Into The Moonlight: Retribution

So much of my pain drained away as I felt the cold sting of a paw clash against my face. The sting was of great pleasure as I saw myself protecting everything I've worked for and to know I still had the willpower to withstand such a brutal combination of attacks.

My body glided through the cold air as the echoes of my own screams vibe through my body. Even with myself airborne and my body in state of collapse, I was determined to finish this brute off.

I gathered myself as gravity took its toll and I skidded across the ground from the force of that claws strike which froze most of my body in seconds. At least now I could move my legs and that was what I was wishing as I got up and stood on my shaking legs, trying to keep myself up with what I had left in me.

It seemed this morning was perfect in some way with how it started, but now it just held misery. We had been walking for a few hours in the dawn of the rising sun. At the time I didn't realise how far we were from the town. We left the cave about an hour or two ago. It felt like hours anyway. Most of the walk remained quiet with small amounts of laughter here and there with what I could recall.

Nothing much happened in that cave, when we woke up, Gal was there, along with Sally jumping on me to wake me up. Eirene broke into laughter along with Gal, Sally wasn't laughing with them though, and she just held a big smile, pouncing on me to stir me from my peaceful sleep.

They got lost in the darkness apparently, before the sun had even risen, which is why Sally was still with us. I was still confused though, I thought Gal would have had a good sense of direction. Guess I was wrong.

That's all I remember up till now as my mind was beginning to fill with hatred at the one who stood in front of me with the Eevee to his chest. He held his right arm around her neck and his left claw at her chest in warning that he would easily pierce her flesh if he wanted to.

The fact that he was actually giving her a chance was infusing me. He struck down Eirene without a problem and now he holds her in a headlock without giving her some damage. Still, I gave myself a fight that was draining me too quickly, having forced Eirene to distract him just for a diversion I would have hoped to have work.

But, she was lying unconscious just behind him with no signs of actual movement, our diversion failing and at my risk causing me to become open and find myself beat.

"Leave her out of this, you creep! Or are you to scare to fight with decency!" I ordered with anger, stomping my front right paw with a small sparse of dark entity emanating from it and circling before it vanished without a trace.

He seemed offended by what I said as he let go of Sally and hung his claws to his side, and lunging at me before I could even comprehend his movement. He had definitely increased in speed, but I had a feeling he would lack defence like he did before.

My cries filled the field as his claws struck my right side, grazing my flesh with ease and spilling blood with no remorse. It's not until his free claw struck my free side and stab itself into my flesh. Endless amounts of tears streamed down my face as my teeth gritted, the pain overpowering my natural limits.

I fell onto my stomach as his claws remained half an inch into my flesh with blood seeping from the laceration that was planted across my chest earlier when I left myself open from seeing Eirene collapse. That moment was killing me from the inside and I didn't know what to do. Yet I was in this spot now with this Weavile sitting on my back with his claws dug into me.

With my head lowered to the ground and in so much pain, his heavy breathing acting as a motive to just want to rip him apart. All I wanted for him is to see his corpse lay dormant with no movement, to see him suffer would be more soothing for me now but I wouldn't have the chance to make him beg for life.

Having the sudden feeling of something wet and slimy near the tip of me ear made it twitch. "I've never like being called creep, therefore I think I should make you regret saying it to me," he said harshly into my ears as he purposely twisted his right paw, causing an extent of pain that was bringing me to tears. The feel of my flesh being twisted from a wound was making me writhe and beg for him to stop.

Begging was pretty pointless as I already knew his extent of punishment, his words putting me on the dot, but wishing I was wrong.

"Mmmm... How delicate to hear the cries of a Pokémon in distress. So warming... don't you agree? I feel so proud with each creature I tak..."

I let out a nightmarish scream as I felt the weight of the Weavile leave my back. That wasn't the actual cause of why I screamed in pain, it was the fact that his sudden removal of his claws, his right claw actually as it remained inside and created further damage along my right. I didn't bother to see how much wounds I had on my body, but blood feeling the ground pointed to me that I had a fair amount.

Soon, my body was relieved of the immense pain that had been dealt to me, and was only filled with pain of wounds and exhaustion. Even with those still lingering within me, I forced myself up with as much effort as I could, shaking tremendously as I felt a sudden uneasiness. Everything felt tipsy; everything looked tipsy on that matter.

