Zoroark continued running through the building's upper floor. Turning around at every corner was the only thing keeping him alive, as no direct line of fire meant he was safe from Entei's devastating fire beam. It also hindered Entei's regular speed, as his bulky body was hardly designed for quick turns. However, little by little he could hear Entei's loud footsteps gaining on him, learning how to cut corners faster every time.

Entei had once been described to him as a mass of potential, growing stronger during each battle and forming new techniques on the fly to suit the situation. A troublesome opponent, but Zoroark knew better than to face him in direct combat. Entei was currently the strongest of the three legendary dogs, and Zoroark knew that he could throw his entire army at him and have them sent back as a pile of coal, just like Astrid. He sighed, pushing away the sad and distracting thoughts once more before reluctantly preparing himself for plan B.

Plan B was, of course, nothing more than running away and hiding, but it had the advantage of being viable in any situation. Entei was a strong and clever fighter, but hardly a politician and as far away from a leader as one could possibly get. Zoroark knew that if he was not there for Entei to kill, the legendary would have no idea how to stop the revolution. Eventually he would have to leave, and Zoroark could swiftly return to clean up any damage and come up with a new battle plan. A simple, yet effective plan.

The only problem was how to escape. If he could cover his tracks somehow, hiding would be no problem at all for a Pokémon of his breed, but currently Entei was tracking his every turn through the building like a true hunter. Had it been any other opponent, he could simply use his special technique and vanish around the next corner, never to be found again. However, as much as his aching legs told him to at least try it, his survival instincts reminded him that if he would simply disappear into thin air, Entei would know something was wrong… And in the worst case scenario, he might even figure things out.

Around the next corner, Zoroark came upon a familiar sight. His favorite window reminded him of more peaceful times, and the view that had burned into his retina told him that the building on the other side had a slightly lower ceiling than the one he was in. Suddenly, he was struck by an idea. If he could somehow get rid of the glass…

Zoroark had only a split second to think, and reacted by tearing off his now useless gasmask and throwing it with all his strength at the window. The mask smashed into the target and bounced off harmlessly, barely leaving a crack in the fine workmanship as Zoroark cursed under his breath.

Hating himself on several different levels for what he was about to do, Zoroark picked up the pace and dashed towards the window. There was now a direct line between him and the footsteps behind, meaning that at any moment he could be roasted by an unforgiving beam of fire. He had no time to hesitate.

Zoroark reached the window, but did not stop. Bracing himself, he jumped straight through it, his left arm held in front of him to protect his face while trying to retain as much momentum as possible. A shattering sound filled his ears as he broke through the window and speeded unhindered through the air. Knowing there was little he could do to aid his flight at this point, he simply let himself soar forward like a black projectile, crimson blood and shards of glass raining over the street below.

Just barely making it to the other building, Zoroark was forced to grab on to the edge with his arms. He immediately yelped and let go with his left arm, the pain shooting through him like lightning and threatening to drop him at any moment. Knowing just how close he was to victory, Zoroark mustered up all his strength and pulled himself up on the roof of the house, straining his only functional arm badly.

The window had been a fine craft, indeed. The impact had struck him like a rampaging Rhydon, and the shards of glass were large, jagged and unwilling to leave his arm alone. He wished to pull them out but knew there was no time to spare, promising himself a very long and leisured vacation if he managed to pull through this ordeal.

He looked back and saw Entei staring at him, hunching over just to see through the small window. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined the fiery beast smashing through the wall with all his might and coming after him, but instantly shrugged it off. Not even a monster like that would be strong enough to smash through a wall and retain enough velocity to make such a large jump. He would have to run back through the building, leaving his opponent out of sight long enough for Zoroark to become one with the shadows, and at the very least his life would no longer be in danger. That is, Zoroark thought, as long as he covered up his trail of blood well enough…

An explosion interrupted Zoroark's thoughts. He saw sparks flying out of the window he had just broken through, before yet another explosion sounded. He badly wanted to disappear, but no matter the amount of ruckus going on in the building below, Entei's face never stopped staring at him. Finally, the walls around the beast began to crumble, the bricks on the outside loosening their hold and falling down the side of the building. As they hit the ground they barely made a sound, the extreme heat having turned them very soft in consistency. However, Zoroark had no time to pay notice to it, as he saw Entei leap towards him through the new hole in the wall.

