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** Luna and Thief:

The Orange Isles Chapter One: Of Spoken Legends**

_I remember a story, one that I had told to me years ago. I remember a book...? A simple story that told of a woman's own ruination through her mistakes. That everything held it against her when she had the strength and motivation to fight back. A Fury to fight back, even when none could see it.

Where is mine...? Where is my anger, and why can't it seethe and broil like I want it to?_

A creased, white and yellow Bandana had flicked and simmered in the warm sun across her neck. Her fur ignited with a smoky-white glow and slate pavement hue - at least the remnants of that richly color. Her jagged tail swatted across bushes to beat the ones that came too close to her back. The large paws dug into the ground as a heart pounded against her chest with this utterly numb and lost sense of touch. A half thought about where that feeling fled. She couldn't know.

She didn't know.

Her heart numbly beat against her chest; the only thing she needed to know that she had been well. With that gentle breath... her scarred throat flared. Just like the rest of her body would when she wandered. Another few paces found her with a whine... panted. It shocked through her hind leg that terrible constant pain; that was another way to remind herself that she was alive.

It hurt all over.

A paw met up with her after a moment, a concerned little voice that held itself with a hint of broken pride came over her ears. Aside from that, he all around sounded like a boasted light-toned ass.

"You're limp Absol. Do you need help?" She gently sighed to herself, near-silent and invisible expression.

"It's only age." She commented and stretched out her body to the point that it cracked. A gentle ragged gasp shot through her lungs as the pain dug into the small of her back. "I haven't been able to go longer distances anymore." Moonlight softly nodded with understanding; his near light pink-white eyes glossed back at her as he put his smaller paw closer to hers in prompt of a statement. His fur had an allure of chalk throughout it. His whole life seemed spent behind one, writing formula and the other comments he'd make.

"You should rest in your Pokeball." She shook her head in reply and fought through her hobble.

"No, Bandit is gone - someone needs to step to the front." Absol mentioned as Griffin and Brad had argued about the map, yet Melody had pointed out one simple thing, and it made them both shrug and laugh as though they tried to play it off like a friendly venture.

"You see, they added the rest of the islands to Sevii years ago," Melody mentioned as Smokey snorted with a glance to Moonlight and Absol. "They're more commonly included with 'The Orange Isles' to foreigners."

Absol had half a mind to snarl when he looked down her way. It made her blood boil instantly from the sharp look on his face, yet she held it down and recoiled with a similar look. That Houndoom had never spoken to her, or very seldom, but she knew it was because of her. The way her eye stained blood-red as Absol gently hobbled down the road with Moonlight close by her side. The Espeon offered a paw a little more than she wanted him to; it's all he ever did. Programmed to help someone old and injured, obsessive of it in his own poetic way. Absol let a ragged and exhausted groan pass her lip, a quiet voice that didn't preach to Moonlight. She had all sorts of things to say.

But there was a place in that strange world, and she knew her own well.

It was merely a place where she had a mouth, lips - words... and every desire to scream only to meet with utter silence. She only tossed a look away from the badgering Espeon and searched through the different and yet ultimately familiar foliage around her. Every tree had jostled their branches with the push from the seaborne wind.

Salt was all she could really smell; she could sense that for miles around her, but her old nose knew it to the point that it felt like sugar. It left the Absol to gently stretch out her back and eventually say, after the crack in it, "That strange gas... from Fuchsia, what is it? The moment you saw it, you only... I stared at it. It's like you remember it." The Espeon idly blinked and gently pushed Absol upright when her legs had trembled when she stopped moving.

"Your voice is shaking, are you sure-"

"I'm fine." She replied, "It smelled like berries, like perfume."

"It's an anesthetic for Pokemon. I know it well; it's been used quite often. The police know it just by looking at it." Moonlight replied, and coughed awkwardly. "It's not poisonous to people, yet too much could kill any Pokemon. It's about the concentrates of the chemical. I didn't think we'd ever see it here." The Espeon continued to say as Absol listened carefully, silently. "Leafeon wanted to know about it too, yet I only know that. My owner used to make an extract from berries ... medical reasons. He used to study as much as he could about them. A young man took over his research over the years... I can't remember his name, but he was certainly shy; focused more on concentrating Pokemon moves like sleep and stun spore. I remember Akiyama saying that about him. They met in some city; it has a big Lugia festival yearly." Moonlight expressed and sagged his shoulders to the sight of even more trails. "I think we both need a rest at this rate.... Where's Scarf?"

"Pikachu is jumping around the trees again; I've seen him spark up from time to time. I think he's trying to work around his disability. Remember that battle before? That trainer with the Beartic? Pikachu used Thundershock back then, or Thunder. It knocked him right out." Moonlight nodded diligently in reply. "I think he's trying to do that again... It makes me think of a Pichu honestly - the recoil."

"I see... Scarf rarely speaks to me, but I can't blame the Pikachu for that; I'm rather... unapproachable." Seviper expressed back as Absol sighed bitterly. It left the Espeon to curiously mewl.

"Hmm?" The sound cut in as Absol tossed a glance back to Moonlight, always on Griffin's heels.

