FanFiction: Blood in the Water (PG-15)

Blood in the Water

This is my first FanFiction, and is a working project, it DOES contain quite a bit of gore and violence, so it is rated PG-15 (viewers under 13/15 may find disturbing) please read at your own risk. I originally posted this FF on Serebii Forums, but thought I'd post it here too, seeing as I'm more active on PokeBay than Serebii. Please note: I AM the author of this FanFiction, I have not stolen it from someone else. However, I will not tolerate anyone stealing my work, so bear that in mind. Through the violence and battles, there is heart-warming tale of love, so please, read on....

Please read:
This FF is set in a world where Pokemon and humans live separate lives, but are at war with one another. Pokemon are just as intelligent as humans and they can speak, the story is set in a valley that is home to only Pokemon. Some Pokemon are in evil gangs or 'Clans', Clans will often torture humans for sport, anywho, on with the story......

Chapter 1: Torment

Screams ripped through the air as a young woman was thrust upon a bed of poison spikes. She twisted and buckled as she tried to roll off the bed, which only made the thorns sink in deeper. Her voice was suddenly reduced to a low, pain-filled moan as she gave in to the overwhelming force. She was lying face up, in a cold small cave. Other instruments of torture were lying around, scattered on the floor. She could not move, as the spikes were long and had already sunk into her muscles, flesh and bones. Poison was leaking into her body, crawling through her veins; it would not kill her, only make the pain of her 'session' worse. She closed her sad, chocolate brown eyes, and cried.

"See!" Umbreon squealed, "They are a weak race, they give in too easily!" He was slowly stalking round the table, eyes never leaving the poor, naked, seventeen year old girl. The girl tried to lift her head, but like lightning, Umbreon pounced on her chest; front paws on her face, thrusting it back onto the death trap below. "Naughty! Naughty!" He giggled, "Little girl must sleep tight, no moving!" Umbreon began to shove his paw down her throat, making her gag. The girl began to scream, but it was muffled from the huge, oversized paw choking her. Just as her eyes unfocused and her body relaxed as death tried to claim her; Umbreon withdrew his paw, the girl gasping and choking for a breath. "You thought you had it easy there! But Umbreon won't let you have the luxury of death... yet!" He neatly leapt off the table, his back to the sobbing girl, and made his way over to his wife.

Espeon had no emotion in her face, but because her husband was used to this, he didn't ask about her detached look. Her fur was long and sleek, cleaned to perfection. Strangely, her fur was not a purple or pink like other Espeons, nor was it the rare shiny green, it was a colourless white. Her eyes were red, an odd combination. Her looks were the thing that Umbreon was drawn to when he first saw the beautiful, dainty and quiet Espeon.

"Having a good time, my dear?" Umbreon questioned, "I'm glad you decided to join me on today’s work!" He was salivating and had foam lining his lips.

"She is in a lot of pain." A rich, confident and lush voice came from seemingly nowhere. Espeon, unlike her husband, did not need her mouth to speak, only her thoughts. Espeon slowly nodded to herself, "I feel her pain." She turned towards her husband, letting all three of her eyes gaze upon him. She saw an overly big, powerful Umbreon looking eagerly back at her. His head would reach an adult's waist, his body was one metre long, thick and chunky muscles bulged out of his sides. She was half the size of him, and only half as strong in body power. Umbreon's fur was normally well kept, but now it was splattered with blood and gore, a stench was coming off him, a smell that reminded people of death. His eyes were a bright blue, like ice, and they were twitching and dancing in their sockets. There was no doubt that Umbreon was crazy, but his wit and cunning ideas made him a genius.

"COME!" He laughed gleefully, "Let us leave this cave and wash our bodies from this human filth!" He sprang around to face the girl, "I'll be coming back for you later!" he screamed, "I'm leaving you now so the poison can do it's work! You'll go CRAZY from the pain, but don't worry!" He said the last sentence with an almost kind voice, but it vanished in his next one. "It won't seem like anything when I'm done with you!" Umbreon didn't laugh, he just smiled and waved a paw goodbye. He then trotted back into the darkness, his wife trailing after him.

The candles lining the cave walls slowly melted as the girl moaned and groaned, finally the candles spluttered out, the cave falling into darkness, leaving the red haired girl to pine for her mother, leaving her to pain....

.................................

Flaming torches lined the rough walls of the tunnel, Umbreon was light on his feet, he had a spring in his step as he and Espeon strolled through the cave, going deeper and deeper underground. Espeon sensed her husbands glee, "Does torturing humans really gives you this much joy?" Her tone was not accusing, nor disgusted, it was light and casual, as if she was asking about his favourite past time.

Umbreon glanced behind his shoulder and gazed at the beautiful Pokemon, he smiled; looking almost normal, until he spoke his next sentence, his words filled with malice. "Watching them struggle and bleed, listening to their pitiful cries and their bones snap as I bite them, smelling their fear and blood, feeling their bodies tear and rip... tasting their flesh and chewing on their bones; this is a great joy.... revenge is joyful, do you not agree?" Umbreon spoke his words in a whisper, as if he was sharing a deep, dark secret. Body twitching and pulsing with excitment.

Espeon, as always, seemed to be emotionless as she listened to Umbreon's speech. She chose her next words with care, avoiding looking into Umbreon's dancing, insane, ice blue eyes, "Revenge is sweet, but what about the other humans? The infants? The ones who had nothing to do or say in that... Incident?" Espeon stopped in her tracks, refusing to move until her husband answered.

"Let them share the pain!" Cried Umbreon, he turned around and pressed his face against Espeon's, "They are still guilty! They are a worthless breed, there are no 'other ones' they are all the same!" Umbreon's voice became a low whine, "Look what they did to us! I am freeing Pokemon from humans! I'm the good one! Look at what they did to ME! Forgiveness is not an option, we must be rid of them!" Umbreon lifted his head and gazed down at Espeon, her head bowed down in fright, yet she did not cringe away. He waited until she dared to look up into his now hatefilled eyes, and muttered, "And why not we entertain ourselves while we eradicate the humans? Eh? Why not let us have a bit of fun?! Is that too much to ask?!" He strode away, humming to himself, knowing that Espeon would follow him, knowing that she would not speak up like that again for a while.

They walked in silence down the tunnel, Espeon emotionless, Umbreon gleeful, eventually they reach a small opening in the wall, they stepped through to the other side. Moonlight streamed down into the open topped chamber. They were in a circular room with mile high smooth, rock walls. It was a huge room, the size of a football pitch. Thick grass grew beneath their feet, soft and springy. A small lake rested in the middle of the chamber, reflecting the image of a full moon. The water looked peaceful and still, it gave off a fresh enticing smell. Espeon sighed, she felt better out in the open air, small purple flowers grew here and there, it was a perfect picture, Heaven. The place had no name, Umbreon found it and never thought to give it a name other then 'Home'. Umbreon ran over to the lake and gently swam out into the middle, washing himself from the dried blood, leaving a red stain in the water behind him. Espeon trotted over to a patch of grass that was sligtly longer and softer, she lay down amongst the blades, sleep begining to take over, her last thoughts were of the human girl, slowly dying on a bed of spikes. Sleep washed over her and she fell into the world of nightmares and dreams, dreaming of death and torture, she longed for the day her husband would see through his insanity!




Thanks for reading! Please share any comments/mistakes you found, feedback is always welcome! But please, just don't comment saying I'm crazy/horrible for writing the story, as we all have different opinions.

Chapter 2: Friends

Riolu stood with his feet planted firmly in the ground as if nothing would budge him out of the way. He faced a strong opponent: Vulpix. A deathly gleam shone in her eyes, her fur coat was the colour of red wine. She shook her head, letting the curls on her forehead dance in the breeze, Riolu's heart started beating faster, she looked so nice in the bright sun. A cruel smile played across Vulpix's lips as Charm began to work it's wonderful power over Riolu. Vulpix took a step forward, Look at those long legs!! Riolu thought, I think I'm in love! As Vulpix crept closer, still Riolu did nothing but stare. The Pokemon in the audiance, watching the battle, began to nudge each other. They had heard about Vulpix's Charm tactic, and were starting to laugh as Riolu stood stock still.

Riolu snapped to it just in time, Vulpix was only half a metre away. The laughing in the audiance had jolted Riolu out of his trance, now it was time to fight. He jumped up quickly in the air, doing a neat backflip before landing on Vulpix's back, taking her by complete surprise. Riolu used Crunch, and bit down hard on the back of Vulpix's neck, drawing lots of blood, Vulpix howled as Riolu refused to let go and gripped down even harder. He could taste the blood as it gushed out of Vulpix's neck, it was disgusting but he didn't plan to let go any time soon. Vulpix tried to spin her head round and let loose on an Ember attack, but since Riolu had her neck clamped down, it wasn't possible. So, instead, she jumped up high, just at the climax of the jump, she turned around, so her back was facing the ground. As Vulpix began to fall, Riolu realised what she was up to. She was going to land on her back, but since Riolu was clinging onto it, he would take the impact of the ground rushing up to them. He tried to push himself away from her, but his teeth were stuck in her flesh, it was too late to try anything else, the ground met them with a loud thud. Riolu felt his back tear open as they landed on sharp gravel. Pain made his vision go red, as Vulpix pounced away from him; unharmed.

Gasps came from the audiance, they could almost feel the pain Riolu was in. They stood in a circle, surounding the two, young warriors. They all had a good view of Riolu rolling around on the floor, groaning in pain, he had taken a lot of damage. But they cheered him on, the battle couldn't be over yet.

Forcing himself up off the floor, Riolu stood and shook himself down, You 'ain't seen nothing yet!He thought with a thin smile. Vulpix stood waiting for him, blood still dripping down her back. Quick as a flash, Riolu sprang towards her, letting off an Aura Sphere. Fear shone in Vulpix's eyes as the blue ball of light zoomed in her direction, she tried to leap out the way, but it was useless, it hit her right in the chest. Riolu sprang away from her as he observed the damage she had taken. Vulpix was still standing, but she was in a poor shape, she was coughing up blood and choking for a breath, Riolu almost felt sorry for her; almost.

