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**Luna and Thief

The Orange Isle's Chapter Fifteen: Promises**

"Yeah, like that. Keep your arms to your side; move your body into it." The voice had fluttered in no different than springtime sun-rays across a vague-green lawn. "Just like that, I'll show you the basic steps!" Their voice continued to talk in. _"One, two. See the snap and follow-through; engage your core."

"I don't get that."_ His voice finally replied to a misty or foggy view. The curl on his back.

_"Come on, don't slack the shoulders. At this rate, she'll beat you!"_This time, that voice sounded masculine, soft - kind. Familiar. The breath - a warm sunlit meadow of flowers and grass. Crisp, cold, and friendly - a sensation of being as that pocket of wind passed by the tree line. The quick toss of his head behind him and there had been a creature.

The snout was soft, and the ears rounded like half-discs - folded down at the tips. Oddly drooped down in a way that left a sad or 'ruff' look. With the follow to the star on her muzzle...

That looked more like bubbles than anything - her fur spotted, they shape out the usual tell-tale 'mask' it wore. The sleek coat underneath shone in individual lights, a show of night-sky veil, like the colors of campfire smoke in the crisp dusky sky. The strange patter, like small soaked rain-drops, littered around her shoulders like pauldrons. It kept with that peculiar appearance of a chest-piece mark down her torso. The boots, paws - beans... those held the same allure before it fell into the crisp midnight fur that covered them. The pelt short-furred and tail stubby. The patter went from grey to speckled black; freckles. They had adopted a combative stance and kept a playful grin painted on their lips.

It was one way to see them.

The snap had shot by Griffin swift enough that he froze.

"Never take your eyes away." It had been a soft, tender voice, nothing demanding. Supporting.

_"Y - You could've."

"I wouldn't."_ The voice commented with a sheer pass of confidence. "I haven't a clue why you want to learn a little of this, but that's up to you. I'm just glad you're away from the Television." They continued to say when the yard had slowly settled in. There had been a fence, one that was half-finished outside - the tips of a neighbors home could be seen in the background. It hadn't mattered where he stood. He remembered it being a 'lucky house' as it had just bordered in the corner where the forest was closest. Another snapshot by him - one that flinched him. He heard the crack with it. "Come on, you're doing a Log thing." They'd say and laughed a little. "Grampa will be out to play ball with us later" The yip caught his attention the moment the word was spoken. Griffin remembered laughter - infectious giggling. "Let's do this first. Shoulders up. Yeah. So it's One." Something pushed the air. "Then, two." Another maneuver came up. "Just follow me. One... two" They continued and then paced around him. He felt the fingertips on his abs. "Engage it. Inhale deeply, exhale on the throws - put your weight into them and follow through." He'd laugh, "And just remember, you better have a good reason to, or I'm kicking your ass." The little yip came up in the background; it gave him a jolt. "I'll pull out the Bokken if I have to! I know what happens when you get mad." That voice continued, _"So have a damn good reason because of anything less... It is better to walk away." _ They mentioned with a warmth which left Griffin to stare at the smaller patio that the creature stood on. A snort on her nose - tail hiked as though to say 'You're not worth fighting.' A visual example.

She was keen on that.

"Alright, again, and then I'll teach you how to block a little. I should teach you how to take a punch." An emotion burrowed through his back and lungs - a heavy one. A physical one.

"You should." His tone had been vaguely upbeat, knowing very well to hide the issue. _"But... do I really gotta do this every day?"

"I'll show you more of the Bokken...?"_ They offered in a tone that had been playful and truthful. _"I'll teach you some too."

"R - Really?"

"Keep at this, and I know I will."_ The voice fluttered in and out, "But practice, it's all you need! Your core is your powerhouse; you gotta remember to keep that engaged and air in you." It continued as his vision went up and down. The quick nod felt... slow and surreal. A sound? The chitter of a creature passed the woods as the vague dog behind him perked a floppy ear. The playful growl and yip in reply, her tail wagging.

_"Promise?"

"I'm too sure for those."_ The voice mentioned back. "I know I will; I don't need to make one." A sound touched the air after a bit; it made Griffin giggle.

"I think you came over for lunch!" He rebuttal to the voice with his giggle and turned to the tail-filled air on the patio. "Come along, girl! We'll make lunch! I'll make your favorite!" Their voice called out to them as the day flew by...

And dared to fly by again, like ghosts fading into a wonderous snowy night.

Luna:

Snowblind. She hadn't understood the term; she never got it regardless of how often she heard it. The snow was fluffy, spacious - it made the air wonderfully clear and delightfully painted. The night sky would always be beautiful; the aurora of stars and rare colors hung overhead no different then lantern-lights. But these hadn't been a velvet or silk with lanterns underneath.

It had been color, astounding, and raw, which hung above her.

A bravado, but she couldn't and wouldn't lie to herself about how it made her feel.

Curious. Adventurous. Ready.

Luna caught one blatant lie and wearily shook her head as she'd blow fire onto the now brittle branch pile below her. The snow melted to reveal the frosty grass - the heat seeped out. Every second she passed through her thoughts; Granbull long asleep.

I didn't mean it like that. I already know that I do. I know that... I just want Bandit.

I... I want those humans dead, I don't know what a 'Paycheque' is, but it can't be worth a life... Right? An innocent life of all things - even a Pokemon would look for their young and protect them. The thoughts ran through her head - raced. It hadn't been fair...

She thought that before, and it made her bite her lip.

_Bandit wouldn't want me to mull over it.

She called me sister..._ Her paws dug into the snow. _She... called me..._The Vulpix only stared at the building with hatred and disgust; her tails dared to flare out - but she kept them as close to her as she could.

Heal bell is... I can't use the move, but I can hear?

Am I honestly... I can't be deaf...? I can't be; I can hear everyone. Luna leaned her hips forward; the little pop in her lower back left her breathless. It hurt, but a lot of her did. There's even Abra out here. I know it has to be that one. It couldn't... not. Her head shook as she tried to keep Bandit out of her thoughts - but that had been difficult. The world was a surreal blur, spun - vertigo. A murky mess of natural chemicals.