Of course, at hearing Eirene's growling voice I took a step forward to where I heard it, tumbling forward and eliciting a small yelp. My vision was at failure, all I could see were things spinning, and most of that was blurred.

"I'm over with the pain you caused me! Having Shade is all I need now! AND YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANOTHER FROM ME!"

What was going on? I wanted to know! She sounded angered and sorrow crawled its way into her voice. A loud, piercing cry made me grit my teeth as its pitch was unbearable for my ears; it was enough to make ones ears bleed. Luckily it diminished after a few seconds, becoming quiet with nothing but my lowered whimpers of pain that came out natural with small twitches along my body, and the sound of approaching footsteps nearing closer to me.

A shadowy figure appeared over my blurred vision, tears making my eyes sting and the tipsiness making it impossible to see what overlay my vision.

I blinked my eyes as I heard the voice that made my body shudder, thoughts running through my mind and picking up what had happened earlier before I fell to a sharp pain along my neck.

The sun looked as if it was just rising; well it's the best I could make out with how dim our surroundings were thanks to the canopy of the forest. This pointed out we were deep within the forest, a part I hadn't yet to explore and I don't think I would want to anytime soon.

I held my head lowered as I walked between Eirene and Gal, who was holding Sally in his arm.

"Shady, please cheer up, no need to be sad for what's going on," Eirene told me as I glanced at her. She was clearly trying to cheer me up as she occasionally rubbed herself against me. Not that it held the cure, but it felt nice to have some comfort. "I've got to make it up to you," she added with a peck to my nose. Wasn't last night... morning... I'm lost with time at the moment, but wasn't earlier her apology?

I blushed as Gal was looking at us, smiling, "get a room you two," he joked.

Eirene glanced at him, "you're just jealous," she struck back, sticking her tongue out.

The Gallade gave her a grin, "you don't want to go there Eirene, you know I'll win," he mocked. I just walked between them, trying not to laugh at them for joking about each other.

"Fine..." she said, lifting her head up to the sky, "what should we talk about then. Almighty leader." I glanced at her to see she had a few tears gathered around the rims of her eyes.

"What's wrong Eirene?" I questioned, nudging her with my body. The tears were questionable; I couldn't tell if they were of sadness or anger.

She turned to me, bearing a warming smile, "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're in one piece," Eirene answered, her voice clouded by sorrow.

"Don't lie Eirene, I know..."

"Drop it Shade! She doesn't want to be reminded of it!" Gal interrupted, giving me a glare that showed he was serious as I turned to look at him. I saw that he glanced at Eirene with shock for a second, before turning his head left, looking away from us. "Sorry Shade, I didn't mean to tell you off..." he said, quickly turning back with a smile on his face, "but truth be told, she's telling me off for..."

"Don't you dare speak of it with me near... I don't want to be reminded of it... please..." she pleaded.

"Well then," he said, moving his arms and stirring the Eevee that slumber in his arms from her sleep.

"W-where... am I..." I heard the Eevee say, flicking her tail softly, her ears twitching slowly as she woke up more. That's all I could really see of her as Gal was tall. "Oh, Sammy, are we there already?" She asked, another yawn escaping her.

"No, not yet, but I thought you should Get some exercise with Eirene. After all, Eirene and I are planning something for you later today." He began to squat, releasing Sally from his cradled arms. She wobbled a bit, finally gaining her composure after some attempts to walk.

I was wondering what he was doing, what the plan was and now beginning to wonder who this Eevee was, not really caring till now. I had my own troubles but I know if I kept thinking about them I would just keep putting myself down.

I watched as Eirene smiled, "I guess that sounds fair..." she glanced at me for a second as Sally stepped between us, "please don't think of me differently... once Sammy tells you..." she dashed a few feet away, Sally following suite as they began dashing around each.

I looked up to Gal, "Sammy?" I tried to refrain from laughing; it was just funny at hearing him be called that.

"They call me that because they found it cute. Eirene knows I don't like it as she's read my thoughts," he held a frown on his facial expression, "that's gratitude for teaching her telepathy and mind reading..." he said in the air, keeping his voice down so Eirene couldn't hear us.

"Oh... that reminds me, have you figured out why you can't talk to me or read my mind? And I assume that Eirene tried and failed."

