Chapter 3

Sera and Furret returned to the field where the Tailow had lead them. Everything was still in ruins broken branches strewn the field. Sera looked around once more for the Tailow. Her efforts were in vain, the Tailow was not there. Sera once again found the giant pokemon's footprints she clicked her heel to Furret's side and he followed them. The footprints went on for a long time with no trace of the pokemon. Sera grew nervous. She followed the footprints to almost the edge of the forest where they stopped. Maybe Gardevoir, was right. Sera thought about the pokemon she'd spoken to in the cave. Maybe the danger isn't here anymore. There was no other indication of the pokemons whereabouts just footprints that ended.

Sera told Furret to turn around and go home. Furret's fur was on end and he was jittery, he gladly turned around. When Sera turned 180 she came face to face with lightning blue eyes staring down at her. Furret stopped and hissed at the massive figure in front of them. Her eyes took in the large pokemon.

Giant talons imprinted the ground beneath it's feet. Silver wings rose up to the height of the tallest trees. A silver body glistened with moonlight filtering through the trees. Those blue eyes bore holes in Sera. Suddenly she was washed with a wave of painful memories.

Sera and Vulpix spent a lot of time together. They became closer than sisters. Pokemon training was everything Sera had expected and more. She loved her pokemon partner to death. The first two years Sera and Vulpix spent training until Vulpix evovled into a Ninetails. The first time Sera laid eyes on her Ninetails she thought it was the most beautiful pokemon she'd ever seen.

Finally Sera and Ninetails were ready to challenge gym leaders and other trainers like they'd dreamed of. Sera and Ninetails set off immediately with good bearings from her family. For three more years they slowly made their way through eight gym leaders, stopping in towns for a couple weeks at a time to work for money. Despite the fortune her parents had from their pokemon day care services she wanted to prove her own initiative and make them proud.

Sera and Ninetails decided to return home before challenging the pokemon league. When she came home her brother, Alzack and a very energetic Snorunt greeted them.

"Alzack!" Sera called to her brother who was ten now and must have just gotten his Snorunt, she was a beautiful Snorunt, one Sera could only guess her parents had bred to perfection before offering it to her brother. "You got your first pokemon! Thats so exciting!" Sera's heart sang for her brothers happiness, she hadn't seen her family in so long and the distance only made her love them more.

She picked up Alzack and spun him around like old times, although it was harder because he was a lot bigger than before. Sera put her brother down and began to talk with him when she heard a loud screech of tires and deafening thud-thud! Sera whipped around, a car had crashed into something and there was blood everywhere. She ran to the street and see nine bloody tails, with matted fur sticking out from under a car.

She let out a heartbreaking scream as tears ran down her face. Somehow Ninetails was pulled from the car and Sera huddled over her partner's body checking for life. Ninetail's beautiful blue eyes were glazed over and her pale golden white fur was stained red. Sera vaguely noticed water droplets falling on the already soaked fur of Ninetails. It wasn't until her parents came over that she realized they were her tears and she was covered in her pokemon's blood.

Two weeks later Sera came home from the funeral. The black she was dawned in did little to drown out the red she still saw. She would never get over Ninetails, that pokemon was her only friend and they made their way up the ladder as a team. She never even caught any other pokemon despite trainers telling her to. Ninetails was all she needed, all she wanted. Ninetails was the ground beneath her feet, the thing that was both extremely important and always appreciated. Now he was gone and Sera's world had crumbled to the ground in front of her and she could do nothing but feel pain.

Her career as a trainer was over, Sera decided that as she stood in her backyard, the place she'd trained Vulpix into a Ninetails for so long. The place they grew up together in. A single tear fell down her cheek and Sera whimpered. She'd cried so much already there was no way she could cry more.

Alzack's voice sounded from behind her. "Sis? Are you okay?" His Snorunt came up to Sera and tried to nudge it's pointy head under her arm. As she absentmindedly patted Snorunt's back, she realized she'd fallen to her knees. Sera shook her head and wiped the tears away. She stood up and faced Alzack.

"Yeah. I'll be okay."

"Are you still a pokemon trainer now?"

"No. Not anymore." Sera answered sadly and her eyes fell to the ground.

"You can have Snorunt if you want." Alzack grabbed Snorunt by his waist and picked him up as if to present it to her. "Snorunt made me happy and you can fight with her to beat the pokemon league and become champion!"

Sera couldn't believe him, so naive. He was so innocent for a ten year old. She bent down to his level and pat his head. He slowly lowered Snorunt when he realized Sera wasn't going to take her.

"Al, don't give up your dream so I can live mine." She told him slowly making sure he understood.

"But my dream is for you to be happy?"

Al, you're ten now and you have Snorunt as a partner. Becoming trainers is what we've always wanted. I know you want to become a strong trainer and I know you can. Please keep your partner by your side always and never forget to love her with everything you have."

