Chapter Twenty-Three:
Monster

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3

Note: Work has been crazy. I worked three weeks in a row, including my weekends, mainly because our Marine Reservists had come in. It's busy around this time of year, especially since we had our first field ops for about half a week. Whoo, sleeping in tents again…not good for the bad hip I had surgery on.

Anywhoodle, this chapter definitely came out longer than I had intended, but I'm glad I didn't break it up. It would have dragged on things longer than necessary, chapter-wise. And, as always, thank you to all who stopped by and read, and even reviewed, my story. I'm humbled by every little passing review I get, even if they're so sparse and few in between. They're precious, regardless of whether I get one or one hundred. :)

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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

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Some of the outer nests closer to the hill had already been scavenged by the poachers. Bits of the soft clay that had been used to pile up high and impressed into for nests were broken in the sides, with faint impressions of boot marks here and there. They were almost unnoticeable amongst the myriad of greater impressions of giant paws and scratches in the earth from large talons and the occasional pitch of scorched earth. Littler scratch marks from the young Charmander and Charmeleon also littered the area, but they were as faint as the boots.

Lupin circled around one of the slumbering Charizard, carefully examining the body until she found another little tranquilizer round: thin and dull, the metal tube was intact with a needle puncturing the flesh. The werewolf carefully pulled it out and crushed it, but the Charizard slept on, undisturbed and unaware.

"Must be some heavy duty stuff if it keeps these guys out like this. I wonder how long it takes to wear off," she said under her breath. Riptide toddled closer, sniffing the tubing lightly.

"Perhaps until tomorrow night. It smells strong, even for my nose."

"By the time they wake up, these guys'll be long gone."

Lupin snuck toward the next closest nest, noting the same boot prints around the empty mound and the knocked out Charizard slumbering nearby. They came upon the poachers at last, hidden under the crevice of a craggy cliff, the overhang casting darker shadows inside. Several nests were in there, while just outside the overhang's lip, a building pile of interlocked cages sat. Lupin puzzled at this. How were they going to get the cages out?

She ducked down behind a pile of boulders, peeping out to examine the poachers and their pokémon as they worked.

She saw the large, yellow-furred creature first before the others. Its fur was bright and striking, with slashes of brown stripes down its backside and a long whipcord-thin tail that ended in an iconic thunderbolt design. The air around it was practically electrified and it didn't take her long to realize it might very well be an electric-type. She vaguely recognized it from her school studies in Violet City, the mature evolution of a Pikachu but for the life of her, couldn't remember its name. Next, she recognized the long, slithering form that was an Arbok, coiling around the nests silently while the two men worked.

It was long and thick in body, powerfully muscled, and a deep, unsettling purple, it almost looked black. The hood it was so known for was pressed tightly to its side, making it look less intimidating, especially without that leering devilish face sliding along the ground. She couldn't see any others, but she could smell them, somewhere. There was something else that smelled damp and muddy, almost, a hint that almost seemed…amphibious, perhaps.

Slowly, she picked her way closer, pausing when the yellow rat perked and listened, perhaps catching wind of her inching towards them. Its curled ears looked delicate, but she surmised that didn't negate its hearing ability one bit. The snake itself was probably more worrisome. If Lupin remembered correctly, it could detect vibrations in the ground, sense when something is coming closer. It made her wonder where the flying sentries in the valley were, and it almost made her wish she had her own set of wings to fly on.

An approach from above would have been more ideal.

But the nagging thought of where the sentries were kept crawling across her mind. Ridgeback mentioned nightly sentries at some point in the tour, hadn't he? There were Charizard that watched the valley in shifts, to avoid situations such as these.

They must have done something, she concluded. The poachers must have knocked out the sentries or enough of them in the area to get this close.

Behind her, she could hear Riptide and Bullet scuttling after her on quiet paws themselves, attempting to replicate her silent tread. They were close enough to have passed several empty nests, the unconscious mothers laying close by, unaware of what was going on around them. Occasionally, Lupin would spy a tranquilizer round sticking out of their hides, the metallic tube glinting dully in the moonlight.

"—don't drop any of them! And make sure that cage is locked tight; we don't want a repeat of the last job, do we? Proton ain't gonna like that we lost another quota."

"It sure isn't my fault we used faulty cages the last time, now is it? Now we're stuck with them again, because someone didn't want to cough up the money to get new ones. Dammit—Rika, get over here! Slam this door into place, I can't get it in."

The yellow rat jerked at its name being called and returned an affirmative to the second speaker, the taller of the two men. "Hold on, hold on. Geez. Boys. Can't do anything right!"

"A Raichu," Riptide whispered beside Lupin, hissing quietly. "Electric type. I can't fight her. The Arbok, maybe…"

"I could take the Raichu," Bullet offered on Lupin's other side. They were peeping around another unconscious Charizard, closer to the poachers and their pokémon. The Arbok curled closer toward the first speaker, eyeing the Raichu as she made her way toward a set of cages. The two men were huddled beside it, and Lupin could see the telltale flicker of fire from within, the shapes of little heads, tails and limbs piled inside. She furrowed her brow.

"There's one more somewhere around here, I smelled it earlier—there it is."

