Biohazard

[MoomooMiltank]

Biohazard
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Rating: PG for mild language, violence, and dark themes throughout.

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Prologue: Relics

Canersia’s Prophecy

Arrogance unparalleled since the Age of Man.
The meteor should have brought us death,
But its destruction shall only bring changes.
In the ten years that follow, this world shall transmute,
Becoming inhospitable to the indigenous organisms,
Turning suitable for the savages that thrived in eras past.

But the worst this certainly is not…

A second threat shall emerge.
A monster that Man’s sciences created.
A demon so deathly atrocious it was christened Biohazard.

And, with it, life shall be razed in a way most heinous…
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It was dark as my team walked down the corridor.

Shadows consumed the areas before and behind us. Only the light from Charizard’s tail flame dispelled them. Even then, it was just enough for Tyranitar and him to see me leading them forward.

“I can’t believe this place sat like this for years without anyone coming to check it out…” Tyranitar said, a hint of awe in his voice.

Indeed the building was old. There were holes in the walls several feet to our sides. I could sense parts of the wiring running through their interiors had broken apart due to years of corrosion. The tiles of the floor had a grungy feel. My soles were becoming coated with the filth they’d collected in the time since the humans left. And, the air was stale and somewhat clammy. This structure’s atmosphere was so musty that I almost wanted to leave it… Almost… We still had a job to do.

“You do remember that this settlement was just discovered a few days ago, correct, Tyranitar? Regardless, no one else may come here until our expedition is completed,” I replied.

“Yeah, I know. But, this place was a pretty awesome find,” he responded.

From what we’d seen, the town was one of the most advanced human communities of its kind ever discovered. However, not having found anything of value yet, our mission was in jeopardy of failure.

“The humans that built this city must have lived as gods. Surely, this building has relics worth taking,” I said.

After a few seconds of continuing in silence, Charizard then commented, “Hey, what’s with that smell, Alakazam?”

Mixed within the air, there was the slight smell of rotting eggs. The lingering stench of sulfur, perhaps?

“Natural gas was once used in the heating of chemicals in this academy’s classrooms. Some may have remained in the gas lines even after all these years…” I responded.

“Not enough to…” he replied until the building started to creak.

I halted after also hearing something banging above us. My senses immediately focused on the vents in the ceiling as I looked upwards. There was nothing in them from what I could detect, however…

After a moment, the reverberations stopped and Tyranitar immediately asked, “This place isn’t gonna collapse, is it?”

“Something up there?” Charizard added.

“No. It was merely the building settling,” I said as I started walking again.

“You sure you didn’t sense anything? Sounded like something crawling through the vents to me,” he replied.

I could sense a building urge within him. Having gone this long without a fight, my comrade would gladly take any opportunity that presented itself now.

“I am positive, my friend. Nothing was up there,” I uttered.

“Could’ve fooled me…” he murmured.

Lifting my brow, I was somewhat disgusted by his doubt. Not willing to brawl with him, however, I remained silent.

After a few moments, we came upon a fork in the tunnel. I stopped, sensing a massive collection of amoebas directly ahead me. Once I halted, my comrades moved to my sides; Tyranitar headed to my left, Charizard to my right.

As Charizard came forward, his tail’s illumination revealed thick ooze covering the floors of the divergent tunnels and the doorway between them. Its surface bared an alternating set of lime and black streaks, all of varying sizes.

“What is that stuff?” Tyranitar asked.

“An amoebic colony. It should be easily cleared with Psychic,” I replied.

Concentrating my powers on it, the slime started to split. Immediately it started forcing me to focus on individual cells and retook its position.

“What’s wrong?” Tyranitar barked.

“It’s resisting… I can’t move it…” I replied, stopping my attack.

“Blood…” a faint voice behind us spoke. Charizard was yanked backwards.

Whipping our bodies around, Tyranitar and I watch as the ellipse jaws of a monster pulled him down the hall. After reaching a spot several yards away, the beast dropped him on the floor with its maw still attached to his neck and started to wrap its slender form around him. Its alternating lime and black coils quickly constricted to his abdomen and tail.

“Get off!” the dragon roared as he clawed the monster’s hide. It appeared useless, as if its hide formed to his slash…

“GY-YEEEEEEEE!” his assailant screamed.

Forcing most of my telekinesis on its form, I managed to gain control of it. Immediately releasing Charizard from its coils, I held the demon in midair.

“Didn’t you sense this thing?” Charizard barked as he moved back by us.

“Its physiology made it immune to detection…” I huffed, “I’m struggling to keep my hold on it.”

This thing must have developed from that colony somehow. Its cells were resisting my power like the microbes just did!

Bringing it closer to my party, the creature contracted its body so that it was shaped similar to a large cone with a stub of a head protruding from its thickest section. Its blood-red eyes opened and a row of similar colored spines ejected from its backside as it did this. The fiend! It was trying to exhaust my psychic strength with this form!

“What is this thing?” Tyranitar asked.

“A parasite… It must…” I panted. There’s no possible way I could hold this monstrosity much longer!

“GY-YE! None shall attack the progeny!” the leech shrilled.

“GOW-YEEEEEEEEEE!” something behind us howled with an earsplitting shriek.

A tentacle then jabbed through the back of my neck, directly into my spinal cord. Several pulses of intense pain spread throughout my body. Whatever this monster was, it was somehow attacking my nervous system. When it was finished, the creature withdrew its tentacle.

Unable to move, I flopped onto the ground stomach first. Within seconds my comrades fell, as did the bloodsucker before us.

The fiend stretched its neck towards Charizard and commented, “Pity… You would have been my only meal…”

Looking at me and then Tyranitar, it finished, “But, now…”

Retracting its neck, the creature slithered off into the shadows…

<End Prologue>

 

[MoomooMiltank]

Chapter One: Friends?

Nightfall came quickly to the forest tonight. As soon as the sun was down, the shadows of twilight filled the woods, flooding the underbrush in a wave of darkness. To the creatures of the day, they were nothing more than a warning that nocturnal demons would soon awaken. Those demons, however, knew the true beauty of the nighttime realm. And, one of them was already about enjoying its splendor.

Amidst the tree trunks, the lone mammal walked southward through the timberland. Moonlight filtering through the leaves above caused the meter tall biped to look as if she were the silhouette of some child. Three braids dangling halfway down her back, all of which swayed back and forth slightly as she walked, adding to her humanlike appearance. Ruining her façade, though, were the maw protruding slightly from her face and the silky tail rising up slightly away from her back to about her shoulder height.

With sapphire eyes aglow in dim lighting, she scanned the branches overhead. Alternating between those of pines, birches, and maples, the combination of darkened brown and moderately gray branches with moon-bathed leaves and needles that moved in the gentle breeze seemed simply gorgeous…otherworldly even.

The semi-ellipse ears atop her head heard the tone of something off in the distance. It was a harmonious sound, some type of composition combining xylophone and violin-like music. Most likely some Kricketot and Kricketune were communing somewhere in the woods. The combo of that opus and the gentle movements of the leaves made it seem to her as though they were performing some type of ballet in the cool night air.

Leaving the collection of trees, she moved slowly into an open grove near the forest’s heart. As she entered, the direct moonlight revealed distinct markings in her otherwise pitch-black fur. Above each of her eyes, a thin white stripe crept up her brow until vanishing under the black locks atop her crest that were combed back between her ears. There were two stripes that ran down her back; each was a mirror of the other formed by a cascade of thin inch-long slants that declined from near her spine outward. Once the streaks reached her tail, however, they turned into a solid one that rose up the center of her tail until fanning out across its slightly bent tip.

