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Luna and Thief Ch. 5 Mastermind

Luna tossed and turned in her sleep. Pawing at the air; gasping... pleading. She felt her eyes sting with tears. I don't want to! I want to get out! Her world was darker than her nights alone in the forests, no moon, no stars; just the watery sand that dragged her under. I can't swim! She was crying, gasping in more water. Luna felt her world drag her under only to be alone in the dark, a collared chain strapped around her neck and attached to a metal grate. Drops of water ringed from her fur, she was filthy cold and all alone inside the dark room. Soon after Luna woke in a break of sweat, her heart was racing and she was freezing cold. It was night outside of the center it's just some nightmare Luna shook her head violently. I feel sick... She coughed, hacking up a small cloud of black smoke. I'm still plumed out... Luna lay down but she couldn't sleep, instead she jumped down onto the floor and looked outside. It was a full moon, the soft silver rings fogged high into the sky, small black clouds fluttered high above her. The stars shone lightly, turned bright with the moonlights gaze. Luna watched deep into it knowing her eyes shone with much the same color; the white gem filled her wide eyes in the cold night. Streetlamps lit up the road, followed the bustle of bushes that fenced houses and sluggishly trailed the street. Gently a breeze uplifted her chest tuft. That's right, it's all over. She smiled her eyes taken back by a small cloud that she swore looked like the face of a Nine-tails before the wind churned the milky cloud further into the night. Luna looked to the ground, a small dip kept a puddle. Within the water was her face, the curl of head-fur had come much undone (After all they don't just stay without proper care) leaving a lacy mess that just tickled her nose. I guess the nightmares made me squirm too much, my hair is everywhere! Luna giggled to herself pawing at the strands until her hair straightened out "I think you look pretty like that..." Luna turned. Thief was there, watching her from the center "Oh... uh." Luna felt the blood chase to her eyes. "Thanks." She flicked a paw at it, took it away from her eyes "You have... pretty eyes too. I've never seen them glow like that" Thief burrowed his nose into his chest, nipping at his bandages. "I've been having weird dreams lately..." Luna looked up to the moon again. I keep thinking about a beachside nearby warm sands on a bright sunny day " I keep dreaming about an island." Thief muttered, looked into the sky too "An island?" Luna replied, sat down at the edge of the steps; her eyes were almost captivated by the stars. They always were when she curiously dared to and then all her problems and worries were simply... gone "Yep, I remember someone... well a voice." "A voice?" "It... kind of sounds like yours" Luna halted_When I woke up yesterday I swore I heard his too._ "I guess I'm just saying something stupid." He muttered to himself "I - It's not stupid at all!" Luna shyly whined "Uhhh L, L - Luna..." Thief whispered "What?" 'Y- You're kind of close to my face..." Luna took a moment she sprung forward when she justified his words. She almost pushed her nose against his... again. Her eyes sharpened, just slightly "Why are you so familiar? Why do I think I've known you before?" Luna got even closer, Thief on the other hand was startled enough to fall back "I... Uh... I don't know." Thief softly shook his head again. "I really don't know either. I mean I remember being in a forest all my life and then I met Griffin!" Why do I have nightmares when the memories feel so fake? Luna's head was starting to hurt again "... Well... I've always had bad dreams... I used to remember being on a boat with someone long ago." "What?" Luna wanted to know more "Yes. I remember falling into the water and then I woke up in a forest." "How old are you?" Luna pawned off I know I'm about four years and a half "Almost five. Why?" Luna sniffed him "I've only known you for a few days, but I've always known that scent. I know I do." Luna shivered; her nose hardly parted with his! I've got to stop kissing this Growlithe... Luna couldn't find it in her heart to stop; the moonlight, the stars and the breezy night, it just felt right. "I don't know why Thief but I think..." Her face flushed deep "I like you." Thief stayed quiet, watched her subtle eyes and churned with her gentle moan. Luna got too close perhaps, before he sprung up "I'm still very tired and we need to leave tomorrow. Goodnight!" Was it something I said? Luna took a look down to her paws and then back to the silvery stone high above her.