Vulpix may have been beautiful, but she was also brave, she wasn't going down yet. She took a deep breath, and before Riolu could react, let out a scorching Ember attack. The dancing flames were reflected in the audiance's eyes, they gazed upon Riolu, as he screamed in pain as the fire burned him.

I need to get out of here!!!Riolu's mind was scrambled up as the deadly flames licked at his body. Somebody help me!!

Vulpix kept going, pumping more and more power into her attack. She watched with a smirk, as Riolu's body began to turn a deathly black. Suddenly, a bright idea flashed across Riolu's mind. He took a deep breath and used Quick Attack to escape the fire, Vulpix quenched the flames as she saw Riolu rushing towards her. She had not expected him to make it out of the flames, and now it was too late to move, she clenched her eyes shut and braced for the impact. Riolu let out a snarl as rushed over to Vulpix and hit her with a Close Combat. He felt bones break beneath his fists as he punched her, over and over again. Sharp snapping noises could be heard and screams of pain ripped through the air. When Vulpix had fallen silent, Riolu stopped and gazed down at her broken, limp and bloody body. She was out cold. Riolu had won.

Cheers and whoops came from the audiance as Riolu lifted his blood covered fist in victory. I've done it! Riolu bubbled inside, I have won my place in Umbreons clan! I can finally find out what he and his clan members get up to! Whatever it is, I'll be joining them soon! Several Chanseys carried Vulpix off to be healed, one of them took Riolu by the hand and lead him off to the Healing Hut. Riolu suddenly realised how badly he hurt, blood was dripping down his back from the fall, his skin was black and burnt from the Ember Attack, his head swirled for a few moments as pain cut across his body, then blackness overtook him.

Riolu woke from a nightmare, he sat up on a straw bed panting, sweat running down his forehead. Vulpix was lying on the bed next to him, she was looking a lot better; blood no longer ran from her cuts, her broken bones had been fixed by a Chansey, the only thing wrong was that she looked shattered, bags hung under her sleep-filled eyes. "You okay?" Vulpix croaked at Riolu, he looked down at his body; it was covered in a thick paste made from berries, it would cool and heal his burns.

"I think so." Riolu mumbled back, "I don't have any feeling in my body!"

Vulpix let out a sore chuckle, "Sorry about the burns, I was desparate to win!"

"I'm sorry too!" Riolu admited, "I didn't mean to hit you so hard with the Close Combat!"

"I was out cold for most of that, I didn't really feel it!"

"Lucky you! I felt terrible when you thrust me into the ground from that jump! Clever tactic though!"

Vulpix smiled, "Well biting my neck wasn't exactly nice was it?"

"I guess not..." Riolu said sheepishly.

The two of them laughed, it was strange; they both felt deeply wounded and hurt, but both managed to enjoy the others company. Riolu felt himself bonding with this girl, he liked her. She was tough, yet had a nice atitude. Vulpix felt the same way about Riolu, they both shared a smile and looked away blushing.

"Hey! I wonder what you'll do in Umbreon's clan!" Vulpix said excitedly, "Well done for earning you space there!"

"I'm not sure what we'll be doing," Riolu said slowly, "but I'll tell you all about it! I know you really wanted to be in the clan!"

"You are not meant to tell anyone what happens in the clan!!" Vulpix stated, but then, with a naughty grin said, "But I'll like that if you did!"

The new friends talked about what they thought Umbreon and his clan got up to, they talked for hours and hours, eventually they both settled down to sleep. Waiting for their wounds to heal.

Chapter 3: Goodbye Jane


Umbreon and Espeon were standing proudly on the top of the tallest wall of Home. Umbreon shifted uneasily from one foot to another as the sun’s rays shone down on his back; he hated being in the sunlight, but today was a special occasion. Espeon was relishing in the sunlight, she sighed deeply as it gently warmed her back. She wasn’t normally allowed out in the day, Umbreon confined her in the caves. But since they were there to watch a very important battle, she was allowed out and was making the most of it.

Riolu and Vulpix battled a mile beneath them; in the Pokemon Valley. Espeon desperately wanted Vulpix to win, she had not seen another female Pokemon up close for years, and wanted to spend some time with one. Umbreon didn’t care about who should win; the winner was the strongest and he only wanted strong Pokemon.

The Pokemon beneath them were completely unaware of their leaders gazing upon them, if they were aware, they probably would have been on their best behaviour. Strutting around, showing off their skills, trying to impress Umbreon. If Umbreon took notice of you, you would be asked to join his clan; your life would suddenly improve; other Pokemon would look up to you and be in awe. You got extra privileges, including being allowed to leave the Pokemon Valley, every Pokemon’s dream. But, unfortunately, Umbreon rarely picked Pokemon randomly to join his clan, he was also rarely seen outside of his caves, so the villagers always made the most of when Umbreon decided to show his face.

Fortunately, every five years, Umbreon held a contest, where Pokemon could battle each other and the strongest would earn a place in his clan. Normally the finalists would be fierce, evil looking, evolved Pokemon, this was the first time two teenagers were in the Final. This was the reason Umbreon was watching the battle; he didn’t want anyone weak or incapable in his clan, so he was making sure these two younglings could handle what he had in store for them.

Espeon was taking no notice of the battle, she was too busy watching the Pidgey and Starly fly gracefully overhead. Her tail twitching with excitement as the wind licked deliciously at her sleek fur. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky into a soft pink, making the clouds glow; Espeon had never seen anything so pretty. Just for tonight, Espeon tentatively let herself feel emotion, a swirl of happiness filled her heart as she let go of her mental barriers. Pleasure rippled through her fur, a sense a relaxation took over her as she gazed upon her first sunset in fifty years, it was truly a spectacular sight. She wondered why she had ever let go of emotion, she wondered why she blocked up her mind, why didn’t she want to feel joy? She turned her head to the right, her answer stood right in front of her; Umbreon, he licked his dry lips and chewed on his tongue as he thought. Espeon’s heart suddenly went cold and a mental pain began to creep into her body, her eyes filled with a hate that could kill. A sudden urge to push him off the walls of Home suddenly took hold of her. To see him tumbling down to his death would be a joy.

Espeon stepped forward, intent on murder. Once she had killed him, she would be free. She could do what she liked, no one could stop her, she would be in charge of Pokemon Valley. Espeon then decided she would eradicate the humans, she had no love for them, she hated them, like most Pokemon, but she didn’t want to torture them. A cold joy crept into her mind as she imagined Umbreon falling, screaming in fear, then his body would crumple on the rocks below, bleeding and broken. And why stop at Umbreon? Why not do the same to the other Pokemon she hated or disliked? Start at Pokemon Valley, all the Pokemon she disliked first, then the ones who didn’t like her, then the ones who didn’t follow orders. She shivered as a line of pleasure ran down her spine at the thought. She took another step forward, she was close enough to smell his fur; Umbreon had spent nearly the entire night in the lake, washing every bid of filth from his fur, ha had then rolled around in the sweet smelling flowers, leaving his fur smelling and looking perfect.

Umbreon, hearing Espeon step towards him, turned his gaze to her and stumbled backwards in surprize, his back paws were only just on the edge of the ridge. Her fur was bristled out and static seemed to run along it. Her face was deformed in a snarl of hatred, eyes blaring, mouth twisted in an evil grin, ears flat along the top of her skull. Her third eye was no longer red; it was changing and morphing into shade of black and green. She began to hiss and spit leaked from her jaws. Espeon’s back legs were locked, and her front ones bent down in a ‘bowing’ position. Her claws were showing and they were scratching the rock beneath her, making an ear-splitting noise. Her tail was twitching from side to side, a clear signal that she was going to pounce.

“Now, now, darling.” Umbreon muttered softly, he was not scared, he enjoyed Espeon’s occasional outbursts; they made living with her more interesting. “Do you really want to kill me? Could you live with the fact that you killed in cold blood?”

Espeon didn’t say anything, she had gone too far to even consider talking, but her look was clear; as if you haven’t killed in cold blood!

“What will you do after you kill me? Take charge of Pokemon Valley? Kill anyone who gets in your way? You would be worse than me! I, at least, am saving the Pokemon from humans, killing humans is a lot different from killing Pokemon. You have no reason to kill humans or Pokemon.” He said with a smug grin, “After what they did to me they deserve what they got and will get. You haven’t suffered any pain from them; you are the one who will kill in cold blood!”

Espeon had stood upright by now, and had a pained expression on her face, the hate was still there, and her third eye was still black, but Umbreon knew he was safe. It had been quicker to calm her down this time then the times before, she was getting weaker, but her hate was getting stronger, soon she will be ready for what Umbreon had in mind. “I haven’t killed anyone without a good reason.” Espeon cried, “I was protecting myself!”

Umbreon shook his head slowly with fake sympathy and understanding, “I know, darling. I know. But if I wasn’t here to look after you, you wouldn’t be safe from yourself.” He looked at her right in the eye with a burning energy, “You NEED me, you understand? You really NEED me!”

Espeon nodded slowly, all the hate gone. “I…I need you.” She said quietly.

“Yes, that’s right. You NEED me and can’t afford me to go!”

“Don’t go Umbreon!” Espeon shouted with pain, “I need you! Stay! Please!” She leapt forward and snuggled into his side, whimpering softly.

“If you truly love me, I’ll stay.” He said, hiding a smile, “Do you love me Espeon? I could jump off, right now! I could kill myself, would you like that?”

“NO NO NO!” Tears began to stream from her eyes, “I love you! I’ll do anything to make you stay! Don’t leave me with myself!”

“Anything?!” Umbreon said with mock surprize, “Well, you could do this one thing….”

“What?!” Espeon cried with urgency, “Name it! I’ll do it! Then you’ll know I love you!”