One thought was that she couldn't be.

Another was that it was a reality.

The last had been selfish - survive, fuck the Mightyena.

The hate, fear, and weight continued to push around her weary body. Luna couldn't sleep. Exhausted, spitting up blood, she only stared at the building - her eyes contrasted in orange-ember hues.

She was furious about it. Questions belted her until a black and all too familiar nose stuck itself into the hovel.

She learned quite quickly what false hope had been when she saw it had been another Vulpix. This one tilted it's skull quietly and glared at her.

"Can I help you?" She spat at it, but the Vulpix silently tilted it's head the other way. "Leave, I don't mind biting."

But it hadn't left... it only exhaled - exhaled in a way that left her to smell a usual mix of spicy and sweet. It took her a second to realize that her heart had been pounding.

The strange unkept Vulpix smelled just like Griffin and Thief did.

Luna only caught a whiff when it went wide-eyed or playful and shot off. Luna blew a flare of fire onto the sticks behind her - stirred Granbull - and bolted off as fast as her legs could carry her. Everything had been murky; her concussion hadn't fully healed, but that hadn't mattered. Regardless if it were true or not...

She knew Thyme and Rosemarys' scent.

Griffin:

"Yeah, like that. Keep your arms to your side; move your body into it."_The voice had fluttered in no different than springtime sun-rays across a vague-green lawn. _"Just like that, I'll show you the basic steps!" Their voice continued to talk in. _"One, two. See the snap and follow-through; engage your core."

"I don't get that."_ His voice finally replied to a misty or foggy view. The curl on his back.

_"Come on, don't slack the shoulders. At this rate, she'll beat you!"_This time, that voice sounded masculine, soft - kind. Familiar. The breath - a warm sunlit meadow of flowers and grass. Crisp, cold, and friendly - a sensation of being as that pocket of wind passed by the tree line. The quick toss of his head behind him and there had been a creature.

There had been a creature.

A creature...?

An animal?

Silhouette?

Human or just blocks of the unknown. Griffin couldn't see the details; he hadn't known if he had ever seen them before. Even the voice slowly faded in and out of a crisp-white mist. A fog blurred him as this numbness touched his wrists and finally burned his fingertips. The world came into a focus as though he lost his glasses - in fact, he looked for them. Felt the cold, wet floor below him.

What the hell... hit me?

The thought went through his head while his arm gave under his weight. He creaked his skull down - the world was slow but incredibly quick. He needed a moment to glare at it.

It looks like I wiped out on a bike... I think? The gash ran down from his elbow to his upper forearm; it clearly hit the cluster of nerves - his arm felt paralytic, but he moved it. So, he used his legs... and one gave way. It was when he put the weight down on it, crouched to the ground, he realized that it felt twisted.

He'd sprained it at the knee cap and down the run of his leg. His face felt white-washed; he remembered that. The cold feeling on a runny nose - the mix of bittersweet laughter.

Snowballs, that was another one. Those weren't hard to forget, but with the pool of bile that poured from Griffin's mouth through the non-sensible fog... he felt his head pound. Blood. When he ran his fingers through his hair, it was dry - dusty... flaked blood. The smell taunted his nostrils... he had to move somewhere.

The temperature had to be at least negative ten - and the jeans, shoes, and nylon jacket he usually sported meant shit in that weather. The snow washed over him again, the sickly bile - another desire to throw up. He hit the floor, tears in his eyes.

Am I dead? Talk about a ninth circle. Let's hope there's no tenth.

Griffin felt his hands touch the snow - fingers red - bright red.

Gloveless.

It left his teeth to grit as he put his weight down on his one right leg to try and stand again. A branch, find a tree branch. It ran through his head as he looked around - the flurry once more. The urge to dry retch touched his throat as light black speckles ran through his vision; it left him unbalanced.

The snow... is entirely untouched. Griffin's breath plumed in front of him as wind sharply shot through his clothes - he didn't have long at all. The confusion ran through him again.

Where the hell am I? What the hell hit me? It hadn't come back to him, not a thought.

One minute he had hugged... Griffin found himself, one knee in the snow - panting already. His leg gave out.

He hugged his Growlithe; he knew that much.

I feel like the top of my head just got whacked and hard... Griffin shook lightly and continued to stare out at the dark landscape. _Think - You'll freeze. I have... maybe twenty.

Twenty... minutes? Five?_ The strain against his chest dug into him - his muscles already felt partially weak, but he slammed his hands into his pockets. Jeans, specifically. I'm going to get frostbite first if I haven't already. Find a fucking stick. It's a forest - they GROW here. Griffin felt himself stall, stutter, stared out at the hopeless, endless landscape. His leg wouldn't move forward; it lagged behind him.

"That be stupid." The memory muttered at him. "You can't just walk forever in a snowstorm - I can't care if you rolled three twenties; your character would be dead," Griffin remembered the shrug.

_"Why?"

"You'd get dehydrated for one, frostbite for another, and Hypothermia for a third! You can't just walk without knowing where to go!"_ It had been just another Log comment. With a Photographic memory and an average one at that, he really was just like a logbook. A working computer mind. Griffin could remember that and dragged his leg behind him. Snow? "You'd be better to make a shelter."

He didn't need to worry about snow; a Poochyena had been there to stop that. Building a shelter in winter? He hadn't the faintest clue of what to do.

There had to be something, the mounds of snow rolled on endlessly, some had been huge. A raspy, cold sigh shuddered through Griffin's back. There had been utterly nowhere to walk to. The urge to panic slowly crept in; thoughts pelted his already disorientated mind. Another terrible sound from his lungs. Dry heaving... fuzzy black stars touched his eyes. His ears played tinnitus-induced music. This had been like that; it kept going... louder and louder, quieter, louder. The pain in his ears stunned him and threw him entirely off-balance. It's when he hit the plump snow, he noticed it in his blurred vision. A Shinx had curiously poked its head out to assess any danger; it flinched when it saw Griffin... before it showed itself entirely. Griffin dry heaved lightly; he could see stars... ringing. He couldn't even hear the snow.