"Yes to the second and no to the first... I still haven't, but I formed a theory," he told me, "I only just came up with it. I think you're troubled by something deeper within your mind, and whatever it is must be blocking it." I looked at him with curiosity before he shook his head, "it's only a theory though, and it's what I can only predict from my knowledge about you."

I pondered at his theory, wondering if it held truth. "I don't think it's true... at least back then I never felt troubled... I was quite happy... I had a trainer that was a true friend and that I lo..." I looked away, some tears welling around my eyes, quickly turning it into my cause of current distress. "I only feel terrible out here Gal... ever since Lacy..." I looked down, "ever since then my minds been troubled, not knowing what to do and how I saw humans... it just really hurt to know all that I had was gone within a split second..."

He nodded and gave a perplexed look, adding a wide smile and gesturing me to continue. I lifted my head, directing my gaze to Eirene and Sally, who were now just walking side by side, talking by the looks of it. "But all that changed when I found her by the river... When she woke up and saw me with her... the first time she was really scared and in tears... it gave me mixed thoughts..." some tears streamed down my face, having recollections of my memories.

I couldn't help but sob. That day I met her was something I would never forget, it was all so surreal. Sure I got hurt, but only because I was a stranger to her, and she thought I was going to hurt her. I always wondered why she was so traumatised by me the first few days, even acting like something was going to attack her. Now I knew why she was like the way she was with first meetings.

I felt Gal pat my back, looking at him, a contented smile appearing on his face. "Eirene told me some of the things you said about humans in general and I'm kind of surprise to know you said all that stuff... hopefully you want to live with her..." he said with warmth, giving his attention to Eirene, "I know you really love Eirene and all, and I know she needs you." He now adjusted his attention to Eirene, "otherwise I don't know how she would cope... not that Lacy's having a better time."

A pang of sorrow swept across that small, shattered heart of mine, "I feel like running away from it all... starting fresh with my past forgotten and everythi..."

"Don't you dare speak like that!" He stopped in his tracks and lowered himself to my level by bending his knees. "Running from your problems holds more darkness in your soul..." he grabbed my face with his two paws and turned them so I was looking straight at his. "I can't tolerate those who think like that, and so I always tell them that it leads to death fairly quickly... but I can tell from looking in your eyes that you fear that decision, which I'm glad to see." A wide smile appeared on his face before we continued to walk once again.

As much as I hated to admit it, I held to much fear to put that idea to action. I tried once only when Lacy hit me and look how my life turned out since that...

Wait!

My life turned out with pure excitement, lacking the days I was alone and all. But I found someone who changed it from broken to meaningful, someone who was more likely to open me to new wounds, but close old ones that I thought would never heal. This was making me think that I was capable of running away, it turned out good the first time, and it surely had to work a second time.

That idea was swarming around in my head now, overpowering others I had at this point in time.

"I want to bring this up as it might help sway you in the right direction, and that she wanted me to tell you this as well," I heard him say as I took my gaze in front of me and watched Eirene and Sally still walk in front of us, further then before due to our small stop. "Apparently, she told you her past, correct?"

I gave a small nod as I continued to just stare at her now, watching as she padded alongside the Eevee and swish her tail around. The Eevee was in much of the same pace as the much bigger Espeon that stood alongside her. Though her tail was much bigger than the Espeon's in thickness and was definitely fluffier then hers.

"Did she happen too..." he stopped, which caused me to look at him as he didn't act keen to finish his sentence, "I think I might stop it there, I'd prefer her to tell you this... I'll talk to her when I get the time..."

Of course I wondered what else she had to hide, what else could be important that he'd want her to tell me about. I guess that question may get answered sometime soon, knowing I'd be told something... hopefully...

The walk remained quite from there, apart from the burst of laughter the two in front of us held. What were they talking about that was so funny?

"Hmm..."

"What?" I asked with curiosity, putting my ears forward in a humorous posture.

He glanced at me and shrugged it off, "it's nothing... you just said something that... it's nothing really..." Gal stuttered a lot when he tried answering me, but he turned his head and took a look at the roof of the forest. "Maybe you should join them, you seem to need cheering up and I'd say those two would hold the cure." Gal said after a while of nothing but there laughter bugging me.

Without second thought, I dashed forward and left Gal to walk on his own as I caught up with Eirene and Sally. I did wonder what he was thinking of, but I put it behind me. I set myself between the two as they stared at me with their eyes.

