FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

-Computer/onscreen text-

"Human Speech"

'Telepathy between characters'

{Pokemon Speech}

Example: "Ni nine tai tales ninetales ine?" is what a human would hear.

{What do you mean you can't understand me?} is what other Pokemon, and certain humans would hear.

// // = Major Time/Scene Change

* * * = Scene Change

| | * * * | | | * * * | | = End Chapter

Chapter 18:

Grunts sounding out, and explosions of power rippling through the building, it seemed as if a war was being raged. And indeed, there very much was a war raging inside.

With careful movements, Sylva stepped forward again, blades going out to his sides as he charged, his face set firmly. The Zoroark before him simply grinned herself as she watched the green haired man step forward towards her, a quick thrust right blade leading the way.

With a deep growl leaving Zada, she powered her claws, making them glow with a crimson hue, and caught the first blade, before throwing it to the side. Sylva did not hesitate a moment, following the blade with his body and bringing the second one to bear on Zada.

Grinning still, she lifted her other hand to catch the blade between her claws. Even while she moved, her fangs slowly growing dark as they too powered with darkness. Sylva was still grinning that confident smile of his as his right blade was parried away. Watching Zada power her fangs with shadow, he still kept masterful control of himself.

With both his blades parried away to the side, seeming to leave him exposed, Sylva did a graceful backflip just in the nick of time to dodge Zada's jaws from closing around his neck. With a grace akin to the trees swaying in the wind, the man rightened himself seven meters down the hall, right in the center of the hallway.

Standing straight again, he smiled at Zada, flipping his grip on his left sword to a back hand, tucking the rear of the blade under his arm, so that it went past his elbow. "Your move, milady," he said in that maddeningly confident tone of his.

Zada simply growled again in answer, holding her hands together as she watched Sylva right himself. Grinning suddenly, a small orb started to form between her hands. "Yes. It is my move," she said with a smirk, before tossing the orb with a battle roar.

As the dark purple orb streaked toward him, Sylva grinned. In less than the blink of the eye, his blades shattered, looking as if they had turned into petals of a red rose. He continued smiling as those same petals started to dance around him, creating a veritable shield, protecting him just in time before the shadow ball connected with him.

The brief explosion of power shook the old complex to its very foundations, doors near where it had happened blowing open and the windows at either end of the hall shattering in a rain of glass, falling down to the snow covered street below.

When the explosion finally cleared, Zada gasped as she saw Sylva still standing. He was simply holding his position there in the middle of the hall, that grin of his still painting his face, even as he looked around himself. The man sighed softly as he saw many of the petals in front of him withering, falling to the ground as they blackened and curled up on themselves.

"They served their purpose, but still I feel sad about their passing," he said softly as he held out his hand. "An excellent move, but still futile," he said sadly, before looking back up at Zada. Then the air around him started to shift, making Zada blink quickly before taking up a defensive stance again. "Now, feel the wrath of the forest," he said, almost gently, as he pointed at Zada, the remaining petals suddenly stopping in mid-air as they pointed at the Zoroark.

Zada's eyes grew wide as she watched the petals sharpen and start flying at her, cutting through the air mercilessly. With a deep growl, she crossed her arms in front of her, letting them take the brunt of the razor sharp leaves as they hit her. Each one left small cuts and nicks on her, and dark crimson blood started to drip to the floor; drops that splashed as they hit the carpet, staining it.

Sighing, Sylva let his hand fall down as he shook his head. "So typical. Belief that brute force can win," he gave a short, sharp, laugh. "And here I thought that you would be different from my allies." The man then gave a casual wave of his hand, continuing to speak as the rose red petals started to float around him again, lazily dancing. "A being of such beauty, grace, and power; I am honestly surprised that none have tried to claim you before."

He then scoffed, straightening his white dress shirt. "And here I thought that it would take more to defeat you. Forgive me for my error," he said with a bow before starting to turn on his heel.

"Stop."

That command from Zada made Sylva turn back, curiosity crossing his face.

"We're not done," the Zoroark growled as she stood tall again, her body-length braid swaying lightly behind her.