A shadow danced atop Luna, her eyes went deep with wonder. Sharp violet cat-eyes stared back before disappearing to the alleyway. What was that? Curiosity caught up with her! Luna walked beside the center by a row of trees that ended in a gate to the back. She heard a sound "Mew." It was oddly rough, she hadn't heard of a Pokémon that made such a sound. But she turned and met eye to eye with it. Bright gem-like eyes glimmered curiously back at her; deep, sharp, violet. "What are you?" Luna whispered and heard a voice in return, a voice she knew she could remember "What am I indeed?" He stepped forward, his thread-like fur a sharp shadowy purple, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly where Luna froze solid. What is this feeling? She turned suddenly to fear. What is this sudden intent? "A copy? Many copies only one... favored and the rest thrown aside. But no... I left them all behind. You haven't learned anything have you?" Luna felt her eyes widened. She almost saw it, dying here. Her body ragdoll against the wall of the center by a single thought. She felt his eyes target her perfectly. "You can feel it. So leave here, and leave them." She felt her paws leave the earth she was drawn up to his face. His sleek almost cat-like features biting into her "I have this power to kill all of them. So run away and maybe you'll remember that home out in the middle of the sea." Luna was tossed aside, almost hitting the pavement of the road. "Run away and go live in that unsightly matter you've always have and they will survive." The shadows almost enveloped the tiny creature before his honed eyes disappeared deep into the night. Luna froze the voice calling at her with a feeling like claws following around her fur. "What are you waiting for? RUN." She booked it away, down by the gym, outside the town and to the mountainside was, she collapsed nearby a cave in the tall grass. Her stomach hurt; her heart was pounding against her chest when she heard another sound and hid between the trees when the rain hit and pelted down. It was just thunder. Luna felt tears sting her eyes. It's just thunder, it's just thunder._She was shaking, terrified. Another clap and she was gone, shot through the forest and over a small pocket in the mountainside. She followed it further and further and further until she knew that she was never going to see any of them again. A final sound clicked in the forest and she turned to a large cat-like shadow. It wasn't standing on two legs, but on all four. The eyes were almost pink, but still kept a hint of purple. Luna almost screamed. "Get away from me!" She whined trying to draw fire, it only ended in a lapse of white smoke "its okay Luna." _His voice? "M - Moonlight?" She started, Luna was gasping for air; she could hardly breathe straight let alone talk "I didn't sleep tonight because I felt an odd aura. I can see that it's touched you." "What has?" Moonlight sighed and swallowed hard "I think it's time I told you a little bit about me." Luna nodded and sat down "I'm not just Griffin's Espeon, I belonged to a researcher by the name of Ayumu "A researcher?" "My original owner spent his time researching remedial and therapeutic medicines to assist in sickness within humans and Pokémon." Moonlight put his paws to the forest floor. "He was an old colleague of a man named... Fuji - if I remember correctly - a scientist too... who went alone years ago. One day we received a call about a few future set expeditions for a creature called Mew. My owner abandoned his research on Mew years ago and naturally he refused accepting a part in the research because most scientists knew that it was a foolish legend, no matter how large or long the archeological excavation; no one would find proof." "So what does this have to do with that... thing" Luna swallowed hard, her throat dry from her sudden run "Something terrible!" Moonlight's eyes dimmed. "We went to pick up samples on day and someone switched one of ours with a strand of DNA found at one of the first expedition sites. Later that night someone broke into my owners laboratory and began running a generator of some sort off of our power grid, we used a lot of electricity after-all." "Used?" Luna's eye widened "When we figured out what was going on, we found something odd." "Odd?" "It was a dark purple ball of fur with cat eyes sitting in the laboratory room. Immediately we noticed at its talent for transformation, much like a Ditto, but there seemed to be something... off about him." "Off?" Luna tilted her head, wondering if she really wanted to know "He had a real talent in understanding psychic and ghost-like powers, but he wasn't limited to them. He could talk and even communicate with human beings and use every Pokémon move ever recorded inside any Pokédex. He just couldn't understand one thing though." Luna felt herself shake, it wasn't just the rain and the cold either "He didn't understand emotions, he seemed soulless. Lifeless even! And in less than a few hours it discovered that it enjoyed watching sadness and hate. Our entire lab - my home - was destroyed before the next hour. It took every little bit of my power just to keep it from..." Moonlight sighed and lowered his gaze to his paws "F - From what?" "From killing Ayumu and even then..." Moonlights eyes started to water. Luna felt a shock of fear run through her. "I just want to be able to stop it, I don't want to hurt him or erase him. I just want him to stop. So I decided to follow his aura, it was easier for me to travel at night. I can read the energy much easier when the world is at rest. That's what made me run into Griffin. The aura seemed to bounce between three common places." Luna gulped her legs started shaking again "Griffin, Thief and now... You... I did realize one thing though." "W - What?" "His weakness, so he tries to remove it from those he preys upon. Like emotions such as happiness and love. I can feel the energy shift whenever it seems to question itself." Luna batted an eye "That sounds entirely crazy." "You felt it just a moment ago." Luna couldn't deny that detail. Moonlight almost wrapped a paw around her. "You remind me... Of someone who was very dear to me. You don't have to fear that shape-shifter he gets very weak around all three of you. Please Luna." Moonlight's head almost brushed against her ear. Her face started an awkward flush. "Don't leave."