In that instant, everything came crashing down for Zoroark. He could only think of the current situation as complete and utter bullshit. The revolution had been a failed mission right from the start, considering that one day he would have to face this unreasonably powerful and completely unstoppable monster. Frustration filled his mind. Why was he even here? Why was he doing this? What was the point of his life, if he was just going to die like this?

Utter terror, unlike anything he had felt since he was a child struck him as he tried to weigh out his options. However, his mind turned blank at the sight of Entei's massive form moving through the air, and he panicked and started running away. However, pain shot through his wounded leg as it quickly turned limp, and he heard Entei landing on the roof he was on. He felt the building shake.

He knew he was now a sitting duck for Entei's fiery attacks, and no amount of tricks would be able to stop that. Shaking in fear, he gathered up all his power in his legs and made a great jump towards a higher rooftop nearby, forcing himself through the pain as he felt one of the shards cut deeply into the tendon in his left leg.

He tried to land on his feet on the nearby rooftop, but his wounded leg gave way to the weight of his body as he collapsed. Running away was out of the question – Simply walking would be a struggle. He tried crawling away as Entei quickly jumped up to the same building he was on, quietly viewing his shameful display.

"It is over," Entei growled, as Zoroark scrambled away and finally reached the edge of the rooftop. Looking down, he saw the view he had adored from his favorite window so many times, and only now did he realize how frightfully high up he was. The pavement below looked very hard, and he could see a few of his followers looking up at them. He turned around and saw Entei staring at him, waiting to see if he would jump down or not.

"Go ahead," Entei said calmly while giving off a short nod, "If you land on your head, it will be less painful." Zoroark could hear his followers shout something and saw a few flying-types coming up to his rescue, but he knew there was nothing they could do. Even if they were to catch him, Entei would shoot both of them out of the sky in an instant. There was only one thing left on the dark-type's mind…

"… Please," Zoroark whimpered as he felt the old pain across his chest flare up one last time, "No fire."

"Indeed," Entei responded with a nod as he moved closer, "Your body should be recognizable."

Fed up with chasing and talking, Entei lounged at Zoroark, ready to decide this fight as quickly as possible before the tricky dark-type could concoct another plan. He disliked the taste of blood, but realized it would be necessary to rip out Zoroark's throat instead of burning him to death, since his corpse would be an effective deterrent to the rest.

But as he bent forward to bite through Zoroark's neck, his front legs sank through the rooftop. It was as if it was not even there at all, despite him having seen Zoroark crawl across it not long before. He could still see Zoroark sitting in front, glaring at him, and as he tried to pull his front legs up, his instincts instantly told him he had been too careless.

From behind him, Zoroark came out of a roll with a lame leg and arm, and used the claws on his right hand to pierce one of Entei's hind legs. Entei roared as he felt himself lose foothold, turning quickly around to secure himself on the roof. However, Zoroark had anticipated this and made a quick roll to the right, aiming his claws upwards like a set of grounded spikes. A sickening crack filled the air as the weight of Entei's entire body came down upon his hand, the two of them sharing a moment of intense pain as the bones in Zoroark's hand shattered, and his claws pierced through Entei's foot.

The next moment, the two of them fell back. Zoroark kept himself from screaming in pain, helplessly twisting around in agony on the rooftop. Entei, however, found himself light as a feather as there was no longer anything beneath him. His last foothold finally having given out, he was falling towards the ground.

The flying-type Pokémon that had come to catch Zoroark were quickly moving out of the way, not able to catch Entei's large body even if they wanted to. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts as once as everything below became larger by the millisecond. He had triumphed in innumerable battles against overwhelming odds, he thought, surely one against gravity would be no different? He spun around in midair and propelled his legs downwards, ready for the worst landing of his life.

All four of his legs snapped like thick branches as he crashed down on the ground, his underbelly and inner organs flattening from the impact. His world became a haze of blood, darkness and pain, a crowd of Pokémon gathering around as he had trouble forming even a single coherent thought.

