Into the inferno 3 (ITI III) AOE/splash damage
Chapter 10 I gotta feeling ? Tonight's gonna be a black night... Each step landed soundlessly as Alex walked. In the pitch blackness that was night, one could only just see the outline of a boy walking in the darkness. What would have really alerted them would have been the fine glowing that followed him, enshrouding his entire body and slowly rolling off him upwards like a mist. Alex came to a stop when he had felt he walked enough. He stood at the edge of a drop. Beneath him, the moon's pale face rippled in the pool as something touched the surface, distorting the image wave by wave as they spread out from the point of contact. He turned his head skywards slowly, gazing through the steam trailing off his body and at the stars high above in the night. His breaths came through his nose solely, each a scalding burst of heated air, almost igniting. He was heated, and he couldn't understand it. He let his arms swing loosely at his side, trying to loosen up in general. Things sunk in a little, what he was doing. No doubt on the run from the police thanks to his little stint yesterday, a cult of armed lunatics chasing him down, whose sole objective was to kill him where he stood, the government trying to haul his ass back into custody... He sighed; his head hanging as he closed his eyes to reflect. And yet all that didn't matter. What pathetic excuse for a family he had until recently was gone, his schoolmates now were under the impression he was a psycho killer, but none of it mattered. There was still somebody he knew he could trust. He picked up on Haley's presence before he saw or heard her, but he could just tell now. He could feel when she was close. It felt comforting, and whatever troubles he had would be banished back into the depths of his mind for the seconds when her ruby eyes threw him her penetrating gaze, when she cocked her head cutely and angled one upwards slightly. "Going for a late-night stroll are we?" Haley asked, walking up to from behind. Alex patted his thigh idly, beckoning for her approach. "It's late, Alex. You should rest." Haley advised him, stopping at his side and sitting. Her eyes were fixed on his, his on the pool before him. "I can't rest..." Alex murmured to the reflection before him, shaking his head slowly as his steaming hands rose in front of his face, creating a thin haze between him and the water. "It won't let me... the fire won't let me... it just wants to burn and burn on inside me." "That's because you let it." Haley stood and brushed past Alex's leg, snapping him from his trance at the feeling of her tails wrapping around his calf. "I'm letting it..." He admitted. "It just feels good... different and good... it makes me feel so good..." "And you're letting it get the better of you." She stopped and looked back up into Alex's eyes, this time he looked back at her. "It is getting the better of me." Alex said finally, looking sideways away from Haley. He didn't like admitting defeat in any circumstances, but he couldn't keep it back from Haley. "It's weird... it's making me feel things I shouldn't... weird things. Things that keep me up... but I just can't pull myself from the feelings... it's like-" He trailed off as Haley's paw rested on his knee. "Come on." Haley urged him, nuzzling his leg. "You can rest easy with me. Let's go back and sleep." Alex sighed and knelt down, patting Haley's neck. "You've really done a lot for me Haley..." He said softly, taking Haley's muzzle in both hands and stroking it. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me" He continued as he looked her directly in the eyes. "You're been a friend to me, and so much more." Haley placed both her paws on Alex's knees and lifted her front half up, so her head was level with his. "How much more Alex?" She asked, her piercing ruby eyes penetrating through to Alex's heart and soul. "Please... show me how much more." Alex slid one hand under Haley's muzzle and held it lightly, leaning forwards and meeting Haley's kiss. His hand clenched and released lightly on the scruff of her neck as her tongue intruded in his mouth and her nose pressed against his lips. Beneath the glowing full moon on that starry, spectacular night where not a cloud could be seen in the dark sky, human and Pokémon expressed themselves without a care in the world. All worries were thrown aside, all strife laid down just for that one, wonderful, blissful moment beneath the stars...
Sleeping covered in Pokémon. Hmm... Alex thought he had already gotten past that stage where he would wake up surrounded by Pokémon and thought it was strange. He was wrong. There was a weight on his chest and he could feel fur on either side of him. It was still strange. He opened his eyes to see who the closest ones were. Of course, lying on his stomach with her head resting in his neck was Haley. She had to be the closest to him since his little display of affection, and he was all too happy to find her there. Curled up on him and warm with her tails falling across his legs and keeping him warm. Thanks Haley. He thought (despite her new heavier weight) with a groggy grin, turning to see the others. On his right, lying on her front and close to him, was a Luxray. She was lying on her side with her back resting against him. On his left, also snuggled up close, was an Absol. Also lying around was the Blaziken, the Espeon and the Gardevoir. He was covered in them. 'Morning Alex.' Haley didn't speak this time as she licked Alex's neck, keeping her words private from the others. 'Hello Haley.' Alex replied as his arms beside him came up and around Haley's body, hugging her. One of them tensed lightly on the scruff of her neck. He leaned up and forwards a bit and kissed her furry forehead, causing her to blush a bit. 'Alex..." She swatted at his head gently, "...not with them around...' 'Why not?' He asked with a frown as Haley wrapped a tail around one of his legs. 'They might get jealous...' She warned, casting a wary glance at the Absol, then Luxray. 'Good point.' He realised as he looked around. The Blaziken in particular felt she was very close to him, and was usually, physically, very close to him. Save this occasion. As soon as Alex had explained the situation to his Absol, the overjoyed Pokémon was at his side for the rest of the night. The Luxray was also somewhat happy despite her temperamental personality, and had already lain down beside him before the Blaziken could. And so, everybody drifted into sleep for a while. It seemed none of the others had noticed, even moved, from when he and Haley had their brief outing. Bang! Bang! Bang! '(What?)' '(What is that?)' 'What the-' Every Pokémon save Haley was on their feet in seconds. Alex tried to sit up also, but found Haley's forepaws pinned down his arms and held him on the ground. 'Oh, relax.' Haley told him as she wrapped her tails around Alex's other leg and lay down again to rest. 'It's just Merlin.' 'Come in.' The door rolled up to reveal a very nervous looking aged man, shrinking back under the suspicious gazes of the five Pokémon staring him down, rather annoyed at how they had been so rudely awoken from their dreams, which were all compromisingly focussed on one thing. Alex. 'It's morning.' Merlin said with a sheepish grin. 'Would you like some breakfast?' 'I think we could all do with some breakfast.' Alex tried to sit up again, but once again Haley held him down. 'Haley...' He warned with a grin and swatted at her lightly. 'Don't wanna get up...' She murred as she snuggled in closer. 'Wanna lie on you...' 'Well I'm hungry, so off you get.' Haley sighed and rolled off and over, onto her back then onto her front as Alex stood and brushed himself down and yawned. 'I haven't eaten in ages, and I'm sure the girls haven't had a decent meal in ages.' The last meal he had was about twenty-four hours ago, and it was coco-pops. 'Maybe chicken. Love the taste of chicken.' Four of the unnamed Pokémon all turned towards the Blaziken with grins. The Blaziken raised an eyebrow with her own, different, sly grin as she chewed a claw. 'Oh.' Alex realised with shock as he got the obscure reference. 'No, I meant that literally.' Arceus, even after all that they've been through, they can still throw dirty jokes at me? I'm not sure if that's sad or humorously ironic. '(Tough luck.)' The Espeon said to the Blaziken with a sarcastic sad tone. '(Suit yourself.)' The Blaziken shrugged as she jumped down from the truck. '(Your loss.)' Alex saw Haley's expression at this, and she was none too pleased. 'Oh lighten up Haley.' He pushed her sideways lightly with his foot. 'They're just joking around.' 'Hurry up Alex.' Merlin ushered the rest out impatiently. 'You'll miss the breakfast rush if you hurry.' 'Breakfast rush?' Alex looked around for clues to where they were. 'Solaceon town.' Merlin confirmed as he shut and locked the door at the back. They were just beside a petrol station, beside a busy road with cars rushing past. 'You might want to put your Pokémon away while you're...' He trailed off as the Pokémon glared at him. 'Never mind.' 'Just make sure you behave, kay?' Alex warned the Pokémon. '(Yeah.)' Was the jist of the collective reply of the Pokémon, aside from Haley's definite "okay". 'Good girls. Now don't wander off, stick close-' Alex cut himself off as the Pokémon all bunched around him. 'Not that close...' They all spread out a little at Alex's request. 'Thank you.'
'Cheers merlin!' Alex said with a grin as he picked a piece of chicken out of his box. They were just outside the shop sitting on the ground. Beside him on the lunch table were his Pokémon, munching happily on pokéblock, opposite was Merlin. Merlin nodded as he took a hamburger from his box and observed it thoroughly. 'You need your energy for where we're going next.' Merlin told him, then began eating what he was sure had to decrease his life expectancy by at least a week. 'That would be?' 'Lost tower.' Merlin said. 'The place where the departed souls of Pokémon rest.' 'Sounds like more fun than a bucketfull'a rainbows.' Alex frowned. 'Why do you need me with you?' 'Because.' Merlin placed his burger down and looked Alex hard in the eyes. 'We're going to a part of lost tower few people know about. And where we're going, we might wake up a few of those resting souls.' 'This is sounding slightly more... interesting' Alex said with a grunt. 'It will be good training for you.' Merlin added. 'You need to become stronger.' 'How much stronger exactly?' 'You'll know when you're there.' Merlin said with a grin. 'Trust me, you'll know.' 'Cool.' Alex stood up and grinned as he looked around him, taking his empty box with him and stepping out from the lunch table to walk to a rubbish bin. 'So we're fighting some ghosts huh?' 'I would say so.' Merlin placed his box in the bin with Alex's, then looked at his entourage with concern. 'But we have to do something about this. You can't have all of them out with us. We're going through the city.' 'Absol!' The Absol stepped in front of Alex and stomped one paw on the ground, holding her head high. 'Dark type.' Alex pointed to her, speaking to Merlin. 'Good against ghost type.' The Absol grinned triumphantly, but mostly at the fact Alex had taken her side. 'Fine...' Merlin sighed with a soft facepalm. 'But just her and Haley. The others go away, alright?' Alex nodded, to the disappointment of the others. Haley grinned and moved to his side, feeling a victory of sorts. 'Sorry girls.' He apologised sheepishly as he reached for his belt. 'I'll let you all out when we're done.' The disappointed frames of a Blaziken, a Gardevoir, an Espeon and a Luxray disappeared into their pokéballs. 'They are rather attached to you...' The Absol grunted at Merlin with distaste, sliding across to Alex's leg. 'Look at that.' '(She gets to.)' The Absol grunted again, throwing her horn in Haley's general direction. '(So I get to.)' She looked back up at Alex with a smile, her razor tail wagging dangerously close to Alex's leg, but she was very careful not to hit him. 'It's different.' Haley retorted with a grunt. 'You don't have to stick to my leg everywhere we go.' He commented as he crouched down and tousled the longer fur on the Absol's head, getting a wider grin out of her. He was grateful for these Pokémon's personalities. However hostile or violent they were in battle, or however much they hated humans, they were still cuddly fluffballs around him. It was actually an emotional deprivation that led the Absol to do this. However tough they were, Pokémon needed love and attention. These Pokémon had been deprived of that feeling until they were around Alex, and that brought out something different in them and they would release a lot of emotion around him. '(She is.)' The Absol pointed her head to Haley again. '(All right! This conversation is over.)' Haley decided, realising she should cut things short there. 'Follow me then.' Merlin motioned to Alex as he began walking away. 'And don't get lost.' 'So I don't suppose you want a name do you?' The Absol's tail wagged further at the mention of a name. 'I thought so... I was thinking Razier... like rapier and razor put together.' The Absol smiled, happy with anything. 'I got one.' Haley interrupted Alex's thinking with her thoughts, talking to him privately. 'How about "horny"?' 'Don't be bitchy Haley.' Alex nudged Haley with his foot. She responded by grabbing him around the ankle with one tail and pulling him, tripping him over as he swore. 'Hey!' 'Oops.' Haley grinned as Alex stood back up with his own grin, staring at her. 'You wanna play rough?' He demanded. 'Maybe I do.' She taunted with a flick of her tails. 'Aaaaagh!' Haley dashed forwards, past Merlin as Alex chased after her with a yell. He caught up and grabbed her around the torso, then stood up, heaving her into the air as she writhed in his bear-hug. 'Let go of me!' She laughed as she wriggled. 'Nah.' Alex twisted her around and draped her across his shoulder, wrapping that arm around her body and walking again as she faced backwards. 'Don't be an ass!' Haley struggled about, but Alex held her on his shoulder and continued to carry her with a grin. 'I'll bite you.' 'No you won't.' Alex laughed as he scratched her side. 'You love me.' 'Dammit...' Haley's body went limp, drooping on his shoulder and whining. 'Please put me down?' Alex leaned forwards and eased Haley off his shoulder, then lowered her to the ground. 'That's better.' 