-

By the next day; it was cloudy skies with little sunshine. Griffin sluggishly woke up - his head was pounding. - "Gosh. I have a headache." He couldn't tell if it was from Nurse Joy's long lecture, or the fact he hadn't drunk much water from the day before. He was much too excited to receive his first badge that he forgot about a lot of things "Well that's what you get." Nurse Joy's stern voice almost hovered by from across the room. Griffin gave a pained chuckle "Yes Ma'am." Although the clock hovered around, told Griffin the time was much too late (This being 9:30 in the A.M.) Brad was still snoring, loudly. Aura on the other hand held her paws against the pillow that squished her ears and Moonlight... "Wait." Griffin looked around he knew that Moonlight always; always cuddled with him every night. But, he was no-where to be seen. Griffin got up, stretched and walked out of the room. The first one of his own Pokémon he saw was none other than Bandit. She simply chortled and rolled over. Nurse Joy is going to kill me Bandit's left her fur all over that soFA: Griffin really couldn't scold her much though. Griff couldn't tell why she hated him so much, after-all he was the one who found her in his town as a Poochyena. He fed her and played with her every day, until his brother left to be a Champion that is. I can't spend my time thinking about this crap. Griffin put his hands in his pockets and walked by, not putting a second glance on her. Come to think of it, she's always acted moody around me ever since that Shadow beat her. It took that Mightyena forever to do that. Griffin felt something touch his leg "Grooowl" Thief nudged at him, passing a small lull of a call. He almost immediately picked him up, caring not to stress on the bandages "Can you help me find Moonlight?" He watched Thief nod and put his paw out to the door behind Nurse Joy's counter. So Griffin walked up to the counter and looked at the door-way "You can't go in there." Nurse Joy noted "Have you seen my Espeon? My Growlithe is telling me he's in there." "Oh? Well I haven't at all." Out of the back came a small "Chancy" of a sound. The Pokémon tugged at Nurse Joy's skirt. She casually walked in the back, took notes on her check-book when Griffin heard a small sound as she took out Luna. Moonlight trailed a little behind. "That's too odd... You're Vulpix is soaked." "What? How?" "Maybe she got out of the room last night I mean I keep it locked every night when the Pokémon are sleeping." "Vuuuuuulpix!" Luna mewed happily popped out of Joy's arm to reach up to Thief.

