Kinetic Spirits: Arc 1 - Sagefox

I will be posting my Pokémon fanfiction here, but you can also find it on fanfiction.net : https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12324209/1/Kinetic-Spirits-Arc-1-Sagefox

Please enjoy! I've spent a while developing this world and its characters. You can see art of the characters through my Portfolio: http://lakevalor.net/topic/16170-fidchells-pokemon-artworks/

Arc 1 Summary: An elderly delphox serves as the founder and keeper of the Sanctuary, the ruins of ancient humans. This vale is now a haven for Pokémon that have been through troubled times and require rehabilitation. This Sanctuary, however, also serves as a point of interest for evil-doers. A Pokémon-centered story by Fidchell and Raksha. Rated T for disturbing moments, language, and violence.

Spoiler

Chapter One: Humility

The pale blue skin of a water Pokémon shone eerily purple in the light of many shimmering crystals. The vaporeon lay prone in a bow as he awaited the call of his mistress. She had summoned him to the stone circle just a half-mile outside the quiet town the humans were fond of calling Lavender, though the Pokémon knew it as ancient burial grounds long before humans had begun burying their beloved pets there. It was a place of ghosts and of ancient, dark magics.

At length the vaporeon heard the soft footsteps that heralded his dark mistress' approach. His frill held back in respect as she inched closer. The very air around her seemed tainted with a dark, almost malign energy.

"Rise, my servant. You have been granted the most wondrous of opportunities," the silken voice of his mistress rang within his mind, as though his very soul were a bell which had just been struck.

The vaporeon stood upright, frill still held back in curt respect as he gazed upon the foreboding form of his very meaning for continued existence. Within his glassy orbs reflected the well-curved body of a female delphox, her silver and purple coat hanging down and ending just below her knees, unlike most delphox, indicating her rare and unique fashion. Her very witch-like essence was engulfed in purple flames, which wreathed the female in malevolent, almost demonic light.

"What is it that you need of me, most gracious and benevolent master?" the vaporeon spouted with almost gushing praise. "My very life is yours to do with as you see fit." He mewled in sycophantic praise for the fox-like creature.

"What manners you have now!" the delphox chimed happily as the crystals of the stone circle glowed brighter in symphony with her delight. "I have molded you into a great individual, not that pathetic cringing coward that your own human couldn't stand," the Witch said with the most interesting mix of praise and disgust, as if one had just been served the most delicious burger only to find it made of rattata. "But I wanted you, didn't I?" she cooed softly.

"Yes," the vaporeon stated as if pleasing this creature would bring eternal happiness. "How may this unfit vessel of your holy word spread your divine message?"

The witch-like delphox smiled cruelly at this. "Heed my words well, young one, and you shall receive your every worldly desire."

Spoiler

A female lopunny sat at the edge of a natural pool watching her two buneary children play at the water's edge. Lithe and well-toned, the female lopunny was ever vigilant even in the relative safety around the Sanctuary, a collective assemblage of ruins of human society long past. She sighed a little to herself. Her master had been working tirelessly with her to break this paranoia, to help her move forward past the loss of her other two children, yet she found herself so easily falling upon bad habits.

"Don't stray too far, children!" she shouted as one of her buneary children took off running from the other in a game of tag, the exasperated mother of the pair about to bound off after them in a panic.

Warmth filled her breast however, the calming warmth of ease, as though her cares were taken from her all at once. "Peace, young one," the aged voice of a delphox would say with the soothing warmth of a summer's breeze. "Your children are well protected in the sanctum. Of that I can assure you." That same voice would continue permeating her to the very core with comfort and cordiality.

"But, master!" the lopunny would protest, her words ringing out through the small grotto. No other presence seemed to be about, yet she spoke as though one could hear her. The mother of the two young Pokémon was pushing against the warmth with her worry and desire to protect her children, her worldly desires clouding her from the peace that she so dearly craved.

The good feeling withdrew a little, like a cloud cast over the sun, yet it was still there, ever present in the valley. The lopunny felt some shame at her weakness. Why was it she could not do such a simple thing as let her children have the same carefree life that she once had at their age? She had lost a sister herself back then, and yet her own mother did not fret over her remaining children like some overprotective kangaskhan. This shame only made the warmth withdraw more.

"Master," the lopunny whispered before looking about to find that her children had strayed out of sight. Worry overcame her shame and she immediately began a frantic search for her progeny.

The grotto was fed by a small stream which flowed freely from the nearby mountain, the icy waters populated by little more than magikarp and the occasional poliwag. The pool in which the water from the stream collected was deep and cold. A visiting dratini had once swam as deep as it dared before coming up to report that it seemed to have no bottom, yet nothing had ever come up that way so none feared the depths, as mysterious as they were–at least none but the mother lopunny. She constantly fretted over the thought of her children falling in, never to be seen again as their cold lifeless bodies sank into the dark abyss. Then she thought back to her two deceased children, having struggled for dear life in–... She did not want to think about it any longer.

Blind with panic, the lapine mother blundered about the edge of the pond seeking her children with frantic speed. Visions of them having fallen in, or worse, having been drug in by some remorseless being to be fed upon, clouded her mind like a dense icy fog, the warming presence that pervaded the grotto now just as distant in her mind as a wintry day.

In the depths of despair now, the Lopunny cursed the warm presence under her breath. How could she have been so foolish as to believe one whom she knew posed a danger to her children? Of course he must have had something to do with their disappearance, there was no other explanation. With fear turning to anger, the lopunny mother was about to rashly head off to confront the elderly delphox she had once called "master" when the sound of innocent laughter filled her ears.

As suddenly as a summer storm darkens the sky only to vanish once again leaving no trace but damp ground and the beauty of a rainbow, so too did the lopunny's anger with the sounds of gentle laughter coming from the unmistakable voices of her children at play. Their lives had indeed been touched by the same loss as that of their mother, but they had let the warmth permeate their entire being. The loss to them was but a dark corner of their bright and sunny vale of life which seemed to stretch on endlessly before them.

Following the laughter of her children, the lopunny did not have to go far from where she had been originally before her panicked flight had drug her in the opposite direction of their location. She knew deep in her heart had she been more in tune with the presence that covered the small sanctuary, she would have found them sooner. The sting of her disappointment in herself alleviated by the salve of her children's laughter.

The female lopunny swiftly followed the melodic laughter to a nearby sheltered pool. Many of the young Pokémon who came and went liked to use this pool to play in or relax, as it was shallow and the sun warmed it throughout the day, making it much safer and more comfortable to swim in than the deep pool into which the bottom of the falls met.

Her heart, though, stopped dead in its tracks as she saw her children in the pool with an unknown visitor–a male vaporeon bobbing its head in and out of the shallow pool and shooting streams of water and bubbles at her children. It was clearly all in a playful fashion to the common observer, but the lopunny was still too wrapped up in her loss to see past it. To her, this was an attack, pure and simple, and she intended to put a stop to it right then and there.

Dashing towards her nearest child and scooping it into her arms, the mother of the two siblings deftly placed herself in front of the other, putting herself between them and the perceived danger, her every powerful muscle ready to strike down this unknown foe with the rampant and unrelenting force of a mother defending her young.

Before any violence could occur, a small blast of flame separated the two would-be combatants, the air filling with steam as the pool of water was heated by the blast.

"Fleur, why must you always regress so quickly?" an aged voice sounded as an elderly vulpine figure stepped slowly towards the small gathering. "I know your pain. I feel your pain every time you dwell on it," the soothing voice continued as the aged delphox stepped forward.

His appearance was almost grandfatherly, with a pair of spectacle frames perched upon his snout. They contained no lenses, as the Pokémon did not need the correction from the article, but had indeed gained the habit of wearing them to give him a more wizened and non-threatening appearance. His fur had lost much of its luster over the years. His whiskers and fur drooped as though soaked with water, though this was just from his progressive age.

His slow but intentional movement towards the group drew both attention and awe as clearly the elderly delphox was both powerful and wise, though his age showed more of the latter. Even the vaporeon's frill pulled back in respect of the aged vulpine as he hobbled closer.

"Fleur, you and I will have to work on the basics once again," the aged creature said to the rabbit in a soft tender voice. "I know you are impatient and want to move forward in your path, but I cannot take you up a mountain when you keep rolling down the hill," the fox said slowly, panache filling his voice. "For now though, take your children and enjoy some time with them. It will help clear your mind for later," he added with an almost grandfatherly smile.

Fleur was about to argue with the fox; indeed she felt a great deal of discomfort in being around this particular vaporeon, yet the aged Pokémon gave her a knowing wink and nodded. She felt a great deal of hesitance to leave her master with such a dark presence about, but she did so anyhow.

Spoiler

The vaporeon had thought it quite the stroke of luck when it had stumbled across that dratini from the Sanctuary. The poor slender dragon-type Pokémon had been so eager to tell of the wondrous place, and had tasted so good as the water-type had devoured her noodle-like body after having easily taken her out with a well-aimed Ice Beam, a move taught to him by his former trainer.

No one was to know he was here–those were the Witchfox's very specific orders. He was to simply infiltrate the sanctum and take down a weak old fire-type. It was almost as if she was handing him his dreams on a silver platter. His journey had been some distance, as the old fox's lair wasn't near any of the major routes or cities. Indeed it was likely that the old coot didn't want anyone finding the place without first being invited. Though, if this was the case, he should have made sure that his followers did not spill their guts about its location at any time they pleased.

He had intended to lure those little buneary closer to the deep pool and then to take them before they could be corrupted by this doddering old fool and his nefarious ways. The vaporeon just could not believe how many Pokémon were suckered into believing that load of tauros droppings about how he wanted to just help those who had been plagued by misfortune–help them by sending them to their doom by his own hands. That was what his mistress had told him. She had told him that, by doing this deed, not only would he prove himself a hero to the world, but would most certainly be such a heroic Pokémon that no trainer could ever resist the desire to catch him. He would never be lonely again–never abandoned again.

As the mother and her two children left reluctantly, the vaporeon braced himself for what he assumed would be an attack from the most devious of foes, but instead he felt that same permeating warmth that all the vale's inhabitants felt. It radiated off of the old fox like he was the sun itself and filled the very cracks of his soul with hope.

The old fox smiled and the vaporeon nearly melted. The clouds of doubt and worry seemed to just wash away in the aged delphox's presence. How could this kindly old soul be the dark seed that was poisoning the lush garden of his mistress' kingdom?

"I'm not mad, you know," the old vulpine said, leaning down and placing a paw on the vaporeon's slimy head. "You aren't the first that she has tricked with promises she can't keep, and you won't be the last either," he said warmly as he gently rubbed the head fin of the vaporeon next, the placements of his hand seeming strangely strategic.

Guilt filled the vaporeon's soul–crushing guilt that seemed to drag its very being down to the deepest depths. "How–How do you know?" he asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. The fox had said that there were others before him, but that did not mean that he had given himself away. He kept his mind only on his desires like his mistress had told him to do.

He did not even have a chance to think about attacking before the old fox had rendered him entirely useless.

"Do not let anyone tell you that you have no worth," the old fox said as he continued to rub that warm aged paw against the vaporeon's head. "I know what you came here for–the same reason that witch intended to use you against me in the first place. Your doubt, your fear, your uncertainty, your loneliness...you are so hurt and afraid that your own emotions gave you away before you even reached the bottom of the falls." The old delphox frowned faintly. "I wish that you'd come to me for help, but her toxic ways have seeped too deep into you. Even if I let you go, she'd just destroy you for your failure."

The vaporeon asked, fear trembling in his voice, "Why can't you let me go? I'll never come back! I'll go far away from her! I was wrong. I know that now!" Trying to bolt, the poor water-type realized too late that he could not move. The vaporeon's true nature was starting to show through, all his bravado being replaced by his cowardice. His muscles refused to respond as the fox continued to rub his head gently. There was something ominous about the way the delphox had said that he could not leave, and even more so how he had said that his mistress would destroy him if he was released.

"It's okay to be scared," the elderly vulpine stated as he stopped rubbing the vaporeon and lifted him up out of the pool. "I can feel that fear, you know. I feel everything that you feel. It wouldn't be fair to make you experience this alone." He leaned forward, gazing deeply into the water-type's glistening, tear-covered eyes.

"Please... Please don't!" the small blue Pokémon begged as the truth began to sink in. He wanted to struggle, to try and get away from the delphox, but his body was completely seized up.

There were no more words from the older Pokémon, though. The delphox hesitated briefly as he brought his snout in closer. He gave a very slow blink that seemed to, for the Vaporeon, last for minutes. He then creaked open his eyelids once again to reveal a flash of purple light from each of his hazy irises. The unfortunate vaporeon's world glowed a brilliant mix of pink and purple until it was all that he could see. His mind was entranced by the radiance. He felt every sense of self that existed cognitively start to become engulfed by the flashes of color as well, until he let it all go, leaving nothing left but blackness.

Spoiler

The sagely delphox blinked once again, feeling strain from the usage of this taxing power in the back of his brain. Once the uncomfortable sensation eased out, he opened his eyes to see the vaporeon limp in his grasp, his upper body leaning back and his muscles fully relaxed–the delphox could tell all tension had been released from the water-type's body just by feeling it on his delicate paws.

He smiled warmly at the sight of the vaporeon's small chest rising and falling slowly, but frowned almost immediately, coming to terms with the fact that everything the water Pokémon had known in the past would never return. All of his memories, reminisce, and his beliefs would be as far away as a Hoppip being carried by the wind to an unknown destination. He then sighed deeply, concluding that it would likely be much more preferable.

Still carrying the water-type gently in his grasp, the delphox begun to make his way to another part of the Sanctuary.

He walked until he came upon a dilapidated temple, ornamented in overgrowth and the sun's soothing rays. He entered the ruins which had no door to speak of and walked toward the West wall, an assortment of tables and chairs leaning against it. As he ambled forward, the sound of his aged fur coat sweeping against the stone floor as well as his worn but supple feet echoed across the large chamber, the interior still and silent otherwise.

The delphox gently placed the Vaporeon's body onto one of the longer tables, his wet, slimy skin giving a soft splat as it touched the hard surface. The sagely fox did his best to position the water-type's limbs, frill, and long, thick tail so that he could be in as comfortable of a position as possible to aid his slumber. When the vaporeon awakens, he will have a clean slate, and it is this thought that consoled the delphox's spirit.

The sagely fox noticed a familiar aura in his presence and found himself somewhat shocked to see Fleur return without her children, standing at the entrance of the temple, the glow of the sun's rays hitting her back and outlining her figure with a comforting, soft light. After a couple awkward seconds, the lopunny walked into the temple and towards the scene, constantly eyeing the water-type.

"Is he-?" the mother rabbit stopped herself for a moment, realizing from the vaporeon's moving chest that he was indeed alive. She gazed back at the sagely fox with a look of concern, to which he responded with a smile.

"Yes, he is safe, but from this day forth, he will lead a new life, and this shall be his new home, unless he objects to it, of course," he chuckles upon correcting himself and Fleur shoots him a dubious glare. The delphox looks back towards the vaporeon and sighs deeply, happy that the situation had turned out a lot better than it could have had the creature lashed out at him.

He noticed the Vaporeon's eyelids start to twitch rapidly, his breathing becoming irregular.

"I think he is waking up," the delphox stated tenderly, Fleur gazing in wonder as the vaporeon begun to gently stir.

Spoiler

Through the glistening reflection of a neatly-placed crystal, an image of the vaporeon's vision shone brightly, the water-type having succumbed to a spell from the Witch before having set out to do her malicious bidding. In his vision was that wretched elderly delphox, staring directly at her. The malevolent female delphox stared back with utmost hatred, leaning further and further forward without herself knowing it before the vision suddenly went completely black.

The Witch blubbered in angry confusion, smacking the crystal frustratedly. Upon realizing it was no use, she began to pace the inside of her spacious cave, the middle ground taking the shape of a deliberately chiseled circle, the edges surrounded by a deep black pit save for one side that stretched out in the form of a stony path towards the exit of her dwelling. Along the edges of the platform, antique lamps were placed, their mouths yielding a hot, burning flame, each lamp having a different color fire ranging from green to blue to purple.

After a session of heated swears underneath her rank breath, the female delphox noticed the crystal that reflected the vaporeon's vision started glowing once again. She speed-walked over to the shining stone, her heart racing in anticipation of what was to appear next. To her great dismay, the reflection of the elderly male delphox and his spectacles had popped up once again, but this time she noticed the lighting was a good deal different; they were in a darker area. Gazing more closely and squinting her eyes, teeth bared, she felt like the old fox was looking directly at her. After several seconds, he would do something that would chill her already icy heart–the male delphox smiled warmly and then waved one of his paws that came into view in a gesture of greeting.

"Hello there," he said softly, "How are you feeling, little guy?" After a moment's silence where the Witch's body stiffened in great expectation for the dumb water-type to let out a devastating Hydro Pump attack at the fox's stupid wrinkled face, the vaporeon simply replied, "Who–Who are you?"

The Witch screamed in frustration as she shattered the crystal into hundreds of glistening pieces with her psychic energy. "How could that weakling have failed so miserably!?" the Witch shouted as her purple flaming aura blazed like a small sun around her. "He didn't even disrupt anything! He only served as a lesson! He may as well have gift wrapped himself!" A wave of both psychic energy and pure plasma pulsed off of her, decimating what little plant life was still to be found in the stone circle and knocked off the surrounding lamps to fall into the seemingly bottomless pit all around.