After a few minutes, Zoroark decided to follow Entei, riding down on the back of a flying-type. He could not help but stare at Entei's crumbled form, barely comprehending that he had been the one responsible for all that damage. Flinching as he carefully stepped off the flying-type, he forced himself to stand tall, despite hardly being able to walk. Entei's left eye had broken from the pressure and was constantly dripping blood down his mask, while the right one was moving around in a random pattern. Suddenly, it fastened on Zoroark, and slowly focused.

"What… Happened…?" Entei asked, his voice even more growly but noticeably weaker than before.

"You fucked with the wrong revolution…" Zoroark muttered, struggling to keep his own voice steady. He leaned forward the legendary's face and reached out with his still working arm, trying to get rid of the mask blocking his fallen opponent's face.

"N-No…" Entei groaned painfully while moving his head away, "… Do not… Take off… My mask…"

"Think you can stop me?" Zoroark asked stubbornly before hesitating.

"… Reveal… My true face…" Entei said under his breath, letting Zoroark just barely be able to hear him, "… And I will… Reveal yours…"

Zoroark froze for a moment, before slowly backing off. He was not sure exactly which "true face" of his Entei had discovered, but was reluctant to let everyone else find out. He looked at the surrounding Pokémon and waved them away, in case Entei decided to divulge some other troublesome information on his deathbed.

"I… Feel so weak…" Entei growled faintly as the other Pokémon stepped back to leave him and Zoroark alone, "To think that I would die like this…"

"Yeah," Zoroark exclaimed bluntly, his own near death experience leaving him more speechless than usual, "… Any last words?"

Entei's eye unfocused for a moment as he thought to himself, the left eye still dripping with blood. To Zoroark's surprise, the right eye suddenly began dripping too, but with tears instead.

"Weird to think that even a monster like you has feelings," Zoroark muttered, his voice filled with bitter sarcasm, "Must've made killing my friend real difficult."

"I only did… What I had to…" Entei whispered as he continued staring into the sky, "To do… What's best… For everyone…"

"Funny, because that's exactly what I'm doing," Zoroark said with a painful sigh, "Only difference is, I got through the day without killing anyone."

"… Did you, now…?" Entei replied slowly, a very faint grin appearing on his face as he looked at Zoroark. Zoroark tried to look back, taking in the once proud warrior who now lay broken and defeated at his feet, but could not help but look away after only a few seconds. Even with his own body screaming in pain after what had happened, he could not help but feel guilty.

"… My brothers… Will come for you…" Entei said weakly after a short moment of silence, "… And seek revenge…"

"Hmpf… How pitiful, cursing me with your last breath," Zoroark huffed angrily, holding back his surge of terror at having to fight more enemies like Entei, "You think you can stop this revolution with brute force? You really are-"

"… N-No…" Entei interrupted Zoroark as he raised his voice and started to shake in exertion, "Tell them… N-not to… Fight you… They… Must n-not… Suffer… B-Because of… Me…"

"Bah. You worked hard to carry on Ethan's wishes long after his death, and yet you don't want others to do the same for you?" Zoroark mumbled before an unexpected realization hit him, "How… Selfless."

"M-My master…" Entei whispered as he stopped shaking and his voice turned weak again, "… It… It was not his wish…"

He then closed his eyes for a moment as an intense surge of pain went through him, years of discipline the only thing keeping him from groaning in pain. He knew death was imminent, and would try to face it with as much dignity as possible. But even with all what was left of his willpower, his tears kept flowing at the thought of those he would never see again.

"I… I just t-tried to c-carry on his legacy…" Entei wheezed as he felt a pang of regret, "… T-Tried to do what was right… Without him…"

"… Do what's right!?" Zoroark repeated as he filled up with rage, shouting angrily at the dying legendary, "You… How the hell can someone like YOU claim to know what 'right' is!? I'm working as hard as physically possible just trying to help everyone, and that almost got me killed because of a fucking idiot like you! And… And Astrid…!"

Unable to control himself, Zoroark moved towards the dying legendary, ready to finish him off. To shut him up forever, do the world a favor and pay him back for Astrid. However, with neither arms functional, he simply tumbled forward and collapsed against the hulking beast. He tried to get up, but found his strength waning as he nestled against Entei's fur, still surprisingly soft even after all that had happened.

