"Come on! We've got to hurry!"

"Wait up!"

Two small quadrupeds raced through the harsh snowstorm that lashed the Alabaster Icelands. An exhausted Eevee followed behind an energetic Zorua, trying her best not to lose sight of him.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? I doubt your father would approve it!"

"That's exactly why we're doing it! Come on, hurry up before we miss it!"

After a few more minutes of running, the two pups arrived at what the humans called 'Avallug's legacy'. Both of them hid behind one of the big chunks of ice and watched the ongoing scene.

"Glaceon, Powder Snow!"

"Glalie, Ice Shard!"

The attacks were fired, and none of them hit their targets, prompting both of the humans to dodge out of the way.

"Alright Glaceon, try again with a Quick Attack!"

"Glalie, counter with Ice Shard again!"

Glalie shot a barrage of ice at Glaceon, who dodged all of them, hitting her opponent fully. Glalie looked exhausted, but didn't act like he was anywhere near done.

"Alright, that's enough! Good job, Glaceon. Return!" One of them, the female, exclaimed, taking a wooden sphere out and 'returning' Glaceon to its insides.

"Glalie, come back!" The other one said, doing the same.

"Good job, warden Gaeric! I can see your battle skills are as good as ever!"

"Thank you, leader Irida! I never miss out on training myself, so it's only natural I train my partners too!"

"That is good to hear. Now, if there is nothing left to add, I will take my leave to attend Pearl Clan duties"

"Of course! It was a pleasure battling with you!" 'Gaeric' finished, bowing.

As 'Irida' walked away, the two hidden spectators whinned. "I can't believe we missed it!" Exclaimed Zorua.

"I can't believe we ran this fast and this far just to not see anything important!" Added Eevee.

"Well, no point in complaining about it now. We should hurry before someone sees us"

"Yeah, let's move"

After that more than disappointing battle, the two pups made their way to their home. It was not a very long trek, but the snowstorm was always something that difficulted travel in the Icelands. He still didn't understand how the humans could have a battle in this weather.

They stopped in front of a big icy hole that carved through the mountain. Zorua's den.

"Alright, Zorua. This is where we part ways. My mom is probably worried sick, and I don't even wanna imagine how your dad is gonna be" Eevee said.

"I'll tell you if I survive all the lectures of why I shouldn't have sneaked away..."

"Oof... And he is an Alpha, right? Good luck"

"I'm gonna need it" The ghost type sighed.

Zorua proceeded to jump up the ice wall using the small dents in it as platforms. He waved goodbye to his friend from above and sighed.

Not too long after Eevee had disappeared from view, a voice shouted from within the cave.

"Little bro!" Was everything Zorua heard before getting tackled into the ground. He struggled against the tight grip, but couldn't do anything. Finally, he found the strength to mutter one single sentence.

"Aghhh! Sis, I can't breathe!"

The grip loosened a bit. "Sorry... Maybe it was too much?"

Slowly, the figure left Zorua on the ground, and he looked at her. The Zoroark wore a wide smile as she looked at her brother. She was also wearing some sort of ribbon on her mane.

"Yeah. You gotta stop doing that everytime I come back" The smaller Pokémon answered, shaking his head.

"You don't like it? That's more of a reason to do it!"

"That ribbon looks good on you, by the way"

"Oh, thank you! Stole it from one of those humans after scaring the living shit out of her. Don't regret it, though"

"Of course you don't" Zorua added, rolling his eyes. "Oh, umm, by the way, is dad..?"

"Yeah. He's not too happy about you sneaking again to watch one of those human battles after he specifically told you not to. Luckily, I managed to convince him to ground you for a week top, down from forever"

"What would I do without you?"

"You probably wouldn't see the sunlight in a long time" She laughed, walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To get your dinner. I finally got the nod to hunt for the pack"

"That's great! I wish I could go with you..."

"Learn to use your illusions and maybe then dad will let you!"

"I hope so. Goodbye and good luck, sis!"

"Bye!"

Zorua walked down the long paths of the cave, greeting the lone Misdreavous, playing what looked like hide and seek... inside the walls. All the time, the small ghost type was preparing himself for what was going to happen.

Now, time to face the scariest creature in these icelands. He thought, entering the biggest room in the cave system.

"PUP!"

My father. Arceus, have mercy.

"What have I told you about sneaking out of the cave to watch human battles?!"

"That I shouldn't?"