Sylva watched, first with curiosity, then with pleasure, as Zada readied for battle again. "Well, well, well. Seems there's more fight in you then I thought," he grinned holding out his hand. The floating petals suddenly solidified into a sword in his hand, taking on a green hue again. "It seems that what caught my eye with you is true indeed," he said as a second, much shorter blade formed in his left hand.

"Well goody for me," Zada said with a huff, turning her head to spit on the ground, her saliva tinted red with her own blood. "Because I'm gonna put the hurting on you now," she growled, her claws suddenly glowing again as a shadow ball formed in each hand.

* * *

Jayden simply watched as the battle unfolded before him, standing in the doorway to Zada's apartment so that he was out of the way. Every time he saw Zada block a swipe from the man's blade, he silently cheered.

Then he heard someone behind him getting up, and Jayden swung around, pistol at the ready. A searing burst of fire forced him to drop the pistol though as it suddenly heated up in his hand. The only thing saving him from a serious burn were the leather gloves he was wearing.

Glaring up at the man before him, Jayden's eyes started to glow with power as his Lucario blood started to take effect. With a deep growl, he feel into a battle pose, hands held up and dancing back and forth on his heels.

"Damn that boy, and damn that man," the redhead said, glancing at Glaciem, who was still in a crumpled heap, for a moment. "They'll get me killed." Bringing his gaze back to Jayden, he growled deeply, "as for you. I don't give a shit about you!" He suddenly shouted, his hands engulfed in flames as he charged Jayden.

Jayden calmly stepped back, using his forearms to deflect the punches and jabs off to the sides, away from him. Each parry only made the redhead angrier, the flames engulfing his hands hotter as he tried to land a single blow on Jayden.

Then, after only fifteen seconds of this, Jayden slapped a palm against the man's chest, blue sparks shooting out from the impact point. "Don't want to deal with you right now," Jayden growled before shifting his bodyweight, and pushing Lustro away from him.

Right then, he heard a shout, drawing his attention back to the hallway and the two combatants again. He made no move to help though, remembering his promise to Zada not to interfere.

In the hall, Zada was mere yards away from Sylva, both of her paws filled with orbs of darkness as she charged. Deep, continuous, growls were leaving her as she crossed the few meters between them in mere seconds, before she planted her right foot, the dark orb in her paws suddenly shattering and engulfing her hands as she went to punch the human before her.

With a sly grin, the green haired man twisted his body to the side, avoiding the first fist by millimeters. Still grinning, he leapt back to avoid a backhand by the same fist, before spinning away, his blades flashing in the light of the hall. Continuing to twirl away, a spray of crimson blood could be seen following the blade as it swung up.

Jayden watched, eyes going wide, as Zada keeled forward, hand going to her chest. A thick drop of blood clung to her hand, a deep gasp leaving her as the Zoroark fell to her knees. It had seemed like an eternity, but no more than three seconds had passed since she had been cut.

Looking back down the hall as he finished his pirouette, Sylva sighed deeply. With a flick of his wrist, the few drops of blood that had clung to his blade flew to the ground, leaving the jade colored blade without flaw. "Disappointing," was all he said, shaking his head slowly, "here I had expected a challenge, and you go and fail me like that." He gave an exaggerated sigh, relaxing his blades.

Growling, Jayden went to take a step forward, an aura-sphere starting to form in either hand. That's when he saw Zada, still on her knees in the hallway. Something about her just seemed off; she wasn't holding her wound, or breathing heavy in the slightest. But it was when, with her head tilted in his direction slightly, he saw her wink that he knew she was crafting an elaborate illusion.

With another deep sigh, Sylva opened his palms, a lazy look coming over his face. As he did so, the blades in his hands had an innumerable sum of cracks appear on them, before they shattered into rose petals again. They seemed to float around him, lazily blowing on a nonexistent cushion of wind, giving an almost mystical look about him.

Taking a step forward, he raised a hand, curling his fingers as he gazed at them, almost seeming to be inspecting his nails. "If we are finished then, I shall take my two partners and leave you be," as he was saying that, he walked by Zada, "and let you and Jayden-rargh!" He was cut off by a shout of pain and surprise as the Zoroark suddenly roared a battle cry, raking her claws into his calfs.