This creature was Skunanne; though, some called her Seraph. Humans once raised her kind as pets and, because of this, they eventually started taking a humanoid form. Her markings too are reflections of this taming, as it was tribal peoples who initially did it.

“Looks like no one’s around…” Seraph said, a tender tone in her voice, as she approached the copse’s center while looking around.

Stopping in the middle of the grove, she inhaled a deep breath through her nostrils. Exhaling, she grinned a little. There wasn’t anyone nearby from what she whiffed. Having come to this part of the forest, the last thing she needed was company, especially tonight.

“Dad said that Mom used to come out here all the time when she was around my age,” she whispered to herself.

For a moment, she looked to the sky. With no clouds, the black heavens appeared to be full of small white specks, each shimmering gently as if they were gems out in space. In the middle of the stars was a brilliantly shining full moon. Its ethereal state was enough to soothe the spirit of anyone who gazed upon its silvery luminescence. Surely, tonight was the perfect evening to start the ritual.

Slung across her torso from the top of her left shoulder to under her right arm was a slender vine serving as the strap of a bag she’d been carrying. Seraph lifted it over her body as she returned her gaze forward. Once it was off, she dropped the elliptic sack made from large leaves sewn together with twine on the grass before her.

After bending over, the skunk lass opened its flaps with her three-toed forepaws. Inside, there were three small flasks that were each filled with a red liquid, a few Pamtre berries, and a sheet of paper half folded. Seraph poked a berry so that it stuck to one of the small white cones at the end of her toes and pulled it out of the sack.

“He also said that she used to eat these before drinking that juice and practicing her song,” she continued, holding it in front of her face.

‘Better make this quick!’ she thought, sticking the large berry most of the way into her mouth and chewing.

“Bleh!” she choked, spitting out fruit chucks.

Seraph immediately grabbed one of the bottles by its neck between two of her toes on her right forepaw and popped its cork with one of the nails on her left one. She wasted no time guzzling the beverage to flush away the foul dry, yet slightly sweet taste of the berry in her mouth.

Once it was empty, she picked the cork on the ground to her left and plugged the jug again. Dropping bottle back into the bag, she licked her lips. The juice had a delicious sweet flavor that was also a little tangy. More could easily be made, but she wanted to savor every drop of this drink.

Reaching for another, she thought for a split-second and decided she should probably save them for the trek back home later. Instead, Seraph grabbed the sheet of paper she’d stuck between the berries and bottles. As she lifted it out of the sack, she opened the page to see the lyrics written on it.

The Forest Maiden’s Serenade
Love once lost we again shall be together.
My gentle voice will allow you to weather
Any force that dare drive against our desire.
This lasting song shall re-ignite love’s dimmed fire
In your heart by removing the pain that consumed it.
Your flame is stronger than those of the pit
Where the demons that suppressed it reside.
I know that you are longing to be at my side.

Repetition of the lyrics, perfect timing, exceptional pitch, and a glossy coat are all necessary for the song’s enticing effect to occur.

A tradition passed down in her family for generations, the mastery of this song only meant one thing for Seraph…her passage into adulthood. By learning it she would in time become the Forest Maiden, a legendary siren whose beauty was said to be unrivaled the world over. Like her mother before her, attaining that rank would ensure her popularity among other creatures for the rest of her life. And that type of recognition was a thing that all members of her kind had strived for since the time mankind kept them as pets.

Seraph cleared her voice. After which, she held the page in front of herself with her right paw.

“LOVE ONCE LOST!” she shrieked in a high-pitched squeal. She dropped the lyrics, immediately putting both paws over her mouth.

‘Was…that…my voice…?’ she thought, both stunned and embarrassed by the piercing sound that just came from her mouth.

Both her ears twitched violently. She could hear the sharp echoes of her cry as they carried throughout the forest. In a second or so, the sounds waned and she then heard the fluttering wings of birds. No doubt they too were scared by the horrendous sound of her voice.

Stowing the lyrics in her satchel again, Seraph turned her gaze to where she had entered the copse, right ear twitching this time. Something was coming…and it had partners… She was just able to hear their footsteps pressing lightly on the grass. Most likely, they were predators looking for an easy kill tonight.

For a brief moment, she concentrated the limited telekinesis she possessed in their direction. It was impossible to tell exactly who they were, just that they were almost on top of her.

“Let’s see…” she mumbled, turning around and grabbing her satchel.

Quickly looking at the trees surrounding the grove, her eyes became transfixed on a tall maple at its southwest boundary. The tree also had thick and high branches…a perfect hiding spot.

Seraph made a mad dash for it with her bag slung around her torso again. Reaching the tree trunk, she immediately dug the claws on her forepaws into the bark and pulled her body off the ground enough to get a grip with the ones on her hind legs’ paws. Quickly, she scaled the maple until reaching a branch about twenty feet off the ground.

“She’s close…” she heard a strict voice whisper.

Sitting on the limb in silence, she watched as a canine walked into the grove with his brownish-red maw to the ground sniffing. The otherwise black hound had grayish horns that curled behind his head from where his ears should’ve been as well as a bone collar around his neck. Also visible was the strap of a box-like container slung over his torso so it rested at a slant from his right shoulder across his back.

Stopping in the exact area she was before, Seraph was able to see the series of three bones resting with some distance between each other on the beast’s backside before his slim tail that had a triangular spike at the end. She noted how the bones each had three razor-thin cuts in the same areas near their midsections.

Lifting his head, the hellhound’s eyes glared directly at her for a long moment. He couldn’t see anything but leaves and branches mixed with shadows. However, he knew she was there…somewhere.

“Get over here!” he barked, turning his head back to where he came from.

“Jeez, what’s your problem? It’s not like she’s gotten that far,” a moderate, yet slightly sharp voice replied.

“She’s probably dead. I mean, this forest isn’t exactly kind to its nocturnal visitors, Houndoom,” a feminine one added, “Who knows what freak could’ve gotten to her?” Two more monsters then crept into the grove.

One was a black 3’ 7” gremlin with a wide red frill that rested atop his five-pointed crown. The fiend had his scrawny arms with rake-like claws for hands crossed behind the long red ears that dangled from the sides of his head. The red collar around his neck shifted slightly as he walked up to Houndoom with a smirk that revealed a few of his fangs. Several featherlike appendages serving as his tails also moved a little as he walked.

“Why the hell did she come here to begin with?” Weavile asked as he and the feline to his left approached.

“Skunanne doesn’t have any friends back in Pokémon Square. My thoughts are that she found a mate and came out here to be with him,” she replied.

The four-and-a-half foot tall lioness had a spiky black mane covering the upper portion and back of her head. A patch of blue fur covered the areas surrounding her mouth and underneath her eyes. The black part of her pelt continued around the back of her ears and dropped down her neck to the torso, where it continued to cover the front half of her forelegs and the entirety of her forepaws. On the back of each foreleg was an area with alternating horizontal blue and gold stripes. Part of her abdomen was covered in the blue pelt covering her mouth and hind legs. That area then gave way to another patch of black hair covering her hips and tail, which had a four-point yellow spur at its tip.

‘Oh… These idiots…’ Seraph thought as she stood, recognizing them from back home, ‘Wonder who sent them?’

Hardly anyone she considered a threat, the threesome was known as Team Hellfire. Though a Silver-rank team from Pokémon Square, they weren’t exactly well loved. The team only undertook missions that offered large rewards. The only reason they’d ever take anything else would be if a higher ranked team forced them to.

“What is it, Houndoom?” Luxray asked as she and Weavile flanked their boss.

“She’s gone into the trees,” he replied and then turned to Weavile on his right. Snarling at the imp, some embers appeared in his maw.

Opening his left eye to the sight, Weavile uttered, “I’m going.”