"You seem... talkative."

"It's sunny, not as great as Alola, mind you.... But... it's sunnier here than in Kanto. The weather is harsh enough that I -" A stir left Moonlight sharpen his stance as the Absol swiftly whipped out her skinned tail, one where only the last few inches of a sharp diamond blade remained.

Moonlight hadn't known she moved.

"There you are. Here I thought I had followed the wrong scent! It's been days." The voice left them both stone-cold; Absol had to double-check the pitch before she turned her skull rearward; her side arched in a way to fix her tail towards them.

"L - Leafeon!?" Moonlight dryly coughed and choked at the sight of him. He had just poked his head out of the bushes nearby, unfazed... "Where the hell is Natasha!?"

"Hm? Oh, I left before she got on the.... the... mechanical Wingull thing. They have this funny section that just has a huge tunnel and a hole out the back. It made me think of a big cave with a slope."

"You what!?" Moonlight began with this mixed-voice, both of shock and disgust, mainly; a tone as frantic as it was exciting? His voice had cracked, and as Absol rolled her eyes and began to walk away - the commotion eventually left Griffin to turn around. It led towards phone calls and confusing arguments and ended simply 'Just send him back when you have a minute; the Pokemon Center can fix this...' Leafeon was an utter shock to them both, and Absol only looked at him as he whispered something at Moonlight - something that made him leisurely huff and flicked his tail outward. Absol lightly sneered in reply as she hobbled ahead.

It only reminded her that she was nothing more than an outsider to the group. That she had no real place in the pack around her; until Moonlight began to run up to her.

"Let me help. I didn't forget about you at all." The Espeon said with such quick sharpness that it left Absol in a spark of light shock before she shook the warmth off. Yet that was an awkward thing to get rid of - not when it hit her with this sudden sense of... but she didn't ask for his help; that felt frigid and sunk into her chest. She shrugged him off and continued to walk on her own. It left the lightly pale Espeon in confusion.

I didn't ask. A vicious and defensive thought bounced mercilessly inside Absols' skull. A nettle of finely tipped thorns - it's what it felt like to her, like being a songbird from a confined rose garden. Moonlight didn't say a word in return, and she tossed her head upward to Griffin.

"So we keep going east, and we'll hit... that city, here, right? I can't read the name... I'm confused between the three of them!" Melody nodded in his reply and, after a moment of staring at the glare from the sunlight. Griffin hadn't any faint clue of what she was describing to him. This broad cliff side had passed by them and left an awe-inspiring sight as Absol only stared at the colorless lens of greys and whites while she turned her head away from the blazon, photo genetic sunlight.

"It's the only large city on Mandarin South." Melody continued to say as she took the lead and - the map - from Griffin himself, "It's up ahead, for the next few miles." She spoke softly while Smokey held close to her side and looked around. Absol walked in silence, this unsettled silence, yet something told her that there were curious eyes on her back. This utterly non-hostile presence.

In a way, that was her gift.

It let her see the other set of eyes that rustled and brushed bushes with a presence no different than the wind.

A multicolored rainbow of harsh light edged her peripheral vision. It left her eyes to sharpen on the dagger that hung around in the shadows.

"I know it's you, Seviper." She said while the hiss taunted between her ears.

"Hmm... you're quite aware of the world around you!" It mentioned as Leafeon gave a frightful jolt, it made Moonlight cackle gently. A playful cackle.

"You're scared of Seviper's?" Leafeon partially went red in the face and cheeks. It was the first time he ever had. The Seviper only snickered and said in its hissed-rasp of a tone

"You seem quite the storyteller. Those are a lot of marks on your pelt, what's left; perhaps you may... comfort yourself with a tale or two?" Absol kept her expression quiet and continued to walk in silence. "Ahhh... a disaster waiting to happen, that's alright. The humans don't understand; you're stuck to your trainer because you're trying to remind him that your there, that you have something so urgent, the moment you find it. You'd kill them if they got in the way."

Absol sharply twitched and swiped her tail against a branch that nearly touched her patchy pelt. "Your heart rate has increased. I am right. We may be different, you and I, yet I believe we've had similar beginnings." The Seviper continued to say, and it left Absol to spit on the trail he slithered on, not that the Seviper hadn't cared in the slightest. She didn't budge while Seviper curiously hissing in reply. "Why else do you think I'm clung to the bushes nearby him. I can tell that he's a dumb fool, but he's overly kind... he bottles it all up, like swallowing something... tough. Whatever it is. I know he's idiotically going to run when he sees it." Its tail swiped and licked at the air beside her. "Sorry, my mind was on that food he got me. The Berries... Tofu - a small amount. It tasted like meat did. I've never had anything like it; I guess I am thankful we can eat things other than meat! Like that doctor said." The Seviper expressed and wagged its dagger-like tail - the only thing about it that didn't seem scarred or chipped. The fangs, only one, had remained unchipped. The Seviper proudly showed it as it left Absol to picture a nerd trying to impress an upper-class student, like a strange show she once knew. It's what Seviper's voice reminded Absol of, some cheesy or honest actor, all he came to understand about himself seemed like that.