Riptide inhaled sharply, yellow-red eyes narrowing in surprise. "A Marshtomp," he said, pausing and assessing the creature, sizing it up. It stood nearly as tall as a human, with a thick, but strong blue body. A dark crest running along from the forehead to the back of the neck adorned its wide skull, making it appear even taller. Yellow feathery adornments grew out of its cheeks, giving it an almost salamander-like look. Thick arms hung loosely at its side, limp for the time being. "Not good. It's another water type, mixed with ground type. Evolved from Mudkip, if I remember correctly. They're from over in the Hoenn region."

Lupin vaguely recalled the little mudfish from a Hoenn vendor, yes.

"You might have to handle the Marshtomp then," Lupin offered with a wince. Three pokémon versus her two. It didn't seem fair. "But maybe I could—"

"No." The Totodile intoned sharply. Lupin stared, taken aback, ears pressing tighter against her head. He shook his head for emphasis when she opened her mouth to argue. "Don't. Do not do it. You're not a pokémon. This is our job. We are supposed to fight."

"How is that fair, you know I can handle myself just fine—"

"It's called luck, and it will run out, if you keep charging in like you always do! You can't spit fire out at everything and expect it to end well," he continued before softening his tone. "This is why we're here with you. We fight for you. We represent you. Let us battle, the way we're supposed to. It's what I was bred to do, at the very least. I won't speak for Bullet, but…"

Riptide petered off, glancing at the Growlithe, who seemed to take off the cue to nod his furred head with vigor.

"I want to fight. It's…I know it's what Growlithe are supposed to do. We aren't supposed to run away, no matter who we're fighting. Gym leaders, trainers, poachers, wild pokémon…we're supposed to stand our ground. And you were right, the Charizard were nice to us. We can't look the other way."

Lupin stared, her words failing her. She watched the two pokémon, both of their eyes burning with determination and stubbornness. She hesitated. She didn't like sitting idly by. It chafed her, made her feel useless not doing some of the work herself. But neither of them seemed to mind. It's what they lived and breathed for, it's what they wanted. She couldn't keep them away from it, even if she tried. Riptide had already gone off on his own before when she refused to let him fight, and he'd nearly lost his life for it. Bullet was a bit more timid at times, but he was still willing and able nonetheless.

Reluctance held fast, but she finally nodded at them.

"Okay. You got it, it's your rodeo. But," she hissed the last with emphasis, pointing a finger against the Totodile's bony snout. "If I suspect so much as a hint of trouble, I'm jumping in and I am not holding back.

Somehow, Riptide didn't expect anything less from her. He was surprised at that realization more than her declaration.

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"Hey, hey, hey! Keep it down, Arceus almighty, Marcus! D'ya wanna wake up these fucking things with all that banging around on the cage doors you're doing?"

Marcus eyed his companion for a moment, grunting briefly as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Lay off, Toby. Those tranqs will last us until tomorrow. Plenty of time to get away long before any of these beasts wake up." Marcus replied, issuing another hiss and grunt as he tried to manhandle a lock into place. The latch on the door wasn't going, the door too far forward to catch properly. "Besides, that stuff's strong. Surprised it ain't killed one of the smaller ones yet."

"Yeah, sure. That's what our good buddy Toshi said a few years back, the last job he ever did. He miscalculated the dosage and look what happened to him. Got ripped to fucking pieces by a bunch of Skarmory. Palkia and Dialga above, I hate Skarmory. Nasty metal chickens. They all oughta be roasted out of their metal coats and the meat fried up in cooking oil."

"Fuck Toshi. He fucked up. And say what you want about Skarmory, they're tough little birds against just about everything else." He got the latch through at last, then turned another set of cages and piled them atop with haphazard care. Toby hissed again, wincing as he cast a worried glance all around the slumbering Charizard.

"Don't drop any of them! And make sure that cage is locked tight; we don't want a repeat of the last job, do we? Proton ain't gonna like it if we lost another quota."

Marcus scowled at his fidgety partner, noting not too far off, Toby's Arbok, Ozzy, was coming full circle back around toward its master. The large snake uttered a sibilant hiss as it came closer, eyes catching the moonlight at certain angles.

"It sure isn't my fault we used faulty cages the last time, now is it? Now we're stuck with them again, because someone didn't want to cough up the money to get new ones. Dammit—Rika, get over here! Slam this door into place, I can't get it in."

Rika, Marcus's Raichu, came sauntering over with a light air about her as she went. She passed Ozzy as she did, uttering a cheery squeak in response. Marcus pointed at the next set of cages, already piled with knocked out Charmander and Charmeleon. Their tails flickered and wavered, but none had gone out, she noted. Good. That meant they were of a strong clutch. "Use a good iron tail to get this lock into place. We need to make sure all these cages are locked together so Twitch can get them out. You know the drill."

The Raichu nodded in understanding, turned and whipped her tail at the lock in question. Split seconds before connecting, a bright sheening glow engulfed her tail. When she slammed a connection, the clear keening tone of metal on metal sounded off in the air. Marcus inspected the cage with scrutiny, nodded, then waved the Raichu off.

"Speaking of Twitch, where in the seven hells is that stupid flying rock monster?"