"Quite the predicament you're in."

The voice had been strange... human. Griffin weary stared but couldn't stretch to meet them eye to eye. The feline tilted their blue scalp and yellow ears.

"Hello?" Griffin muttered back; the Shinx's ear had twitched as that mature voice had set in. The voice had to be at least twenty-three

"... such a strange voice too, you aren't from here. Well, the better. I'll leave you be - try to crawl away from me, however. I don't need scavengers around this time of year." Griffin idly swallowed - his hands stung, he couldn't tell now; had he died?

"Help..." Griffin found it in his voice. "I... I'm. My friends." The Shinx twitched an ear; Griffin couldn't see them.

"If it's that little girl, you're long past that. The others scared us off. Loud crackles." Griffin idly coughed; the plumes in the frosty air looked odd.

"A... Mightyena, a few others."

_"Pfft, a Trainer? Now I'll really leave you be. What could I get from you?"_Griffin blinked idly and tried to tilt his head.

"I have no money..." He replied back, the sound of sniffing caught his ear. Yet the ringing... He certainly heard the voice, however. There had to be someone, but he couldn't see any other person out there.

"Rosemary? Out here? How? Is it fresh?"

"Rose...mary?" Griffin tried to look down at his jacket's pen pocket. "What...?"

"I thought all you wore pelts? Yours is thin. For Rosemary and... Thyme, however? At this time of year, I'll help out." The voice muttered and yelled out something. Griffin stared around. He could barely react as something pushed out of the bushes.

Griffin had to be dead; none of this had been possible... none of it made sense.

"I have to find a... Mightyena... She's family." Griffin muttered to no one, looking for the stranger.

"A Mi... what now?" A creature loomed over him, one with toffee-gold fur and fat cheeks. Their teeth had been flat and broad; without any doubt, Griffin felt he looked at a jolly-voiced Bibarel. The whole world spun like he drank liqueur. _"I don't think those are in these woods; I haven't heard of that."_He'd say as Griffin's vision became blurry and rougher. The ringing in his ears... static filled his eyes as though the stars rushed in at once.

"Hey...? Did it die? The Thyme and Rosemary." The voice flushed out in the wind - it sounded distant.

"No, you've seen a Pachirisu cub get too cold. It's like that... Let's get something to carry him." The voice said, "We tried to help out best we could before; we'll always do that again."

He hadn't realized that his world faded away again or when. He didn't know if he lapsed in and out... images flickered in front of him.

Rosemary...?

There had been his hand, the smaller bundle of it as part of a recipe. There hadn't been anything all too special, grilled sandwiches. That oven, however, had been set at a perfect temperature for a smaller treat. The kitchen hadn't been anything too extravagant. In fact, the cooling on the fridge rarely went out; the problem was that it did at all. The floor had a wonderous grain to it, from such an older home; that had been expected. The paint had been aged; he remembered the dull colors, especially how it turned more off-white over the years.

It took him that long to realize that he had been staring at the wall in front of him.

"Griffin?" The voice called out, "I think you're zoning out!" It took him another moment.

What went through his head? Griffin couldn't recall the words that stalled him; he hastily flipped before he burned anything and gave a smile back.

"It's nothing! I just thought of a funny joke from a show." He commented back, a touch dry before settling everything for lunch. What confused him the most had been the snow outside.

Hadn't it be spring? They had just been out there. Of fall?

Griffin knew his mind had been stuck on that; it's the only reason why he had.

It reminded him of a promise to keep.

Snowblind, that's what it looked like outside. This network of strange caves and caverns - dampness surrounded him. In a murky sense of awareness, Griffin could see the cavern roof.

Where the hell am I? How did I get here?

The last thing he remembered had been that he hugged Thief.

The run of his arm stung, and it took him a long moment to notice the wrap of leaves - like Ivy to his blurry thoughts. There hadn't been any sting, no inflammation, but his jacket had torn at the elbow.

Griffin didn't know when or how and only questioned his head all over again. The pounding... Fog or mist surrounded his thoughts in a surreal way. The world slow and quick. It made him double take his surroundings as the cavern rumbled at his feet; he could feel those. Actually, the feeling had been that numb-burning kind as though they fell asleep as he stood. The warm wash ran through him while he put pressure on his leg.

It felt like he had been warmed by the stomach out.

Griffin hit the rocky floor underneath him; a sense of deja-vu ran down his back. The leg had turned lame; the range of motion felt gone. A bruise had swollen. He took in a sharp breath and involuntarily grunted.

Shouldn't I be... suffering from Hypothermia? His earlier thoughts came in and out, pelted him down like heavy rain. It's too cold. Bandit... I wouldn't be here if Bandit... wasn't.

Griffin glared at the entrance of the cavern - A snow mound blocked the way as though a door were carved from it. Eventually, he found the strength to roll over, panting. "Bandit?" Griffin muttered out but only saw the silhouette of a boulder. Like a pair of eyes that stared at him in the shadows of the cavern. He couldn't see anything and as he ran his fingers across the ground...

Griffin felt something furry; it let him jolt his lame arm back. It stung like hell; the adrenaline unexpectedly hit him.

A jacket? It had been a slim-fitted padded jacket; the color had been a faded crisp-white. Trampled over by messy paw-prints and dirt while bright strands of fluff clung to it. The coat itself had felt warm, dry.

A fire-type? The fur left him to think of that.

"Thief?" Griffin said the name... "Luna?" He muttered that a little louder, something stirred in the cavern while Griffin took the jacket. The hood had been rimmed with Faux Thievul and hints of amber-gold fur. Redwood dog-fur. Griffin found that the length of the arms had been longer than his own. Aside from the smell, he couldn't care less about that until a strange Pokemon poked it's head out.

A Quilava looked at him. He blinked back, it chittered and, that left Griffin mildly confused - enough the Quilava noticed it.

"I'll give it back...? Thank you...?" He muttered, questioning his own sanity and felt his vision blur in and out. The entrance had been right there; he had to be in the right place.

Griffin realized that when the Quilava let him walk out the door of that cavern with a woman's jacket bundled around him.

