhaps not waiting for him, but that didn't matter. He wanted to remain faithful and go back to her after he dealt with Matthew and could finally move on. He couldn't discern what Soul was trying to do and though he still appreciated the feeling that she gave him, this was as far as it would go. He would need to pull away from her hands.

And yet he couldn't stop.

The thought of wanting to pull away, to take his hand away from hers was there, it had existed. But the moment it came into existence, the thought vanished. Did he want to take his hand away? The thoughts of anything even entertaining the idea of pulling away had disappeared. And so, he kept holding on.

It wasn't the first time he had experienced something similar. When his lights had begun burning him yesterday, he had harbored many unpleasant thoughts toward Team Saber who had let that happen to him. And yet, every thought of hate, of malice, of anything negative, had vanished just as quickly as the thought of pulling away from Soul. He hadn't thought anything negative toward them. As far as he was aware, he had an indifferent opinion on them.

While he felt hiccups, it all felt natural to him. Everything would seem coherent and then he would stumble over a small detail which threw it all away. It was odd but it wasn't something to fuss over. He functioned completely fine regardless.

"Colvin? Are you okay?" Soul asked. He became aware that he had been silent for a while.

"I'm okay. Just thinking about some things," he replied.

Their hands were still connected, and through it all, there weren't any thoughts that wanted him to let go. None that existed for more than a moment, at least. The comfort was still there, and he relished in it. It felt nice.

"Is there… something wrong? You're frowning," Soul said.

I'm frowning? He didn't think he was. He thought he was still contently smiling at the situation but apparently not. "What do you mean frowning?"

"Colvin, you don't need to go silent on me. You can tell me anything."

What? Had she not heard him? He knew he had spoken, that was true, but perhaps it was just a matter of him being quieter than he had expected. The comfort made it easy for him to get lost in his head, which wasn't something he opposed. He went to lean forwards to let Soul hear him and-

He couldn't move his body.

His body was rigid, unmoving from the position he set himself in just moments ago. He was sitting on the bed, facing soul, her hands holding his own, but he couldn't alter it any further. His heart raced… or it would have, but even that seemed to be out of his control now.

What is happening? His mind was still his own it seemed. But he was completely locked out of his own body. He desperately tried to force his limbs to move but to no avail. Every movement he tried to make, no matter how grand or subtle, resulted in nothing. What the fuck is happening?!

Soul suddenly leaned forward, coming close and peering upward at him. "Are your eyes okay? It may just be the dark, but they appear almost… indigo?"

Indigo? Indigo?! Everything started to come together. His body, his silence, his eyes, they weren't being affected by him anymore because he wasn't in control.

Neo was.

Neo, what the fuck?! What the fuck are you doing to my body?! He tried again to move his hands, his face, anything at all. Not even a twitch. If he were still in control, he would be breathing rapid and shallow breaths from the panic he was feeling. In contrast, his body being controlled by Neo was steadily breathing without pause, and that made him freak out even more.

Soul sighed, "It's okay, Colvin. It seems I've pushed the boundaries a little far." She began pulling her hands away from his. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you to yourself now."

Her hands completely left his. That comfort that he had been feeling was ripped away, causing his panic to skyrocket. He hadn't even realized how much alarm the comfort had been holding back. It had been eating at him before, but now it was devouring him. His hypothetical breaths weren't even being completed anymore. His thoughts were completely scattered. He wanted Julia. He wanted that comfort. He wanted to feel her hand against his and have her tell him that things were okay. That tomorrow would be a new day. That's all he wanted.

Soul stood up from the bed and began walking to the door. To Colvin's surprise, his head actually followed her, but the involuntary movement sent his panic over the edge. Let me back in, Neo! Let me the fuck back in! Soul tapped the door panel, causing the door to slide open. Her figure was bathed in light from the hallway.

Suddenly, he felt everything come back. His body was his again. The once steady breaths of Neo's were suddenly replaced with his own unsteady ones. He tried to push through, but still couldn't make it better. He jerked his head around, making sure he was really in control. Sure enough, every movement matched up with his intentions.

He pushed himself off the bed and quickly made his way over to Soul, who had just taken her first step outside. His hand reached out, becoming covered in the light that was pouring in, and connected with hers.

She stopped instantly and turned her head back. He could see the concern in her eyes and felt so much better. The comfort was already back and finally allowing his breathing to get under some control. It wasn't Julia, no, but it was still something.

Colvin could feel the warmth of the light begin to fade into pain. "Please…" he said, his breathing still ragged, "Please just… stay a little longer… A few minutes, that's it."