"She'll be here, she's just finishing the last drop off, shouldn't be too long. We're pretty far inland…"

Rika listened with half an ear to the conversation as she traipsed away, the humans continuing their conversations, worrying themselves as they locked all the cages together to create one massive block. Her trainer Marcus and his partner Toby were always worrying over one thing or another. If it wasn't Charizard, it was Skarmory. If it wasn't Skarmory, then it was Braviary, and if it wasn't them...well, it was always something else. So on and so forth, it was the same old, same old.

She passed along between nests, eying the Charizard with a critical eye as she went, perusing until she spotted Tarly, the newest addition to the team. Well, aside from that Vileplume, Kale. But she didn't count him. He was on loan. But Tarly was going to be sticking around for quite some time…she hoped. The Marshtomp was watching one of the Charizard intently, another mother draped close to one of the nests they had cleaned out. His eyes wandered to the mother's sides that heaved slowly, the wings carefully tucked against her side, and lastly, the tail that blazed strongly on, despite the tranquilizer coursing through her veins. He lifted his gaze when he heard him approaching.

"Oh. Rika. Hello. How's it?"

"Keeping an eye on that flame in case you have to douse it?"

"Oh, this? No. Just…it's strange. How you can tell their health by their fire, is all."

"Fire has a life of its own, you know. It only makes sense for these fire-spitters to have some kind of health meter connected to their heart fires. Most fire pokémon do. Not all, but most." She eyed the Marshtomp as she approached to lean on the Charizard like a wall, ignoring the heavy breaths made beneath her. "But I think you have some other thoughts on your mind, kid. Spill."

If the Marshtomp was surprised, he hid it well.

"I…it's just…is this all we do? Do we steal from pokémon and trainers alike and…hurt them?"

"We don't hurt them…not unless we need to. Look, kid…this is what we do. Sometimes, life gives us choices and we either let others take advantage of them, or we get there first. That's what Marcus and Toby always say. If life throws you an opportunity, you jump on it and ride it like the Pidgeot does the wind. You don't watch it sail by and wish it had been you jumping on instead of the guy ahead of you."

Now the Marshtomp seemed visibly upset, a chink in his armour. He glanced away to gaze at the fire tipping the Charizard's tail.

"But why?"

Rika blinked, taken aback, but it was only briefly.

"Why?" She echoed, canting her head to the side, huffing a laugh. "I just told you why. Look, kid, you got a lot to learn. You'll get the hang of things soon enough and how we operate. It'll be hard at first, sure, but we'll be here for you. Don't you worry. Marcus and Toby will take care of all of us. So keep an eye out, finish your patrol and…just watch your back. Poaching isn't easy, but it's profitable. You'll see."

Tarly only nodded, glancing further away from Rika. The Raichu's tail whipped forward, counterbalancing her as she pivoted on her heel to head back the way she'd come. There was a brief period of peaceable silence. All was going well, accordingly to plan and right on schedule. Twitch was due back any minute, Ozzy and Tarly were right on track with their patrols, and all was well.

That was what she thought, up until the point her world was suddenly engulfed in flame and heat and pain.

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The Raichu was the first to be hit. The ember attack hit her nearly point blank and seemingly out of nowhere. Tarly, even being the closest, couldn't see where the source was coming from and before everyone knew it, the gush of fire had cut short and the skittering of retreating footsteps was heard plainly in the ensuing silence. The other pokémon in the vicinity froze, while their trainers were quicker on the draw to break free of the tension and shock. They bellowed over the shrill screams of the electric rat, snapping the Marshtomp and Arbok back.

"Tarly, douse out that fire!"

The Marshtomp dawdled and weaved closer toward the Raichu, spitting up a stream of water from his mouth. Immediately, steam rose where the fire died and hissed in protest as it did. Tarly pressed forward, distress written plainly on his face as he approached the injured Raichu.

"Where the hell did that come from—did you miss one? Did you miss one of those friggin' Charizard? Ozzy, seek it out and put it down, put it the hell down!" That was Toby, his voice becoming shrill and high by the time he finished. The giant snake hissed loudly, affirming he'd heard the order and went slithering about. His powerful coils slid gracefully between the haphazard lanes of nests and bodies, tongue flicking as he tasted the air.

"Shut up, shut up! It wasn't a Charizard, the flame wasn't big enough and we'd all be dead if it were. Maybe we missed a Charmander, or at the very least, one of the Charmeleon. Tarly, get Rika over here, and then go help Ozzy out." Marcus barked, scowling thunderously as he surveyed the little valley. All he could see were Charizard bodies besides empty nests, but if one little Charmander or Charmeleon was loose, they'd have to track it down and catch it. He didn't like rushing about between the overgrown lizards though. That would be foolish, especially if they tripped over a tail and caught fire.

"I thought Kale got all of them little ankle biters," Toby grouched as he prowled away from the setup of cages. His head and shoulders were the only things visible as he passed behind the large dusky orange bodies. Marcus watched for a moment before he plucked a pokéball from his belt, hesitating for the briefest of moments. He tossed it into the air when his reluctance cleared. Energy and light coalesced as it broke open and solidified into a proper form. A Vileplume took shape, its dark body and drab colours blending nearly perfectly into the shadows. It turned its overburdened head toward Marcus, tilting it only enough to view the human.