He dropped his arms to his sides as he headed over to Seraph’s tree. In a fashion similar to hers, the fiend quickly clawed his way up the maple while the other two watched. During his ascent, Luxray caused her eyes to gleam gold.

“Weavile! Look out!” she then shouted.

“What’s wrong?” he barked, reaching for Seraph’s branch. Pulling himself up, Weavile’s face made contact with something furry.

“You seriously chose the wrong end to be on, Weavile,” Seraph giggled, looking back at him so he was able to see the glow of her sapphire eyes.

“Skunanne, wait! We just came here to take you home!” he screamed, fearing of what she was about to do.

“Tough! I came out here to be alone,” she snickered, “Hope you like Pepper Spray!”

A powerful blast blew Weavile back to the ground with enough force to leave a small crater near the base of the tree where he landed and a fiery-hot liquid splattered on his body. At the other end of the detonation, Seraph was launched from the branch into the night sky.

Screaming at an earsplitting pitch, she rose over the forest in a high arc. The flock of Pidgey that her previous shriek woke up and startled flew past as she reached the apex of her ascent. Her presence, however, caught the eye of something else flying after the group as she fell from the sky. Changing course, the large bird quickly dove into the forest after her.

As she descended back to earth, the flaps of Seraph’s satchel opened. All of its contents were dumped, the remaining berries, bottles of juice, and the lyrics to her mother’s song. When the sheet flew in front of its face, her pursuer caught the paper in its short beak. Entering the trees, the creature perched itself on the upper branches of a tree out of view and watched in silence as she crashed on the trail below.

Belly down in the dirt of the path, Seraph lied still for a long moment. That last stunt wasn’t exactly the escape she’d intended to make, but she got away from Team Hellfire just the same. However, her landing attracted the attention of yet another creature hanging from the branch of a birch a few meters away from where she now was.

The scrawny mammal released his long vertebrae tail’s grip on the small limb and dropped to the path. On the ground, the critter rolled off of his back and stood upright on his seemingly weak hind legs. He then ambled towards her somewhat sluggishly.

“Are you okay?” he uttered, a very weak tone in his voice.

“Uh… Yeah… I should be…” Seraph huffed in response.

After a few seconds, she dug into the ground with the claws on her rear paws and did a pushup her body out of the dirt. Pushing back with her palms, Seraph then found herself falling into a sitting position.

Taking deep breaths, she tried getting her bearings. Looking to her right, Seraph noticed a large collection of birch trees and…perhaps…a few oaks a ways behind them. It was difficult to tell because of how dark it was and their somewhat close proximity to each other. Turning to the left, there was more of the same.

‘I’m all the way on the southwestern edge of the woods?’ she thought.

Seraph spent a lot of her time exploring this forest; yet, there were still places she seldom trekked. This area in particular she’d been though only twice before. It seemed so foreign to her. But, if she could pick up a familiar scent, she’d have no problem finding her way back to town.

“Whoa! That attack I just used must’ve been something to launch me all the way here!” she barked, impressed by her own power.

“Hey, keep it down! Don’t wake up that diurnal!” the creature behind her whispered.

“Hmm?”

She looked at the dirt patch to her left. A couple feet from her was a 2’ 4” weasel-like mammal. Because he was lying on his right side, she was mostly able to see just the brown pelt covering his head, back, and the slim forked tail coming out of his butt. Hunching forward slightly to get a better look, she noticed the Mohawk-like hairdo atop his crown and the yellow floatation ring around his neck. There was no mistaking what this creature was.

“Buizel don’t live around here… Where’d this guy come from?” she mumbled to herself.

“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t…” the Pokémon behind her said.

Standing, Seraph replied, “And just who the hell are you to tell me what to do? You don’t even know who I am.”

Turning around and looking slightly downward, she barked, “AH!”

Seraph couldn’t help but shiver at the sight she now beheld. A foot before her was one of the most decrepit creatures she’d ever seen. Her eyes were transfixed on the elongated maw protruding from underneath a pair of large white eyes with small black dots serving as irises for a long moment. Each jaw had four teeth near its frontal area with a gap between them so it looked like there were two on each side of his mouth. Gazing through the space separating his teeth, she noticed that his lower jaw was hanging down halfway from his face, most likely because his thin jawbone was broken. Moving her stare down his body, Seraph saw that this creature’s skin was tight against his body. In his dingy brown fur, she was able to see the three fused bones making up his ribcage. She also noted how thin his abdomen was as well as how his pelvis was visible. The thing that really surprised her was the fact that his hind legs were actually able to support his form because of how bony they were.

“Didn’t anyone tell you it’s not polite to stare!” he replied, “But, then… Since you’re gawking, I can safely assume you’ve never seen an Oposease before.”

Oposease… She’d only heard of them a few times before. Despite their overall weak appearance, they were supposedly savage beasts that dropped from branches onto unsuspecting prey and then viciously clawed their victims to death. Looking at his arms, she saw that there were black cone-shaped claws at the ends of his three-fingered forepaws. No doubt those rumors were true.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Oposease said.

Staring back at his face, Seraph watched as he twitched the left of a pair of trapezoidal ears atop his head. She noticed the right one had a bite taken out of it. One attack mustn’t have gone over so well.

“So, who are you, and what happened?” he said, moving one step towards her.

“Get back!” she yipped, pulling both of her arms against her chest and stepping back.

“Hey! Keep it down! I was just asking,” he replied, sticking his right forepaw out and slightly upward.

Seraph sniffed a few times. She didn’t notice it until now, but he absolutely reeked of decay!

That confirmed it! There was no way thing was alive!

“I’m…uh…Skunanne… But you can call me Seraph. Tell me something. Are you even…alive?” she uttered, reluctantly extending her paw towards him.

“What do you mean by that? Of course, I’m alive!” he said, raising his meager voice somewhat as they both shook.

As they stopped, she replied, “Sorry… I didn’t mean to be offensive… It’s just…”

“My smell… I should be the one to apologize. I’m don’t normally have company, and I’m so used to it I keep forgetting how nasty it must be to others,” he replied.

‘You don’t know the half of it, buddy!’ she thought with a slight sneer.

“What?”

“Nothing…” she said, turning her expression into somewhat of a poker face.

“So, are you going to answer my other question?”

“Uh… Someone was chasing me and one of the attacks I used against him launched me here.”

“Was it Destail? He loves chasing girls,” Oposease said and then chuckled, “On second thought, probably not since he only likes chasing girl birds.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she retorted, raising her right paw as if to swat at him, “You better not be saying that I’m ugly! I swear I’ll claw your eyes out if you are!”

Well above them, the bird who pursued Seraph during her descent squinted his hazel-iris eyes and muttered, “Mammalian curs! Of course, I would never waste my time or grace with an attempt to woo such a hideous creature as her!”

Oposease continued, “No, no! He just goes after other birds is all I’m saying. Anyways, what part of the forest are you from? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“The far eastern…” she calmly said, putting her arm back at her side.

“A lot of diurnals live near there. That guys probably from there, too,” he responded, pointing at Buizel with one of the claws on his left hand, “I’ve got to say, you’ve got guts living where you do. I never could knowing those things that are up during the daylight hours are that close to my home.”

“Hey, how long’s this Buizel been here?” she asked him.

“His name’s Buizel? How do you know that? DIURNAL!” he managed to bark.

“Shut up and answer me!” Seraph howled, again readying to claw his face.

“Since I got up, around sunset!” Oposease squealed before she made contact.

“And for the record, I’m not a diurnal! I just live with them.”

“Whoa… Guess they’d never think about messing with you then…”

“Uh… Right…” she uttered, scratching the area under her right ear and with a slight grin, “Anyways… I’m being hunted by a group of three Pokémon from town. So, we should really get out of here.”