"And you still did it anyway! What if you had gotten spoted? You could have been hurt! Or worse, caught!"

"I know! That's why we were hidden!"

"SILENCE!" He roared making the smaller Pokémon wince. "You are going to stay in this cave for the rest of the evening practicing your illusions until I see a Snorunt walking down these hallways, or there will be no dinner for you today! And you will spend the rest of the week practicing inside this cave too!"

"What!? But I won't be able to see Eevee if I do that!"

"Bad luck! You should have thought about that before sneaking out!"

"But-"

"AND THAT IS FINAL!"

Zorua wanted to say something, but he knew that it would be pointless to try to reason with his father when he was this angry, so he opted to scream in frustration and run away from there. He ran through the tortuous corridors of the cave until he arrived to another small room in the cave that served as his and his sister's room. It was the only place where he could feel completely at ease.

He laid down on the ground and curled into a ball, small water droplets appearing in his eyes as he sobbed

"It's not fair..." He whinned.

"Hey pup, you alright? I heard Alpha's roars from the other side of the cave"

Zorua looked at the source of the voice, revealing one of the Misdreavous that was playing before, poking his head out of the wall.

"I'm not a pup! I'm almost at the age to evolve! But my stupid illusions don't work well, and my father keeps treating me like a defenseless pup because of it! And all I did was go with my friend to see how humans battled, just to see how I could improve! Is it really that much to ask?"

Misdreavous smiled and floated down to the Pokémon's level. "Don't worry, I get how you feel. But you have to understand how your father feels too! He's just worried about you, that's all. He thinks that because you cannot keep yourself hidden, if those humans spot you and try to catch you, running away will be a lot harder. He's just worried about you"

"I-I know! But I want to explore the world! Ever since I was hatched I have been stuck in this frozen wasteland and I'm sick of it! Nothing interesting ever happens here! The few times a human comes around here, I go see what's going on just because I want something to happen!"

"You haven't stopped talking about humans. Why are you so obsessed with them?"

Zorua looked away. "It's because sometimes I wonder how it would feel not to be a 'wild' Pokémon, you know?"

"I don't think your father would approve of you getting caught by a human"

"I didn't mean that"

The Misdreavous looked at him confused. "Huh?"

"Could you imagine how cool it'd be to be one of those blue clothed humans? They always seem to be exploring around all around the region! And they seem to know a lot about battling too! And the freedom they all have! That could be my pass for an easy exploration whenever I wanted to go!" Zorua's tail began wagging.

"...Are you serious?"

"I know it's stupid, but look at us! We can disguise ourselves as any Pokémon! I can just go around like this and whenever I see a human, I'll just disguise myself! I swear one day, I'll get out of here and join them! Just for a day to see how it's like!"

"...Pup, you are crazy"

"Maybe, but once I evolve, I'll do whatever I want, and no one will stop me! My friend is very smart too. I'm sure she'll help me with the harder parts of it!"

Misdreavous chuckled. "You are way crazier than I thought an Alpha's kid could be"

Zorua was about to reply when he was interrupted. "And I like it. Count on me to keep it as a secret"

"Wait, really? Every single Pokémon I talked with about this told me it was a stupid idea!"

"Oh, and it is a stupid idea. But what would be of life without stupid ideas?"

"You... really mean it?"

"I do, pup. You should begin practicing your illusions now if you want to eat tonight, though"

"You are right! Thanks, Misdreavous!"

"Don't mention it. Neighbours gotta help each other, huh? I have to leave now. I'm playing a hide and seek game and I have to win!"

After Misdreavous disappeared back into the wall, Zorua began trying to turn himself into a Snorunt. Ever since he first saw a human, he knew what his goal in life was, and he was going to achieve it, no matter what.

I'll show my dad that I am strong! Just you wait!

After a few hours of pure practice, Zorua had finally pushed himself enough to make a convincing Snorunt illusion that earned his father's approval.

"Your tail is still visible and you have white patches all over your body, but that's just lack of practice. Good job, now sit with us" He commented during the dinner

"You hear that, bro? You just need to practice some more! And you have a whole week to do that! I promise to be with you and help whenever I can!"

"Thanks, sis. This Stantler you brought is delicious!"

"Thanks! I put all my heart into it!"