A strange second glance of clarity came over her the moment she pictured that in her tired, dull mind.

"Griffin is exceptionally kind yet, he barely understands how to train us." The Absol replied after that moment. She could hear the strange, genuine honesty in Sevipers' voice."Why else do you think Luna tries so hard to make him?" She expressed and huffed from her own matter-of-factly tone. "Enjoy the food as Griffin makes it often." Her final little set held a dagger of spite, which left the Seviper to tilt his colorful... yet blank to her... face. Another show off, his teeth came up as though he gave a wonderfully delighted grin.

"Really?" The Seviper began to say with a unique expression of astonishment. "That's utterly wonderful! I won't have to starve myself with berries!" The Seviper mentioned and slithered across the ground with that taunting acidic knife behind it. Absol shrugged it off, and before she realized it, they stopped for lunch right before that anonymous city. Even with her strained bones, she found the motivation to eat. Thief had it rough when he tried to devour his meals due to the medication he had to take beforehand; pills, water, bandages had been the routine. Griffin had been exceptional with his memory - he set the alarm on every device he had and protectively let Thief eat, lounge, play before he returned the Growlithe...

Griffin had become strict with the Growlithe, and Thief needed it, even though the Growlithe was utterly silent as of late and followed Luna's fit of desperation. Absol had kept close to Griffin through all of it, and whenever she thought or guessed he forgot, his hand periodically came down to pet her. Absol couldn't bear the words to say or think of. It left her so utterly blank and bewildered - every thought ran through her mind.

Even those that demanded, she ripped off his arm.

It had become a thing of wonder for her every time. It all became a strange routine, as the world only ran by so fast, a blur of black and white. A desire to find a light...

Always.

Her paws touched pavement, and for hours they stayed that way, all within a city hidden between the walls of a canyon crevice. It's what it had appeared like; this strange and confusing city - the valley below was only water, and they kept bridges to connect it together. It felt so unsafe, even with the nets that rested underneath. In fact, the sheer thought of that height left Absol to tremble wildly while Griffin had taken a breath and continued to walk down the road. They didn't have much of a mission or even information to go on; their plan was to go to every major city in the Orange Isles and try to see if they could run into someone who could know of Bandit.

The Phone call caught Absol's attention.

Logan had filled Griffin in about an underground fighting ring for Pokemon over the phone. There was lots of money involved in them or enough that Logan warned him not to go. According to him, Team Rocket knew quite a lot about it - criminals of all sorts went there solely to battle for cash. There were criminals from all kinds of teams there; save for a few that kept themselves entirely secretive. Logan had his own suspicions about that and noted the strange occurrences in Unova and Kalos that he always kept up on, even though Griffin felt silently overwhelmed with it all and only cared how he was. As a habit from Abuelito that had imprinted on Logan, his brother simply said what he always did. Griffin thanked him for the advice and found himself with Melody and Brad in spite of gentle sighs.

"Safer than Sorry."

In a city nearly suspended over the ocean; where the three of them tried to consul Griffin, Absol only watched his gentle fit of silent desperation; one caught onto by Brad.

It wasn't high or overly terrible of height, but Griffin only silently teared up for a moment. Absol solely didn't feel comfortable near the edge and stuck closer to her Pokemon trainer.

"There's a Trainer Village," Griffin mumbled after he calmed down and showed it on the Pokenav. "Is there a gym?" Brad shook his head

"No, they don't have an official league here, but most cities need a trainer village nowadays," Brad explained as Melody tugged his arm.

"Hey, hey!" She said, "There's like a little event going on. Let's check it out." Melody expressed brightly and took Brad entirely by surprise. Pulled off his feet, which left Griffin stunned. Smokey and Aura both walked behind them, sighed, and went to deal with it.

"T - Thanks..." Griffin said in reply as Brad called back

"We'll meet you there! I promise, anyways, you never know where you can find something - it's what my uncle always told me!" Brad mentioned back as Melody dragged him off. He couldn't tell if it was from a little bit of Natasha rubbing off on her or Brad. Either way, it made him awkwardly chuckle and wave back at them with a smile on his face. Absol only looked at every crease and angle.

_A faux sincerity in that smile, what do you hold back? I'm sure Luna has wondered of the same, knowing her, but she can't break you.

I know I can. _ Absol looked at the water beside her; the heartbeat pounded her chest from expected gentle adrenaline. The height wouldn't kill her or even Griffin, but it had been scary enough in her age.

It's why she hung in the back of the mountain in her Pokeball. She couldn't stand the height now... it's the only way she could look ahead; A paranoia she hadn't been able to break as she grew older.

That's what she saw in the water, those beautiful clouds that rolled with seaborne ease... one that was easily misled by her outwardly scarred appearance from head to toe. Like some evil witch out of a child's fairytale. The bandana only made it worse, yet she couldn't pull it off; it belonged to Griffin.

A gift that still left her in shock... that something could be around her throat and feel... cozy.