'Ain't that cute.' Merlin grinned as he watched the two's playful display. Alex swung to him with an astonished expression. "What?" he demanded, unsure of what he heard. "You two make a nice couple together." Merlin commented, lifting a hand to point in their general direction. "What, you thought I wouldn't notice?" He laughed at Alex's silence. "I see how you two look at one another. You are terrible at hiding your feelings." Alex and Haley looked at each other quickly as if trying to come up with a collective answer to what Merlin was saying. Alex finally braved up. "Is it that obvious?" He asked with a nervous look. Merlin nodded with a grin as he came a little closer. "Look, Alex I don't disapprove of humans having feelings for Pokémon." He explained as he came to a stop in front of the two. "I think it's a wonderful thing, but a lot of people would disagree with it..." he looked around briefly to make sure nobody was staring or watching them. "You might want to lay off the public displays of affection a little, alright? Or someone might say something." Alex stared at Merlin as if to contemplate briefly. "Fuck you." Alex said without much emotion, and he crouched beside Haley and stroked her. "I couldn't give two-shits about what they think of us." Haley smiled and simply nodded as she leaned her neck into Alex's hand. Merlin sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself." Nobody was paying any attention right now, to Razier. The Absol stood back and watched this situation with a mix of curiosity and jealousy. She bit her lip as Alex continued to scratch Haley's neck and stroke her. "We'll leave the truck here and take a bus across town. The Salvies will be looking for the truck." Alex headed after Merlin as he went for where he thought a bus stop to be. "So we're going to hijack another car?" Merlin grunted with a shrug. "We just might be." "Hopefully this one will be less interesting than getting the truck." He said without thinking. Wait, what am I saying? Hell, I hope we get more of these bastards! Alex Haley and Razier followed Merlin as he led the way. He fast-walked across the street just as a bus was pulled up. They pushed their way through the group and boarded the bus as Merlin took some notes from his pocket and handed them over to the bus driver, who took them without question and allowed them to pass. Merlin sat in the seat second from the back, and so Alex slid into the very back seat and was joined quickly by Haley and Razier. "Shotgun!" Haley cried, leaping onto Alex's lap as he gasped under her weight. She simply giggled and shuffled back towards the window, then lay down on Alex's lap, smirking at the frowning Absol and infuriating her further. Alex rested one arm on Haley's back and lightly took hold of the scruff of her neck and scratched, only to further Razier's anger. Haley's eyes shut halfway and a smile stretched over her muzzle as Alex found a sensitive spot just under her chin, and her tails slowly rose involuntarily. "Mmm... keep going..." she urged with a murr, pressing her neck into Alex's hand and onto his thigh. Razier crossed her forepaws and looked away with a mutter. The bus started up again suddenly as another passenger took a seat on the opposite side of the aisle from Merlin. Alex placed one hand on one of Haley's tails. "Can you put these down so I can see?" At his request, Haley curled her tails back in, but wrapped the one Alex touched around his hand. She pulled it with her to her head and licked his palm. "Your hands taste like chicken." She commented with a grin, licking his fingers affectionately. She bit one finger lightly with a playful grin.. "Cut it out." Alex warned, wriggling his finger side to side to loosen it, but Haley's tooth dug just a little into his finger, preventing any escape. Razier watched on scornfully as the two subtly flirted for the next twenty minutes, flirting involving a lot of licking and biting on Haley's part and a lot of neck-scratching and petting on Alex's. Merlin finally stood and broke the two apart. "All right." He tapped Alex's shoulder as he stood, the bus rolling to a stop. "This is our stop. Come on, we're getting off." Alex nodded and tapped Hayley just above where her tails connected to her rump. "Off we get." He said. Haley grinned playfully, treating this situation as she had this morning's. "Fine then." He scooped his arms under Haley's belly and hoisted her onto his shoulder again, making her giggle uncontrollably. Razier jumped off the seat and headed down the aisle after Merlin quickly. Alex didn't really seem to care about the dozens of pair of eyes fixed on him as he carried Haley to the front of the bus, then jumped down the steps. "Here we go." He lifted Haley up and set her down on the concrete before him. "Now, where exactly are..." He trailed off as his eyes followed the huge structure before him upwards, following it right up to the sky. "...wow... it's really... big." He decided, still staring as Merlin began for the entrance. "Hurry up then, Alex." Merlin called to him. Alex nodded, still staring at the top of it way up high. "Yeah, yeah... I'm coming." He walked forwards, still watching the top. Haley jumped sideways with a howl as Alex almost kicked her. "Hey! Watch where you're going." She snapped, slapping his leg with a tail. "Sorry." He murmured only half-heartedly, still staring at the top. He spotted how far Merlin had gotten ahead and finally decided to pick up the pace after him, so he wouldn't get left behind. The entire building was one giant, fantastic mausoleum. The first floor roof was at least three stories high, and dimly lit by great, ebony chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. The floor was a checkerboard of black and white. The most remarkable thin however, was that the entire complex seemed to be made of stone. Not stone bricks or cement, no, it was like one giant stone, carved out on the inside. "This place is epic..." Alex murmured as he followed Merlin through a large pair of stone doors, left wide open for tourists. A visitor's reception area was a simple oak desk in the centre of the almost empty room. A woman in a grey dress sat at a computer, Alex could see blues and whites reflected in her glasses from the screen. Merlin cleared his throat as he approached, catching the woman's attention. "Ma'am." He acknowledged, removing his beret he always wore and placing it over his heart. "My son and I have come to pay our respects. A dear friend of his passed away recently, and we hoped to visit her final resting place." The woman nodded and leaned over her desk a bit. "I see. Well we would be happy to show you to floor twenty where your friend was-" Merlin interrupted, clearing his throat again. "Ma'am, my son's friend was an Absol." He explained, his face falling slightly as a part of his act. "This one here's mother." He held an arm out to his side, pointing at Razier. The Pokémon nodded slowly, doing her best to look upset. The woman murmured below her breath for an instant, looking over her shoulder to check if there was anyone else around, then turned back to Merlin. "Absols are... left underground..." She said nervously, her eyes darting about in case somebody should enter. "their spirits have a tendency to... be disrupting... and so we have a separate section for certain Pokémon." "May we visit this section?" Merlin pressed. "I'm afraid not." The woman informed him regretfully. "We have a policy of keeping people out of these sections." "I told you they wouldn't." Alex grunted to Merlin from behind and crossed his arms with disappointment. "I told you this all along! I knew we shouldn't have buried her here, we should have buried her beside that tree she liked, but noooooo, she had to come here! And now look what you've done!" He pointed furiously at Razier beside him, seething angrily. "She can't see her own damn mother! This is your fault, dad!" "Please, please! Calm down!" The woman intervened quickly, waving her hands between the two parties to prevent a full-blown war from sparking. "We might be able to make an exception, but just this once, if necessary..." Alex and Merlin looked at each other with shocked expressions, then turned back to the woman. "Really?" Alex asked softly. The woman nodded. "If it will put you at ease." She bent down for a second and hit a button under her desk, then removed a mic frim underneath. "Patricia, cover for me can you? I have some business to attend to..." She replaced the mic and stood back up again. "Come with me, I'll show you the way to the underground levels."
Alex and Merlin followed the woman as she led the way through the dark, dank corridors underground. At the lead was a Houndoom, mouth full of fire and lighting the way, ready to deal with anything that should come up. Torches lining the walls of the stone tunnel quickly developed a trend of putting themselves out as the group passed. "They're just trying to scare us." The woman had explained, then gone on to compare it to being a "ghostly practical joke". This went fine by Alex, who decided to play back, relighting the torches as they were snuffed out by the unknown forces. Haley even helped with a couple. Merlin turned over his shoulder and whispered only just loud enough for Alex to hear. "We're about to take a detour." Alex nodded, then bent down and placed a hand on the heads of Haley and Razier, walking on either side of him. They nodded in unison. "Just a right up here..." The woman took a right, following her Houndoom. Merlin quickly ducked around to the left, and Alex and the Pokémon quickly followed. They all headed around a couple more corners, trailing after Merlin, before he stopped. "all right. She won't be able to find us here." Merlin decided, reaching to his belt and removing his pokéball. He dropped it, and the frame of his Smeargle appeared before everybody. "Derrick, give us some light can you?" Derrick nodded, and his tail rose above his head. The smear of black paint on the end of his tail glowed a little with an ominous purple, then lit up. A strange, dark light was cast over the surrounding passage, not bright but enough to see properly. Alex felt something else. The whole time he had been in the underground levels he had that feeling he was being watched by something hiding in a shadow somewhere, but it just sort of retreated. He tried to convince himself it was because they feared the light, but there was just something else nagging at him. "Here's one..." Merlin said after a moment of running his fingers along the wall and feeling for something. "Derrick. You know what to do." "Smeargle." He nodded and placed a paw on the wall just beneath Merlin's hand. "There's something I don't like about him..." Haley told Alex privately. Her eyes narrowed a little as Derrick's pal glowed purple. "I can't pin my finger on it..." "(Oh... damn...)" Razier shuddered for a moment. "Razier?" Alex turned his head to look down at the rather irked looking Absol at his side. "(That's some pretty dark stuff there...)" She observed as a loud crack sounded, but she just continued staring at Derrick. Haley translated very quickly, looking around for the source of the sound. The two Pokémon jumped as the wall in front of derrick suddenly parted. A crack split the wall in a second, and then the halves just slid apart, a low rumbling sounding as they did. "Well..." Merlin stooped as he entered the gap. "Come on then..." Alex followed after Derrick, then Haley, then Razier at the back of the group, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. She didn't know why, but she really didn't like Derrick. Absols sometimes got feelings about others. "(I don't like him.)" Razier pushed past Haley quickly and hugged to Alex's leg with a barely audible whine, looking up to him for support. Alex stooped and petted her head as he followed down the descending staircase, going deeper into the bowels of this mysterious structure. Haley muttered under her breath as she watched Alex pet Razier. She had to stop for just a second to slap herself using a psychic force. I'm being immature. She concluded as she started up again quickly, trotting to Alex's heel. I'm being jealous... stop being jealous! "(Haley?)" "(Hmm?)" Haley turned to Razier as her mind was brought back to the real world again. Razier was frowning, watching Haley over her shoulder. "(You can talk to Alex, right?)" Haley nodded. "(Can you... ask him to return me?)" Haley stared at Razier uncomfortingly, but disbelievingly. She nodded. "Alex." "Yeah?" He replied without turning his focus from the path ahead. "Razier wants to be returned." Alex sighed, shaking his head. "Haley, I know that you feel-" "It's true." Haley interrupted. Alex looked down as Razier nudged his knee, and she nodded up at him. He looked back at Haley and shrugged, then grabbed his pokéball from his waist and returned the Absol to the capsule. "What was that about?" He asked back as Haley trotted faster to reach his side where Razier had been. "I think she's scared..." Haley said unsurely, thinking Razier didn't look like an easy Pokémon to scare. "Of the dark?" Alex demanded, wondering how a dark type could be afraid of the dark. Haley shook her head. "Of derrick." Alex remained silent for a second to take that in, and see if Haley was going anywhere. She wasn't. "I thought it was just me..." He murmured to himself. "There's something strange about him, that's for sure." He whispered. If he spoke too loud he might hear them. "The black tail is the first giveaway, it should be green." "And don't forget what Razier warned about." Haley reminded him. "I'll keep an eye on him." Alex confirmed. Everybody walked for another minute before the slowly curving stair levelled out, coming straight out into a great chamber. The rock ceiling was supported by huge support beams of more stone. Altars of all descriptions were lined up all along the walls with tablets above them, depicting various abstract events. The entire place was dressed in a dull shade of dusty, dark grey. At the end of the chamber was a slightly larger altar, centred between the longer walls against the far one. "Ready up." Merlin suggested as he and derrick moved for the altar at the end. "Derrick and I will handle our part, but when the spirits arrive, that's when we'll need you." "Your part?" Alex asked as he continued after Merlin, looking all around. "What?" "Derrick and I must perform the reading." Merlin said unhelpfully. "A very dark thing, this reading. The kind to draw malevolent spirits." "Malevolent huh?" Alex nodded passively. "So... what would my mum say about all this behaviour?" He and Haley jumped as a sharp sound cut through the air. Merlin chuckled, stopping on the spot and clutching his stomach. He was laughing. "Oh... boy..." He grinned widely at Alex. "She would have A LOT to say, I assure you." He said vaguely, resuming his stride towards the altar. "Well this sounds promising." Alex observed the tablets on the walls around the room with a growing sense, halfway between dread and excitement. He was weird like that. "Well this is just great." Haley added with a grunt. "Ghosts. Yaaaay... not..." Alex grinned and crouched beside Haley. He took her muzzle in both hands with his antagonistic grin. "Aaaw, it's okay Haley, I'll protect you from the big, bad ghosties." "Shaddup." Haley pawed his face away with a reassured grin. "In case you didn't notice, psychic attacks aren't very effective against ghost types..." However, the way she said it with a little sigh of annoyance, Alex knew she would find a way around that. "Duh. Fire." Alex grinned wider as he stood up, and threw his arms in the air. "TURN UP THE HEAT!" Haley facepalmed in embarrassment. "You are an idiot." Merlin removed a scroll from his backpack and rolled it out on the altar. It was covered in red and black runic symbols and patterns, all of them seeming to shimmer in the darkness. "Well, do your thing Derrick." He told the Smeargle beside him. Derrick nodded and stood on his toes to look just over the edge of the altar. His tail rose behind him and came down on the scroll. "Here we go, Alex!" Alex spun around, disengaging in his argument with Haley to enthusiastically yell: "Bring it on!" And punched the air. His fist ignited with a sharp crack as he punched, and he was soon holding a flame in his palm, lighting the room up with an orange glow, lighting up his wild grin as his hair blew a little in a breeze from somewhere. Merlin cleared his throat as he began whatever his reading was. "Huur'r-ashk-nyaaae'ayaaa... heiy-hovisch-amandaa'aaa..." He droned in some unknown tongue. About them, the walls and ceiling of the chamber began shaking on cue with Merlin's chanting. Derrick proceeded to swipe across the scroll with his tail, painting black marks across it and ignoring the events taking place around him.