"It looks like you missed one of the babies," he intoned with a growl. The Vileplume blinked slowly up at him, waiting. Marcus scowled, motioning toward Marshtomp making his way over with a limping Rika. Shiny burn marks covered patches of her body where flames had licked away her fur and exposed sensitive skin beneath. Clear pus oozed from the edges of the burn wounds, and the electric rat winced with every step she took. "That is what happens when you screw up. Proton's gonna hear about this mishap. You got me?"

The Vileplume remained quiet, turning to glance at the Raichu, as though processing what had happened. From the angry tone Marcus took, to the injured electric rat, everything was studied with quiet scrutiny.

"Patch her up with whatever numbing agent you got in that big mushroom of yours and then get out there and help look for the little monster. Knock it out and bring it back if you find it. Understood, Kale?"

The Vileplume, Kale, nodded. He toddled off to meet the Marshtomp and Raichu halfway.

"Tarly, get out there and help the others, leave Rika with Kale—"

A bloodcurdling screech erupted suddenly, shattering the tense and relative silence engulfing them all. With the way the very air seemed to have been holding its breath, the scream sounded preternaturally louder than it should have been. It echoed long and loud, making hearts leap to throats at the primal noise. None of the Charizard stirred, nor did the hatchlings resting in the cages. The only ones awake were his team, his partner and his pokémon…and someone else.

At last he broke free of the spell that had him rooted to his spot and off Marcus went, hurtling around and sometimes over sprawled limbs and haphazard tails or skulls. He rounded over to Toby, who had flopped over onto the ground, screaming his head off right beside a knocked out Charizard. Marcus gaped, taken aback once more, as the rest of the team came beside or behind Marcus to see Toby being attacked, certainly.

But not by a Charmander or Charmeleon like he had been expecting.

It was a Totodile, one on the verge of evolving, if the growing skull crests and brightening back scutes were anything to go by. But what was a Totodile doing all the way out here, in the sulfur-infused wasteland that these Charizard and their kin have come to enjoy? A Totodile couldn't survive out here, could it? They preferred the marshes of the more northern wilderness beyond, and even some of the swamplands near the Ilex forest.

All that information, however, fled from his mind at the sight of Toby's calf locked in the Totodile's small but powerful jaws. His pants leg was glistening wetly, fabric was audibly tearing and even with Toby beating ineffectually at the Totodile's bony snout, the big jaw pokémon would not relinquish its prize.

Marcus leapt forward, all questions about the how or why of everything pushed to the side as he rushed to grapple the little bastard's jaws open. He'd have a hell of a time, he knew. Totodile and their ilk tend to have significantly powerful closing, crushing power but their jaws were weak in opening.

As soon as the Totodile glimpsed Marcus heading for it, however, it leapt away. The big jaw pokémon gave off a resounding hiss and gaping maw that exposed gleaming white teeth spattered with blood and mad yellow-red eyes. A guttural growl built up, a warning of sorts, but Marcus wasn't having it. He'd teach the little beast a lesson—

Another torrential gush of flame spat out toward him just as he started advancing toward the little gator from another angle, cutting Marcus off. He yelped and stumbled backwards while he heard concerned mewling from his pokémon, and drawn out moans of pain from his partner. Toby was curled up not three feet away from Marcus, clutching his leg and rocking back and forth, as though that alone would help minimize the pain. Palkia and Dialga above, he was going to help Toby, but he needed to take care of the Totodile and its unknown accomplice.

Tarly lumbered past him on a squat but fast little legs, puffing heavily after the Totodile and doling out a water gun attack. The Totodile leapt away nimbly and scrambled about on its hind legs now, hissing at the Marshtomp. Ozzy navigated closer toward the Totodile while it was distracted by Tarly, striking fast and hard when the gator was within reach. Somehow, that attack missed but Marcus had turned away by that point as the battle beyond raged on. He didn't know where Kale was and didn't spare the area another look as he rolled Toby over. He ignored the other man's pained sobs and curses, telling him to shut it and stand up.

"T-T-Twitch—where's Twitch, s-she was supposed to be here, sh-she was s-s-s-supposed to fly us outta here by now—dammit, where is that stupid flying fossil?!"

"Shut up, just shut up—Tarly! Ozzy, Kale—dammit, all of you, get rid of that gator, it's just one Totodile! Rika—RIKA, GET YOUR TAIL OVER THERE, WE NEED YOUR THUNDERSHOCK! FRY THIS LITTLE BASTARD!"

The burnt Raichu winced at her trainer's words from across the way and hauled herself painfully to her paws, trying to trot over without jarring her body too much. Already, she was prepping for an attack, despite her body's protests for rest and not movement, but another heated pillar of red and yellow came sailing toward her, blocking her off. A strangled scream from Tarly made her heart jump and she backed away from the fire, brown eyes darting toward the sky for a brief moment, scanning frantically.

Where was Twitch?

Her heart sank at the thought of that old fossil making a pit stop to hunt. It wouldn't be the first time she's done that before. Rika doubted it'd be the last, but she hoped this job wouldn't be her last.

