Chapter 14: Reunion

Blade awoke in a panic, he was alone and had no idea where he was. It was cold, and he was afraid. He stayed put for a moment taking in the beautiful snow capped trees and the nearby river connected to a lake, just a short distance away. Despite its beauty, something felt off, almost artificial, about it. The Sneasel was in no mood for whatever this strange place had in store for him. He walked to the lake seeing that it is mostly frozen. As was the river. The Sneasel felt the need to drink, but upon striking the ice he discovered it was too thick to even crack. So the male turned toward the direction it would flow from and he got walking.

*Hours Later*

"How far do I have to go to find some water that isn't frozen?!" Blade slashed a tree "What the shit man? Seriously." He climbed the tree and plucked an apple from a branch. The ice type devoured the apple in seconds, only making him more thirsty. So he continued on. It was starting to get warmer as he pressed on, until he found a strange waterfall. It seemed to be a small hole in an unnaturally solid rock wall. Only after relaxing at the sight of the flowing water did he notice he had a sharp stinging pain in his chest. A glance down showed a scar on his chest, just over his heart. "What happened to me?" He thought aloud "They captured me, but I don't know why…."

Blade knelt down at the river to take a drink, only to be knocked to the ground suddenly. He recovered in seconds and spun to his feet extending his claws. His attacker was a very small weavile, shorter and thinner than Blade. "Stay back! We need that water!" The voice was that of a young boy. Two sneasel's coward in a bush behind him. Blade noticed.

"It's a waterfall kid, I doubt it's gonna run dry anytime soon." He spoke plainly "And besides, I'm no threat to you."

The young weavile attacked again. His movements were reckless and uncoordinated. This boy was obviously no fighter. But even so he attacked without mercy. Blade dodged every attack easily, his opponent was slow and inexperienced. Blade retracted his claws and moved around the young weavile. The second he left an opening Blade knocked him down and pointed his claws at him "Enough, I didn't come here to pick a fight." With no prior warning Blade hit the ground with something on top of him. He tossed the opponent over the river and hopped to his feet. A shiny Sneasel, she jumped across the river using slash to try and hit Blade. But he countered with a slash of his own. Then they clashed again and again. Ice Punch, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Slash, and finally Shadow Claw. Each clash knocked the Sneasel back, but Blade's Shadow Claw wasn't strong enough and he was tossed down.

The shiny straddled Blade and was about to strike when a sudden look of realization dawned on them. "Blade?" The voice was female and by the sound, surprised.

Blade too was struck with a realization "M-Mom?!"

Shard was alive, and wherever he was, is where she has been this entire time. She hugged him and turned to the young weavile "Glaive, take your sisters and go to the den." The weavile didn't hesitate, he ran over and led the two Sneasel behind the bush away. "I can't believe you're alive" Shard had so much joy in her voice it brought Blade back to what he believed to be half a year ago. When he was young and innocent. When life was cruel and unforgiving. She was the only light he had. He felt strange, a few months ago he was still a kid, but he had matured so quickly. Was it because of Shadow or was it natural for Sneasel, or even pokemon in general, to mature so quickly. It didn't matter at the moment, he found his mother. Blade embraced her happily. They broke away a moment later. "Something tells me that you have changed, more than I could imagine. You're so strong now" Shard smiled at him "you are like a completely different person now, what happened to you?"

Blade sat down by the river and drank some of the water. Pure, but somehow impure as well. He laid back on the ground looking at the sky. Even that didn't seem real to him. "A lot happened, I was alone for a while...hunted for sport and almost eaten a bunch of times…" he began to recount his story "I finally found myself on the verge of death...then he found me."

"Who found you?"

"Shadow. One of the most incredible people I've ever met." Blade was lost in his memories. It had only been a few months, but he befriended Shadow, became far stronger, and he'd fallen in love. But it didn't matter, he was separated from the love of his life. And now he had to get back to him. Eventually, that is, for now he'd have to stick around and make a plan. And talk to his mother.

"Blade? You spaced out, are you okay?"

"Oh y-yeah, just thinking." Blade had started to blush.

"Oooh, I get it." Shard looked him in the eyes "I know that look anywhere. You're in love with him aren't you?"

Blade's blush deepened "Wh-what?"

"And besides, I could hear it in your voice, you like this Shadow don't you?" Blade looked away, clearly he was embarrassed. Shard turned him to face her. "Tell me about him."

Blade hesitated a moment. "He's…. incredible. He's smart, powerful….he has his own strange sense of compassion." He remembered the Charizard Shadow murdered. "But he cares….at least I think he does. But he does have his flaws."

"Like what?"

"He's cruel, unnecessarily so. But….oddly never to me."

"Cruel how?"

"Like, rip off your face and use it as a puppet, kinda cruel."

Shard reeled a bit "you're in love with someone so cruel?"

"He hasn't let me down or hurt me, so yeah I am."

"Well, as long as he cares." Shard began to cough violently until blood came out of her mouth. Blade leaned up and was about to ask her if she was okay, but she stopped him. "I'm sick Blade. I'm not long for this world."

Before Blade could speak again a voice rang out. "Eh great anoder one!" It was a Pangoro followed by a Monferno and Excadrill. "Guess we need to teach yas dat dis is our turf."

Blade stood up slowly and Shard got back. Shard spoke up "we're sorry, we'll just be going."

"Oh no, yous two gotta stay so we can teach ya" Pangoro stepped forward swinging at Blade. He sucked under the attack and shot an ice beam straight at Pangoro's face. The dark-fighting pokemon shrugged off the attack and slammed Blade to the ground. The Sneasel recovered and slid under Pangoro, striking Monferno with a slash and Excadrill with ice claw. Pangoro spun around slamming a fist down trying to hit Blade, but the Sneasel weaved around and hit him with a slash, then hit him with an icy wind. The larger pokemon didn't even flinch, he simply attacked again. Monferno joined in shooting ember at Blade. Excadrill joined in as well digging under the ground. Blade dodged the first two attacks with ease, but was knocked off his feet as Excadrill burst from beneath him slamming into him hard. Before he hit the ground the three pokemon were pounding him into the dirt, laying into him with a flurry of attacks. Finally they stopped, the dust cleared, and Blade was battered and bruised looking like he just received the beating of a lifetime. Which he did. "Dair, I tink we made our point right boys?" Pangoro's goons nodded and agreed before walking away abruptly.

Shard pulled Blade from the small crater they had put him in. "What were you thinking Blade? They could have killed you?!"

"They'll get what's coming to them" he managed through labored breaths "besides, it just makes me stronger."

"We're getting out of here, come on can you stand?" She helps Blade stand up slowly and they leave the river behind.

*In Shard's Den*

Blade was recovering as a male sableye walked in. "What's going on dear?"

"Oh Amethyst, this is my son Blade, he...tried to fight off those bullies."

"Well, let's take care of that first."