Her path of destruction, however, was short-lived. As she made her way to exit the stone circle towards Lavender, a seeker cloaked in a makeshift robe was making their way down that self-same path–one so desperate to redeem their self and reclaim what they had lost that they were turning to the last possible hope. The Witch could sense this lost soul and their power deep within, soft blue flames spiraling around the newcomer.

"Welcome, young one. I've been expecting you," the delphox cackled as the fires burned away the tattered coverings, revealing a determined, young female lucario, her spikes filed down in shame, but her aura brighter than the sun. "I have what you seek."

Spoiler

Fleur glared at the sagely fox with a knowing look, the one that a mother gives a child who has tried to cover up his wrongdoing, but left clear evidence of who the perpetrator was.

"Now don't stare at me like that. He was a threat, but one that you did not need to face, my student," the old fox stated, gazing innocently at the stern rabbit. The two of them exited the decrepit temple to let the Vaporeon rest further. The water Pokémon did not last for very long once he initially woke up and questioned the delphox's identity.

"I have traveled your path and have come to understanding. You are still starting on the path. If I had let you handle the situation, it may have ended badly for you or your children, and all the hard work you have put in would have been for naught. Learn to trust again, Fleur, learn to let others help you," the old fox lectured as he leaned against a nearby rock, "lest you end up like this poor soul, so easily consumed by his own fear that he did not even see it leading him to this outcome."

The lopunny folded her arms and shook her head at the old fox with a smile. "You can have help too, Master," she softly advised before leaving the ancient delphox to once again attend to her children.

He waited until the rabbit was out of sight before murmuring, "And you could have had mine as well...but my way was too hard for you, wasn't it?" He leaned back further to soak in the sun, then continued, "Though you have certainly been through your fair share of trials, my dear student."

Chapter 2: Mother's Warmth

Spoiler

Moonlight shone over and blanketed the expanse of sylvan land the Sanctuary nestled on. It has been several hours since the incident with the vaporeon and Fleur just now settled her kids to rest within the room of another structure that the fox sage had chosen for them months ago. The room itself was of a medium size, but was surprisingly well-furnished as if it were still in use when she was first introduced to it. It had only two beds, but they were sizable enough to comfortably fit both the little bunearies.

Fleur thought back to when the kind delphox first brought them in, feeling a tingle of warmth inside her from remembrance of the fox's benevolence. She could hardly believe she even came across a place like this, considering how bad she felt her luck was, but the more she thought about it, the more it did not seem like luck had anything to do with it. She grew serene towards the Sanctuary rather quickly, as if a soothing aura had always permeated the place, and considered it her home–finally, a place that they could settle.

The road before having come across the Sanctuary was a very trying time for Fleur and her children indeed. The hardships and trials that she and the bunearies went through were arduous and exhausting, but Fleur felt deep inside that it was a necessary journey to strengthen them with time, and sure enough, that is just what had happened. It was not all in vain, though there were certainly enormous costs at the end of it all, and they still lingered deep in her heart, festering like an open sore.

Fleur walked outside, breathing in the crisp night air deeply, feeling it filling her lungs. Holding it in for a few seconds, she then slowly exhaled, looking up into the beautiful starry sky. Fleur gazed back at the building in which her children slept, and she began to eye the large stone blocks that made up the structure. Some of these blocks had imperfect placement and jutted, standing out like a druddigon on a snowy field. The lopunny proceeded to effortlessly hop onto each of these protruding stones until she reached the roof, making her final leap with unmatched elegance.

The lopunny sat down and again looked up into the star-speckled void above, her mind beginning to wander back to the series of perils that lined her past and built her to be who she was today.

Spoiler

Several months ago, the mother lopunny was heavily distraught, but still had strength in her to not show weakness to her four vulnerable children. She and her children had been traversing across a snowy landscape for days, the elements unforgiving and relentless as constant blizzards plagued the lands they traveled on.

Fleur desperately had to search for some form of shelter, as her kids, who were trailing behind her, showed clear signs of fatigue and weariness from the hours of walking they went through. With each minute it seemed they were falling further behind, their pace faltering and struggling to keep up with the lopunny's. Off in the distance, Fleur thought that she could see a small pack of snorunt, gleefully skipping about as if it were a hot summer's day. Looking off in another direction, she also barely caught sight of an abomasnow, overlooking the stretch of white land, seated stone-still on the edge of a cliff with almost unblinking, piercing eyes.

After a few more minutes, Fleur decided that she had enough of the relentless pummeling of snow from the uncaring high winds. Coming across a drift, Fleur aimed her vision towards the left, catching sight of a naked forest that enclosed the edge of a thicker portion of brush and vegetation that had survived the harsh cold environment. Signaling her children with a shout and a flick of her arm, they made their way into the forest to hopefully find good cover to rest their sore, aching bodies.

Making their ways deeper into the embrace of the forest, the trees dancing against the strident tune of the coarse winds, Fleur felt her inside warm in anticipation and hope of long-awaited rest and shelter from the elements. Looking back at her kids, she was glad to see they were soldiering forth as well, not giving up in staying close to their revered parent. They were strong, and the mother lopunny knew it, but they could only last so much longer before the freezing temperatures invited a horrible and inevitable fate.

Aside from the shrill, whistling winds, Fleur thought she could suddenly hear something distinctively different. The deeper they went into the forest, the less daunting the winter storm was, which also served to clear up her powerful sense of hearing so that she could detect other noises finally. What she heard sounded like a deep and guttural hiss, but not expecting such a sound in this environment, Fleur was not able to determine where exactly it came from. The lopunny stood still, her body tensing up as she kept her ears ready for the next occurrence, if it were to come.

With heavy concentration, she was even able to cancel out the sound of the screaming wind slightly, hearing her children shivering and shuffling around, even huddling together to try to keep warm. She did not want to remain in this state for very long, but a terrible feeling welled up in her gut about this threatening noise. It could have been a predator–perhaps something stalking them and waiting for them to eventually collapse, hoping to get an easy meal.

After minutes, the hiss finally came up again. There! To the left! Fleur whirled to see a slender figure obscured by the brush and streams of white powder that whizzed by her vision. Upon seeing it move, Fleur could make out its shape better and was hardly able to gasp upon realizing what it was that was stalking them all this time. It was a snake Pokémon, and a surprisingly large one at that. Its figure was relatively simple, as it usually was for this type of creature, but its head had a more complex shape, with an assortment of diamond-shaped plates making up its skull. Its tail was also something to behold, curved, sharp, and dangerous. Swaying its body back upwards, the lopunny could also notice two huge red fangs poking out of the edges of its mouth. Red, piercing eyes stared directly at the rabbit mother–hungry eyes.

Fleur signaled to her children to back away from her, gesturing with an arm and sweeping it backwards. The little bunearies were hesitant at first, but trusted their mother and backed off into a nearby set of shrubs, remaining huddled together. The rabbit Pokémon persisted in her ready stance, prepared for anything that would come her way. The snake Pokémon slithered closer and she knew that this was it. Fleur had to fight right here and now, or risk losing her life and the lives of her children. The rabbit guessed this was a poison-type, as it was common for snake Pokémon. She had previous experience in fighting these creatures, but the ones she fought were of a much lighter hue and not nearly as big. They especially did not have as much of a complex shape, as Fleur now got a better look at its tough outer coating.

The snake Pokémon inched ever closer, but the mother lopunny would not budge, bracing herself as the snake looked as if it was about to pounce at any given moment. It finally ceased its slow slithering upon reaching a distance of at least 10 feet from Fleur. She squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of what it was doing now, but she could not quite read it. She could see the snake's tongue pop in and out of its lips, and the creature looked like it was studying her, just as she was observing it. The two continued to stare at each other, Fleur's cold, numb feet still planted firmly where she stood.

In a flash, the snake suddenly pounced forward, hissing violently as it opened its fleshy maw, revealing its threatening, red fangs in their fullest. The rabbit kicked off the ground and pulled off a quick dodge to the left, the snake clamping down on nothing but air. Almost as if taken aback by her sheer speed, the serpentine Pokémon reared back its head, glaring at Fleur. This time it took a slower approach, trying to confuse the rabbit with a smooth slithering movement of its entire body that made it hard to tell when exactly it would strike next.

Like before, the lopunny stood her ground, concentrating on its movements. These slithering motions were nothing new to her and she did not budge. She continued to wait until the snake Pokémon inched in close, determining the distance she needed in her head to pull off what she was about to do. Once the snake closed the gap between them even further, its swaying movements became a lot wider, the serpent acting like a pendulum.

It thought it had succeeded in confusing her despite her unchanging, hardened expression and focus, and decided it was time to lunge. Before it could even crane its neck forward, however, a swift, powerful roundhouse kick from the lopunny sent the snake flying into a nearby tree, its body almost wrapping around the trunk. The snake could hardly collect itself before the mother rabbit was on top of it in breakneck speed, pummeling its head mercilessly with her fists and feet, her powerful legs providing immense power behind her stomps and kicks.

The snake Pokémon cried out in fear and pain as it unfurled and whipped the rabbit off of its battered body, turning tail and slithering off to retreat with a swiftness. In the heat of the moment, Fleur almost ran after the creature, but stopped herself upon remembering her children were not far off. She did not have to budge, though, as her kids came running for her, knowing the battle was over. They did not mind the cold in that point in time, greatly inspired by the utter strength and ability of their mother.

Just then, another sound was caught by the lopunny's massive ears–the sound of twigs snapping and emerging from a thick brush. Fleur whirled around to see a pack of zangoose in the distance, clearly coming out of hiding just as her own children did. Their thick, white fur coats were a lot more practical for the wintery environment despite the sharp red markings that lined their bellies, heads, and claws. There were three of them that arose from their hiding spot. Fleur remained resilient despite the combat she had just engaged in, but noticed something different about these creatures. Their faces appeared tender and their gaze non-threatening. It was as if they had no intention of causing trouble.

The leader of the pack who made itself known by pacing ahead of the other two and puffing out its chest slightly, looked upon Fleur with a twinkle of admiration in its eyes. It was dressed in a strange garment made of straw that covered the left half of its upper body. Around its waist was a worn bandolier with an assortment of different-sized pockets. The zangoose halted when it was within a few paces of the rabbit, a tender smile slowly spreading across its face. The cat-ferret Pokémon then gave a respectful nod, and all tension eased off of the lopunny. It extended its right claw toward the rabbit, Fleur's wariness rising again for a moment before simmering, the mother extending her own hand to meet the strong, black claws of the leading zangoose.

After a brief shake of their bound appendages, they released each other, the other two zangoose catching up to the scene. The leading zangoose gave a slight bow and said with a very masculine voice, "That was a mighty fine job you did fending off that seviper." Seviper. So that was the name of the creature. Fleur remembers now that the snakes she fought back in the day were actually known as ekans. Even though her encounter with the seviper proved to hardly be a challenge, she still felt that it was not something to take lightly. She shuttered at the thought of being stabbed by those wretched fangs.

"I've never seen such skill in combat," the evidently female zangoose to the left with her high-pitched voice spoke up in awe. "The way you jumped the serpent while it was still down after that amazing kick to its jaw. Stunning!"

With a chuckle, the leader said to her, "Settle down, Yana. The lopunny was mighty impressive, but let's not overwhelm her with praise. She already looks on edge."

The zangoose to the right, a male, spoke up with a nod, "Yes, and she has children too. It's never wise to mess with a mother trying to defend her offspring, as that serpent learned not too long ago." He laughed hysterically. Fleur's eyes darted back and forth between the zangooses, not sure what to say herself.

"You need shelter, yes?" the leader asked. Fleur's face beamed for a moment and she nodded vigorously. She could hear her children chattering amongst each other excitedly. The leading zangoose smiled. "There's an empty human cabin we call our home. Follow us and we'll take you there in no time."

Spoiler

True to his word, the zangoose and his two followers brought Fleur and her children to a quaint cabin, nestled snugly against an arching cliff face and surrounded by the snowy forest. It was like a beacon amongst the sea of white they had treaded through for days. Simply gazing at the human dwelling sent a rush of inviting warmth across Fleur's body. Not wanting to appear rude to the zangooses, she kept her excitement under control and stayed behind them, the walk long and agonizing. Her children, however, had a different idea and rushed off with a sudden burst of energy towards the alluring structure, shouting and whooping in high, restored spirits. Fleur reached forward and called to them fruitlessly, her voice trailing off in embarrassment as she placed her hands on her breast.

"Sorry," she muttered to the zangooses. In response, they just laughed heartily, insisting she not worry about it. The children were crowding around the entrance door, clawing at it and jumping cutely in excitement and giving quick glances back to the group, as if they had gone a little too hyper after a rush of sugar.

Getting closer to the cabin, Fleur noticed a campfire in the middle of the clearing that served as the cabin's yard as well as a small, humble shed off to the side. Fleur had seen her fair share of humans, and this encampment seemed setup in such a way that the humans who might have lived here only now left the place. She wanted to ask more about that and how long the zangoose dwelled here, but the rabbit was simply too shy and exhausted to utter anything else. She did not even stop to consider that maybe this whole thing might have been a trap, as her instincts would normally alert her. All she wanted right now was to rest her aching body and drift off to a deep sleep, and she felt she could finally get that in such a cozy place such as this.

Finally arriving at the cabin door, the younger male zangoose pulled out a key from the thick fur around his right claw and handed it to the leading zangoose. Reaching over his head to be able to thrust the key into the strangely-shaped hole on the door, the older male gave it a quick turn and then pulled it back out. Fleur was not about to question the mechanics of this human invention, and just stared in wonder as the wooden door opened to reveal an interior decorated so lavishly and bathed in a soothing glow–a spectacle of warm colors that washed over her even if she was not actually inside. The sight was so comforting that Fleur's trembling legs finally gave in, her body shutting down before her head even hit the ground.

Spoiler

Fleur woke up with a start, her heart pounding. It felt like only seconds had passed by since she collapsed. Her first instinct upon waking up was looking around for her children.

"The children. Where are the children?" she mumbled in a half-asleep stupor as she analyzed her surroundings. She was definitely inside the cozy cabin, its interior warm and populated with so many human odds and ends, and she was lying on some sort of raised platform with a wonderfully soft surface. It was almost overwhelming trying to take it all in at once, but she was most concerned about the location of her kids. Eventually, though, looking behind her, she spotted one of the zangoose that graciously offered her their help.

The zangoose turned towards her in response to Fleur's murmuring and the rabbit could recognize that it was the leader of the pack. He smiled once their eyes connected.

"What was that? Did you need something?" he asked with a tender, soft voice, as if afraid to awaken anybody else. Fleur quickly eyed the window behind him and saw that night had fallen. Was she only out for a few hours?

"My...children," Fleur slurred out, still not one-hundred percent comfortable with the zangoose, though she felt bad having this disposition even after they let her stay in this warm haven away from the cruel biting snow outside.

"Your children are fine, miss," the zangoose tried to assure her. He then went on to confirm her suspicions by saying, "You've only slept until the moon fully rose. That would be about, say, a few more hours since we arrived."

"Where are my children?" the rabbit asked, yearning to see them herself, hopefully not mutilated or gone forever out of her sight because she was simply too idiotic to realize that this entire thing was one big elaborate trap. The zangoose, however, appeared taken aback at the lopunny's firmness and chuckled nervously.

"They are in another room. The cabin itself has four rooms and-" He was cut off when Fleur shuffled to get herself off the soft platform she had rested on. Reacting quickly, the zangoose approached her, slightly raising both his claws in a caring gesture. "Miss, don't be so alarmed. I know you care alot for your kids, but-" He stopped himself once again as the lopunny brushed past him and walked straight to the door, reaching up to the bulbous protrusion and touching it. She proceeded to push and pull on the knob, giving it a curious tap and then examining it closely. The mother's naivety forced a stiffle of laughter out of the older zangoose.

He approached her and gently set a claw on her shoulder, to which Fleur backed off from him, startled. He nodded in assurance and set his claw on the knob. He did all this in a slow and demonstrative fashion so that Fleur could see. Grasping the protrusion with two of his sharp claw fingers, he gave it a slight twist, a clicking sound following the motion. He then pulled the door open, which squeaked almost as if in protest to being disturbed. Fleur looked out the new opening to see an even larger room with another huge collection of human items. Eying the zangoose suspiciously still, the lopunny reluctantly exited the room.

Fleur was even more overwhelmed standing in this larger chamber. There were so many things to see and she would possibly spend half a day just figuring out what most of the furnishing and trinkets lying around were. The rabbit thought she could recognize a couple of things thanks to her having seen humans in the past interact with their own pets; she noticed a Super Potion lying on a windowsill, and on a random shelf attached to the opposite wall, she could see a Revive glistening within a clean jar.