Suddenly being cut like that made him fall backwards, arms splaying beside him as he fell. As Sylva continued to fall, Zada jumped up, her growling still emanating from her, and planted an elbow right onto Sylva's sternum. That blow was enough that when the man hit the floor, it seemed that the entire building shook. The dust from around them was definitely thrown into the air though, making the entire hallway seem smaller than it was before.

Sylva would not go down without a fight though. Kicking up his legs, he caught Zada in the back on the head with a foot, sending her stumbling away. With a roll of his shoulders, he pushed up with his hands, doing something akin to a reverse-summersault to get back to his feet. When he did get to his feet though, he quickly collapsed again, a loud shout of pain leaving him. He had forgotten that Zada had cut his calf, and a hand shot to the back of his leg.

Pulling it back, Sylva looked at his bloody palm with a look of almost disbelief. That's when he started to smile, a wry laugh leaving him as he shook his head. "I am surprised at myself for falling for that," turning his head to Zada, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Zoroark.

What had caught his gaze was the line of blood across her chest. "Well, well, well. Not fully an illusion at all it seems," Sylva said with a twist of his head, a crack sounding out. "I would like to fight some more, but it seems that we are even now," he finished, gesturing to his leg with a hand. The petals around him were once again floating in a much more focused pattern, seeming to be readying for an attack.

Zada growled deeply, taking a step forward even as her claws powered with another attack, in way of an answer. Cocking her arm back, an orb of shadow formed, a glint of anger in the Zoroark's eyes. Then, her arm flew forward in an underhand toss, the orb flattening as it flew towards its target.

With a stone-cold impassive face, Sylva focused the petals around him into a shield again, the resulting explosion rocking the building again, sending more glass and wood to the streets below.

// //

Deep in the woods of the Upstate, near the heart of the Catskills Mountains, a small caravan of black-panel vans drove down the late night back country roads. Their glaring white lights illuminating the darkness of the winter night, the snow glowing softly in the light. It was a strange illusion of the eye being created, as it almost seemed that they were driving down a white speckled tunnel.

Their occupants, for the most part, slept soundly, if not comfortably. Each rumble, each bump only seemed to lull them into sleep even more. Inside of the first van, only humans slept, one of them bound up so that he could not escape. In theory.

The Irishman jerked again as the van hit a particularly large bump in the road, although he did not react to it. Still, he used it to his advantage as he moved his wrists again, the smallest of winces crossing his face as the robe chaffed his already raw skin. He could feel as the fibers of the robe twisted ever so slightly, and he could almost sense their weaknesses.

So, sitting there, he continued to work his bindings. Each small movement twisting the rope again and again, slowly fraying it. Every tiny movement bringing him closer to being able to break the bindings, and escape.

Watching all the while, Craddok twitched his hand closer to his knife, a dark grin coming over his face as he watched the Irishman working his bindings. He'd known about the Irishman trying to master his escape since they had put him in the van, but still had done nothing to stop him.

Yet.

With a smirk, Craddok puffed on his cigarette, the softest of clicks sounding as he undid the lock on his knife. Thumbing the hilt, his smile remained planted on his face as thoughts of what he would do to the Irishman when he tried to escape went through his mind.

Just then, the passenger in the front of the van opened up a panel to speak into the back. "Hey, Craddok," he said quietly, getting the leader's attention. "We might have a situation," was all he said in an ominous tone, before sliding the panel shut again.

As soon as that happened, the van came to a slow stop, forward momentum carrying the body of the van forward a few inches before softly sliding back into place over the tires. Grumbling to himself, Craddok stood, unlocking his pistol before stepping to the back, much to the grumbles of a few of the others.

Throwing open the back door, he stepped into the sole high snow, tossing his cigarette to the ground and resting his hand on the pistol. Looking up, he saw the second van coming to a stop as well, the driver throwing on the parking brake as he looked up.

With a gesture of his hand, Craddok slowly turned on his heel, going to walk around the van and see what was holding them up. Seeing the gesture though, the second driver reached under the dash, grabbing two Pokeballs as he jumped out of the door. His passenger also got out, cocking a nine millimeter pistol as he did so.