The rest of the dinner went by in silence. Zorua ate until he was full and went straight to his room, closely followed by his sister. She laid down and curled around him, so that he wouldn't be cold. "Goodnight bro. Good luck tomorrow with your training. I'll tell your friend when I see her that you'll be stuck here for a time"

"Goodnight, sis. Thanks for being the best sister in the world!"

"Thank you for being the best brother in the world. I hope you evolve soon so that I don't need to sleep like this every night!"

"You know, maybe I will never evolve if that's the price to pay for it..."

Soft laughs echoed in the room.

Thinking about his conversation with the Misdreavous from before, Zorua began questioning if his dream was even possible.

I definitely won't be able to achieve it alone. I'll have to tell my friends about it to even have a chance to do this. But I have to evolve first before even trying anything.

Best to follow whatever dad tells me to do for now.

Zorua fell asleep, dreams filled about the incredible adventures that humans live everyday. Maybe one day he'd be the protagonist of a story.

That would be cool if it ever were to happen

"...up that wall?"

"We shouldn't have come alone. I've heard rumors that there is an Alpha somewhere around the inside of this cave"

Zorua slowly opened his eyes. He could swear he had just heard human voices coming from somewhere.

Probably just imagined it. He thought, closing his eyes again.

"You serious? An Alpha?! We better get the hell out of here before we get killed"

This time, Zorua opened his eyes fully. "That wasn't my imagination" He mumbled, squirming out of his sister's grasp.

"Hmm? Where are you going bro?" She asked groggily, straightening herself.

"I think I heard human voices. I'm going to investigate"

"Wha-? You can't just go alone! I'll go with you"

"Really?"

"Of course! You need someone to cover your back, just in case!"

"Alright, sure then"

The two ghost types silently made their way to where the voices came from. Peeking from a corner into the cave's entrance, they saw a pair of humans wearing red clothes and a straw hat talking to each other.

"But how are we going to do that? We may have been able to climb, but it's a very big way down!"

"If only we had the option to call Lady Sneasler..."

"Well, we better call someone that can actually get us out of here! Do you have that Rufflet partner with you?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if there are any Survey Corps members around"

"So we are trapped?"

"Pretty much"

"Best to hope that Alpha is actually a rumor and not real"

Zorua's sister smirked. "Now, human lesson number one: Whenever you see one, scare them as much as you can! Specially when they are near your home!"

She then breathed deeply and used her illusions to create a loud roar, making both humans jump and look at her direction.

"Oh no"

"What the hell was that?"

"Do you think it's the Alpha?"

"I prefer to think it's not. Better take our partners out"

After a nod, both humans took a wooden sphere each and summoned a pair of Pokémon. A Rufflet and a Spheal.

"Rufflet, fly away and call someone to come rescue us"

"Okay!" Rufflet said before flying away.

"Spheal, stay on guard. We are not alone in here"

"Got it!" Spheal nodded, rolling in front of the human.

"Alright, human rule number two: Whenever you see a human summoning their Pokémon, check if they have any empty Poké-Balls with them. They are those wooden balls that they use to summon and catch Pokémon. If they don't, fight them!"

Zorua looked at the humans. "I don't see any balls on them"

"Me neither. Now, little bro. Watch and learn" Zorua's sister added, walking out of her hiding spot. The moment she was visible, Spheal squaled.

"Hey! There's someone there!"

The humans looked at the direction of the ghostly vixen and gasped.

"A Zoroark!"

"Of course, that explains it! What we heard was no more than an illusion!"

"Spheal, prepare to attack! We don't want to become anyone's breakfast for tomorrow!"

"Human rule number three: The humans that wear this type of clothes don't usually have very strong Pokémon. It's an easy way to practice if you are careful enough"

"Spheal, Water Gun!"

A stream of water erupted from the Pokémon. The Zoroark scoffed and easily dodged out of the way. She proceeded to use Bitter Malice on the Spheal, knocking her back and out with just one attack.

"Spheal, good job. Return!"

After the quickly lost battle, the humans began to talk to themselves.

"What do we do now?"

"We have to wait until rescue arrives!"

"Are you blind? We have a Zoroark in front of us and no Pokémon to save our butts! We aren't going to make it!"

Both of them looked at Zorua's sister, silently pleading.

"Human rule number four: Unless absolutely necessary, never kill a human. We already have a pretty bad reputation among them, and you don't want to get chased and hunted down, do you?"

She pointed to the exit. "Go" She simply stated.

Despite the humans not understanding the words, they clearly knew that they were going to live for another day, and sighed with relief.