Umbreon turned round to face her tear streaked face, more energy in his overwhelming, blue eyes. He licked her ear gently and muttered, “Take all this love, and let it go! Take all your feelings for me, and let them go! Hide all your emotions away, don’t feel anything, then I’ll know you truly love me.”

She looked at him with puzzlement, hiccupping sofetly, “I… I will!” She whispered after a while, “I won’t let them come out!”

“Good girl, do as I say.” Umbreon leant closer and said, “Close your eyes, that’s it! Now, think about shapes, it doesn’t matter what kind of shapes they are, diamonds, circles or squares, just make sure you have no feeling for them. Good, good, now look at me.”

She did, and saw his eyes staring back at her. He didn’t look crazy, evil, disturbed, or even powerful; he looked like a caring husband, humbly trying to calm his wife. “I see them.” She told him, filtering out her emotion.

“Stay still.” He ordered, not unkindly, but firmly. He leant towards her and began whispering things in her ears, after every sentence, Espeon felt less, eventually, she felt nothing. “Sleep.” He said, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she crumpled to the floor, breathing softly.

Umbreon lost the kind and loving aura as soon as Espeon hit the floor, he stepped over her, not giving her a second look, and gazed back down to the battle beneath him. He didn’t even bother to pull her away from the edge, one of her front paws dangled over the walls of Home, she might even topple over and plummet to her death if a strong breeze came their way. But, fortunately, none did. Umbreon knew that when Espeon woke up, her emotions would be locked inside her. What he told her would make her scared of ever letting her emotions out, but, in a few years, she would forget and they would have to go through the whole thing again.

The battle had almost ended, and Umbreon was just in time to see Riolu’s amazing Close Combat attack. He thought that both children would be good enough for his clan, both were strong and determined. It would be interesting to have a child in his clan, Umbreon was curious to see how they would react to the weekly goings-on his clan got up to. “We just have to wait and see.” He muttered softly to himself, and giggled quietly as he thought about how the two young Pokemon would survive when they raided a human village. The cheers from the crowd told him that the battle was over; Riolu had won.


Chapter continued in next post

“Better go down and send a message to him.” His voice quiet and unbalanced, the crazed look had come back in his eyes. Umbreon began his journey to Home, he then looked back over his shoulder and saw Espeon in a dreamless sleep, his considered the problem. After a few moments of thinking, he bent over and picked up Espeon, in his jaws, by the scruff of her neck. She was heavy, but he was strong, she was an easy load to carry. He made his was back down the rocks, almost falling at some parts, but he felt no fear, he wouldn’t get hurt. He finally made it to the bottom, hardly any light got into Home, seeing as it was sunset and the high walls blocked the sun’s low rays.

Umbreon dumped Espeon in some high grass; she hadn’t stirred at all on the decent, and walked slowly to the small tunnel that led back into the chamber where the red-haired girl lay. “Diglet! Umbreon called, his voice echoing down the tunnels, “Send a message to Riolu that he has made it into my clan, and tell him we are meeting tomorrow night at the Old Oak.”*

Diglet’s voice shot back along the tunnels.“Of course, Umbreon, sir.”

Umbreon made his way back into Home’s centre, swam out into the lake and dived down to the bottom. Human bones lay scattered at the bottom, there were some full skeletons, but most were random arms and legs. “Hello, my pretties!” Umbreon gurgled, “ There will be another one joining you soon! A red head, just like the rest of you!” Although he could hold his breath for ten minutes or more, he swam back to the surface, he still had work to do.

When Umbreon had made his way to the chamber where the sleeping girl lay, he saw that the candles had been replaced, that was good, he didn’t have to change them himself. He trotted over to the spiked bed, the girl’s eyes shot open at the sound of his paws against the rock. She groaned in fear at the sight of him, her eyes wide and her body began to tremble. “Scared Lucy?” Umbreon’s voice was mocking and cold, “Do you want your mummy?”

A croaky voice answered him, “My name’s not Lucy, it’s Jane; you have got the wrong person! Please, let me go!” It hurt her to speak, but she spoke anyway. Tears began to tumble from her eyes, leaving dirty streaks on her cheeks.*

“You’re all the same!” Umbreon spat, “SHE was called Lucy, but I can’t find her, so you’ll have to do! SHE had red hair just like YOU!”

“I haven’t done anything to you! Please! Let me go!” Her voice was desparate.

“I didn’t do anything to Lucy, but she still hurt me!” Umbreon was screaming, every word he spoke made the girl flinch.

“I’m sorry about Lucy!” Jane wailed, “But hurting me won’t help!”

“But it will,” Umbreon said with a harsh sneer, “it makes me feel better, it takes my pain away! It only works on red heads though, so that’s just unfortunate!”

Jane slumped; she was in so much pain, “Kill me,” She muttered softly, “please, kill me!”

“What?! And end our fun?! No, no, no, Lucy!” Umbreon shook his head.

Jane began to cry tears of blood, she looked at herself and hated what she saw. Her body was covered with lots of cuts, all dripping blood. Her flesh had turned a purple and green colour in some parts. All her bones were showing through her skin, she hadn’t eaten for days, but she wasn’t thirsty, that was strange, she hadn’t drank anything while she had been here.*

“All righty, tighty!” Umbreon said in a happy, sing-song voice. “Let’s kick this off with a bang!” (OOC: If you would like to skip the next bit, it is very gory, but doesn’t contain any important information, skip to where I put #.) Umbreon picked up a bowl filled with a clear, foul smelling liquid from a high shelf on one of the walls. “Better not drink this!” He said in a stern voice, “It will burn your insides out! HA! Then they wouldn’t be insides! They would be OUTsides!” He shrieked with laughter and the young girls eyes flickered fearfully to the bowl as he strode towards her. “But putting this acid on your outsides would not kill you, it will be painful, but I don’t want to kill you…. Yet!”

Umbreon tipped the bowl, so one drop of the acid hung on the rim, threatening to drop off and land on her stomach. “No, please! Don’t do this! You don’t have to do this!” Jane’s cries became more and more desperate as the drop of acid began to grow and hang down from the rim even further. Jane couldn’t move at all, the spikes held her in place, but the poison pumping through her veins was paralyzing her, she couldn’t even twitch her fingers, the only thing she could move was her head. The drop was so close to falling off now, that Jane actually wanted it to fall, to save her the pain of having to watch it slowly gather more and more liquid, before falling down.

“Whoops!” Umbreon yelled mockingly as the drop finally fell to her stomach. There was a hiss as the acid made contact with her skin, and then the screams began. Jane was tossing and turning, trying to get away, the pain was terrible. She could actually see a hole appearing in her stomach, filling with blood. But the worst thing was that she could actually feel the acid slowly eating it’s way into her flesh. Umbreon watched with a peaceful expression on his face, as if the screams actually calmed him. “I bet that hurts, but I bet even more that it didn’t hurt as much as you hurt me, Lucy!”*

Jane didn’t reply, in fact, she didn’t even hear him. She was too involved with the acid in her body to worry about anything else. The acid had made it’s way into her stomach, releasing her stomch acids into the rest of her body, it ate more of her flesh, but not as quickly as the acid from the bowl. The screams increased in volume and urgency. Umbreon began to smile.*

Putting the bowl back on the shelf, Umbreon made his way to a crate full of knives, hammers, axes and other instruments of horror. He picked out a hammer and found four rusty nails scattered about on the floor. He placed one of the nails on her left foot, and with the hammer in his teeth, swung the hammer and it hit the head of the nail, forcing it about an inch into her foot. He swung again, the nail now poking out on the other side of her foot, he then went on and did the same to the other foot and her hands. Jane was now silent, her mouth in the shape of a twisted ‘O’, her eyes clenched together. She couldn’t make a single sound, she was hurting so much that she had lost control of her body.*

Using his teeth, Umbreon grabbed the head of the nail in Jane’s right hand, twisting suddenly to the side, yanking it out. Blood began to spurt of from the hole, staining the bed of spikes and dripping onto the floor, Umbreon did the same to the other nails, more and more blood began to soak the rock surfaces. He hummed a happy tune as he watched the blood pour, eventually he saw Jane’s eyes close as she slipped into darkness from the loss of blood. “Shame,” Umbreon muttered, “You were saved from more torture. You are no use to me now!”

# Umbreon leapt onto the girl, feeling ribs crack under his weight, using his sharp claws, he quickly slit the girl’s throat, she was dead. “Poor Jane,” He crooned, “Gone to join Arceus in the sky, may he give you everlasting pain!” Umbreon jumped off the table, and let out a howl, many dark calls replied him. “That’s it my babies,” He called, “Your meal is ready!”*

Umbreon left the torture chamber, he was thoughtful, he realised that Jane was the last of his red heads locked up in the caves, he needed more. “But who should be the one to go and get a new stock?” He thought aloud. His mind drifted back to Riolu winning the battle and joining the clan, he smiled, “I have just the job for you, young Riolu. Just the right job!”

Chapter 4: Blood Red

Lucario strode through the tent opening, towards his son, Riolu. He didn’t give Vulpix, or any other Pokemon a second look, he only had eyes for his son. When Lucario had made it over to Riolu he bent down and gave his son a strong hug, “I’m so proud of you son!” Lucario mumbled into Riolu’s fur, “I knew you could do it!”

“Thanks Dad!” Riolu said, he studied his proud father. He saw a strong, sleek Lucario stare back, his arms and back were covered in scars, and part of his right ear had been torn off, but apart from this, Lucario was very handsome. “Vulpix was awesome as well!” Riolu said enthusiastically, wanting to impress his new friend. “I only just beat her! She was the toughest Pokemon I’ve ever faced!”

“Well done to both of you!” Lucario said kindly, personally, he almost hated Vulpix for nearly thrashing his son, but he sensed that Riolu had some feelings for the girl, and decided to leave her alone. “It was a truly ferocious battle!”

“Your son is really strong, Lucario, sir.” Vulpix said politely, “You have trained him well!” Vulpix, sensing Lucario’s annoyance from her butting in, became silent and pretended to clean her already immaculate fur.