I have to hit that thrice-damned gator, she thought, already taking an alternate route to help with Tarly and Ozzy and perhaps even Kale. She knew if she just started zapping without looking, she might hit one of her teammates—or worse, one of the Charizard and jolt it out of its chemical-induced slumber. But she also wanted to char up whatever fire-type was trying to burn her into ash. It made her blood boil and sparks began arcing from her cheeks, the air briefly superheating around her. Her body and the pain that wracked it slowly turned into secondary matters as adrenaline surged through her veins. She could make out Tarly and Ozzy now, and occasionally the low-slung Totodile dishing out a rather impressive amount of damage. She couldn't see Kale, however, didn't even know where her temporary teammate was. He had toddled off to help after he tried to sooth her wounds with a light powder of stun spore—not enough to do damage, but enough to numb some of her wounds. A temporary fix, but her wounds don't hurt as much as they should have.

Just as she came upon them, a shadow fell over them, blocking out most of the moon's light from above. Rika was the first to look, and the din of battle took a brief reprieve as all took in the sight of the newcomer. A winged creature of massive proportions landed on the low-slung cliff above them, just above the overhang of the cages. A long, tapered jaw jutted out toward them lined with curved fangs, a muscled body coiled and ready to spring upon them all at a moment's notice. Cold black eyes stared down at the strange assembly, quiet and calculating. Only Toby's moaning could be heard, and at last, those black eyes slid away toward the moaning human.

Nostrils flared and air gusted noisily out at the sight of the man, wounded and bleeding, before returning to the assembled pokémon below.

"Who injured my master?"

The great flying beast's rumbling voice cut through the tense air, startling several of her own teammates before they responded by wordlessly stepping or slithering away from the Totodile in the middle of the fray. The great beast narrowed her eyes and ran her barbed tongue over her fangs. The silence pursued, making all uncomfortable at her lack of words for the longest of moments.

"Pity you aren't bigger," she replied at last, her tone flat and bored. She lifted her head higher upon her long and corded neck, peering down her snout at the blue gator, teeth glinting while she spoke. "I could use more than a toothpick right about now."

Without another word or warning, the Aerodactyl leapt forward in chilling silence, powerful wings pumping and jaws gaping wide to scoop up the frozen Totodile.

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None of the mother Charizard surrounding him were moving. That was both a blessing and a worry. It was a blessing so that Bullet could bound and leap and dodge around them with fluid ease. It was a worry because he hoped they were still alive. He knew they were, he could smell them, hear them, feel their heat, see their tails flickering—but that irrational part of his brain made him worry all the same.

But at the very least, for the time being, they provided security and cover. The only one who could possibly keep up with him was the Raichu, and he took her out quickly enough—or did enough damage to burn her. She'd be hurting for a while and reluctant to move too quickly. Riptide had leapt into the fray, though, attacking the wandering human and Bullet thought that was simply stupid. Attack the pokémon first, then put the humans out of commission! Or confound them enough to make them run away. A dog who could breathe fire or a gator barely grown that could crush your leg more easily than its mundane counterparts were scary enough. Never mind the trainer that was watching from afar.

Arceus, for such a smart aleck, Riptide could be immensely blunt and stupid sometimes…

When the others began descending upon him, Bullet started his rally in harrying them; he cut off the approaching Raichu and singed the Arbok, but the Marshtomp…

The Growlithe felt a shudder ripple across his backside.

He wasn't touching that thing. The Marshtomp was a duel-type—water and ground. Both were a bane and a resistance to his fire attacks and he hesitated on a physical attack up close and personal. It would put him in range of any assorted water or ground-based attacks. If he got tossed out of the fight, that would leave Riptide alone. It was just when he noticed the Vileplume making its way into the fray—the easiest target just begging to be sautéed—that the air itself seemed to come crushing down on them all. The light from the moon was suddenly blocked, casting everyone in shadows. A huge, winged monster landed upon the rocky cliff face above the assembled cages and where the poachers were taking refuge. Beneath the shadow of a monster, protected by tooth and claw and size, who wouldn't feel safe knowing they could sic it on someone else?

Bullet felt so very small and afraid again—and he felt ashamed of himself. In Violet City, he was always more confident and proud of himself, he was always reassured that he could get away with just about anything because it was his city, his home. He knew the streets better than any human and even some pokémon. But out here, in the dark and the wilds beyond Violet City, there were great and terrible monsters and they didn't always come in the varying skins of pokémon.

The great gray beast's voice startled him and moments later, she was taking off, making straight for Riptide. The Totodile wasn't moving, wasn't making for escape. He watched in a frozen stupor as the flying pokémon came bearing down upon him. Bullet wasn't far. He lurched forward on fast paws, leaping nimbly over Charizard and lunging for the Totodile. He shoved the blue gator for all his worth as he approached, and felt the rush of air behind him as the winged creature sluiced by them.

She roared in frustration, a deep and reverberating noise that rattled him to his core as she pumped her wings and banked back around.

"Come on, we have to get out of here! Move it, you stupid lizard!"

Riptide hissed back, indignant, but for the moment, not focused on the looming threat.

"You dunderheaded fluffball, that thing is an Aerodactyl! Don't you know what that is?"

"Yeah, I do! A big winged flesh-eater that wants to make us its next meal, so let's move it!"