The lopunny quickly took her attention away from the knickknacks, however, and begun her search for her children. As she did so, she noticed the room branched off into a smaller one in which another one of the zangooses was standing. Closer inspection showed that it was leaning into an opening, its door swung wide open. It appeared to Fleur like it was rummaging through whatever contents were inside. Fleur approach carefully, thinking of a horrible outcome where her children were being stuffed inside and organized with other unfortunate Pokémon that have fallen into the claws of these monsters. Alas, there was no such thing, as Fleur could see nothing but assorted boxes and what looked to be small, cylindrical, metal containers. She guessed they could be carrying human food, and the simple thought caused the rabbit stomach to growl in anticipation. It was loud enough to alert the zangoose to her presence. Upon seeing the zangoose's face as it reared back to see what the noise was, Fleur noticed it was the female zangoose who the leader called "Yana."

Yana smiled at the lopunny, a single fang sticking out between her lips.

"Hiya," she greeted, to which the rabbit waved a hand timidly. "Was just checking our rations is all." Upon closer inspection, Fleur discovered Yana seemed a bit nervous, her brow furrowing upward. But then, Yana's face suddenly beamed and she started to rummage again.

"Oh, hey!" she started, "Have you eaten recently? I mean, you and your kids look so starved. We didn't expect to be feeding five more Pokémon, but..." Yana retracted once again, this time with a couple boxes in each claw. She walked over to Fleur, offering them to her and proceeding to say, "Those humans left behind a lot!"

Fleur hesitantly took the two boxes and started to rattle them gently as Yana went back to the closet. The boxes were indeed filled with something, but once again, the rabbit could not help but feel suspicious. If they have so much food still, in these human-made boxes even, then perhaps they had only moved in recently? What if the humans really did not abandon the cabin and were away on some sort of trip, intending to return?

"It's cereal," a familiar husky voice sounded from behind. Fleur whirled around, her large ears brushing against a raised platform in the smaller room, knocking off a couple of empty cans seated close to the edge. They hit the ground with a startling clatter and caused the lopunny to leap in fright, her back against the wall. The leading zangoose laughed uproariously followed by Yana, who came to see what happened. Fleur blushed in embarrassment and held the boxes close to her bosom. "Don't worry about it," the male zangoose said tenderly as he went to pick up the cans, putting them back on the counter. "Anyway," he started as he turned around to face Fleur, "what's in that box is a neat sort of food. They look like little crumbs almost, and as far as I know, humans eat it with milk."

"Milk?" Yana spoke up, still tending to her business with the closet contents. "Like, milk from a Miltank?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," the leading zangoose confirmed. "I think they keep them in glass bottles, like they keep the cereal in those boxes there." Fleur gazed down at the boxes in her grasp, able to smell the "cereal" inside. It was unlike anything she has ever smelled in her lifetime, and her stomach gurgled in response to the sensation. She cursed herself, however, eager to feed her children first before herself–that was how it had always been. "But I'm sure you are really itching to see your little ones, yes? Come over here." Fleur's heart jumped in response to this and she eagerly followed behind the zangoose as he lead her to another door on the North side of the large room, just opposite of the front door leading outside.

Inside the door was another room that was just about the same size as the one Fleur woke up in. All across the floor were a very colorful arrangement of toys and books. In the middle, all the bunearies were huddled together, wrapped in a thick blanket. The mother lopunny quietly tiptoed her way over to her children, then knelt down to inspect them. They were all breathing, thank goodness, and looked generally healthy. The room itself was nice and warm, but the same could be said for every other room the lopunny has been in thus far. Fleur closed her eyes and sighed in relief, elated at the good condition of her kids.

"See? All safe and sound," the zangoose whispered, eying the scene from the door. Fleur felt even worse now not feeling the pack was trustworthy, but it was simply from all the experiences she had in her life that she was shaped this way.

Spoiler

Very early in the morning, the children finally stirred, Fleur having refused to leave their side until they woke up, not that the zangoose protested this. Once they rose, everyone had gathered together in the "living room" as the leading zangoose called it, and the younger male returned from the outside with small wooden logs which he eventually threw into a stone hollow against the eastern wall. The leading zangoose went on to explain that this was known as a "fireplace," where a fire could be made that would keep the house's interior warm. Fleur was impressed by his seemingly boundless knowledge of human apparatuses.

It was nothing but cordial jubilee in the cozy cabin as the cheerful group sat, ate, and drank merrily, Yana having pulled out the aforementioned glass bottles of Moo Moo Milk. The older zangoose even brought out ceramic bowls which Fleur has never used before. He proceeded to demonstrate the milk and cereal mixture that he briefly explained before, and they all sampled the food with nothing more than pure bliss, scarfing it all down in mere minutes.
With their stomachs full, they then went on to tell stories, at least, the zangooses mostly partook in this activity, sharing their death-defying experiences in the harsh wild, all too familiar to the rabbit mother. Fleur was far too shy to reveal anything about her past, but she ended up explaining she and her children's current situation.

"Well, maybe you could consider this home," the leading zangoose suggested, to which Fleur blushed.

"Oh no. I don't think I can bring such a burden upon you all," she replied timidly, watching her kids play with the toys and chase each other around the spacious room.

"No worries, miss, we're happy to add to our little family here," he said, tenderly eying the other two zangooses. "However," he then started, Fleur's body chilling at the word merely being said, "we do have ourselves a little problem that we are hoping to set straight." The rabbit mother laid all concentration on the leading zangoose, expecting him to unveil something terrible from the foreboding attitude that he shifted into. The older Pokémon looked at the other two zangooses and gave them a knowing nod, the couple nodding back in succession.

The older zangoose had summoned Fleur to come outside with him. The winter storm had calmed significantly and all that was left was a chilling breeze. The morning sun had barely reached over the horizon to greet the world, bathing the sky in a foretelling blue and pink. The two Pokémon went around the back of the cabin before the zangoose stopped. Fleur was not sure why they needed to go great lengths to have this conversation, but she did notice the zangoose showed signs of apprehension while being outside, gazing around in high alert.

"You know that seviper that you fought yesterday?" he mentioned, Fleur responding with a timid nod. He then chuckled and shook his head, as if anticipating he was about to say something silly. "Well, in history, there have always been... not so friendly relations between zangoose and seviper, and I'm not saying we are a part of something bigger. You can trust me when I say that what you see in us three is all there is. We are a small family trying to get by." Fleur nods again, showing she trusted his words. The zangoose swallowed dryly, looking around again before continuing. "The seviper that you fought has been on our butts for months, you hear? Months. We even think we might have seen another skulking and slithering about with it." Fleur believed she knew where this was headed.

"You want me to help fight it off?" she asked. The zangoose exhaled, his big chest compressing. He clearly felt bad for dragging her into this.

"I just thought, maybe, well-" he was fumbling with words, not sure how to approach the mother rabbit. "Look, from normal type to normal type, can I ask you to do this big favor? In exchange, we will let you stay with us however long you wish. Even if you do leave, our home will always be open to you." The lopunny was unsure of this. Putting her life in danger and potentially dying would mean her children would live without a mother for the remainder of their childhood, and if she were to refuse the zangoose's offer, she would appear greatly disrespectful after they had taken good care of them all.

"Alright," she replied, the zangoose beaming. "I will help you."

Spoiler

She did not expect the zangoose to declare the trek was to begin that same morning. They tried their best to assure the children that nothing was wrong and that they were going on a trip to get some more wood for the fireplace. They all seemed oblivious despite Fleur's troubled demeanor.
Fleur and the zangooses initiated a small meeting off to the side as the bunearies continued to chatter and play. They went over a brief plan on how to find and approach the seviper.

"We already know the damn thing is trailing us," Yana spoke up. "Klosson, did you see anything while you were out there?"

The leading zangoose, now known as Klosson, replied, "I haven't, but I have a gut feeling it's watching us out there like usual."

"Even after bunny mom here nearly broke its skull?" the younger male piped up.

"It's a resentful creature, Tanner. It will want revenge. So here's the deal," Klosson started, gazing over at the lopunny. "I'm going to need you to act as bait. Act like you are picking berries or something. After that last fight, it may remain wary of you, but it will not be able to resist a meal with its back turned to it." Fleur's mouth hung agape. She was in disbelief that they would have her act as a figure of enticement. How could she trust them to pull through with whatever they have in mind? "Don't worry though," Klosson said, waving his claws. "We are not going to let the snake lay a single fang on you. We will approach while it is lured to you. Even if it somehow manages to notice us, we will all have the serpent surrounded. There is no possible way this could fail."

Klosson then turned to face a collection of items sitting in a box lying on the floor. He then stated, "Besides, even if any of us makes contact with its pointy parts and takes in an unhealthy dose of its venom, there are plenty of Antidotes in our disposal."

With that, Klosson and Tanner prepared themselves for the fight ahead, putting on bandoliers and their straw capes, laced with twigs and leaves. They did not offer Fleur anything, however, because of her role which is meant to have her stand out as a tasty, naked treat. Yana, of course, volunteered to stay behind and watch over the children. Fleur had never left her children in the care of another, aside from her long-gone mate, but felt with Yana's tenderness that perhaps she had nothing to worry about.

The duo zangoose and lopunny gave their farewells to Yana and the bunearies, Fleur feeling a pang of sadness in her heart as if this was the last time she would see them. Once the front door was closed, there was silence for several seconds. Yana cleared it by clapping her claws together.

"Well then! How about I make you all a nice treat? There should be some in that cold container over yonder. I'll be right back, okay?" As the female zangoose waddled off, two of the buneary children remained huddled close despite the other two proceeding to play with their toys. They gazed at each other and then together left the room to return to the room in which they slept in.

Truthfully, the two bunearies were very curious about their mother and what she was doing leaving with the other two zangooses. Once they entered their room, they scoured the floor in search of something. Underneath the "bed," which is what Yana had called it before tucking them in, there was something that piqued their interest. Together, the bunearies moved over the mattress to find a square-shaped trapdoor leading outside.

Chapter 3: A Fray between Fates

Spoiler

Morning had arrived at the Sanctuary, the sky a soothing swirl of blue, pink, and orange with nary a cloud hanging. The air was still and the cheerful but mild chirping of bird Pokémon rang clear amongst the fresh, dew-laden treetops of the rustic ruins. The sagely old fox of the sanctum was an early riser for sure, and this was one of his more favorite parts of the day. Walking around the forest and feeling the wet grass underneath his feet, the delphox contemplated on his tasks for that day.

He took a deep breath of the brisk, invigorating air as he emerged into the clearing that housed the natural pool inhabited by the rejuvenating water Pokémon of the sanctum. He smiled at the sight of an ancient relicanth floating about along the surface of the water, the ripples around it almost non-existent as it slowly swam about. In the distance, the delphox also noticed a floatzel who was dipping and diving with a pack of luvdisc, pulling off some impressive tricks with the heart-shaped Pokémon.

That very floatzel had come in about two months ago, unable to swim because of a horrible fracture caused from an accident. The floatzel was also never taught how to swim properly because of his lack of tutors or even parents, both having disappeared not long after his egg was laid, according to him at least. The old delphox was no swimming coach himself, but he did everything in his power to heal his injuries, and at least there were plenty of water Pokémon in the Sanctuary willing to teach him. This is the sort of outcome that drove the delphox to accomplish what he does; the exhilarating feeling of helping a fellow Pokémon recover and emerge anew brought the fire-type peace of mind, and he had no intention of stopping until his timely death. It was his way to atone for his unspeakable acts from many years ago in his youth.

Spoiler

The grandfatherly delphox was preparing for his meditation session, an activity he remained dedicated to ever since he had learned of it from his days in the fire-type dojo of Stonedale–was he ever fond of those days! He arrived at a slightly raised stone terrace, the platform most likely having served as an arena for humans far back in the past. At the terrace there stood a shapely female mienshao, her body decorated in beautiful ornaments that included a flower on her head, jewelry that hung on two golden prongs protruding from said flower, a double twist of her fur on the back of her head tied together that took the form of an infinity symbol, two golden rings tied around the upper part of her neck, each having a piece of paper wrapped around their lower sections, hanging down and displaying mysterious markings, and a leathery neckpiece that circled around and sat snugly on her shoulders with a gorgeous, thick cape attached from the back of it, lined along the bottom with faux fur. She was very much a sight to behold.

"MeiLi," the sagely fox called out the weasel Pokémon's name in admiration. "It's good to see you up and about." MeiLi turned to face the delphox and he noticed that a pidgey was perched on one of her arms, gazing at the old fox expectedly.

"Master," she acknowledged him with a slight bow. Indeed, this mienshao was actually the old fox's first disciple, Fleur being his second, though he never admitted to the mienshao that, despite her unyielding dedication to him, the delphox had his eyes set on the lopunny more, her showing so much potential and heart that was only being held back by the darkness of her past. MeiLi has never gone through the hardships that Fleur has; in fact, the female weasel lived a relatively cushy life, pampered by her parents who were pets of a rich human family. Despite this, however, MeiLi has proven that she did not carry the snooty demeanor of her father and mother, though she was certainly more expectant and very much thirsty for attention. The mienshao currently served as not only the delphox's disciple, but also a ward to the restless spirits that sometimes emerge from the deeper ruins of the Sanctuary upon nightfall; she had a clear talent for clerical duties, and it helped take one heavy task off the delphox's brittle back.

As the old fox approached the two, the pidgey fluffed up his plumage and cheerfully said, "I think I'm getting better at this flying thing now!" The delphox chuckled and nodded.

"That is great news. Your wing must be healing up a lot faster than I anticipated," he said tenderly.

"It's all thanks to you, Mister fox!" the bird Pokémon's voice was a tad shrill, but it tried to keep it low, almost as if it was intimidated by the quiet atmosphere of the sanctum.

"Oh, please, just call me Sagefox, or Sage. That's what everyone calls me," he explained, eying MeiLi who was shooting him a puzzled look. "Well, except for my two wonderful students, of course." The pidgey leapt from the mienshao's arm, flapping its wings as if they never got injured in the first place.

"See? Look at me! This is all because of you, Sagefox!" the pidgey exclaimed exuberantly. The delphox was happy to see the bird Pokémon in such high spirits again. When it had come in with its broken wing, it was so downtrodden and distraught that Sagefox did not think he would recover emotionally so quickly.

"I'm glad to have helped, young one. Now fly and keep working that wing of yours!"

"I will! Thank you! Thank you!" he chirped in gratitude and flew out of sight. Sagefox looked back at his disciple, who was transfixed by the bird Pokémon disappearing over the treetops. Soon enough she noticed him looking at her and sighed.

"I'll leave you to your meditation, Master," MeiLi softly said while stepping off the terrace. The old fox watched his student leave with reverence, expecting her to complete her walkthrough of the sanctum. His students were charged with tending to the Pokémon just as he did, for there were so many of them now that Sagefox could not keep up, especially with his old age.

The delphox slowly seated himself in the middle of the stone stage, his rump cushioned by the aged, cloak-like fur that surrounded his lower body. Taking up a lotus position with a few pops of his bones here and there, the fox released all tension in his muscles, feeling the cool air around him wisp and dance across his slightly grayed fur, having lost its luster and vibrancy across the years. He closed his eyes and breathed steadily while perking his large ears, listening to all the many quiet sounds of the tranquil Sanctuary.

Spoiler

Just off the clearing that housed the terrace and perched within one of the many thick trees overlooking the area was the female lucario who had approached the dastardly Witch the previous day. She studied her target below who started to meditate, an activity she was definitely familiar with. The lucario had a lithe, toned, curvaceous figure, surely acquired from the hard, restless training she endured ever since she was a little riolu. She wore a slightly tattered, short brown jacket left unzipped, and she also wore two red leather bracers around her wrists. Her spikes had been filed down around half of their original length because of the traumatic, life-changing incident that landed her in this position in the first place. The lucario's aura sensors were small and hidden behind a shaggy, black bed of hair that extended from the top of her scalp all the way down to the base of her neck, and even if the feelers were smaller than the average size, they were as strong as ever, and the canid Pokémon's aura was mighty.

For months now she had endured the harsh and unrelenting realities of life in the wilderness, a lifestyle that was completely foreign to her since she belonged to her trainer from the day she hatched. The lucario was heavily accustomed to city life and had little to no idea how to get by when she first stepped foot into the untamed lands. She was a quick learner, however, and sought the auras of wild Pokémon, whether small and weak or big and robust. She ate well, her figure just the same as it was when she still belonged to her trainer if not more slim.

Her power alone helped her a great deal to survive in the wild. She remembered fondly the times when she would triumph through many a fighting tournament, her name spreading across the human populace so rapidly and with such positive reception.

"Hildegard, Hildegard," they would chant as she triumphed over every challenge that stood in her way, her beloved trainer never losing faith in her as she defeated the competition through sweat, blood, and bruised muscle. Those days were long gone now, but sat in the back of the lucario's head, pressing her onward if she were to ever falter from her main mission: to collect as much aura as she was able, and then collect even more. She would see her revered trainer once again.

"So this is really him," she thought to herself, taken aback by his aged appearance. "Another Delphox." Hildegard continued examining the delphox from afar, curious as to why the Witch so vehemently despised him. It was an almost humorous thing to behold, thinking back on it now. Hildegard could imagine that the two Pokémon might have once been a couple and had a very nasty falling out. Witchfox never disclosed on the specifics of why she wanted the old coot dead, but the female delphox made it perfectly clear that she held a burning hatred for him through her intimidating tone of voice and body language. The lucario wondered why she did not even bother doing the deed herself. Was this "Sagefox" a lot more dangerous than Hildegard might have guessed?

"He sure doesn't look like it," she thought to herself, scoffing softly.