“Diurnals from that town…” he replied, swallowing some air due to fear, “Here?” Immediately, he started to fall backwards.

“Hey! There’s no time to play dead! We have to get Buizel up and run for it!” she barked. Oposease snapped out of his automatic trance and jumped back to his feet.

“Are you crazy? The diurnals are savages that’ll kill you in an instant!” he managed to yelp.

“Hey, keep it down! Good grief, can’t a guy take a nap?” a moderately low-pitched voice behind Seraph spoke. She turned her head and glared at Buizel, still lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

“You heard him… He just wants to be left alone…” Oposease whispered.

Seraph turned her body around and went over to Buizel’s side. She bent down by him and positioned her mouth next to his face.

Oposease’s eyes widened and he yipped, “Don’t wake him up, Seraph!”

“In case you weren’t listening,” she whispered, “There’s a pack of ravenous Pokémon after me.”

Using her paw to slowly course the half-oval of a flipper on his left arm, she continued, “I’m sure they’d absolutely love the taste of your tender, succulent flesh this evening. What better meal could there ever be for starving carnivores like them than freshly killed Buizel? Mmm… Just the thought’s even got my mouth watering…”

She then slowly licked an area near the two black marks on his cream-colored cheek. If that little tease didn’t scare him, she didn’t know what would.

“Okay… Why did you just do that…and what are you talking about?” he uttered, opening his left eye and blinking a few times.

“He’s up!” Oposease yipped and then flopped back first onto the ground.

Seraph looked at him with a slight twitch in her right eye. The possum’s obscene fear of diurnal Pokémon was seriously starting to get to her. She then returned her gaze to Buizel.

“You alright, kid?” she asked him.

“I think so… But I still don’t get what you’re talking about,” Buizel replied as he turned onto his back, revealing the cream-colored fur of his stomach and face.

The mustelid gawked at her for a brief moment before stating, “You’re…a Skunanne?”

“Oh, yeah! And you’re a Buizel!” she said mockingly, “Great way to state the obvious, buddy.”

“Hey! You don’t need to chew my head off, jeez!” he responded, “Anyways, where are we?”

Buizel started to sit up, but immediately closed his eyes and grabbed his temples. Migraine pain spread quickly throughout his forehead.

“You sure you’re alright?” Seraph asked him.

“Oww… Yeah… Just a headache, but it’s starting to go away,” he replied, blinking a couple times, “You didn’t answer my question yet. Where are we?”

“The forest west of Pokémon Square,” she replied, standing up and crossing her arms, “Now, I’ve got a question for you, Buizel. How did you get here? I mean…we don’t exactly see a lot of your kind in places like this.”

“Really, I don’t know. I honestly can’t remember much of anything,” he responded. Buizel then stood and looked around at the trees.

Seraph turned her head to her left away from him and mumbled, “Great, he’s a freaking amnesiac…”

“So, we really are in a forest. Weird… I can’t recall anything, but, for some reason, it seems like I should to be here,” Buizel said, putting his arms behind his head. He then started to laugh.

“You’re taking this pretty well for someone who doesn’t remember anything. If I were you, I’d be scared half to death about now,” she replied, turning back to him with her eyes closed, “Especially since…”

“Hey, Skunanne! What did you do to your boyfriend?” Buizel asked her.

Opening her eyes, Seraph turned to her left to see him standing off to the right of Oposease looking down at the critter’s motionless form. Walking over to them, she noted the position Oposease was lying in. His arms and mouth were sticking into the air and his tail formed a loop from under his back.

“For your information, I prefer Seraph. Call me Skunanne again and I’ll spray you in the eyes with my new attack! Oposease, snap out of it!” she said, unwittingly kicking a pebble at him as she approached.

When the stone hit him, Oposease immediately sprung into the air, screeching and clawing wildly. Buizel jumped back to avoid him; however, Seraph ended up being landed upon by the scrawny thing as he fell back to earth.

“Get off me!” she barked, pushing the possum’s weak body back to where he sprang at her from. Flopping back onto his back, Oposease immediately sat up and glared at Seraph.

“You should’ve let him touch me. I meant to kill him,” he remarked.

“Yeah, right. Wasn’t even attacking and I knocked on you back down,” she replied, looking at her claws, “See! Didn’t even break a nail. Like I was just pushing air aside, you’re so flimsy.”

“You don’t have to be mean about it…” he muttered, standing.

“Dude, are you even alive?” Buizel asked as Oposease got up.

The possum turned to him and said, “I may not look it, but yes. I am alive!”

“Yeah, Buizel, Oposease is alive, even though he doesn’t look or smell it. He’s just one of those little freaks of nature that doesn’t fit in anywhere else because he’s so different from everyone else. That’s why he lives out here by himself…” Seraph commented.

“Oh… Sorry… I didn’t know being different was such an issue for you, Seraph… If you feel that way, this zombie will leave. I don’t mind. I’m used to being alone,” Oposease replied, turning away from the two with his head down. He then started over to a nearby tree in a sluggish walk.

“Hey! Who do you think you are, Seraph? You don’t have any right to be nasty to him!” Buizel retorted.

“No! She’s right. I’m a freak of nature who looks like he’s dead and, in six or seven weeks, I will be,” Oposease uttered as he reached the tree’s trunk, “My kind has a short lifespan, about 22 weeks. We live our lives alone and die without anyone noticing. I don’t have any friends…and making them is pointless.”

That last sentence struck her hard like a Graveler rolling down a mountainside at high speed. When it came to friends, she had none either…at least, none that weren’t just family friends.

Crossing her arms behind her back and staring at the ground, she said, “Oposease, I’m sorry.” He turned around and headed back to the two.

“I don’t have friends back in Pokémon Square. My dad and the other adults there are the only ones who are nice to me,” she continued.

“And me… I can’t remember anything that happened before she woke me up, so I don’t have any friends either,” Buizel added. Oposease stopped before them and gave somewhat of a smile.

“Amnesia could be a terrible burden, Buizel. And you shouldn’t be alone in a world like this. So, how about it? Care to be friends?” Oposease said, putting his right paw into the middle of the triangle they formed.

“Yeah, why not? You’re the first two I’ve met here anyways,” Buizel replied, placing his paw on top of Oposease’s. Both then looked at Seraph.

“I really came out here tonight to learn a song my mom used to sing that made her one of the most popular Pokémon around here. Seeing as how my singing’s horrible…and I don’t have any real friends, sure,” she commented and then added her paw to their pile.

“Was that your voice that shrieked earlier, Seraph?” Oposease asked as they each took their hands off the pile.

“Yeah…” she uttered, kicking some dirt. Just the thought that he was able to hear her atrocious singing practice all the way over here was embarrassing.

“I’ve heard worse,” Oposease replied.

Something started to gurgle. Oposease and Buizel both grabbed their abdomens.

“Whoa… I’m starving,” Buizel said.

“I was so focused on not waking Buizel I hadn’t taken the time to eat…” Oposease commented. Both looked at the bag under Seraph’s arm.

“You have anything to eat?” Buizel then asked.

“If you’ve got something, Seraph, share it please,” Oposease added.

“Well…there’re some Pamtre berries, but you’re not gonna like the taste. Might like the juice I’ve got, though,” she replied, pulling the bag in front of her.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I love Pamtre berries!” Oposease said.

‘Well… You’re the only one, then…’ Seraph thought as she opened its flaps.

She reached into her sack with her right paw. Feeling around, she couldn’t find anything.

Looking inside it, she barked, “What happened? Where’s my song!”

“Calm down, Seraph!” Buizel said.