Walking around the side of the van, Craddok saw what it was that was holding up their convoy. A massive pine tree, covered in snow lay across the road, blocking the way in both directions. With his eyes narrowing, the leader examined the pine. At first glance, everything seemed normal; that the tree had simply succumbed to the harsh winter and collapsed.

Not seeing a single thing to the contrary, no tracks of man, Pokemon, or animal, Craddok sighed deeply, turning to nod to the driver of the second van. "Let Scyther out, and bring Houndoom as well." He said, gesturing to the roadblock, "it will take too long to find another way around."

With a nod, the man threw the two Pokeballs into the air, soft pops sounding out as their occupants materialized. As the red forms took the shape of two canines, Houndoom and Mightyena, the man walked to the back of the van, and opened it. The occupants, mostly Pokemon, looked back at the opening door, some of them shivering at the blast of cold air that flooded the van.

With a gruff tone, the man spoke. "Scyther, we need your blades," before turning and heading back towards the front of the van.

The bug Pokemon sighed deeply, but stood up, his wings fluttering slightly. Carefully, he made his way out, hopping down into the snow as he looked around for a moment. Narrowing his oddly humanoid eyes, he look up at the night sky. {Moon is covered,} he muttered softly, {stars are hidden,} he sighed deeply, rolling his neck and shoulders, {baaad omen.}

But, he wasted no more time, turning and crunching through the snow towards the log that covered the road, blocking their continuation. It only took a few seconds for him to reach it, and he was already twisting his scythed arm in preparation for an attack. Shouting out a small battle cry, he, in a matter of seconds, turned the massive log into more manageable pieces. Fluttering his wings softly, the bug turned around, going back to the van to get some more sleep.

"Good. Now, Rain, Liam, Violet, get these smaller chunks out of the way. Houndoom, torch the rest of the tree." Craddok ordered, taking his cigarette between his fore-and-middle fingers, and pointing at the pine. "C'mon you three, quickly," he said gruffly as he took a deep drag of the cigarette.

Rain was the first to move, grumbling in Pokespeech the whole time as he started throwing the chunks of tree out of the way. Liam the Grovyle and Violet the Weavile both sighed, deciding to ignore the Lucario and go to work.

Using her claw like fingers, Violet impaled the smaller pieces and lifted them. With a small shout and a twist of her foot to gather momentum, she chucked them into the woods, listening as they crunched through bushes and snow. Her face was grim, and silent as she continued to work, not bothered, but actually a little bit stronger because of the deep, penetrating cold.

Together, the Pokemon quickly got the tree done with, small fires burning from the Houndoom's flame, lighting up the area. Most of the humans had fully awoken by now, and were stretching as they awaited on the Pokemon to finish their task.

Looking around, a young man, Jack, got out of his van, yawning widely. He had a tired look around his eyes, although he tried not to let it show to much. With a stretch of his arms, he cracked his back, sighing slightly as he did so.

Lurking around in the shadows, Umbreon slowly moved around, watching as events unfolded. He had a strange grin on his face, as if he knew something that he shouldn't. Softly padding through the woods, he made his way well onto the hill that overlooked where the convoy had been stalled.

"Hello Umbreon," Ghost said softly, seeming to come out of the very shadows. "I see that you've kept your end of the bargain," he said, going to his knee next to the black canine, holding out a hand as if to pet him.

Backing up, and bitting at the hand, Umbreon snarled at Ghost. 'Just remember our deal. Liam, Violet, the Gardevoir, and that female Lucario, and me, all go to that human, Jayden, that you told me about. I don't care about the others,' he said, telepathically, before spitting on the ground.

"And Kris?" A redheaded man said softly as he too came out of the shadows, crossing his arms as he leaned against a large tree. "What do you want about him?"

'Dead,' Umbreon said shortly, his bright red eyes narrowing sharply. 'I want that bastard of a human dead and burned. Do you understand?' He mentally hollered, almost snarling as he stalked forward, 'dead and gone, never able to hurt me, or anyone, ever again!' The canine physically was growling as he advanced, looking Ghost in the eye.