"Absol." She peered with her celestial red eyes, like some star - one that had exploded long ago and caught a hue of red in an alien atmosphere. Her jagged tail half wiggled as the Lucario had gently landed to her feet. Delicate baby-blue fluff collected around her bottom paw pads. Hardly the shift of the wind was all Absol could hear. "You're not unwell, are you?" It made her gentle smile and flicked her tail. "You know me, I'm always vigilante from a distance!" The Lucario mentioned with a laugh and partially stretched her arm - it made Absol narrow her lip.

"You were injured. When?" Her voice hinted a tone. The Lucario tilted her head and glanced at her arm in reply. It left Aura in a slight tenseness, stunned that Absol noticed such a little detail.

"Oh, the Kommo-o in Viridian. I had been out that night when Luna..." Aura shook her head furiously. "I noticed that weird old guy with his Vulpix. That same freaky kid in the smoke mask showed up. There was some one-sided altercation, from the old man wildly naming off his Pokemon. I guess it got too one-sided or something, and then the frosty pix tried to fight it." Lucario explained softly and laughed. "I jumped in eventually, that Keo-Keo isn't bad at fighting. It feels a little traditional though; Nothing too surprising - he has no clue what improvisation is." Aura laughed gently and leaned on her legs, as though to prep for a run of some sort. "I'm still a little stiff from it even now." The Lucario continued to say and shrugged, "That Kommo-o did tell me one weird thing."

"What was that?" Absol began to ask as Aura drearily sighed

"I don't know, but I know the sounds. I find someone that understands something like that. I can replicate them." The Lucario explained quietly, "I mean, the sound of his throat doesn't even sound like a normal Kommo-o. It's freaky, honestly, when he said it - he sounded possessed! Ancient even! But good luck finding a Mythical Pokemon." Aura simply huffed and crossed her arms. "Weirdly enough, Keo-Keo dropped out of the ring and ran with the old man. It sorta pissed me off, the Kommo-o fights like a sumo, karate mix. It's a pain in the ass to deal with. It's quick - not AS quick... but quick and a little surprising too!" The Lucario swished her tail gently as Absol looked up at her, instinctively she walked beside her and felt the need to hold her chest out slightly. Griffin had begun to trail along for the time being. "Give him a sword, and it would be a problem for sure! It's like he practiced all his life using one! He hit me vertically. It looked like that." Absol felt another little tinge of sincerity, joy.

Aura had a beautiful vigor. It shone in her eyes and face; She hadn't appeared anything too unusual for a Lucario. Save for the expressions she made from time to time and the shy walk on occasion.

"It's great that you seem... fine...?"

"Yep, I keep potions in my bag." The Lucario bumped the pouch around her stomach. It was some old utility belt, one that matched the color of her fur. The pouch itself was red, like an old first aid kit or a purse. "Brad got worried when things like this happen! Because I love to explore, I get into plenty of trouble." That Lucario said and smiled. "But Brad is a great teacher for Pokemon Strategy, and his uncle showed me all of these restraints the police use; when it comes to fighting Pokemon, I have a bit of an edge! His uncle trained me personally when I first came to the station!" Aura playfully tapped her nose and laughed "Little secrets" She'd express and sighed as though to get back in focus. "Any...?"

"No word on her, Griffin has been staring at his Pokenav the whole time; Logan told him that if it reconnected anywhere, it'd show up on the map. With all these islands, though, it's a huge mass to cover." Absol expressed gently as the Lucario tediously shrugged as she followed Griffin about. "I'd say they can hide it somehow." Absol took a glance at the ranks and realized Griffin returned Seviper, Moonlight... everyone that was out but her and naturally Leafeon. Absol figured it was because she stuck close to his side - this always stressed gaze was on his face as she looked behind her.

Like a child lost in the woods.

Griffin couldn't do anything other than head to a Pokemon Center as Aura waved 'bye' for the time. Absol and Griffin bot met with an entirely empty center as a blank and confused glare met Absol's cautious gaze. There wasn't a trainer anywhere; Nurse Joy had tiredly yawned and then greeted him the moment she paid more attention. The usual welcome and a checkup with his Pokemon - for Thief.

It left Nurse Joy mortified and nearly red-eyed, but Griffin explained quickly that the research center in Viridian had so many people attending the events; they couldn't risk holding him there. Griffin refused to let Thief go anywhere without him. He even showed her a note, something Absol didn't notice or knew of. Nurse Joy looked at the Growlithe with the usual scold on her face, one that made Griffin uneasy in an instant.

He went through the whole story, and it made Nurse Joy calm down a little.

"He protected an Eevee cub? And he already had injuries... Strange he'd jump in to protect something else's cub - Growlithes aren't prone to that." Nurse Joy explained, "They're very loyal, skittish, avoiding a fight where they can; they'd never jump in for anyone who isn't their family or pack." Griffin then went on about Fuchsia City but left out all the details. He solely asked if Joyce from that city was okay.

It turned out that she had woken up a few days earlier and that the stress; lack of air and adrenaline... she had a genetic and usually not serious heart condition when medicated. Joyce may not have even been aware of it herself. It beat ever so irregularly under extreme stress or sleep. She woke up without an issue, something which left Griffin relieved. Absol had looked up at Griffin as he simply nodded while the Nurse checked over Thief... Luna... and Seviper too. She went through his roster as though there was nothing better to do.