“Calm down? Those lyrics were the most precious thing my mom ever owned! Without them, her legacy’s lost!” she howled, ready to claw Buizel for his naiveté.

Above, their eavesdropper took a second to glance at the wrinkled paper that he held in his beak. Only the first two lines were visible in the dim lighting, but he recognized them as something similar to what he knew by heart.

“Siren Song… It is unbelievable that Skuntress’s daughter would have such atrocious singing ability…” he muttered to himself.

“So, that’s why you came out here? To practice Skuntress’s song? You really shouldn’t try to live up to your mother’s reputation, Skunanne,” Luxray’s voice spoke.

Oposease and Buizel turned around to see the lioness and her teammates, both to her right, coming down the northern part of the path a few yards from them.

“That stupid song’s caused us nothing but pain! And, after that stunt you pulled back in the grove, I outta claw your eyes out!” Weavile yipped, clawing the air ahead of him.

“Weavile! This is a rescue, not a punishment mission,” Houndoom authoritatively barked, “But I can’t say I blame your attitude after the hell we just went through to track her down a second time.”

“Well, well, well… If it isn’t Team Idiots? I was wondering when you three morons would show up,” Seraph said as she walked between Buizel and Oposease.

“Oh, you’re askin’ for it now!” Weavile yipped as he started to charge her.

“Enough!” Houndoom barked, launching small flames at the gremlin’s butt.

“Good grief, Houndoom! What was that for?” he whined, plopping his rear-end on the ground quickly.

“How many times do I have to tell you? THIS IS A RESCUE MISSION! You’re forbidden to attack the client no matter how annoying her antics get, you incompetent little turd!” his lupine commander shouted, huffing in frustration as he and Luxray stopped a few feet from Seraph and her friends.

Snorting, Houndoom turned to Seraph’s group with his eyes closed and calmly stated, “I must apologize to all of you for that last outburst. You see, this idiot has been raking at my nerves for the past several minutes with his moronic ramblings of mutilation and I’ve been trying to get it through his thick head that such actions are unprofessional for this assignment.” Weavile growled at his boss and then sneered at Seraph’s group.

“Cut the crap, Houndoom. You might try to put up a good act, but you’re not fooling anyone. I know as well as you that you’re not doing this purely out of kindness,” Seraph said, looking at her claws again. Houndoom opened his eyes and glared.

She continued, “So, let me guess… My dad or Metalupus threatened to kick your sorry butt if you didn’t come out to find me.”

“Why you ungrateful little…” Luxray growled as she caused sparks to appear around her body.

“Tell me something… Do I have to fry your butt too, Luxray? I do it gladly!” Houndoom barked at her.

Stopping herself and looking at him through the side of her right eye, Luxray replied, “You’re seriously going to let her mock us like that?”

“So what if she mocks us?” he replied, looking at her for a brief moment and then turned to Seraph with a grin, “We’re the only escorts she has back to town. And you said it yourself, Luxray, this forest isn’t kind to its night visitors. A lot of Pokémon enter here and never come out alive…”

“Hey, leave Seraph alone!” Buizel said to him.

Moving his head slightly to his left, Houndoom continued, “Now here’s an example of just such a Pokémon! A creature that has very little combat experience like you would never survive here, kid.”

“Anyone can fight, you know!” Buizel retorted and then slapped the dog’s maw a few times with his flippers. After Buizel finished, the canine turned his face from the critter and snorted.

“Doubleslap? Let me show you a real attack!” Luxray laughed.

Again, she caused sparks to appear around her mane. After a second, the lioness pounced on him. The stun alone from her tackling him would’ve been enough, but the electrocution from her attack was overwhelming. If she didn’t stop, he’d quickly be dead!

“That’s enough, Luxray. We don’t want to hurt him too much…” Houndoom then said. The beast got off of Buizel just then, jumping back by her leader.

“Buizel… You okay?” Seraph asked, giving her left paw to him.

Grabbing it trembling, he replied, “What was that? It was horrible…” She pulled him up slowly so it’d be easier for him to get his balance back.

“What a wimp! You can’t even take a simple Spark,” Luxray commented.

“Now,” Houndoom continued, looking at Oposease, “This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. What are you, some type of underfed Rattata?”

“I’m an Oposease and quite proud of my appearance, mind you!” Oposease tried to yip.

“A what? Oh-poe Disease? Speak up! We can’t here you from all the way over there!” Weavile chuckled as he stood and started to approach the possum.

“Did I hear that right? You’re an Oposease?” Houndoom asked and then laughed, “What the hell! You’re not the savage creature they kept preaching about back in town! How can you even stand on those scrawny legs of yours? Ha! Ha! Haw!”

“You better not make me mad!” Oposease growled.

“Or else what?” Weavile replied, swatting at the critter with a left hook, “What a weakling! One hit and he’s down!” The blow caused Oposease to fly off to the side of the trail and into the underbrush.

“Good one, Weavile!” Luxray yowled in excitement.

“You see, Skunanne… It’s these kind of Pokémon that deserve to be separated from the rest of us stronger ones. Which is why, if you’re smart, you’ll come home with us…” Houndoom said, returning his head towards Seraph with his eyes closed. Opening them, he saw her furry behind as it sprayed something at him.

“Argh! My eyes!” he wailed.

The secretion she used on him was painful. When he tried to keep his eyes closed, there was a tingling sensation that made him want to blink and opening them only caused burning.

“Hope you enjoy that Pepper Spray, Houndoom! It’s gonna stick with you for a while!” Seraph snickered as she stood back up.

“Why you little… YEOW!” Luxray whined, feeling something digging into the flesh of her underbelly.

Jumping back a couple feet, she saw that Oposease was the one that clawed at her from a hole he’d dug. Hearing her growl, he looked back to see her ready to pounce on him. Once Luxray jumped at him, the possum ducked back into the burrow.

“Smart-aleck! I’m going to kill you…again!” she roared as she tried sticking her paw into the hole to reach for him. Unable to fit it more than a few inches, the feline pulled her appendage out and turned in Weavile’s direction.

“Go after him!” she ordered.

“Right!” the imp replied and started scratching the earth.

“Enough!” Houndoom barked as he started to head back in the direction his group had just come from.

“This mission is over! Luxray! Weavile! Lead me back to town!” he hollered.

“But, Houndoom! What about…?” Luxray replied as she turned and took a few steps towards him.

“I have my limits…and getting hit with Pepper Spray’s one of them! Leave those ingrates here! They can die for all I care!” he yelled, “Now, get over here and take me back to town!” Hearing that, Luxray immediately headed to his side.

“Metalupus is going to kill us when we get back home…literally…” Weavile whined as he started to walk in their direction.

Once the other three were gone, Oposease came out of his hole and asked, “What was that all about, Seraph? Didn’t you say they were predators?”

“Yeah… And…what were they talking about?” Buizel added, still shaky from Luxray’s attack.

“Well…” she uttered, looking down at the ground.

“Hmm…” Oposease said, walking up to her.

“You see… Those guys were a gang from Pokémon Square called Team Hellfire. One of these guys my dad knows probably sent them to take me back home,” she responded.

“Why were they sent after you? Didn’t that guy know you could handle yourself out here?” Buizel asked.

“Uh… Yeah, but I never really told anyone I was coming out here, so…”

“So, they thought you went missing, right?” Oposease said. She nodded.

“Great, so now what? I suppose you want to head home, right?” he continued.

“Buizel’s been hurt, Oposease. We should really get him out of the forest,” she replied, looking at Buizel as he trembled.

“Hmm… I know a shortcut through the woods that’ll get you back there in no time, but I’ll only show you two to the outskirts of it. There is no way I’m going any further than that!” Oposease said.

“Thanks, guys,” Buizel uttered. Seraph then grabbed Buizel’s left arm and put it over her shoulder.

