Chapter 15

Survival of the Fittest

Luca scanned the forest directly outside the cave. The sun had traveled almost halfway across the sky. And yet they still hadn't spotted any sign of the Hunters.

"Anything?" Braun asked as he stepped up behind him.

He shook his head. "Nothing." One hand came up to his forehead and pressed in. The headache had started several hours ago and seemed to be getting worse. His head screamed like it was in a pressure cooker.

"What about the aura? Can you sense anything?"

"No. I'm having trouble concentrating." He had trouble concentrating on anything outside of the headache, but he tried to put it in the back of his mind. Not only did he have bigger things to worry about, but it would hopefully reduce the pain. Instead, he put his mind to their current problem. "If they're still out there, I can't tell."

"They're out there," Braun said with assurance. "The only question is when they'll make their move."

"Why don't we make the first move instead?" Wasser asked from the back of the cave, where he lounged with his feet up on a rock. "I'm sick of just waiting here."

Braun turned and walked back towards him. "And just what do you propose we do?"

"Simple. We go out, find them, and beat them back to where they came from."

Braun stopped halfway through a step and penetrated him with a slightly surprised glare. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"That's the point." Wasser pulled his legs down and leaned forward. "They would never expect it. Right now, they're waiting to come after us. So if we take the fight to them, we'll catch them off guard." His face was suddenly beaming.

At first, the former Hunter couldn't believe the audacity of the idea. But as he turned it around, it had some merit. Assuming they were working together, they would be at strategic positions around the cave. One way or another, if Luca or Wasser could work around them, they could create enough of a distraction for Braun to step out and do some damage. Of course, the chances of success were ridiculously slim. But they could be just high enough for them to pull it off.

Wasser caught the glint in his eye. "What are you planning?"

A smile slowly spread over Braun's face. "If this works, I will be truly shocked."

"It will work. Now tell me."

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The anticipation was nearly killing him with excitement. They'd watched for almost 12 hours now. None of them had slept, eaten, or left to relieve themselves. And they wouldn't until the target had eluded them or they brought him in. But he wasn't concerned. They were trained to go days without normal comforts.

But he wouldn't have to go much longer. Something was about to happen. He could feel it in his bones.

"Target is leaving the cave. Heading north."

Jeff wanted to curse, but didn't. North was directly away from him. He would be playing catch-up again. "Adjust and follow."

His monitor linked to follow the other's computers. A picture of Braun strolling through the woods filled his eyepiece as he moved towards the cave. He seemed a little calm for being hunted. Did he think the chase was over? Braun was a pro. He wouldn't make such a mistake.

Another body walked out of the cave and he stopped. There were two. The Buizel and a male, who was talking. "OK. It looks like we can go now. You take the left, I'll take the right."

Jeff's mind made the connection instantly. It was a trap. He should warn the others.

Or maybe he couldn't. Computers were known to fail. He would have take Braun down alone.

The two stalked through the trees, surprisingly silent. He waited several seconds, then circled wide to watch.

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The aura, moments ago completely out of reach, pressed in against him like waves. It took all of his focus to understand it all without going crazy. But his headache seemed to be much worse as well.

A groan tried to pry through his lips, but he kept it down. If they heard him, Braun wouldn't stand a chance. Up until now, he hadn't seen anything that made it appear they knew. Their trap had successfully been turned inside out.

He stopped close to the base of the tree where one of the Hunters was crouched. About a hundred yards away, Braun was doing something, probably drinking from the stream. The Hunter was looking in that direction through a scope attached to a long rifle.

The time had come. Energy focused into his palm, creating an Aura Sphere. With a flick, it flew through the foliage. But it was just low. Instead of hitting the man, it smashed the branch he was on to bits.

"Damn."

But it wasn't all bad. The Hunter began to fall uncontrollably towards the ground with nothing to break his fall.

Adrenaline pumped through his arms. "I've got him now." He dashed forward, putting more energy into his hands but in a different form.

The Hunter managed to correct himself in midair and prepared his legs for the impact, but he never got there. Two arms drove into his back, sending a sharp burst of energy through his spine. The force shot him straight into the trunk of another tree with a sickening crack.

Luca had to stop for a moment and just breathe. That was absolutely perfect. A bolt of pain tore through the length of his arm. He grunted and leaned against a tree, suddenly feeling weak. This was no ordinary headache.