"We understand," the man said, taking off his sunglasses. Looking at Umbreon with dark purple eyes, he did not smile at all. The two stared at each other for a moment, seeming to connect on a deeper level, both of them breathing slowly and deeply in the cold air. "Ignis," Ghost suddenly said, standing up and looking over to the other man, "go ahead, and set another tree on the road. Make it an avalanche this time."

"Right," Ignis muttered, walking back off into the shadow's of the forest, leaving Ghost and the Umbreon standing there in the cold. Slowly, Ghost brought his gaze back to Umbreon, looking at the canine Pokemon once more, before nodding slowly.

Without another word, Umbreon turned around, and crouching low, readied himself to jump. Nigh-silently, he leaped over the edge of the cliff, not noticing how Ghost seemed to melt into the very shadows. Falling for a moment, he soon rightened his feet on the sharp cliff, sliding down carefully, quietly, but quickly.

When he felt his paws hit a solid rock, hidden by the snow, the Umbreon coiled up his muscles again, and leaped high into the air. Doing a graceful mid-air summersault, he glided for another moment, closing his eyes as he relished the cold air rushing past him. Then, he suddenly extended his legs again, landing on the road, his eyes still closed.

{Umbreon, good,} Liam said softy, the Grovyle just stepping up to the van. {We were just about to head down the road again,} he finished, gesturing with his head towards the inside of the vehicle, {let's get out of this cold.}

{Liam,} the Umbreon said softly, taking a few steps and then jumping into the van in front of the grass type. Quickly glancing around, the dark type saw Kasha, Aura, and Violet sitting there, the Gardevoir and Lucario both with control collars on. {When we stop again, I need you and Violet to swear you won't leave the van,} the canine said softly, lightly jumping up so that he was eye level with Liam.

{What?} The Grovyle asked in confusion, not sure how to react to the sudden statement. {What are you ta-?}

But Umbreon cut him off before he could say anymore. {I need your word, both of you. I have a plan, but I need your help,} Umbreon implored, holding his gaze with Liam for a moment, before casting his sight over to the Weavile. {Maybe, we can actually get away from all th-}

He suddenly stopped talking though, glaring over Liam's shoulder at the Pokemon standing behind him. Smiling evilly, Rain took a step forward, roughly shoving Liam up into the van, {oh, don't stop on my account,} the Lucario said sarcastically, {what plan are you talking about?} He asked, half-serious, half-joking, {another piss-poor plan to get Kris killed?} Leaning in close, the Lucario said, his eyes fixed on Umbreon.

Without a single word, Umbreon closed his eyes and turned around, growling deep in his throat. {Tsk, tsk,} Rain cautioned, lifting his paw and waving it condescendingly. {You should know better than not- hey!} The jackal suddenly snapped, turning and snarling at Craddok, who had shoved him even rougher than Rain had pushed Liam into the truck.

"Stop the gabbing, and buckle up," he said shortly, motioning for the other men to get back into the van. "Storm is coming, and we have to be back asap," he finished, slamming the van door shut as soon as the third man had gotten in.

A moment later, the engine started up again, and they started to slowly make their way down the road once more. They weren't going more than thirty though, as the roads hadn't been cleared; not only that, but the snow started coming down even heavier, thick and wet, clinging to the road and wheels.

Silence ruled in the van, dark, ominous, and oppressing. No one wished to break the quiet, and none ventured to even attempt to do so.

In the front van, the situation was very similar. The Irishman no longer tried to feign sleep, sitting up straight as he glared around at the others. All of them ignored him though, some of them sleeping again, others carefully looking over their weapons.

Slightly twisting his wrists, the Irishman tested the strength of his bonds again. A quick blink was all he allowed himself as he felt it shift ever so slightly, another fray breaking the fibers just that tiny bit more.

Craddok was no fool though. Even as he looked over his knife, his eyes remained firmly on the Irishman. He would not allow him to escape his grasp this time. Even if he had to slit the man's throat to keep him; Craddok gave the faintest of snarls as he thought this, an almost pleased look coming over his face.

But, back in the second van where all the Pokemon were, Rain suddenly sat up straight. Ears twitching, he started looking around, his eyes closing. Slowly, the dreadlocks that helped his kind to sense the Aura of all things lifted, showing that they were being used.