After studying the delphox for what seemed to be half an hour, Hildegard silently exited her perch and landed on all fours with hardly a sound thanks to the soft ground below. Every step she took circling the stone stage to position herself behind Sagefox was as silent as she could make it, and the delphox showed no sign of alert. She specifically stared at the Pokémon's massive ears, which most certainly warned her of how good his hearing might be, even with his age and those silly flame-shaped tufts stuck in them.

Once she reached the rear position she desired, Hildegard looked around, making sure nobody was observing her suspicious behavior from any angle. She listened too, hearing nothing but the trees' leaves rustling against a soft breeze that had just now arrived as well as the distant chirping of bird Pokémon. Hildegard looked back at her target who was as still as a statue and ripe for receiving a deadly, aura-fueled blow to his fragile skull.
The lucario set foot on the stone platform, keeping her eyes on the delphox. Step after step her heart beat in sync with her movements, her body feeling tingly with the thrill of closing in on her prey. She grit her teeth and focused her energy, sensing it coursing across her lithe body in the form of a sky-blue, airy haze. The lucario tensed her core and directed the aura into her arms, feeling the power enhancing her muscular strength. As she inched in ever closer, she slowly raised her arms into a wing-like position, the aura appearing as blue, licking flames engulfing each limb, growing more dense as she prepared for the killing blow.

Hildegard was now close enough to smash the delphox's head. She was sure the single strike would be powerful enough to end his life. The lucario did not know what Sagefox did or whether he was a good or bad person. All she cared about was taking his scrumptious aura and moving on her way to bringing back her deceased trainer once and for all. She reared back, ready to clasp her hands together onto the fox's temples, and then she heard it–a rustling in the trees above that could not have been caused by a mere breeze.

She then heard Sagefox chuckle softly, her body suddenly growing cold and her aura flames waning. Hildegard turned her to head to the left to see the blurred figure of a brown-furred, lop-eared creature barrelling towards her with its leg outstretched. Its foot collided with the side of her face with such intense force that she was lifted off the very ground she stood on, the lucario's body careening into the brush beyond the stone terrace.

Hildegard flew into the forest, hitting the ground with her back and tumbling uncontrollably with frightening speed until she collided with a lone tree standing in her path. She fell in a heap, the blood in her head swirling. The serene silence of the Sanctuary was broken. The lucario attempted to collect herself and stood up slightly off balance, her vision dizzying. She shook her head, trying to snap out of her woozy state, but then she thought she could see a figure ahead rushing to her with bewildering speed.

The lucario lifted up her arms in a cross fashion to block the incoming high kick of the creature, its legs large and powerful. The kick was almost enough to knock Hildegard back down had she not put in all her weight to the blocking maneuver. She cursed herself in her mind, not understanding how she was able to be taken by surprise like that. Now she was at a disadvantage.

Spoiler

Fleur's leg was about to be locked by the lucario if she did not retract. She brought her raised foot back quickly and with it, the rabbit gave the aura Pokémon a heavy shove directly between her crossed arms, sending the lucario skidding backwards. She brought her arms back down and went into a fighting stance, puffing out her chest, raising her right fist from behind and her left fist towards her front, bent at a right angle and rotated parallel to the ground. The lopunny too braced herself for the seemingly inevitable battle to commence, brushing her right foot along the ground backwards and slightly spreading her legs.

The two Pokémon stared for a while, trying to read what possible move they could pull on each other next. Flying Pokémon above squawked in fright and unease, warning others of the combat taking place below. Fleur felt it was time to say something to the assassin.

"Who sent you to kill my master?" the lopunny asked with a firm tone. The lucario scoffed rudely and spit. She then launched herself forward at the lopunny with blazing speed, her back fist swinging forward, trailed by a blue flame. Fleur barely had time to dodge it, side jumping and feeling the heat of the lucario's aura as it whizzed by her left ear. Without a second thought, she forcibly brought her knee forward into the aura Pokémon's belly, knocking the air out of her. The angered lopunny proceeded to batter, kick, and punch the lucario in various places–her hip! Her back! Her leg! She attempted to throw the lucario off balance with her blows and it seemed to be working.

The assassin attempted to strike again, thinking she saw an opening; however, Fleur detected the counter attempt coming and ducked below her roundhouse, sweeping her one grounded leg and causing the lucario to fall onto the ground hard on her shoulder. While she was down, the lopunny gave her yet another hefty kick to the stomach, sending the aura Pokémon into a nearby tree, her back colliding with it. The injured Pokémon tried desperately to get back onto her feet, but the blows proved to be too much for her as she fell back down onto her back, coughing and groaning in pain. Fleur's chest rose and fell rapidly with her heavy breathing, exhausted from her rampage and chained attacks.

"What do you want with Sagefox?" Fleur questioned the lucario again between breaths. The hurt aura Pokémon did not answer, continuing to cough and wheeze. The lopunny shook her head in frustration. Could this have been just another one of the Witch's followers? From Sagefox's experiences that he shared with her, the dastardly female delphox had sent so many to take him out that he lost count. This lucario seemed different, however. It might have been the fact that the rabbit mother never fought a creature like this, but she felt something staggering when her aura almost made contact with her through that attempted strike.

Gazing back at the downed lucario, Fleur noticed that a bluish smog started to envelop her. A draft began to pick up, the vegetation around the lucario flittering and dancing about. This draft grew to be more and more powerful as seconds passed by, and so did the thick blue smoke around the aura Pokémon. Her body started to rise up from the ground, seemingly lifeless as her limbs hung downward. It rotated forward as if invisible bodies were helping her get back onto her feet, and then her body stiffened once she was upright once again. At this point, the winds were so strong that Fleur had to cover her face to avoid getting smacked by one of the flying debris.

The lopunny continued to observe the lucario in awe as she was engulfed by a brilliant blue flame–Fleur could feel that tumultuous aura again right where she stood. The lucario's closed eyelids snapped open to reveal a lustrous shining that obscured what lied beneath. It took Fleur's breath away and she noticed too late when the lucario sped right for her in a raging bloodlust. She swung her limbs to and fro, the lopunny barely dodging each strike. The aura Pokémon's arms were bathed in a radiant glow, bright enough that it hurt to look at.

Eventually the rabbit mother could not keep up with the lucario's continuous and relentless assault, submitting to her blows. Each punch that landed on her fragile body felt like being hit by a speeding stone–an intensely heated stone. The lucario landed a punch to the rabbit's head and reared back as Fleur tried to keep balance, lost within a daze. The wild flames on her right arm started to morph into the shape of a blade, thinning out and stabilizing until it reached at least three feet long. The lucario pounced at the unfortunate lopunny and dug the Aura Blade into her stomach far enough for it to come out through her back. Fleur screamed in agony as she felt a horrible burning sensation spread across her torso, as if a fire was started in each and every one of her veins. The enraged aura Pokémon released the blade which retreated back across her wrists, dissipating back into its original form as a flame.

Fleur fell onto her knees, tears streaming down her face from the intense pain. Every one of her muscles became weak with an excruciating strain. She had lost her will to battle in such a short amount of time. She became emotionally weak too, distressed at her failure to keep the lucario down, thinking of how her master and children may likely fall at the hands of this assassin. With a groan of pure misery, the lopunny toppled onto her back and fainted.

Spoiler

The aura was too much to handle right now. If she held on to this state any longer, Hildegard felt she might be incinerated from her own flames. Crossing her arms in front of her face, the lucario focused her energy once again, releasing the stark tension hanging onto every fiber of her being. Slowly but surely the aura around her started to ebb, the angry flames seeming satisfied with their work. After several seconds more, the fires disappeared back into Hildegard's body in the form of an extinguished smoke, the winds around her subsiding as well. She lowered her arms as blue embers trailed from her figure, and silence once again fell over the forest.

Hildegard clenched a fist and brought it to her breastbone, lowering her head and closing her eyes. After a deep breath, she whispered, "Master, are you proud of me?" This became a ritual for the lucario after she triumphed over every creature that confronted her in the wild. She felt she should be remorseful, but if there was one thing this lifestyle taught her, it was that guilt had no place in the wild, and it was everyone for themselves.

"You were a very worthy opponent," the lucario said to the rabbit. "But not quite good enough." From where she stood, Hildegard could feel the weakened aura that clung on to the lopunny's body. She licked her lips in anticipation and approach the downed rabbit. She knelt by her side and reached out a paw over her torso, feeling the warmth of the flames residing inside. "Your power is impressive," Hildegard quietly stated, focusing her energy towards the body of the lopunny. Deep within, the lucario could feel a link forming. "It'll add greatly to my aura." Her essence began to connect with the rabbit's until they were one at the seams, clinging on with a strong bond. Slowly she brought her hands back towards her in a wafting fashion, sensing the aura beginning to absorb into her being. The sensation was superb, like a long, refreshing breath of fresh morning air.

She felt she was halfway through consuming the rabbit's aura until a disturbing pang went off in the back of her head. A horrible chill ran down her spine and she began to cough harshly, backing away from the lopunny's body and stumbling over, landing on her rear. Hildegard sat there for a while, breathing hard. She could not remember the last time something like that happened. The only reason this would occur was if the prey's aura was diluted in some manner, but she could not understand exactly how. When she waved her paw across the lopunny's body, her aura felt pure–unblemished. What form of aura would take on an immaculate arrangement on the surface and then have such a distressing core?

While Hildegard tried to make sense of what happened, she thought she could hear high-pitched voices in the distance. Turning her head to face them, she spotted a couple of bunearies racing over to meet them. They stopped when they reached the lopunny's body and stood in front of her, defending the evolved rabbit. Hildegard leapt back onto her feet in shock, turmoil suddenly shaking her inside.

"She...had children!?" the lucario thought to herself. Despite the troublesome aura present in the lopunny, she still yearned to try to absorb it again in an attempt to perhaps become accustomed to the new sensation. This aura could be very powerful and she did not want to risk losing it now. But what was she to do now that she knew the lopunny had kids? Suddenly, the words of the Witch echoed inside of her mind.

"You want to see your master alive and well again, don't you? Then no compromises! Absorb as much aura as you possibly can. That is the first step." Yes, that is what she had to do. She understood now.

"In the wild, you are on your own. No remorse," she told herself, becoming resolute. The lucario walked towards the kids, who started to look anxious but held their ground. With blinding speed, Hildegard snatched up the two kids, holding them up in the air. They flailed about, shouting for help and calling out to their injured mother. The lucario felt sadness wash over her, but the absorption of their aura would at least render them catatonic for a long while rather than flat-out dead. She began to focus her aura into both of her arms, coursing straight for the unaware bunearies.

Spoiler

The cries of her children rang soundly in Fleur's massive ears, reverberating in her head. The mother rabbit felt energy beginning to return to her despite the damage she took. It was almost like her children granted her their energy. They were in trouble. Wake up.

Fleur's eyes snapped open, her mouth frothing. The first thing she saw was the lucario, holding her children up in the air as if they were mere playthings. Fleur could see the blue flames of the aura Pokémon running down her arms and engulfing the helpless bunearies.

"Xavier. Mana." The two names of her remaining children gave her strength. Soul-crushing pain spread across her whole body from the devastating blows of the lucario; her muscles were sore and her bones possibly bruised. Regardless, the sight of her children being hurt by this stranger was enough to get the rabbit mother back on her feet.

The aura Pokémon was unaware of Fleur's rising, focusing on the assimilation of their essences. Her two children started turning limp, the crux of their inner being stripping away. With all the power remaining that she could muster, Fleur leapt off of the ground, placed her feet against the body of a nearby tree, and launched herself off, raining down a wrathful blow headed straight for the female lucario in the form of an outstretched leg. The kick connected, once again catching the lucario in the face. Her body became lifeless, Fleur's children released from her grasp as she flew away like a ragdoll. The aura Pokémon landed hard, lying on the ground in an awkward position within a huge dust cloud, completely still.

Xavier and Mana, crying, embraced their mother, who held them close with immense joy, kissing them on their heads. This time, she was able to protect her children. Once they let go, they started to look worried for their mother's condition. Fleur was not fully aware of it, but she looked awful, her fur tattered and spots on her body glowing an unhealthy red. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her lip and one of her eyes was bloodshot, not as noticeable against her black sclera, but unsettling nonetheless.

Fleur looked up ahead towards the fainted lucario and her children did the same. She was surprised to see a familiar figure approaching the downed aura Pokémon–it was Sagefox. The delphox gazed down at the lucario, letting out a "tsk tsk tsk" as he pulled his irregularly-shaped stick out of his thick tail. He tapped the stick against his shoulder, as if he was wondering whether what he was about to do would be a good idea. Finally, the old fox pointed the stick at the lucario, mumbling what sounded like gibberish as a green glow permeated the end of the stick. The glow grew more radiant until it seemed to connect to the lucario, small green embers dancing about her. Fleur saw Sagefox use this power before; the delphox was healing her.

Once he finished, he walked over to Fleur, sad to see her in her current condition. Her children reluctantly backed away from her to let the delphox do his work. Fleur closed her eyes, looking forward to the sweet relief, but nothing came. She opened her eyes, seeing the delphox once again tapping the stick against his shoulder, looking very pensive.

"You know, maybe I should let you endure the pain. It would certainly help you grow stronger, and it would prepare you for the more rigorous training ahead," he explained. Fleur angrily glared at him in utter disbelief, her mouth slightly ajar so that a small bit of spittle could escape. The delphox then laughed. He laughed so hard that he started to cough, grasping his chest to stop himself. He then cleared his throat and continued. "But of course that would only make sense if I were still a callous ruffian." He pointed his stick at Fleur, the welcoming green glow showing itself.

Spoiler

The delphox, lopunny, and her buneary children gathered around the lucario who began to stir. The aura Pokémon groaned as she sat on her rump, rubbing her jaw. When she finally noticed the Pokémon looking over her, she leapt onto her feet, readying herself with her battle stance.

"We will not fight you again," the delphox stated with an outstretched hand. "Besides, I doubt you want to face both of us this time."

"Hey!" the female buneary, Mana, called out to Sagefox. The delphox looked over at her pouty face and then sighed.

"Very well, very well. I doubt you want to face all four of us this time," he corrected himself. The lucario only scoffed in response. Sagefox went on to say, "Whatever your reasons may be for supporting her doesn't concern me, but your spirit is different from others I've felt in the sanctuary. There is certainly some good in you, and I can help you acquire your fullest potential." The elderly delphox reached out with his paw and opened it as if he were giving her a hand. The lucario only continued to give him a nasty glare. "What do you say? The Witch will only pull you down with her."

Suddenly, the aura Pokémon violently swatted the air in front of him, snapping back. "I don't need your advice or your help, old one! My goals are in sight. Your guidance is worthless to me! I know what I must do and nothing will stop me!"

The lucario turned her tail and bounded off into the vegetation. Fleur braced herself to run after the Pokémon, but Sagefox blocked her with an outstretched arm.

"Fleur, no. Let her go," he ordered calmly. "All the aura in the lucario causes her a great disturbance. She has devoured so much of it." Fleur released her tension and stood straight, looking off to the side and sighing. The delphox looked on ahead with hopeful eyes. "We must let her find her own path. I am sure she will one day see the true way."

Fleur started to impatiently thump her foot against the ground. Sagefox noticed and gazed over at her in confusion.

"What is it, my student?" he asked softly.

"What took you so long?" Fleur shot back. Sagefox laughed nervously, scratching his neck.

"Come on now, give me a break! I'm old!" He then backed off a bit and waved his arms over his thick fur dress. "And can't you see what I'm wearing?"

 

Chapter 4: Inner Turmoil

A shorter chapter, introducing Malice the mewtwo...

Spoiler

Malice the mewtwo did not like it in this large, steel chamber. With every movement she made, the resulting sounds would reverberate harshly. It was cold in here, the biting chilliness seeping right underneath her tender, purple-hued flesh. The walls themselves seemed like they were staring her down and closing in with interest, her limbs bound by their steel fingers as if she were being held up by one of those monstrous humans to be studied and picked at. As far back as the mewtwo can remember, this was all she knew–protocols and experimentation. Very rarely was she ever treated like an individual, if at all. She breathed and thought just like those damn humans did, so why was she treated like this? Why must she hang here, constrained by this devilish machine?

The psychic Pokémon was a sight to behold in her own right. This form of hers was created by the humans themselves, a slender and curvaceous, almost snake-like figure. Two tube-like tendrils emerged from the back of her head, burying themselves in her shoulder area. Her shoulders themselves were shielded by a strange sort of fleshy armor that resembled half the shell of a walnut. She had three fingers and toes on each of her limbs, the phalanges extending out to a bulbous end where a great deal of her psychic power was focused. Two depressions, human-made, sat on her body as a cruel reminder of what she was–one on her forehead, and the other on her belly, having provided sustenance for her like an umbilical cord. The navel-like mark took the form of two circles, one smaller one within the larger.

Malice's limbs and tail were clutched tightly by heavy steel restraints, the mewtwo hardly able to move her body without undergoing pain. The machine also drained the Pokémon of her psychic abilities, which were the humans' greatest concern, and they should definitely be cautious of the potential destruction Malice could cause. The psychic Pokémon fantasized about finally being released from this monotonous sterile chamber, eliminating all that caused her pain and suffering. Her heart was filled with the intense yearning for vengeance–violence felt like the only thing she was capable of to satisfy her aching heart.

