Author's Note: I apologize for the delay of almost a month, got burned out after the last chapter, so I've been recovering slowly. I'm not promising as fast uploads as before. However I will ask everyone to have patience, it's really hard to type an entire story on a phone so please bare with me.

Chapter 25: Apart Again

They had been walking along following a trail of bodies and eggs. Those bastards had slaughtered more pokemon and devoured more eggs. It made Blade sick, and the way he and Shadow had been acting toward each other wasn't helping. Within the past few weeks Blade had become focused, but impatient. He had himself pushed beyond his limits and was beyond aggravated. His mood wasn't cooperative and he was constantly balancing between relaxed and furious. So despite Shadow trying to help him, and convince him to rest and relax, the ice type refused and would instead become angry with the darkrai. With Blade being in this constantly irritable mood, Shadow had taken to being more cold and stern with him. It felt strange, there was always silence between the two, but it felt odd to the pitch-black pokemon, he could always tell Blade was thinking of him. However, it seemed that these days Blade was too focused on stopping the other Sneasel and Weavile. It was consuming him and Shadow didn't want to lose Blade to this. It was this kind of devotion that got all of the Pokemon he slaughtered in their situations. It was the blind devotion to a cause that got people killed. But Blade was adamant, nothing Shadow had done was enough to sway him. It had them at odds with each other. Shadow was worried about Blade's health and safety, but Blade was only worried about stopping those monsters. It had all started with that damned Xatu. That one future that told him Cleave was behind it.

*Flashback*

"I have to get stronger!" Blade yelled as he tore into a tree with his claws. He'd been going for hours without so much as a break or food, his claws were blunted, and he was exhausted. His body was shaking, and swaying, as though he'd collapse at any moment, yet he just continued going. The tree shook with every strike and leaves fell from its branches.

"I understand that Blade, but you're pushing yourself too much."

"Shut up! You don't understand Shadow and you never could!" Blade spun around, pure anger on his face as he snarled at Shadow.

"I understand better than you think."

"No you don't, you fucking insufferable prick! You think you understand but you don't! You think just cause you're some unbelievably strong darkrai that you know what's best for me?! Well fuck off you asshole!" Blade was flashing his fangs at the darkrai. "You don't know what it's like to have your own father hate you! You have no idea how it feels to know that your family wants you to die! You don't know what it's like to be alone around the people you love most! You don't know shit!"

Shadow was surprised, though he didn't show it. This is what needed to happen, Blade needed to talk it out.

"And don't even get me started on you! You bland, emotionless fuck! Would it kill you to have more expressions than uninterested?! Do you understand how hard it is to believe that you care about me when you always sound like you're bored!? Next time fix yourself before you get in my business you piece of shit!"

*Present*

Blade hadn't apologized or even tried to make things better between them. Shadow didn't care. Despite everything the ice type had said to him, Shadow wasn't going to give up on him. Blade's words had cut deep, but even so, as Shadow stared down at the ice type he couldn't bring himself to be angry or even upset with him. The smaller pokemon scowled as he looked back. "Why are you following me?"

"Only to assist you, should you need it." Shadow could see it, the truth. This wasn't Blade, this was just his anger and hatred leading him on. All he had to do was follow Blade and help him through this. These deaths, including the eggs, were taking a toll on the ice type. His mind was almost always on it. Or at least on his own trauma. Seeing what Blade was remembering didn't ease either of their minds.

'You should have ended up a stain on the grass, not the egg that formed in your mother.'

Blade's mind kept playing it on a loop as his mind was overwhelmed by thoughts of so many eggs being cracked open and devoured. 'It's not fair…..they shouldn't have to suffer like that. They didn't ….they didn't even get a chance to live their lives. It was wrong to have their lives ripped away before they even had a chance to begin.' Blade started growling unconsciously at that thought. 'You were so desperate to kill me that you had to just do this.' The Sneasel knelt down over one egg. Undamaged, still perfectly intact. Hesitantly, the ice type picked up the egg and gently rotated it to ensure it was completely undamaged, which to his relief it was. That relief was short lived as a distinct scent appeared not far away, blood and a lot of it. Blade held the egg close and took off running as Shadow disappeared into the ground. Blade got a decent distance away when he looked back. Three Weavile and two Sneasel were already after him and they were only motivated more to catch him upon seeing the egg in his arms. Blade, upon seeing them, started running again. The pursuers caught up rather quickly and the two first evolutions tackled Blade to the ground causing him to drop the egg and it rolled away.

One of the weavile snatched it up and ran back the other way. The other two took over holding Blade down as the Sneasel followed the first Weavile away. One weavile kept Blade's arms held down as the other forced his legs apart. "Boss doesn't let us have fun, so we hope you don't mind that we'll be taking turns with you. Oh you won't? Good good." One whispered into Blade's ear as he set himself on top of the smaller male. "I like it when they scream, so do me a favor and beg me not to fuck you like the toy you are!"

Before the actions can go any farther Shadow appears. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid he is taken already, and I do so detest sharing." The darkrai suddenly pulled the first Weavile away and ripped the crest from his head without hesitation. Tossing him to the side a moment Shadow picked up the other weavile by the throat and without breaking eye contact crushed their windpipe. As the other weavile clutched his profusely bleeding head Shadow turned him to face down the pitch-black pokemon. He pulled one of the weavile's claws until the sharp edge snapped off. Holding him close Shadow lowered the now removed claw. "I must say, you were bold to try and take him, but that rear end belongs to me, and he knows it, so I suppose a fitting punishment would be to…. Castrate you." Shadow stared directly into his eyes showing obvious hatred. "I like it when they scream, so do me a favor, and beg me not end you." Shadow maintained eye contact as he set about carving into the weavile. Within a few minutes he had found the weavile had expired. "What a waste, I barely got to enjoy that." He turned to his partner. "Are you alright Blade?"

"What is wrong with you?!" Blade stood up furiously glaring at Shadow. "YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED THAT EGG YOU ASS!"

Shadow for the first time gave Blade an irritated look that chilled him to the bone. "All the eggs in the world can shatter for all I care, if you're in danger. Don't you ever tell me to choose an egg not our own over you!"

"Oh fuck you, you piece of shit, that was a life that you just let die! Why, to help me that was more important! What is wrong with you!" Blade screamed as he hit Shadow in the chest. "You asshole! How can you just dismiss that life so easily…."

"You already know my answer Blade."

"Yeah I do…..you fucking…..I can't be around you right now!" Blade turned away and started walking away. He got a few steps away from Shadow before he came face to face with a yellow pokemon, it's eyes closed as it grabbed Blade and teleported him away suddenly. Similarly Shadow was approached from behind by a similarly teleporting pokemon separating the two of them further.

A few moments after they were gone a few humans stepped to where they were. "Well, that was easy, I suppose now we just have to take them back to…" The humans were cut off as the two teleporting pokemon returned, both covered in cuts and bruises, the larger one having both legs snapped at the knees. "Abra, Kadabra, what happened?"

"Too…..strong…."

*With Blade*

"Well, isn't this just the biggest load of shit I've had to deal with lately?!" He shouted into the air.

*With Shadow*

"Oh you must be joking, again with this." Shadow sighed. Time to look for Blade again, this was just getting repetitive and annoying to him.