A lot of Griffin's team were quickly part of the 'discount bin.' Moonlight went through another CT scan, one that showed his benign brain tumor hasn't demonstrated any progression - just a mark on the paper, the same as before. Joyce warned to try and limit his psychic attacks, worried that it could be malformed ... those chances were slim to none - it left Joyce in shock; she had never seen it before. Scarf had no changes with his scarred cheeks - the Seviper's organs could fail in the coming years. Its own poison was killing it slowly. Absol felt a rigid shock that ran down her back.

The natural and expected response shivered down her scalp as Griffin had begun to pet her as Nurse Joy expressed that Thief had a great promise to heal.

At least he didn't get an infection to boot - that'll do him in. Leave a Pokemon long enough, and they'll grow bones back. I used to...

The thought came to Absol's head; it clung in the back of her usual haze but tuned in when Luna came up. She still suffered from a decent concussion; sprained paws and a heel had been torn. She had been lucky all-around - any deeper of a cut from that trash bin, however... it wouldn't have stopped at just her intestines. A full bandage replacement medication... and Griffin was back on the road with a constant and vigilant eye; ear. Even though he tried to call someone. In fact, without anyone around, he stayed silent - not even his headphones played music as the world just seemed to ignore them all.

A thought left Absol shunned and shuddered grossly; Luna being beaten within a literal inch of her life. It even made Absol's blood boil as though to demand why the Vulpix seemed so unique to everyone.

If Yuny was forgotten about, she probably wouldn't have been hurt like that. Luna's barely been through what I've been through. I can see that on her pelt, her face... but... I know she's been in an analogous situation compared to me.

The thought had run through her mind, raced and pounded against her otherwise static and emotionless heart. The open pavement, the sidewalks - scents and smells. It all flooded by her until she sat by this bench as Griffin ate alone. This trainer village wasn't much different from the rest, the inn, the shops. It felt laid out much the same as Vermillion, but now the buildings solely appeared different.

Blurry, unfocused... shapes to that elderly Absol.

Eventually, Griffin dropped her Pokeball down to her and began to speak to her otherwise silent ears; she simply pushed the button and got drawn back into a rocky terrain where the sun steadily shone down on her.

"Did he find her?" That was the first voice that came to her ears after the lights came into focus. "Where is she?"

"If you ask every time I walk by, Shadow, that answer will only take longer." The Absol awkwardly and sharply responded back.

"That dumb pix..." Shadow remarked sharply, and that left Absol to twitch her ear. "If she's at fault, I'll rip off all her damn tails." The slender and sleek Mightyena said with this undeniable bloodlust; it left Absol to tsk in near disgust. "What?" Shadow expressed as though her expression left him to still or jumpy. "I'm terrified about what they're doing to, her right freaking now. Am I not allowed to be? Am I not allowed to have every damned desire to jump in there and help? I need to know..."

Shadow stared at her; she was an unpleasant sight. Any look upon her made most Pokemon jolt from fright - especially those blind to such scars.

That made Absol even more curious about Luna; that's all it could have been to her otherwise.

She had no fear of that, with the unknown. A pure line naivety which she could feel, even right there. Her jaw lightly rolled and clicked as her muzzle opened with a wisp of sharp air, as though she was sorting out one set of thoughts to the next.

"It's the trainer's fault - Griffin's" Absol snapped back after a delay. It was enough that Shadow had jolted back from the whip of the Absol's skull. "If he wasn't so damn foolish, then he'd never had entered that race, to begin with!" She viciously snarled, enough that saliva came off her fangs; Shadow had been endlessly pestering her, concerned out of his mind. "So, don't you dare talk to me like I'm some wall! Some object to you!" Shadow had pulled his head back slightly and blinked while Absol snarled lowly at him.

"I..." He shook his head in this utter sense of worry. "Sorry, it's... stressful on my side too. One of those guys had gotten stabbed by Esi's quills - he suffered Sepsis from it. Nearly killed him." Shadow remarked in a stressed tone and huffed to calm himself; a ragged guilt-filled sigh ran past his muzzle. "This has gotten... they both need to go home now. That's the smartest choice - go home and wait for the issue to solve itself." Shadow commented, "I heard the whole situation at Fuchsia from her; police in biohazard gear... for perfume? It's what Bandit said it faintly smelled like." Shadow expressed and sighed before he sat down on the rocky service. "Why can't any of you just be levelheaded? Leave! Let's grab Bandit and go home!" Shadow's voice had shaken and quivered at the end of his frantic sounds. "I'm going to head there myself if I get the chance, hell I'll head out either way. I'll see you..." Shadow commented and quietly boiled and twitched; clearly, the anger had gone to his head - quickly.

"Fine, then let us both hurry and find her." Absol replied after a moment of silent thought, the scars down her cheeks softly rested as she shook out her otherwise ruined pelt. "I'm more than happy with backing down. This isn't our fight. It's no one's fight. We need more help. Just you won't change anything." She said again and stretched out her back. There was this euphoria around her Pokeball. She was moving... or at least Griffin had been. "Lycanroc, where is she?"