-

"I'm sorry if I made thing's awkward last night." She muttered to him "Where did you go? I went back out a moment later and you were suddenly gone!" Luna thought around it for half a second "I decided to go for a small walk, but it started to rain a bit." Luna chuckled and softly nosed Thief, he puttered away and began to choke on his words. It only made Luna giggle softly "Sorry, you act so cute like that!" She teased and trailed back to Moonlight. Thief sat, confused entirely before looking behind him "Hey Brad!" Brad looked up to Griffin. Thief couldn't tell who looked more tired though, Brad or Aura "Uh, yeah hi." He sluggishly said and stretched with a big yawn "You ready to leave? Cerulean City is just around the bend!" "Right right." Brad yawned again. "Remember, we should eat first!" "Riiiight."

-

God I love Salmon, it's so good! And those Oniguri are really good! Luna's mouth was watering, she almost didn't want to eat - it seemed much too precious after-all - Well, Almost. They all sat out in a field nearby Mount Moon. From what the locals in Pewter say, Griffin and Brad would have to travel through the cavern to get to Cerulean City "Groooooooowwwl." Thief was almost rolling around he was really going on about the food. "It's soooo good!" Griffin made a quick stop by the market before leaving and picked up fresh supplies for lunch "How are you this good at cooking?" Brad said between bites "Well I really love to cook." "Food this good should be illegal!" Brad went back to stuffing his face, Aura was nibbling on her food. Her face seemed flushed (Well as flushed as a Lucario's face could be.) She seemed to really love Griffins cooking. "I just hope the Pokémon don't get sick from eating food like this." "Well I don't think Pokémon would tend to, I mean I've seen trainers do this sort of thing before." "On occasion maybe, but all the time? No!" Brad justified. The argument lagged on until they were all done. Luna rolled around in the tall grass waiting for the two to simmer down. While cloud-watching, the soft threads of white pillows churning high above. Casting shadows all over the mountain to make it all the more mysterious, Luna looked up to see Thief staring down at her. "Hi you!" she giggled a light rose pierced through her red-wood fur cheeks "You're very cheerful today." Thief's head began tilting letting his ear softly sag down. They were gently curled at the end; it was the first time Luna ever noticed them. She began to giggle again "Your ears are drooping!" She carelessly pointed out, Thief crumpled from embarrassment. "I'm just feeling so much better this morning!" I hadn't realized that Moonlight had such a talent with berry crushing and mixing. If it wasn't for him I would still feel sick... Luna had already forgotten - more correctly - forced herself to forget the thing she ran into the other night. She hadn't realized at all that she was acting over-the-top, but it must've been a side-effect from all the berry juice she drank "You don't have to point them out..." Thief whined, hiding his face in his paws. Luna could see his face darken from embarrassment. Rustles came from behind her. A Pidgy trotted around in the grass staring at her. Right, wild Pokémon hate trainer Pokémon._The Pidgy looked as if to snarl before it hopped further into the grass "Alright everyone! Let's go." Luna stood up, her head spun from the blood that suddenly raced to her paws. The mountain tirelessly watching over them, Luna breathing in slowly when the darkness began enveloping them only to hear small cursing. "Its pitch black in here!" Griffin rummaged through his bag and pulled out a flashlight "I swear if we run into a Zubat every five feet, I'm not going to be happy." Brad began; Aura started to cling to Brad's overcoat. Luna stared as Moonlight froze in place "Moonlight?" Luna stared to sound startled "I don't know what this feeling is... It feels human..." "What?" "Whatever's in here...? I felt this before." Luna's mind tried to picture Moonlights old home "Could it be-" "Yes, it feels similar." Moonlight's eye dared to shift green. "Don't worry, my eyes are odd. I can see very well in the dark." Luna watched Moonlight tirelessly, his shift left and right. He couldn't see anything but the cavern walls and some Pokémon that dwelled within them "Arrrgh!" Griffin held his arms in defense when a Zubat flailed about. "Get this thing off me!" A dart of sparks shot out from the darkness, Griffin's Pikachu growled; its cheeks sprouted lightning. It didn't take much before the entire cavern spurned to life "You had to say something..." Brad called Aura out she stood held her large paws and took up a defense. Griffin watched her from the back, she clasped her paws together. Griffin watched her closely, he couldn't believe that he had never noticed the fact that she was wearing a sash as a belt, but she had a very small satchel-like bag to it. "Hey Aura. Think you can follow out agility with close-combat?" Brad closed his eyes and gave a smirk a moment later. "Great. After mix it with force-palm and thunder punch. There are at least thirty of them." He smiled and gave a thumb up. "End it well!" He jumped behind her "Shouldn't one of mine