Chapter 39: Catching Up With Pyre

Charmander have poor hearing, but incredible eyesight.

From where he was sitting on a tree branch, Pyre could clearly see the television in the room of the facility, apparently some sort of weather institute, and make out the subtitles on the bottom of the screen.

Of course, it helped that both the window and the television screen were both rather wide. Pyre stopped reading the subtitles after the words Pokémon League Conference appeared. Reading was more of an effort than he wanted to do right now. And he felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of a Pokémon League Conference. All those powerful Pokémon and all those battles, and he couldn't take part.

To take part would mean a trainer, and a trainer meant having to travel, and walk, and to train and battle whenever he was told to. To eat, sleep and go wherever and whenever he was told. An end to his freedom and his ability to lounge around and let the sun warm the scales on his small muscular body. He shut his eyes, and was just drifting off to sleep when a dark voice spoke to him.

"I have often pondered Pyre, whether the experiments the grey men performed consisted of splicing Munchlax DNA with your own. Because when you are not fighting, all that appears to fill your time is eating and sleeping."

Pyre opened his eyes, looking into the branches above. There was a faint red glow from between the leaves. "Shadow! Get out of my head."

"The lifestyle of a trained Pokémon would have suited you well. A house, a couch to laze upon, someone else to feed you your meals."

Pyre rolled his eyes. "Hey I'm no human's pet. Besides, I can already get trainers to give me all of that without needing to be their Pokémon!" He thought back a moment on the day prior. He had seen the very trainers and pokemon Shadow was after. He hadn't just seen them, but battled them, and gambled his freedom for some free food. A bold gambit, but one the fire lizard was more than confident, and far easier to win than he'd expected.

Shadow laughed. "One day soon Pyre you'll meet a trained Pokémon powerful enough to take you down. And what will you do then?"

The Charmander shrugged without a worry. "Hasn't happened yet."

"You mark my words my friend, there is a Pokéball out there with your name on it."

"Hope not for that trainer's sake. Doubt they'll take to being stalked by a homicidal Darkrai." Pure was smirking internally.

"I don't recall agreeing to remove you from a mess of your own making!" Shadow wasn't surprised by Pyre's suggestion. The Charmander knew him rather well.

"Oh you will. You'd miss me too much."

"Perhaps!"

The two laughed and a wide grin graced Pyre's face. "Oh I really did miss you Shadow. Just like old times!"

"If only Raiee were still among us," Shadow replied wistfully.

The grin on Pyre's face faltered. "Poor Raiee. Did you ever find out what happened?"

"I had heard the kit Hikari was separated from Raiee before he hatched. I do not know what became of Raiee."

"So there's still a chance?"

"In my heart I fear Raiee has departed this life. Murdered by cowardly humans."

Pyre felt his eyes becoming wet. He didn't want Shadow to see him cry and blinked the tears away. He needed to stay strong! Thankfully Shadow changed the topic.

"Since when did you take an interest in human entertainment?" Shadow could see Pure was uncomfortable and decided to make him more comfortable.

Pyre gave him a quizzical look. "Huh?"

"You were watching that television set through the window."

"Oh. It was just on. And I just wanted to see what they were saying about us!"

"Why does it matter what the human story tellers say," said Shadow, knowing the petty squabbles of humans were pointless to listen to. "It's just lies and slander and an attempt to steal power from each other."

"I heard they arrested our creators!"

"Those grey men were not our creators. But yes they did arrest them. Far too late and only when they could use it to launch a political Poké-witch-hunt." Shadow was irritated by the suggestion, but simply continued the conversation.

"Still got 'em." Pyre said, trying to see the bright side

Shadow sighed. "They don't know the full truth. I doubt that they want to know it. And it still too late for poor Raiee." Humanity was petty, more so than Shadow himself.

"Poor Raiee." Pyre didn't voice the nagging thought at the back of his head. But the Darkrai had the uncanny ability to read his mind.

"I know what you are thinking. If I miss Raiee so much why then do I torment Hikari? And I believe I answered that last night." Shadow was no fool, he knew Pyre could never agree or understand his point of view, but Shadow had no desire to teach him.

"I know you did," Pyre said with a sigh. "But still. Raiee's son."

"Hikari is Raiee's son but not Raiee. Raiee was noble, brave and loyal. Hikari is duplicitous, cunning and cowardly. Raiee would be ashamed the kit has grown to be a species traitor. Severing the worst of humanity, leading his fellow Pokémon to such terrible fates. And to do that, to Blade of all Pokémon, when Raiee knew what that Sneasel meant to me."