"By the river with Marill. She's been threatening anything that comes to close to her. Marill just... silently seethes and boils; it seems that Lycanroc likes that company. Griffin is caging him, the fool." The Absol only went quiet and narrowed her eyes before she thanked him and walked off.

"No promise?" Shadow expressed as Absol called back. Her paws clung to the surface of the mountain as she made her way down.

"I don't make them. Nothing ever goes the way I want it to, so I guess I'm left with a chance." She explained and went down that carnivorous descent into the mountains as something buzzed overhead of her.

The Vibrava.

He had spent most of its time in the air above them and adored the strange Pokeball he was in with all his heart. Eventually, he found his way towards the forest biome. The one with the little cove of 'imagination.' Yet all she did was search to find Lycanroc. Down by a tree where Marill jumped above water and pointlessly spray the air to hit nothing high above it, she called out to him.

"Marill," Absol softly wisped her voice. It was the only thing that remained... soothing. As the balloon of a Pokemon turned around, her crystal eyes looked back at his little beads. They were a mixed color, and it captivated Absol for a second.

"Hey. What's up?" The Marill replied but made no eye contact with her, even though she came into his cone of vision. "I figured you all were too busy to call me out." It continued in this irritated tone and half shrugged, "Whatever, not like I have any 'experience' or anything like that. I hate this... Cooped up in here, Griffin just returns me after a while - it pisses me off! I'm not injured. I can fight too! It's what I like to do; what I WANT." Marill commented and gently huffed before it shook its adorable head-tail included. "Sorry... I..."

"I get it; don't worry about that." Absol replied tiredly and gently shook her head. "Lycanroc"

"Yeah?" For once, her voice seemed softer, gentler, yet she still held this murderous veil around her. Absol picked up on it right away. Her fur had this strange hint of orange-gold. She knew it was from the time of day. Absol knew many things about her...

Dusk would come soon, and it showed with the inconsistencies in the color of her fur. Her pelt was beautiful but horribly scratched and pale... Pale colors and shades left the Absol to gently drop her eyes. Looked upon the variable mood stone of a Lycanroc.

"You can leave the Pokeball."

"Not this again." She lightly remarked with spite, "I'm fine with food, I guess... it's weird..."

"It has been that way for me too. All we can do is take little steps. You and I both know that Growlithe is nothing like him." Her gentle voice came through as Lycanroc narrowed her eyes.

"Don't act all motherly with me. I recognized you right away and ran when I could for a reason!" The Lycanroc growled as Absol gently turned her eyes downward. "You were supposed to get help. Was it that hard to get even... even one human to listen to you? Pokemon!?" A solemn and quiet silence came between them as a splash of water hit the ground by their feet. Absol only looked at the droplets and that faint murky silhouette that was her own reflection.

"When you look like this, yes. I'm the monster humans tell horrible stories about. Eventually, Team Rocket got a hold of me, but I was around some amateurs and ran into Griffin. Thankfully they were kind until their boss got mad at them." Absol dryly coughed and swallowed after a while. It hurt her throat to breathe and talk too softly - or harshly. "It's just... just luck. It came down to luck; there's nothing I could have done about that." Absol let out a huff and sighed as her tail whipped left and right sharply. She did it to help adjust her hip or pop. "You keep hanging in here because of the Growlithe-"

"I'll shred his balls into tassels if I get the chance," Lycanroc replied with a snarl that left the Absol to defensively angle her tail and roll her eyes.

"Best of luck, Lycanroc, because if you go for Thief, you go for Griffin." Absol stated back and tsked as her blood boiled. Marill awkwardly splashed water into the air, as though to distract himself from the argument or the world around him. "But frankly, it's more to your own personal issue, then to the ones between you both; we know that. Start there, and maybe you'll be able to walk out. See a little sunshine." Absol firmly commented and gingerly flicked her tail. This everlasting wonder irked her like all she did was say what that minuscule voice had said.

The only dying spark that wouldn't simmer down.

She knew by then that Leafeon would be gone, just naturally. Her mind jostled to him, and it left her in wonder as she crossed a meadow - this little picture frame sat at the tree, like this outwardly alien window. It showed where Griffin had been going to, a place to place, asking a trainer or two if he's heard about any battles with active Pokemon. It left her with a challenge or two to deal with, pointless 'for show' style battles where they lost to everyone; alongside Moonlight, she had been the top of the lineup; but even the Espeon looked exhausted. Shock settled in when she saw Leafeon still there in the midst of one of her battles, she had plenty of experience to go around, and every time she did well or purposely not, Griffin had been there to appreciate her.

He always did with everyone.

When he was silent, alone or quiet, and she happened to be there, Griffin spoke to her as though he wanted to understand her. Eventually, Leafeon had to call out that his Trainer couldn't get him back because she had to be near a center to send his Pokeball over.

Something had happened between Natasha and her trip... or she had rested.

Both would be understandable. Absol figured stress; it was evident that the human wanted to forget about the insanity. It was this strength or perk that they both shared between one another. One that they both kept to themselves in silence. It just left her happy that Griffin picked up on it.

Eventually.

He always seemed to, but it certainly took him some time to say it. Absol kept that thought in her head as they met back up for dinner - it had already been sundown.