“Well, that’s what friends are for, right?” Oposease replied.

“Friends…” Seraph whispered as he started leading them down the path a little, and then into the underbrush.

Once they were gone, the avian that had been watching them mumbled to himself, “Friends, indeed… Impudent mammals…”

Spreading his massive wings and fanning his three immense tail feathers wide, Destail leapt into the skies with a laugh rivaling that of an opera singer.

<End Chapter One>

 

[~Twilight~]

I remember seeing this somewhere else....Pokecommunity! That's it! good job btw

 

[MoomooMiltank]

Thank you, ~Twilight~. Really, it wouldn't surprise me if you saw this on PC since it was the place where I first posted it about a year ago. But, then I decided to do some revising and had the first thread closed. The second time I had this up, though, it didn't go over so well, so I revised it again and reposted it, but no one was really reading so I dropped it until more recently. Which reminds me, I should really get this first chapter posted there as well.

Anyways, I'm glad you liked this. Next chapter should be up some time next week or so.

 

[MoomooMiltank]

Chapter Two: Remembrance

The hall was crowded this morning as the man made his way through it. All kinds of people, students, professors, even the occasional campus security officer, passed the tall twenty-year-old clad in a blue varsity jacket with the cursive words ‘PHS Metalupus’ and number 53 embroiled in gold on back, a pair of blue jeans, and white shoes. No one even uttered so much as a ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ to him.

Glancing around at the group pushing in the opposite way, he noticed that there was a surprising lack of Pokémon. Not that it truly mattered, not to him at least. The only reason he’d come here this early in the day was to find his aunt.

When he finally gotten through the mess, the man removed the sunglasses covering his hazel eyes and glanced at the area ahead. There were two halls diverging from the one he was in. But, what really caught his eye was the doorway smack dab in the middle of them.

Curious, he immediately started for it. In a few seconds, he was standing before the metal door.

And as he reached for the knob, it started to open. He suddenly jumped a few feet back and a woman stepped out.

She was a slight lady much shorter than him, standing about 5’ 9”. Her attire consisted of a white lab coat that covered all of her torso and down to her knees, a pair of dark blue pants, black socks, and black shoes. The woman’s pure white locks were long and combed back so that they dropped just behind her shoulders, and her light complexion almost seemed to just blend in with them and her coat.

“Adrian… I was wondering when you’d show up. Your first day at this college, and you’re late. This after I told you to meet me here at nine o’clock sharp,” she said in a somewhat stern voice, glaring up at him with her azure eyes.

“Sorry, Aunt Felicia… I-I had car trouble…” Adrian replied. Though she was a lot short than him, that glance was as unnerving as it’d always been when she gave it to him.

“Save it! And, don’t call me that…not here at least. Address me as Dr. Barnes. ‘Aunt Felicia’ lacks proper respect for my degree when you say it around this place.”

His aunt motioned for him to move back a little more and the young man did. Afterwards, she moved into the hallway.

“Now, here’s what I wanted to give you before you head off to your first class,” the woman replied as she removed her right hand from her coat pocket. In it was a half-red, half-white sphere.

Adrian gave his aunt as weird look. Was she seriously going to give him one of those things?

“Well? Take it!” she ordered, forking it towards him with a slight grin. Reluctantly, he took the Poké Ball into his left hand and returned the smile she’d just given him…somewhat.

Adrian had never really liked the idea of going out on journeys during the summertime like so many of his friends did in high school, nor did he really enjoy being around Pokémon for more than short periods of time. When Felicia had told him about the programs offered here, he’d thought it’d just be learning about the creatures and only doing things with them on occasion.

“So… This was it?” the young man asked Felicia.

“Yes. So, I’ll leave you to get more acquainted with your new Pokémon,” she replied, widening her grin into a full smile, “I’m certain you’ll just love her, Adrian. I know that she’ll absolutely love you regardless!” After that comment, the woman quickly went around Adrian and left.

“Her?” Adrian muttered to himself, absolutely confounded by what his aunt just said.

His Poké Ball immediately started to wiggle. Shocked, he released his grip and dropped it. Halfway down, the sphere opened wide and the creature inside appeared right in front of him.

“No! Anything but that!” the man wailed at the sight of what came out.

______________________________________________________________________________

“No… No… No…” Buizel whined. The mustelid frantically flipped and flopped around on the floor, shifting the miscellaneous leaves that served as his bed overnight.

“Love once lost you shall find me again! Do you not see I’m forever your friend?” a charming borderline-tenor voice sang from somewhere nearby.

“ANYTHING BUT THAT!” he suddenly barked, jumping up in shock.

“Gah!” the singer coughed.

“Huh? Where…? What?” Buizel said, looking around in confusion. Everything was a blur his eyes were so watery.

After blinking a couple times, he was able to see where he was, a hut build of sticks bound together with twine. From what he observed, there was very little in it other than two hammocks made from slender vines hanging on opposite sides of the cabin, the grassy floor, and a long wooden staff leaning against part of the wall near the arch-like opening at the other side of the room.

‘Whoa… Weird dream…’ Buizel thought to himself.

“Felicia? Doctor Barnes? My aunt? Just who was she?” he panted.

‘Adrian… Is that…my name?’

He looked at his forepaws for a long moment. These appendages he’d awaken with just last night… For some reason, they just didn’t feel right. Not after that dream, at least.

“Who…am…I?”

“I’ll tell you exactly who you are! You’re that little cur from last night, the friend of that girl who scared away my harem! And, now here you are breaking my concentration as I try to woo the females here with my Siren Song!” the now frantic singer squawked outside.

“Huh?” Buizel asked, looking up at the window to his left.

“You heard me, mammalian cur!” the creature said as he stuck his head inside.

The Pokémon’s head was avian, a jade-green cranium with a somewhat elliptic shape that had a stout yellow-orange beak. His glowering eyes had an unusual light blue, or perhaps teal, hue and their centers a hazel one. Atop his brow, there was a thin golden feather stick straight up in the air and several more combed down and somewhat back formed what looked like locks of hair.

“Wait… What?” Buizel said as the peacock stretched his neck inside and beak closer.

“You heard me! You were with that girl who scared the living hell out of my harem last night!”

“Seraph did that? Why would that be a problem? Didn’t your girlfriends come right back?”

“NO! Once Siren Song’s been broken, the victims always flee! On top of that, it’s too much effort to hunt them down again! Especially after…” the bird stopped.

He immediately turned his attention towards the door. Then, he pulled his head out of the room.

Buizel stood up and tried pulling himself up to the window. By the time he had, the bird was gone. Or, at least that was what it looked like for a few seconds. The spiteful avian popped its head up in the bushes several feet behind the hut, turned away from Buizel.

“Hey!” the weasel called.

“Humph… Tell that Seraph I’ll be waiting for her. That is, if she wants her precious song back,” the peacock replied and then ducked his head.

“Wait a second!”

“Hey, Buizel!” Seraph said from behind him.

“Huh?” he said, dropping down and turning to her.

The skunk lass stood there with a stare that was half cheery, half inquisitive. She had her sack slung over her right shoulder and, by the look of it, there was something heavy inside.

“Morning, Seraph,” he continued.

“What were you just looking at?” she asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know. There was some crazy bird outside complaining about how you scared his harem away last night.”

“Damn… Seraph, just how much trouble did you cause in the Feral Forest last night? Other than burning Weavile with Vile Musk and sending Team Hellfire on a wild goose chase, of course,” a calm baritone voice spoke off to Buizel’s right. Then, the man chuckled a little.

“Huh?”