“Well, thank you, Vulpix.” Lucario cleared his voice and moved in between Riolu’s and Vulpix’s bed, stopping them from looking at each other, his back rudely towards Vulpix. “Well, a message has been sent down that you are to meet Umbreon and his clan under the Old Oak tomorrow night. I presume he has a job for you, but I know you will do me proud!” Lucario said as he ruffled Riolu’s ears, embarrassing him greatly.

“Dad!” Riolu moaned in a my-parents-are-so-embarrassing voice. “Get off!”

Lucario just smiled and whispered, “I know you love me really.”

“I know I do, Dad!” Riolu said, flinging his arms around his father, completely forgetting to keep his ‘cool’ status up.

Lucario gave his son one last hug before he strode out of the hut, nodding slightly to the next Pokemon to enter: Ninetales.

“My baby girl!” Ninetales shouted in a strong, relieved tone. “You okay, baby?” She said with genuine concern to her daughter. “Did they heal you all right?”

“Mum! I’m fine!” Vulpix laughed, relieved that Lucario had left the tent, “I was pretty hurt though!” She added, not wanting to lose any sympathy.

Ninetales frowned, “You feel okay now though? Please say you do!”

What a fussy parent! Riolu thought to himself, But Ninetales seems like a lovely mother.

“Hey Mum!” Vupix sang, “This is Riolu, the one who I battled against!”

Ninetales smiled at him, she liked the look of the young lad. “Is he your boyfriend, Vulpix?” She teased. Both Riolu and Vulpix turned away and blushed at the same time.

“MUM!” Hissed Vulpix, “Stop it!” She was ashamed of her mother. “He’s just a friend!”

Ninetales fluttered her long eyelashes, the light danced off her caramel coloured fur, her long legs positioned neatly underneath her. “Well you seem so handsome, Riolu! I’m surprised my daughter isn’t kissing your feet!”

Rilou opened his mouth to say something, but his mind was blank as he searched for words, eventually he closed it again, unsure of what to do.

Vulpix, on the other hand, was ferociously scratching at her mother’s hide, yelling loudly. “Shut up! You are embarrassing me!”

Ninetales laughed again, with one of her heart-stopping, beautiful laughs, and walked in a sexy manner towards the door. Just at the exit, she turned her head over her shoulder and said, “You be good now, you two,” She gave a wink at Riolu and looked Vulpix in the eye, “be good and get better! You’ll look after her, won’t you Riolu?” And with that, she strode out of the door, chuckling softly to herself.

“Well…” Riolu began to say, and then stopped as he searched for the words, “that was interesting.” An awkward silence passed between them.

“Sorry,” Vulpix said sheepishly, “she gets over excited when I’m around boys.” She looked away, blushing.

Before Riolu could think twice about it, he reached over and placed a paw on Vulpix’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay! It was nice meeting your mother.” He said in a soft, gentle voice.

“Thanks.” Vulpix said, unsure with what to do with the paw on her shoulder, should she snuggle into it? Or push it off? Or just leave it there? She settled for staring at it in a weird way, until Riolu drew it back.

“I’m feeling a bit better; do you want to go for a walk?” Riolu asked, half hoping she would say no, so he could get away and think, but wanting her to stay with him more.

“Sure!” Vulpix said with a smile. “I’d love to!”

“Errrr, okay, great!” Riolu mumbled, suddenly nervous. “I’ll meet you outside the tent. I just need to wash this paste off me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you there.” Vulpix said, as she slid off the bed and walked to the exit, looking scarily like her mother. “Be quick, okay?” She added.

“…Yeah…” Riolu finally managed to blurt out as he stared at the young Pokemon. Her back was to the outside, blocking the last, low rays of the sun, casting a pinkish glow around her. She looked so pretty, and grown-up, Riolu wanted to kiss, her. He was lost in a trance until Vulpix cleared her throat loudly, to signal that he wasn’t moving. “Oh! Yeah, I’m going!” He stammered, blushing so much his whole face turned a bright scarlet. He hurried off to the wash room, nearly tripping over his feet on the way.

When Riolu got there and shut the door flap behind him, he let out a deep sigh and slid to the floor. I nearly made a huge fool of myself there! Not knowing that he already had. I had better get cleaned up as quickly as possible. He walked to one of the large stone basins in the middle of the floor; they looked like giant bird baths, big enough for a Charizard. He climbed into one and shivered as the cold water ran over his body. Once he was clean, he stepped out and rolled in some sweet smelling grass to dry himself. He saw a bottle of Sweet Scent, he sprayed himself with it and looked at his reflection in the water of one of the basins, he looked okay, which was good, he desperately wanted to impress Vulpix.

He smoothed his fur down on the top of head one last time, before striding outside to meet her. Riolu’s heart skipped a beat as Vulpix looked up and saw him coming and gave him a smile. “Hi!” Riolu said shyly.

“Hi!” Vulpix replied, blushing slightly. They looked at each other for a moment, before suddenly bursting out laughing. “What are we laughing about?!” Vulpix managed to stammer out, between gasps.

“I don’t know!” Riolu said in a surprised tone, which made them both laugh again. When they had finally stopped laughing, they began to walk towards the river, it wasn’t very far away, you could almost see it from the hut.

As the two Pokemon walked, Vulpix turned her gaze upon Riolu and felt nervous; she was a bit confused as to why though. She edged closer to him, not to start flirting, but because she felt safer and could relax more the closer she was. She could see the river now between the trees, it’s surface reflecting the pinky-orange glow from the last of the sun. It was strange; she had met Riolu for only a day, yet she seemed to get on so well with him. They had finally got the the bank of the river, and both Pokemon knelt down to drink.

At night, Pokemon naturally want to be around other Pokemon, as there is safety in numbers. So some Pokemon act friendlier at night, which was happening to Vulpix, she was a friendly Pokemon anyway, but was normally quite shy, so her being so relaxed around Riolu was unusual. When they had finished drinking, they sat side-by-side at the water’s edge, their bodies resting against each other. Vulpix snuggled sleepily into Riolu’s warm side as she let out a yawn.

“Hard day, huh?” Riolu said softly, hardly able to contain his excitement as Vulpix rested against him.

“I guess you could say that.” Vulpix said with a small smile, “It has been rather an unusual day!”

“Yeah, meeting you was great!” Riolu said with a dreamy smile.

Vulpix raised an eyebrow, “I meant the battle!”

“Oh, yeah! That was good too!” Riolu covered up, he started blushing, had she guessed he liked her?

“But meeting you, Riolu, was really lucky.” Vulpix continued, “You are a really nice Pokemon, you deserved to get into the clan!”

Riolu shrugged, “You did great too, in fact, you almost beat me! We both should get into the clan.”

A gentle, easy silence passed between the two young Pokemon, none of them wanting to break it. The stars were beginning to sparkle and come out of hiding, casting a twinkling light on the river. The sounds of the forest were calming and quiet; almost nothing could break this perfect scene, almost. Suddenly, Vulpix jumped to feet, fur on end, and began to scream and yowl. Riolu snapped open his once closed eyes to see what she was scared at. His heart was thudding in his chest; he recoiled in horror as he laid his eyes on the river, a river of blood.



Chapter continued in next post

“No!” Vulpix moaned, shaking her head, “This isn’t real!” She began to tremble and shiver, frozen in place, unable to draw her eyes away from the horrific scene.

“Vulpix!” Riolu shouted, “Come on, Vulpix! We have to leave!” He desperately wanted to run away and hide, his instinct yelling at him to get out of there, but he wouldn’t leave Vulpix.

Vulpix didn’t seem to hear him, still mumbling and trembling crazily. “What’s happening?! I don’t understand! Who did this?!” She began to step closer to the river’s edge, “It’s not blood, just light reflecting off the water.” She told herself, knowing it wasn’t true.

“Vulpix, get back!!” Riolu ordered, knowing that Vulpix wouldn’t listen. He knew that it was blood, the smell of iron filled his nose; he knew that Vulpix could smell it too. Eventually his reached over and dragged her away, she was thrashing all over the place, and it was hard to keep hold of her.

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” Vulpix began to scream, she then let out a howl of pain as Riolu bit her leg to get her attention. She snapped back into reality, “What’s happening, Riolu?” She whispered.

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that we have to get out of here!” He sounded brave, but his feelings couldn’t have been more different. “Let’s go!” He nudged Vulpix forward, she immediately began to run, and he followed. Neither of them caring where they were running, as long as it was away from the river of blood, the river of death.

Chapter 5: Rage


“NOOOO!” Screamed Umbreon, foaming at the mouth. He was standing at the heart of his network of caves, at the alleviated entrance of, what used to be, an extremely large chamber. There was a loud roaring noise, the noise of fast flowing liquid, and a strong irony smell in the air. Umbreon began screaming uncontrollably, his anger reaching a whole new level. His ears were plastered against his skull in rage, eyes burning with malice. Jane’s helpless body was dumped next to him, half hanging over the edge of the entrance, nearly falling into the blood below.

“What is it?” Espeon’s monotone voice called over the roar as she rushed towards him, “What is the mat-”

Before she could finish, Umbreon swiped her across the face, his claws digging into her flesh, blood began to pour out of the gaping wounds, Espeon stared at the blood gathering on the floor in puzzlement and pain. “Shut up!” Umbreon yelled, “Leave now! Before I REALLY mess you up!”

“You hurt me.” Stated Espeon, standing still with an expressionless face, “I’m bleeding.” She began to walk slowly away, she gathered more speed the further away from Umbreon she got, until she was pelting down the passageways, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She let out a moan when she was out of sight, low pitched and animal like, it continued, getting louder and louder before becoming a howl of pain. The noise died down as she ran out of ear-shot, leaving Umbreon alone, fuming and spitting.

Umbreon walked back to the edge of the chamber entrance, and gazed down. A few hours ago, it was half filled with stagnant, foul smelling human blood. If he had taken Jane’s body down there a few hours ago, he would have hung it on a hook hanging from the roof, cut several long cuts down her body, and pushed the girl out over the blood to drain her of all liquid. But this was not several hours ago; this was now. And the chamber was emptying of blood.