That was the rhythm they had since they first walked into the Orange Isles. It left for a conversation, which made Absol feel nervous; a light argument between her ears left them to twitch as she ate. Absol felt like the only way to connect everyone together had been with food. That and the constant strangers that stared at times, everyone would instead huddle together. Griffin had to act like he swapped his team to feed all of them by clinging to Pokemon Centers or Trainer Villages.

For a city, it made sense.

Lycanroc was the only one that ate alongside Absol - she matched the rate, which they both did. She knew what Lycanroc had been doing; waited for Thief's turn like a vicious beast in tall grass. So Absol waited with her. It was a sensible thing to do. Haxorus was the toughest to let out, but the village had plenty of space in places. Absol had to catch onto Griffin's body language when he finally did. It left her to tilt her head.

It's like watching a... servant or a host. It's so weird. I've never seen a human act like this; every time, it's confused me. Absol had caught onto his laid-back sense of freedom, his second wind solely from him... cooking? The time left trainers still awake to mumble in the night amongst themselves as Griffin eventually caught wind of a rumor two days after.

Some reliable Trainer with a weird team showed up in the Orange Isles, a three Pokemon group.

They consisted of an Umbreon, Vaporeon, and a Mightyena.

"Where are they?" Griffin had at once jumped up to say when they began to fill the details in for them. They were on Kinken To, one of the largest cities out of the Orange Isles. It was one of the places that Griffin wanted to avoid. Mandarin Island North... yet the trainer that he ran into was local through and through. It left Griffin to make his way from one island to the next. At least Griffin planned to until he checked through the map on his Pokenav again and called someone.

Logan had lent Shadow - after some careful deliberation - to another trainer. That trainer had gone along to help and had started with the city that made up Kinken To. It immediately shot Griffin back to stage one, and all he could do was eventually drop onto a pillow at a smaller motel in that massive island city of Mandarin Island North.

It left Absol back in her usual spot. She went to sleep in her Pokeball.

Everyone seemed to now.

It was this strange thing that she had noticed since Bandit had left; everyone inside their capsules and that left her blank - puzzled. Over the last few nights, everyone had slept within the safety of machines. Like it was a magical den, one where Griffin couldn't go to; they all hid away. She held her paws in place, the metallic black-glossy sheen of his Pokeball looked back at her; the surface was so polished that she could see herself in the dark mirror, and a voice had stirred, one that left her to stop.

"I couldn't leave, you know." The Leafeon explained softly. "Moonlight refuses to leave his Pokeball too, right? There's this... thought, this frightful recollection that I feel between all of them."

"If Bandit died." The Absol said casually and straightforwardly. It left the Leafeon to nod gently as he let out a tender sigh. Leafeon had been a confusing one to read for her. He seemed like a natural-born prankster or trickster. This odd regal and ancient stance came from him, like a statue of sorts.

"She may be a total pain in the ass; strict... but it just shows you that she cares. It's what you are jealous of... is it not? A sense of Care to be cared for and caring." The Leafeon spoke with a soft and subtle tone that it left her ears to twitch.

"You have a soothing voice; it seems a little too tender to be out here." The Absol commented back, and that left the Leafeon to drop his eyes, narrow them on her. "You haven't an inch of bloodlust on you. It makes you easy to read to those blind to it." The Absol softly mentioned, as though to whisper - Griffin had fallen asleep quickly. It had just been her and the Leafeon from then on. "You have a name, do you not?" The Leafeon gently lowered his head into a nod.

"I do." He'd say and softly rolled it into a smile. "Yet I cannot say it; I have a promise that I must try to keep and only to the one I think is worthy enough for the task - will I tell it to." Leafeon mentioned then said, "There is a comparison to all of those without... and to those that forget them. I have willingly forgotten mine, as do all vows begin." The Leafeon finished and smiled. "What of you, your name?" The Absol lowered her eyes as Leafeon tilted his head. "I may be easy to read, holding no lust or desire to kill. Yet I read you, like an open book. You want to kill everyone here, as Seviper boldly said." The Absol twitched from her paw to her head; her whole body went rigid. "You want to toss everything around you away, do you not? That's what your... poison tells you, so, may I ask... what of your love?" Leafeon continued and sharply inhaled as Absol tossed her head down to the carpet. She felt this little twitch in her chest.

"The only name I can deeply hold to my heart... The only name was given to me by a human. An incredibly special human, one that I'll find again." Absol returned as Leafeon tossed her a look.

"That's not it." He returned with a sigh, "You know a name, one that you hold closer to yourself than any other. You've just yet to hear it." Leafeon had flicked his leaf of a tail into the moonlit glass door as Absol only watched with gentle content. A humbled and familiar shock ran through her spine as she gently sat down next to Griffin's bed. "Easy to see, isn't that right? But you're afraid that he won't. It's that simple to know that you belong here." Absol twitched her tail and growled lightly; it left the Leafeon to pull his blade-like green and autumn tinged ears. His voice was tender and soft-edged, charming, but utterly respectful. Even with that knowledge, Absol's eyes went into a contrast where just the color had shown. Her heart slammed against her chest as she partially opened her mouth and tried to hold her breath.