The deathly silence of the chamber caused the mewtwo's thoughts to become even louder. Malice figured that if she were to think hard enough, she could even make her musings take up physical form. All the rage and extreme animosity building up inside her made her feel like she was stuck inside of a personal bubble of passionate resentment–an extreme contrast between where she hung and the remaining, stretched emptiness of the steel chamber. More often than not, her feverish fantasies caused the whiteness all around her to flash red with the blood-stained aftermath of the delusional scenarios playing out in her head. She would sometimes find herself grinning with bared teeth as if the fantasies themselves were enough to momentarily sate her.

Spoiler

Suddenly, Malice's frantic thinking came to a halt as if an epiphany washed over her, temporarily cleansing her tainted soul. She detected another possible presence in the room with her–one that was strangely familiar. Something else was breaking the silence now, making itself known through a pleasant twinkling noise. It was all around her, and despite Malice whirling around to meet the source of the sound, she could see nothing. She looked all around–left, right, up, and down. Malice growled softly in annoyance, her eyes wide open as if having woken up from a vivid nightmare.

The sparkling noise disappeared for a while, but the tension remained on the powerful muscles of the mewtwo, looking forward to when it would eventually come up again. She was not sure what made her think it would return, but with how well-restrained she was in this chamber, the mewtwo figured nothing could escape without the assistance of those atrocious humans. But perhaps the source of this noise was a ghost-like figure? It all must have been in her mind. It was already very pre-occupied; sometimes Malice could not predict what would come up when she was lost in thought.

Then, the noise returned, that twinkling scintillation emerging from the dark smog that made up her psyche. This time, something was definitely in the room with her. Snapping her vision upward, she locked on to a small floating figure that filled her with dread. This being represented a part of Malice that she tried so desperately to contain within the dense darkness inside of her. It took on the form of a stubby pink creature at least the height of the base of Malice's foot up to her knee. Just like her, the creature sported a long, cat-like tail and even had similar markings to her in the shape of slash marks going across her back, wrapping around until they stopped at the level of her hip area. Clamped on the mew's tail was a golden bracelet that shone brilliantly in the white expanse of the sterile chamber. It also wore some sort of golden tiara-like object on its head, the mere sight of which shook her very core. One name rang up in her mind at the sight of this floating creature–"Mew."

Spoiler

"Hanging in there?" the stubby creature asked casually, floating about the chamber as if having become comfortable with the place. Malice watched her with a burning enmity as she nonchalantly did twists and turns, even humming a few times. The mewtwo truthfully had no idea what to say and could only look onward in disgust. She began to drool, a feeling of yearning well up in her–the urge to move about freely like the mew. Malice began to curse her in her mind, hating the mew for not knowing what it was like being constricted by a machine made by the very hands of the humans she despised, as if they truly never let go of her even if they were not present.

"Y-You..." Malice finally managed to drawl out, granted it was very quiet. Even so, the sound of her own voice seemed to reverberate loudly across the steel chamber, rattling her brain. The mew took notice and gazed at her from afar, leaning forward to float towards the shackled psychic Pokémon. The small creature had an infuriating look of aloofness on its shining face, as if it were constantly judging Malice.

"What was that? Are you ready to talk?" the little nuisance asked with a tone of indifference. Malice simply bowed her head, trying to avoid sight of the mew. Whenever they locked eyes together, she felt a horrible pang of guilt inside her as if the little creature could view every single sin tainting her frame. Thoughts began to swim around in the mewtwo's head again, this time in the form of feverish questions.

"Why am I here? Why has humanity done this to me? I don't deserve any of this." They reflected in her skull repetitively until they were the only things occupying it. She wanted to forget all the misery, but the mew floating in front of her would not let her.

"You don't deserve any of this?" she questioned, eliminating the distraction Malice created for herself. The mewtwo slowly glared up at the mew, who continued staring her down with judgmental eyes. "Not even after brazenly murdering humans and Pokémon alike?" Malice felt her stomach drop, her chest tightening. While she did fantasize about committing horrible and violent acts against her captors, at the same time something in her tried desperately to keep her from acting out. Now that this little irritant had outright said she already did it, Malice could not believe she did not recall taking anybody's life, almost as if something snuffed it out of her memory completely. Even so, she felt something awful welling up in her, an ache of disgrace from an event she could not remember.

"It was defense!" Malice blurted, excuses pouring out of her against her will, as if someone else was talking through her. "They tortured me! They did experiments on me!" The mew only sighed and floated upwards until she was above Malice's head.

"That may be true," she said as she sat her rump onto the mewtwo's scalp, warm with a slight fever. "But you grew to like it. Don't lie to yourself."

The mewtwo, angered by the mew's uncaring disposition, snapped back, "So maybe I did! Who are you to judge me anyway?" She ground her teeth, awaiting a response she predicted would come out of the creature's mouth.

"Someone who knows deep down you hate yourself more than you hate humanity."

Malice shivered, feeling a heat wave emanating from her body from the clash of emotions within. The mere existence of this mew reminded her of a shadow–some piece of her that tore itself away from her shell and took it upon itself to relentlessly prod her about the sins she may or may not have committed. This could not be right. There had to be some sort of tether. If it was a part of her, then she was not whole, and she had to merge again with it in order to come to terms with who she was. Enough of this confusion–it was time to plan for resolution.

Trembling with rage, psychic energy began to ripple and undulate across Malice's body weakly, but growing more powerful with each second. The machine restricting her limbs rattled upon contact with the psychic pulse, sparks beginning to fly.

"I may hate myself, but I hate you even more..." she snarled, the pulsing of energy strong enough that small cracks began to form on her restraints. Malice herself was surprised at the sudden burst of energy flowing within her. Perhaps it was not the machine that drained her in the first place, but instead it was her bewilderment and the loss of her sense of self.

Regardless of what was occurring, the mew casually floated off of the mewtwo's head, slowly flipping herself upside down and positioning her face right in front of Malice's, quietly retorting, "It's always the fault of someone else isn't it?"

Her power reaching its peak, Malice threw her entire body forward, bellowing, "ENOUGH!" A wave of pure psychic force coursed out of her being, causing the massive human machine to crumble under its impressive magnitude. The mew flew backwards, grunting in surprise and attempting to balance herself in midair. Within a flurry of sparks and smoke, Malice rocketed forward debris from the shambles of the human instrument solely with her mind. The mew was quick to beckon a spherical forcefield, reflecting the debris successfully and avoiding any grievous damage to her.

Spoiler

The dust finally settling, Malice emerged from her prison, floating with a renewed power granted from her freedom. The two psychic Pokémon stared each other down eye to eye, Malice's full of pure resentment and the mew's showing boldness. Malice felt the dryness in her mouth, her heart beating fast as the anticipation and rush from the showdown gave her strong awareness. The mewtwo went for the first blow, outstretching her right arm and sending a volley of spike-shaped psychic projectiles rushing in towards the little mew.

"I will make sure you never pester me again!" the vengeful mewtwo shouted, merciless in her ejection of the mystical missiles. When they were just about to tear into the little creature, her image began to warp, and before Malice knew it, she was gone.

"Even if I left," the mewtwo heard her say, bewildered at the mew's disappearance. "You'd still have to deal with yourself." Suddenly, a horrible shock seized her body, electricity coursing along her veins and causing every muscle on her to scream in agony. How could this little nuisance be so damn powerful? How could she hold so much strength in that tiny body? Malice knew this was going to take a lot more effort than what she once thought. She needed to make herself whole; she was not going to let this tiny imbecile best her, as she belonged to HER.

Malice clenched her muscles, letting her rage fuel her next attack. She focused her psychic power into her chest, sensing the aura compressing as much as it was able. She ground and bared her teeth, attempting to compact it even further until she felt like her chest would explode.

"Let me show you what it's like," she started, her words hoarse as she held in her breath, her lungs on the verge of collapsing, "to be me!!" Then she released the power. The psychic energy ejected from her body in the form of long, deadly, radiant spikes, impaling the mew who floated behind her. The little creature screamed in pain, succumbing to the sheer density of the energy in each of the spikes jutting out of Malice's body. The spikes retracted and the mewtwo whirled around to deliver an elbow straight into the mew's face, launching her back with great force. Malice then expelled a plethora of tendril-like projectiles through her hands, another form of psychic energy, to batter the dazed mew, flipping and smacking her around as she remained floating like a helpless insect.

"It is pain! It is torture!" Malice howled as she continued her assault on the small creature. Bringing her hands together, the mewtwo manipulated the tendrils to wrap around the mew tightly, keeping her little arms pinned as well as limiting the energy she needed to pull off anymore tricks. Malice almost grinned at the sight of the defenseless nuisance. "And I intend to share that pain with all who have hurt me." She started to bring the bound mew closer to her. The merging would begin soon. She will finally silence the conscience lingering in her head. "Starting with you."

Once the mew was finally near, Malice retracted a hand to position it in a lifting motion, the bulbous ends of her fingers glowing a malevolent purple. The mew gasped upon seeing her supple feet begin to ripple, the very molecules that made up her body vibrating so that their image was heavily distorted. Malice was using her teleportation magic to, in a sense, cause the mew to shrink. She was even more startled once she saw the mewtwo open her mouth wide, sucking her in like a vortex. It was a slow process as Malice gradually went up the mew's body with her molecular separation magic, more and more of the little creature disappearing into the depths of her throat. The mew was completely helpless.

"No! Stop this!" she yelled out in vain. Malice was up to her neck now, the darkness of her core engulfing the mew's essence. "You are better than this!" Still the mewtwo did not listen, voraciously downing the smaller psychic Pokémon, and before she knew it, her head was completely enveloped by the mewtwo's maw. With a final grunt, the mew closed her eyes as darkness closed in around her.

Spoiler

Malice snapped her jaw shut and swallowed. She did it. Now they were one. Whole. She could finally release herself from the turmoil of her mind. She could reacquire her sense of self and think how she wanted to, unclouded by intense emotions and nightmarish visions. She could be... free? The mewtwo swallowed again, but soon realized there was nothing to ingest but air. A cold sweat started to form on her skin. Malice regained her senses and found her limbs stretched out. Her heart racing, she reluctantly gazed upward. The giant steel shackles had once again taken hold of her. She looked downward. They surrounded each of her legs too. It was like she never destroyed the machine. It was like everything that had just happened between the two Pokémon...did not happen.

The mewtwo's entire body began to tremble, a tumultuous rage building inside her. Nothing happened even if it seemed so vivid and real. Nothing was learned except that she was even crazier than she thought. She could not be saved–not at this point. She would forever be a frantic, murderous freak. A small quake commenced around the psychic Pokémon, pulses of aura flowing across her shaking body. Her despair and distress became the only thing she knew at that very moment, and she was unaware of the violent energy oscillating off of her. She could not stop it from growing now and she could no longer contain it. Lifting her head up high, Malice let out a loudest scream she could muster, a field of intense, concentrated energy erupting from her body, expanding rapidly and consuming everything in the vicinity of the steel chamber.

Spoiler

An eevee with hypnotic, rainbow-hued eyes floating through his own telekinetic powers stared in disbelief and awe as the wall before him crumbled into bite-size pieces. Beyond the destroyed wall there was a massive cloud of smoke and it billowed into the room he was in like a pack of rockruff at the beginning of meal time. He shielded his face with the purple cape he was wearing, but the smoke was so thick it still managed to get into his system. The unfortunately eevee started coughing, eventually waving away the smog fruitlessly. He exited the room as quickly as he could, closing the metal shutters behind him with the press of a button on the wall.

He emerged into a long curving hallway, putting his back against the shutters and still wheezing away. Once he collected himself and cleared his lungs, he sighed in relief, his mind still on that shocking explosion that came out of nowhere. He did not exactly feel the quaking, but knew for sure it was present thanks to all the trinkets and such clattering and dancing about on the shelves. He should have been more aware of the whole situation, knowing that the "mewtwo" or whatever it was called was near the area. "Extremely unstable and prone to violence" the description on her biography did say. Of course, the clever little eevee already had an idea who this character really was, and more than anything right now he wanted to get a good look at her. She changed quite a lot since several months ago, that is for certain.

Turning back when he felt the smog might have mostly cleared, he smacked the green button, signaling the shutter door to open with a smooth hiss. Thick dust hung in the air of the room before him now, making it difficult to see, but curiosity got the best of him–he knew the only thing that could have caused an explosion like that would have to be his old friend Malice.

The eevee coughed a few times floating through the contaminated air and emerged through the destroyed wall and into a huge steel chamber where the air was actually a good deal better despite it smelling like smoldering metal and electronics. The dust cloud was still rather thick, so the eevee floated up higher to try to find a good angle to see the source of the explosion. Circling around the epicenter, he eventually found what he was looking for. The smug little eevee smirked wide as he laid his bright eyes upon a hovering mewtwo, her body limp and floating over a crater filling with water from unveiled broken pipelines beneath the flooring. He put a leg over the other and scratched his chin in a contemplative fashion. He said to himself, "She's off her leash. Probably not a good thing. I wonder if she remembers dear ol' Malgam."

 

Chapter 5: Memory

An important chapter that reveals the backstories of two characters.

Spoiler

It had been some time since the grotto saw any trouble; rarely, in fact, did the peaceful conditions last this long, and yet the old fox could not complain in the slightest about this. What the humans called "Christmas" had come and gone, and there was no sign of the lucario who had so unceremoniously tried absorbing the aura of Fleur's children, yet the lucario had shown more restraint than any other of the witch's assassins when she almost refused to continue her siphoning. Fleur did not give the lucario a chance to show her abstinence before delivering the final blow to her jaw, practically forcing her to drop the kids. Things had turned out for the best in that case, but there was always the threat of another attack.

Still, it was important to not dwell on such things. The old delphox knew that looking too far into the future would only dim the view of the present. He had been babysitting for Fleur as well as a young arcanine female's son whom he now charmingly referred to as his nephew. As the children played, he kept a watchful eye out for them, making sure that no roughhousing got out of hand or that they strayed too far, in which case they might find themselves easy prey for the witch's assailants or hungry predators of the far less malicious kind.

It was not a secret that the old sage knew everything going on within the grotto. Indeed his mind was always aware of every coming and going, as well as the general emotional state of each Pokémon within. Today he was troubled by a familiar presence lurking in the shadows. Fleur and her new friend were out, and it would seem that the valley's security was weaker. The old delphox was not known for his fighting prowess; none in the valley had actually seen him act violently towards another, and it was widely thought that he had no experience in battle at all.

The old sage's ear twitched and he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the inevitable confrontation. He dreaded what was about to happen, but also knew that there was no way around it–the aura Pokémon would come to finish what she started. It had nothing to do with her loyalty to the witch either. She had that stubborn streak that was inherent to lucario, and she was not going to abandon her goals just because of one bad showing it is going to drive her to redeem her reputation.

"Is something wrong, uncle sage?" the young growlithe's voice broke the old delphox's concentration. He looked down to see the small canine chewing on the old fox's wand which he had absently left lying on the ground.

"Don't worry about it, little one," the old fox replied as he took his signature spectacles from his face. "Why don't you trade me? My glasses for your stick?" It was not so much a question as a placation for the young canine who was about to have his new toy stolen back. The delphox smiled a bit and placed the spectacles on the growlithe's face, disorienting him momentarily, just long enough for the old fox to take his wand back. The little dog was about to complain about this, but the old fox rubbed his head as he stood. "Until I get back, you get to be Sagefox of the valley. Why don't you take the two buneary to my special meditation chamber so you can train them in the mysterious ways of hide and go seek."

The young canine squealed in excitement. Nobody was allowed in the old fox's meditation chamber, and now he was going to get to play hide-and-seek there! There was not even a "thank you," just a blur of orange fur as the little growlithe ran off to find the two buneary siblings. The older fox just laughed a little as he watched the young one run into a tree. The older fox forgot that the corrective lenses in the glasses he wore actually worked. He wore them to cut his visual senses and more acutely hone his psychic senses as well as his hearing.

His amusement was short lived, however, as he turned his attention to the task at hand.

Approaching one of the ruins that were scattered around the grotto, the delphox placed a hand upon a stone monolith. "I must ask you for your help, old one, though I keep my promise. You shall not be called upon for violence."

The earth shook as the delphox stepped back, the ruin standing up to its full height. A giant golurk emerged from the earth, the ground splitting and dirt falling from the giant Pokémon as it woke from its slumber. Even the old delphox was in awe at the giant creature before him. It was there long before he had ever come to the valley, and it would remain even after he was nothing but a legend to those who had heard of him through the ages. It was this creature that was the true guardian of the grotto, but the delphox had long ago promised to never ask the creature to fight for him, nor any who had followed him to the valley. This place was sacred long ago, and he would not defile it if he could help it.

"I need you to clear out the old arena," the fox said slowly. "A warrior's challenge is the only way in which this can be settled."

Spoiler

Hildegard had been scouting out the grotto for weeks, keeping to the shadows. She knew better than to return to the Witch in failure, and since she had survived the encounter, she was able to recover herself, preparing for another attempt. It was not her first inclination; she hated sneaking about, watching and waiting for the right moment. She was a warrior proud, not some sneaking weavile assassin. She knew that the lopunny was as hungry for a rematch as she was. That would come–it would be a glorious battle, something to be talked about for generations of Pokémon, but first thing's first: She had a mission to accomplish.