Bullet made to shove the Totodile with his head, but stopped mere inches short when a bolt of lightning arced across and struck him. The entire Growlithe's body was thrown into agony, every part of him dancing with electrified fire. Riptide scuttled away from him, terror leaking into his eyes as he watched, unable to help or cut the attack off.

The Marshtomp and Arbok weren't far off and, yes, there he could finally make out the source: the Raichu. The attack didn't last long, the Raichu was flagging in her strength for the attack, but she could still unleash all sorts of hell, regardless. She was already charging up for another attack, and the Aerodactyl was banking within the tight canyon walls further down to double back for another attack. Bullet wasn't moving, too tired or in pain to do so. He wasn't even awake, he noticed. Knocked out. Sparks continued to arc back and forth across his fur, and realization dawned on Riptide: paralyzed. His thoughts and heartrate both raced. Did Lupin have any paralyze heal in her bag? Potions, perhaps? He couldn't remember, the rush of panic was coming in waves now. Where was Lupin? She wouldn't abandon them, he knew she wouldn't.

The flesh beneath his scales was itching. It was such a strange notion to take note of in a dangerous situation, but the sensation was pressing to the forefront of his mind, demanding to be noticed. It was as though his body was suddenly confined and too small and the itching wanted him to scratch away at the discomfort to soothe himself, but his attention was diverted back to the present situation at hand.

The Raichu, even when suffering from burns of her own, was pressing forward, ready to unleash another round of thundershock attacks on Bullet, or himself, or perhaps even both. And then that Aerodactyl was going devour them both. He couldn't let that happen. Riptide hissed at the yellow rat and spat out a harsh water gun in her rodent face, making her splutter and stop in her advance. The Arbok tried to sneak up on him as well, but he blasted the snake away and did much the same to the Marshtomp and Vileplume that were both lurking about, and even got the Aerodactyl to turn tail. Hard as stone, she might be, but rock-types were weak against water-types.

I can't keep this up, he thought as he sprayed the Raichu again. His water gun attack was his only ranged attack, and it was beginning to flag in strength. The yellow rat would attack soon, he knew that, as would the others. And then the Aerodactyl would swoop in for a finishing move. She was almost on top of them once again, and he saw the Raichu back off at the last second. He was exhausted, he realized, and this time he could barely summon the strength to blast the Aerodactyl again. I'm alone. Bullet's out, Lupin's gone and I'm going to die alone.

She was supposed to use the radio they had found in Liza's cabin earlier that day while exploring. She promised not to intervene, promised to call for help and come back, but she wouldn't intervene—and he suddenly wished she would, wherever she was, if she was even still here. Where was his trainer?

Fangs yellowed with age came bearing down on himself and Bullet, a gaping maw opening wide to snap him and Bullet up. Riptide hissed, flinging his jaws open and—

Light seared his vision. His body itched worse than before, and he squeezed his yellow red eyes shut in response. Even then, however, he could still feel the light searing through his eyelids, determined to burn out his eyes. Everything felt like it was being stretched out, from the top of his snout to the ends of his paws to the tip of his tail. The itching sensation continued until it began easing into an uncomfortable aching pain that made his body throb in time to his heartbeat.

Everything stopped. The light, the itching, the throbbing—it all vanished, and barely any trace of the discomfort lingered. He slowly opened his eyes, breathes raspy and shallow. His whole body felt strange and lethargic, and when he pushed himself to his back paws, he swayed, a rush filling his bony skull. Belatedly, he realized that he had not been eaten by the Aerodactyl, that he was still alive and so was Bullet, still knocked out beside him, but the other pokémon were staring, incredulous—or perhaps merely cautious.

I'm taller now, he realized, after moments of staring down at the Growlithe. I evolved. I evolved, I'm a Croconaw now, I'm not a Totodile, I evolved.

The thought would have brought a smile to his lips—if he had any, that is. The revelation was short-lived. A heavy weight slammed into his backside, pinning him to the ground and slamming his jaws shut. No matter how much he wriggled, he couldn't open his jaws, couldn't push free from the weight, not even if he tried. Exhausted. He was just too tired. His evolution had strained him too much. He thought he was supposed to gain strength from evolving, grow stronger. But I'm already tired, I used everything I had up.

The Aerodactyl came on silent wings, jaws stretched wide and let out a terrible howl that made him shudder. The fossil pokémon was barely a hundred yards away from him and Bullet and whoever was on top of him, watching with baleful eyes as she circled back around. The muddy aroma from atop informed him of the only possible suspect who was holding him down: the Marshtomp. Stupid mud fish pokémon.

"Hold 'em down, Tarly, we got 'em! Toby, we got 'em! It's—well, it's a Croconaw now, and a…Growlithe, it looks like."

A jeer and a curse sounded off in response, to which the first speaker barked out a round of laughter, sounding off closer as he approached. The taller of the two poachers came around a bend of scales and flesh and wings, his face transforming from relieved to thunderous. The Raichu stepped aside, allowing him past, while the Arbok curled up close behind her, watching with glittering eyes. The Aerodactyl remained perched on the ledge she landed on, the Marshtomp still stayed atop him, and the Vileplume…

Riptide lost track of that elusive one. Perhaps it had been recalled.