Sera smiled for her brother, he looked at her with those eyes of innocence but agreed to do what she said. Out of nowhere the sky darkened and clouds appeared.

"C'mon let's get inside it'll rain soon." Sera began to usher Alzack inside when suddenly Snorunt jumped from his arms. Before Alzack could pick her up again Snorunt ran off to the forest over which a dangerous storm was forming. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

"Snorunt, don't run off!"

"Alzack wait! It's dangerous-!" Sera chased after him following both pokemon and trainer into the woods, she looked everywhere for them when she passed the treeline but all she found were lightning blue eyes staring her as if to kill her.

""...Aaaahhh."

Sera was snapped back to reality when she received a painful blow from the pokemon's wing. Her back cracked from whiplashing into the tree behind her. She wasn't aware of where Furret was as her vision slowly returned with her breath. But there's no rest for the wicked and the legendary Lugia came at her again.

Luckily she gathered her wits just in time to dodge Lugia's hyper beam. She rolled away as the tree was blasted to oblivion and whistled for Furret. He came running up from her side, not missing a beat, Sera grabbed his long fur and yanked herself up to her rightful position on his back as she nearly hit a tree. Lugia roared in the distance and Sera knew she couldn't escape it. She clicked Furret's side but they were already going faster than ever.

Powerful gusts of wind fell onto Furret almost making him stumble. Lugia was flying ahead of them trying to cut them off. She signalled Furret to turn and he made a sharp left. His back claws dug into a tree's bark about an inch deep as he propelled off it. But just as Furret turned Lugia sensed the change in direction and followed from above. Sera repeated this zig zag tactic until she was sure Furret couldn't take anymore. They were almost to the other side of the forest. If they could just get to Gardevoirs cave she could make that poké-bitch suck on her own words. Lugia cut them off tho. Furret was getting slower this tactic had tired him out quickly. Now there was no going any further. Not with Furret unable to take another step.

Sera calmly stared Lugia down as his blue glowing eyes promised murder. She stepped down from Furret's back, who collapsed to the ground almost instantly. This Lugia had caused the storm that Alzack and Snorunt ran into. It had caused Sera to think she'd lost her brother to the beast and tore her from her family. But now she knew Alzack was alive and safe. She knew she couldn't outrun a legendary. The silver winged terror staring at her now promised no way to get past it and to Gardevoir. Sera was on her own. She stood in front of Furret her arms defiantly out to protect her new partner. She lost Ninetails and she wasn't going to lose Furret too.

Lugia opened it's mouth to prepare an attack. "Try it bitch. I'm not moving!" Furret squealed a protest behind her but Sera didn't budge. She'd be dead before she lost another pokemon. Lugia's attack was gaining power, the hyper beam forming insides it's mouth promised her death. She stood rooted to her spot but she was visibly shaken and her knees had grown weak. Her will won out in the end and she didn't move as Lugia's hyper beam fired.

Alzack came running at Sera full speed. He tackled her to the ground as the hyper beam singed a bit of his hair. Sera landed on the ground with Alzack crushing her lungs. She let out a scream as she remembered Furret but Alzack silenced her as he grabbed her arm and ran with her. Lugia had come in for a claw attack and had they not moved they both would have been ribbons of flesh. Something caught Sera's eye as they ran around the other side of Lugia and waited for it to face them. A white winged bird carried something in it's talons that looked too large to carry. The pokemon came closer and Sera saw it was an Altaria carrying Furret but dropping quickly. Both pokemon landed in front of their trainers in a tangle. Alzack shouted a command and like a race pokemon Altaria flew off above Lugia's head distracting it.

Sera came to Furrets side and hugged the pokemon before it got a chance to breathe. Furret impatiently pushed Sera away but still held the same love in it's eyes. Furret and Sera shared a look. Furret jumped up and Sera shouted a command. They hadn't had to fight in a long time but Sera made sure they were always ready with frequent training sessions.

"Furret, use X-scissor!" Furret replied with a flurry of claws aimed at Lugia's exposed stomach. With Altaria using steel wing attacks on Lugia's head and Furret battling it from below Lugia was easily overwhelmed. But once it's confusion was gone Sera and Alzack's pokemon were easily defeated. Lugia smacked them both to the ground with one wing.

Furret and Altaria showed their resolve by getting back up and trying again, this time both trainers ordered them to use their agility to evade Lugia's attacks. It was working so far. Alzack had an idea suddenly brought out three others pokeballs. Out came his Froslass, Ponyta and Mightyena.

"Now fight with everything you have!" Sera turned to him.

"Alzack we can't take on a legendary! Call your pokemon back and we'll make a retreat!"

"No we're not retreating. Lugia will only follow us we have to defeat it!"

"But-"

"NO! Sera!" Alzack shouted at her. "We can defeat it. As brother and sister." Alzack gave her a reassuring smile.

It was true she'd suspected Alzack to be her brother for a long time and hearing him say that only made her happier. She smiled back and told Furret to put everything he's got into it.