Luna:

Granbull will be fine. That thought raced through her skull as she slid down a precarious mound of snow; it clumped to her uncomfortably while she bolted ahead.

Bolt... that had been a strong word. It had been a three-legged - hop, gallop in the thick snow. Luna thankfully felt the ground underneath her, enough to know where to step. Eyes that had registered the floor, how it dipped subtly or hovered precariously, falling in would be harsh unless she wanted. Every step... the waft of the fresh herb.

It hit her; Griffin's scent had been vaguely there - as dumb as it felt to even check. She knew Pokemon could find herbs in the winter.

Luna didn't know; she figured plenty could... but maybe it comforted her to check, and in every way, it horrified her now she knew Griffin was out there. Knowing hadn't made her feel better... in this weather.

He'd die, without question.

That had been a strange feeling. Humans had done that to Bandit.

Granbull...

Seo, clearly.

But with Griffin in mind, Luna didn't want to see it all that way. Griffin had been there, being something strange or abnormal. As her paws slammed against the snow and she pulled in the frosted air... she realized that she genuinely couldn't see.

Something eventually wafted her way. A Quilava? The smell seemed... putrid or stale.

A dead Quilava? It clearly walked through the woods and by her. Luna felt her cornea sharpen, a hunter? She lowered her haunches into the snow to conceal herself as much as she could.

I can't see past the flurry, the wind is terrible too. I think I can smell a... a Bibarel?

Luna kept the thoughts at bay and simply continued on running, running as fast as three little legs in snow could carry her. The fan tail behind her folded out.

She called me sister... Her muzzle clenched, her vision felt estranged, and it left her to stop. Pant... and spittle whatever she had left. I need water... I can't find water or melt snow. My temperature has dropped; why the hell can't I use ice anymore? I'd like to be warm... please?

With everything focused on her front, she felt off-center. In the further distance, she heard a thud that left her frozen. Her mind wiped of thought like nothing more than a brainless creature.

A talking rock.

There hadn't been another odd thump; Luna felt it safe and continued to run, knowing she'd have no issue following the scent. She cared more than the wind rapidly changed direction; there had been a pocket that lingered and licked up the sandbank.

An exchange of cold and warm air - the scent was fresh. Only one hundred meters in the wrong direction of the building. Luna felt it got a tinge colder when she jumped into a patch of warm air and faded scent.

The scent had to be anywhere until she noticed the mound of snow. A human digging a den - that sounded smart to her. She pushed towards it; the vague scent of Rosemary and Thyme fluttered in.

She noticed something off about it too.

The Vulpix that ran in smelled so much like... dried herb.

Luna's eyes twitched as something moved around the den, muttering sweet nothings into the herbs.

Dried herb? Dehydrated herb. The easiest to carry - like little flecks of diamond dust in a smaller, partially torn baggy. That bag had been torn about like rocks glided down it. Whatever had purred in there, it left her to flick out her tails.

"Parden"

"Ho-" The Shinx had jolted and turned his head. Then he looked at the herb and back to her. "Huh..." Luna partially narrowed her eyes, tilted her head left...

"I heard a Pikachu once talk about herbs. Were... were you asking Arceus about a mate?" The Shinx had gone bright red, this line of speechlessness shot by him - eyes glued to her in a mixture of things but clearly on her. "I got your attention; where is the Human that herb came from? Griffin. Where is Griffin?" Luna softly spat out her words; the rush of anger flooded her cheeks. The Shinx lightly jolted, went quiet, and took a breath in.

"This is my den; I don't need that tone from you." The Shinx replied. "Who says this came from a human?" It spoke again, firmly and hissed. "Why would my courtship concern you?" The Shinx pulled a prowl; Luna fixed her eyes on it. It left her teeth to be bare; saliva ran past her muzzle.

"Griffin is alive but will die out here. Where is he? I know that bag, and I know that Ponyta crap you're spewing - it's human-made material. I haven't any care of your dominance contest." Luna remarked back, snapping her jaws. "Now, before I use that tail to slam you down, sparky cat; tell me where he is."

There had been a focused shudder down her back. Don't swear - Bandit made mention of that. Suddenly the conversation becomes lethal between Pokemon. The Shinx would surely attack just by the tone in my throat.

Luna simply bared her ground as the Shinx continued to a prowl - she wouldn't turn her eyes down... but he had been just under Moonlights age. The issue would be if he were desperate enough to ask Arceus for guidance...

It felt ill-setting for Luna. Yet in the wild, between all of them, many females took combative roles to attract males. It had been a critical difference between humans and Pokemon; many Pokemon mated seasonally, heat would be hell... And a fight could be intentionally playful to attract one. The thought ran through her head as the Shinx continued its prowl - it hadn't been a territorial one at that.

"You've misread me." Luna's thoughts pelted her head, a snowy den? The setting had been too natural for her kind.

I can't lie about having a partner, not like Bandit can - my scent alone. He thinks I'm pestering him to choose him. The Shinx gave a touch of a frown that left Luna to twitch an ear. The heat had flushed to her face; she had still been pissed.

November? Her back crawled for a moment.

That season is upcoming... the stress could be catching me sooner. I've been so busy about fighting; I know Bandit and Moonlight both talked about this. Calm yourself.

"I believe you've misread me." The Shinx replied back. "I can see the stress on you... no. I... I. you can't be from around here obviously. I just don't like strangers wandering into me homestead demanding answers."

His prowl wasn't territorial; it was courtly. I know his kind must be just ending their season; the look in his eyes when he saw me told me that.

He twitched an ear at her razor-edged glaring; the Shinx had been around Moonlight's age, unlucky enough to haven't evolved.

"Alright, m - maybe... a little question on it." The Shinx guiltily admitted, Luna hadn't shifted her ground or moved. Only growled back. "But I mainly wanted to ask him about the girl. A - a human girl, a word of goodwill." The Shinx went softer in tone, his voice hadn't been aggravating or annoying either. "Your trainer had maybe left twenty or so minutes ago - a cavern. Graveler carried him." The Shinx had replied, Luna didn't twitch. Now that the thought, his initial prowl left her with the urge to shake the image.