The increasing pain of the light on his hand brought him to his senses. What the fuck was he doing? He had just grabbed the hand of the leader of Team Saber and demanded she stay longer with him. All for that comfort. Just that small amount of comfort.

But Soul was smiling at him.

She lightly squeezed his hand, making him momentarily forget the pain from the light. He didn't want to let go. He wanted the moment to last as long as possible.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking his hand that was connected with hers and raising it to her lips. She kissed it softly. It was something he barely felt, yet wished he could feel again and again. "I have to leave now, but I promise I'll return."

She lowered her hand down from her mouth and back to Colvin's side. Her hand left his again and she stepped outside of the room. He thought of stepping outside with her but decided against it. Soul had already indulged him by giving him the comfort again, the very least he could do would be to respect her wishes.

"Goodbye, Colvin," she said, giving him a parting smile.

"Goodbye, Soul," he replied. He only realized then that his face was completely exposed to the light from the hall. There was pain, but he held on, wanting to see her for as long as possible.

The door slid shut and he was left alone. Alone without the comfort, without the worry and concern, without Soul, without Julia.

Anger came to him. His fists clenched tight, making his knuckles turn white. He gnashed his teeth, a low growl coming out between breaths. He turned away from the door and stared into the center of the room.

He wasn't alone. Not completely.

"Neo, get the fuck out here!" he yelled. He didn't care that Team Saber might hear him, there was too much for him to think about.

On cue, Neo appeared in the center of the room. His expressionless face only served to further anger Colvin. "Colvin, if you let me–"

"Did you fucking take over my body? Did you just take the fuck over?!" Colvin stepped forward, getting into Neo's face. "You were on thin fucking ice before, and you just broke right through it."

"Colvin–"

"Shut the fuck up! So this is what you wanted, huh? You wanted to wait until I was all vulnerable and take over my body. That is what you wanted from me. That's what–"

"Colvin. Listen to me."

The sudden tone shift from Neo broke his rage, if only for a moment. His tone was devoid of the simple politeness from before and was instead cold, unlike anything Colvin had heard from Neo. Neo's eyes looked straight at him, his brow slightly furrowed. This was new for Neo; He was serious.

"You are right, Colvin. I did take over your body. It was something I did in a moment I misconstrued as you giving in, rather than what it actually was," Neo said, speaking calmly. "But Colvin, there's something more you need to know. It's-"

"How dare you," Colvin said, feeling fury return to him, "How dare you turn Soul away. The first time in forever I get some kind of comfort and you screw it up."

"I understand. I really do. But please understand that there's something else affecting you. I am not sure what it is, but it censors your mind. It prevents you from thinking about certain things."

Censoring? Censoring? "The hell are you talking about? What is this 'censoring?'" He narrowed his eyes, "You're trying to deceive me, aren't you?"

"I am not, Colvin. This is very real, and I'm unsure of how far it extends. Even when I was in control, I was unable to let go of Soul's hands."

"You wanted to let go?!" Colvin was seething.

What a joke, he thought, Neo wanted to take over my body but screwed up and has to make up wild shit like 'censoring' in my brain. What a damn joke. Through his anger, he couldn't help but feel glad he had held onto that small piece of doubt. This was proof that it had been for a good reason.

"Okay," Neo said, closing his eyes, "I understand that you're frustrated right now. Considering the situation, that's completely understandable. I'll leave for now, and when you want to talk again, just let me know."

The return of Neo's patronizing tone made Colvin stare daggers at him. "Fuck you." He walked straight through Neo and over to his bed.

He picked up the light bulb and laid down on the bed. Anger wouldn't do anything more for him. The most he could do was put it into something more worthwhile.

Neo had vanished now, but his voice could still be heard. "Colvin, I want what you want."

He wrapped his hands around the light as he did before. "No, you don't."

Colvin turned on the light.

Soul walked down the Deity Lab's hallway, a smile on her face.

The meeting with Colvin had gone so well, even better than she had expected. However brief it was, it still reinforced the idea that he wanted her. He wanted her desperately. The way he had reached for her hand when she was leaving made fireworks go off in her body. Despite the light hurting him, he had made the effort to reach for her. His grip had been tight, but not crushing. Desiring, but not demanding.

She would treat him right. She would treat him right. But it was so hard. That feeling of Colvin desperately wanting her to stay with him was intoxicating. If she had complied with his wishes and stayed, there was no telling what that would lead to.

She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes with Matthew. But she could still feel the allure of them. Colvin's control apparatus only strengthened her urges. She wanted him to be at her mercy. She wanted him to be at her beck and call.