"… What's right and what's best for everyone… They're not the same things…!" Zoroark wailed in anguish into the fur as he felt himself start to cry out of frustration, "Why… Why am I the only one who understands that…!?"

After that, they both fell quiet for a long time. The surrounding Pokémon stood and stared, wondering what was happening, but none daring to intervene. Entei looked at him, a very distant memory showing itself as his battered mind started to understand his former enemy's behavior. At long last, he knew without a doubt what had to be done.

"Re… Remove…" Entei wheezed, before coughing up a wad of blood. He felt death overtake him at that moment, but pushed it away as he still had something important to say.

"… O-Only… Y-You… M-May…" Entei stammered while shaking and staring at a confused Zoroark who was slipping further away with each second, "… R-Remove… M-Mask… A-And… S-See…"

He could not see if Zoroark understood his meaning, the black mist around him growing thicker as it consumed everything else. He stopped himself from shaking, knowing he had yet to say the most important part. His last request.

"… D-Don't… H-Hate… M-Master…" Entei whispered, but was unsure if anyone could hear it. He had already entered a world of complete darkness, where there was no sound. No responsibilities. No pain.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"… No…" Zoroark groaned helplessly, trying to push away the pink, flabby arms grabbing at him, "… I can do it myself…"

"Impossible!" the Chansey said sternly without letting up, "Your arm is filled with shards of glass and your other hand seems to be broken! How are you planning on doing anything?"

Zoroark groaned. He had managed to stumble out of sight and into his headquarters, when a much too nosy Chansey had dragged him into a hospital bed, insisting to help. In his wounded state he had been no match for her otherwise pitiful strength, and he could not deny the fact that he would probably not be able to simply heal himself with such grave wounds. Not to mention, he was in such great pain that he would enjoy letting someone else do the medical work, for once.

"… Fine," Zoroark muttered reluctantly as he came up with an idea, "On one condition… Patch up my arms and legs, but stay away from everything else."

"Stop being so proud!" the Chansey huffed as she put her short arms at her side, "Why don't you want me to help you?"

"… I've got vials containing enough poison to kill everyone in this building hidden beneath my fur, springloaded to go off at the slightest touch," Zoroark lied, having removed the vials before fighting Entei since he knew they would be too weak and only hider his movements, "If you are trying to save me as well as yourself, I suggest you listen very carefully to what I say."

"O… Of course…" the Chansey said. A cold sweat broke out as she began feeling less willing to help out. Even so, she swallowed her fears and unpacked the first aid kit hanging above the bed. She felt Zoroark had earned a little bravery from her side, seeing what he had just gone through.

"… Hey…" Zoroark muttered after a few minutes, "… What is everyone saying? Is everyone fine with what I did to Entei?"

"… I don't know. Many are still in shock over the fact that you actually managed to defeat Entei and, well… Had any tears to give," the Chansey said, eagerly waiting to being able to tell her sisters about everything at a later time, "But speaking as a healer, I must say… I'm glad this revolution is in such competent hands."

"Hmm…" Zoroark mumbled to himself, quietly regretting having taken such a risk. Even so, he knew that everything from the day the revolution started would risky business. Even something as innocent as one of his allies healing him could turn out disastrous, in case one of her hands should stray a little too near part of his closely-guarded secret…

With a subdued shudder, Zoroark thought about everything today that had not gone according to his very fragile plan. Astrid had died, and he knew the discovery of the now extinct Eeveelution was a massive incident just waiting to happen. He had trouble thinking of a solution, his mind dulled by the pain and fear regarding the Chansey who was now literally a few centimeters away from ruining everything. He forced himself to once again think back to his final moments with Entei, and what he had seen behind the mask. He had yet to figure out what it all meant, but the mere implications were enough to make him terrified enough to lose his breath… And yet still, they gave him a very small bit of personal satisfaction.

He sighed, fed up with having the stress eat away at him. No matter what were to happen, he knew he had many days of recovery ahead of him, and plenty of time for rest. For the duration of the procedure, he simply let all his worries fade away as he started planning out his much needed vacation. Whatever it was, it would have to be better than this.