He certainly hadn't been a weak male, not unlike Akamaru.

It pissed her off more. Her mind had been focused more on everything and nothing on her body - she didn't want to think of the injuries. Until that name came up, she felt herself relax when she repeated his name. The poufy fur - that one moment they rested in the sun in Fuchsia... those thoughts flooded in.

Turns out, she liked getting mad and wondered if that's something she picked up; she had to watch her temperament. The whole scene flooded her with unease. He had been an electric type and, she utterly hated Thunder.

One loud enough clap could daze, or her phobia would take over - the fight would be done and with her injuries...

"Quilava warmed him, said he was looking for a 'Mightyena' whatever that is."

"Has he left?"

"If he has, for that building. I know Bibarel talked ab."

"Thanks."

All Luna needed to hear was Bibarel before she booked out of the den. The wind had blown the scent of the Quilava her way earlier; she knew she caught onto a Bibarel.

She hobbled and ran - her mind on a mix of everything.

_Don't get stupid - I know I can, but don't get ridiculous. Survive.

Focus on that and then figure out him. I'm not that. I can be stronger than that._

The hotter exhale shot past her muzzle; a flicker of flame touched her cheek as she continued to run... Run to whatever her nose could pick up.

Griffin:

The wrap up of his jacket, the scent touched his nose - but he couldn't really care. There had been a silhouette of a form in the distance. He couldn't tell how far, but it didn't look like a cavern.

I know they've used this jacket for bedding. I smell like all sorts of things. Talk about one form of Pokemon Repel. Griffin only had that one mental complaint, a stick finally in his hands - it took him long enough to find one that hadn't been brittle. A thought simply stuck in his head when his feet stalled.

They're family.

It went through his head; the frigid wind buffeted around that foul-smelled jacket. It had this one patch that covered his nose and mouth. Griffin desperately breathed through his nose - he didn't want a lick of what the jacket was doused in. A moment to catch his breath, his hydration had still been an issue - head pounding... but it hadn't felt absolutely horrific.

The lighting. It was darker, and that eased the pain just by a bit. Why am I doing any of this? I can't just use the same... damn excuse.

Griffin clenched his jaw lightly. _This is freaking overkill; it has been since Kanto. What the fuck is the deal with those assholes? I hadn't done shit to them before.

I doubt the guy cooking freaking food for people and Pokemon had pissed them off that badly._

Griffin swallowed and coughed in a way that left his chest pain. It reminded him of the first time he took a drag from one of Trevor's cigarettes.

His cousin ran him around the back yard with his Bokken in hand.

That pain had been like that, but colder... had he been bleeding from the chest too? There had been gashes all over him. A terrible bike-style wipeout.

It wasn't a place to use a bike!

All he could focus on was the memory of hugging Thief close by.

"You're my fire."

It sounded remotely possessive, but Griffin knew that he thought it with all sense of parental affection. He thought it... but he knew he heard it before. His lame leg dug in the snow; it only had been twisted, like catching it on a wrong turn between shipping boxes.

He cracked his knee like he'd snap his back.

With very little chance of annoyance. The confusion and the initial pain had been worse than it had now.

"Wait... d - did it actually click?" Griffin's eye's lightly dilated while the voice ran back through his head. "Really? A - all I did was give it food after you caught it!" Griffin remembered the cheery laugh. _"I can't believe I caught you that way, one bite, and you jumped in the Pokeball!"_Griffin couldn't stop laughing. Even Bandit had... Moonlight.

Griffin also knew that during most of Hoenn, Moonlight had been his main fighter. I turned down anyone that wanted Bandit in the battle. I was... Scared, honestly. Griffin narrowed his eyes and bit his lip.

_How the hell would they feel now? Terrified. Absolutely terrified...

If they're part of my family, why didn't I give them a choice to go or not?_ That frightening thought stopped him in his tracks. I didn't want Brad and Melody to come with; I wanted you both to stay behind. It's why I bugged you every darn day - why I jumped in the cave first.

This is my bloody mess. I've known that from the start.

The pain in his leg, the ringing in his ears, came back.

"Just a little further." A strangely familiar voice filled the silent air as Griffin shook his head.

_Get rid of the damn ringing. Clear your fucking head. That's not a god damn Pokemon.

What's there is no different than Logan; It's no different than Madre.

"So have a damn good reason."_

Trevor's voice talked back to him; the hazy memory flickered by as though he felt further away from a brushing mirror. Griffin had the urge to grind his teeth. There had been something Trevor said.

That he didn't need to make promises that he was sure of it. Confident of it. He knew when to stand down. That made Griffin stall again too.

Hadn't we long stood down? Haxorus and Lycanroc... Vibrava - they all came with us willingly. They took from us. Another chilly breath shot through his nose - the wind snarled past him. His legs had gotten cold, the snow daring to clamp to his jeans. Don't slow the hell down. I can strip off the wet crap when I get inside. Griffin's leg slid against the ground; he caught himself - barely. The wind just continued to buffet his way. His fist tightened on the branch he held - burned red from the frigid cold. How is this my fault when they came to me? They moved to me. I keep running Hoenn through my head, and I know I didn't make someone this angry.

Griffin's memory had been coming back; he slowly recognized that.

Shouldn't we all be dead by now? I'm certainly not the one keeping us alive. Griffin bit his lip. All I wanted to do was... leave. Forget it. I just wanted a minute that felt like my own. _Is that wrong? Or is it crazy that I met some friends along the way... I don't understand any of this 'life lesson' bullshit that I keep seeing. But I got Bandit in this. She'd come for me...

I think that's the glory of loving unconditionally. _

He spat for just a moment, he spat. Panted as he slowly chuckled to himself; distracted himself.

If that's the case, why hadn't I given them a choice too? My Pokemon hadn't signed up for this, and I sure as hell hadn't. The wind cut through his legs; it dared to frost. _I'm going to get myself killed. I don't even know who to trust. All these problems hadn't started until Brad came around. As delightfully talkative as he is, that feels like something they'd do.