But no. No, she wouldn't let that happen. It hadn't worked with Matthew, and it wouldn't work with Colvin if she tried it. He was an equal to her, not a lesser, she knew that.

Still, that feeling of his hand against hers drove her wild. She wanted to rush to the end, and knew that she could, but chose to take it slow. If she rushed, her urges would take over. That would not happen again.

"Soul. May I speak with you for a moment?" a voice said from behind her.

She recognized the voice and lost her smile. Turning back, she saw The Doctor walking up to her. "What is it?" she asked curtly.

The Doctor stopped just a few feet from her. "I've been told you were just in NH-4's room. I trust he was compliant?"

"He was. The apparatus is working as intended. If that's all, I have important matters to attend to." That was a lie, she just wanted to leave. The last thing she needed was The Doctor ruining her mood for the rest of the day.

"Actually, we need to discuss a more pressing matter." The Doctor adjusted the glasses on his face. "Early this morning, you had our engineers alter the control apparatus. They refused to divulge to me what you had changed, but I trust it was nothing important?"

She clenched her hands, though briefly. It was true, there had been one alteration. Only one. On top of having no negative thoughts toward Team Saber, there was another restriction. Colvin would have no thoughts of stopping her from doing anything to him. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but it was something Colvin needed.

Colvin's mind was still focused on his old wife, whatever her name was. It was a detriment to making him her own. He needed to become more comfortable with someone else for his own sake. She needed to show him that, even if it meant giving into her urge just the smallest bit.

She thought she had sworn the engineers to silence, though it seemed one of them had broken that. Oh well, it was something to deal with later. All she could do now was end the conversation with The Doctor.

"A small fix to ensure nothing would happen to me when I am with him," she said, "There's not an issue, is there?"

"It appears there isn't," The Doctor said, bringing one hand up to his mouth to clear his throat. "I only ask because we recently detected an anomaly in his brain waves."

"An anomaly?"

"Yes, one that shares many similarities to the ones we observed in NH-3. A sudden increase in alpha waves and decrease in beta waves. It seems the anomaly occurred when you were in NH-4's room." The Doctor looked at her with a touch of scrutiny, "Did anything odd occur with him while you were there?"

She couldn't help but feel a touch offended at his tone. He didn't need to know anything of what they did behind those doors. There was a reason why she had the camera removed from Colvin's cell; She and him deserved privacy.

Though, thinking back, there had been something odd. While they were holding hands on his bed, he had gone silent and frowned at her. It was odd, but she could accept that he had been apprehensive toward her. That would go away in time. His eyes had also appeared different, though she was sure that was a trick of the dark. When Colvin had come into the light for her, she had seen his eyes were still brown. In any case, The Doctor didn't need to know. What happened between her and Colvin was their own business.

"Nothing noteworthy," she said decidedly, "If that's all, I will be taking my leave now." She turned around and continued down the hallway.

"I would rather like NH-4 to not follow the same path as NH-3, Soul," The Doctor called out. Soul stopped but didn't look back. "Do consult me the next time you wish to make an alteration to the apparatus."

She turned and looked at The Doctor from the corner of her eye, "Of course. Is that all?"

"It is."

"Then I'll leave you to your work." She locked her gaze to the hall in front of her and began walking.

The Doctor didn't call out to her again, and for that she was thankful. How dare he even suggest Colvin would turn out anything similar to Matthew. What happened with him would never happen with Colvin, especially if she kept her urges in line. The situation with Matthew had been from a time long past, and something she had learned a lot from. It was not something she intended to repeat.

She would treat Colvin right. She would not give in to her urge. That urge to dominate, to break down, to mentally dismantle him. She wouldn't let that happen.

Matthew had been her failure, Colvin would not.

Azen walked through the forest, trudging through snow that only served to worsen his mood. It had been the same yesterday and the day before and annoyed him to no end.

He had been on border patrol duty for the last few days. It was menial work to him. Nothing ever happened that warranted his attention. For someone as powerful and important as him to be doing such labor, it was embarrassing.

He was a shiny Lucario! One that had the most impressive stats the Aperta tribe had ever seen. He was from a family that had been blessed by Sphaera, giving him an aura ability that surpassed all others: Aura resistance. It was an incredible gift. No Riolu nor Lucario, no matter how strong, could ever read his aura. The ability to bind aura, to alter it, to predict it, they were all useless when faced with the power to resist aura.

His importance had been nearly unmatched in the tribe with the only one that surpassed him was the elder. Even then, he had little interest in taking over as leader. Azen knew he was more powerful but being a leader wasn't his place. He was satisfied where he was. A life surrounded by those who praised his existence, acting as though he was a perfect Lucario, it was a life he loved living. It was a constant high, and he was content with that.