Aura, her mind extended in meditation, sensed the same thing that Rain was just now feeling. In fact, she'd sensed it for the last few minutes, the powerful presence that was following the truck, just in the woodside. A presence found, not by the glow of Aura, but by the void it left.

Suddenly Rain sat up, starting to shout out a warning. One that came far to late though, as a wave of snow, preceded by an explosion on the hillside, swept across the road, blocking and entrapping the two vans.

All the passengers were thrown about, bodies slamming against the sides, guns and limbs going everywhere. Shouts and cries of pain echoed out in the night as the lead van was thrown on its side, the rear van skidding so that it stretched across the road.

After the chaos of the moment, quiet settled over the area, an eerie, unnatural, silence. Then, some short seconds later, the sound of a metal door clanging open echoed out. Craddok, his face bloodied from a cut on his scalp and his palm bleeding from where his knife had cut him, gasped as he fell into the snow. Holding a hand to his head, he muttered unintelligibly, before slowly standing up, his entire body swaying unsteadily.

Then, a fierce explosion ripped out from the second van, Rain suddenly tearing through the side. Standing tall in between the two vans, his eyes remained open, glowing a light blue in the night, as he looked up the hillside.

There, up at the top of the hill, stood Ignis, the snow around him all gone, green grass showing in the light of some fires around him. Rain, in full rage, powered two aura-spheres, suddenly crouching low and pushing off, charging straight at the human, intent on breaking him.

"Rain!" Craddok roared after the Lucario, to no avail. "Damn it all," he muttered to himself, before turning and slamming on the van's door. "Men get up!" He shouted inside, where most of the others were still picking themselves together. A quick glance at the driver, and Craddok knew that the man was dead, his head hanging at an unnatural position.

"Houndoom, Mightyena, Scyther!" Craddok shouted, looking at the other van, which now had a gaping hole in its side. "Help that stupid bastard!" He ordered, pointing up the hill where, little more than a blur, Rain continued to charge at Ignis.

A cacophony of calls answered him, the three leaping through the hole in the van and going up the hill after the Lucario. While Houndoom and Mightyena both had to scramble through the disturbed snow, slowing them to little more than a leaping-crawl, Scyther simply extended his wings and seemed to hover over the ground. Charging, a scythed arm leading the way, he soon caught up with Rain, the two of them barreling headlong at Ignis.

With little more than a sniff, Ignis held out his hand, arm engulfed in flame, and pointed it at the two Pokemon. A heartbeat later, the flames that engulfed his arms swirled and roared forth, the heat so intense that it melted the snow beneath the powerful fireball.

Scyther simply grinned evilly, twisting his body to the side so that the flames simply burned past him. Unfortunately for Mightyena, he could not move as fast to get out of the way.

Hitting him square in the chest, the explosion rippled out, sending not only him flying back down the hill, but Houndoom as well. Both of them tumbled and rolled through the snow, yelps of pain leaving them as they landed on still-healing wounds.

Rain though was unaffected. Cocking an arm back when he was just three strides away, he braced his foot and leapt, shouting out a battle cry. Ignis simply stood there though, smiling as the Lucario slammed his fist right into a small block of shadow that formed in front of the man.

{What?!} Rain shouted in his tongue, sheer shock reading over his face. Then, he cried out in pain as the shadow suddenly tightened a grip on his paw, twisting it and forcing the Lucario to his knees.

Standing over him now, Ghost just stood there, looking down impassively at the Lucario in his grasp. His leather jacket seemed to be almost etherial in the dark, almost as if the very edges of his body weren't fully defined.

Looking up at Ghost, snarling, Rain just spat out a curse, suddenly bringing his second paw around to try and blindside this human-but-not. The dark-haired man simply caught this paw as well, twisting it away, and putting Rain fully at his mercy.

"Ghost, away!" Ignis suddenly shouted, flames engulfing his arms again. Just a heartbeat after Ghost ducked down and rolled away, one of Scyther's arms slashed right through the air. Crying out a wordless shout, Ignis threw a blast of fire right into the bug's carapace.

Caught off-guard and off-balance, the bug was engulfed in flames, his cry of pain echoing down into the road below. Then, even as the remnants of the flames burned over him, he pirouetted on his leg, swinging his blade wide and wildly.