"What?" I said in a feared manner as I exchanged glances between the two, turning my head to the left, then right, and repeating this until they broke into hysterical laughter. "Am I missing something?" I questioned as it just went unanswered, only laughs being a response.

After they calmed down from there laughing fit and after coming down from my perplexed self, I shot Eirene a glance before I tapped her side with my tail.

She looked at me with something different about her. Her eyes where clouded with something I hadn't seen before, those violet eyes of hers held something deep that I was beginning to question in my mind. This was a good thing as it was distracting me from the task I had by the end of the day.

"I was just telling Sally on how you and I met, and she found it cute and funny," she told me with a cheerful smile and that new discovery in her eyes lingered before it seem to dissipate without a trace.

I turned my head and gave her a smile, thinking to myself as she had a happy vibe emanating her and didn't seem to show any scars of emotional struggle. Even I held a small scar of being taken by that Weavile creep, though I wasn't showing it as I was more focused on other things, and I have Eirene to pull me through it anyway.

"Yeah, well it wasn't fun for me with her trying to take a snap at me with her teeth. Yet I did like her rest atop me." We all started to laugh now, me recollecting the memory with all its glory, Eirene herself would be reminded of it herself and would be playing it through her head like I was. After I stopped laughing, I asked a question of my own. "How do you two know each..."

Something at that point coiled around my leg from a bush that was on the side of us. With bushes surrounding us and trees as well, it was hard to tell what was hiding. I looked at my paw to see a green like vine slither its way around before it suddenly tightened its grip.

Without a chance or reaction, I was dragged from that point along the forest ground, trying to use my claws to sustain myself from being dragged further, yelling out for help as I was completely scared. It didn't work as the vine had too much strength behind it and I found myself being suspended in air after sustaining injuries from sharp sticks that grazed my flesh.

Fear was flying through me as I found myself gazing into blood red eyes from the air. The pale green Pokémon was holding me somehow from a vine from its body, hanging me held in the air upside, a small breeze of air making me turn around slowly as the vine twisted me to look back at it.

Looking in those eyes was beginning to take tolls on my body. But how was that possible? I didn't think a Bayleef was capable of turning my thoughts into fear.

A sharp piercing on my back made me flail as I turned to see Eirene and Gal emerge from the bushes and into the clearing I was hung in. That piercing only got worst and I didn't know the cause of it, but it was definitely coming from my back.

That's about what I remember, now hiding my head between my front paws as the figure in front of me turned into an image of an Eevee, an Eevee who began licking my face as my mind realised who it was.

"Shade, snap out of it... we need your help... Eirene needs your help," she explained quickly as she looked terrified, shaking with fear and each of her words low and untoned.

"Eirene?" I took my gaze behind her, seeing as Eirene was staggering behind Gal with blood dripping from her matted red body. Gal was crouching with his right arm on the ground and his left arm hanging in front of his face, ready for an attack as he lay defensive. He was terribly wounded, his breathing was heavy from what I could tell from my position and blood showed he was wounded in part of his body.

The fight between him and the Bayleef must have tired him out, or was it that I passed out and time went by, the damage being done by the Weavile? Either way, that Bayleef wasn't insight and he was here.

Further to my left, the Weavile was panting and held his three claws on each side, his body lowered and his head forward with his red feather crown standing proud as he stood in the offense. He looked wounded himself and wasn't even giving a vibe of being hurt from his body.

"Shade, do something... I'm scared..." Sally said as she ran behind me and cowered by curling herself in a ball, her tail and legs still visible though. "They've been fighting each other pointlessly... Gal won't strike him down and hi going to get himself killed if he...doesn't," she added with fear and shut up at that point when she heard me heave my body up with effort as pain was circulating its way through me.

The moment I stood up is when fury enraged my mind. As I stood, Eirene collapsed forward with a cry for help. Fury started to swirl my mind around, it started to take me into its grasp. I made a promise that no one would hurt her... no one would touch her... and now she laud motionless with blood... that was turning my mind to envelop in darkness and turn in on myself... I didn't care of my body's pain... it is irrelevant...

I began charging forward as my goal was the Weavile, my speed was normally slow in all case and I was clearly outmatched. But I was at a pace that denied me a miss, I didn't know where this speed was coming from, and so i would normally question it... but my mind was clouded by hatred.