Buizel turned to his side and looked up at the six-foot-tall biped now staring out the window. The creature’s form was very limber and covered in fur as dark a moonless midwinter’s night sky; his overall resemblance to Skunanne was uncanny. However, there were some differences Buizel noted beyond just the mammal’s imposing height. Dreadlocks dangled down the sides and back of this beast’s head. Also, his forepaws looked more like they were hands.

“Yeah, that’s his scent alright. I’d recognize it anywhere,” Skunter said as he took a deep whiff of the air outside.

Pulling his head back in, Skunanne’s father immediately looked down at Buizel, a slight glare in his emerald eyes. His right ear twitched violently and then his left did.

“Bad dream? Or did some kind of awful memory come back?” the beast asked.

“You…can tell that?” Buizel stuttered.

“Dad? What are you getting at?” Seraph asked as she looked up at him with an inquisitive stare.

The huntsman snorted at her and commented, “You really don’t sense it? I have to say, that’s awfully pathetic for a Skunanne. Especially one your age, Seraph.”

“Hey!” she and Buizel retorted.

“What? It’s something she ought to be able to pick up on by now,” he continued, “But, seriously, kid. What’s wrong?”

Buizel started to shiver a little, intimidated just being near something with such honed senses. If it were another Pokémon, maybe he wouldn’t be so terrified, but Skunter just seemed so much more the type to hurt than help.

“Now you’re scared? Good grief, kid. I only asked you a question.”

“Buizel,” Seraph said, grabbing his shoulder.

Suddenly, Buizel stopped trembling and looked into her sapphire eyes. They seemed much more inviting than the wintry gaze her father’s gave.

She nodded, trying to reassure him he wasn’t going to be hurt. Then, Buizel looked back up at Skunter.

“I really don’t know how to describe it. I was in this place with all kinds of weird looking creatures. They looked kind of like you do, Skunter, but they didn’t have tails and had almost no fur at all. After walking for a bit, I stopped and started talking to one. She gave me this weird red and white orb, and I think she was my aunt…” he quickly stated.

Skunter just stood there with that same look in his eyes. What Buizel said… It just sounded like a whole bunch of gibberish. But then, the kid didn’t understand what he dreamt either. So, there was no point in holding it against him.

“Nostalgia is a weird place, kid. You’re not subject to any logical reasoning there. So, whether or not this dream was a memory… I really can’t say,” the skunk replied as he turned from his daughter and her friend.

“Nostalgia?” Buizel and Seraph asked as the beast headed over to the entrance.

“I wouldn’t expect you to know about it, but there are legends of a world that exist along side our own. Nostalgia… I don’t know the full details, but it’s said that all creatures, great and small, are linked by the world where all memories exist. You visit it whenever you go to sleep. That’s no doubt why you had that dream, but as to what it means, no one can really say,” Skunter said.

Once he’d reached the doorway, Skunter grabbed the stick resting against the wall to the side of it and asked, “Incidentally, did Destail say anything else to you? Knowing how spiteful he is, I wouldn’t put it past him to pull some kind of stunt loosing his flock like that last night.”

“Just that he’d be waiting if Seraph wanted her song back…” Seraph looked at her father expectantly after that comment.

Skunter lifted his stick so that it off the ground and Buizel finished, “And that he was trying to woo the girls in town. Does that mean anything?”

The huntsman turned to leave, but ordered, “Don’t leave town, either of you.” Then, he went outside, crouched down some, and then jumped skyward.

After a few seconds, Seraph turned to Buizel with a grin and said, “Finally! I thought he’d never leave.”

She then set her sack on the ground and opened its flaps. Buizel looked down to see that it was chocked full of berries. Pecha, Cheri, Oran, and many more were all crammed up to it, filling it right to the top!

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I picked what I could find in the trees around town.”

“Whoa… Thanks!” he replied, drooling a little.

He then sat down and started wolfing them down, two and three at a time. Hunger just took him right over.

Seraph just stood there, watching as he ate. A few seconds passed, and she put her arms behind her back.

Buizel noticed, swallowed, and said, “Hey, did you want some?”

“No. I ate already,” she replied with a grin.

“Oh… Okay.” He continued eating, a little slower now that he had gotten something in his stomach.

Seraph began to giggle after a moment or so. Buizel stopped eating again and gave her a little gawk.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just you look funny with that Bluk berry juice all over your face.”

He pressed his paw to his mouth and then looked at it. The mitt was dark blue.

“Keep eating. You can lick it off later.”

“Seraph… Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What?”

“Why were you out in the woods by yourself last night?”

“Huh?” she said, turning her expression to something more serious.

“You heard me. I want to know what you were doing out there, before you found me with Oposease.”

“Oh…” she said, scratching the back of her head, “Well. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I went into the forest last night to practice this song that my mother used to sing.”

“The one that Destail’s got the lyrics to?”

“Yeah.”

“What I don’t understand is why you could’ve just practiced here. It wouldn’t have been any different, would it have been?”

“Actually, no. There’s more to it than that.” Seraph turned away from him and started to her hammock on the left side of the room.

“Seclusion in a forest grove… Weeks, months, even years of practice… Grooming of the pelt to an absolutely flawless condition… Only via these mechanisms can the Maiden’s true power be realized,” she then said, “That is the creed passed down by the females of our kind, so said my father.”

After getting over to her bed, Seraph climbed in it so she was lying on her back. Her braids dropped somewhat through the webbing and almost touched the grassy floor under her.

“You know, it’s not easy being considered an unlikable youth in this town. There are so many other kids here, but none of them give me the time of day. No, they can’t spend time with me, and it’s all because of my kind’s rep for being ‘Spoiled’ Pokémon,” she continued, putting her arms behind her head.

“Okay. So, you’re spoiled. Not a lot of people like other with stuck up attitudes, you know,” Buizel replied.

She tilted her head to him with a glare and growled. Then, she huffed.

“All I’ve ever wanted was some attention from others besides my dad’s friends. Metalupus, Incinermyn, Kangaskhan… They’re only nice to me because Dad can turn into such a savage over the littlest things. That’s why I figured if I could learn Siren Song, everyone would love me. Just like they loved my mother. At least, that’s what he said about her.”

“What happened to her?”

“My mom… Skuntress… Mine was a troubled birth. She wasn’t well at the time and died soon after.”

“Oh…” he said, “I… I’m sorry, Seraph. I didn’t know.”

She turned on her side and gave him a mean stare. Of course, he wouldn’t know. He had amnesia, and she’d just found him last night!

“So, what’s with this Siren Song you just mentioned?”

“A hymn no member of the opposite sex can resist. Only a select few can learn it, but trying to is difficult. Like I just said, it can take weeks, months, or even years just to get good at singing it. Even then, only the chosen can really master it. That’s why so few Skunanne throughout history have ever become the Forest’s Maiden.”

“And, the lyrics Destail’s got…”

“Are my mom’s legacy? Yeah, and that’s why we’re going out there again today. So finish eating and let’s go!”

“Wait. Your dad just told us not to go outside of town today.”

“So?”

“We should listen to him! Why not just show me around town instead?”

“Why should I?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Listen. We can play this game all afternoon and it will only end in tears,” Seraph said, looking at her claws with a grin, “So, just finish eating and we’ll go find Oposease, then see if we can’t find Destail and convince him to give back my song.”

“But…” She fanned her left paw at him, making sure he got a good look at the sharp points on its toenails.

“Oh, okay,” Buizel finally replied. After what she did to Houndoom last night, he really didn’t want to end up being lacerated like that beast was.

Buizel had eaten almost all of the bag’s contents in the few minutes Seraph lied in her bed. When she came back over by him, only two Pecha berries were left. Seeing that, she swiped and ate them herself.

“Okay! Let’s go!” she said, slinging the satchel back over her shoulder.