She turned around and began walking. "Human rule number five: Humans can't understand you, so use mimic if you ever need to comunicate with them. Never mimic human voices while not being disguised. That's one of the things that got us our reputation"

When she was about to turn the corner, however, one of the humans took out one of the wooden balls from a back pocket and threw them at the Zoroark, who was still oblivious.

"Sis, look out!" Zorua yelled, running with the intention of intercepting the ball.

The Zoroark had just enough time to turn around and widen her eyes before the ball... was shatered into pieces.

"What the...?"

From apparently nowhere, Alpha walked in front of both of them. He then roared loudly.

"That's a..."

"...real Alpha!"

The massive Zoroark walked in front of the humans and picked them up, despite the loud screams of both of them.

Then launched them down and out of the cave.

He then turned around to look at his two pups. "You two, are you okay?" Alpha asked. Despite his angry face, his tone denoted a hint of worry.

"I'm fine, thanks to you" The smaller Zoroark replied.

"And I'm fine too, I guess" Zorua added.

Now, with a more serious tone, he spoke again. "What were you doing here?"

"I was going to go for a walk when I came across those humans" The Zoroark lied, winking at his brother.

"Is that true?" Alpha asked, raising a brow.

"No!"

The two turned to look at Zorua. "It was my fault! I-I heard some voices coming from here and I got too curious. Sis decided to come to cover me. If you want to punish someone... punish me"

Alpha sighed. "I am not going to punish anyone. It is only normal that you got curious about weird voices in the middle of the night, but please, do not ever do this again. Next time, I may not be able to break the Poké-Ball in time. And one last thing, it was a very noble thing what you did for your sister"

"Of course, Da- Father"

"Now, let us go back to sleep, shall we? I hope you at least learnt something from your sister, pup"

"I'm not a pup!"

The week of punishment of Zorua had nearly come to its end. Every day of the week, he had spent almost every hour practicing his illusions, which finally resulted in him being able to disguise himself however and whenever he wanted. He felt closer and closer to evolving each day that passed.

And he knew what he was going to do once he finally evolved.

"Good job, pup. You have improved a lot since you started. Your disguises are almost perfect, and you have begun to understand the basics of how to hide yourself. This week has benefited you greatly" Alpha told Zorua after the latter had managed transforming into a Garchomp.

"I miss Eevee, though"

"Do not worry, you will see her soon enough. Maybe you will have evolved by that time?"

"I don't know. I feel like the moment is closer and closer, but I don't know when it will actually happen"

"That is normal. Now that you know how to use your illusions, I believe it is time to begin with combat training"

"Oh! Can I help?" Interjected Zorua's sister.

"I do not see why you could not. But Zorua's punishment is still not over, so I trust you will only go to train and then come back, understood?

"Yeah! I get to help my little bro with kicking the ass of some Pokémon!"

"Language" Interrupted Mom.

Lunch passed as quick as it had arrived, and now it was time for Zorua to finally see the light of the sun again.

"Tell me how you climbed down that wall again?" Asked the Zoroark, looking down to the ground.

"Simple: He didn't" Answered a voice coming from below. "Hey, dude. Heard your sentence ended today. You had us worried, you know?" The voice belonged to a Sneasel, who was climbing up the icy wall with his claws.

"Good to see you again, dude. Mind helping me down today?"

"Sure"

"Don't tell me you've been riding on your friends to get out!" The larger ghost type laughed.

"How else am I going to? I have no sharp claws to climb like you! And I don't ask always. Just sometimes when I am too lazy"

"I wouldn't say that with your friend in front of you!"

After Zorua had secured himself, Sneasel began sliding down the wall. It felt good to finally be able to feel the sunlight in his fur once again.

"And we are down now!"

Or it would, if there wasn't a snowstorm happening right now in the outside.

"Zorua!" Exclaimed someone the moment he set paw on the ground. Zorua knew that voice very well.

"Eevee!"

The two friends ran and hugged each other.

"I missed you, Zorua!"

"I missed you too, Eevee! This week is been so long without seeing you!"

"Did your father do anything else apart from grounding you for a week?" Asked Sneasel.

"He forced me to practice my illusions. Good news is that they are almost perfect now!" Zorua said, before transforming into an almost exact copy of Eevee.

"Woah, no kidding!"

"You tail still sticks out" commented Sneasel.