help out?" Griffin started "Na, you haven't seen her fight yet." Aura held her stance, in complete darkness the only thing would be the sense of sound, but for her. _She is an aura type, so she can sense life presence like Moonlight can. I bet hers is even stronger then Moonlight._Luna squinted in the darkness, she swore she could see Aura's paw move. The fluidity, pure perfection of dance; Luna swore she felt her emotion. Confidence, pure unprecedented confidence, when Griffin shone the flashlight to Aura, Luna noticed that her eyes were completely shut and in the next second Luna only watched a pocket of Zubats fall from the cavern air. Aura was perfectly back in her place as if she hardly moved forward. Again, a flash and blur Luna could hardly keep up to Aura's speed, let alone predict it. _I've never seen a Pokémon so fast before._Another handful, about eight fell from almost all corners of the cave. Again, and again heaps hit the cavern floor. It was frantic for the Zubats, watching them screech out sounds all along the wall to hit a target that was almost as fast as their own shrieks. One aimed right for Luna's side, before she could even turn to look; her face was filled by a dark-blue tail. Sparks of lightning illuminated the cavern all around "There's the exit, further ahead!" A very dim glow came from much further ahead. _I was so busy watching Aura's movements that. Luna hardly realized that they were moving forward with her, Aura was fighting through the cave not just defending Brad or Griffin. Outside, the sun began blinding Luna and Thief. Aura simply flopped on the grass and looked at the sky "Awesome work Aura!" Brad chuckled. "I absolutely hate caves... and shadows, and dark rooms-" "How long were we even in there for?" Brad looked at his watch "About nine minutes and forty two seconds; awesome, another record!" Aura fought at that speed for nearly ten minutes!? Luna swallowed hard. I always thought that I was fast but... That's just impossible! "Well Cerulean City should be just ahead." Luna felt a sudden wind. Both her and Moonlight turned to a shadow that bolted further into the shade of the trees "Was that-" Luna began "Yeah that was it." Moonlight replied "It looked like a large dog." Moonlight hummed softly "Not the shadow on top of it." Luna closed her eyes, remembering the shade "A trainer riding an Arcanine maybe?" Luna whispered again "Maybe, but why would they be following us? And how did they get through the cavern before us?" "Are you-" "Yes I'm sure I knew they were in there?" Moonlight brushed it away, looked deep into the wood for the shadows again. Nothing. Within a small glade of trees, passed by a large arched sign *Cerulean City* Griffin stretched. They were walking for at least another hour and a half. Behind them came the sounds of footfalls. Rhythmic taps, something ran towards them; at them. Every time Luna and Moonlight turned. Nothing. The sun was just at the peak of setting, the golden ring of amber light breaking into a red sky. Luna felt a burn deep within her gut. She suddenly had the urge to fight. Griffin bolted ahead, broke her trance when he sunk his head and dug his hands into his pockets "It's closed." The Cerulean Gym casted a shadow over the street, the Pokecenter was closed too, first time Griffin had seen that. "What Pokecenter is closed anyways!?" "Happens often." Brad began "I've never seen that!" Griffin recoiled, he was obviously upset "Did you live in a city?" "Actually yes! I lived in a rather large one." Griffin took a look around "You know I bet there's a motel or something." Brad started. "If anything most towns have something." "Yeah the Pokecenter..." Griffin sunk his head and dug his hands into his jeans. "What a drag..." "Let's find a place to stay for the night." After another hour the sunlight dimmed away to let clouds fill the night. Luna shook, she hated rain for a good reason, and she hated thunder even more. With Luna it was a clash of fire and water the rain always drenched her pelt and when she finally dried up her fur was all stringy! (Vulpix's do tend to the coat often.) A clash hit far in the distance, she counted the beats. Almost half a minute passed before the next one. I got plenty of time if it comes by this way. It wasn't all too reassuring when the next clap beat the air. The sun had set deep into the night before they found a cozy small motel where Griffin had to run his bank card through. Finally getting in a room, the women from the front desk knocked on their door "Griffin was it? There is a phone call for you." She told him that there were video phones downstairs "Were you timing that?" Brad chuckled "Don't test me." It wasn't that the room was frozen already the tension just suddenly broke the ice. Griffin walked out of the room and down the stairs "What's with him?" Luna nervously smiled the silence was painful enough "The last time his voice went like that was when his brother called him when he was in a Pokémon Center." "His brother?" "Yep! Griffin's older brother is a Champion! Bandit actually belongs to Griff's brother." Thief started on a tangent, Luna continued to learn from there. "Wait." Thief looked left and right. "Where is Bandit?"