"Arnold!" A woman shot around the corner through a doorway, barely keeping her balance and grabbing hold of the doorframe to steady herself on the shaking floor. "Arnold, what's going on?" The man she was talking to turned around quickly, buttoning a white tuxedo, underneath which was a Kevlar vest. "Patricia, did anybody go into the underground today?" His voice remained calm and level as he spoke, staring Patricia in the eyes. She shook her head quickly, but her shaking ceased as she remembered something. "Marianne... Marianne had me take over at the reception because she had something to do... I was on floor three, I didn't see her pass me going up, so she either left the building or..." She went silent briefly. "You don't think she went down there? She's not supposed to..." Arnold shook his head as he walked towards the security office locker. "No, not Marianne, I would have been able to tell after these years working with her..." He turned the dial on a numeric padlock, dropping the interior tumblers into place. "Been able to tell what?" Patricia had to steady herself again on a nearby desk. The entire building was shaking, like an earthquake. The locker door crashed into the adjacent locker as Arnold threw it open. "Darkrai." Arnold yanked an M1A4 assault rifle from the locker and slapped a clip into it. "Darkrai is in the tower..." Chapter 11 Rock ur werld --v^v^v^v-- Sh-sh-sh-Sh-sh-shake-it. "Merlin! Here they come!" Alex shouted, standing ready and crouched with Haley beside him. "Just keep them off me and derrick!" Merlin called over his shoulder, his hands pressed onto the surface of the altar. Alex nodded and threw his hands down at his sides, flexing his fingers to loosen up and breathing heavily. He swayed slightly from side-to-side, rolling his shoulders a little. Beside him, Haley was standing with her legs wide apart, crouched somewhat with her tails hovering in the air, occasionally twitching. The two of them stared at the entrance to the chamber, ready to jump at the first sign of movement. Haley nearly leapt off her back foot as something landed the doorway, clinking as it bounced off the floor and stone. Alex squinted at the object, trying to see it through the partially obscuring darkness of the corridor outside. Haley jumped as the thing made a short sound, like air expelling from somewhere. "What is it?" Haley asked, watching the doorway as it appeared to brighten a little. Alex made an amused sound, like a grunt. "That's smart of them." He commented sarcastically, watching keenly. "They're using smoke." He nodded slightly, still watching as the grey smoke hissed from the hidden canister. "You know what they say about smoke?" Haley facepalmed. "Please don't-" "Where there's smoke..." Alex lit up a little fireball in his hand. "There's-" "Fire!" "Fuck!" Alex dived aside as the air filled with blasting and ricocheting of bullets whizzing through the air. "Motherfuckers!" Alex yelled, tossing his fireball randomly into the smoke. "Thermal optics! Haley, light them up!" Haley leapt up from her dodge roll and loosed a flamethrower into the smoke, her fur blowing back as the air exploded in front of her. "No, keep moving and attack!" Alex instructed, running around to attack from the side. In a sudden pang of somewhat genius, he lit up another fireball in his left hand. As more bullets pinged overhead he dived. As he hit the floor he tossed the fireball, skimming it across the ground. The fireball streaked across the floor between Haley and the smoke, sparking wildly and lighting the ground as it went. The flames from the fire grew upwards quickly between Haley and the enemy. Alex hoped it would fuck with their thermal sights and keep her safe. "Wartortle! Water gun!" Alex cried out as the smoke parted and a stream of water jetted from within, striking him in the chest. He landed heavily on his back and bounced off the rock, landing on his side. He grimaced and lifted himself to his feet as a shape emerged from the smoke. A Wartortle of course, but over his eyes he wore a pair of thermal goggles of some sort. The Pokémon grinned as it came to a stop. "Wartortle!" It cried, raising a middle digit. Alex stared back in shock. "You sonuvabit-" He dived sideways as another water gun shot past. "Dammit!" He leapt back to his feet. "Haley, use psychic, or confusion, or something! Idunno!" Alex leapt aside again as another water gun shot past. Haley's eyes lit up blue as did her tails, and she threw her mouth open, spewing a mass of psychic energy towards the Wartortle. The Pokémon made a doomed dive sideways, but the psychic wall crashed into him, sending him flying into the stone wall or the chamber. "Alright!" Alex called to her, looking from the Wartortle to the smoke. "Give me some cover! Light them up again!" Haley nodded, and launched another flamethrower towards the group, drawing their fire in her general direction for Alex to charge in from the side. But seeing all the bullets heading her way, he changed his mind. "Light screen!" Haley knew not to question Alex in this situation, and threw up a barrier in front of herself. Alex ignited a couple of fireballs, and leaping into the air assailed the smoke covered doorway. He dived into the smoke while he thought the enemy was retreating, and immediately took in as deeper a breath as he could. It felt slightly gritty, but rather pleasant somehow, and the smoke, cloud mostly dissipated as he charged past through it. He quickly ducked around behind a pillar as the men leapt around the doorway again, now out of their smoke, and opened fire. "Roselia! Razor leaf!" "Golem! Rock throw!" Alex leapt out from behind the pillar as a rather large rock smashed into it from the newly emerged Golem's hand. The column seemed to hang in static for a moment of creaking and crumbling before it broke through the centre and came crashing down, exploding into rubble as I tsmashed into the ground. Alex cringed as a razor leaf sliced his left arm, almost releasing his breath, but he managed to catch it at the last moment. He ran around behind the fire wall just before the men started firing, then threw his mouth open. At first a cloud of smoke burst out, rolling towards the men like a mushroom cloud, but then it randomly erupted into a fireball from somewhere inside, igniting the smokle with a red flash. The flames surged forth across the ground and swept through the doorway. A few lucky men managed to step aside, but it was too late. The fireball hit the group of men and exploded, scattering their burning bodies throughout the room. The Golem managed to curl into a defence curl, and his boulder-like form shot across the room at speed. "Merlin!" Alex yelled, diving into the rock ball as it shot towards the oblivious man at the altar. He put in his shoulder and hit it side-on at full strength. Alex was immediately thrown back by the impact, but managed to divert the boulder Pokémon to the right just enough to avoid hitting Merlin at his altar. "Haley, psychic!" Alex called, watching the Golem. Nothing happened. "Haley! Psychic!" He called. "What are you-" He turned to Haley and stopped. Her tails hung as she stared at Alex, shuddering. "What?" He asked. Haley let out a quiet whimper, and continued staring. "What's so..?" Alex stopped short as he turned around also. The wall seemed to be a slight purple, and from the middle of it, was a head. The head of an Absol. Next came a paw, then another paw, then the Absol stepped out of the wall. Its fur was a pale grey, and Alex could almost swear he could see the wall through- "Ghost!" He yelled, pointing. The Absol snapped its head on an impossible angle, cracking its neck, and released a horrible ear splitting shriek, its eyes turning red and maw dripping with venomous ooze. "What the fuck is that!?" Alex demanded, backing up in fear as he couldn't take his eyes off the demented Absol. The Pokémon lowered its head slowly, eyes glowing menacingly and growling, baring its oozing purple fangs and lumbering towards the two. Merlin turned his head to see what was happening, and swore. "Maric..." He hissed coldly, eyes boring into the Pokémon. The Absol jerked his head to face Merlin, cocking it slightly as it looked him up and down, then grinned coldly. "You..." It said quietly, its voice resonating through the chamber eerily. Alex snapped his fingers together, cracking the air and igniting his hands once again. His teeth, now curiously sharp, ground together as he crouched low, ready to fight. "Merlin, is this something I should know about?" Alex demanded darkly, watching the ghost Absol closely. Haley behind him simply stared, petrified and shaking. The Absol smirks wider. "Merlin? That's what you're going by now? Very well then. Merlin..." "Leave, Maric." Merlin instructs with a growl, taking one hand off the altar and pointing to the Absol. "You know what happened last time you crossed me." "Oh, yes, I do remember." Maric says with a tinge of mocking in his voice. "I have no wish to do so once again." Maric turned his head around to stare at Haley, giving her a gut-wrenchingly uncomforting grin. "But this one... mmm... she looks nummy-nummy-tasty..." "Hey!" Alex skidded into the space between Haley and the Absol, staring it down hard as his fear was banished, and fury clouded his eyes, tingeing orange suddenly and beginning their wavering. "You stay away from her!" He yelled, tensing his flaming hands and breathing heavily and huskily with heated air passing in and out of his lungs. Maric took a step back quickly, staring back curiously. "Arceus, you found him..." He muttered with his eyes growing wider in shock and awe, watching Alex swagger side to side slightly, drunk with sudden rage. "You found him..." "I did." Merlin said slowly with a satisfactory grin, scratching his beard and watching Alex with a sense of victory. Maric threw him a quick, disgusted glance, then stared back at Alex. "It seems I've bitten off a little more than I can chew..." Maric observed sourly, venom dripping at a quicker pace from his fangs. He growled a bit as he took another step back. Alex quickly reacted with a greater, guttural growl from deep, baring his teeth as his eyes went a little hazy with an overall orange tint, even in the whites. The Absol quickly jumped back further as he snapped at him with hiss, off his marble and out of control. "Very well then..." The Absol began backing away. "Very well... I shall leave you be..." With one last flash of his fangs, Maric turned away and headed for the wall where he had emerged from. "Hold up." Maric stopped. Merlin wasn't going to give up while he was ahead. Alex turned to Merlin, still seething. Merlin grinned cruelly. "Alex, you heard what he said to Haley..." Merlin taunted with a devilish grin. "Are you going to let him get away with that?" Alex swung his gaze back to the Absol. "Are you going to let him disrespect her like that? Your... mate?" Mate? Alex thought, looking at Haley over his shoulder, cowering in fear and hiding her head in her paws. He swung back to the Absol, whose composure had dropped several metres at that last comment of Merlin's. "No..." He hissed, taking a step towards the Absol. He had scared her, terrified her... he had insulted her... he had to die. Maric glared at Merlin with a spiteful growl, narrowing his eyes as they flicked back and forth between him and Alex. He had stirred just a little too much shit this time. Maric realised he wasn't going anywhere, and so instead of backing off, he flicked his head back towards Alex with a roar, stirring the stale, thousand year old air around him into a frenzy and launching the mass of air towards his opponent. Alex charged to meet the blast, but as it neared him he leapt into the air, kicking down into the top of the razor wind with a blaze kick as he crested it and detonating the force holding it together. The air inside, now released of its binds, exploded outwards like a shockwave. Alex's body was propelled further into the air by the outgoing wind, and higher over the Absol's head. He drew back one hand as the air sparked to life, flashing with a flicker of yellow then blasting into flames in his palm. He held the fireball overhead and swung it down with a furious cry, pointing two fingers at his target as the projectile flew from his palm. Maric was too quick though, to be struck by such an obvious attack, and dodged left, his body disappearing and reappearing in a blur as the fireball collided with force right where he had been standing previously. His fur blew upwards slightly away from the impact, and the flash of light of the explosion lit up his furious grimace horridly, causing Haley, staying way back, to re-cover her eyes. Something about ghosts just got to her. Something inside her snapped at her, furious that she would let something like that get to her, but on the exterior, she was petrified. Maric saw his chance as Alex was rendered airborne, and swung his bladed horn again, recycling the air from the previous attack and throwing it at Alex for a second time. He couldn't dodge now, being exposed in mid-air, and so he only had one option. He threw his head forwards with an almighty roar, conjuring up the fire he held so deeply in his soul, and spewing it from his gullet. The air lit up brightly as the epic wave of fire surged into the air, growing as it swallowed up what precious oxygen this dank air held. The razor wind seemed to scythe straight through Alex's attack, the blades of air throwing apart some of his fire, and throwing right back at him what remained of his attack. The flaming blades of wind slashed and sliced his skin painfully like a never ending assault, gashing and tearing his clothing madly with numerous series of psycho cuts all over his body as he screamed in pain. Maric upturned a grin as he watched the boy's limp, flaming body fall from the air helplessly, and land with a thump, stirring a cloud of dust where it hit the stones. He looked to his left at Merlin. "Looks like your little protégé could use a little work." He commented confidently, flashing his fangs. "Well then..." He turned his head slowly to Haley, who was still watching in horror, having just seen her best friend, her friend she loved, cut down right out of the air. "Looks like I might be enjoying a nice snack after all-" Merlin cut the Absol off as a rumbling arose from his throat. He threw open his mouth as he let loose with his loud, rumbling laughter, filling the room with his slightly creepy cackling. Maric hissed in annoyance as he turned his stance to face the man, licking his lips with his venom laced tongue, gliding across his razor teeth. "You really shouldn't have said that Maric." Merlin said once he had finished laughing. "Oh, no... that was a very unwise thing to do..." It finally came to Maric's attention what that little thing that had been bothering him was. What little remained of the cloud of dust floating around the boy's "body" was glowing an eerie orange, like a sunrise piercing light cloud cover. "He's still alive?" He demanded as he turned back to the cloud. Merlin grunted, removing his hand from the altar behind him and crossing his arms. Nobody noticed a little black mark that had suddenly appeared on his palm, nor noticed how the altar glowed ominously behind him. "It's going to take more than that to kill the judge." To accentuate Merlin's words as the cloud rolled away to the sides, Alex, now standing, jerked his head to the right, sounding a rather loud crack in his neck. He lifted one foot and dropped it with great force, spreading it wider, then the other, spreading his legs out and crouching low. His eyes by now were fully orange, burning ferociously with hate as orange steam clung close to his body, slowly rising in a fine mist. (Yeah... I've been watching too much Naruto) He threw his head back, releasing the most gut-wrenching roar that put even the demented Absol to shame, rocking the building itself with its epic shaking power. From the ceiling above, rocks came tumbling down, falling free of their formations and shattering on the floor it puffs of dust and shrapnel chunks firing in all directions. Maric bore his teeth once more in frustration, realising he had been stupid to think that would finish the judge off in the first place. He hung his head and concentrated, outlining his physical body in his mind. "Very well then. Alex." He lifted his head again as the air about him flashed and warped, changing it into a seven copies of himself. "Let's play a game. Which Absol is the real Absol?" He almost queried mockingly as the white shapes darted off in all directions, spreading across the room. Maric repeated: "Which Absol is the real Absol?... Which Absol is the real Absol?.." "I don't care." Alex barked, his voice hanging with menace and rasping as if it were being dragged through a cheese grater. "I'll kill them all!" He spun around as a fireball flashed into each hand, and