The poacher stopped short of him, and he looked up as best he could. The poacher crouched, making it only slightly easier to glare at the man. Broad-faced, beady and narrowed eyes, unkempt greasy hair hung in strands around his face, face whiskers growing in patches along his cheeks and chin. He was an ugly human, if Riptide was one to judge. He hissed at the man beneath closed jaws. The poacher clucked his tongue and sneered, but directed his gaze away from Riptide and back to the Marshtomp.

"Tarly, you keep this little bastard in place until I say so. I don't want either of them getting up. Rika, come over here and watch the Growlithe. If he wakes up…zap the living shit out of him."

Both pokémon uttered an affirmative, but only the Raichu seemed to emphasize her enjoyment at the last command. Riptide hoped Bullet would stay knocked out, for his life's sake. That Raichu was just itching for a reason to zap the puppy pokémon, he knew.

"No, no, no! Fuck that, fuck all that, I want them gone! GONE!"

"Toby, you stupid ingrate, we're not gonna off some perfectly good pokémon, especially one that's just evolved. D'ya know how rare Growlithe and Croconaw are? D'ya?! If we have no choice, then we will, but if we can keep them and sell 'em off, we'll make just as pretty a penny as we would these Charmander and Charmeleon."

The other poacher shouted dissent from his position underneath the cliff overhang, but another commanding bark from Marcus shut him up thoroughly enough. The Aerodactyl above growled her own discontent, but remained where she was, clinging to the cliff side. Her long tail swished slowly, back and forth, like a pendulum below her. The lead poacher stood, his fists balled up at his sides and clenching tightly.

"But first things first. We gotta take care of that trainer of yours. I know that you ain't some wild Croconaw, oh no, your kind don't care too much for these places. And Growlithe don't come near these places, naw. You got yourself a trainer and I aim to find him."

Her, Riptide thought with another low-throated hiss. And you'll be in for a surprise when she comes back to hand you your own hides.

The poacher turned on his heel none too gracefully, striding away on long legs and calling attention to the Aerodactyl. The attention of the ancient fossil turned to him in an instant, waiting keenly.

"Toby's outta commission, Twitch, so I'll sound off everything, you know the drill. Start making rounds, check every nook and cranny, make sure we didn't miss any Charizard, any nest, and take out any human you find wandering or skulking around here. Got it, Twitch?"

Twitch nodded, air gusting from her nostrils and loosing dust from the rocky lip she clung to. The great beast pushed off from the cliff side, taking wing once again.

A ribbon of flame danced through the air, lashing out to strike the stone-like hide of the Aerodactyl midair. The massive beast shuddered, the fire licking at her skin, but it did nothing save darkening it in some places. Twitch gusted breath through flared nostrils and her black eyes narrowed. Just within his peripheral, he could make out a figure on the lone stony hill he and Bullet had crouched behind with Lupin only…

Had it been hours ago? Or had it only been minutes before? He couldn't recall.

But she was there, standing her ground, her chin jutting up and proudly. Riptide watched, his eyes half-lidded, his attention divided by detachment and horror as the fossil pokémon turned her full attention on Lupin. Stupid, insane wolf-woman.

He clacked his jaws, but the pressure on his backside and skull increased as squat, muscled arms pressed down. His vision was swimming, but he fought the fatigue and the urge to give into the darkness. He was exhausted, both from the hit-and-run tactics and from his evolution. His body didn't feel right. His limbs felt too long and heavy, his tail even more so, and he didn't even want to begin to contemplate all of his other adjusting senses.

He wanted to move despite his exhaustion, yet he couldn't, not with the damned Marshtomp still on top of him. Bullet still hadn't stirred. He was most certainly out for the count. Now his stupid trainer was going to get herself killed and possibly eaten by the monstrosity whose sole focus is on her. He and Bullet were probably next on her list. Yes, she was being brave, but bravery could get you killed. It wasn't a shield of any sort. The pressure on his jaws loosened again, the attention of his holder diverted, if only briefly, as the Aerodactyl took to the ground and began prowling after the woman on the hill. That gave him a burst of energy through sheer panic. He wriggled anew, but the grip on him tightened.

"Don't, no—don't, stop it…"

The terror was blooming inside, accelerated by the thought of losing his trainer. They didn't necessary get along all the time, and yes, she sometimes ignored his advice—but at least she usually listened first. That alone said more than what most trainers did. It was one of the small reasons he respected her.

"Stop struggling—you'll only make it worse on yourself," the Marshtomp murmured quietly to him. He sounded sad. Sympathetic, even. He didn't even bother clamping Riptide's jaws shut again.

"Please, don't—don't let her die, don't let that thing hurt her…"

He never thought he'd resort to begging a poacher's pokémon for mercy. He never believed he'd ever encounter one regardless, not like this, not out here.

There was hesitation from above, uncertainty even, but the mud fish pokémon never got a chance to respond.

"Shut his jaws and make him watch, Tarly. They have to pay the price for messing with us."

The voice, sharp and scratchy, belonged to the bedraggled and burnt Raichu. The sickly scent of charred fur still hung heavily in the air, perfuming the air with the disgusting stench. Pain tinged her voice, and sounded off slightly behind him and the Marshtomp. Riptide hoped her burns hurt like hell.

"But Rika, do we have to? Really kill them, I mean."