"I know. That's just what I'm missing. Hopefully, evolution will fix that"

"Speaking of evolving. Eevee, did you choose what you want to evolve into?"

"I'm still deciding. I'm scared of making the wrong decision and regretting it for the rest of my life!"

"Fair enough. You'll always have the Ice Rock around here if you ever need to use it!"

"Hey, bro! You are supposed to be training! You don't want to anger Dad again, do you?" Interjected Zorua's sister.

"I forgot about that! Sorry guys, but I gotta go. Unless you wanna come with me...?"

"Of course!"

"I've got nothing else to do, so sure"

"Great!"

"Alright then, lot. Follow me. We are going to my favourite training spot not too far away from here!"

"Won't we find any humans around?" Questioned Eevee.

"In this snowstorm? I really doubt it. Unless it's that blue haired guy... I don't know how he can survive this weather without any clothes..."

The trio followed the Zoroark almost blindly, until they arrived next to a river. A big waterfall was barely visible on the other side. A precious landscape, if one could see it whole.

"Alright, listen up. I want you three to spar against each other and see how you fare. Use any tactics or tricks you want, but try not to hurt each other too bad"

The three Pokémon nodded. "Alright, get into your positions"

They formed a triangle and readied themselves. "Are you guys ready?"

The three nodded. "Three, two, one, go!"

Immediately, Zorua raced towards Sneasel. He knew that some of his attacks weren't going to affect Eevee at all, so he chose the most difficult target. Eevee had also noticed this, since she was also running towards Sneasel.

The latter wasn't too happy about it. "Hey, that's not fair!" He yelled while using Quick Attack to dodge the Shadow Sneak, but getting hit by Eevee's Swift.

"What do you expect us to do? We can't affect each other!" Zorua exclaimed.

"I'm sure you know at least one non-ghost type move" Sneasel replied, not too convinced.

Zorua then decided to practice his newfound knowledge and turn invisible. Eevee kept using Swift on Sneasel until he jumped at her and used Rock Smash. This knocked Eevee back a small distance. Just then, Zorua appeared from behind him and used Bitter Malice, which caused the ghost type some pain, as he wasn't very used to that attack yet.

He decided to leave it for emergencies from now on.

Sneasel was about to counter attack, when he was interrupted. "Alright, Sneasel. That's enough for you. If you go back to your den with too many scratches and bruises, your mother will kill us all, so step aside" Said the Zoroark, who was acting as the referee.

"Wha- Not fair!"

"I don't make the rules. Well, actually, I do. Please, just stop fighting"

After a grumble, Sneasel stepped next to the larger figure and crossed his arms, sitting on the ground.

"Just the two of us now..." Eevee told Zorua, who quickly turned invisible once again.

Eevee frowned, but didn't lower her guard. "You can turn invisible, but you still won't be able to hurt me!" She yelled, looking around.

Without any answer, Zorua used Swift, which caught Eevee by surprise, knocking her back.

"When did you learn Swift?"

"This week's been very long" The Zorua replied, uncasting his illusion.

Eevee answered by using Swift, but the attack passed right through Zorua, who disappeared in a misty cloud.

"What the-?" She couldn't finish the sentence before the real Zorua used Swift again, making Eevee roll forward.

After shaking her head, she chuckled. "Got me there! I see this week has paid off! You really know how to fight now!"

"Well, thanks!" The actual Zorua yelped, making himself visible once again.

"Good job, bro. How you feeling now?"

"I feel... like I'm so close! I can already feel the long mane of fur on my head! I can't wait to evolve already!"

"Wait a second. You are already that close to evolving?" Eevee exclaimed.

"You didn't tell us!" Sneasel added.

"Yeah, it's something I'm not very keen on happening..." Zorua sighed.

"What? Why?"

"My dad wants me to be the next leader of the pack..." He repleid, depressingly.

"You don't look too excited..."

"Of course I'm not, because I don't want to! That means I'll have to stay inside that stupid cave forever! I hate it! I want to see the world in its wholeness, and not be stuck in a frozen prison for the rest of my life! I want to explore the region!"

His sister sighed. "Please, bro. Don't start ranting about your crazy dreams. I know that you don't want to be the next Alpha, and I respect that, but the way in which you want to explore the land is dangerously reckless, if not impossible"

"What do you mean?" Asked Sneasel.