Ignis just barely managed to duck back fast enough as the blade came at him. Even so, he still took a large gash to his cheek, blood splashing out onto the ground around the combatants.

When the bug started to come around again though, Ghost suddenly appeared behind Scyther, his knife in hand. Grabbing the bug's head, the raven-haired man did something that many considered immoral to the highest degree. He buried his blade into the soft gap in the carapace between Scyther's shoulder and neck.

Eyes going wide, the bug let out a strangled gasp, green ichor seeping from his wound as Ghost buried the knife deeper into his body. With one final push, ramming the blade to the hilt, the Pokemon went still, a soft gasp his last sound in this world.

Down in the valley, a soft ping sounded out from one of the Pokeballs at Craddok's waist. Looking down, he saw it suddenly enlarge on its own, falling off the secure belt as it shook once and turned black as the night, resting in the snow. The man stared at the capsule for a moment, slight disbelief coursing through him as what that mean hit him.

With a snarl, he turned back around, shouting at his men once more to get up and out. All of the men started to form a firing line, some with their pistols out, others with their rifles or submachine guns trained on the hillside. "Fire!" Craddok shouted out, pointing at the hill, giving the order.

A furious storm of gunfire erupted out at that, filling the valley as every man unloaded their clips up the hill.

"Ignis!" Ghost suddenly shouted, withdrawing his blood-covered blade from Scyther's neck and pushing the body away. He could feel the bullet's whizzing by him, and he went to the ground, covering his head out of instinct. The red-head grunted out though, suddenly falling back, small mists of blood raining down behind him and coating the snow.

Even Rain was forced to hide, jumping well back and away, ducking behind a large rock. {I'm still up here,} he muttered to himself, growling deeply, {those bastards didn't even consider me!} He continued, flinching involuntarily as a bullet grazed the rock he was hiding behind.

None of the men even noticed as Umbreon slowly paced out of the van, Liam and Violet staying behind as they watched on in fear. Stalking closer to the one man he had eyes for, the canine's eyes started to glow, his rings illuminating the dark.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kris saw the Pokemon walking forward, and he turned to him. "Umbreon, get up there and fight!" He ordered, pointing up the hill. The black canine ignored him though, taking another step forward, thin tendrils of darkness starting to seep from his mouth. "Umbreon, listen to me!" The human commanded, suddenly pointing his pistol at the Pokemon.

{Not anymore...} Umbreon whispered, his hind legs tensing as he leapt forward, maw opening wide.

"Shit!" Kris shouted out, a single shot going off from his pistol, overwhelmed by the still ongoing reports roaring from the others. Quickly stumbling back, the canine was upon him in less than the blink of an eye.

Snarling and growling deep in his throat, Umbreon closed his jaws around the human that had hurt him so many times. He could taste the sharp, bitter, tang of blood flooding his mouth as his teeth sank into Kris's neck. Pure rage fueled him now, as Umbreon twisted his head, tearing out the human's neck, blood spurting up into the air.

A low gurgle was all Kris could get out as he lost his grip on the pistol, hands going to his throat in a futile effort to stem the bleeding. Just moments later, fear in his eyes as he gazed up at Umbreon, who stood atop his chest, covered in blood, Kris breathed his last.

As the light of life left his former master's eyes, Umbreon just remained there for a moment longer, looking at what he had done. His black fur matted by the blood of the human, he soon realized that not all of the blood was his now-former master's. Stepping off to the side, into the snow, the canine collapsed, his body suddenly cold as the realization that he had been shot slowly clicked.

As the battle between the mercenaries and the Half-Bloods raged on, Umbreon simply laid in the snow, breath cold and visible in the air. Slowly, his eyes slipped closed, the softest whine of pain leaving him as feeling flooded to and away from him, slowly losing consciousness in the bitter, freezing, air.

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Whew, that was a good chapter... I hope...

anyhow, comment, rate and don't be shy about adding tags that need to be added (favs?)

And look to your watchlists and story pages for the next chapter ^.^

Legal: See chapter one for full legal. Original characters and this particular story line are mine, please ask me before using them