Handing out 'false hope' cards._ Griffin bit his lip as he lifted the sleeve past his eye - the wind bellowed directly at him in an intense, flurry - filled dust. Everything felt stiff; it left him ragged. I bet my left hand is already suffering from frostbite. Why turn back now? There'd be nothing to turn back to. The panting, Griffin had to stop breathing through his mouth - but it felt like his heart ached. Staying that wouldn't be easy, the stars flickered around him in splotchy patches of snow angels. His whole world appeared like a phantasm of dancers within a hall twirled around him.

Griffin coughed bitterly in the frost - into that gross, slender, and rim furred jacket. The hail of things passed by his gradually queasy set stomach. Running it all through his head.

Griffin gritted his teeth. Never mind that, think. He'd swallow bitterly as the silhouette of that warehouse had slowly settled in the nettle of night. An array of dead, sparse trees hung around him. Loomed eerily - creakily. The intention to hold his breath controlled him. Griffin only glared around the unsettled wood before his hands brisked the cold, frosted handles of a door.

He'd feel his vision softly blur; he didn't know if the frost could get in his eyes like that. Or if he had started crying and it was cold enough to freeze them.

"You're my fire."

It repeated; he knew he said it. There hadn't been a second doubt in his skull as that Growlithe... A Pokemon he had zero intention of capturing stared at him with every sense of wonder.

Every color, shade, and hue. The plethora of fright, curiosity... warmth.

That's what it felt like, parental worth. This responsibility hit him then with every rush of fright or confusion. He felt his leg stiffen against the snow. I've been doing it all wrong. Griffin had the urge to mutter it. _I've been doing it... all... wrong. What am I learning out here? How to be the worst trainer or the best?

There's no point in thinking of that; there's always someone better - so why does that scare me?_

Griffin shook his head. Why am I focused on this and... No... I know why. His eyes skimmed the endless and virtually untouched horizon - covered in anxiously waiting frost. Because of... Thief? The name stuck the moment I called him that - his head turned to look at me.

Is that it...? I feel like I'm... going to hit the ground again. I think that's it... Griffin felt one of his legs stutter within the thick mound of snow. His feet had this tinge of burning - the shoes he had on were worthless too. A drowned sense of panic rushed through his chest, the feeling splayed with sharp pains. Chest pains? Did it feel that way? Griffin felt the urge to grunt his teeth, desired to yell shock fully - even though the noise couldn't pass his throat. The silent gag or grunt threw him around - it felt like the wind pushed by his shoulder hard enough to toss it. A ragged mess, he found himself withholding a cough. His hands went through his pockets, from his jeans to his nylon jacket. A pittance of warmth surrounded his red-hued hands. Had he stopped shivering?

He always heard of stories... that you stop shivering.

"Yeah, like that. Keep your arms to your side; move your body into it."

Griffin felt his shoe push against a firm section of snow as he pulled himself ahead. A few more steps - it had to only be a few more steps. The flurry of stars speckled around him, constant flurries... little snow angels.

Then the gunshot scared the living shit out of him.

"Holy, fuck ain't that a sight! What the hell are you doing out here, lady?" Griffin didn't have the chance to even lift his hand up, hold them up. The flickered snowy stars - the sense that he'd vomit again... the flash dazzled the dark - a warning shot... before he hit the ground, quiet.

"Did you shoot her?"

"What? I shot up dipshit!"

"You're fucking kidding. I thought you hit the ground - That round is going at least a few miles away from here. It could get a cop involved if it cracks through a bloody house, dumbass." They stalled as Griffin felt the vibration follow closer to him. The voices seemed... warbled. "Stage two hypothermia I bet... could be lingering on third."

"You bet that last time, the other one hadn't fucking crumpled yet - cried for hours..."

"She looks utterly messed up... Whatever... let's get her inside and warm her up."

"Because we're good neighbors?"

"Of course." The other man stretched out his arms. "I need another cigarette and probably a cigar." There had been a chuckle; Griffin moved his arm. "Alive! Congrats, lady." The mentioned with a lean in, crouched. "Wait... that's the same jacket."

"What are... Huh." They replied. "Who are you? Eh, lady?"

"It's a dude. A kid. What are you? Fifteen? Who the fuck are you?" They replied as Griffin hazily looked at him. One had a hunting rifle; the other had something he couldn't decipher in the dark. It hadn't looked 'military' if that meant anything for Griffin... He only stared at the two, confused. "This dude is fucking bleeding too."

"H - huh?" Griffin muttered as they tapped their head with two fingers.

"How's the concussion treating you? Man, you are in the worst fucking place on the worst fucking day of your life." They said, "It looks like some drunk football star got pissed at you in a bar. I'll help you out." The stranger mentioned as Griffin felt their leg kick him on his back.

_A mask? Or... it's...

It's not a ski mask. I don't know what it is. I can't figure it out...?_ Griffin felt his eyes gradually grow wider, slow to recognize it.

The man flat outpointed the barrel at him, the bolt primed and cycled - hints of brass touched his eyes in the rotation.

"W - Whoa... hey." The other one said and pointed the barrel down. "Gotta watch where you point that thing. Can I have a minute with you...?" It went a little quiet, the idea 'a minute?' had almost made Griffin laugh as much as it made him silently well up. "What the fuck are you doing? He's fucking sixteen - I asked you to take care of the girl; did you bring her anywhere?"

"I said I dealt with it."

"I understand what you said, but you're pointing your fucking rifle at a teen, you fucking cunt."

"I don't like your tone, please back up. I'm doing what I'm paid to do."

"I'm getting paid too, man, but we don't need to kill a fucking kid. I get the chick, sure - sell her; get her the fuck out of here and don't think twice because the cops will be all over the mountain if she got back. It's a fucking kid; being up here is screwing with your head."

"Our employer doesn't want witnesses around here."

"... What? Our employer doesn't want anyone getting in the warehouse - it's a logging building for god's sake. They want it to look like that building. If he saw inside, like that woman, it's a different story, man."

"..."

"What happened to the little girl?"