he threw both of them, one after the other. The Absol dodged the first one, but couldn't double back in time to avoid the second blast. The Absol was knocked back through the air for a second, then it disappeared into the air. A projection. Three Absols came charging at him head on, dashing and ducking and diving in and out evasively. Alex quickly registered that the Absol wouldn't attack him head on like that, and so as he lit up another fireball in his hand, he instead targeted one sitting further back. The Absol didn't see the move coming, and the fireball struck just before it could dodge. Sure enough, the three Absols charging him ran straight into him, and dissipated on contact, as did the one he hit. That left two more. One Absol stood on his left, the other on his right, each twirling its head around, churning up a razor wind. "Which one is it Alex?" "Which one is it Alex?" Both copies spoke simultaneously. Clever. Alex grew another fireball in his hand, this time feeling a sudden tugging feeling in his stomach. He had to finish this. It was draining on his power. He outstretched his hand towards the one on his right, and grinned. "Eany..." He turned around to point the fireball at the one on his left. "...meany..." Right again. "...Minie..." left. "Mo!" His hand flicked forwards, but instead of throwing his fireball, Alex quickly created one in his free hand, and threw it backwards. He listened carefully as the fireball collided with the ground behind him, watching the Absol in front of him carefully. It didn't budge. The real one would have moved. He turned around and began walking towards the Absol lying on his side, struggling back to his feet. "Oh, no." Alex taunted, lifting another fireball and tossing it, almost casually at the Absol, blasting it off its feet again another couple of feet away. "Don't get up." He walked towards the Absol with an angry stare, gritting his teeth as he stopped overtop. The Absol pried open one red eye, and stared hatefully at the boy standing over him, cracking his knuckles with a warped grin. "No..." "Yes." Alex fell forwards, and swung down with all his might, sending his fist into the Absol's head with full force. The Pokémon just seemed to detonate on impact. His body just disappeared, exploded into a shockwave of ghostly purple mist, whipping up a surge of wind across the ground as Maric's last vengeful shriek split the air. Alex stayed there, kneeling with his fist against the cracked ground as he watched the haze sort of hang in the air around him, slowly wafting away from him and towards the walls again, where it had come from. He couldn't, of course, kill something that was already dead, but he had a feeling Maric wouldn't be bothering him again. "Alex!" He jerked his head around to find Haley sprinting towards him, now freed of her petrification. His eyes suddenly cleared and the glow surrounding him died out as he turned on his heel and held his arms out, allowing Haley to bowl him clear over onto his back as she tackled him. She landed with her legs on either side of him and quickly proceeded to lick his face affectionately. Alex laughed and took hold of her muzzle gently, lifting it away from his face. "Stop it..." He laughed as he sat upright. Haley stopped immediately, and sat back on his legs obediently. He cocked his head as they exchanged blank looks, and finally grinned. "Okay, keep going. I like it." Haley pounced on him with a mental squeal of ecstatic joy, overwhelmed with relief he was okay. "Thank you, Alex." She said with a particularly long slathering of saliva up his cheek. "I'm sorry, but I was just so scared..." Alex grinned and reached one hand up and around her neck, grabbing her by her scruff and scratching a bit, much to her pleasure as she ceased her licking to fall onto him murring. "It's okay, Haley." He reassured her with a little peck no the snout, making her blush a bit with a sheepish glance at his eyes. "We're all scared of something." "Really?" Haley lifted her head with a curious look at Alex. "What are you scared of then?" In response, Alex reached up and grabbed Haley by the scruff of the neck again, and pulled her back into him, hugging her again. He said, in his most sincere tone: "Losing you." Haley's heart leapt as his words melted into her heart. He did that thing again with his voice, that strange, mysterious thing that left his words hanging at the edge of her ear, balancing so delicately for what seemed like forever. That thing that just put that edge in his voice, that edge that made his words just seem so much more intense, that thing in his voice he used to ease her as a Vulpix when he promised never to hurt her. ever. She flattened her head into his neck, nuzzling into him furiously, desperately craving all his attention at that moment as she brushed and rubbed up against him over and over affectionately. "I don't want to lose you either... never, ever, ever..." Alex grinned softly as he let Haley nuzzle and push into his neck. It just felt so nice, not just the feeling on his skin, but the whole scene of just lying there with Haley rubbing against him lovingly. It was immensely comforting. "All right then." Merlin spoke up after a slightly frustratingly long "huggy-scratchy" session. "We better get going." Haley stood up and stepped off Alex, allowing him to sit upright. "Did you get whatever you needed done?" He asked as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his slacks a bit. Merlin turned to Derrick over his shoulder. Derrick nodded, grinning somewhat uncomfortingly. "That's a yes." Merlin clarified as he turned back to Alex. "Now let's get out of here before any more of those guys show up." Alex and Haley followed Merlin as he lead the way back outside the chamber and back into the corridor, where white-clad bodies decorated the place, burnt pieces of fabric clinging to their scorched skin. Alex stopped as he felt Haley tug on his ankle. He turned around as Haley inspected him with a worried look. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked as she saw all the cuts in his clothing, now bloodied from his wounds. Alex looked down at his body and shrugged. "I'm fine." Bang... The corridor rung sharply. Haley blinked quickly, not understanding what was going on. Alex looked down to where his hand had slid up over his shoulder. He took it away slowly, revealing a bloody patch on his hand and in his clothing. He gulped as his balance suddenly took a bad turn. "Haley..." He said with a sinking feeling. "I don't think I'm fine anyyyy-" Merlin swept past and caught Alex as he fell, whipping a pistol from his side with a roar, and firing off three shots into the previously "dead" man in a tux. Haley's eyes stared straight ahead, remaining fixed where she had been looking at Alex when he was standing. "Alex..." She called through psychic, still staring. "Shit!" She heard Merlin call from beside her. "Alex?" She called sullenly, suddenly rushing to her trainer's side as Merlin held his head up off the ground, swearing. "H...Haley..?" He murmured, prying his eyes open, despite his vision being a mere blur. "Alex! Hang in there!" She cried, her heart pounding as her head flicked side to side, desperately searching for something to do to help. "Hal...ey... come here..." Alex murmured. Haley was quickly next to him, her head close to his. "What is it? What?" Using the last of his suddenly dying strength, Alex lifted his head forwards, and kissed Haley on the nose. It lasted a fraction of a second before he fell back in exhaustion. His lips parted, and his voice rose, crackly and raspy, but unmistakeable: "When I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn or rejoice," He started with a growing grin as Merlin frantically dug through his backpack, swearing still, "every time you hear the sound of my voice- just know that, I'm looking down on you smiling..." his next words came choked, pained gurgles as his hand softly played on her foreleg, but Haley understood the last line far too clearly. "...so Haley don't feel no pain, just smile back..." Everything went black. Chapter 12 Revelations * What am I? "Hmm?" ... ... ... Like a sun rising over a cloudy horizon, light filtered through Alex's eyelids. Blue light, tinged white, and annoyingly bright. Where am i? what am I doing? How did I get here? Bang... Oh... that's right... crap. I got shot... Alex squinted as he stared at the light hanging above him, two cylindrical fluorescent bulbs set in the light burning brightly. Huh... I'm still alive... He thought, remembering the lines he sung from Eminem's "When I'm gone". Crap. I sung that for nothing? He thought with his usual sense of humour returning. Great, big, dramatic exit for nothing. Dammit. Sure, I can do it next time I die... but it just won't be the same... "Are you alright?" Alex turned his head on his pillow to see a young man wearing a doctor's uniform standing beside him, holding a clipboard in one hand. A pen was tucked behind one ear over a pair of reading glasses. His nametag read "Samson". Alex raised one hand a little under his blanket to give a thumbs up, and felt a little pain nagging in his left shoulder. "I'm alright." He said with half a shrug, keeping his left shoulder still. The doctor nodded as he read up and down his notepad once more. "You're a tough bastard, aren't you?" Alex nodded with a grin. "You've got the right guy." He affirmed cockily, sitting upright. The doctor made a jump for him, but seeing how he didn't break into a frenzy of screaming and painful spasming, stopped halfway, watching him curiously. Alex half shrugged again. "Ain't that bad." He commented, looking at the bloody bandage wrapped under his arm. Seemed that the bullet had entered just below his shoulder and exited about the same place on the other side. A clean shot through, luckily. Though, I'd have preferred not to get shot in the first place... He thought as he poked the bloody patch carefully with his opposite arm. "So where's Haley?" The doctor rested his clipboard on an end table beside the bed as he thought. "The Ninetails?" Alex nodded. "That's her." "She wasn't allowed to stay in here." Samson told him. "Pokémon are only allowed to stay a certain period. Though, we had an... interesting time getting her out of here, to say the least." Alex grinned at this. "Yeah. That's my girl." "She's obviously very attached to you by the way the others had to drag her out of the room. Lucky that older guy eased her a bit or she could've killed someone." Alex smiled at the image that created. Doctors trying to drag Haley out of the room. She would have put up a hell of a fight for sure. "Did you notice she's in heat?" "What?" Alex snapped out of his daydream to stare at the doctor, his lip hanging slightly. The doctor nodded, removing his glasses and placing them on the end table. "Yes. She's in heat." "In... heat?" Alex asked as the doctor sat beside him in a soft chair. "Like... that sex thing female Pokémon do? When they... need to have sex?" "Want to have sex." The doctor corrected him. "But they're really quite persistent about it, I'll tell you." "Oh..." Alex's mind drifted off a little, a small feeling of embarrassment growing in his cheeks, but he hid it. All this time he had been flirting with a horny Pokémon without realising it. "I didn't know that..." "I don't suppose..." Samson paused a bit, wondering if it was too personal or not. But he was a doctor for both humans and Pokémon, and felt he should give this boy as much details as he could about what was going on. "I don't suppose she used to be a breeder, did she?" Alex stared for a bit. Technically, yes, she had been. Could Samson pick up on something? Deciding the doctor already knew the truthful answer, and lying would only make him suspicious, Alex said: "Yes. How did you know?" "It's all in the timing." Samson continued, feeling pleased to be in his field of expertise. "Ninetails' usually regulate through their heat in such a way that their heat falls in spring. Now is summer, so this indicates she has been regularly bred." "What?" Alex shook his head with a shrug. "It's all in her head." Samson tapped his forehead with one finger. "Pokémon who receive sexual stimulation regularly, breeders, become accustomed to sexual stimulation, and therefore their brain causes the body to crave that stimulation as regularly as they are usually bred. I assume by your lack of knowledge in this field, that you weren't her breeder?" Alex shook his head. "My dad bred her." He answered, literally. "That's what I thought." Samson confirmed. "Say, for example, she was bred every month. After her breeding stops, her heat still continues, still expecting that same stimulation every month that she would receive." Alex nodded for him to continue, listening carefully. "Especially abusive breeders, such as ones who breed every few days or so, since young Pokémon develop in their mothers astonishingly quickly, let their Pokémon bear egg, let them lay the egg, then breed them right afterwards, almost three days after they first fall pregnant. Those Pokémon, after being freed of their breeders, continue with their heat cycles every few days, craving the sexual attention they are so used to." Alex stared at the man, realising what this meant for Haley. "They can't go three days without craving sex?" The doctor nodded. Alex fell back onto his pillow; a new dilemma had emerged now. "That's so... sad..." "It is unfortunate." The doctor agreed solemnly. "So... what advice do you have for me?" He asked. "For Haley?" "Just keep her away from males whenever she falls into heat." The doctor suggested. "The males are aroused by her scent and will try to mate her." "Right." Alex nodded. "Keep away males." "Especially fire types." The doctor cut in quickly, causing Alex's heart to sink suddenly. "Fire types are the worst." The doctor glared, shaking his head. "Those idiots are so full of hormones and get so fired up, it's hard as hell to get them off once they get riled." "All fire types?" Alex asked, suddenly a lot quieter. "All of them." The doctor said with a nod. "Runs in their genetic code. They just can't resist, especially a when there's a fiery Ninetails in need of attention. They love them." The first thing that came into Alex's head:Craaaaaaaap! He gulped, but the doctor wasn't done yet sharing his depth of knowledge in this field, and was enjoying himself, feeling intelligent. "And you even have to watch out for the subtlest things." He continued. "Sometimes you think it's okay between the two. You think they act normal, but they're actually flirting." "Flirting?" Alex repeated, his sinking feeling hitting the seabed. "A common practice among Pokémon is biting and licking and grabbing, if they have hands." He explained. "Always around the neck and head. The don't realise it, but it's in their DNA to bite or hold the scruff of their mate's neck as they mount, and they do this without realising it, like they're naturally preparing to mount the other." I'm so boned. Alex thought with a dreadful, nervous twitch, remembering all the attention he had been unwittingly paying to Haley's neck, rubbing and scratching and grabbing. His mind was trying to root her! "But you may want to consider finding her an acceptable mate." The doctor added. "Pokémon can go through a lot of agony in their heat if they aren't stimulated, and seeing how close you two are I really don't think you want to see her go through that and see her hurt." Alex shook his head, worrying further. Somehow this guy knew just what to say so sink his heart in his chest. "So catch her a good water type maybe? I've known people to use water types or ice types to wean fire types out of their heat. The contrast dulls the sensation apparently, and the dulling reduces the frequency." "So..." Alex knew he shouldn't ask, but did anyway. "Say I have a fire type for her, what effect would that have?" The doctor murmured in his throat, taking his pen from behind his ear and chewing the top. "Well..." The doctor thought. "In the presence of just another fire type, such as a random straggler, like a Growlithe you may pick up, her heat will continue at whatever frequency it is at. Dammit! "However..." The doctor pointed the end of his pen at Alex. "When a fire type female grows attached to a fire type male, there is a slight chance that she may increase her heat frequency due to the bond the two share, in anticipation of mating with her desired male." Alex went silent. "But this is of course, only in the case of a fire type. Whatever the connection is, a water type would still wean her off slowly." I am so boned. So, so very boned... "Well that's a bit of a bummer..." Alex pressed masochistically. "She's pretty close to this other fire type I have..." "Well I advise you be very careful when you have them both released at the same time." Alex nodded with a hidden gulp. This is not good... not... good... at all...