"Don't use that phrase." Leafeon jolted lightly as Absol began to snarl. "I... I just don't want to hear that... ever." After a moment that Leafeon gently sighed as his tail softly flickered against the moon.

"I understand, you understand the meaning; you agree with it... but it reminds you. I see..." Leafeon continued to say as Absol went solid, the Leafeon curled up on this ottoman nearby. "Rest easy tonight... Nameless." He yawned after a moment. "I know you'll understand in a while. She comes out every night when you're asleep."

"...?" Absol opened her maw, yet Leafeon preemptively nodded before she could say a word. The way he tossed his head left her to quirk a brow.

He seemed suddenly concerned; there's something else he knows; he's hiding it through his blazon speech.

"I spend a lot of my time awake; the moonlight helps recover my energy too. I never have to sleep in the right conditions. Luna seems to sleepwalk." Absol lightly chortled from the next set of words.

"What?" She began as Leafeon laughed softly; his nose had curled into his chest by then, a muffled and peaceful sound of a calmer gentle laugh.

"She always has." Leafeon continued to say, and that made Absol narrow her eyes with suspicion.

"You know her well...? why?" Absol asked in return, and that left Leafeon quiet to the build of pressure between them.

"I'll tell you what I've told Moonlight," Leafeon said after a moment of silence. "I know all of them. I've met all of them, taken care of all of them. In a way, all of them are family. It's what I do back home." The Leafeon huffed, "That's as simple as that." The Leafeon finished after a while and suddenly rolled onto his back; his legs dangled off the chair, which left Absol's eye to dilate.

"A little of Moonlight has rubbed off on you." The Absol returned back to him.

"Huh?"

"Only he does that, dangle his legs. I tried to move them at some point, but... it's like they're there so something can climb up them. Why do you like him? You both seem at war with one another." The Absol lightly huffed - it led to a quieted snarl. "On what grounds can you toy with someone like that? Their emotions, their reasons." Leafeon folded his ears apologetically as her growls gradually grew. "You can't just fiddle around in someone's head, give them false hope. That disgusts me, Leafeon. How can you explain that?" Then the Leafeon tilted one ear and another in reply.

"His core."

The reply left the Absol in utter silence; she only tilted her head before a gentle scoff touched her lips.

"I remember these old legends. Funny things." Absol continued to say, "A whole bunch of little traditions that were wiped out because of humans. Forgotten." Absol continued to speak and gently huffed, "Psychic types are the only on-"

"You offer a blessing to Xerneas." The Leafeon said, and that left the Absol quiet again, brow quirked. "Every deity can be offered one and asked a question or for guidance. If they know your honest intentions, they'll lend help. Humans are the ones they won't, except for legendary occasions. Pokemon... I've seen an Entei offer warmth to a whole forest of Pokemon before. It's a balance; humans stress it." Absol gently scoffed sharply in her reply

"Now, aren't you the best preacher I've heard of in a long while, better than a Pikachu I know." The Absol expressed as Leafeon gently blinked, annoyed with her expressions.

"It's not... human-Esque as you believe." Leafeon expressed back, "Solely exists; that's all that's needed. Harmony first, we built all the rules after." Leafeon nodded lightly and warmly glanced at Griffin's belt - each capsule on it. "They simply enforce a balance. That's about it, but I'll share with you his core." The Absol scoffed and rolled her eyes from the sheer animosity of him.

The reason I like him? His desire is much like mine.

"Well, you show something so fragile, and it's bound to break." The Absol remarked, a touch of sass hinted at her lips as Leafeon gently giggled in reply. It left her to blink for a moment.

"Hm? I could easily tell it you then." The Absol gently huffed as a noise stirred in the room. It left her eyes to drop down on Griffin - he passed right out, exhausted.

"If it's anything like his, then I know it." She began to say and sighed, "Why else do you think I've stayed this long? I don't need to see it with my eyes to know it."

"He's a dunce." The Leafeon replied expectedly. "Kind, caring... but it never will go his way. I'll be awake, and you know I'm just as vigilant as you are; please rest - I can stay up for months if I want to." The Leafeon expressed in this quiet humility, as though to only tell the truth. It was humble and gently toned as Absol simply curled up on the floor next to the bed. It left Leafeon to perk a single ear. Absol needed no words in reply, tired of the short conversation as she simply stared at the emerald gloss in a chilly, moonlit glass plane.

Her paws froze to rest, a weary haze of consciousness, a blur that led her to question if she was awake or not.

She waited for someone to walk through that door at any given moment... She only met a clack from a Pokeball, and a silhouette curled against her.

It left Absol's otherwise heavy ones to fall on Luna. Absol was too exhausted to question it, but Leafeon's eyes half tossed to her direction and left him with a warmer smile, but... it seemed strange how Luna tried to bury herself underneath Absol while muttering names as though she had a beautiful dream. A purely lantern-lit dream where every sense of the word 'family' surrounded that Vulpix; that emotion which left Absol's gentle heart to touch and push against Luna's chest as she dared to say a name in reply and rested against the Vulpix in return.