"I want to explore the world, and the best way to do that is by pretending to be a human and join those blue clothed guys! After all, deceiving is in our blood, isn't it?" Zorua answered, puffing his chest proudly.

His two friends looked at each other and then at him. Their reactions were mixed.

"That's a great idea!" Yelled Sneasel.

"That's a horrible idea! And you didn't tell us at all?" Exclaimed Eevee.

"Of course he didn't! He was waiting until he was a few days way from going away so we didn't try to stop him, weren't you, Zorua?"

"Oh! Ummm..."

"You were going to just disappear without even telling us anything?" Shouted Eevee, slightly angrily.

"I'm sorry! I just... everyone in my pack to whom I told this just called me crazy and pushed me aside! I was afraid that you would too..."

After a moment of silence, both of the ghost type's friends hugged him. "We would never do something like that! You are our friend, Zorua. Never forget that" Sneasel reassured.

"Yeah. Even if what you are implying is a crazy idea -and I seriously hope you don't do that-, we will always be there to support you, no matter what"

"Thanks guys. I needed that" Zorua said, wiping a small tear.

"Oh, what do we have here? Some Pokémon to complete my training with?"

The quartet looked towards where the voice had come from. A Froslass hovered into view, wearing a cocky grin on her face.

"Wha-?"

"I'm Froslass, and I serve as the (secondary) partner of almighty warden Gaeric!"

"Warden Gaeric? You are with that guy that wears almost nothing with this cold?" Zorua asked the other ghost.

"How dare you talk like that about almighty warden Gaeric! And for your information, the warden doesn't wear a shirt because he doesn't need it!"

"Look, I don't know what your deal is, but we are just going to leave, okay?" Interjected Zorua's sister, slightly pushing the other Pokémon away.

"You aren't moving a muscle unless you beat me in a battle! Now, who will the valiant warrior that will face me be?"

"What in Giratina's domain is she talking about?" Whispered Eevee.

"I have no idea, but all I see is a way to gain precious battle experience!" Zorua whispered back.

"You can't be serious!"

"Hey, you! I'll do it!

"What? No, bro. You are not fighting. You are still a-"

"Don't you dare say that"

"...you are still under my supervision, and I don't want you to get hurt! What will dad say if you go home completely bruised and unconscious?"

"Nothing, 'cause I'm not losing!"

"Hm, I like that confidence! You will make a worthy opponent to train against!"

"Uhhh... same?"

Everyone except for Zorua backed away. "Alright. Listen here, Froslass. This is a standard battle, but if you dare hurt my brother more than the necessary, I'll boot you out myself. Got it?"

"Deal. I'll try not to hurt your brother too much. After all, this is just a training battle"

The two battlers prepared to fight each other. Zorua was nervous, but confident. He knew that this battle was going to be, if not the last, one of the very last ones he was going to fight before he evolved.

"Are you ready?" Shouted the Zoroark.

"Yeah!" Replied Zorua.

"As ready as one can be!" Added Froslass.

"Then..." She raised a claw. "Go!" She yelled, before giving us the signal.

Zorua ran towards his opponent, while she began charging a Shadow Ball. Zorua smirked.

The attack was launched, and Zorua passed right through it, using a Shadow Sneak to get behind the Froslass, who widened her eyes and took the full blow of the attack.

Zorua landed on the ground with a proud smile.

"How did you not get hit by my attack?!"

"I'm immune to both normal and ghost type attacks!"

"Hmph! As if that's going to stop me!"

The Froslass' teeth then began glowing white, and she launched a white aura that looked like a set of teeth at the smaller opponent, who barely dodged out of the way.

Zorua then created a few copies of himself that surrounded his startled opponent.

"I'm here!" Yelled one of the copies, which got blasted with an Ice Shard, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Not there, here!" Said another copy, meeting the same fate.

The taunting continued for a while, until there were no more copies left in the battlefield. There wasn't any trace of Zorua either.

"Huh?! Where are you, fiend?"

"Behind you!" Was everything Froslass heard, before getting hit by a Shadow Sneak from behind, followed by a Snarl.

"Stop making fun of me right this instant!" She angrily demanded.

"Whenever you land an attack on me!" Zorua taunted, before dodging another Ice Shard... and tripping with a small mound of snow.

"Hah! You are mine!" Froslass yelled, before hitting Zorua with Crunch.

Pain erupted inside Zorua's whole body. He had never been hit by a super effective move, and he had to say it was not a pleasant feeling. The conbination of pain and unexpectedness almost knocked him out.