Samson had handed Alex a note before he left, following a not too persuasive effort to keep him in bed, but Alex had none of it, and thrown on his clothes being careful of his shoulder and headed out. He simply slipped the note into his pocket passively as his mind focussed solely on one thing burning in the front of his mind. West. He didn't even need to read the note, he knew where Haley was, and he was heading straight there.
As Alex entered the park, he decided to finally dig the note from his pocket. Sure enough, the directions enclosed plotted directions to where he was. He half-folded half scrunched the paper and thrust it back into his torn pocket. All his clothing still bore the scars of battle, as did his body. Though oddly enough he didn't mind the little extra attention he received from passers-by. The trees in the park were tall pines, flaky, dry leaves hanging from spiny, spindly branches, like giant arrays of needle clusters even though the leaves were soft to the touch. They just rose up everywhere, dotting the grassy field. That brilliant, fresh pine smell hung in the air, yet disturbingly enough, Alex was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to burn it all to a pile a ash, cutting a swathe through the nature's scent and letting it ascend to heaven from its frying floral corpse. He shuddered as he tried to shoulder the thought away. It was true what Haley said. The fire inside him was getting the better of him. I only hope my Pokémon side doesn't get the better of me. He added to that with a gulp. Or of Haley... Haley... he tried to focus his mind on Haley again, but his mind kept scrolling back to under that tower, fighting that Absol. Every time he remembered it he would just stop on the spot, breathing heavily. His movements were his own, but weren't controlled by him. His words came from somewhere else, but were still his. He had acted solely on impulsivity throughout that entire fight, starting when Maric had set him off with that comment he made to Haley, and from then on until the end of the fight, his brain had little say in what he said or did. Everything came from the heart... and Maric had hurt his heart. He didn't want that, but part of him did. His body wanted that rush again, the rush of sparking the air, lighting it up from a mere spark into a burning sphere of death and throwing it into the enemy, shattering them with his explosive force. The rush of jumping and ducking and diving as death shot back at him, missing by mere inches. That colossal power he controlled, devastating all that it touched and razing it to the ground. He liked that animalistic side, that side leaving him under its control, but leaving everything else under their control... he liked it. He felt in touch with something in that fight, and through all the intensity and through the battle rocking to and fro, he felt some kind of inner calm... like his dream... Something took hold of him, right then as he tried to remember.
'Alex. Come join me.' Alex's eyes burst open, a light of sorts pertaining from somewhere... But he saw fire. The unmistakeable tongues of flames which licked at his dreams, so hot they burned... or perhaps they weren't hot... no, they were hot, they burned and wavered with energy, like his soul... this was what was inside him. But now it had a voice... 'Alex.' It says. Alex turned around with a blank expression, wind whipping across his face. There was a man there. His shadowy blurry body seemed to be cloaked in darkness, yet the light of flames lit up his outline and his hair caught the colour of the fire... 'I know who you are' Alex's voice held strongly, glazed in a confidence he had never known, keeping calm despite the devastation around. The man turned. His outstretched hand held a flame. A small, blood red flame contained in the palm of his hand, a flame which yielded no light to give the figure a face. 'I thought so.' Alex. It was Alex. 'What is this?' His voice carried subtle venom, its potency great, yet haste, none. 'It's me.' Alex answered. The man's opposite hand revealed itself, unmerging from his side; his hand hovered over the flame, swirling over it slowly as the flames angled and tilted to his skin hungrily. His cold thin fingers reached into the touch of the flame and stroked it. Stroked it like a pet. Grooming the spires of red trailing from the central body. "I know you are. I can feel it." He said. He could feel the strokes at his inner being, each gentle touch tempering his soul, changing him. Fire whipped through the air, slicing between Alex and himself in a wave, washing away the image as the flames spiralled around in a column. Alex stayed where he was. He wasn't afraid of the fire of the wall spinning around him and enclosing him in an infernal twister column around his body. A thin beam of light cut down, jutting out of the darkness above down the centre of the twister and onto Alex's face, and he stopped. The sinister blackness around him that was a background to the flames grew grey slowly. His white skin was illuminated by the twisting red and white lights about him as the world changed, and he was confused. The dancing blaze was reflected in his eyes, held set strongly in a gaze of dark fascination. The fire.... The heat he was feeling... the raw power of the flames, how they moved, live they lived... but it was different. The flames didn't flicker and flash as if they had a life of their own, he moved them. Each breath lowered the flames, then raised them on exhalation. The flames, their life, was not his life. He was their life. He was engulfed wholly, not just by the flames but by the light, piercing shroud of darkness infinite and sweeping across him from everywhere. The black pit of fire he had once known, was a glowing void of life, personified as a twister of golden energy, wavering and shimmering. "What... is this?" Alex's voice finally wavered itself, looking around quickly. The place that was his soul, his own dominion, was not what it appeared to be. From somewhere, there was laughter. "You are such the narcissist, Alex." His own voice called back, cutting through the flaming twister. "The fire isn't evil, dumbass." He shut his eyes as the fire closed in on him, the column dragging its orange and crimson body of energy across his skin in an intense feeling of inner warmth as it became one with him. His eyes flashed open, something finally registering within him. "You see it now?" "I get it..." He muttered. "Fire is balance... life and death..." "Good..." from the flames, stepped forwards himself. Exactly the same torn clothing, exactly the same body, eyes, hair, everything. "Why are you so determined we are evil?" He asked innocently. "You're so sure I'm turning you into a monster, into an animal... I'm not." He said. "You're turning us into a monster because you're so severely misled as to what we are; I'm trying to keep us balanced, because I understand the other side." The other Alex stopped talking, and from his side his hand raised. "I am alpha." He said. Alex raised his hand to meet it. "I am omega." Alex chanted after him, staring back into his eyes. "We are alpha." The other Alex said indefinitely. Alex paused for a second, realising what he was getting at. "We are omega." "We are life..." "We are death..." the other Alex was gone. Alex stood alone, inside that vortex of fire encircling him, thinking. The other Alex was gone. There wasn't another Alex. There never was. He understood. I am alpha, I am omega. I am life. I am death. I am fire.
Alex's head shook, and he was back. He looked down at his hands, shaking his head slowly. What the fuck? "Alex!" his head jerked up at the surprise voice. "Haley?" "(Alex?)" "(What? Where?)" "(Where's Alex?)" The bush ahead exploded, and a fluffy golden blur flew at Alex at full speed. Alex staggered backwards. "Arm... arm... careful of the arm-uugh!" Haley tackled him at full speed with reckless disregard for his injury. "Shit!" Alex cursed, grabbing hold of his shoulder as a look of sudden pain crossed Haley's face. "Oh no-no-no!" She quickly jumped off Alex and ran around his side. "I'm sorry I'm so-so sorry I was just-" Haley cut off as Alex delivered her a sharp smack on the nose. "Shaddup." He grinned as he sat upright, hiding a painful grimace beneath a smile. "It's okay, I can't feel anything anymore. "(Alex!)" Alex's eyes went wide as suddenly the bush ahead exploded with more Pokémon. "No-no-no-NO!" ... ...
"Well it's good to see you in one piece." Merlin commented as he poked the pile of dwindling embers with a stick for some reason, despite the afternoon air being pleasantly temperate. "Yeah..." Alex threw the Pokémon behind him a quick glance, and then looked back with a sigh, a pain still twanging in his shoulder from the dogpile. He watched Merlin's stick with hazy eyes, a little fatigue beginning to spring up, but he wiped his eyes quickly with his thumb and forefinger and rid himself of it. "So... what happened with the tower?" He asked, forgetting how curious he had been earlier yesterday. "Did you get whatever done?" Merlin looked to his right, at Derrick. The Smeargle wasn't paying attention, and had his mouth full to the brim with marshmallows. "Derrick?" "Mmmf?" Derrick turned to Merlin. "Did you get it done?" Derrick nodded slowly. "Mmmf." He confirmed. "So..." Alex drawled inconspicuously, scratching one hand on the back of Haley's neck without realising as she lay at his feet with a grin. "What was going on in there?" Merlin dropped his stick. It fell into the embers propped up on a rock. He stood up slowly and stretched with a yawn. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about first." He made a "follow" gesture to Alex as he began walking away. Alex turned to Haley. "Stay here, I'll be back soon." Haley nodded slightly with a short whine, opening one eye to watch Alex go. Merlin trudged through the park for about a minute, before coming to a secluded spot under a different, larger tree. He turned around with that "confronting" sort of expression. "What can you tell me about that fight with the Absol?" Alex shrugged, grinning a cocky grin as something came into his mind. "It was over 1,300 words long." Merlin stared, arms crossed. "What?" Alex shrugged again. "That's a pretty damn good length for a fight scene." He looked upwards and raised a high five to the sky. "Shot!" Merlin glared. "Flattery's going to get you-" (Shut it Merlin, the guy's talking..) Merlin looked up now, blinking twice, then grunted, falling back against the tree. "Damn biased writer..." "I'm the main character." Alex said with a shrug. "He' allowed to be biased." (snaps fingers enough...) Alex grinned sheepishly at the sky. "You're the boss." He said with a shrug. "But-" (Nyeh! Less ass-kissing, more story) Alex fell against the tree with a sigh, beside Merlin. "I'm not sure..." He said as memories came back of the experience he had just before Haley tackled him to the ground. "I was like... an animal..." "That's how I would have put it." Merlin agreed. "But it's okay." Alex pushed up off the tree, turning around and walking backwards slowly. "I had this conversation with myself about it. I think we're sorting it out. He... me just told me a couple of interesting things about myself... like an epiphany." He turned around and began walking back to their makeshift campsite. Merlin grumbled in his throat a bit and followed after Alex. "Should that worry me as much as it does?" "No." Alex said with a quick shrug. "He-slash-I just told me-slash-myself all this stuff about being "alpha and omega". I reckon I'm slowly beginning to understand what this is all about." Merlin stopped. "He said alpha and omega?" he asked, a smile growing a bit. "Yeah." Alex turned around. "And this stuff about "fire is balance" and so forth. I sort of get it. He-slash-I seemed to think that he-slash-I is-slash-am-" "Stop it." Merlin cut in. Alex shrugged again. "He says I'm not as much of a monster as I think I am, but I don't understand." He looked away again. "If I'm not an animal then what was that in the tower?" Alex's head lifted a little as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "With great power comes great responsibility." Merlin stated simply. "You're just going through a weird phase with all your new power. You're still adjusting to all your changes in your body and mind, and that's why you went crazy like that. You don't know how to control yourself fully, the fire inside you." "And I am still balancing." Merlin went silent briefly. "You could say that." He said. "All fire types are like that at some point, and they lose control and go crazy, but they soon become used to it and have total control over it." "You're saying I'm a fire type?" "In heart and soul." Damn... "One last thing." Alex turned back around to confront Merlin, staring him in the eyes. "Why were you egging me on? that was the thing that made me go off!" "Because it unlocked something." Merlin said with a blank stare. "I did. I made you go crazy like that, but better then than another time. Now you know what can happen to you, and I dare say you learned quite a lot about yourself from that. And I wanted to see your power." Merlin grinned. "Like I said, you're going to become much stronger soon, and you're going to need to get used to a lot of power, so I suggest you prepare yourself." This time, Merlin left, leaving Alex behind in thought. He stared at the ground as he thought about everything that happened, but one thing remained in his mind wholly. "You're so sure I'm turning you into a monster, into an animal... I'm not." He said. "You're turning us into a monster because you're so severely misled as to what we are; I'm trying to keep us balanced, because I understand the other side." "I'm not a monster. An animal... I'm not..." But... I think I am..?