When I reached him, I lunged forward, surprisingly not startling him at all, that he didn't dodge my move. My front claws dug into his shoulders as I laid my weight on him, both of us rolling together in this tense air.

I had no thought of stalling, though my intentions were of pure malice anyways. I wanted to watch him suffer as I laid him to rest, hoping that would be my luck. No, I got distracted at the thought of me bearing my teeth within his neck, clenching down to let him pour blood that he rightfully deserved. He struck me down and pinned me on my stomach, one of his paws digging my head into the soil.

My tail changed colour, shining brightly before a coat of silver enclosed around it, making it as hard as steel. I slammed my tail onto his back, causing him to let go of my head and make him unstable as I turned around and lunged my teeth at his neck.

Success took me as my once pearly white teeth began to colour of the red liquid that pour within my mouth. The foul taste made me retract and spit it out, coughing profusely as my mouth remained horrid in flavour. I landed on my feet with a small stagger and looked up to find my reflection on three white points, the claws of the Weavile.

My rings were a dimming yellow, my eyes were that of blood, and my fur was glorified with wounds of all kinds, my own fur coloured with the substance that lay on my taste. The claw moved its position after a second of seeing myself for what I was about to do what I was becoming. Killing someone just because he was ruthless, even though he deserved it more over then one... I couldn't do it... ever...

The claw of his pierced my chest with a loud screech from me, falling into a sudden void of darkness before I lunged at him once more. I couldn't take a life if they were ruthless... but he deserved it with every intention... If I was going down, I'm taking him with me...

Lunging forward caused his claw to deepen on me and cause me to let one cry as my teeth met his neck once more. I clenched with as much effort as I could, but I found myself falling into unconsciousness, heaving to try and stay awake and watch him suffer with the malice that was consuming me and wanting to strike him down which I hope I did.

Retribution was what I wanted, was what I felt was right. Whatever and however I die, it didn't matter as long as I knew I killed him. Blood would be on my hands, but if it protected Eirene, then that was enough to make me smile. Even if it killed me in the process...

Then, there was a sudden clamour of voices that swarmed my ears and made me twitch from landing on the Weavile with all my weight on him and his breathing seeming to stop.

Soon, I was in much of the same state of the Weavile as I found myself unable to keep my eyes open, feeling Gal smack my face a few times to keep me awake and failing miserably.

For such a disastrous outcome and a dragged battle, just to end it with blood. One single act allowed a finish of pain, tragedy, sorrow... My mind was slowly dimming as all that malice in my mind drained away as I managed to catch my eyes on the Weavile laying unconsciously with no breath. My lust for his death satisfied and my heart sinking further as I realised what I done.

I was actually able to kill another being, even if he deserved every ounce of it... I was able to do it... What am I? Who am I? I'm not Shade... I'm something that's not him...

Gal's shadow over cast my vision, I hope anyway. I was to hurt to open my eyes, to tired, closing them tightly and gritting my teeth, trying to suppress the never-ending pain surging through my chest. The only thing I done was repeated a word over and over... "Eirene..."

The last thing I clearly remember was him removing me from the corpse of my kill, his claws being slowly removed from my chest caused me to blackout before I heard him rambling on about not dying and it was something to do with... I don't know what he said as my hearing failed before I went to shut down...

I cocked my head to the side as I watched her stand there and stare at me with fear, bearing her teeth and small growls erupting from her clenched teeth, her stance threatening me to move from the entrance of the den I was sitting in, blocking her path from freedom.

She awoke in somewhere she didn't see familiar, giving me the vibe that she was scared. She was growling profusely and bearing her teeth to warn me off. Though I was hardly afraid, she held no grounds of being able to do any damage to me, what with the weak whimpers that I manage to catch under her growling.

"Calm down, you're going to be okay. I just want to know what happened to you as I found you lying by the river." I asked sincerely, getting smaller growls from her as an answer, her offensive becoming defensive as she was backing down. Of course, I thought she was calm, but I fell right into her trap.

Padding forward cautiously as I assumed she had calmed down, though I still found her glare to be quite intimidating, even though she was gnawing at the leaf bandage I made for her leg, her glare still felt it was watching me intently.

Out of nowhere she lunged at me with her teeth bearing and her eyes full of hatred and disgust. I told her to calm down and that it's going to be okay, I also made a point that I wasn't going to hurt her, pointing out that I made that leaf on her leg a supportive bandage.