Of course, he also had a constant flock of female Lucario approaching him and asking to become his mate. A shy smile here, a coy wink there, it was routine. Though, if he was being honest with himself, none really took his interest. Many were fine looking, yes, but there was no challenge. It was all too easy.

Then there was Shali. At first, she was just another face in the crowd. Sure, she was somewhat attractive and had an aura ability of her own, not to mention fairly skilled with a spear, but that didn't interest him. What did interest him was her aloofness toward him. It was something he hadn't experienced a female acting like that toward him before.

He couldn't get her out of his head. Of all the females that wanted him, why was she the only one that didn't? For the first time in his life, he had been the one to approach and ask to be her mate. Perhaps she was just playing hard to get.

If she was, then it was a dedicated act. Time after time. Rejection after rejection. The challenge was playful, almost fun, at first. But that eventually evolved into annoyance and anger. Why? Why was she rejecting him? Did he not deserve her? A Lucario like her should have been grateful to be asked to be his mate. And yet, there didn't even appear to be a glint of attraction toward him in her aura. It infuriated him. She would be his, he decided. No matter what it took. Though, with her continued rejections, he was forced to turn to alternatives.

Shali's father, Tokala, was a high-ranked member and one that always did what was needed for the tribe. Azen took advantage of that and approached him. It was an easy sell considering his powerful stats and aura ability. A blessing between the two was to be held two years from that day. Being mates was one thing, something that could be dissolved by either party. A blessing though, that was unbreakable. Shali wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

He could still remember the look on her face when her father gave the news to her. That expression of genuine horror and shock. Oh, how it exhilarated him! She was his, finally his, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The days ticked down to the blessing and he couldn't have been more pleased. There were no more obstacles in his way now, just a straight line to what was rightly his.

Then that human showed up.

A human trespassing was a relatively normal event to happen occasionally. What wasn't normal was that this human had two auras within him. Azen found it mildly intriguing, though paid little attention to it. With only a couple days left until the blessing, his mind was elsewhere. However, he did have a small bout of fun with throwing rocks at the human and beating him to a pulp the following day.

No, the human was at the bottom of his interests. He didn't care much if he missed the human's execution if that was what the judgment decreed. All he wanted to do after the blessing was to show Shali just how much she was his.

Then the day of the blessing came, and he was ready to claim his prize. Shali would be his. Forever and always. It was perfect. The look of defeat on her face was priceless and one that he wanted to look at for as long as possible. She had no options left. Even if she wanted to have someone represent her in the fight, no one would take her offer. They knew better than to fight him. He had won, the challenge was conquered.

But she chose to have someone represent her anyway: The human. He remembered having to hold back laughter when she said it. And the human accepted it! Azen hadn't imagined there would be so much humor at a blessing.

Then the human beat him.

He didn't know how, but it had happened. It should have been an easy fight, one that should have taken him a minute at most. At first, that seemed to have been the case. While Azen could admire the tenacity, he found the human's efforts at hurting him to be pitiful at best. He had decided to end it with one final move, impaling the human on his chest spike. It would be the end, and he would have Shali.

But somehow, the human survived. Not only that, the human appeared to be reinvigorated, an energy coursing through him that he didn't have before. The attacks that once barely gave Azen pause were now stunning him and forcing him back. He had responded in kind, finally putting full power into his own attacks. But every single time, the human would stand back up. It enraged him, caused him to act rash, and then…

He had only realized his loss after he regained consciousness some hours later, his entire being aching. All over his body, even now, were several bruises that had not yet healed. They flared up with every step he took, constantly reminding him of his loss.

The bruises weren't the only reminder. Those that had once praised him were now silent, the females that had once competed for his attention were now distant. The tribe itself was shunning him. He had been defeated by a human, an embarrassment that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Now he was here, taking on the border patrol that Shali had left when she was exiled. Exiled for being blessed with the human. He was disgusted even thinking about it. A human being blessed with what was his. The realization that he would never have her had hit him harder than any of the human's attacks, and nearly sent him into a rage. But there was nothing he could do. Shali was long gone now and likely with the human. Azen wanted her but couldn't have her.

He bared his teeth and let out a low growl. The snow was deeper now that he was moving toward the edge of the forest, the canopy no longer as thick and allowing more flakes to fall to the ground. As he neared the edge of the Aperta tribe's territory, the spaces between the trees grew, and he was given a view of the many human homes that lined the road just past the forest's limits.