It was getting dark now, and clusters of stars were beginning to dot the deep blue sky overhead, light peeking between the pine branches. Merlin had found some sleeping bags by some means, Alex decided not to ask how, and everyone was getting comfy around the fire. Well, everybody being Merlin and Derrick. Other Pokémon stored snug in their balls for now, Alex had towed Haley away from the campfire for reasons yet unknown to her. "Alex, what is this about?" Haley begged as she followed after him, no idea of what was going on. "Is it the fire again?" In a sense... Alex thought with a grimace. "We need to have a talk." He said. It took him a hell of a lot of courage to decide to do this, but it had to be done. Alex turned to face Haley and sat down on a tree root. Haley quickly sat just before him. "Haley... are you feeling alright?" Haley nodded, her face not revealing anything the matter. "I'm fine... why? Is there something wrong with me..?" She looked to her left and right, checking her coat over for anything that could be wrong. "No, nothing..." Alex's voice went soft. "You're perfect..." "thank you..." Haley leaned towards Alex, but he held up a hand to her nose, stopping her just gently enough so he wouldn't hurt her feelings. "It's just a concern I have." Alex said, managing to keep his voice from going shaky. "Are you feeling any different from usual? Anything out of the ordinary?" Haley shook her head, becoming worried herself. "Not at all, but why do you insist on asking?" "I'm just making sure you're okay." Alex answered quickly. "But you've been through a lot. Pokémon in your situation have been known to get a little funny... they sometimes feel weird feelings... and stuff..." As Haley and Alex stared awkwardly at one another, something clicked. "You know..." Haley's heart sank. "I do know..." Alex confirmed, keeping his voice as calming as he could in this situation. "You're in heat." "Alex, i-" "It's okay." Alex cut in quickly. "I understand. The doctor told me all about it... about what it does to you." Haley could do nothing but watch on, held immobile by silent guilt and shame now that Alex had found out how she was feeling, how lost she was to her body. "It's a natural thing... I just want to help keep you safe... that's all." "I'm fine..." Haley said, chancing a step closer to Alex and placing a paw on his knee with a slight tear. "I can handle myself. I can hold off any male who may... attempt me... it's no concern." She tried to kill the topic as fast as she could. "It is a concern, Haley." Alex said seriously and took her muzzle gently in his hands, forcing her eyes to look into his. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried about what could happen to you." "I won't let a male near me." Haley promised, licking Alex's cheek, this time to comfort him. "I have no interest in these males. I love you." This time as Alex's head hung, eyes disappearing from view, Haley saw something cross his face she hadn't seen before. Shame. True, shame. His lips moved so slowly. "It's not the other males you should be worried about..." Haley retreated a bit, shocked at what he was implying. "It's me you have to be careful of." "I know you, Alex." She maintained, moving back closer again. "You wouldn't..." "I don't know what I might and might not do." Alex interrupted, looking up again into Haley's worried gaze meeting his. "I'm changing. I don't know how I'm changing, or by how much I'm changing, but you have to know that I am, and I don't know what I'm going to feel as I change..." Haley didn't say anything as the two continued to stare each other down, so Alex continued. "You have to be careful around me from now on..." Alex couldn't bear the moments passing after his last sentence. The sheer shame and guilt instilled in him, the thought that he could perhaps change at any minute and do something to Haley he would regret, it drove him crazy. He couldn't risk anything after that violent surge he felt under lost tower. He stood up quickly and walked back to camp, drowning in his own resentment of himself. Haley's eyes watched keenly after him, quaking and trembling softly that he could even insist such a thing. a hatred in her heart burning for herself, a dreading, terrible hatred that she had brought this upon their relationship...
Samson hummed tunelessly to himself alone as he walked through the lab, fluorescent lights lighting up the darkness shining through the windows. He was alone. In his hand he swirled a little test tube of blood, labelled with a complex number and two letters at the front. He stopped in front of a large machine in front of him and tilted the test tube slightly, removing the bung on top. He quickly brought up a syringe and drew a blood sample from the test tube, then replaced the bung. He then touched the needle on the edge of a dish on a face of the machine, and squirted the blood into it. A few bulbs lit up as the machine set to work, processing the sample as Samson stepped back and observed. A moment passed, one longer than it should have been, then the machine stopped, making an odd blinking noise. "Huh... that's funny..." Samson bent forwards so his eye was level with a small screen on the side of the machine. He read it a few times, each reading spread the look of confusion he had. He cleared the machine, and repeated the process, thinking I was a minor technical glitch. Once again, the same result. He grumbled to himself and reached for his cell phone in a pocket of his coat.
"This is... interesting..." The new scientist observed as he read the screen and its odd recordings. "It did that the first time around." Samson explained, standing behind the newcomer. "So I put it through again with a new sample, and the same thing happened. There must be something wrong with the machine." The newcomer shook his head and stood up. "This number..." He pointed to a number on the screen, stepping aside where Samson could read it too. The giant number that filled most of the screen. "I've seen it before, in Veilstone police department. That same number showed up on a scan. They thought the machine was buggered, but it was working fine." "But surely," Samson began in protest, "to have such a high count of-" "Samson." The newcomer butted in, face turning serious. "Whose blood is this?" "Guy called himself Reggie." Samson said. "About yay high, red hair-" "Red hair?" The newcomer butted in again. "Like ginger, or proper, blood red." "Blood red." Samson said quickly. "His eyes too, were this funny brown, almost red..." "The same guy." The newcomer looked at the ground briefly, then back up. "The same guy as they had in the police station." "Who is he..?" Samson asked as he took another look at the screen, making sure for the tenth time his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Alex Black." The other man answered. "Serial killer and arsonist." Chapter 13 If you can't stand the heat... * ...pull your dick out of the toaster. Alex torched the campfire once more as he reached a hand into the centre, glowing ablaze. It seemed nowadays it was much more difficult for him to create fire. He had explained this to Merlin a while ago and had told him about the flock of Pidgeotto and the Rydon and the fighting types he had bested in that arena he was pushed into, and when he was in the tenements where he hunted down his father, and asked why he was unable to recreate that power now. Merlin's reply was long and full of complex expressions and difficult wording, but at the end of his rant he clarified, saying: "You start strong with a rush then your power lessens to a regular level. Then you have to build it back up to that rush level with training, then you will be at that level permanently." Haley hung back a little, watching Alex's back as things shot around and back and forth in her mind, arguing with herself, her own resolve, and mostly, how much she cared for Alex. She was genuinely scared. Not of Alex, of what he had implied he might do to her, but rather what she was doing to him. For him to do that to her, her heat would have to have provoked him dearly, or he wouldn't even try. But scared of what he would do to her? Haley huddled her legs close together with a slight shiver. Not an uncomfortable shiver, no, but a shudder rather. She wanted nothing more. She wanted him to be with her, as a proper mate in every way. She wanted him to love her. She wanted him to care for her... she wanted him to mate her, to press his body burning with warmth into hers, and to take her as a lover. Perhaps it was her heat, perhaps she was simply lusting after anybody she could, she didn't know. But she couldn't. It would destroy him to do that to her. Unless I could convince him it was okay... She shook her head quickly. No... I can't. it's wrong, isn't it? Isn't it? She looked up at Alex's back as he spoke to Merlin, contemplating. Just because she had to be careful didn't mean she had to stay well away from him, did it? She finally lifted herself off the ground and began her walk towards Alex as if nothing had changed. I'll be careful. No problem. She decided as she hopped onto the makeshift seat that was a toppled tree, beside Alex. Alex stopped talking and looked at her. He smiled as he saw her, and patted her head as he would usually. "Nice of you to join us, Haley." He said with a scratch behind her ear, instantly putting all of Haley's fears to rest. He was fine. He turned back to Merlin as he resumed his speaking. "The Celestic museum of ancient wonders." He repeated, holding a cigarette between two fingers. "There's something in there we need." "What, so we're just going to rob a museum now?" Alex asked with more enthusiasm than a boy of his age should have shown at the prospect of robbing somewhere. "Not... exactly..." Merlin said slowly. "We're... not stealing from a museum?" "Well, it's hardly stealing if you're taking something that belongs to you, now is it?" Merlin hinted with a grin and a wink. "Something of yours?" Alex stared curiously, wondering as to what this object could be. "No Alex. It's yours." Alex stared blankly. "I don't own anything in Celestic town." "It's a birthright." Merlin said with just a subtle mysterious undertone. "Rightfully yours from when you were born, once your mother's." "My mother..?" Alex repeated blankly. "You said she is in Celestic town..." "Not exactly." Merlin admitted. "But close by. And don't worry, as soon as we have what we need from the museum we're going straight to her." "Good." Alex stood up at that, grabbing his bag of possessions and hoisting it onto his shoulders. "then let's get going." "It's dark." Merlin pointed out as if Alex couldn't tell by the all-consuming darkness they sat it, huddled in their hub of firelight. "Tomorrow will be soon enough, but why the rush?" "I want to meet her." Alex dropped his pack back on the ground and dropped back onto the log with a thud. He hung his head as he dug back into the deeper side of himself he often held in reserve. "I'm feeling things now that I can't explain. I felt anger under the tower first, and that's what alerted me. I'm afraid." Alex looked up, staring through the wavering flames into Merlin's eyes with such intensity Merlin shuffled back away just a little. "I'm afraid of what I'm becoming. I'm afraid I'm becoming a monster... like him." "Your father." Merlin made clear what everybody suspected. "I need to know that my mother isn't a monster." He stated, sitting upright. "That my genes aren't a bubbling cesspool of hatred and cruelty, that I am not destined to become like him." "You're not a monster." Haley couldn't let Alex's comment pass without some kind of argument. She couldn't let him fall into the hole he was digging. "You are something I've never known before, a true symbol of compassion and love, and I saw that when you asked Merlin to wipe the memories of all those Pokémon who suffered by your dad's hands." Alex slowly turned his head to Haley, a curious and gentle expression masking his anxiety. "If the world was full of men even with a quarter as much heart as you, it would be ten times better without a doubt." Alex continued to stare; for once Haley was the one comforting him. He made a jump for her, and before Haley could react his arms were thrown around her back, hugging her tightly and burying his head in her fur as she sat rigid in surprise. She heard his breath muffled by her fur, but long and slow, almost as if he were silently crying. "Thank you..." He whispered, drawing his head from Haley's fur just enough for her to hear him. "Thank you, Haley..."