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Wasser stopped under the brush. Up above him, a man in a full black suit was crouched on a thick tree branch. He was looking into the distance, where Braun would be.

He should do it now before he left. He drew in a breath, his mouth going cold.

A cracking sound from his right took the Hunter's attention.

He let his Ice Beam shoot. The man saw it, though, and quickly leapt from the branch to the ground, rolling behind a tree.

The space stilled. Wasser froze as he waited for the Hunter to step out. Braun had warned to play by their rules, so he did nothing to give away his position.

Metal pressed to the back of his head. "Don't move."

He practically jumped out of his skin. But he didn't move a muscle beside an initial flinch. The man was fast. And now he was in serious trouble.

If Wasser tried to spin and nail the guy, he would be dead before he could connect. His faithful direct approach wouldn't work.

What would Braun do? His eyes drifted downwards between his legs. The man was standing about a foot back. Perfect. He kept his head low and formed a ball of churning water in his mouth. He spit it onto the ground directly between his feet. It popped into a massive wave that washed over the Hunter. The gun rang out, but it went straight into the trees. With a quick turn, Wasser shot another Ice Beam into the wave, freezing it solid with the Hunter trapped inside.

Wasser stood and looked over it. It was a wall of solid ice with a flailing man frozen inside. "Not very clean, but I like it."

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Jeff couldn't help but laugh. It seemed he and Braun were the only competent ones on the planet.

And speaking of Braun, it was time for him to say hello.

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Braun had turned and begun searching the trees the instant he heard the crack of wood. A gunshot had sounded out a minute later. But he still couldn't see anything in the trees. He doubted they would have been able to eliminate both, but even if they had there would be one more. So where was he?

"Hello, Braun."

He didn't turn around to the voice. "Jeff. Good to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same." There was click as a pistol was cocked.

"You aren't going to kill me," Braun said coolly. He turned around to face the man.

Jeff was crouched across the stream on a large rock, pistol pointed level with Braun's chest. "No? Why is that?"

"If you wanted me dead, Black would have done it at the campfire last night. Giovanni obviously wants me alive."

The entered a silent stare-down, daring each other to make a move. Jeff made one first. He pulled the pistol back up to his ear with a smile. "And that is why you are a Hunter, Braun. Or were."

"So why are you here now?" He started to walk in a circular path around Jeff. There had to be a better angle he could use. "Showing yourself ends the hunt."

Jeff remained on the rock. "Too true. But sadly the hunt ended when your friends eliminated the others."

Braun stopped. They had actually succeeded?

The other man caught his surprise. "I know. Shocker, isn't it? Though really, you and I are the only ones strong enough to be Hunters. Isn't that right?"

Braun resumed his walk, stepping over the small stream. "Don't patronize me." He studied the man closely, observing body posture, facial muscles, even breathing pattern. He wasn't getting much. But he had to keep the man on edge. "So why don't we just finished what we started?"

Jeff looked over at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Shamouti Island. Four years ago. Class 3 executive target. Surely you remember." Really, Braun was just pulling from a hat. It was a slim chance, but hopefully he would still have a grudge.

Surprisingly, Jeff smiled. "Oh, that. I had nearly forgotten."

By now, Braun was almost behind Jeff. He dove forward, one hand going for the pistol, the other for Jeff's neck. But Jeff slid out of the way, dropped the pistol as he did. Braun grabbed the pistol from midair and planted one foot on the rock just as Jeff spun around, facing him. He pulled the trigger. The bolt clicked.

But nothing else happened. Jeff smiled. "You need to learn some new tricks."

Braun felt it now. The clip was completely empty. That was a good play on Jeff's part. But he did have something new; familiar words gave him an idea. "How about something old fashioned?" He tossed the pistol casually at Jeff.

Jeff became surprised for a moment as one hand reached out for the gun. But that moment left him open. Braun shoved off the rock and swung an arm around the pistol to come in from the side, connecting with Jeff's temple. The man dropped like a sack.

Braun caught his feet to stand over the man. "Sometimes you just gotta hit the guy."

Wasser stepped out of the woods right then. "Nice hit, Braun."

He laughed. "Your idea." His eyes searched the woods. "Were's Luca?"

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Sam stopped the car and practically spilled out. The gunshot had come from just up ahead, through the trees.

"Oh, Arceus, please don't let me be too late."

A/N: Once again, the reviews have waned. Would everyone please leave me a review so I can know how I'm doing? Thanks.