For a second, I closed my eyes as my only answer was her teeth nearing me before I felt her weight, her entire weight resting on me as I laid on my back. Crying rang through my ears and her paws tightened around me, her head lowering and rubbing into my chest roughly. Tears stained my fur, though she was only going through this because she was terrified and I found it scary myself.

After her crying stopped and her breathing settled, I glanced at her to see she was asleep. "Great..." I murmured sarcastically, making sure she couldn't hear me. I didn't want to push her off me as she looked like she was in a peaceful sleep, and I didn't want to disturb her.

So I just laid on my back, in attempts to try and fall asleep to pass the time with her slumbering on top of me. Who knew how long she would sleep, I decided to stay awake and wait for her to awake. I had an odd feeling if I went to sleep that she would escape unnoticed and get lost in the forest. But it was hard as the hours passed and she was definitely in a peaceful sleep, the fight to stay awake becoming the task at hand.

"Notify me when he gets up... I'm completely buggered at watching him in a continuous slumber..."

I went to talk, but found my throat sore and dry, coughing heavily and heaving my eyes open to see a pink figure sitting in front of me with her head cock to the side, her ears following, a wide smile on her face. "Shade, you're awake," the Espeon cheered as she licked her left paw slowly, giving him a long stare that he got lost in.

"Eirene... Where am I? And... Can I get... some water..." I managed asking, finding it hard to talk with my mouth and throat feeling utterly dry and my voice softer then it usually is.

"Heehee, sure." She cocked her head to the side, an ominous blue sweeping her eyes as I caught a rectangular bottle floating towards me with clear liquid in it, most likely water. "And you're in the Pokémon centre after being treated for an infection, so you might feel dizzy and your throat will feel sore for a while. I think that's all he said for me to tell you..." She looked around and her eyes closed as she placed her left paw on the bed I was laying on, "Oh! And you might have to get comfortable here as you're going to be in here for a while."

She tilted the bottle in my mouth with her physic ability I had rarely seen her use. The cool substance slid down my throat and gave my throat a short soothing feel before it began to throb softly again. In the process I swivelled some water in my mouth to wash out the dry taste that was dwelling within it.

"Really...?" I blinked my eyes, licking my lips as the bottle lifted into the air and onto a table that lay beside the thick, springy bed I was lying on. Seeing I couldn't turn my head, I could only see what was in front of me and in the corners of my eyes. Not much to look at really besides the white roof, a white, comfy pillow my head was lying on, and the Espeon who was sitting in front of me. "I guess I could get use to it as long as your here with me."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Am I interrupting something here?" Gal walked into the room I assume, leaning over me and inspecting my chest with his hands. "Glad to see you awake," he said cheeringly, placing a thin, woolly sheet of some material over me, just below my neck and making me feel warm.

"Is it me or is everyone acting cheeringly over me waking up?"

The Gallade blinked his eyes, turning his gaze to Eirene and giving her a mischievous grin. "You're probably just feeling a little off, after all, you've been out for a week, you know," he said with seriousness, folding his arms with a stern look on his face as he turned back looking at me.

That definitely took me by surprise, knowing I've been out for a week. I've never been out for that long and I never planned to. "And yet I still feel completely drained after a week of rest..." I murmured with a smile curving on my muzzle.

"Gallade, she's up, though she's scared and refusing us to go near her. She keeps asking fo..." I heard a feminine voice say before it suddenly stopped.

Gal rubbed his head and began walking away, "I'll be back in a second, keep him distracted for the time Sa... Eirene..." he shouted out as he exited the room, again assuming that with my lack of view.

"Where'd he go off to?"

"Sally got injured after you collapsed and she's been under intensive care..." she looked up and blinked a few times, turning her head to the side afterwards.

The poor Eevee, I thought she was the one that would have no injuries and walk out of it with a smile on her face. "Hope she's okay, I feel really bad for her. She deserves someone who cares for her and gives her what she wants..." I made an attempt to move my body, finding it intensively hard as my bones ached with each paw I moved.

I caught a blush on the Espeon's cheek, catching it when I touched my front right paw to her left paw, having trouble to get onto my feet from my current position, laying on my side looking like I had been trampled on by a stampede of Stantler.

"Why are you blushing Eirene?" I questioned with my eyes peering at her with confusion.