The Pokemon Valley’s river came from a spring, deep under the mountain, so deep in fact, that it ran underneath Umbreon’s caves. It just so happens, that the Blood Chamber was right above the underground river, only a metre or so of rock separated them. And it just so happens, that a colony of Dugtrio were expanding their home, and dug a room in the metre or so of rock between the river and the Blood Chamber. Therefore, making that layer of rock weaker, it became so weak, that it had given way and the foul blood had poured into the river, polluting it and staining it a dark red.

It took several hours for the blood to empty entirely from the chamber, Umbreon watched it drain away the entire time, cursing and yowling. The blood in the chamber was special to Umbreon; it had come from all the red-headed humans he had killed. It had taken over one hundred years to collect it all, and now all his work was gone. Umbreon stored this blood for one reason, to act as a warning to all humans and Pokemon alike. He would drown all Pokemon that sided with humans, he punished them for their ‘treason’, he would toss the guilty Pokemon into the stagnant blood, and let his clan watch as the unfortunate Pokemon swim around, pleading and begging for help. Eventually, the culprit would become tired, and slowly drown, Umbreon found this very amusing, watching Pokemon die in their enemy’s blood.

But losing his hard work was not Umbreon’s entire problem, the Pokemon in the valley would spot the river of blood and that would cause an outcry. They would seek out Umbreon and demand answers from him, answers to which he would never willingly give. So a lie had to be woven, a convincing lie that would fool even the smartest of Pokemon, but what should the story be? A cunning plan began to grow in Umbreon’s mind, he may have been crazy, but that made him even smarter.

With an evil and satisfied grin, he rolled Jane’s body into the chamber, and watched it get washed away with the last of the blood. The plan had begun, things now had to be organised, but first, he had to sort out Espeon.

Espeon was inside Home, but not in view. She sat shivering in a hole, her paws bleeding from where she had franticly dug her way down. Her cuts were still trickling blood, and she knew she would be in serious trouble if they didn’t stop soon. She did not feel fright, only pain and hurt towards her husband; she had done nothing wrong, so why had he attacked her? Suddenly, she held her breath as she heard a snuffling noise just outside of her hiding place, Umbreon was searching for her, and she didn’t want to be found.

Umbreon could clearly smell Espeon’s blood, and the freshly dug soil, he put two and two together, but didn’t make a move to dig her out. That would only cause her to distrust him, and she would not be willing to talk. So he sat down and whispered softly, “Espeon, I know you’re here. Why don’t you come out and talk? I’m sorry I hit you, but I promise to never hurt you again. Please believe me, baby.”

Espeon heard Umbreon’s voice; she felt the ‘pain’ and ‘guilt’ in it. She tentatively, crawled towards the surface to where Umbreon was sitting. She lifted her head over the lip of the hole, and saw him sitting a metre away, with a shy smile on his face. He looked calm and non-violent, so she submissively clambered out and lay on the ground, her head bowed in submission.

“Hey!” Umbreon laughed in a playful tone, “I’m not angry, and I forgive you! There’s no need to look so frightened!” He leant forward to lick her muzzle, but she ducked her head away, obviously still scared of him. “I love you, baby. And you know that! Don’t you?”

Espeon nodded her head, still not sure, she felt like a frightened cub, and hated herself for it. “Yes...” She answered slowly.

“So come here!” Umbreon said lightly, “And give me a kiss!” He nudged Espeon and she slowly crawled over to him, and then buried her head in his side. He grinned with satisfaction; he had her in total control. “So, is there anything you would like to talk about?” He asked gently?

Espeon calmly lifted her head; she looked at him calmly in the eye, blood still pouring from her face. “No.” She said. Then before he could react, she lunged for his throat.

Espeon had managed to get a vice grip onto Umbreon before he could pull away. But he was already reacting; he smashed a paw down onto her face, to have seemingly no effect. He used Screech, which distracted her enough to make her let go. He bounded away, and used Wish, he felt his throat wounds close up, but there was still a lot of blood in his windpipe, which made him breathless and start to cough.

Watching Umbreon leap away, Espeon let out a yowl of frustration and sent a Swift attack soaring through the air. Umbreon, seeing the attack, and knowing he couldn’t dodge it, braced himself as the tiny stars cut into his body. Several became trapped in his flesh, making him cry out in pain. Not wasting a moment, Espeon used Quick Attack and crashed into Umbreon, but his supreme bulk stopped her from pushing him over and causing damage. Pinning her down with one paw, he used the other to land an Assurance right into her face. Bones crunched and broke under his oversized paws.

Espeon rolled away, blind and close to unconsciousness, she turned her remains of a face towards the sky and used Morning Sun. It was fortunate that the sun was still shining it’s last few rays, they landed on Espeon, her face re-forming back into it’s original state. She wiped the blood out of her eyes and turned back to Umbreon.

Umbreon was still shocked at Espeon attacking him, but as soon as Espeon looked back to Umbreon, he let out a strong Dark Pulse, a dark wave of blackness crept across the grass as it made it’s way towards Espeon. She used Dig to escape, only just missing the repulsive beam. Knowing that her Psychic attack wouldn’t work directly on him, she used it to lift up the water from the lake, she brought it over his head, and let go, the water crashing down on Umbreon. Not wasting any time, Espeon ran towards him, readying an Iron Tail, putting all her anger and hatred into it.

Umbreon had taken major damage from the water, and there was no time to heal himself for Espeon’s next attack, so he stood his ground, and just as she was about to strike, he used Payback and she crumpled to the ground, thinking she was down, Umbreon leered over her body, taunting her.

Taking Umbreon by surprize, Espeon used Flash, momentarily blinding him, she scampered away while he was distracted. Both Pokemon eyed each other up, glaring at one another, their eyes filled with open hatred and distrust, just as Espeon’s tail twitched, and just as Umbreon’s ear flicked, they both let out a full powered Hyper beam. A blinding light filled the cave as the bolts of energy collided in the middle, causing an explosion. Both Pokemon flew backwards from the power, hitting the wall’s of Home.

An avalanche of rocks tumbled down onto Umbreon’s body, blocking him from Espeon’s view. Her vision was hazy, and her body ached with excruciating pain. Her mind flickered for a moment, before descending into an uneasy blackness.

Chapter 6: Bumps in the Night


The night air was cold, it had a mysterious and chilling feeling about it, noises seemed to echo and distort in the darkness. Disturbing screams and spine-tingling cries came from Pokemon as they dashed blindly through the forest. The slow moving, blood red river could be seen, crawling along through the twisted trees. Pokemon Forest had been transformed into Hell on Earth; the Pokemon dashing through it didn’t seem to recognise the paths they had taken for so many years. They were strangers in the world they had grown up in, and each was fighting for a way out.

Vulpix was huddled against Riolu, her heart thudding and her body twitching. She had never felt so afraid before in her life, and she had never felt so alone and confused. Riolu leaned above her, keeping her safe from the forest and crazed Pokemon, but unable to keep her safe from the nightmares of her mind. His only movement was the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in the frozen, night air; his breath coming away in misty huffs and rising towards the sky.

“Riolu,” Vulpix whispered with fright, “what are those noises?”

“Other Pokemon, I think.” He whispered back, terror clear in his voice.

“Will we be okay?” Vulpix dared to ask, not really expecting an answer.

“I’ll keep you safe.” Riolu promised. Although, he didn’t really know how to keep himself safe, let alone another Pokemon. But he swore to do his best; his dad would expect him to put others in front of himself, so that is what he would do.

The two Pokemon were crouched in the twisted roots of an old tree, unseen by anyone who would run by. Hardly any light made it’s way under the canopy of leaves, leaving the forest next to pitch black. The air was shockingly cold for autumn, cold enough to make you shiver. Smells and scents worked themselves around the forest; damp leaves, other Pokemon, but the dominant smell was the reek of blood; driving all Pokemon into a blind panic.

Vulpix and Riolu had been sitting in their hiding space for hours, unmoving and mainly silent, apart from the occasional question or stifled gasp. They were completely lost after running deep into the forest, not caring where they were going. They were both regretting the decision, other Pokemon had rushed to the river when they heard Vulpix scream, but they too ran in fright as their animal instinct told them to flee. Nearly everyone had turned into animals, snarling and biting others as they got in each other’s way. It was dangerous for the children; they could be trampled to death, or get separated and become lost, unable to find the way home. So they had sat tight, not even creating light for themselves.

THUD! A soft noise could be heard, Riolu lifted his head to hear better. THUD, THUD, THUD. It got louder and louder. The sound of damp leaves being trodden on, something big was coming. Vulpix and Riolu snuggled down further into the ground, both of them throwing worried looks. Fear began to grasp Riolu’s heart, he fought to contain the unbelievably strong urge to flee.

Gallade sharply raised an arm and a sphere of light slowly emerged from his hand and drifted upwards, lighting up the forest like a beacon. Gallade was bathed in the glow, looking god-like. Nearby Pokemon were blinded by the sudden brightness and hissed in frustration and anger, some threw themselves at Gallade, but he used his other arm to smoothly smash them to the side; their bodies broken and hurt. He strode forward, the ball of eerie light following him; he stopped about one metre in front of Riolu’s hiding place. Riolu could hear the large, strong Pokemon breathing and also a strange whispering sound, like the sound of a slight wind, but there was definitely words in the noise.

“Yes.” Gallade said into nothingness, as if talking back to the whispers. “They are, are they?” His voice was incredibly low and powerful, it held such authority that Riolu felt himself wanting to lie on his back, in a submissive position. “Come on out, you two. Stop hiding in the dark.”

Vulpix and Riolu jumped, their heats began to race, had he been talking to them? Vulpix began to tremble, neither Pokemon made a move to approach Gallade.

“Come out now, before I fetch you myself!” Gallade ordered in a stern voice, “OUT! I won’t hurt you, trust me!”

