Chapter 64: Hope For The Hopeless

Blade found himself awake, and oddly he could feel again, if only a little. But all he felt was pain, and heat. A lot of heat. 'Where am I?'

He glanced around, finding only rocky crags with an extremely bright orange glow between it's cracks. The extreme heat seemed to be coming from all around him, each crag emanating heat. The poor sneasel rubbed his eyes a moment letting himself wake up more. His mind was still not entirely there, but he felt as though he had some reprieve from his suffering. He looked down at his claws. There was still a faint stain of blood on them. "I…I killed them." It was the first thing to come from his mouth that wasn't a psychotic cackle in a while, and even then it was barely above a whisper. It felt odd, seeing the stained blood on his claws, feeling the heat around him, making him sweat and soaking his fur.

Once he tried to stand up, he found he had more strength than before, but couldn't stand yet, he felt the warm ground beneath him. And it finally became apparent that he was being dragged.

The strength he felt in himself was strange. It was as though something inside of him refused to die, something that made him long for life. He couldn't explain it if he tried, but the feeling was dark. As though, it was enveloped in a cold and dark energy. The sensation felt almost familiar, and for the Sneasel it brought comfort to him. 'I miss you.' He thought, glancing around slowly. 'perhaps one day, once my life finally expires….we can be together again, Shadow.'

"This is as good a place as any right boss?" He heard a voice say.

"Yeah, we'll put this little bastard down once and for all here." Another voice came.

'The release of death?' Blade thought for a moment. 'Or further torture in my life?' he didn't know or care which until he was tossed through the air and hit the ground. He came face to face with his captures, two odd looking humans, bearing clothing adorned with skull designs, and two pokemon, Scizor and Golisopod.

The two Pokemon took up battle ready positions and it became all too clear to Blade what their intentions were. Strangely, Blade felt himself stand and take a battle ready stance. 'No point in dying without a fight.'

'Is that really why? Or is it that you simply don't want to die? So afraid that even when you crave death, you still cling to life.' The voice in his head was that of his nightmarish doppelganger. 'You are a sad creature Blade. You want to die and join Shadow, and yet here you are still wanting to live.'

'Shadow, he wouldn't want me to die….' Blade thought. Suddenly he let out a pained cry "Sneasel!"

"Scizor." The red bug/steel type had struck the smaller pokemon knocking him back.

Blade caught himself and retaliated, slashing out with his claws. His claws however, dulled and blunted, were no longer the weapons they had been. Pure instinct drove his body to fight against them. And with that first strike, it became all too apparent they had no intention of showing him mercy.

It became all too clear after only a few short moments that Blade was completely outmatched. Scizor moved again striking him in an upwards arc, hitting him in his chest and sending him flying once again.

"SNEAAAA!" His body was wracked with pain as he felt warm blood splash over him. Dizziness began to overwhelm his senses, his vision began to blur, he was becoming lightheaded, and now he could barely make out the shape of his two aggressors.

The heat began to tear at the poor sneasel, a sunny day was enough to torment the little guy, but this place was brimming with flame and ash. It was as inhospitable as a place could be for him.

He wondered if this was what hell felt like, scorching and dry, agony for him.

And yet his mind wandered to what had brought him to this point. The train, Cleave trying to kill him, the corpses of his recent victims, and the cage he'd been confined in. The memories brought with them, the taste of blood in his mouth, the warm feeling of it dripping from his claws. The cold embrace of the water washing over him. The sudden tightness in his chest as though his lungs were filled and restricted with water and everything went black. What had he done? Did he really try to drown himself?

"Come on Sneasel," a sneering voice called to him. It sounded as though it were coming from far away. "Just jump and get it over with. You're going to die either way. Reckon that would be quicker than having Golisopod tear your throat out!"

Blade found his back to a cliff, and upon seeing it he felt a sudden urge to survive. He quickly jumped to his feet. "Sneasel!" He had no intention of giving these humans the satisfaction of seeing him jump off the cliff. He refused to go down without a fight. "SNEASEL."

Blade rushed forward to strike them only for one to seize him by the throat. "Snea Sn…" Blade felt himself growing short of air. He thrashed in their grip, trying to pry open the claw squeezing his neck with his own claws, but to no avail. He felt himself growing weaker and weaker by the second, his vision was fading fast.

He felt he was going to die. He was sure of it. It was like sinking into a black pain…

"Goodraaaa!"

Blade heard the sound as he was released and fell to the rocky ground. He clutched his throat coughing and gasping for air.

Blade watched as they turned away to view their new assailant.

"What in the Distortion World do you think you're doing," A human shouted angrily. "Leave that poor Sneasel alone!"

"It's you! You little brat," Another human called. "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but I'm sure glad to see ya." "Payback time!"

The newcomer spoke confusedly. "Err…Do you I know you,"

Blade felt his head go fuzzy for a few minutes as their conversation continued.

The newcomer spoke again, and Blade managed to catch his next sentence. "Look, whoever you are you Team Skull thugs don't scare me. Now, we'll give you one last chance. Let Sneasel go or get ready for the fight of your life!"

"GOOODRAA!" A goodra.

"LUCAR!" A Lucario.

"GROOOOOOWL!" A Growlithe.

Individually any of those three pokemon would be dangerous opponents, but as Blade managed to look to them, he saw that they stood as a team. Blade decided now was the time to make his move, he was going to escape. But he found he didn't have the strength in his legs, and simply settled for crawling away slowly.

Signal Beam.

Dragon pulse.

Body Slam.

Metal Claw.

Flamethrower.

Blade heard the humans call out each move, and the accompanying sound of their respective Pokemon. He wasn't worried though, he was far too preoccupied trying to crawl away with his bloodied, bruised, and battered body.

"Hey! Where'd you think you're going." One of the humans attacking him called.

"Golisopod, get him," roared the other. "Scizor, distract Goodra. Use Bug Buzz."

"Sci-ZORRRRRRRR."

"Ah Goodra, don't give in," his apparent savior called "Counter it with flamethrower!"

Golisopod began advancing on Blade, as the Sneasel tried desperately to scramble away, the only problem was that he didn't have the strength to go any faster. Its sharp claws were raised.

"Only one thing for it…Go Pokéball." Suddenly a blue tinted PokeBall flew above Golisopod's head, and it opened sending a blue stream of energy out and over Blade's body.

Blade's eyes shot open in surprise before he was dissolved into the blue energy and sucked inside the ball. The Great Ball landed on the ground beside and started to shake.

One…Two…Three…DING.

This was a familiar feeling for Blade, it was the cold loneliness, and emptiness he remembered from the last time he had be inside a Pokéball. It seemed that, life had taken pity on him, and given him hope. Whoever his savior is, Blade felt he at least owed him a thank you. Though he knew he would not be thankful for long. He had a terrible feeling this human wasn't going to let him go. Regardless, he let himself fall into unconsciousness shortly after being captured.