He turned and began walking alongside the forest's buffer to the road. All he needed to do now was to go along the length of the tribe's territory and return. After that, he could return to the common area and rest. But rest for what? Rest so he could just spend more time stewing in his thoughts?

A human. A fucking human, he thought bitterly. She would rather be with a human and abandon the tribe than be with me. How dare she do such a thing. She had not only disgraced him, but the entire tribe with her actions. If only she was still in the tribe. If only he could get his hands on her and show her how much wrong she had done.

But that was impossible now, Shali was likely far away. With the human, his mind added, making him growl again. Yes, with the human. The one that had beaten him. It was a perfect humiliation, only heightened by his inability to do anything about it.

He stepped through the snow, eyeing the human homes as he did so. Maybe Shali was within one of them, being reduced to nothing more than the human's slave, and yet finding comfort in the fact that she wasn't with Azen. You bitch. You think you're better than me? You think that human is better than me? It could have been so easy, but you just had to be difficult. I swear to Sphaera, if I see you again, I will–

His foot touched something in the snow, making him pause. It wasn't snow or the frozen ground beneath, its texture was slightly rough and compressed with the weight of his foot pushing down on it. He stepped back in the snow and looked down at it.

Under a light layer of snow and ice was something gray that didn't seem to resemble much of anything. The most Azen could make out was that it appeared to be very crinkled and scuffed. Curious, he reached down, grabbed it, and, with little effort, pulled it up, stirring up the snow that once covered the object.

He held it in front of him with both paws and recognized the object immediately. In his life, many humans had trespassed into the Aperta tribe's territory and were executed as per protocol. A few that trespassed wore garments such as this to help keep warm. Normally, any clothing that the humans possessed were promptly burned after their execution. Oddly enough though, despite there being no apparent owner, this jacket appeared to have already been significantly burnt.

Its sleeves were intact, but the rest was extremely damaged. A large hole with blackened edges took up most of the back, allowing Azen to see right through it. Just below the hole was a mess of a white and glossy substance that snow stuck to as if it was a magnet. He expected the material to be pliable, yet at his touch it was as hard as ice. The jacket may have helped a human keep warm at one point, but now it was useless.

The smell didn't fare much better. The hole smelled of chemicals with an acrid sweetness that made Azen wrinkle his nose and pull his head away from the jacket. Whatever scent the jacket used to have, he was certain it wasn't the sickening stench it had now.

…But under it all, there was something else. Something… familiar? He had definitely smelled whatever it was before. Though from its concealment within the other pungent odors to the idea that this jacket had likely been left for days, considering the snow that was piled on it, it was barely detectable.

He looked at the sleeves of the jacket. If anything was going to give him a clearer scent, it would be the only things that weren't damaged. He brought one of the sleeves up to his nose and sniffed.

Instantly, the anger that had been forgotten surged forth in his mind. His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed, and his teeth bared. His grip on the jacket was iron, and he would have been able to easily tear the jacket apart if he pulled lightly.

It was the human's scent.

Azen couldn't believe it. This humiliation was already the worst it could be, and yet the human had found a way to bring him down further. It was mockery in its purest form. A reminder of who had beaten him. His paws shook but didn't let go of the jacket. He felt like he had just a few days ago, when the human had slighted him with that rock in front of Shali.

You think you're better than me? Huh, human? No. You aren't. You're a human, you are inferior to me. I am better than you in every way. And I will show you just how much better I am. His thoughts echoed those he had gone through before when he was struck with the rock. Now, however, they held little weight. The human had bested him. Yet, his fiery anger only grew stronger. It was the strongest he had ever felt it, and he let it take him. It was catharsis.

You think you can just leave after disrespecting me? He grinned and ripped one of the sleeves off the jacket, dropping the rest of it into the snow. But you aren't the only one that deserves a lesson, human. You will learn too, Shali. You will learn just how much I deserve you. Blessing or not, it doesn't matter. He was surprised at his thoughts, but they didn't put him off in the slightest.

He sniffed the sleeve again; the human's scent was still prevalent. His paws no longer shook. The tribe was the faintest thing on his mind at that moment, he didn't care about border patrol anymore.

He shoved his left arm through the sleeve, locking it in place by stabbing the cuff with his hand spike. The jacket's lining felt odd against his fur, but he didn't care. I will find you both, no matter how long it takes. I am better than both of you. I have your scent now, human. It will always be with me, and I will find you both with it. And you, Shali. You are going to come back with me. I am going to show everyone that you are mine. You. Are. Mine.

"You are mine," he muttered.

Azen turned to the human homes and walked out of the forest.

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Peace!

-Minusbomb