"Is there nothing we can do to help Blade?" Pyre asked.

"The humans whom call themselves Team Rocket have him in a fortress in the Islands they call Alola. They have ways of controlling Pokémon. To make them act against there will. I cannot enter that place." Shadow felt his rage boiling.

At this Pyre sat up and frowned, confused. "He wasn't in a fortress the last time I saw him."

"You have seen Blade recently?" Even with the Darkrai deep cold baritone voice it was hard to miss the sudden note of hope in it.

"Yes. I saw him only a couple of days ago. These humans used him to attack me nearby the volcano."

"Why did you not mention this sooner?" A dark and threatening note entered Shadow's voice for the first time. The type usually reserved for enemies.

Despite their years of friendship, Pyre felt unnerved. "I-I was going to. It's been a busy night." Pyre felt bad, he had been meaning to tell him, but he didn't want to until they were away from those innocent pokemon.

"You still could have mentioned it before going and lounging in a tree. But tell me, what did these humans look like."

"It was a man and a woman each wearing a white shirt with a purple R painted on it."

"Team Rocket." Shadow could feel his hatred growing by the moment.

"They had a couple of other Pokémon with them. A Meowth, a Noibat, a Wobbuffet and a Seviper." Pyre told him, despite what Shadow could and likely would do to them.

"I'll kill them all," whispered Shadow. "If they've hurt that Sneasel. I will kill them all. The Humans. The Meowth. And Hikari."

Pyre shivered…Shadow's cruelty was something Pyre could never condone, he could never understand or agree to the taking of another life. But Pyre wasn't the type to make an enemy of his friends.

Shadow hovered away "I leave you to your rest now my friend."

*Later with Shadow*

Shadow had searched for Hikari once again, he had no intention of sparing the Pikachu, even with the knowledge that Blade was no longer confined to Team Rocket's base. Shadow watched on as he set the stage.

"Hello…" He called out into the darkness. "Is anybody there?" His cry went unanswered. He was all alone in the pitch black. "Hello…somebody," he called out again. "Anybody…Pika." Once again his cry went unanswered. But that was when he saw something, like a small spec in the middle of his eye. He ran to it. And as he approached the spec became bigger and started to take shape, until it resembled a large tree.

This was torment for them both, showing Hikari this, the very tree that Shadow and Blade had met beneath. Though the rodent wouldn't understand it's significance.

He skidded to a halt when he saw the Sneasel lying at the base of the tree.

Blade's eyes closed and his head resting on his chest, he could have been sleeping. But it was obvious he wasn't. He was sitting in a pool of his own blood.

"No. Blade no," he cried out, his heart filling with sorrow and guilt. "Blade, I'm so sorry."

The Sneasel didn't react. He just kept laying there, dead.

Hikari turned around to leave. He didn't want to see his friend this way.

But when he did, he found he was still looking at the Sneasel.

"No."

He tried to turn away again, but found himself unable to, he closed his eyes and attempted to flee, but felt himself slip and fall. His fur felt wet. He opened his eyes and discovered to his horror he had fallen into the pool of Blade's blood. He was lying at the feet of the wretched creature.

"No….No."

He got to his paws and tried to scramble away. But the blood was too slippery and he fell back onto his stomach.

"noooo."

"You cannot run away from this Hikari. This is your doing," said a deep cold voice.

He looked up and saw him…

Floating above the Sneasel's body was Shadow.

"W-Why are you doing this to me," he cried out. "Leave me alone!"

"Don't ask foolish questions, Hikari. You know my motives," replied Shadow. "Your actions cost Blade his liberty and subjected him to terrible suffering. And for this you must suffer. Fortune may have smiled upon you in the forest, but be forewarned you and your friends are not safe. I will come for you again soon Hikari." Shadow reveled in the mouse Pokemon's suffering.

"N-no. Please…" he pleaded.

"And then you will know the suffering you have inflicted on Blade and those who cared for him. Perhaps I shall start by hurting the Riolu, Hunter. Then you will know the agony of watching a love one's anguish."

Cold dread gripped his heart. "No please not Hunter. There must be something I can do to make this right."

"I will see you soon Hikari. Very soon."

Shadow, the tree and Blade began to fade away, leaving him in total darkness.

"No Please. Nooooooo!"

*Away from Hikari*

Shadow felt himself grow angry. He wanted his vengeance, he wanted to make Hikari suffer, he wanted to kill him. And yet fate favored the little rodent. And even so, his mind wandered back to Blade. To his Blade. His beloved. They would be together again. One way or the other.