Today seemed to be the day to try too. The rabbit mother was now gone as well as the Arcanine that had been hanging around the area. There were, of course, other Pokémon who dwelled in the valley, but none had shown anywhere near the prowess nor aggression that the female lopunny had. Now was the time for her to strike at the delphox, to redeem herself before the Witch, and move forward towards her end goal in bringing back her deceased master.

As she stood to move into the valley, however, a large earthquake gave her pause. Boom, boom, boom! The sound of great thundering footsteps echoed through the valley. She could not have missed something that large–nothing had entered the valley either. Curiosity got the better of caution in the lucario and she entered the valley quietly. She had already gotten herself into trouble once for not checking things out first, and this sounded like she would not be able to just punch her way to victory.

Spoiler

The sage sat calmly as the golurk moved tons of ancient rubble out of a large circular area. The place was an ancient arena for the battling of Pokémon long before the modern cities and badges of the human trainers today. As the large, statue-like Pokémon continued to move debris out of the old arena, there was nothing for the old sage to do but wait and meditate on the battle to come.

He had chosen this spot out of all the valley for a reason. He felt the strong connection that Hildegard had for her trainer when she was last here. It was prevalent and almost pervasive in her thoughts. The symbolism of the old arena would play to her pride and her sense of loyalty to this trainer of hers. He could feel her nearby even. She was watching what he was doing, slightly apprehensive of the golem that was moving the rubble, unsure of whether or not she should wait longer for yet another attempt at the fox. It honestly almost made Sagefox sad to feel such a proud spirit so unsure.

"Come join me for meditation," the old sage shouted to his unseen opponent. "It will be an hour or so before my friend can finish clearing the arena. And you need to clear your mind for what is about to come."

The delphox's ears twitched as the rustle of leaves in the nearby tree signaled that his opponent had heard him, though he was unsure if she would flee from the invitation or accept. He held his breath and listened, waiting for the answer. The grass behind him betrayed the soft-footed lucario as she stepped into the secluded ruin.

"What kind of trickery is this?"

"No trick. An invitation," Sagefox replied softly. "A battle between you and I. No children and no lopunnies. A fight in an arena like in the city, between warriors."

Hilde scoffed at the old fox. "You think you can beat me? I'm a world champion, proven in the arena and out! And you," the lucario gestured to the old sage, "are barely even able to walk around, meditating all day. You may as well surrender now. Save yourself the pain of the battle and accept the gentle embrace of oblivion."

The fox simply smiled. "It is not yet my time, my dear. If you think, however, that you can defy fate, then you'll have to do so in the arena."
"Fine, but you better keep your word. No kids, and the lopunny stays out of it." Hilde growled as she took up a lotus position across from the old delphox. Her breathing slowed, though she kept a close eye on him.

"Relax my dear. I'm not going to ambush you. Fleur is away with a friend and the children are hidden away in safety," the delphox muttered in a half-sigh as he breathed out slowly, a small flame flickering from his mouth as he did so. "This battle is between you and me. And perhaps, just perhaps, I'll be interesting enough of an opponent to sate your lust of battle."

The next hour or so passed in relative silence, though it would have been impossible for it to be completely silent with the Golurk working in the background. Still, neither combatant said anything to the other over that time. The delphox's meditation was so sound that it could not be broken even by a large tree crashing down as construction continued; however, Hildegard was not as capable of ignoring such things. She suspected that the old fox was trying to lull her into a false sense of security–to spring some devious trap upon her. Months of being on her own made her distrustful of anything that seemed too good to be true, even the Witch's offer. Still, in both these situations that spark of hope that burned within her kept the lucario from leaving. She had to see this through to the end.

Spoiler

Finally, a little past the hour, the large golem-like Pokémon finally ceased its toils and began the trek back to its resting place, the thundering footsteps signaling its departure.

"Well then, shall we?" came the soft, slow voice of the old delphox as he stood and extended a paw to his competitor. "I do hope that this can be a civil affair, or at least as civil as one can be when beating another senseless."

Snorting, Hilde ignored the offer of help up, instead leaping almost instantly to her feet and into the arena with spectacular grace and skill. "Hurry up, old fox. It has been an hour and it's well past time that your aura became my own."

Chuckling, the old delphox made his way to the arena as well–his gait was slow but steady. It had a grace of its own to it. If Hilde were to be compared to all the majesty and fury of a raging tornado, a truly awe-inspiring sight to behold, then the old sage could only have been a gentle breeze flowing across a grass-laden field.

His arrival in the arena was no less serene, stepping off of the ledge into empty air and slowly descending to the ground below, his furry robes hardly ruffled by the endeavor. A small bow followed as he touched paws to ground. "So impatient. To be young again and have such zeal. Well then, what are you waiting for? The match begins."

Even as the words fell from his lips the lucario was on top of him. Her blinding speed and immense strength would have been enough to topple all but the toughest of foes. Grasping the delphox by his furred robe, she unleashed a mighty punch that sent the elderly Pokémon into the wall. Rocks flew and dust clouds billowed as his body impacted the outer edge of the arena.

Swaggering forward, Hilde grinned at her swift victory. "You shoulda just let me end you before. It wouldn't have hurt so bad."

"I wasn't going to stop you, but you failed to anyhow," he said within the dust. "I'd appreciate it if we could keep the damage to the arena to a minimum though," the old fox's voice rang out, though not where it should be. In front of the lucario, the dust cleared revealing nothing but shattered wall. "I mean, my friend did work very hard to clean it up for us."

Hildegard rounded about, facing the old sage who stood behind her, looking no worse from the wear of a punch that could pulverize stone. "How...?" It was all Hilde could muster before a flash of purple light emanated from the old delphox's eyes and wand. Suddenly, everything went dark.

Spoiler

Darkness, cramped darkness. The need to get out–it was all Hilde felt, though she was not entrapped in any way; in fact, she was standing in a very familiar bedroom. A stuffed lucario toy rested on the bed near the wall. A whole host of other Pokémon toys littered the floor and decorated the walls.
A young boy sat, ignoring all of it, instead staring intently at an egg in a nearby incubator. It was starting to hatch as his mother arrived and stood behind him. It had been hours already and the boy was starting to become impatient.

"We have to help!" he cried to his mother, who smiled as she held him back. "It's stuck! Come on, Mom, we gotta help it!" he cried out in desperation, so young and so naive about how the world worked.

"It has to do it on its own. I know you think you're helping, but it'll never grow up big and strong if you don't let it struggle," the boy's mother said as she hugged him tight, pointing to the little paw that was pushing at the hard shell, trying to break free. "I know sometimes it looks like other's struggles are a bad thing, but we can't learn or grow if someone else does everything for us."

Time seemed to fly. Hildegard watched as hours more passed in seconds. Still, the little boy never left the egg's side. And slowly, ever slowly, the process of hatching took place.

Even though events were unfolding so rapidly in front of her, Hilde could not help but feel as if ages had passed. Finally though, the feeling of freedom, light, and life filled her as the egg shattered apart. There before her eyes sat a small riolu welcoming its first day with a huge yawn. The struggle for freedom had taken its toll on the little creature, and now all it wanted to do was nap.

But little boys were seldom so patient. "Mom! Mom! It's here!"

His mother entered the room smiling. "Yes, I see, now come downstairs and have some dinner. She'll be there when you get back, I promise," said the older woman as she guided the young boy out, letting the little riolu have a much-needed rest.

Spoiler

The vision broke, and Hilde found herself with just a fraction of a second before a vortex of flame came barreling towards her. Her speed was unmatched, however, and she managed to dodge the blast. Catching her breath, the lucario could not believe she had been so easily caught off guard. How could she just sit there daydreaming while in a battle!? Her trainer would be disappointed with her.

"Why don't we just call this whole thing off?" the old sage offered the lucario with a smile. "I know you miss your old trainer, we could talk about th–" It was perhaps the wrong thing to say, especially after such a potent memory, one that she had experienced almost from the perspective of everyone in the room at the same time–a connection to the aura of everyone at her birth. The sound of her fist smacking against the side of his head echoed through the open arena, the old delphox flying backwards.

"Got you that time," Hilde snarled as she watched the delphox bounce off the ground a couple of times. If she thought that this battle would be done in one punch though, she was wrong. The delphox stood up, spitting out a bit of dirt and brushing himself off. "I'm impressed. Fleur can't even hit that hard, though I suppose you already knew that."

"Stop talking. Fight me!" Hildegard shouted at the old fox, charging him full tilt, fully intending to finish this fight once and for all.
"Sticks and stones," Sagefox retorted, waving his wand before him, creating a ring of large stones which orbited around him, shielding him from the oncoming onslaught, "may break even your bones, so let's just have a talk."

Hilde was not interested in talking. She was in her element. Battle was all she wanted–to push herself to the top, being better than she was just moments before. She was a warrior born and bred. How could this old fool even hope to challenge her might? If, however, Hilde had thought that breaking through the delphox's defense would be as simple as knocking through a brick wall, she would soon find out differently.

Smashing through one of the rocks in her mad charge to the old fox proved to be a mistake, as it exploded into a ball of fire, blasting her backwards and singeing the tattered remains of her trainer's jacket, as well as her own fur, though she was less concerned about that.

"Fire. I forgot he's a fire type," the lucario spat as she steadied herself. "What a rookie mistake, he's not going to fight me up close, not if he can help it anyhow," she muttered, now staring down the old fox. She could not just rush in, she had to think about this. "He's being defensive... he's going to try and win through words. Block those out, fight smarter not harder."

"Your trainer would have told you the same thing, wouldn't he?" Sagefox's voice rang out as he stood in the center of his own little solar system. It had been years since he actually fought anyone, and his veneer of wisdom was starting to peel away, showing an arrogance and pride he left behind in his youth.

Hilde sat there, studying the old fox. Then, like lightning, she reacted. It was not about barreling through the obstacles in a race to the finish, it was about overcoming them. As she neared the first boulder, she grinned. It was closing in on her, yet, as impact was imminent, she countered. A palm lightly placed on the rocks surface, she used its own force to deflect it into another, both exploding into balls of flame.

Hilde grinned and looked to the delphox, expecting some reaction of shock, but the old sage had seen too much for such a simple trick to rouse more than a slow clap of approval.

"He's prideful?" the lucario thought to herself, more shocked by a mocking gesture from him than anything else. "I can use that." With a battle plan forming in her head, Hilde continued into the gauntlet, deflecting boulders into one another, as well as sending them back at the delphox. She knew that they would never hit him, but it kept him from focusing on her too intently, using those psychic powers to peel back her mind and read her every thought.

Her plan soon began to bear fruit as well. Sagefox was down to only one boulder which floated around him at close proximity, too fast to be dodged or deflected, but this is what she had hoped for as well. Charging the fox head-on, she would go right through his defenses, taking the smug fire-type by surprise. Muscles tensed as she readied herself. There was not any other way around it–it would hurt, but this punch would finish him. He could not take another hit like the last.

With all her might, she hurled herself forward like a missile homing in on its target. Closing her eyes, she braced for impact, but there was none–no fiery explosion, no fist on flesh. Her eyes opened to see what had happened only to be greeted by a flash of purple light.

Spoiler

The impact to Hilde's gut hurt worse than she expected. Tumbling backwards, the little riolu landed on her tail, tears welling up in her eyes. The scene had changed once again, this time to the karate dojo that her trainer and her used to attend. These were her earliest memories of training, and some of the most painful and humiliating.

"Come on, Hilde, don't cry!" came the all too familiar voice of her trainer as he came over to help her back onto her feet. "I know it hurts, but you'll never be a strong lucario if you tear up at every little tackle you take." Hildegard remembered this day quite vividly.

She and her trainer had just been moved up to the next belt, and it was the first time they had to spar with the other classmates, some of which were much more skilled and much larger than either of them. Her trainer was already sporting a bloody nose and black eye from a rather large kid, whom all the other children seemed afraid of. Though the boy had been reprimanded by their sensei for his needless aggression, Hildegard's trainer had not once cried, nor had he backed down. He was not afraid of the large child, but she was, and she was afraid of his Pokémon too, who she was now facing. Her opponent was already fully evolved, the lithe-bodied weasel an expert it seemed at all things fighting type. The mienshao did not delight as much as his trainer did in senseless violence, but he was skilled, and driven to show he was the best in the class.

Hildegard stood back up, tears still streaming down her face. She wanted her trainer to love her–she had to prove that she was not afraid either, but she was; she was absolutely terrified of her opponent. Each punch from those fur covered fists sent reverberations through her steel body. With all eyes on her, it seemed the little riolu had two choices: Cry and run away, or fight. To her everlasting credit, she chose to fight.

A small fire building in her chest, her palms glowed with the light of her still-developing aura. She charged into the fray, a tiny blade of energy forming around her fist as she leaped forward, bearing down with all her might onto the mienshao. Victory! It was the last thing she remembered consciously thinking before having her full force turned against her. With a single punch to her tiny snout, the riolu found herself flying back and hitting a wall, a cry of pain escaping her lips before she fainted.

Spoiler

Hildegard reeled back to reality with a start, only to be greeted by the forehead of a rather calm and collected delphox being smashed into her snout, planting her right on her tail. It was unexpected to say the least that the old fox would attack her physically to start with, but the force behind it left her utterly stunned.

"That was a dirty trick!" the lucario snarled as she flipped backwards to avoid a follow-up fire blast. "Quit playing games and fight me fair!"

"Oh, are you gonna cry now? Seems that you're rather good at that," came Sagefox's retort as he threw another blast of fire in her direction. Hildegard was once again taken aback. The Witch had said that the old fox would be infallible in keeping his calm collected demeanor, yet he was becoming quite prideful, almost belligerent in this battle. It took all that she could muster just to keep from being roasted alive by his blasts.

"How did you know what I was thinking about?" Hildegard growled as she leaped over a blast of fire and came crashing down towards the old delphox.
In a perfect recreation of the mienshao's technique, Sagefox countered. A small fist connecting with the lucario's already sensitive muzzle, sending her sailing back into the wall. It just did not seem possible that someone so old and frail was capable of such physical feats, and yet the old fox had clearly not once, but twice put her on her tail without the use of fire at all.

"I'm a psychic and fire type Pokémon, my dear. I'm reading you just like an open book, and I must say it's quite the sad little tale," the delphox snorted with a cocky little grin crossing his elderly face. "Held back by a human, forced to fight for his entertainment. You know, I think you're the one who'd be better off just surrendering. It'd be so much preferable than to let you linger in these delusions that he actually loved you."

Hilde snapped at this. She was loved! She did not just fight for amusement! They grew together! What in Arceus's name was this old fool doing digging around in her head for? Why did he seem to be getting better each time she lapsed into an unconscious memory? It did not matter–Hildegard had beaten stronger opponents. She had overcome legends and taken down the titans of type. She fought dragons and ghosts and came out on top. This would be no different. Her anger boiled over. Wounded and sore as she was, she wouldn't let her dreams of being reunited with her trainer be snatched away by some old geezer. She was a champion–he was nothing to her.

Aura began to seethe from her, every single muscle tightening in righteous rage. No one would keep her from her goals, no one! Wrapped in the glow of her immense aura, her signature technique began to form, but this time it was different. Much like when she had faced her fears against the mienshao and learned the Aura Blade, now she faced down her doubts, and the result was nothing short of spectacular. The normally short blades that she produced around her wrists were long–nearly three feet each.

However, even this display did not phase the old fox, a wry grin sneaking across his face as he took his wand in both hands, a twisting blade of raw psychic energy and flame extending from the end of it, the glow from it every bit as strong as her own aura. Hilde just could not understand it. It seemed almost like a dream to her, a nightmare where her own upper limits were the bar that was set against her. How could she beat something like this–this monster who seemed to feed off of her own power and grow from it?

There was no time to ponder on this though. It seemed that the old sage was done playing around. With speed and power that put Fleur to shame, the old fox launched himself towards the lucario, his blade of flame narrowly missing Hilde's throat as she quickly bounced back. This was it, the final showdown, and now the aura Pokémon began to doubt herself. He had been holding back on her, not even trying up until this point. The old fox's speed was unparalleled, and she was certain that his special power was not lacking either.

Another slash from the fox's blade came down towards her, this time Hildegard deflecting it with her own aura blades. A ferocity burned in the old fox's eyes, one that scared the Lucario. It reminded her of the wickedness in the Witch's eyes–pure driven, goal-oriented ferocity, the kind that would stop at nothing until they had achieved their goals. Another sweep of the flaming blade caught the lucario unprepared and she took the brunt of it. The blade burned a gash in her master's coat and seared a scar across her chest. It seemed to cut down to her very soul, stealing away a bit of what made her.

Hildegard launched herself into a counter, trying to shake off the pain that she felt, but the delphox had expected such. With a deft parry, the old sage put a knee into the lucario's gut. Hilde was glad for her iron abs, but it still hurt more than she expected. Cracks were starting to appear in her armoring aura as her concentration began to wane. This fight was not going to last much longer and Hilde knew it. She could not keep up with the fox and overpower him–it was like her worst nightmares had come to life. She would have been better off just reporting her failure to the witch. At least then she would have been spared the humiliating defeat.

That temporary loss of focus cost her dearly, and a moment later a flaming blade sunk into her stomach, coming out the other side. Hildegard screamed in agony as the blade was withdrawn. Collapsing onto her knees, the lucario grasped the burning hole.

"Pathetic, if you had taken my offer you mi-" The old fox's words only rung in her ears for a moment as she soon gave way to the pain, her mind drifting to her owner. She would be with him soon.

Spoiler

Hildegard stood next to the hospital bed of her trainer, him now an adult. His chest was bandaged, a huge amount of padding and medical dressing around the gaping wound. She and her trainer had been training hard in the dojo, practicing for the trainer-Pokémon tag team tournament that coming weekend. They had worked out this way many times before, but this time there was an accident. Hildegard had gone in for a backhand, something which her trainer should have easily been able to block and then counter, a simple move that would be seen many times at the upcoming event.

Something had distracted him, however. She was not sure what it was, but he was slow to react, her spiked hand crashing into his rib cage. Her trainer fell, gravely wounded. The match had been monitored and first aide was quickly administered. It had clearly been an accident and the still-shocked Hildegard stood motionless and mortified as her trainer was taken away in an ambulance. She remained there frozen, standing in a puddle of her trainer's blood for an hour. Finally, his mother came for Hildegard. She gently helped the shocked lucario come to her senses and drove her to the hospital. Now she stood there, hoping beyond hope that her friend would make it.

Hours passed and her trainer's condition had worsened. Finally, he passed, without her having a chance to tell him how sorry she was. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said her final farewells at his funeral. Then that night, as everyone slept, she took the short, brown jacket that he wore always and left into the night. She had wondered at first if her trainer's family missed her or blamed her, but it did not matter after a while. She had to leave and find a way to bring him back, to fix the tragedy she had a part in. His aura was strongly linked with hers–she could feel it. His soul, in a way, lived on in her, but it was weak like a candle in a windstorm; it would surely be snuffed out if she did not find some way to feed the flame.

Spoiler

Hildegard gasped and choked, the flaming blade in her stomach causing her immense pain, at least for a moment longer. Awakening, the lucario felt sick, her vision blurred. Blinking slowly, she became aware of the delphox standing over her, his wand drawn close to his maw with a small blue orb floating above it. Sagefox shuddered a bit before swallowing the orb, gagging as if he had just eaten something wretched.

"You have the most bitter dreams, my dear. Too much sorrow, fear, self-doubt, and self-loathing," the old fox would say, offering a paw to the lucario. Hildegard looked around. They were where they had started the battle. Neither of them had even moved from the spots where they stood before the match begun. Utterly bewildered, Hilde slapped away the offered paw.

"You killed me!" she shrieked in both shock and anger.

"Well, no, you technically killed yourself. Well, not really that either." The old fox began waving his wand about flippantly as if he were a professor trying to explain a difficult concept to a student. "You were dreaming. I put you under hypnosis at the beginning of the battle and have been learning about you by devouring your dreams. I wanted to see why you were so hostile. Now that I know, I feel very sorry."

The old sage did not get to finish though. Hildegard sprung upon him, knocking him down and stealing his wand from him. "No more! No more intrusions! No more powers! No more YOU!" And with that, Hilde snapped the wand in half effortlessly, the old delphox gasping as she did so. He had no time to try and stop her, and she soon found herself engulfed in a brilliant blast of purple light that filled the entire stadium and rose into the sky. Many miles away, even the Witch saw this and cackled gleefully to herself.

Spoiler

Hildegard once more found herself floating as she had in her own memories. This time, however, nothing seemed familiar. There was a city which she had not been to. Before her, two braixen were enjoying each other's company. One was a brash-looking male with a normal coat, and the other was a somewhat sullen-looking female whose shiny coat was a sight to behold.

"Come on, what can I do to make it better?" the young male asked with a smile as he pulled the female in close. "She's not worth all these tears is she?"

The female tried to smile, but her heart was truly broken. "It's not like you can change it. She abandoned me because I'm weak. It was all ribbons and dress-up one day, and the next," sniffling, the shiny fox Pokémon seemed on the verge of tears, "the next day she tosses me into a daycare to be abused by that pink blob until she got an egg she liked... and I was thrown out like so much used tissue paper."

"No, no. Don't cry. Not over her. Look, I promise we can take things slow if you like. We'll raise a family when you're ready," the male would say with a sly grin. His intentions were clear at this point. He was going to try to make her his mate, but the poor girl was quite traumatized.

"I just wish she were dead," the braixen girl would say before pushing the male away and running into some bushes to weep more.

"I can do that for you," the braixen male said aloud almost darkly as he turned towards the city. "I can make her go away, and then you'll be mine." Hildegard's soul ran cold. She could not believe what she was hearing. She tried in vain to scream out and try to stop the male from going after the female's trainer, but all she could do was watch as she was dragged along. She was not in charge here, and nothing she did seemed to matter.

It was not long before the braixen boy found the trainer, a selfish girl who had just traded the child of the shiny female off for an espurr. She was still young, and really did not think of anyone but herself, but that was not going to spare her from the lustful heart of the fox who had just seen this latest act of trainer cruelty.

It happened in a flash. A searing cone of fire directed at the young girl and whoever else was in the way. Anyone who could got out of the way, clothing and hair on fire, burns both minor and severe, but they were the lucky ones, and not his target. Less lucky bystanders were incinerated or immolated in the cone of fire, but the worst of it was directed at the hapless trainer. There was hardly anything left of her–a pile of ash and a cobalt necklace that she wore around her neck, glowing softly in the ash pile.

The braixen quickly took advantage of the confusion, leaping in to steal the charm and dashing off away from the confusion. Once again Hildegard was dragged along to visions she had no control over, whisked back to the park where the two braixen had met, and once more she saw them, though things had changed.

"I did it for you. You wished her dead and I did it," the male pleaded as the shiny braixen swung a paw, smacking across his face.

"You killed her! I didn't ask you... I didn't mean... I didn't want-" The anger turned into fear at what she had done–what she had said. "I hate you!"

"You hate me? After I killed that wretch for you? After I made it so I can't be seen ever again just so you could have closure? You hate me?" the male spat with a great deal of anger and hurt.

"You killed her! What if she wanted me back? Now that will never happen. I'll never see her again! A-And it's all because of you!" the female fox shouted back, drawing her wand and pointing it at the male. Flames spouted forth from the female's twig, but the male responded quickly and in kind. The initial blast seemed to favor the shiny girl, her rage and anger poured into the blast. The male though was far stronger, and his hurt burned just as brightly as her hate. It soon became clear who would win this contest of wills, the shiny female only barely able to escape from being engulfed in a massive cone of deathly, rage-driven flame.

"I'll kill you for this!" she shouted, enraged as she fled. "I'll kill you for this even if it takes me all my life!"

Spoiler

Hildegard was pulled out of the memory before she could see what happened afterward, but she had seen enough to know what became of this. The old fox in front of her filled her both with fear and anger.

"How could you kill her. She... she-" Hildegard's voice trembled. "I'm going to enjoy removing your blighted aura from the face of this earth."
"And you would be justified in doing so, if I were the braixen in that vision," the old fox stated as he picked himself up. "I've spent a lifetime atoning for that, and I will continue to do so until the day I die, but it won't be today."

"Why shouldn't I kill you? End you now?" the lucario snapped back. "You deserve it. The Witch is right."

"Do you want more blood on your hands?" came a pleasantly soft feminine voice from behind Hildegard that caused her to pause. "Is it going to make you happy? Will it bring back whatever it is you've lost?" Hilde slowly turned around to face the voice.

"He killed a trainer in cold blood. He's evil, more evil than anything from stories I've heard about the Witch," Hildegard growled as she looked to Fleur who was sitting on the side of the arena, legs dangling over the edge. "He has obviously brainwashed you into thinking he's some saint when all he really wanted to do was-"

Fleur cleared her throat, interrupting Hilde from finishing. "He has spent nearly all his life trying to atone. Nearly forty years of fostering, nurturing, healing, and loving lost and abandoned Pokémon. Pokémon just like you," the rabbit explained, her voice calm and assuring. "It's not what we do in a moment that makes us who we are. It's what we do with our whole lives that matters."

"Hildegard, I know you don't have any love for me, and I can understand why, especially with your pain," the old fox groaned as he stood up, picking up the broken fragments of his wand. "But if you kill me now it won't make her life any better. She thinks that no one loves her anymore, and it's just not true."

Hildegard turned to the fox expecting an attack of some kind, but instead all she found was a broken old delphox with an outstretched paw, the contents of which caused the lucario to pause. The cobalt necklace from the memory and his wand fragments were held out as an offering to her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked slowly, unsure of what to think.

"Take them to her. Give her back what she loved most, and give her her revenge. I only hope it's enough for her," Sagefox pleaded slowly. "Without my wand I'm as good as dead. Powerless and old, I'll spend my last few years continuing to help those who want it. The necklace... I had kept it as a reminder of what I had done. Not a trophy, but a keepsake to be hung around my neck, reminding me never to act on emotion alone."

The lucario hesitated for a moment. She was unsure of what to do, what to say. Here she was with victory in her hands, but she was not sure just what sort of victory it was. Nothing had ever prepared her for this decision. A life lay in her paws, one which had done both great good and terrible evil. If everything he did to make up for his poor choice did not matter, what chance did she have?

"Take it," the old sage urged. "I'm not going anywhere if you change your mind." There was a pause before Hildegard took the possessions of the old fox.

"You better pray that I don't come back." And with that she leapt out of the arena into the nearby trees.

"Are you alright, master?" Fleur asked, hopping down into the arena.

"Yes, quite," the old sage said slowly as he let the rabbit help him out of the arena. He went on to say, "She'll be back again. Next time though, I don't think there will be a fight."

Spoiler

Hildegard had wrestled with her decision to let the old delphox live the entire way back to the Witch's cave. Her doubts rolled within her like a storm. Was she too hard on him for having one moment of weakness? Or did he really deserve to die? Her steps were slow and reserved as she approached the entrance to the cave. She only wished that all her stealth and training would make it so the Witch did not know she was there, but she knew better. Just as the sage had known where she was at all times in his domain, the Witch also knew where she was.

The sound of soft footsteps filled the air, claw tapping on stone, as the old witch emerged to greet her pupil.

"You've done very well it would seem," the shiny female delphox remarked as she looked over the trophies of Hilde's conquest. Snatching up the broken wand, the Witch spied the cobalt necklace and paused. "What... Where... How?" the female fox stuttered.

Hildegard's heart felt lightened at the sight of such a little thing bringing someone so miserable even a minute amount of sentimentality, but that thought was dashed apart in a moment.

"He's not dead!" The witch howled in rage. The lucario had to dodge a massive fireball which seemed to materialize out of nowhere, the remains of the old sage's wand burning into cinders in her paw. Hildegard clutched the necklace close as she rolled out of the way of another blast of flame.

"He wanted me to tell you how sorry he was. He's powerless and broken. Isn't that enough?"

"It'll never be enough!" the Witch screeched. "Not until his blood soaks the ground! Not until his lifeless corpse is as cold as the ashes of my dead trainer! Go back and finish the job or you'll never see your trainer again!"

The lucario stood up slowly, a sudden dawning of revelation filling her. "If you could bring back my trainer," Hilde replied with a slow confidence of true understanding, "you'd have brought back your own. I want nothing to do with you." There was a flash. Hildegard was certain that this was the end, but as the bright light faded, she found herself in the center of a smoldering crater, untouched, bathed in a blue glow.

"You–You mega-evolved?" the Witch gasped in disbelief. "But that's–that's impossible, not without your trainer!" Hildegard looked down at her form for a moment, noticing the changes on her body. This was the first time she has ever mega-evolved. Her legs became fully bare, slender and strong. Her shaggy head of hair had lengthened into beautiful long strands, her aura feelers having grown as well. The fur of her torso had extended beyond her rear, appearing as some sort of cape hanging off her back. The most stand-out feature of all were the new spikes that appeared on the top of her paws, the steel rings around her shoulders, and her chest, no longer filed down in shame.

The lucario's thoughts were filled with a true understanding of loss and love. "He's always with me. Your hollow promises can't bring back what isn't lost." the aura Pokémon growled. Hilde poised herself, ready to attack the witch, but there was no time. The Witch had already drawn her wand, a beam of pure energy charging at the end. Hildegard recognized it immediately: Hyper Beam. If she continued her assault, she would take the force of the blast directly. She doubted very much even in her new form that she would be able to take such a hit. She had to make a hard choice then and there.

Hildegard fled the battle just as the massive beam tore its way through where she had been standing, and far beyond. Rocks, trees, and everything in that path of destruction vaporized in a nanosecond. The distressing screams of rage coming from the Witch made the lucario's heart shudder as she fled the area. She would never return to the Witch–she could not after what had just transpired.

Miles away, the lucario rested, her newfound aura fading as she returned to her old self. The necklace in her paws still glowed faintly, warm to the touch. Hildegard slowly opened her paw and looked it over. She, however, did not see anything she had not before.

"Thank you," she whispered, grasping the necklace in her paw, a deep sense of closeness filling her. "To both of you." And with that, she slowly placed the necklace around her neck, a reminder of the danger of letting grief blind her. She would have to find a new path to walk. Perhaps Sagefox would help her, perhaps not. Hildegard paused for a moment and weighed her options.

"No, not him," she said confidently as she started walking back to the sanctuary. "Her."

 

Chapter Six: Homecoming

Final part of this arc! Time to plan for the next.

Spoiler

Fire was blazing everywhere, screams of terror ringing as people ran both towards and away from the source of the disaster. A feeling of cramped quarters and fear, a bright blinding light, the screams suddenly silenced–a shadow moving through the flames, eyes glowing purple, arcs of violet lightning emanating from it–fear, need to escape, a blinding light.

Malgam the eevee woke with a start. It was the same dream he was having since he found Malice down in those caves. Shortly after he approached her following the explosion she caused, the mewtwo rocketed off with impressive speed. Malgam was lucky to have been able to trace her thanks to his espeon form, picking up her psychic signatures. He utilized the necklace-like device he wore to trigger the type form he wanted, the evolution fueled by different colored stones inserted into the plate. He could only stay in a phase for so long, however, the necklace reverting him back into an eevee after about ten minutes.

Malice seemed to be conscious again after he located her in the caverns, though it was a challenge in its own luring her back to the facility they grew up in, and the only ways he was able to have her comply was, firstly, through his dark type form, and secondly through the promise that she would find answers to her true origin deeper within the facility. He also felt that she vaguely remembered him–for her to fully remember would probably take some time, and Malgam did not feel like prodding with how frightful the mewtwo was.

The little eevee with his comically large purple cape stretched out and yawned. Dreams could wait. The world was what he was after. Blinking a few times, the eevee's stomach growled. It had been almost a whole day since he had a proper meal, though he figured he better check in with his new minion first.

"Better keep that thought in check," the eevee mused as he floated from the small makeshift shelter he constructed, a crudely put together cardboard box fort. "She's got enough power that she doesn't see herself as that." Malgam had thought himself a sort of "king," holding himself up high thanks to the powers he was granted by the humans. Unlike Malice, Malgam was actually not consumed with murderous rage and hellbent on eliminating mankind; in fact, he was pleased with what he was given, and he was not treated so badly either!

Many times did the eevee "lord" consider assembling an army of strong, willing Pokémon to fulfill his every wish and carry out his every command, but then he cast this idea aside upon realizing how much work it would take. Still, that did not stop his vivid imagination from engaging in pretense, the eevee acting out as a feared, evil warlock just because it sounded more fun than being a hero. He did not really contain any ill will towards anyone, but had enough power where he figured he could get away with anything. Now that he was free, the young eevee felt like the world was his for the taking, but before he would rule it, he had to acquire the missing piece of his type collection: Fairy!

Malice was not too far away from the eevee's fort. Standing in front of a massive vault door, the genetically modified monstrosity stood, arms outstretched and eyes glowing as she focused on the door.

"It's still not open yet!" Malgam cried in despair as he floated up next to the mewtwo. "Why don't you just blast it open? Ya know, like you did with your restraints."

The mewtwo's eyes ceased to glow, returning to their normal state of being as her concentration broke. "For the exact same reason you haven't done it, you little twerp. The door is shielded from almost every form of energy," the mewtwo said with a bit of a snarl, her patience already thin from not having herself eaten or rested since they had arrived there, her hatred and quest for answers the only thing keeping her upright. "It was the first thing I tried," she admitted, looking down at the diminutive eevee.

Malgam tried to look cool as he stood next to the towering terror. "And what makes you think I tried getting in here myself?" the eevee asked nonchalantly, leaning against Malice's leg. "I mean, there's nothing in there for me, so why would I bother?"

Malice gave the little brat a stout kick to his back side. Being a psychic Pokémon, it was quite weak, but it made her feel better nonetheless. "I may not be able to read your mind, and I may not be able to destroy you either, but don't think I'm an idiot!" the mewtwo said with a hiss that chilled even Malgam's blood. The mewtwo stretched out a hand, highlighting several areas both on and around the door. "The door itself shows minor damage from intense heat here, electrolysis damage here, metal fatigue from extreme cold here, and the rocks around have been eroded from high pressure water streams and pried apart with rampant plant growth."

Malgam looked aghast at the mewtwo. "You mean my psychic blasts didn't even phase the door!?" he cried out like a child who was surprised he failed a test that he had worked so hard to cheat on.

"And that right there," Malice said, turning away from the eevee and back to the door, "was the admission I needed to know for sure you just didn't bring others in before me."

Malgam's heart sank in his chest. He has been tricked into admitting his role in trying to get into the door. She was not going to be easy to manipulate at all, and she was just dangerous enough that he would have to be extra careful around her. "So what about just teleporting us in there? I mean I haven't tried that," the little lord said, trying to get back his confidence.

"I could, but I don't know for sure how thick the door is and what's on the other side," the mewtwo replied, calming down a bit. "If they had the foresight to shield it, they likely thought about that as well, and either set up traps or warded the place from being teleported into."

"So how do you plan to get in then, stare the door into submission?" Malgam quipped realizing that they had been here a lot longer than he planned.

"I'm tunneling through the door a single atom at a time. It takes massive concentration, and more patience than either of us possess," the mewtwo growled, looking down at the eevee with a glint in her eyes that made Malgam feel that perhaps he was not the one in charge here. "My plan C is to use that thick head of yours as a battering ram."

Malgam got the hint. Backing away very slowly, the eevee lord gave a small nervous chuckle. "Why don't I just leave you to your work?" Malgam floated off to find some food the humans might have left behind and thought to himself, "She's really not someone to mess with. I might need to take a different approach with her."

Spoiler

The fires seemed closer now, closer than ever before. Dark metal walls all around, iron bars barring the way from escape–the screaming, clearer now.

"Stop her!"

"Subject Malice containment breach! All teams to your posts!"

"Get the scientists out!"

"What about the other Projects?"

A flash of purple light filled the room, groans, whimpering, and the sounds of dying filled the air. A shadow moved through the flames, eyes glowing, lightning crackling all around it–a blinding flash of light.

Malgam once more awoke from his night terrors, a cold feeling of horror enveloping his entire body. He groaned as he once again blinked the sleep from his eyes. The dream was becoming more vivid, and felt ever more real. The eevee shook his head trying to drive those memories out.

"I hope this all ends up being–BELCH!" the eevee blushed a bit as his thoughts were interrupted by yesterday's lunch, which consisted of an entire cupboard of delicious morsels ranging from sandwiches to donuts. Looking down at his stomach with a grin, the eevee gave it a pat and said, "Well, I guess you've had your say for the morning. Let's go see what Miss Grumpy has been up to."

Malice still stood in the same spot she had been the day before, and the days before that even. Malgam truly wondered how, with all the turmoil in her soul, she was able to be so still for so long. He floated up to her and started to ask, "So any progress on the–BURP!"

"No, I've not managed to outdo your disgusting displays, your title is quite safe," Malice said as she once again stopped her focus on her work to interact with the little lord.

"Was–Was that a joke?" Malgam stammered almost in shock. "You have a sense of humor under all that?"

Malice scoffed a little and turned her back to the eevee. "I'm not just a weapon or a tool for you to abuse either. I'm very much still a living breathing individual, and that does include the occasional foray into the humorous when I am in the mood."

Malgam stared dumbfounded at the mewtwo. He never really thought of her as anything more than an ends to a means, and, as she very well put it, a tool. She honestly up until this point had not shown any indication to the the contrary. "I'm... I didn't mean... you're not," Malgam stuttered, trying not to sound offensive with what he was about to say, yet not really wanting to apologize either. That would mean he was wrong. He was never wrong, just sometimes less right.

Malice just growled–she was very low on patience, tired, hungry, and feeling weak from all the exertion. It was starting to show too; her normal facade of rage and indifference was starting to give way to her inner personality, something she had no intention of letting Malgam see. "I don't care what you meant. I'm only here to get the answers I want, and then you and I are done."

Malgam frowned slightly at hearing this, as he honestly liked having someone else around. Not that he saw Malice as an equal of any sort, but she was closer to that than anyone else he had ever met. There was a sort of bond there, not of friendship, but of suffering. He knew that she had been in this facility just like he had. The remnants of files he found scattered throughout the ruins proved this without a doubt. It was also how he knew where to find her. "Well then, I'll just leave you and the door alone for some private time," he muttered, turning away.

Malice paused a moment. "It's not going to be open for some time yet. If, by that time you can give me a reason to stay, I will."

Malgam turned back to the mewtwo with an inquisitive look on his face. "I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"I can't," Malice replied simply. "But I can read body language just as easily. And you are terrible at hiding your feelings," she said with a bit of a smile, the sight of which Malgam shuddered at. There was just something so unsettling seeing Malice acting under other emotions than anger and hate. It was so much easier to think of her as some sort of killer robot than as a person.

"Well, you're right of course. We won't get through any time soon. Maybe you should go get something to eat and have a rest," the little eevee lord suggested, trying his best to not show his concerns over a great many things, one of which was his own dreams of late. He was certain that she was the shadow in them, but what they meant, whether past or future, he did not know.

"Leave the door alone!" Malice said as she lifted herself off the ground to leave. "I don't need you messing up all my hard work just because you're impatient, you little snot."

Malgam watched as the mewtwo flew off for a much needed meal and break. He personally was glad to see her go in some respects. He was always on guard with her around, and now that she was gone he could relax a bit himself.

Grrgle. Malgam's stomach groaned.

"No, I couldn't," Malgam said with an almost cheeky grin. "She said to leave the door alone and that's exactly what we're going to do."

Grrrrnn. Malgam sighed deeply with a smirk.

"You're right, it couldn't hurt to have a little look," Malgam admitted, patting his belly. "You're pretty smart for a stomach."

There was a crackling sound and a flash of light as the eevee's necklace device began to beep rapidly. Malgam became taller, fur becoming a luscious purple, a red gem appearing on his forehead. The eevee lord had evolved into an espeon.

"Now, let's see what she's been up to," Malgam snickered as his gem began to glow upon his forehead. His power was a far cry from Malice's, and he was well aware of it, though he suspected he would be able to trace her own psychic signature on the door just as he utilized his power to find her sulking in the caves.

It did not take long for him to realize there was not a single iota of her energy on the door–it was everywhere in the surrounding environment. It saturated the area like a crackling field of radiation, but it was not to be found on the door at all.

"What's going on?" the espeon wondered as he flashed back to his eevee form. "She's up to something, but what?"

It was a sure thing that Malice would know that he checked on her. She would recognize his psychic traces, faint as they were, as soon as she came back. There was nothing he could do about it now. He thought about claiming he just wanted to help if she brought it up.

Gllugg. Malgam gulped a bit as he floated his way back to his hut. He felt sick with fear, and a bit from the quick shifting upsetting his stomach.

"Oh, shut up, you! This is all your fault, I knew I shouldn't have listened to you," Malgam muttered as he made his way to his fort.

Spoiler

The fires seemed even hotter this time round. It was becoming ever more clear. Across the room a broken vat, sirens blaring, not only the screams of people this time but other Pokémon–the steel cage a prison keeping him, and likely many others trapped while the flames spread. There was such fear to be felt, and such anger too. A darkness spread like a miasma through the building. It was almost like living fear, causing all who could to cower or flee. Once again the bright flash of purple light filled the room, the eevee unable to see its source. This time, however, it was no longer a shadow moving through the flames. The shadow had cleared and revealed itself. Malice stepped out of the fire, shielded in a crackling orb of energy, violet lightning sparking off of her with every step. The eevee cowered in fear to the rear of his cage as she drew near. A flash of purple light blinded him temporarily, and then there was a violent quake that rattled him around the cage. He could hear a crumbling noise from above.

Malgam woke with a start for the third day in a row now. This was becoming monotonous. Where were these dreams coming from anyhow? He had never met Malice before he found her in the cave, and yet these dreams seemed so real, he could not shake the feeling that perhaps they were something more. Yawning loudly, the eevee stretched out, moaning happily with how good it felt. He could not help but feel a bit of guilt over eating all that food. He had to make it last as long as he could, otherwise he would have to actually go out and hunt, and that required work.

His mind then wandered back to the nightmares. "Keep it cool, you're just letting these dreams get the better of you," he muttered as he floated lazily out of the little fort, his eyes still bleary from his restless sleep. There was still that nagging feeling though, and while he had been attacked by Malice shortly after finding her while she still was in a fit of rage, he had been in no danger. His mastery of his evolutionary powers allowed him to gain the upper hand even against a powerful creature like her. No, this was something else, something where he was very much in danger, where his life had been on the line. It was an unsettling feeling.

Malgam hesitated a bit before going to check on the mewtwo. He was still certain that she was going to be mad about the previous day.

"Maybe she didn't notice," he tried to assure himself. Floating slowly towards the giant door, he became very uneasy again. Something was not right, or at least it was very different from the norm. The eevee peeked carefully through the tall grass surrounding the small clear area in front of the door, hiding behind a bit of rubble to keep him from being noticed.

Malice, however, was not at her usual post. She was indeed in the clear area in front of the door, but she was laying in front of it curled up like a cat Pokémon napping on a windowsill, her head resting on her tiny arms, eyes closed. What stood out most, however, was the erratic pattern of red splattered all over the mewtwo. Staining the floor around her was more of the red which trailed out of the chamber. The eevee's imagination went wild as he imagined the mewtwo going out for a hunt, scaring himself with his own thoughts on how she mercilessly ripped her prey apart.

"Why aren't YOU working on that door!?" Malice snapped awake in an instant, Malgam being pulled from his hiding spot before he could evolve to umbreon to defend himself. "Well, if it isn't our little meddling mastermind," Malice growled as Malgam managed to evolve himself, breaking free of her power, though the umbreon was shaken from the experience.

"I just... wanted to see how far you'd gotten," Malgam lied, grinning ear to ear, hoping the mewtwo would buy that. "I mean you know how it is, waiting to open up your presents."

Malice stood up snarling, stepping towards the umbreon. Her posture was one of annoyance and not sheer anger, but Malgam was not about to let his guard down. He knew the mewtwo wasn't one to be trifled with. His eyes locked onto her and widened in horror as Malice stepped in a more lighted area, the red on her turning out to be blood, covering almost every bit of her upper body. He could smell it as she approached.

"Do I have something on my face? You not liking what you see?" she said darkly as she stopped just a step away, towering over the umbreon. "I'll tell you what happened so you know what will occur the next time you get impatient."

Malgam gulped a bit, wanting to step back, but knowing if he showed even a momentary weakness in front of her she would use it against him. She was a predator through and through, and not just in terms of her eating habits. "Well, I mean if you'd rather finish your nap, I'm sure I could learn patience waiting for that to be over," he said quickly.

"No, I'm in the mood now," the mewtwo said bluntly, staring down the little umbreon lord. She was challenging him, there was no question about it. If he tried to leave he would be seen as weak. If he tried to talk his way out, she would see it as him not respecting her as a person, something that would infuriate the cat to no end. "The creature I hunted struggled for a good long while, even after it got a good taste of my power," the mewtwo stated simply as she bent down towards Malgam, making sure he got a good look at the blood caking her. "For all intents and purposes, it should have died instantly–wounds so great that it should have died of shock, but it wouldn't die until I let it. It simply existed for my pleasure from its pain, and continued to do so until I got bored of it. Got all of that?"

"What? You aren't supposed to play with your food, you know," Malgam retorted, not wanting to admit he basically did the same thing, the donut army uprising no match against his ravenous appetite. Malgam looked one last time at her blood-stained face before finally breaking his gaze away. "Also don't forget I'll never be prey to you, so why don't you just get back to work?" The umbreon growled back. "And you'll find that last time you attacked me I went easy on you." It might not have been wise to provoke her. He had to get her away from him before the timer on his necklace device turned him back into his normal form, which she would certainly have no trouble tearing into.

Malice's face went from subtle cruelty to outright rage at this comment. Her body crackling as her rage built. Psychic lightning striking randomly around her, even striking Malgam, though it had no effect on him in his dark state. As her rage built, the psychic energies also surged, and with a final primal roar she turned about and unleashed a massive blast of pure psychic energy directly at the door. The shielded structure absorbed and deflected the energies, though the surrounding rock was not as fortunate, being blasted away or vaporized as it was hit, revealing further reinforcements behind.

Malgam was certainly glad he had not been the one she released that blast towards. His body would have been able to shake off the psychic energies, but he was already having a hard time blocking the massive amount of light from blinding his sensitive eyes. Had it been directed at him, he was sure he would have been temporarily or even permanently blinded. Malice's temper tantrum, however, soon came to an end as she dropped to her knees. Panting heavily, Malgam blinked, trying to get rid of the spots that were floating in front of his eyes. Finally able to see again, his jaw dropped seeing that the door and surrounding walls were completely unscathed. Whatever they were made of was completely able of withstanding even the massive anger of the mewtwo.

Malice was still for the most part, incapacitated by her exertion, and Malgam took this moment to leave, realizing something. She would never be able to get him in there, but more importantly, if he could find a way in, she would never be able to get in.

Spoiler

The tight confine of Malgam's cage left him almost completely helpless as the ceiling above him was collapsing, heavy stone and rubble crashing down on him. His mind raced, looking for any way to escape, anything that could save him. And then, with a flash, he was outside. Looking around, he could tell it was the same facility that he had been trying to get into, but it was still standing, though on fire, people running out the door as beams of purple light burst through the walls and ceiling of the outer research center.

"She'll be angry I saved you." Malgam turned swiftly to see the first friendly face he had seen in a long time. A mew floated beside him looking sadly at him. "She'll be even more angry if she remembers you," the mew said with a tear in her eye.

"Come with me!" Malgam shouted, grabbing the mew's paw and trying to drag her away. "We'll escape! She can't hurt you anymore."

The mew smiled a bit at the offer, but shook her head no, her body starting to fade from view. "I can't leave her. I'm a part of her. She may not like to admit it, but we are one."

Tears welled up in the rainbow eyes of the young eevee. "But, you're my friend," Malgam cried as the mew faded from view. "Don't leave me!"

"I'll always protect you, even from myself," the mew's voice echoed as she faded entirely from sight. With that, there was a bright, blinding flash and a massive explosion as the emergency containment protocol was activated, and the building was destroyed in a massive explosion.

Malgam woke up in a cold sweat. He was crammed into a tight metal box, one end forcibly ripped off the hinges. Malgam blinked wondering just where he was and unsure of what was going on. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, things began to come together for him. Across the room was a broken vat, scorch marks and melted metal easily visible.

Malgam wormed his way out of the small cramped box and fell to the ground. The dark room finally came into focus. It was the research lab from his dreams, beyond the metal vault door, but how did he get in here? There was no way Malice would have let him in after yesterday's events. He was not even sure how she would have gotten him in there in the first place.

Wandering around, a glint of purple light caught his eye; it was faint, and seemed to be like a fleeting fairy which, like in fairy tales, lead their charge from danger. Malgam felt drawn to follow it, as it guided him deeper into the facilities, to parts untouched by the disaster which had overtaken it. Through labyrinthine corridors, deeper and deeper, he finally came to a large chamber which looked almost like a museum.

Malgam stopped to look around, gasping as he took in what he saw. The place was almost a shrine to mew, everything in the room tied to the psychic Pokémon. Tapestries, ancient tablets, books, paintings, and murals decorated the space.

Malgam began to understand; this was the hall of research which had led to Malice's capture and eventual rebirth. Several things stood out to the little eevee lord though: a cabinet filled with some sort of exotic jewelry, a box of some sort which looked like a remote control, and a pair of manacles which looked like they might be custom made for Malice.

Malgam floated first to the manacles. A small placard below confirmed his suspicion. Subject Omega Nu Epsilon control gauntlets. Crafted from psychic resistant metals the gauntlets are intended to both channel and restrain the subjects massive unstable psychic abilities. Untested.

Malgam mused at this. If he could find a way to get Malice into these willingly, she might be more controllable, though he would have to find some sort of excuse as to how he would do this. It might even be helpful for her, as she seemed unable to control herself, draining herself to near fainting when enraged.

Floating from this exhibit to the small control box, the eevee read the placard again to find out more about it. Devolution Beam. Beam weapon created mimicking the radiation produced by Subject Omega Nu Epsilon's Devolution Beam attack. Untested.

Now this caught Malgam's attention. He doubted very much that it would work on Malice, and the fact it was not listed as a fail safe of some kind, nor that it had been disturbed in her rampages supported this thought; however, it might be useful in a fight. There were other Pokémon that might pose a problem, and this device could be the trump card that he needed. Pocketing the device, he moved on to the final display he noticed.

This one did not have a placard or any sort of information about it. It was a cabinet of gold jewelry which the eevee had seen on the mew depicted in the pictures. It was clearly at one point Malice's, though he had no idea if it had any special meaning to her anymore. The glittering tiara and tail ring, though, resonated deeply with something inside him. He did not know what it was, but something about this jewelry spoke to him about a friend long lost.

Malgam turned and looked over the room again and started laughing maniacally. "Everything I need is right here!" the eevee lord cackled as he surveyed the room, and those beyond, filled with other experiments and devices, all of which were untouched. Malgam stopped his laughter as something hit him. "How do I get out?"

End of Arc 1 - Sagefox...
Stay tuned... for Arc 2- Malgam

Thank you for reading!