Griffin never knew a sound could make him both vomit and hurt him. But the ring induced noise made him gag when the pain slammed against his temples.

Close range? Point blank? The lunatic had shot him. He shot the other man point-blank in the chest. There had been a wild altercation in the wind; Griffin thought he'd hear a return immediately - but the cycle had been from the bolt.

The man on the ground, whichever one was which, the vest - if it stopped the bullet it certainly couldn't stop the very idea of a sternum snapping compression. The reality of it.

There hadn't been some Hollywood Esque showdown. The vest couldn't stop the idea of bones shattering. The second gunshot, it's all Griffin could hear before the other man-made this berate filled notion of curses.

A third... forth... fifth?

The shots rang out until empty; Griffin could hear the cycle of every round... but in the non-sensible yelling, one of them had.

He overheard that the man, yelling at his fresh kill, had not adequately served his prison sentence.

The sound of a clip removing... the footsteps in the snow. Thump... thump...

Griffin couldn't tell much of anything... he could see Bibabel in the bushes around him. He looked at the stranger, his eyes sharp - the world a blur of slow motion... Slow, quick, slow quick... Griffin couldn't tell. The pain in his chest, his pulse had already felt weaker. It made him...

Griffin giggle. He didn't know where... why or how he did. That stopped the stranger in his tracks; Griffin just continued... and continued, having the sheer audacity to giggle like some terrified child that couldn't read the situation. The stranger tilted his head.

"I... worried... freezing." Griffin called back, non-sensibly as the silhouette had stalled in the coming snow. Griffin began to giggle; he figured he should until he stopped. Find humor in anything

Distract himself from the all too real thoughts in his head.

The stranger loomed over him and stared.

"Hey... that's not the worst idea." They said to him. Griffin, dry, only glanced at the proposed mad man. "I've never seen anyone freeze to death... Just Pokemon."

"I don't intend harm, kid."

Griffin stalled and glanced up at him. Their face had been covered by a firm, cushioned faceplate. Goggles, helmet. Like a ski outfit.

Griffin pictured skiing... and looked at the man with a sense of newfound hope...

With a bloodied knife in his hands, however, Griffin stalled.

Griffin went sharp-eyed, watery... Blurry. He couldn't tell what to do - the man may have been stabbing his fresh kill during all that yelling.

"You're panicking, obviously. You won't freeze; you won't die painlessly. But I know of a Pokemon that can bring you back because my dream is my own."

They smiled and crotched low.

"You made me kill my teammate; they'll have to send another... and ... and another."

The hesitation left Griffin to shudder from fright... They took their mask off.

They took their mask off so Griffin could see their face.

Griffin hadn't known what he had prayed for by then. That the cold would, but since Quilava helped with that... He had something, but he was back to square none.

Yes, none.

The man hadn't been one he'd expect. In fact, Griffin couldn't rightfully tell them apart from the average caricature of a level-headed professor or a library worker. Their hair had been this short, black hair. Trimmed or pulled at, always in frustration. The beard they had looked cut and neatly folded. Their skin had been ivory, but considering his English - Griffin could sense the man had been from somewhere on the coastline. The accent reminded him quickly of a show - a cook from the country.

A swallow, the panic settled in swiftly. There hadn't been any hard talk; Griffin just wanted to break down.

And couldn't even find the strength to do that.

"The worst time on the worst day of your life." They said, much more calmly now - so casually that Griffin felt his stomach churn. "A Concussion, Hypothermia. You don't look like a Pokemon trainer either. That makes my life that much easier." He'd giggle. "I mean having a living martial arts expert or a six-tonne dragon makes it pretty bloody difficult to do what I want to. I gotta find back water places with low expectation people" They continued to mention and gave a little laugh. "You look cold; you don't get to yet." He'd say... Griffin felt this urge to crawl away but hadn't any strength.

His muscles felt weighted by... everything. That weird... inhuman creature had stripped the clothes off the dead man and began wandering over to Griffin. It was when he had been leaned down and inward, making the preparations to bundle Griffin's legs in the dead man's clothes.

Griffin felt a frozen tip run down a section of partially cold skin. The adrenaline had been more paralytic. A sense of sleep paralysis dared to flutter over him; every terrifying thing made his eyes water. Nothing could distract him.

Not a thought.

Not a sound.

Footprints had barely brushed and tossed up the snow.

Luna:

She didn't know what to expect

What had to be done, what she had heard in the wind... the adrenaline finally pushed her to move her legs the way she wanted.

If that's her family, I'm protecting it like she would.

The words made her back twinge, familiarity around them

Luna's eyes had dilated with fright and sheer panic - so what could she do about it aside from jump in. This time she hadn't been as ruthless, Bandit counted on her.

Luna knew that even as she had sunk her smaller fangs around their thick neck. She aimed for anything on her opponent - the vein had presented itself an opportunity. Her top fangs designed for that and her bottom jaw; she only prayed it had been strong enough to break the middle. The bulb had been there, whatever those were - Natasha and Melody hadn't had one. But Luna knew that human males did. She sank into flesh, and whatever else she could - it tossed the human back in a stupor. Griffin only looked down and coughed, his eyes wide... and then a hint determined.

Like a real, actual chance of surviving impossibly passed his way.

If not scared to the sense that she smelled more then Quilava on him. The human in her jaws had flailed and then Luna - her tails splayed felt a movement. She slammed her hind paw down on reflex

The human had moved one of his arms, as it did - she felt her lousy leg slam down against a strange cold bar - got it out of the way of her stomach.

Steel? Blood? Luna tightened her jawline - demanded that it sank in until she broke something. Her snarls had been filled with plenty of curses - Griffin made a strange half legged stagger. He hit the ground as whistling wind broke through her crisp-eyed vision.

Luna couldn't figure where or when or what... but she smelled something utterly scary to her - gunpowder. Enough that she unclamped - the human's fist slammed against her gut - it absolutely winded her and knocked her effortlessly back.

The strange human staggered and held his throat tight - blood poured around the fingers that covered any fang mark. Aside from the curses, the knife pointed at her; Luna only found a snarl in reply and an utterly foul taste in her mouth - Something much worse than cleaning a den touched her tongue.