The lead poacher was shouting encouragement to the Aerodactyl now, urging her onward, and the other human was silent, perhaps dying or knocked out from his own injuries. Doubtful, but Riptide could hope, even if it didn't mean much. Especially since Lupin still hadn't moved, the stupid woman, even with the great beast bearing down on her.

"You got a lot of nerve butting into our affairs, little girl. Your mistake. Now your pokémon are gonna come with us," the poacher called. The Charizard of the valley slept on around them, blissfully unaware of the monstrosity that was prowling over and around them and stinking up their home with the scent of carrion. The babies in the cages slept on, unaware neither of their own kidnappings nor of the incurring one-sided battle going on for their sakes.

Strangely, Lupin had nothing to offer in rebuttal. No witty remark, no slick retort, nothing. But from here, even Riptide could see her eyes were shining brightly in the moonlight, a bright yellow-gold. He wondered if any of the others noticed, or even cared if they had. His gaze darted about, desperate for one of the Charizard to wake up, to realize what was going on and rip these poachers and their pokémon a new one.

If only I was stronger—I was bred for battle and I can barely lift my head. Pathetic.

"Please, don't do this—don't hurt her!"

His pleads went unheard. He found it almost funny for a moment there. Here he was, pleading to save his trainer when he could barely think to do the same when his own life had been in danger, is in danger, even.

"Any last words, little wretch?"

The Aerodactyl's voice came in a low, quiet hiss. It was a whisper he had to struggle to hear. The canyon and cliff walls around them barely raised and amplified her voice, but he could recognize the hushed glee dripping from her tone.

"Just one," Lupin called out louder than the Aerodactyl, surprising the fossil pokémon briefly. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting Lupin to respond in kind.

She grinned and Riptide blinked slowly, Noctowlishly, confused.

"Flamethrower."

OoOoOoOoOoO

The world erupted in brilliant scarlet and gold, too hot to bear, too bright to look at. Fire washed over everything, harmless against the fireproof scales of the Charizard. The air itself danced and rippled, shimmering heat waves coming in waves seconds before the flames washed up over the bodies, making straight for the Aerodactyl. Twitch screamed as it slammed into her. Down, she went, slamming into the hard-packed earth, her wings splaying awkwardly as she sprawled onto her back. Her tail lashed out wildly as she tried to kick her way upright and to take flight and escape. The fire was a roar in her ears, the heat scorched at her hide and it actually burned.

Another roar suddenly came keening into the fray, and a heavy weight came slamming into Twitch. One moment, she was engulfed in the wild inferno, drowning in fire and her lungs aflame, the next she was breathing the cool kiss of fresh air. A scream of agony welled up in her chest at the sudden inflammation she felt following up her brief respite, and at the heavy claws that were digging into her flesh, past the stony osteoderms of her hide and breaching her flesh to carve at the softer tissue beneath. Yet another trumpeting howl rattled her, reaching far down to her very core. It was a primal noise heralding from the deeper wilds she had never glimpsed, despite her extensive travels.

Fangs snapped at her, and she returned the favour, desperate to be loose from the crushing grip that held her, kept her from freedom. They tumbled toward the lonelier plains of the valley, shaking the very earth well away from the nesting grounds. Even in the darkness, a kaleidoscope of colours blurred past, more brilliant flashes of scarlet, now gold, now sky blue and emerald green and hot-white. Her wings were useless, but her opponent was beating away at her with their own, powerful strikes that clubbed her even as she tried to retaliate in kind.

Twitch screeched back, a long and pitiless sound, snapping her tapered jaws at her opponent. She could smell the soot and ash and blood and fire in their own hard hide; testimony to a hard-lived life. That wouldn't stop her from carving her way through, however. She had faced many fierce enemies and this would merely be another to defeat. Her curved fangs finally found their mark and she sank down with vigor, reveling in the howl of anguish her foe unleashed. It was honeyed music to her ears, and the taste of blood filling her mouth and slick against her tongue was sweeter than the treats her master gave her on occasion.

The tangle of limbs and wings and tails continued, a dance of flame and stone bidding back and forth. Finally Twitch finally managed to break free, right herself back to her paws and leap into the air. Her adversary was quick, however, slamming into her backside and throwing all their weight on top of her. She pushed and shoved regardless, trying to buck off the heavier weight, but her muscles were beginning to burn with the exertion. Fangs found their mark again, sinking rapidly into the back of her neck and she screamed in outrage.

She snapped her jaws and struggled all the more. All her moves were physical, tangible only in the sense that she could strike out against her foe with tooth and claw and wing. But with her opponent striking from behind, she couldn't very well land a good enough blow to stagger them. Heat blossomed against the back of her neck, and at first, she believed it to be her blood, pouring from wounds that were now tearing open more freely. The heat grew more intense, and comprehension dawned on her in a sudden flash: fire. She was fireproof on the outside, more or less, but inside…

Her struggle renewed, she fought desperately to free herself, but it only made it worse. The heat grew until she could feel it scorching her sensitive flesh. She could smell it sizzling away, curling up and blackening, the smoke thick and oily in her nostrils. Twitch howled again, but another wave of fire consumed her once more, sucking the breath from her lungs and searing her throat before it all went black and still and quiet, with the ringing of a triumphant roar echoing after her trailing consciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoO