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A Memory At A Time

(Zero's POV)

This has been such a weird day. I thought. My arms were behind my head while I kept close to my apparent Pokemon. What was his name again? Arya or something odd like that? I couldn't remember. Either way, with how he saved my life during Junior's rampage it was safer if I stayed by him. He didn't seem bothered by it as a matter of fact which surprised me. If it were anybody from Junior's group he'd simply walk away or say whatever he says in his tougue. I wasn't sure at the time, but I suspected he disliked them. I couldn't understand his reasoning as to why. They all seemed like nice people. Except Junior. He didn't appear as normal as I had first thought. The wolf human was understandable, cool to an exact, but not his transformation nor sudden rampage. He didn't hesitate when he slaughtered and ate those men. God the horrifying crunching was going to haunt me forever.

"So.. we head back to the others, yeah? That'd seem wise. Maybe they found something?" I offered to my Pokemon who gruffed and kept walking. W_ow, a simple no wouldn't have killed ya asshole._ I thought. A growl arose from him. He turned to me and made multiple paw signs.

"Oh.. Didn't know that. Heh oh well." I gave him an idiotic grin and a shrug. I stayed like that for a moment, which annoyed the dog. His eyes rolled.

"Carrrio.." He grumbled, returning his attention to the empty dirt path. My grin slowly disappeared when the jackal began to leave me behind.

"Hey wait up.. Hey Akio?" I called out. My lucario sighed before stopping and turned in place. A scowl on his muzzle.

"Grrr.. Ri?" He growled out. His psychic aura surrounded him, similar to that of an outline. It was obvious he was angry at me.

"Dude, I'm sorry alright? I didn't know you had a short fuse. I'll just zip it. We cool now?" I inquired. Akio took a deep breath. The blue kinetic energy that shrouded him diminished into nothing. My partner simply shook his head. He pointed me. I simply stared at him until he grumbled and tugged at my jacket.

"Ah. You could've just asked.. Oh wait haha." I teased. Akio just ignored me as he started to remove my jacket. Rather forcefully might I add. Once I was jacketless, I glanced down at myself. At my arms. My skin pale and healthy. I honestly couldn't guarantee that I was normal myself after seeing Junior, the creatures and the assassins. But is anybody truly normal? I thought. Shaking my head upon my own question, I glanced up at the Pokemon who held my jacket. I was so immersed in my thought that I hadn't noticed Akio's stares. His sight traveled up and down my body.

"Carr.. Lucar-cario." The Pokemon stated. He pointed at the collar of the jacket then at me. His arm stretched towards me, holding my jacket. He nodded as I began to reach for it. I simply held onto it once my skin touched the warmth. Akio made a slow paw sign akin to tapping his head.

"You want me.. to fix my jacket? Are you sure that's what you wanted to say?" I inquired his wording but was confused by a nod. I stared at the limp jacket, my right brow raised. How in hell was I going to fix a jacket? It didn't have any tears or deformations either. So the canine's statement was hard to believe.

In one slow movement, Akio pressed against the wrist of the jacket causing the thing to grumble eerily. I jerked my hand back. The jacket simply slumped against the floor causing dirt to shoot into the air. Akio swiped his paw to dispel the dirt. A questionable look spread on his face. "Crr?" He inquired, picking the jacket up and dusted it off before tossing it back to me. I caught it, but simply eyed it. Akio, noticing my cautious look, made a few paw signs to help me understand.

"O..kay? Whatever makes you happy?" I effortlessly pulled the collar apart until a snap made me jolt up. The back of the jacket's collar broke into two. Multiple torn and twisted wires filled the space. Most were of a blue shade. My brows rose as a familiar tingle surged through me.

"Wait, Akio. I think I remember this.. it's.. it's.. FUCK! It just slipped my mind!" My exclamation rose suspicion from my friend. Although his tail gave away a true emotion he was attempting to hide. "I.. this looks familiar. Hold on.." My hands began to slowly reach toward the wires but Akio stopped me, grabbing my arm and shaking his head. He motioned toward a nearby log with his head.

"Yeah... I probably should sit down. My feet are killing me." Akio gave a simple nod in response before sitting down. I joined him without hesitation. My hands slowly worked with the wires, untwisting them and creating small sparks from both wrong and right combinations. Red sparked correctly against green whereas blue didn't clash well against green but worked with red. It wasn't until a accidental shock from screwing up a grey wire that Akio showed concern for my well being. His ears perked and quickly stretched his arm toward me. I chuckled.

"I'm fine. Although it's surprising to see you care about me. Thought you weren't one for emotion really." My slight tease grew a growl out of the quickly angered canine. "Carrr! Rio Car.. grrr.." He replied, rather dismissive. His ears flattened for a few seconds as his tail laid low. I patted his head but he swiped my hand away.

"Wow, rude." I stated before continuing the work on the wires. It hadn't occurred to me how I knew how to fix the damn thing. I just went with what felt right and bam somehow it hadn't been messed up beyond repair.

"Ok... is this missing something?" I inquired toward the empty spot between the wires. Akio leaned toward me to get a better view. His head nodded before tapping my jacket's left pocket. A small bump made Akio nod. "Crio." I held onto the wired jacket dangerously close to my chest as I began rummaging through the pocket. It was oddly deeper than I expected. My fingers hooked around the small object, pulling it out of the deep pocket. Once it was released from the pouch, I pricked my index finger on it. I flinched and jerked my hand back, dropping whatever I held. I couldn't see what it was when a flash of blue fur pushed me. Akio was quick in his reflexes as he caught it with his paws, flinching as well. It had drawn some blood from him. Once my partner opened his paws, red illuminated the area. Our faces were reddened from its glow. It was a sharp red jewel. The light brightened as it absorbed a small amount of Akio's blood. The canine jolted up. "Crrii.." He groaned.

"What is that? And.. Huh?" I stopped myself as Akio placed the jewel in my open palm, nodding as he did.

"Rio, Lucar." Even if i couldn't understand him, it was clear what he was saying. Sighing, I placed the jewel into the jacket until I was sure it was wedged into the wires. The wires began to wrap around it until it was swallowed whole. A bright red aura shrouded the jacket. Warmth spread from my fingers throughout my entire body. Even in.. CERTAIN areas. Even the collar repaired itself, covering the oddity like a veil.

Akio's expression softened the moment I covered myself with it. A glance down at my arms revealed the lingering glow. Will it ever go away? I curiously thought, switching my sight to my partner.

"Will the glow vanish later?" Instead of replying, he started to clear his throat. He straightened his posture and locked his eyes to mine. I couldn't help but chuckle from his sudden seriousness.

"Yes," Akio said. W_ait, did he actually say something? Or am I just imagining it?_ "So, can you understand me now? I hope you can. Would be terrible for my master to be unable to comprehend my speech at this point." His voice snapped me to attention. So I wasn't imagining it but did he actually sound like that? Not that it wasn't nice, in fact it did match his attitude. Just how it was HIS voice that sent an odd tingle through my entire body. From head to toe. What was the feeling? Was it nostalgia? If it was, why would I experience that from simply hearing his voice?

"Did you.. just talk to me?" I inquired. "Actually I can get past that. Unlike everything involved with Junior and those assassins you having the ability to talk seems one of the more normal things happening. But why does this.. jacket make me hear you? And why did that jewel thing take some of our blood?" Akio chuckled, his arms crossed.

"That was the Jewel Of Understanding. Well.. we USED to call it a Blood Pact Jewel. But you brought up that part about acknowledgement and everybody kinda liked the name. Anyways, it transforms our blood as a source of juel so you can understand Pokemon and other languages." Akio explained. My fingers slowly rubbed my jacket's collar. "So.. we won't need to resupply it anymore? I can always understand you?" Akio shook his head at my question. "Normally, only one of us needs to sacrifice a drop of blood. That's normally enough for a month. But.. with the amount you and I gave it.. it won't need a blood sacrifice for a good while. You can also power it using life essence but you were always opposed to that idea." The Lucario mentioned.

I scratched my head. "Life essence? As in, like, a soul?" My partner nodded. I couldn't help but see the wrong in that method. Thankfully, Akio said I always avoided that option.

"So where did I get this jacket in the first place? And how did the solution to fixing this come to me almost naturally?" I asked.

"It was a gift from your recruitment eight years ago. And about your talent in electronics, you had a knack for that kind of thing once you actually joined." Akio explained. The damn dog was giving me more questions than answers.

"Ok so what did I join exactly? And make it simple! I don't wanna be even more confused that I already am!" Akio simply stared at me with a bored expression. He didn't even continue explaining. The jerk.

"Can you at least tell me?"

"I wish I could, but it would serve you very little help considering the situation you've gotten yourself in." I scratched my head. Was he talking about Junior? And if he was, why? Did he not trust him in his large wolf form? Maybe once he was human he'd be nicer to him?

"OK so.. Elaborate, if you can please. What situation did I get into? Is it really THAT bad?" I asked. The canine's ears flared up as he scowled. "Of course it is! It's very bad Zero! First your memory loss," He gestured his paw toward the trail we arrived from. "And now you're traveling with him. A Shifter! Do you and that child even know what he is capable of?!"

"Capable of.. You mean his transformation? Sure it was terrifying but-"

"He isn't capable of just that Zero. There's much more he can do, ESPECIALLY with that amulet in his possession." Akio stared down at the ground, his ears drooping along his sigh. "Why did you lose your memories NOW of all times? When we need you at top shape? Zero, we need and I mean NEED to get your memories back. Before any more of those.. killings happen." Akio rubbed his chin with his paw, making an adorable thinking face. He occasionally thought of a method before dismissing it just as fast. Relief flooded me when he dismissed the idea of smashing my head with a rock. While he was brainstorming ideas, I simply stood there, staring at the canine. I wished I had been of more help to him. I really did. He clearly was upset about my odd circumstance. But I couldn't help but wonder if my memories were returnable. And if so, would I even want them? An ignorant and blissful lifestyle without past memories did seem appealing. Without any bad memories or experiences, I'd start anew. A better life perhaps. On the other hand all my happy memories, if I had any that was, I wouldn't remember any of them.

Grumbling on the matter, I folded my arms and tapped my foot. Akio must've taken my action as me being impatient since he glared at me. I shot him a questioned glance back. We stared at each other for what seemed like a minute when suddenly Akio clapped his paws together.

"I got an idea!" He exclaimed. Akio leaned toward me but stopped when his face was a few inches away from mine. "Analyze my face Zero. Maybe if you concentrate it'll spark a memory? Even if it's small. Anything is better than nothing." I chuckled but the moment I tried to avoid his sight he placed both his paws on my temples. Akio had locked my sight on his. "Come on Zero. You have to try.." Was that a soft whimper I heard from the determined mon? Even his expression softened. It pulled on my heart string upon seeing it.

"Ok I'll try." I reluctantly agreed. A part of me died seeing the pitiful pokemon. I just couldn't say no to him. Either way I wasn't able to say no. He did have my head hostage after all.

I began to slowly and cautiously look over Akio's facial structure. His ears were blue, nice and long. Adorable black nose to match his muzzle. My eyes traveled to his mask-like face pattern. It struck me as odd. Did every Lucario actually have that? It makes them look like short successful thieves. I_ _thought with a smile.

"Why're you smiling?" The masked dog questioned, relaxing his grip on my head.

"Oh nothing. Hmm.." My eyes kept traveling up and down his body. Had to admit he looked bulkier than Junior's Lucario. Even down to his legs. My right eyebrow raised. Upon closer examination, there was a distinct scar on his left leg. It was pretty drastic but not deep enough to be obvious. In fact, Akio's fur managed to conceal it quite well. A part of me wanted to poke it to rile up my friend but a scar wasn't something to joke about. It was proof of a risky mistake.

"What happened here?" I inquired, pointing at the wounded body part. "When did you get cut?" Akio glanced down. His eyes glanced at the blemish for a second before responding. His voice hurt and strict.

"I can't believe you don't remember, Zero.." Akio lemented. There we go again with the memory thing. It wasn't my fault I had forgotten my entire life. I would've rather had kept them if it meant understanding these situations.

"Akio, explain what happened instead of making me feel guilty? I'd really appreciate it."

"We got ambushed and took our attacker for granted. It's easy to piece together the rest, but it got quite frightening. Especially your behavior during it." Attacker..? And this scar.. wait a minute.. My eyes jolted awake as a comforting warmth spread throughout me. It kept spreading until fading into my head. A scene began playing out in my eyes.

My body and mind were facing a cave entrance. The area that surrounded it dead and barren. Withered trees and dried up grass defined the reliability of this place. It was almost apocalyptic in a sense. Without knowing my mouth and body began moving on its own.

"Hey Akio, wanna train in this cave? Changing our environment can benefit your training." I apparently said. My eyes focused on one of the broken shards of glass. It revealed I was in a memory as I was younger. My hair had a more lighter shade compared to what I had prior. My clothing was also heavily cleaner and unscathed. Although my facial expressions had little to no change. What bugged me most was my clothing. I still had the same getup from when I first awoke in that forest. Seeing this made me quickly rethink my choice of clothing. Maybe Junior or that kid would help me choose new attire?

"I don't advise it. This place looks ready to break down at a moment's notice. And what about those rumors about bandits? Our commander wouldn't like us going here knowing it is high-risk. Even for simple training." Akio was exactly the same. Right down to his adorable pink paw pads.

"Ease up Akio. It's just a simple training session. What harm will it do?" I nonchalantly stated. With a swift movement, I rose my finger and poked Akio's chest spike. His ears flared up.

"Hey, stop that! You know I hate it whenever you do that!"

"Haha, you sure you secretly don't like it?"

"I don't. Touch my spike like that again and I won't hesitate to Bone Rush you." I stifled my chuckle. His spike? Really now? My arm wrapped around Akio, pulling him closer. I gave him a cocky grin. He growled at me but I wasn't fazed by it. If anything his growl was amusing.

"That's besides the point. Come on, ready for some training? I promise I won't hit on you.. well, not AS much!" I teased. Akio let out a groan but didn't protest any further as I dragged him into the cave.

....

We dealved a good distance into the cave. My eyes studied the area as my body moved on it's own whim. To say the least, it was a damn hazard. Many smashed gem shards were scattered on the floor. Instead of rocky walls the cave had light blue glass walls. All of which were broken like their gem counterparts. Akio still stayed on guard, snapping to look at any small sound or oddity. Usually it ended as just simple paranoia.

We didn't stop walking until entering a large circular room. Unlike the previous corridors, this one didn't have any hazardous minerals scattered on the floor. It also didn't have any other exits nor entrances in sight. It was just a dead end room.

I turned to Akio with a cheerful smile. "What do you think? This place looks nice for a training session right?" The younger Pokemon shrugged while walking towards the middle of the room. He sat down, crossed his legs and began to quietly meditate. Wow boring. I rudely thought, rolling my eyes. Apparently my past self thought the same thing as he grabbed Akio's paws and pulled him up abruptly. The canine grumbled when he was pulled from his activity.

"Come on Akio, why don't we spar instead? You can channel your aura abilities all you want in our room." I offered, a smile developed on my face the moment Akio showed any sign of accepting the bargain. His eyes showed displeasure about me dismissing what he wanted to do. Although he wasn't fazed by it, almost as if he was used to it. Past me hadn't noticed his gaze but I did. A ping of guilt ate at me like a disease. Judging by his actions, Akio was used to us following my orders and needs against his own. Like that of a bodyguard who was dedicated to their dignitary.

Akio stared off at the hall we arrived from. His eyes narrowed like he had just seen somebody he disliked walking by. Although his attitude quickly perked up so I wouldn't actually notice his dismay. Ok reminder, appreciate the dog's needs more. I thought.

Akio went behind me and unzipped my bag without a single word or command. A small weight was lifted off my back as Akio layed down a sparring pad. Its dark red and black color caught my eye. It was about as long and wide as two of me. Akio glared at me, assumed a fighting stance and made a 'come at me' motion with his paw. Beaming, I removed my bag and took the same position on the opposite side of the mat, facing Akio. His red eyes had a fighting fire as he stared at me. His face was seriously angered. I would've feared he actually hated me if the situation wasn't in the past. Seemed like whatever happened in that time frame was either solved or forgotten.

Without warning Akio thrusted his paw toward me. I watched as my arm blocked it but his creepy smirk lowered my guard. Akio grabbed my arm, his tight grasp made me wince. He turned so his furry side faced me and tossed me downwards. I landed on my back with a suppressed thud. Luckily he held back or else something would've been broken. I chuckled upon noticing Akio's irked grumble.

"You always fall for that Zero. What number was that, the fifteenth time this year? I'm sure that you just wanna spar so you can get thrown around at this point." A cocky smile spread across my face. "I just like spending time with you. Getting thrown around by a strong Lucario and being underneath you is just a bonus!" I teased. Akio rolled his eyes and helped my past self up. His scowl couldn't have been larger.

"Zero I'd appreciate it if you actually took our training seriously. I think you need it."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Past me exclaimed. I couldn't help but smile as my past self started showing off how strong he was. Although his (our?) showing off stopped as fast as it started once footsteps caught Akio's attention. My gaze followed his. My eyelids rose from what I saw. There, standing by the entrance was a man. His dark shirt and pants were heavily torn. His arms awfully cut and stitched up. The stench of blood reached my nostrils, forcing me to scrunch up my face in disgust. Akio growled at the man as he pushed me behind himself, completely shielding me from his view.

"A Lucario eh? Haven't killed one o' ya in a long time! Yer fur will sell fer lots! Might even feed myself with the meat you'd provide!" He bellowed. He wasn't joking. In fact, the knife he suddenly drew confirmed it. A sinister grin showed his yellowing teeth, few even had fallen out. He suddenly began to laugh psychotically. His eyes twitched as he made unrhythmic jabs into the air. The man was completely insane.

I reached for my side, fingers brushing against a gun holster. Akio growled to keep the man distracted on him. My interest raised upon the scene.

"Zero, get ready. He's going to run at me. His eyesight is poor so as a result he can't see you. Luckily you always wear those dark colors so you blend in well even without the jacket's camouflage." Akio pointed out. My head made a simple nod, although Akio wouldn't have noticed it. The man started running at Akio just as he foretold. My partner stiffened as the man approached. "Jump away when he gets close enough." I ordered, fingers latched around my pistol's handle. My grip as tight as possible. Once the man's footsteps were exceptionally nearby, Akio jumped up. The man's eyes grew as he realized he was outsmarted. I didn't hesitate pulling the trigger. A loud bang shot out, echoing far through the cave. A sharp ringing roared in my ears. It even hurt my real ears but only to a fraction of the pain I must've felt before. I groaned as my hands covered them. The stinging sensation similar to the buzzing of thousands of Beedrill pained me.

A glance down showed the man sprawled across the floor. Hand clutched his damp shirt. The crimson liquid seeped through it whilst forming an eerie pool. My eyes couldn't shake off the sight. I had shot him. Even if it was self defense. And past me didn't even react to it. Like it was routine.

Akio ran to me, seemingly breaking me out of a trance. His muzzle moved but words inaudible, muffled by the loud ringing. I simply stared at him. Akio shook his head then made three paw signs. Hearing, later and caution. I nodded before staring at the intruder. My foot pushed against his body. A simple twitch was the only response I received. I gripped my weapon tighter.

"He's still alive. Hanging on by a thread I presume. Akio, cuff him. He could give us information about any poachers or thief camps around here once we're back home." Akio nodded and got out the handcuffs from my bag. Upon closer examination, they weren't the normal ones people usually used. Instead of them being made of iron or steel, they had some odd kinetic energy. It radiated a warm pleasant glow. Almost aura like.

I leaned back against the wall leading into the cave's main hallway. My eyes scanned the only entrance into our cave room. Sighing, I twirled my gun and shoved it into the holster in a cowboy-like way. His thought ran rampant, echoing into my head. Once we squeeze all the info outta him he's dead. There's no way he isn't a killer. His clothing smells drenched in blood. Who knows how many people or even pokemon he's killed. I don't care what our commander says, even if it means I have to kill him behind her back. Our expression grew into a scowl. Eyes guided back toward Akio in time to see a frightening scene unfold. He was backing away, paw cautiously gripped his leg. A brown handled dagger protruded out of it. His jackal blood running down his leg. The man was struggling to stand. His blood loss had taken a toll on his body control. My hands fumbled to grip my pistol but the man crashed against me causing my weapon to clash helplessly against the floor. He kicked it away with a grin. Left hand pinned my right against the wall as his arm pressed tightly against my neck. Breathing became almost impossible. A few seconds went by with my clawing at his arm to no avail. My throat burned as it begged for air.

"I should've known you belonged to the resistance. Lucario aren't seen anywhere else. You fuckers aren't going to take away our lifestyle." He spat. The smell of blood invaded my nostrils once again. A bloodlust filled with unfathomable hatred filled his eyes. His grasp tightened. Lungs began to burn as a cry for air fell on deaf ears. Vision slowly blurred. The man choking me became only an indescribable blob of color.

Through my false vision, my unguarded hand balled up. But it didn't act. Brow raised upon the choice of action. Why hadn't I simply punched his gut? Surely he would've left an opening of some kind. Especially if aimed as a dick punch, that crap would've made him sprawl.

My skepticism was instantly replaced by shock as the man yelled. Breathing returned to me as jagged coughs and gasps. The mess of color spiraled away to the other side of the dark hallway. Soon my vision focused on a brown object protruding from his back. It was his own dagger. My thoughts didn't ponder on the odd occurrence as I punched the man's growling mug. He recoiled with a swing but I caught his arm and flung him over me, using his own weight against him. He landed on his back, an ear piercing scream bounced off the walls as the dagger dug itself further into it. I managed to retrieve my gun just as he began to slowly rise. I growled and stomped down on his chest, keeping him under my mercy. His face grimaced as I cocked my weapon. Soon the barrel was directly on his forehead.

"W-Wait! I'll tell ya where our base is! I-I'll even tell ya where we keep our stash. Just please don't kill me!" He pitifully pleaded. His face turned solemn, almost begging in a sense. Tears began to trail down his cheek. A part of me would've felt sorry had he not attempted to kill me and Akio.

From my side, Akio was heard growling. My gaze didn't once move from the man. A slow shake of my head frightened the man.

"Want to know something?" I asked the man. Before he could get a word out I pressed the gun harder against his forehead. "I. Don't. Like. People so cowardly that they are willing to sell out their friends to save their own ass." My words made the killer flinch. My finger tapped lightly on the trigger. Before he could react, a smirk grew on my face. That exact second a shot rang out. His head snapped against the floor from the force of the bullet. I stood up and stared down at the bleeding corpse. I stared, horrified at the lack of hesitation I had. Had I really been that dangerous in the past? Or even still am? Arceus, I hope not. I thought as my old self began stomping on his face. An angered scowl on our face as we did. It wasn't until we unloaded two pistol bullets into his chest that Akio finally pulled us away. Our anger replaced by fear upon seeing Akio's leg. We wrapped his right arm around our shoulder to help him lessen the pressure.

"We need to get you out of here." My voice slowly began to distort as the area blurred. My body pulled away from past me until I was able to make out two figures walking into a bright light. A voice echoed in my ears.

"Come on, I remember the way out."

I fell backwards which caused an earnest reaction from Akio. Sweat drenched my forehead. Heart heavily pounded against my chest. Akio's ears had heightened at my odd behavior. He knelt down and placed both his paws on my shoulders. His voice calming and caring. "Zero what happened? Are you having a panic attack? Is it PTSD? ...Zero?" I stared at the canine, then down to his scar. My face grimaced.

"Akio."

"Yes sir?" He formally asked. A part of me disliked his tone and choice of words. Although the exact reason why escaped me at the time.

"Akio. This moment you were talking about. Was it at a cave? With broken glass walls, right?" Akio stared at me. His muzzle ajar and eyes filled with bewilderment. I rose my hand and closed his mouth for him. He didn't even object to my contact.

"You remember. I can't believe it. Wait, do you remember everything up to that point? What about Harrison? Or your childhood friends?" Akio inquired but I merely shook my head in response. A sigh escaped his muzzle.

"You remembered only one memory, but it's from so long ago. We can expand from there in the future. Although, did anything.. You see stir something?" Akio questioned. His left ear tilted to the side. It was an odd sight as his right ear hadn't been affected. It stood tall and proud.

My hesitation answered his question faster than any response. He muttered something but all I was able to make out was 'damn'.

"You don't even remember your old friends and family?" My eyes blinked before meeting his. In the whole situation of my memory loss I never considered where or even who my family were. Or if I even had a biological one. Suddenly a question was caught in my throat. A fragrance similar to fresh bread filled my nostrils. Broken fragments of memories flashed between my eyes. Two hands holding each other, one bigger than the other. A shattered pokeball with raindrops falling onto it. Then a spine tingling whisper of a woman saying thank you. My body grew hot from the odd fragments until...

"Akio.. Humor me, would you?" I asked him. He didn't say anything but gave a slow nod. "Tell me, we have a deep connection with each other right? How long have we actually been trainer and pokemon?" My question caught the canine off guard but he responded with his usual strict tone.

"About 10 years Zero."

"Then you must've known my family?" I pointed out. Akio stayed silent at this. He knows something, he's basically giving himself away! A sense of contentment flooded me at nearly getting an answer from my cryptic childhood friend. My joyous moment died as a huge roar echoed behind us. It was loud enough to rattle the nearby flora and pokemon. A multitude of brown bunny-like pokemon ran away. As did a plethora of birds.

Akio watched them run in terror before dashing back towards the main trail. His growl echoed throughout the forest as I struggled to keep up with him. Whatever it was, all I hoped was that it wasn't another of Junior's stray transformation.