Yeah, swear all you want. I don't care if you're human - I'll kill you.

Luna parted her legs and sparked her mouth as that stranger simply held up the cold steel of a blade.

A Sevipers tail.

It's what she pictured it like, no different than fighting a Machoke. Her fire continued to stoke and putter - smoke rose out of her maw. The human didn't expect it but certainly capitalized on it. He immediately ran for Griffin.

Luna couldn't find the reason to flinch, unsurpised by anything now, and bolted after the stranger. Griffin had been on the ground... feet planted as he'd feebly pull himself upright. Three jackets and two pairs of pants.

Socks... that wasn't good.

She saw that all in the blink of an eye - adrenaline.

It did hit Pokemon harder than people.

This simple pose hadn't seemed much like anything, especially against a knife, more a reaction...but Luna twitched a tail to keep her balance and shot after that odd monster that figured 'I'll take you with me.' In the snow, she'd easily catch him... it left her wide-eyed when she got within range.

He looked at her through a pair of bloodshot-brown eyes.

That was her first mistake; she stared at the eyes of her opponent - the human skidded, and she found herself ramming into the back of his stopped leg.

That was danger - when it came to the seconds, she heard herself in her head

Move after.

Again, simple. Thought it - the few moments to preplan and decide the action.

A human had height enough that two of her best jumps could reach the top.

The ankle. Moonlight healed Griffin's leg - he prioritized it.

Before Maidens Peak, back when it seemed so simple and care-free.

Luna jumped left - skidded to cut in front of him. The snow helped her glide around

A particular bit of 'inspiration' helped her with that.

The skid around - she adjusted her paws. Another thing she remembered back in Viridian City. Before it, all jumped paws first into hell.

I think I'd like to see that Vulpix right about now. I don't know where those guns are or if he still has one.

It had been the only thing she worried about - a human swinging a talon at her wasn't an issue - she was too small. For once, she couldn't say the same about Griffin regardless of his mentality or not.

The skid down front - the man halted.

Luna used Quick Attack, and because she noticed anything else aside from Bandit's comments on Cinnabar... she aimed for the odd little tube that rested behind the man's boot.

Luna knew it has been a bone - she certainly knew what a heel had been. That looked tough to break. The human didn't do much with it - even though Luna knew she hit it the thin bone pretty damn hard. There hadn't been a satisfying crack, a whip or a break. But the leg could give way.

The leather, however, changed things. The make and weight of the boot - cushioned partially too.

Use Psychic. Use Zen Headbutt if you have to. It's Griffin. He's alive... I'm not letting her down.

Luna forced herself, did whatever she could - a migraine didn't compare to the thought of Griffin being gone with Bandit. There had to be some pleasure, but Luna knew that the fight felt right. It felt needed. Proper.

It didn't seem senseless at all to fight against him.

She had looked in his eyes and knew that. The man had twitched or jolted - the weight of the snow and a blow that acted like he just rudefully sprained his ankle. Luna's paws touched the velvet blanket... the migraine hurt like hell.

"Luna! Façade!"

She hadn't realized when the voice reached her ear - the human stabbed the knife down at her - this hadn't been like the trashcans little switchblade.

It had been a knife that would just poke out of her tummy and came from above her.

That mental thought didn't help, but it did make her jolt when her body changed from the usual special attacks she had. Façade had worked simply, like any other tackle... but where was the fun if there hadn't been any cheating?

Clearly a knife fight in a Pokemon battle had to be considered cheating.

With only physical energy she could spend, risk of her own, she'd use physical attacks.

Only Griffin had made her realize that.

No one else thought twice about the very idea she should stop using her moves in a fight. Most of them only told her to rest and ignore it. There hadn't been that choice here, and with her jaws bared with fangs of their own - Luna did snarl; her fur became a putrid mix of orange and purple-black gloss.

That made the human flinch.

Luna didn't understand how... where... or why. She wanted to beat the man down in submission - crack him under the weight of whatever bearing she'd give.

She never expected that the moment Dark Pulse sputtered in her rage; a ghost took her by the paw and reached out to crush the human in front of her.

Luna felt ill, coughed and glared at Griffin worryingly.

She never thought Dark Pulse, filled with such murderous and justifiable intent, could literally whip an opponent in half. She released the move entirely unintentionally

that monster did, after all, stand on equal ground as a Pokemon in her head - she just...

Just didn't realize how fragile they really had been. Luna continued to pant and snarled under her muzzle in a teary eyed fit. Screw him. If those are the human's underworld keeps around, then I want to be as far away from that as I can. Luna idly coughed, she didn't need to look back. She knew from first glance that it severed through the humans funny breastplate.

Front to back across the chest as though the world's fasted guillotine shot through them.

Luna found it strange. She wondered if the vertigo that endlessly hit her had been the human she killed or the fact that... that it meant Bandit had honestly been gone.

Luna felt the sensation around her arms, the warm - wondrous feeling of a chilly hug, and to her dismay, she realized...

Griffin had been stumbling to that warehouse as though he knew now that they found the right place.

"I'm sorry. We have to go... She has to be there. They wouldn't give a shit; they'd let us walk in... they'd let us stroll in and find her dead then kill us. They would've killed us in Pewter!" Griffin muttered frantically, "They wouldn't just have some bloody lunatic out here waiting. They certainly wouldn't kill their own 'groupies' or 'soldiers' or whatever the FUCK is going on." Griffin continued to idly bubble, even if Luna wanted to squirm - there still had been Granbull. Her stomach felt queasy, and her world had been a flutter of partial snow-angels. Using Quick Attack hadn't been the best move. Even fighting Abra... Using a lethal move like that hurt like hell then, so why didn't it hurt when she killed a human being?

Luna scoured her skull for any answer. Anything. If any wild type knew it was as simple as that, they'd take over human territories. Questions, so many that it hurt her even as they clattered through the door of a dimly lit Warehouse.

Luna's only desire had been to wonder if she had any other promises she made to Bandit when she rested in Griffin's arms.