She closed her eyes, ears flipping to the right and her head tilted a tad to the left, a wide smile placed on her as she laughed hesitantly. "Nothing..." she blinked a few time and stamped her paw on the bed, softly, "my... my memories a little hazy myself... I just had a... recollection... of us," she added onto her 'nothing' with uncertainty, lowering her head as if she had done something wrong.

It took me a few seconds to figure out what she meant, but I replied with an, "Oh." Odd, she wasn't normally ashamed of the things we done, she sounded like she was conflicted by something. "Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly as she was acting differently. She usually showed affection towards me of some sort, but she was just sitting there with contemplation written all over her face.

Her maw opened suddenly, a loud, tiring yawn escaping her as she kneaded the bed with her front paws, relaxing her weight onto it quickly, closing her eyes with her head leaning on the bed as well. "I'm tired..."

"Okay..." I replied oddly, getting a feel that she was isolating herself for some odd reason, her personality seemed to be different then I remember her to be. "You can lay with me you know," I said as a tease as she tilted her head and blushed once more. Something was definitely different about her, memory loss wasn't the whole truth. Though I let it pass as I felt tired myself and wasn't really motivated to question everything with what I did still lingering in a tiny crawl space of my mind.

"I... Uh..." she crawled forward a few inches, as if conflicted about doing what I asked before she finally made herself next to me and laid near my stomach. "There you go," she stated as she placed her head onto the pillow, the backside of her head was all I could see as I managed to place my paws around her in a hug. She curled within it and a small purr murmuring throughout her body.

I gave her a peck on her neck, nibbling at her fur shortly after, feeling a shiver down her spine as her purrs got louder. Surprisingly, I fell asleep from a strange exhaustion within a few minutes trying to process my thoughts about Eirene, and who or what I was becoming.

A small notch to my neck woke me up with a small yelp, glaring wearingly and tiredly at a hand touching my neck, smooth to the touch and soothing me back into relaxation as I felt it glide along my side, running through my fur.

Purrs vibrated through my body; in return I received a small giggle from an unknown source. The pitch was high, making it hard to determine I've heard it before. I'm sure I haven't as I can't recall such a laugh.

Following the hands with my eyes, viewing pale pink skin along the way to a sleeve of green clothing, making me guess it was a human. I couldn't exactly see what the human that I was looking at was wearing with her leaning on the bed in a way that I could only see her face, long brown hair dangling on the sides.

"I see you're awake with your new trainer," I heard Gal say from behind me. I averted my eyes from her and placed my face back on the pillow.

Although my body was giving a vibe of happiness as the human continued to stroke my fur, I was torn on the inside with my mind all of a sudden realising everything up to now in detail.

A sigh escaped me as I flicked my ears in disappointment. My throat still had a throb and small stinging, and it felt dry like before. "I'm... I'm happy for it... what was your name again...?" I said with no exact feelings.

"The names Tanya and you don't sound too happy about meeting me?" There was a small pause before I realised she replied to my questioned. With Gal here, I was able to communicate with Tanya as he was able to manipulate her mind to understand the speech of a Pokémon, though it wasn't a permanent effect.

"Can I get some water...? My mouths dry and sore..." I felt the bottle at my lips within a few seconds, being tilted before a gush of water tipped into my muzzle and coated my dry gums with a cleansing, but tasteless drink. She was holding it like I was a kit being hand fed, a rare sight if I do say myself. Though I was hand fed when I was a kit, by Lacy if I remember. I didn't like it one bit as I remembered that she used to dress me up with bows and dresses that didn't suite me.

She tilted the bottle away and I turned to look at her again, smiling softly and attempting to stand or sit whatever I was capable of. I managed this time to get up onto my feet, stretching weakly and softly as I sat onto my haunches shortly after and viewed my surroundings.

Gal was on my right, sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms folded and gaze directly at me. Tanya leant back, sitting on the left side of the bed, using her palms to balance herself on the bed. She wore a green sleeved topped that held nothing spectacular, but it matched her green sparkling eyes in that matter. Her lower body, being hard to tell exactly what type of shorts she was wearing, but they were blue and sagged at her knees.

Further study of my surroundings made me realise I was still in the Pokémon Centre. I lowered my ears, pouting as I didn't see Eirene anywhere near. "Where's Eirene?"

"She's missing..."