The attack didn't stop there though. Taking advantage of the fact that Zorua didn't react fast enough, Froslass launched two more Crunch attacks, both hitting the downed Pokémon.

"Aghhh!"

"Zorua!" Yelled Eevee.

The Froslass floated down until there was about a arm's distance from Zorua.

"You fought elegantly, but you were no match for me. Now, do you forfeit the match?"

"Never!" Zorua shouted, forcing his body to stand up.

"Then, you shall faint!" Froslass exclaimed, preparing a last Crunch attack.

Zorua couldn't move. He could barely stand up, so there was no way he could dodge, much less endure the attack. He was just a pup that tried to act like an actual grown up.

Joining the humans? That was ridiculous.

He was just as his father thought of him. A weak, defenseless pup that always barked but never bit.

No. I'm more than that! I am not a pup! AND ONE DAY, I'LL JOIN THEM AND GET OUT OF THIS WASTELAND!

With a battle cry, one of Zorua's claws became encased in a ghostly aura, and he jumped towards the Froslass.

Before she could react and throw her attack, Zorua slashed her three times with his ghostly claw, and then promptly landed on the ground, panting, followed by the Froslass doing the same, albeit a bit more forcibly.

"That was..." Began Sneasel.

"...Shadow Claw" Finished Eevee.

"But Zorua can't learn that move until they..." Began saying the Zoroark, before she was interrupted by her brother beggining to glow in a blinding white light.

Zorua felt his injuries heal up, and the pain lessen. He felt how his front paws slowly rose from the ground and all his weight fell on his hind paws. He felt the small tuff of fur in his head grow until it was a big mane. He felt how his head slowly raised up from the ground.

He felt how he had just evolved.

Just then, Froslass collapsed on the ground, panting just like the newly evolved Zoroark had been a few seconds ago. "That was a good battle. We have to have a rematch sometime" Was everything she said, before fainting.

Zorua, or rather, Zoroark sighed and sat on the ground, feeling like he was about to collapse too.

"Little bro!" Her sister exclaimed, running towards him, his friends closely behind.

"You evolved!" Exclaimed Eevee, jumping in joy.

"Yeah! Congrats, dude!" Added Sneasel.

His sister just hugged him. "Congratulations, little bro! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks" He sighed. "It was something that had to happen sometime, and I'm glad it did now! I'm so happy!"

"What happens now?" Asked Eevee.

"Now? I'll have to deal with my father's lectures about 'How to be a good Alpha'. Now that I think of it, evolving is going to be a big problem for me"

"You'll overcome it. You always do, bro"

The two relatives spent a bit more time hugging, until they heard a voice.

"Hey!" And it wasn't a Pokémon. He was the same human that was battling that other human a week ago. The same one that wore nothing to cover his chest in a ranging snowstorm. "What have you done to Froslass?!" 'Warden Gaeric' asked to the quartet, mostly eyeing the two Zoroark.

"Hey, she was the one that wanted to fight!" Sneasel yelled at him, prompting Gaeric to look at him in confusion.

"He can't understand you. Human rule number five?" Zoroark said.

"You got it!" His sister chuckled.

Gaeric then returned Froslass to her ball. "You are lucky that I left Glalie in the training grounds, or you'd have gotten your asses kicked!"

He then scowled at the four Pokémon and ran away.

"That was weird" Eevee commented.

"So that Froslass wasn't crazy? Is it true that she was the partner of one of the human wardens?" The female Zoroark asked.

"Apparently, yeah" Her brother confirmed.

"I think we should start heading back. Our parents must be worried" Sneasel interjected.

"Alright, mister 'my auntie is a Noble'!" Eevee joked.

"Shut up!"

"He's right, though. We should head back. Even if I really don't want to let my dad see that I have evolved"

"Please, don't tell me we aren't seeing you in another whole week!" Sneasel exclaimed.

And with that, the four friends made their way back to their respective dens. The newly evolved Zoroark was thinking about what would happen now for the whole trip.

Would he be able to achieve his crazy dream? Or would his father force him to stay inside the den forever?

Only future would tell.

This is a small little side project that I'm not sure if I'm going to finish. Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.

Post Rewrite A.N.

I hate myself. I am rewritting this too. Thankfully it's just two chapters. I wanted to make a Halloween special for you all, but I ran short on time. Maybe I'll do something for christmas.