Vulpix turned to Riolu and he gave her a quick nod, Riolu could see no clear way out of the situation, so both Pokemon slunk out of the shadows and into the Sphere’s range of light. They blinked, blinded by the sudden brightness. Wanting to be seen as polite and submissive, Riolu addressed the stranger before him. “Sir, who might you be? We haven’t done anything wrong!”

“I need you both to follow me.” Gallade stated, completely ignoring Riolu. “Come quick, before we are attacked again.” He began to walk off; taking his light with him, Riolu immediately began to trot after him, not wanting to be left in the darkness. About a metre later, he stopped; he couldn’t hear Vulpix walking behind him. He turned round and sure enough Vulpix was standing stock still with a blank expression on her face.

“Vulpix?” Riolu asked, his head tilted to the side in confusion. “Aren’t you coming?” Gallade swung around as he realised the two Pokemon were not following him.

“We must hurry!” Gallade shouted with in impatience.

“I’m not walking off with a stranger!” Vulpix said with as much dignity as she could muster. “Who are you?”

Gallade frowned, he was not used to children questioning his actions, he wasn’t used to anybody questioning his actions, and this stubborn, little girl was getting on his nerves. He puffed out his chest and glared at her. “My name is Gallade; I’m in Umbreon’s clan. I’m here to save you, but I only really need Riolu. So if you wish to stay here, I won’t stop you, but I’m the easiest way out of this forest.”

Riolu’s ears became alert when he heard the mention of Umbreon’s clan; could this Pokemon have answer to this strange event taking place? “Sir?” Riolu asked politely, “Do you know anything about the blood river?”

Gallade tore his gaze away from Vulpix and looked at the eager Riolu. “No, I don’t know how the river became filled with blood. But I do know something else.”

Both Riolu and Vulpix lifted their heads with interest; this Pokemon had information worth knowing. “Will you tell us?” Vulpix said, her previous preconceptions about the stranger Pokemon vanishing.

Gallade addressed Riolu, “Just after the Pokemon heard Vulpix scream, part of the Mountain collapsed, that part was Umbreon’s home. We have sent Pokemon inside to check on him, but we have found no one. Being second in command, I went out to find you and bring you to the mountain. Just to make sure you were safe and no one had planned an attack on killing Umbreon and you.” Gallade said in a solemn tone. “Now come, I will take you to your families and you can rest for tonight, in the morning I will announce our next stage of the plan.”


Chapter continued on next post

Gallade, once more, began to walk off, but this time, both young Pokemon followed him. Sticking close together, not wanting to get lost or be too far away from the only source of light. The rest of the journey passed in silence, the only noise the occasional howl or snarl from nearby Pokemon. Eventually, the trees began to thin as they reached the edge of the forest, it was very late into the night and Vulpix and Riolu could barely walk from tiredness.

Strangely they saw a silhouette of a lone Pokemon just at the exit of the forest, it began to rush towards them picking up speed, Gallade turned sharply towards them and muttered. “Stay safe, I must be off! Beware any Pokemon that may approach you!” With that he cast a look over his shoulder and bounded off, it was a huge jump, one leap and he was far away into the forest, the Sphere of light following him, leaving the Pokemon in darkness. The lone Pokemon was nearly upon the children, Riolu and Vulpix were both terrified and prepared their attacks, they could hear it panting now, getting closer and closer.

Just as the Pokemon was five metres away and just as Riolu was going to let out an Aura Sphere and Vulpix an Ember, the Pokemon shouted. “MY BABY!” Riolu and Vulpix both stopped in surprise as Ninetales rushed up to them and began licking Vulpix all over, smothering her in hugs and kisses, to make sure she was okay. Once she had nuzzled Vulpix all over, she moved onto Riolu, mothering him as if he was her own son. The two Pokemon cuddled into her side with relief as she wrapped her warm, fluffy tail around them. “I thought you were dead!” Ninetales began to sob, “I was so worried!”

“It’s okay, mum! I’m okay!” Vulpix called, even though tears were streaming down her face.

“Never leave me again!” Ninetales demanded with hysteria, “I don’t want to have the feeling of losing you ever again!” As mother, daughter and friend hugged, Ninetales began to calm down and let out a breath of flames that danced in the air, casting a warming glow so the Pokemon could see each other.

A strong knot of worry began to grow inside Riolu’s stomach as he thought about his father. “Ninetales,” Riolu said in a small voice, “do you know what’s happened to my father?” Instead of the pain Riolu was expecting, he felt relief wash over him as Ninetales told him that his farther had volunteered to go into the forest to look for injured Pokemon, and to try and sort out the mess.

“He should be back by morning.” Ninetales said gently, “I offered to have you stay at my house while he was out, but then I couldn’t find you and I’ve been looking out here for hours! Anyway, let’s go home.”

Riolu and Vulpix clambered onto Ninetales’ back as she began to walk home, she broke into a run once she had cleared the trees and soon they were flying along, nearing the houses. Vulpix snuggled into Riolu; he put an arm around her, not saying a word. After a few minutes, Ninetales stopped in front of a large hole in the ground, heat was coming from it, rising up and it seemed very inviting. “Here we are!” Ninetales said cheerfully, she seemed to have already forgotten about the ordeal.

The Pokemon made their way inside the burrow; it was pretty big, with four separate chambers leading off from the centre one, connected by tunnels. It was very warm, and the straw underfoot made it comfy as well as smell nice. Ninetales breathed some more flames, but this time they were a low red, not giving off much light, but enough to see by.

Riolu yawned, he was desperately tired, he was almost falling asleep standing up. “Someone’s tired.” Ninetales teased, “Better get you off to bed before you collapse and ruin my floor!” She gave him a wink as she led him off to a small chamber; it was around the size of a Torterra. The straw was extra thick and lush, without a second look, Riolu curled up at the back of the chamber and closed his heavy eyes. He heard Ninetales chuckle as she left the room, and he heard Vulpix breathing softly in the chamber next to his. Almost immediately, he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

……………………………………………

Down in Ninetales’ home, all was dark, everyone was sound asleep. Only a few beams of moonlight lit the dark entrance chamber, suddenly, all went dark as something stood in the doorway and blocked the light. That something grinned; it’s sharp, deadly teeth reflecting the moon’s light. Startling red eyes appeared in the doorway as the thing began to crawl into the chamber, it’s long, black claws scrabbling for grip, it was being deadly quiet, careful not to wake up the sleeping Pokemon. It managed to squeeze it’s way into the chamber, “Coming for you, Riolu! Ready or not!” A sneering female voice escaped it’s lips, mocking and deadly. The game was on.

Chapter 7: Taken


Darkness. That was the first thing Umbreon felt and saw. AM I DEAD? He thought to himself, the never ending pitch blackness and the feeling of numbness made him think so. For the first time in many years, Umbreon felt alone and scared, he began to shiver and tremble uncontrollably. WHAT DO I DO? Umbreon thought, he decided to at least try and walk. He could feel his legs coming back, that’s was good, he still had a body, he began to stand up bu-THWACK! He collapsed to the ground moaning in pain as his head cracked against something above him. He felt incredibly dizzy, but couldn’t tell if his eyes were still open or not, it didn’t matter, it made no difference. I CAN FEEL PAIN, IS THAT RIGHT?

Umbreon decided to move forwards now, he was still in shock from the nasty hit he had taken, and he didn’t want to do the same thing again. Crawling on his stomach he edged forwards, ripping open his underside on what seemed to be small pebbles, he gritted his teeth and carried on, but didn’t get more than half a metre before he met a solid wall. Surprised, Umbreon tried to turn round and go back, but there seemed to be solid walls on either side of him, preventing him from turning round.

Suddenly, Umbreon froze as it hit him. He wasn’t dead; he was trapped in a small, dark space. Claustrophobia began to take over his body as he scrambled around with his claws, desperate to find a way out. He twisted his body round, he clawed the walls, he even tried to dig his way down, but Umbreon was enclosed in solid rock. Umbreon began to panic, he screamed and whimpered in fear; he was terrified of small spaces, ever since he was a little cub. IT MUST HAVE BEEN WHERE THE BOULDERS FELL ON ME FROM THAT BATTLE! He cried to himself, DAMN ESPEON!

After several long minutes of crying, trembling and frantic attempts to escape, Umbreon concluded that there was no way out, he would die in this hell hole! He crumpled to the floor in sad defeat, and began to cry loudly, in hope someone would hear him; and someone did.

Espeon smiled as she stood on top of several large boulders, she could hear Umbreon crying for help and shrieking for pain, it gave her great pleasure. He was trapped under at least two metres of solid rock, from where the walls of Home had collapsed. She too had been hurt badly, but had escaped the down fall of rocks. Espeon had awoke dizzy and confused, she was covered in cuts and bruises, then she remembered the battle; how long was she out cold for? It didn’t matter, what mattered was that Umbreon was trapped with no way out, and she could now rule Pokemon Valley herself, a joyous smile played across her lips.

Espeon heard a pain filled cry and turn around sharply, fur on end, readying a Psychic attack. Then relaxed and smiled as she saw the two Pokemon before her; one was Riolu, he was lying on the floor, bleeding and whimpering. The other one was a large, sleek and attractive Absol, she didn’t seem at all pleased, but she had the frightening aura of someone who would kill if it suited their need.

“I have brought him, Espeon.” Absol said, a scowl on her face. Her voice was like running water; smooth, calm and unbelievably inviting. “I’m not happy at all with it though.” She nudged Riolu, who had gone very still and quiet, just to see if he was still alive, fortunately he was.

“But it’s your job Absol, dear!” Espeon said lightly, taking no notice of Riolu, who had slipped into unconsciousness. “You do this all the time!”

“No!” Absol retorted sharply, “I remove people’s enemies, but only with a good reason, this young Pokemon has done nothing wrong at all!”

“You murder innocent Pokemon, yet you feel bad about bringing me one?” Espeon said in an amused way. “How strange! You’re getting paid, so don’t question my actions!”