Then, Seraph grabbed Buizel’s paw and pulled him up. He almost lost his footing and began falling forward, but she held him upright. Upon doing that, though, she quickly pecked him a kiss on his right cheek.

“Wha…?” he said, utterly confused. She just smiled.

Seraph turned around and then started for the entrance. Buizel waddled somewhat behind her.

Before they even got to the door, though, she turned to him and said, “If you can’t keep up that way, get on all fours!”

“Oh!” he replied, dropping onto his forepaws. Then, he scampered over to her right and they continued outside.

As they walked down the path leading down the slope from Seraph’s hut, Buizel glanced around the area. There were numerous huts, most rivaling the crude dome they’d just come out of; though, their construction style was more like hollowed out mounds with some growth rather than wooden. Aside from those, there also appeared to be some buildings that were larger than the others, and a few among them looked vaguely like…Pokémon. In any case, it was a lot more inviting than the shadowy place Seraph and her father had led him through the night before.

“Hey, Seraph. I want to see the sights before we head out of town. Care to show me?” he asked as they reached the main road.

Stepping onto the paved walkway, she looked at him with a mocking gaze. Before she could get a word out, though, something caught her eye a ways down the road. Buizel stood up and looked in the same direction.

At the crossroads, there stood a lone wolf Pokémon gazing straight back at the twosome. The beast had a charcoal gray pelt and looked to be very tall, easily clearing nine feet if not ten from the pads of his forepaws to the top of the gold crest positioned above the red ovals with amber irises he had for eyes. From between his pointed ears, there was a cloudlike mane of light gray hair that covered most of the being’s backside, the entirety of his hindquarters, and hind legs, and dragged on the ground behind him in an endless stream. Though it was a little hard to tell from a distance, the creature appeared to have a decorative collar that consisted of a golden midsection with silver outer sections, which seemed to project matching lines into the middle area to form crisscrossing diagonals, as well as silver anklets with gold studs above his forepaws.

“What’s up, Seraph? You know that guy?” Buizel asked her, confused as to why she was gawking aside from the entity’s truly awkward appearance.

“No, I’ve never seen him before. But, for some reason, I can’t stop looking. Weird…” she whispered.

The three Pokémon looked at each other for a good few minutes, before the lupine creature suddenly started over for them. Buizel immediately hid behind Seraph, who just stood her ground.

“Greetings, children. I see that you two have taken a keen interest in me this morning where so many others hadn’t,” the wolf said, his voice a very firm baritone. He moved off to Seraph’s left into the middle of the street and gazed down at them somewhat expectantly.

“Um… Good morning…sir…” Buizel stuttered. For some reason, he just couldn’t shirk a feeling of deep fear from being near this Pokémon.

“Uh, yeah,” Seraph replied dully, “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“That is correct, Seraph,” the canine said with a grin that revealed a mouth full of pointed blood-red fangs.

“Huh?” she uttered.

‘How does he know my name?’

Something appeared on the wolf’s shoulder area just then. A marking depicting a brown lupine pawmark with a white oval in its pad was what it looked like. Next, an amber circle with a black pit at its center appeared right in the middle of the oval.

Buizel quivered more at the sight of it. Seraph just gazed with awe.

“Are you alright, Adrian? I realize that my appearance can be quite terrifying to many, but I assure you I mean no harm, my boy.”

“Adrian? Who’s…” Seraph asked, then looked at Buizel quick and back at the beast in front of her.

“Who are you?” both her and Buizel asked, “How do you know me?”

“Ah, ha ha! Indeed. How do I?” the creature laughed, “Let us just say that I have been around quite a while and know much more than most do.”

“So, you’re old,” Seraph commented, “So was Whiscash when he passed away last year.”

“Ha ha! Witty, aren’t we?” the wolf said, “But I must say, I am much better traveled than the former elder of this village. And, unlike him, my life could not be further from its end.”

The beast turned his gaze skyward and continued, “It has been many a year since I last came to this particular town. And in that time, so much has changed. The welcoming Pokémon I once knew, they have long since gone. Razed by the ravages of time. Never again to walk in this world. To breathe the air oh so crisp.”

“Oh-kay… What?” Buizel asked, as he stood upright.

“Death is quite the cruel beast, Adrian,” the wolf stated as he returned his stare to the two, “Yet it is no end.” Then, he licked his chops.

“Hey, you two!” Weavile’s voice called.

The twosome turned to their left. Down the road, they could see Houndoom and the imp from last night walking towards them.

“Great! Hey, mind doing us a favor?” Seraph asked, returning her gaze to where the beast was. But now, he was gone.

“Where did he…?” Buizel asked her.

“Skunanne! Wait up!” Weavile said as Seraph turned to leave.

After last night’s fiasco, she really didn’t want anything to do with those losers. However, Buizel grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Hey, shouldn’t we at least hear what they have to say?” he asked her.

She sneered, but then sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, the least they could do was hear Team Hellfire out, for whatever reason. Then, Seraph turned to the approaching bozos.

Houndoom and Weavile stopped a few feet from the two. The imp seemed a little bit twitchy, while the hellhound stood before them with a fairly strict pose.

“Hey, you two haven’t seen Luxray around this morning have you? We sent her to get food earlier, but she hasn’t come back. It’s been hours and we’re starving!” Weavile barked.

Houndoom growled deeply, glancing slightly to his right with a cursing glance. Next, he looked at Buizel and, for a moment, gave a questioning stare. Something seemed different about the kid this morning, but he just couldn’t tell what.

“Nope, let’s go, Buizel!” Seraph said as she turned and tried pulling Buizel along with her.

“Hey! We’re not finished with you two yet!” Houndoom immediately barked.

Seraph got on all fours after that and turned her body so her buttocks were aiming for the dog. There was no way she was putting up with his crap this morning. Not when she was in such a hurry to get her lyrics back.

“Wait! We were just wondering what’s going on between you and Buizel this morning!” Weavile said.

“That’s none of your business. We were just on our way back into the woods, if you need to know,” she replied, standing back up.

“Why? To see that little rat thing again?” Houndoom asked.

“Like I said, it’s none of your business. Let’s go, Buizel.” She started tugging him down the road.

“You lost Skuntress’s song last night, didn’t you? After all that bull you went through, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

She didn’t respond, just kept trying to make Buizel move. But he wouldn’t budge more than a few inches, if even that.

“But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing with her. Just who are you, kid?”

Buizel jerked his paw out of Seraph’s grip and looked up at Houndoom. Just how should he reply to that question? The wolf from a few moments ago called him Adrian, confirming the dream he’d had…or at least that was what it seemed.

“Me? I’m Buizel. Nice to meet you, Houndoom and Weavile,” he replied, grinning.

“I didn’t ask you what you are; I asked who. Your kind is rare around these parts. And, on top of that, it’s pretty damn clear you’re no ordinary Pokémon. I mean, what kind of Buizel goes wandering through the Feral Forest, especially at night?” the hellhound said, putting his maw right up to Buizel’s nose.

“Back off!” Seraph barked, putting her mitts between them.

“I’ve had enough of this. Weavile! Let’s go! Luxray couldn’t have gotten that far.” Houndoom and the gremlin went around the two mammals and quickly left.

“Thank goodness they’re gone,” Seraph said once they were gone.

“Luxray’s gone missing? You don’t think Destail has anything to do with it, do you?” Buizel asked her.

“No way! Knowing her, that cat’s snoozing somewhere.”

“Well, if you say so…”

“Anyways, come on! We’ve got to get my lyrics back from Destail!” she said, turning towards the crossroads in the middle of town.

Then she started walking towards them. Buizel dropped down to all fours again and followed her.

<End Chapter Two>