-

Sharp Azure eyes seemed to copy every movement he made. Griffin dared to look back into them with the same determination his brother always seemed to have. A stressed and darkly-determined look hidden deep behind a twisted smile "I haven't had the chance to call in too long." "I still need to talk to mom to make sure you can't follow that damn bank card!" "Do you generally swear in places like that?" "Only when I need to talk to you." He was monotone, expressionless. They both were "How many Pokémon do you have in your roster?" "Five." After-all he never did technically CATCH the Vulpix following him "Perfect. You see, Shadow has been acting rather... Down lately." "And that mutt you dumped on me has been the same as always." "No need to be so cold." "Funny how you say that." A frigid air wisped into the lobby "When you're the one who turned her into it." "I simply traveled with her." His brother justified, whisked his hair from his face. Griffin had dark green eyes and blond tight-curly hair. They were both different; Griffin almost had a boyish charm, when his brother was mature and definitive, had a sharp face and long sleek brown hair. His cheeks were softly-curved. In short, Griffin and his brother were complete opposites. One took after the father, and the other took after the mother. "In the end, you were the one who begged me too." Griffin snarled he was pissed with the idea of him bringing back something so old and childish. "I'm going to be sending Shadow to you tomorrow. He'll be in the Cerulean Cities Pokémon Center by Nine A.M." "No I nev-" "Remember, Bandit and Shadow have wanted to see each other for a long time now, at least a few months at that! This isn't about me or you or anything else Griffin. It's for both of them alright." "... Fine." "And stop changing your PokeNav's cell-number, it took me forever to get you one and you don't even use it." "Goodbye Logan." Griffin hung up and went back upstairs. There are a few things I'm going to show that jerk. Griffin stared at Bandit who was almost asleep on his bed "Hey mutt." She snarled at him, he simply batted an eye to eye "Apparently Logan's sending Shadow over for a bit." She quieted down and looked at him with a sharp threat in her eyes. "Can you please not give me too much headache tomorrow?" Softly he petted her head. Griffin watched her fangs pierce pass her muzzle. "What happened to the Bandit I knew?" He stopped, threw down a sleeping bag on the floor and looked above him. The moon had just passed full not a single cloud in the sky anymore and nothing but moonlight broke pass the window-pane. Griffin closed his eyes, watched as Moonlight curled around his chest and finally went to sleep.

End