After minutes of standing within the murky chamber, Daelus emptied his stomach onto the blood-encrusted stone floor. The stench of rotted corpses made his stomach heave with every breath he took. The odor was so strong he could taste it. Add to that, the innumerable amount of bodies that littered the area, limbs bent to horrifying angles, flesh ripped open to reveal the wet entrails of helpless pokémon. There was so much blood.

Daelus finally restrained his gag impulse and stood on shaky legs. He shielded his face with a trembling hand, only to recoil when a liquid squelched against his face. His palm was coated in deep red, nearly black blood.

Daelus immediately wiped the tainted hand against his armor, reminding himself that he had a mission to fulfill, secretly fearful of the dark tint.

He coughed several times to clear out his throat before directing his attention to the cells. "Pokémon who can fight, I'm going to require your help to get everyone out of this place!"

There was only silence. Daelus couldn't help but shudder. Are they really all gone?

"Anyone? I can free you, but I'm going to require help!" Not a single soul moved. The darkness obscured their features from view; Daelus couldn't clearly see if they had life in them.

They can't all be dead, that's... they can't all be dead. Please don't be. Arceus, please... Daelus muttered to himself as he walked past the cells.

As if to prove their fate, an accidental nudge caused one of the Pokémon to slide off the cell bars, falling directly into a patch of dim light. The only visible feature was the creatures eye. It was glazed over with a grey, dead iris, glaring back at Daelus with a hollow stare. The sight of it made a prickly chill crawl down Daelus' back.

Daelus had to fight the urge to sprint to the exit. What's the matter with you! You are a battle-worn assassin, and here you are getting frightened by the very thing you do! Get your act together! he screamed to himself.

Daelus finally managed to detach his from the floor and got closer to the cages. He banged on the bars to time up any of the figures inside to no avail. I'm wasting too much time.

Daelus caught the glimpse of a gap between cells. It appeared to be an extension of the chamber. Is that a separate room?

His hope seemed to rejuvenate at the thought and he rushed through the gap. Upon reaching the area within, Daelus was assaulted by a frosty chill. The chamber ahead was black as pitch, a sense of dread suddenly dropped on Daelus' shoulders. Something terrible had occurred in the room. His instincts were shouting at him to retreat but he steeled himself for whatever laid before him, while there was still a chance of survivors he would not leave.

Stepping lightly into the chamber, he searched the darkness for any visible life. In the blackness, he was able to focus his eyes enough to see a short wooden table. The piece of furniture was ornate and incredibly made, a strange sight to see in a place with so much horror. Moving further he noticed a candle, short and nearly finished. The object was placed upon what appeared to be a mount made of pure gold with an intricate design just barely visible in the darkness.

Daelus picked the candle off from the table and reached for one of his many pockets, searching for a small match. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he quickly struck the match against the ornate table. He reached up to light the small candle before his entire body froze. The sound of the candle being dropped echoed in his ears several times over as he absorbed his surroundings.

Dozens and dozens of Lucarios hung from shackles, all dead. A pile of the honorable creatures stood tall, an innumerable amount of souls lost at the hands of merciless brutes. They were mutilated to obscene amounts.

Daelus' body wouldn't react. He couldn't move. His arms, his legs, nothing. It didn't appear his gag reflex registered this unbelievable sight. How could someone do this?

Daelus body finally forced him to flinch when the match in his trembling fingers finally burned to it's end. His hand recoiled at the flame, causing the match to fall, putting it out.



Daelus' head snapped up when the voice chimed in his head. It was feminine.



Daelus immediately reached behind him and took another match. He quickly took old of the candle holder and ignited the wick. The faint light caused the prisoner to cringe, despite the fire's dimness. The prisoner was a Lucario, female as it were. She, like the others of her kind was shackled against the wall, just high enough so her hind legs didn't touch the floor. Her once blue fur was marred with dark stains, her legs wobbled limply as she hung, presumably broken, her left eye was sealed shut with heavy swelling, and there were dozens of scars and scratches along her body with cuts still evident. There was a jagged laceration along her left side that appeared to be deep; it was bleeding severely, still fresh.

Lucarios were known for their ability to speak telepathically to separate individuals, so Daelus knew it was her voice he had heard.

Daelus immediately set the candle down and ran up to her, pulling out two thin lockpicks to free her from her bonds. "Are there any other surviving prisoners?"

The wounded Lucario answered the best she could, it was as if her labored breaths were hindering her telepathic ability.

Interrogation? For what?

The locks finally clicked and the blue jackal fell into Daelus' arms with a pained grunt. He set her down gently before getting the Lucario onto his back. "Where is your pup?" He knew of the Lucarios' incredible ability of sensing the aura of living beings. If she sensed her pup was alive he wouldn't question it.



Daelus moved out of the enclosed room as swiftly as possible while trying not to cause the mother pain. The Lucario caught this and quickly intervened.

"Very well," Daelus muttered at her hostile tone. He put it aside though, and pushed forward.

Once he reached the room containing various cages, the Lucario directed him to his right.

"Shadow Blades, retreat!" all four members rushed back into the protective circle of Pokémon, and all defensive Pokémon shielded themselves from outer attacks, effectively protecting the interior as well.

The center of the circle began to glow with psychic energy. Members of Rebirth began to dig in intensely, to no avail. Attacks glanced off the thick hides of powerful Pokémon, doing nothing to stop the Pokémon inside.

The last thing everyone expected was an Arcanine to keep over the wall of Pokémon.

The large canine rushed for the psychic Pokémon, attempting to bring the teleportation to a dead stop. Daelus immediately drop kicked the animal, sending it sprawling on the floor before it stood again, unfazed.

The slightest loss in concentration would mean the psychics would have to start the teleportation from the beginning. Neither Daelus nor any of the Pokémon trying to escape had any energy left to continue fighting. This was their only chance.

The fire breathing hound's body rumbled with a deep growl, glaring intensely at Daelus. Flames suddenly sprouted from it's mouth before they were immediately expelled towards Daelus. Before the flames reached their target, they collided against a large berserker shield before disappearing into nothing.

It had baited him. The moment Tyrul rushed in with his shield, the Arcanine took advantage of the unguarded position. It sent a large ball of fire rocketing towards the Lucario and her pup.

"NOOO!" Daelus' cry of fear was all it took to break a Gardevoir's concentration.