“I do not remember asking a questing.” Absol said smartly, “I simply gave my view. Whatever you are up to, I’m upset I’ve had to take a role in it!”

“Now, now, Absol!” Espeon murmured, “We used to be friends! Partners in crime!”

“We did work together, yes.” Absol said sadly. “But you were different then! You’ve changed so much! We used to kill Pokemon, but only if there was enough proof from the client that the Pokemon was worth killing! You started killing everybody! Anybody that got in your way without a second thought! One of the many reasons I left.”

“I CHANGED BECAUSE OF HIM!” Espeon screamed, losing her cool, pointing in the direction of the boulders. “HE RUINED MY LIFE!”

“But you let him!” Absol yelled back. “You went away with him and left me trapped and cornered, you didn’t even look at me! I was surrounded by Luxray and his gang, you were on top of the cliff coming down to save me, and then Umbreon raced after you and kissed you! You then ran off! I NEARLY DIED AND YOU DID NOTHING!” Absol made no move to hurt Espeon, she looked more hurt then angry.

“I didn’t know what I was letting myself into!” Espeon began to sob, tears running down her face. “He was so charming; he said he would give me a better life! I wanted to help you, I really did! But he said it was now or never and walked off, I couldn’t let my only chance of love walk away from me! But I was wrong, he used me!”

Absol went quiet, then said softly, “You didn’t let your chance of love walk away, but you walked away from the love you already had; my love! You were like a sister to me! You were my best friend, and you walked away! It broke me! I fought Luxray like I had nothing to lose, and after you went, I really had nothing left!” Absol turned around to show her back to Espeon, scars from claws ran down her back, crossing over each other, making a jagged ‘X’. “I lost you, but gained these. I killed everyone, these scars remind me of you; ever there and something I wish to get rid of, but I can’t!”

Espeon was hurt inside, but didn’t show it. “You’re not the only one with scars that burn with feeling!” Espeon said coldly. She stood up and balanced on her hind legs, teetering slightly, there on her stomach were two long lines that joined at the end, making a perfect ‘V’. “Umbreon did this to me in one of his rages; it was the first time I really wanted to kill him!”

Absol didn’t flinch, she just stared at Espeon. “So why didn’t you? You certainly had no trouble killing if there was gold involved! Hell! You would kill anyone for the fun of killing them! Why was Umbreon so different?! You didn’t even bother about me almost dying, in fact, if I had died; you would have practically killed me!” Absol took a step forward, her nose less than inches from Espeon’s face. Espeon then reacted as if Absol had challenged her; she screeched loudly and almost took a swipe at her.

“I was still in love with him at the time! I was in awe of him, I was amazed by him, I was totally obsessed! Yet I didn’t know why! I would love him, then day by day I would love him less, until the day I hate him and try to commit murder, but he always stops me and I wake up again the next day utterly in love with him again! I didn’t understand it!” Espeon walked right back next to the boulder Umbreon was buried under and let out a small smile. She immediately calmed down. “But he’s under there now; he’s out of my life! Don’t you see? I’m free! I can be ME again!” Espeon let out a laugh and looked like a small child that had just heard that Christmas had come early.



Chapter continued in next post

Absol shook her head in bewilderment, had Espeon gone crazy? Absol swallowed and said slowly, “Why did you bring me here? You could of easily hired another Pokemon to do the work, why me?”

Espeon raised an eyebrow and said, “Why did you accept?”

“I-I…I’m not sure.” Absol mumbled, head bowed low.

Espeon grinned smugly. “Well, I called you here to ask you to rule the valley with me! Getting Riolu was just an excuse to get you here!”

Absol was shocked, her head began to spin. “You haven’t seen me for over one hundred years and you want me to help rule the Valley with you?! Don’t you realise people change?!”

“You were the only friend I ever had! You were always there for me! I have never been so sure!” Espeon said with an eager smile.

“What if I say no?” Absol said slyly, wanting to avoid answering the question directly.

“I thought we were friends, it was you who said nothing could come between us! I thought you would be desperate to do this with me!” Anger and confusion began to edge in Espeon’s voice; her fur began to stand on end.

Absol snorted, “You left me for dead! You walked away from me when I was about to die! You have ignored me for hundreds of years, and you expect me to suddenly become your best buddy again?! You are crazy! I thought I made it clear to you that I want nothing to do with you!”

Espeon’s shoulders slumped, and her features began to fill with pain and hurt. “People really do change; you are not the person I remember.”

“Yeah! I changed, after you left I hardened myself, I never loved anybody or made a friend ever since! I hope you’re happy with what you did! You’re upset with me for saying no, yet it’s your fault I’m saying no, you changed me, and there is no going back! You changed yourself! Live not in the past! I’m leaving; I made a mistake coming here!” Absol bent down to pick up the unconscious Riolu. “And I’m taking this one with me, I kill Pokemon, not torture them! Big difference! I know what you get up to down here, don’t deny it!”

Espeon stood still as a statue, he features tensed and a snarl frozen on her face. “I can’t let you leave now.” Espeon said in a soft voice. “You know too much!”

Absol looked up, and had just enough time to dodge a full set of claws aiming for her face. “You’re not going to win!” Absol shouted as she leapt a metre out of range. “I do this kind of thing every day!” She pushed down hard with her back legs and propelled herself up into the air, at the climax of her jump she sent down a Dark Pulse, it was impossible for Espeon to avoid it.

Espeon screamed as the pulse hit her, so much of Absol’s pain and anger had gone into in, she collapsed to the floor, eyes rolling. She sensed Absol running away, Espeon tried to follow her, but her legs were weak and her vision was blurry. Espeon had barely made it five steps before she stumbled to the floor. An enraged scream came from her as her prey was getting away, and she couldn’t do anything about it. She turned round as was surprised to see Riolu slumped next to her, bones sticking out in odd angles. Espeon laughed crazily as she realised that the game might not be over, she had a secret weapon; Riolu.

Absol had never run so fast, the hunter had become the hunted. She was no coward, she would have stayed for the battle if there was a reason to, but all she needed was to get away, it would have been stupid to stay and fight. She pelted down the tunnels, knowing her way out perfectly, her mind was whirring and thinking; she had forgotten Riolu, but her life mattered more than his. She gasped as she realised that there was still hope, there was another Pokemon that would help if she heard Riolu was in danger. It wasn’t over for Absol, she could still win this; she had Vulpix.

Umbreon was gagging with outrage and betrayal; Espeon had turned against him. She was certain he was going to die, but he would get out and gut her like a Magikarp! She had forgotten Umbreon’s adopted children, the ones that cleaned up after he slaughtered someone, they would easily dig through rock, and then he would be free. Umbreon began to whisper into the rock, knowing they could hear him. A deafening cry answered him back, the cry of Garchomp.

Chapter 8: Liquid Ruby


BLAM!! Pain filled Riolu’s body; every atom in his body seemed to scream out in protest. He sat bolt upright, heart pounding, body aching and pain stained his vision red. “OWWW!” He screamed, confused and highly disoriented. WHERE THE HELL AM I?! WHAT’S GOING ON?! Questions with no obvious answers began to bob in Riolu’s mind.

“WAKE UP!” A voice shouted, a female voice, but not Ninetales’, so who’s?

BLAM! Riolu took another hit, he moaned again, and blinked to clear his vision. He sensed the object soaring through the air again, aiming for his head; he punched upwards, and hit what seemed to be a metal bar out the way.

“Good, you’re awake now!” The strong, powerful, haughty voice exclaimed. Riolu stared in disbelief; a white and red Espeon was standing in front of him. Was he dreaming? Fear began to take a hold in his brain, he began to scream and yelp in fright. “SHUT UP!” The Espeon yelled, and aimed an Iron Tail at Riolu; that explained the metal bar then. He managed to duck, but the attack barely missed his head and his felt a whoosh of air pass him.

Riolu’s mind cleared a little and he managed to jump out of the bundle of stale, itchy straw he was lying in and bit Espeon’s front left leg. She yelped and cursed, then aimed a powerful Psychic attack at Riolu; he flew backwards, body twitching in pain. “What am I doing here?” Riolu mumbled blearily. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, trembling in fear and pain.

“Well, let’s say you were brought here, does that answer your question?” Answered Espeon, making Riolu even more confused.

“No, okay then, WHY am I here?” He said, glad that his captive had stopped hitting him. He was dragging on the conversation; he didn’t want it to stop in case Espeon decided to start attacking him again.

“You are here to learn.” Espeon called, pushing out her chest, making her seem even bigger and more intimidating than before. Riolu shrank back in fright, what did she mean by learn?

“Let me go!” Riolu began to plead, losing it completely. “Just let me go!”

“NO!” Espeon said firmly, “You are here to learn, and learn you shall!”

“What?! This doesn’t make any sense!” Tears of anger and fear began to leak from Riolu’s eyes. “First the river, then meeting Gallade, after that it was being attacked by an evil Pokemon and brought here! It all started after I won that stupid competition!”

Espeon was unsure, she hadn’t expected Riolu to react in this way, what should she do? “ENOUGH!” She finally yelled. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters! You wanted to be a part of a clan? Well here you go! Umbreon was full of lies; I doubt you would have survived the first week!”

Riolu stared at her, how did she know about him joining the clan? And why on Earth did she talk about Umbreon, the great leader, as if she knew him?

“Because I did know him!” Espeon spat, shocking Riolu that she could read minds. “I knew him all too well!” She lowered her head next to Riolu’s and whispered in his ear. “Did you know he was mad? Did you know he tortured humans and Pokemon alike? Did you know that he was the one responsible for the River of Blood? No? Well that’s because he was a fake, he pretended to be your perfect leader, looking after you all, but really he was after blood. And he got it!”

“What do you mean?!” Riolu gasped, fear forgotten in a moment of disbelief. “How did you know him?! Who’s blood?”