Alex had contradicted himself already. Sleeping in his sleeping bag, arms wrapped around Haley as she fitted in there with him, snug and warm, he had ignored his own warning. But after what she said to him, he couldn't release her for a minute, like a child with their favourite toy. But Haley, despite the one who had before been reckless, was cautious. She kept waking at intervals, just making sure Alex was still asleep. He was, arms wrapped around her torso and one resting on her foreleg, gently stroking as he slept. But part of her knew she was still being too reckless, for if Alex chose to grab her tight there and then and attempt her, she would be unable to break his hold. She knew he would wrap his arms around her and hold her tight, and have his way. The whole situation played on in Haley's mind, against her best protests, but he heat was in control, and just wanted it to go on and on. She just shuddered, lay there and shuddered as she could do nothing to stop it. Her eye burst open, feeling something odd. Oh, no... Haley burst out of the sleeping bag and out of Alex's grip in a frantic hurry, waking him up in her commotion. Alex shook his head quickly as he sat bolt upright, and looked around quickly for what had just happened. First he saw the bush rustling behind him, then he remembered that Haley was sleeping with him. Then he picked up on something else, his sense of smell returning to him after all others. "Huh..?" He turned left and raised his nose a little, sampling the air. At the first whiff, he had suspicions of what it was. He lifted the rim of his sleeping bag out a bit and put his nose to it. "Fuuuuuck..." He moaned, falling over on his side as his strength disappeared. The smell assaulted him, clogging his nose and overwhelming him. His mind clouded with one thing, and one thing only. Merlin jolted upright and was out of his sleeping bag in a flash, running for Alex as he writhed uncontrollably, scrabbling to get out of his sleeping bag. "Alex!" He stopped short just for a second as he neared, something faint but unmistakeable touching his nose. "Alex!" He shouted again as he dived on the boy, pinning his arms to the ground with considerably more force than a man of Merlin's build should have had at his disposal. Alex bucked underneath him and squirmed side-to-side, trying to break free. Merlin leaned his head to the side as a scalding breath escaped Alex's nose, singeing the hairs on his beard. "Dammit!" He removed one hand from Alex's arm, but before Alex could even move it, Merlin's fist struck him across the head. Alex went still, ceasing his spasming. Merlin kept him pinned for just a little longer to be sure, then stood up again, rubbing his knuckles on his shirt and swearing. "Haley!" He called, turning around and shouting again into the air: "Haley?" "Nine?" A bush rustled a little, and Merlin turned to it. "It's okay. He's out. Come out of there." The bush just rustled a little, as if the occupant couldn't decide on whether to remain or exit, but left the cover of foliage soon enough, her head hanging shamefully. "I'm not even going to ask what happened here." Merlin grumbled as he crossed his arms. "This isn't between us, this is between you and Alex." "Nine..." Haley nodded guiltily. How could she not feel bad? Her stupid fantasising and her damn hormones were all to blame for this. She cursed herself for lacking the will to shake those images from her head. Merlin knelt back down beside Alex and placed two fingers on his forehead. "Yeah, he's out." He stood back up again. "He said he was changing." Merlin reminded Haley. "His senses too, and his changing senses can't handle your scent properly. You have to keep yourself under control, or keep away from him. Do you know what would have happened if I didn't knock him out?" Haley's head shook miserably. "He would have come after you, that's what would have happened." "Nine..." She apologised shamefully. She had seen Alex shaking, fighting, trying to break free of Merlin's grasp. "He's going to feel bad when he wakes up." Merlin continued, glaring accusingly at Haley. "You're going to do and say everything you can to assure him it was your fault and not his, alright?" Haley nodded again. "Good." Merlin lumbered back for his sleeping bag with a short grumble, scratching his head and yawning. He shot Haley one last glance over his shoulder as she dragged herself back into the bush where she had been hiding and jumped away into the darkness.
Haley kept her distance for the night, shame acting as a powerful barrier and disallowing her to return to camp until well into the next morning, where everybody was awake. As soon as she emerged from the bushes, her heart almost leapt into her throat. Alex was staring right at her, right in the eyes. He was crouching in front of his bag, halfway through packing his sleeping bag in, but had stopped as Haley emerged. "I sensed you coming." He said levelly, not letting up in his gaze. "I can sense where you are." Haley gulped and nodded, understanding the warning. "I'm sorry..." "No, I'm sorry-" "No Alex, I'm sorry." Haley didn't let him speak, and stepped just halfway out of the bush. "It was all my fault. Everything. You did nothing wrong and I made an idiot of myself. It's all my damn hormones!" "Haley." Alex patted his knee, nodding. Haley drooped her head and walked to him slowly. "You're forgetting that I have hormones too, especially now. With great power comes great responsibility, and this is my responsibility as much as yours to keep a hold on myself." It was obvious to Haley this was one of those stalemate situations. The kind where neither party would let the other take all the fault and she decided this was about all she could hope for. "Haley, I need you to promise me something." Alex whispered as he leaned close to her ear. "If... I do come for you... you have to fight me off." Haley sniffed and shook her head. "I can't..." "You will." Alex said sternly. "Haley, you can't run because I will find you. You have to fight me off, get Merlin if you can, but if he isn't around you have to fight me off. It's the only way out of this situation." "No..." Haley shook her head defiantly. "I'm not going to hurt you! There has to be another way!" "There isn't another way Haley..." Alex ran his hands along Haley's muzzle, stroking her fur lightly and comfortingly. Her ran one thumb from between her eyes, over her head and down her neck to her back, pressing his nail in a little and warming his hand. "I know you don't want to, but I want you to do it. For me. It's the only way." Haley remained silent for a moment. Alex gave her time to reply, he was in no rush to stand up. "It's not the only way." She whined. Alex's face remained still, expressionless as before. Haley placed a paw on his knee and gave him her best begging look. "We could just do it..." "No." Alex brushed her paw from his knee and shook his head. "I'm not going to." "But why not?" Haley begged, replacing her paw in her desperate plea. "Alex, I love you! this is something two do when they are in love! Please... I want it..." "No, you don't Haley." Alex countered, his voice dropping to a much more soothing one as he stroked her further. "It's your hormones talking, not you. You don't know what you want at all, you're confused." "I'm not-" "I'm not subjecting you to that." He interrupted. "You've had enough in my dad's care to last you a lifetime, I'm not doing anything to remind you of that life. That life is over now." He ended the conversation there by standing up, cutting eye contact. "Merlin! You done yet?" He called as he walked for the centre of the camp, marked by the smouldering remains of last night's fire pit. "Merlin?" Alex spotted Merlin just around a bush, his legs sticking out behind it. He was lying down. "Are you done with your packing?" Merlin stirred at Alex's next call. His legs disappeared for a moment, then his torso rose above the bush. "Sme?" He asked, walking around the bush. "Are you done packing? I'm ready to go." Alex motioned to his backpack, sitting behind him next to Haley. Merlin looked at the backpack, then at Haley, then back at Alex. "Smeargle." He shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Oh, no!" Alex facepalmed, turning around on one foot and swearing under his breath. "You're kidding me... he's gone somewhere, hasn't he Derrick?" "Smeargle." Derrick, disguised as Merlin, nodded, then cleared his throat. "Alex, it's Merlin." Alex turned back around. "Did you just-" "If you're listening to this, then you're obviously awake before I thought. I figure you should be out for a while... heh, I hit you pretty hard... or so I like to think. Anyway, I'll be back around lunchtime. Just wait around nearby for when I arrive, because we'll be getting out of here fast once i do." "How did you do that?" Alex demanded, stepping closer and glaring accusingly. "How did you do that?" Alex jumped back as Derrick impersonated his voice perfectly. "Oh... that Chadot thing?" "That Chadot thing." Derrick replied with a nod. Alex stared at him for a few more seconds, like he would if he was unsure if somebody had gotten a haircut over the weekend or not, then turned away with a grunt and headed for his bag. "I might let the girls off for a run." He said as he crouched and stuck a hand into a side pocket. "I've had them cooped up for a while, I'll let them cool off." He casually tossed all five pokéballs simultaneously, flicking them out underarm. With a mixed cry, calls blending together, all of Alex's Pokémon were free of their capsules. As soon as they were released, Alex spun and broke into a dead sprint for a tree next to the campfire, leaving the Pokémon looking around and quickly taking in their environment. He hit the side and ran up a few metres, then leapt up and grabbed a branch, then disappeared into the greenery before he was spotted. "(Where's Alex?)" The Blaziken asked, approaching Haley as she looked around. "(He's hiding.)" Haley replied bluntly. "(Why?)" "(So you all don't dogpile him and break every bone in his body.)" The Blaziken turned to look at Haley, staring unsurely. "(I'm serious.)" The Gardevoir, who had been standing still the whole time with her eyes closed, snapped them open with a grin. Haley saw this and interrupted quickly. "Don't..." She warned telepathically, halting her words in her mouth. "Don't what?" She replied innocently. "Fine then. Do it." Haley shrugged. "See how much there is left of him for you after you announce where he is and everyone charges him again." The Gardevoir stared at Haley a bit longer, contemplating what she just said. She nodded slowly, and then slipped away behind a tree while nobody was looking.
Alex sighed in frustration and fell backwards, landing roughly on his ass. He let his torso too fall back, and lay down in a burnt patch of grass. The grass around him was littered with scorched patches, flaky and crumbling in the wind. He was trying to do something, and he was not succeeding. After releasing his Pokémon an hour ago he had managed to meet them one by one for his regular bone-crushing tackle/hug he would receive when they were released, but by visiting each he managed to regulate the pain. Well, except Sattic (sah-teek). For a Luxray she really had such little energy or enthusiasm. Left to his own devices for the first time in quite a while, he had once again taken to setting things on fire. Really just lighting patches of grass, then putting them out shortly afterwards. He was tempted by that big, juicy looking bush just behind him, but knew better. He soon realised that lighting things on fire was something he did whenever he was away from Haley. Maybe he just always needed fire in some form or another, either Haley or just lighting things himself. But he had somewhat of a purpose doing this. He was experimenting with fire, watching it and observing carefully. He watched how it would flicker and fleet and disappear whenever a breeze blew past, or how the tongues of fire would reach up on first ignition then lower, watch how the flame would grow every time he put his hand near or in it, feel it on his skin... but there was one thing he couldn't managed to reconstruct. Something he had done once, but never since. "Heya Alex." Alex turned his head a little to the right, and was greeted by the great bgi smile of a Gardevoir. "Hey Cynthia." He said with a grin and a little wave, then replaced his hand behind his head, staring at the clouds above. "What are we looking at?" She asked, placing herself beside him and lying down too, interlocking her fingers behind her head as Alex did. "Clouds." Alex replied with a shrug. "I'm bored I guess." "Letting off some steam?" She asked as she observed a burnt patch on the ground. "Yeah." Alex smiled a bit. "Letting off steam. Everything's becoming so weird these days, I just need a little time to let it all out." Cynthia smiled back and nodded, watching the clouds with him. "I never really got a chance to thank you properly." She carried on, crossing her legs with a sigh. "You've done a lot for me over the years, you were the only one who was nice... the only one who didn't just want to use me and be gone." "Just doing the right thing." Alex said with a shrug. "That's all." "Well I just want to thank you." Alex tensed up just a little as he felt Cynthia's hand come to rest on his stomach. Cynthia rolled onto her side, facing Alex. "We all do." The bushes around rustled as Cynthia snapped her fingers together. Alex sat bolt upright as the foliage parted all around him, and out came all his Pokémon save Haley, smirking hugely. "What is this..?" Alex moved to stand, but Cynthia's hand pressed him back softly as the Pokémon moved around him. Cynthia rolled over, this time right over Alex and pressing him back into the ground, straddling him with a sly grin. "We want to thank you, Alex." She crooned, stroking his cheek in one hand and lowering her body onto his with the grace of... well, a Gardevoir. She rubbed her sleek, pale body into his paralyzed, sweating one with well-practiced movements, knowing just the right places to grind against and where to rub on. She leaned close to his ear. "We may be limited in speech, but actions speak louder than words..." Alex's eyes clenched shut, his breath speeding up with the hardening in his underwear thanks to Cynthia's rubbing and contact. "...and we've had a lot of practice at using actions..." Alex's mind blurred, rational thinking now thrown aside and body slave to his hormones, every inch of lust shut down and hidden away from last night breaking free and exploding into his mind at Cynthia's touch. "Please..." he panted with what clear thought he had left as the other Pokémon surrounded him and set their paws and hands to work on him, rubbing along his arms and legs soothingly. "P-please stop..." He stammered. "But you like it..." Cynthia crooned in the voice of a lover, melting into him with her hands on his shoulders, her cheek resting on his and her mouth at his ear. Her tongue ran just along it, slathering it thinly in fluids. "You like it, and we've craved it for so long..." "I-I can't..." He panted, fighting back the wave threatening to consume him. "I don't want t-to..." He gasped sharply as Cynthia's hand gripped his wood through his pants. "This says otherwise..." Cynthia replied calmly, her breath becoming husky with her own arousal. Alex could smell them all, their heats all upon them and held off until now. "If you don't want, just resist. We will stop if you resist-" "I caaaan't!" He bawled, throwing his head back and yelling. Cynthia froze in shock, staring, listening closely as Alex's yell faded. He was crying. "I can't resist..." he sobbed, body going limp on the ground as the other four halted also. "Please... I can't resist... I can't... I want to but I can't... so please... just stop..." Cynthia turned her head slowly, her body going rigid. The Blaziken whose claws had been dancing along Alex's arm sat still, legs crossed and staring at the ground. Her beak opened to say something, but she shut it again, and shook her head. She stood up without a glance at Alex, turned, and began away. Razier too shook her head as she stood, a tear forming in an eye. All around Cynthia, the others stood up, looks of shame crossing everybody's faces. They separated in total silence and skulked off into the bush in different directions. But Cynthia just lay there, totally immobile. The way Alex spoke shook her to her core, her strength just deserted her at his last words and guilt held her captive. "Please... Cynthia..." She froze as Alex's hand landed on her cheek, incredibly hot. "I understand, but you have to run..." He begged breathlessly. "I can't... control myself..." Cynthia shot upright quickly, staggering backwards at Alex's confession. His head fell back on the ground with a groan, arms shaking slightly at his sides. She looked left and right quickly, then back at Alex, face set in guilt still. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She turned left one more time with a gulp and broke into a sprint, eyes filling with tears at what she had just almost done. * "Alex?" Haley called, trotting through the forest as her head swung left and right in her search. However awkward last night was, she was alone, and she wanted some company. "Alex?" She called again, walking around a bush and almost missing Razier in front of her. "Razier?" The Absol made ro reply, just lay there facing away from hlaey. ("Have you seen Alex?") Haley asked as he walked around to see her eyes. Razier turned away from her so she wouldn't meet her eyes. ("I'm sorry...") ("For what?") Razier tossed her head towards the east briefly. ("He's that way...") ("Okaaaaay theeeeen...") Haley turned and headed in the direction Razier pointed to. What's her deal? Alex's eyes snapped open as soon as Haley was within twenty metres if him. Her presence, her aura... her scent... it was unmistakable. "Go away!" He cried weakly, body still shaking but lying still as he struggled to get a hold of himself. "What? Why? What's wrong?" Haley asked. He could feel her coming closer. "Haley! Run!" "Alex, what's the..." Haley raised her nose, sniffing a little. "...Alex... what..." She emerged around the corner of the bush, nose in the air. She spotted him immediately and dashed to his side. "Go!" Alex cried out, fists clenching as his back arched, a shiver coursing through his entire body. "What's wrong with you?" Haley ignored his warning, standing at his side with worry filling her ruby red eyes. "i-I can't control myself..." He gritted his teeth with a growl, smacking his head against the ground in an attempt to knock himself out. "You have to run... get away from me before-" "I'm not going anywhere." Haley stamped the ground with one foot defiantly."I'm staying right h-" "Listen to me!" Alex shouted, banging his head on the ground with a half-whimper half-growl. "I said-" "No! You listen to me!" Haley barked. Alex's body ceased instantly as his eyes flew open in shock. "You keep telling me all this bullshit!" She barked, circling him with eyes alight in fury. "I keep telling you Alex! I love you! I fucking love you! Why can't you just say yes? Why? Please, I want it!" "You don't know what you want!" Alex shouted back, rage less than equal to Haley's. "No Alex, I do know what I want!" She shouted back. "You don't know what YOU want! And the more you deny it the worse it will be, so just admit it!" Alex stare silently, lust briefly overwhelmed by shock and confusion. "I'm not going to do that to you." he maintained shakily. "I'm not going to do to you what all those men did!" "Then don't." Haley moved over his body, straddling him like Cynthia had and lying on him. "They fucked me. They just fucked me and fucked me and they left me, I don't want you to just fuck me Alex..." She gave him a long, lavish lick right up his face, resting her paws on his shoulders, then nuzzled into his neck affectionately. "I want you to make love to me." She said, swallowing her tongue and staring into Alex's eyes. "My whole life I've thought that sex was an evil thing done by evil men just for their own pleasure, but I know you're not like that..." she gave him another lick. "I want you to show me it's more than that. i want you to show me the love no man ever gave to me when they should have. I want you to show me that a man and woman can have sex if they love one another, and that they can both enjoy it. That it can mean something other than simple pleasure, that it is in fact, something intimate and loving... and if anybody can do that for me, it's you." Haley sat up on Alex and placed a paw on his heart, still holding him down with her stare. "Now... will you do this for me?" Alex stared blankly with his mouth agape. He swallowed and looked away a little. Haley's heart sunk as his head shook. "I... I don't think I can say no after that." He looked back up with a smile, the warmest smile Haley had seen from him in a long time. "It would be my honour." Haley smiled back, her tails beginning in their happy swishing side-to-side. "Then let's get those clothes off." Alex dropped his head back on the ground with a grin. "I can't move." He realised with a goofy smirk. "Huh..." Haley cocked her head. "Make me do all the work will ya?" She backed up a bit and took hold of the bottom of his shirt in her jaws. She pulled it up to his shoulders awkwardly, then let go. "You're going to need to help me with this..." Alex shrugged, and grabbed his shirt, then pulled it off with ease. Haley glared at him, eyes narrowing. "Liar." "Chop-chop, Haley." Alex grinned, watching Haley as she lay on his chest. "Do I gotta?" She whined, nuzzling into his stomach and pawing at it. "You don't have to..." "Fine, I'm doing it." Haley shuffled back to his feet and did her best to grab the zipper of his fly in her teeth. She got it soon enough, and tugged it down, leaving a gap where she could see Alex's underwear. "Mmmm... are we ready?" She teased as she tickled his shins with her tails. Alex sighed, and gave a brief nod. "I still can't believe this is happening..." He murmured as Haley's head moved for his waistband. "I'm about to lose my virginity... to you... wow..." "I only wish I could say the same..." Haley tugged up and down on the waistband of Alex's underwear, and everything just changed from there on. Haley stared silently, recoiling a little. Alex, far from being embarrassed, crossed his arms. "Well sor-ry if I don't meet your expectations." He huffed, determined to make light of the situation. Haley smiled just a little, but shook her head. "Please... let's drop the funny stuff here." Alex's grin disappeared, and he nodded, sitting upright and taking Haley's muzzle in his hands. "As you wish." He placed one hand on the back of Haley's head and brought her to him for a kiss, both closing their eyes as their lips met to indulge in one another. They let their kiss last for as long as it needed to be, but Haley pulled away. "I want to go now." She whined, the mere sight of the shaft just inches from her dripping hindquarters wetting her thoroughly. Alex nodded, and lay back down, placing his hands just around Haley's forelegs and under her belly to hold her up as she shuffled forwards and lined herself up. She lay down on Alex, over his stomach as her hindquarters just pressed into the tip of his shaft, arousing a stifled grunt of pleasure. Behind her, seven of her tails raised high, the final two; the ones right on each end, wrapped around Alex's legs to hold them tightly. "And... Alex?" She asked, licking a nipple with a grin, stirring another grunt as she lifted her rear up a little, dragging Alex's tip up with it since it still sat against her lips, soaking now and dribbling down his shaft. "Don't forget to enjoy yourself, alright kid?" "What do you- AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." Alex drawled off as Haley bit down on his shoulder and dropped herself on him, impaling herself on his throbbing cock with a loud moan into his skin. Her folds parted instantly under the force with which she thrust herself down with, engulfing Alex's cock in an amazing, incredible heat. Alex threw his arms around Haley's back and gripped her fur tightly, head falling back on the ground again as a moan rolled over his lips at the sensation of her vagina gripping him tightly and consuming him with its heat, it was wonderful. Haley remained still for a moment, adjusting to the feeling of that cock shoved deep between her legs that was all too familiar from her past. But those memories, those recollections, they all disappeared as she felt Alex's hand glide down her side and under her belly, stroking her softly. His body was hot, even hotter than hers, and she felt a new kind of warm, safety in his arms like this. She lifted her rear once more as Alex's arm wrapped around her neck and his fingers played on her chin, and dropped herself again, this time moving her hips back as she did, sliding down his shaft and drawing another moan of unmatched pleasure. Alex thrust to meet her, much to her enjoyment as his cock buried itself even deeper inside her, hitting the squirming, stinging pain that was her heat. Alex's hand under her chin pulled back. Haley tried to hang on, but Alex pulled her head off him, pulling her fangs from his skin. Before she could even take a breath he pressed his mouth back onto hers, holding her into him tightly all over, loving the feeling of her warm, bristly fur rubbing all over him. Alex pulled back, panting heavily and gasping for air. "Wait..." Hale stopped at the top of her thrust, panting herself and shuddering. "W-w-what? W-why? Please... I w-want-" "We're not... doing this right..." Alex stammered, staring sincerely into Haley's eyes. "Th-this... this is affectionate sex..." Haley nodded slowly, still quivering and shuddering needily, her heat beginning to really take off, but unable to be sated in this pause. "We are fire types." Alex said, stroking Haley's chin. "We are not affection. We are passion. Passion for one another." "Wh-what then?" To answer Haley's question, Alex tightened his grip on Haley, and rolled over, reversing their position, suddenly with him on top on hands and knees over Haley below, legs spread wide and tails splayed across the ground under Alex's legs. He pressed his mouth into Haley's forcefully, taking her off guard, simultaneously falling into her and thrusting, sinking his cock into her even harder and deeper in their new position. As he drew back his mouth trailed down Haley's muzzle and neck, kissing her soft fur as his hands rubbed at her sides all over like humans would when making out, but even more energetic and touchy-feely, ruffling her coat all over. Haley yelped as he thrust again, lowering his body and thrusting at a shallower level, going into her rather than down, almost hilting himself in her soft lips. He could see them as he pulled out again, a little gold skin puffed from her fur, swollen with arousal and wet. He pressed Haley's head back with his own as he thrust again, kissing her under the chin as she howled in pleasure, her hind legs jerking spastically. This was different entirely. Harder, stronger movements, bodies rubbing against one another, firing up at the core inside, shameless, passionate kisses all over in and touching and rubbing energetically in one giant fit of pleasure, heat and love. This wasn't mating. This was being a fire type, and mating. Alex finally managed to get Haley's muzzle facing him to kiss her properly. He almost pressed her muzzle right into his mouth as he dropped all of his weigh tonto her with his next thrust, putting his whole body onto her and letting his heat share with her. The grass around them even lit up with his next thrust, Alex's mind throwing out heat unwittingly in his frenzy of love and lust. Unaware that either of them was actually, quite literally, ablaze and flaming, Alex ploughed on, tongue sloppily slathering saliva all over Haley's muzzle and head and neck, her imitating him as best as she could, their tongues meeting on occasion to swap fluids, then carrying on all over. Each flick and stroke of the tongue was an even hotter streak than what either was already experiencing, like the touch of lava streaming down the face. Everything was hot. Sweat poured off Alex by the bucket load as he kept up his relentless fucking, still maintaining his power and pace even as he felt he was thrusting into a toaster, but it was the best feeling, the sweat, the heat searing him, Haley's fur matted and sticky and messy with sweat and her fluids squelching from her lips with each thrust, fizzling and singeing the ground on contact. It was hot sex like no other, and it was amazing. That amazing feeling between Haley's legs, that hot, thick thing plunging into her and scalding her insides with pleasure with each touch, the hottest thing she had ever felt in her life deep inside her and radiating through her body, every nerve lighting on fire inside her and increasing the brilliant pleasure of each thrust slamming into her depths tenfold, it pushed her from halfway to fully over the edge several times over with Alex's last thrust. Her muzzle tore itself from Alex's mouth with her scream of pleasure and she sunk her teeth into Alex's shoulder again in her primal frenzy, clinging to him to keep her mind from shaking free of her body and shooting off as she convulsed, kicking with her legs as her tails constricted Alex's legs so tightly she cut his circulation. Alex thrust into her one last time with an equal roar, slamming into the newly soaked and blazing hot confines, splashing burning hot liquids all over his skin as he came, biting into Haley's fur himself as he held her tightly and humping wildly. Haley's walls clenched down on him and smothered his cock, trapping their combined heat around him as ropes and ropes of thick, hot cum spurted into Haley's womb with each post-orgasmic thrust, both still riding it out. Haley, with a womb full of cum hotter than molten rock radiating heat through her entire being, collapsed, finally drawing her teeth from Alex as her orgasm subsided. Alex fell forwards onto her heavily. They lay silently together after that, chests heaving in and out against one another, hearts still pounding extremely fast. "Alex..." Haley breathed huskily, still with her eyes closed after her orgasm. "That was... something else..." "Did... I..." Alex took a long intake of air to fill his depleted lungs. "Did I show you? The love?" Haley paused for a second, then nodded, licking Alex's cheek warmly. "That was love, and something else." She gave him one especially long lick. "That was total, complete, unmistakable adoration... that was passion like no other..." She gasped, falling back. Alex wrapped an arm around her neck and kissed it. "Well I love, and I adore you with a passion." He said as he rolled over, bringing Haley back on top of him now, and smiling at her. "Thank you." "What was that?" Haley asked suddenly, still panting. "That thing... my eyes shut, I bit you and held on, it felt like my entire body was burning in every nerve and shaking wildly... like riding a great wave of pleasure... it was incredible." "Wait, an orgasm?" Alex demanded in shock. "What?" Haley stared into his eyes, confused. "THAT is an orgasm? I thought only men had those." "But what about..." Alex paused awkwardly, "all those men you... y'know? What about with them? You never-" "Never." Haley shook her head, then dropped it into Alex's neck. The two lay there for a few more seconds in silence, Haley snuggling into Alex as he hugged and stroked her. "I've never had an orgasm... until now... until you..." IT'S DONE! The update lied.. kinda... i'm probably taking a break starting... now! The next set of chapters will reveal everything. WHO is alex's mum? WHO is merlin? WHO dies? (gasp) WHAT does merlin want with alex? And more importantly... WHAT THE FUCK is Derrick?!? dum-dum-duuuuuuuum... COMMENTZ AND FAVZ TO FEED MY NARCISSISTIC EGO! Okay... i'm not really a narcissist... i hope not anyway... ...Alex is going to need new undiez coz they melt...