Espeon slowly sat back on her heels and gave Riolu a look of utter smugness. “Never heard of me, have you, boy? Never heard of Espeon; Umbreon’s fabulous wife? Never seen me around Pokemon Valley? Never even knew Umbreon had a wife? Well that’s because I was kept here, prisoner. Umbreon beat me, hit me, and even tried to kill me. And that’s how he shows his ‘love’ for me!” Espeon conveniently forgot to tell Riolu the part about how she had tried to kill Umbreon first. “As for blood, let’s just say he’s drowning in his own!” Espeon let out a small chuckle at the last part.

Riolu could barely believe it, in fact, he didn’t believe it! This Espeon was crazy! He would have to get away soon befo- Pain suddenly filled Riolu’s every atom. “STOP! PLEASE, NO!” Riolu began to scream as Espeon attacked him with mental waves, she was showing images in Riolu head that burned. Images of Espeon locked up, bleeding and whimpering, images of Umbreon beating her, images of Umbreon killing a girl called Jane. “OKAY! STOP! I BELIEVE YOU, I BELIEVE!”

“Good! And we’ll have no more plans to escape, unless you want to die a very painful death!” Espeon said sternly, relieving Riolu from the pain. He collapsed at her feet and she scrunched up her nose as if he was something that had thrown up on her and danced on her grave. “Now, let’s get moving, follow me and don’t get left behind! And don’t think of running away, the caves down here are like a labyrinth, you’d never find your way out, and even if you did, I could just get someone to bring you back! I’m sure you don’t need any proof of my words?” Espeon said with a sly smile, showing the burning images at the edge of Riolu’s mind, he flinched with fear and she let out a harsh laugh at his reaction.

Espeon began to walk out of the cramped chamber they were in and strode into the darkness of the tunnels, her laugh echoing in the darkness. Riolu shivered from the noise and plodded after her, head down and eyes locked onto the floor. He stuck right behind Espeon, he was certain that she was telling the truth, and he didn’t want to be stuck down here, lost. Of course he was wondering if she was leading him to his death, leading him to a place where even more horrors awaited him; but of course he had to trust her, there was no other option and Riolu would rather die than be lost in this rat-run.

After what felt like walking miles under the mountain, twisting and turning, forever going deeper into the darkness, the path turned sharply upwards. Espeon stopped and turned round, facing Riolu and forcing him to look her in the eye. “When we get to the top,” Espeon said, eyes glaring into Riolu’s soul. “I want you to promise me not to run off.” She said it as if she was telling a little child not to stray too far away at a carnival; slowly and sternly.

Despite the situation Riolu was in, he snorted; as if there was any chance he’d get away from her. And why bother to ask? She knew Riolu would take the first opportunity that came by to run away. Riolu gave a sharp nod and followed Espeon up the slope, it was bigger than he had thought, and he was panting when he reached the top. Riolu felt heat beating down upon him as he reached the top. Confused, Riolu emerged from the tunnel.

Riolu stood still shocked, he was no longer in a small tunnel, he was standing in a large cave. So large, he couldn’t see the other side. But what shocked him was not the size, it was a large pool that covered most of the floor, a pool of bubbling, boiling, bright ruby-red liquid; lava. Sweat began to drip off his brow from the heat, it was hard to breathe, and Riolu’s panting got worse as he could not gather enough oxygen. Stone slabs floated on top of the deadly lava, reminding Riolu of stepping stones; each stone was circular and around two metres across. “TIME TO PLAY!” Espeon yelled as she pushed him towards the lava, Riolu screamed as he was forced to jump to the nearest stone, fear began to take a hold of him as he realised he wasn’t going to make it.

Riolu clenched his eyes shut as he realised his life would end in burning pain and the smell of cooking flesh. Just as the heat became unbearable, he felt something grasp onto his neck and pull him upwards; he was dropped onto the welcoming stone with a thud and skidded to a halt. He eyes flashed open as he saw Espeon standing and panting above him; she had leapt after him and had knocked him out of the air and onto the stone, which was slowly drifting away from the safe edge and further into the boiling pool. Espeon had risked her life to save him, why? She didn’t owe him anything, she didn’t even like him, yet she had saved Riolu from his death.

“That wasn’t a very good start!” Espeon shouted, appearing only mildly annoyed; apparently, the heat or the fact that she could have died didn’t affect her. “Dead in the first three seconds!” She let her breath out slowly, as if trying to control her anger. When she spoke again, she used a calming tone. “Your lessons will be here; you will not leave Liquid Ruby until your training has been completed.”

Riolu was still in shock, but realised he had to adapt faster if he wanted to keep up with fast-paced Espeon. “Liquid Ruby?” He unsurely asked, he hoped to Arceus it wasn’t this lava pool, how would he survive here?

“Why,” Espeon said in a sarcastic tone, “you’re floating on it.”



Chapter continued on next post

“What the hell!” Riolu shouted, “Why am I even ‘training’ and how do you expect me to survive?!”

“You’re training for a battle!” Espeon retorted, “And if you want to survive, young Riolu, you must learn to adapt to your surroundings! So that’s the first lesson, adaptation; hunt, sleep, move around and survive on Liquid Ruby, and you will have learnt to adapt to surroundings you are not familiar with. There is food here, you must learn how to find it, and I shall follow, but I will not interfere again. When I think you could survive here alone, we’ll move onto lesson two!”

Riolu stared at Espeon in shock and disbelief; he had to learn how to live among lava? What help will that be in a war? With bitterness in his heart, he stood up and walked to the edge of their rock and looked around; he could no longer see the sides of the cave, the molten lava lit up the cavern in an eerie, red glow. Chucks of rock littered the liquid’s surface, making interesting patterns that seemed to hypnotise anyone who stared at them for too long. Riolu pondered his next move; Espeon had fallen into a silence, so it was up to him. Plans of escape filled his mind, then he realised in dismay that escape was one of the reasons Espeon would be following; to make sure he did as instructed. Blankness filled his brain, he had no idea what his next move would be.

“I would try to learn how to master moving around.” Espeon said with a yawn. “You seem to have a little trouble with that before.” She has lay down on the warm rocks, basking herself in the heat. “Just stay within three rocks of me, otherwise I’ll hit you with a nasty Psychic.” The threat was laced with a light-hearted and breezy tone, but the meaning was clear: run away and you’re dead.

Riolu didn’t turn round and face her, his pride didn’t let him. Of course he had thought about moving, but his previous experience hadn’t left him too keen to try again. On the other hand, what Espeon said was true, how could he survive if he hadn’t learnt to move around? So taking a deep breath, his lungs had become used to the oxygen difference, he walked to the edge of the floating rock and looked for a nearby one. Fortunately, a slightly smaller rock was within half a metre from theirs, Riolu trotted towards it, said a few prayers and leapt for it. He went flying easily through the air, but landed with a heavy thud on the small rock; because it was quite a lot smaller, it wobbled and nearly tipped over from Riolu’s sudden crash landing.

“That didn’t work out as planned.” Espeon muttered in a bored way, gazing lazily at him from half closed eyes. “You need to land lightly; otherwise the rocks will tip over.”

Riolu barely heard her through his mad panic; he was clinging to the edge of the rock as it began to tip up on its side. He sighed in relief as it righted itself, and rolled into the middle, adrenalin pumping through his veins as he barely escaped from another near-death experience. After spinning round in circles for a few minutes, Riolu decided he was ready to jump back onto the rock Espeon was lounging on. Since the rock had floated about a metre away, Riolu took a small run-up before he jumped. He soared through the air, but this time he relaxed his knees to take the impact, he landed upright and stable, if still a bit heavy and awkward.

“Go you!” Espeon sarcastically muttered, “So the great Riolu manages to survive again.”

“Shut up!” Riolu shouted bitterly, “If you don’t have anything useful to say, keep your thoughts to yourself!” Riolu was actually quite pleased with what he had done, and was hurt that Espeon had made fun of him. Espeon snorted and turned away from him, she started to drift off to sleep, Riolu had the urge to run away, but knew that she would find out in seconds if he made a move to run.

Riolu started jumping from rock to rock again, he slowly got better and better, he nearly fell in twice; once when he slipped on a damp rock and twice when he tripped up just before he made a big leap. Eventually, he was able to jump to rock that were two and a half metres away, using his tail as a spring for extra lift. He became fast, only staying on a rock for a second before leaping to the next one, it was the fastest he had ever travelled, but the most energy-sapping and stressful. He landed neatly, letting all four of his paws take the impact, and he felt like a pro.

Espeon yawned as she woke up and stretched, she saw Riolu bounding around, concentration and focus on his face; she was glad to see that he was doing pretty well, and decided that he had enough skills to move onto the next part of lesson one: finding water. “Riolu!” Espeon called. “Over here, now!”

Riolu jumped from fright, and nearly plunged to his death in the lava below. He bounded twice to get to her, and landing neatly at her feet. “Yes?” He said with a croaky voice, the heat and the hard work had left him thirsty.

“I’m guessing you would like some water?” Espeon asked and Riolu nodded eagerly. “Well do you see any?” Riolu looked around and shook his head in disappointment. “Look up!” Espeon ordered sternly, Riolu did and saw that the ceiling was shiny from moisture. The steam from the lava rose up from the hot pool, and condensed on the cavern roof, droplets of water fell back towards the ground, but evaporated before they got anywhere near the lava’s boiling surface.

“How are we meant to get up there?!” Riolu asked in amazement and wonder, feeling completely lost.

Espeon responded with a simple, “Climb!” She pointed to the ceiling and Riolu saw that stalactites grew from the ceiling; some of them nearly reached the lavas surface. “We jump from rock to rock until we are underneath a stalactite, we then jump upwards and climb up it, gather as much water as you wish from the ceiling, then climb down.” Espeon said the instructions as if she was telling Riolu how to bake a cake.

“And if we fall?” Riolu asked wearily, dreading the answer he knew was going to come.

“Well then you die, Riolu!” Espeon laughed with an evil grin.

Yay it's back!!! I love the Fic Georgie^^ Can't wait for the newest chaps^^

Yep, I'll post the rest of them after I finish my mug of tea!