The Valley
Chapter 4: Comrade

It's R for a reason, young children, leave now please. As usual, I own nothing but the words I write. Except...

IMPORTANT: Parts of this chapter and the next will cross with the story "A Mansion made of Dreams" by Lion vom Silberwald. This chapter takes place after the third chapter in that story, so I urge you to read those three chapters before this. Chronologically, after this chapter, the fourth Mansion chapter takes place, then my fifth. 

Now, on with the chap. This will begin in a familiar way (with a twist), about five hours after we left off. 


The Machop sneered at her. The sun was fading. Already getting late. But she wasn't done with the map yet. 
"He's right, you know," Slyver said.
"Stop."
"The truth?" She paused, then shook her head.
"Yes." She was tired of the truth. The Machop was gone now, off somewhere with other duties. Slyver just swished his tail. 
"If Blaze was here, I wouldn't be doing this," Val complained. The Typhlosion was behind her.
"She is correct." His voice was distant. Slyver stood up on his padded paws.
"You don't. Doesn't matter. You don't matter now." His words didn't trouble Blaze. The Typhlosion lit the map on fire. Val tried to understand it, but the writing was beyond her. The flames only made it harder to decipher. Slyver sighed.
"I told you. Only tomorrow. Wait for tomorrow." Crash.

She awoke. Valerie hesitated at first, as she was still quite tired, but her eyes fluttered open, only to find her room was still dark. There was a digital clock next to the bed that read 3:26, but this was useless to the Vulpix. Why was Slyver a Vaporeon? she asked her tired mind. Her dreams never made any sense. Even though this one had tried to...the Machop, the map...it's like she was missing a few pieces to some horrible mental puzzle. Val sighed. She would forget the dream in a few minutes, anyway.
She froze, though she wasn't really moving before. She was sure there had been a sound. The crash. It hadn't made sense. Well, none of it made sense, but there had been a crash at the end. And now she was awake, and it wasn't yet morning. Someone was in her room. Someone making as little noise as they could whilst they moved through the room and pulled back the sheets on her bed. 
"Don't scream, it's so late it's early."
Valerie let out the breath she had been holding.
"Blaze!" He smiled in the glow of the clock. 
"Good to see you, Val."
"Did you have to sneak in here like that? You had me terrified!"
"Did I? I thought the flames woulda given me away."
Val was saying something but stopped and held her mouth open, then gave Blaze an infinitely puzzled look, and he grinned. 
"How...?" 
"Stingers are damn fools," he said, smiling still. "I can control the flames to an extent. You know, it'd be a problem if I went around lighting everything on fire." He climbed into the bed with her, and his point shone: the bed remained flameless. 
"Defs," Val sighed, in a jokingly disapproving tone. Fire types were sometimes split into two groups, which by slang had been labeled "Stingers" and "Defs". The first title had nothing to do with poison attacks; it was simply a short way of saying extinguished (ex-STING-gwished), referring to the pokemon's lack of fire on their body. The other term had many other explanations, but the one thought to be correct was that the phrase "deux F" had been shortened. As the original motive for the name was forgotten, the F's stood for more than two words, most being along the lines of fire, flare, flamer, etc. By these lines, Val was a Stinger and Blaze a Def.
"How you holding up, Val?" Blaze asked her in a casual tone, but his concern shone through.
"They've been treating me alright. But, um, did you really find it necessary to break into my room in the night to ask me how I am?" she asked
"Evidently. Come on, kid, I-"
"I said to stop calling me that!"
"Fine, Val," Blaze said, emphasizing her name quite a bit. "I...I felt like I was abandoning you. I was concerned, okay? And besides, I don't often miss the chance to sleep in a bed."
"Staying the night, are we?" Val asked playfully. She had him now.
"Yeah, I know you're just thrilled." He wouldn't lose that easily. "Me? In your bed? What more could you ask for?" Blaze mocked.
"How about you not being a smartass?
"Don't swear." She opened her mouth to protest, but realized she couldn't win, despite any amount of glaring evidence. 
"Val...it's been quite an ordeal for you. I want to know, in actuality, are you doing alright?" Blaze asked, perfectly serious in an instant. 
"Yes," she said, taken aback by his worry. She saw his eyes. "Yes, really. I'm okay, Blaze." Her voiced lacked her seemingly normal tone of exasperation. 
"Good. You know, I like you a lot more when you talk like that," Blaze said, rolling onto his back (being careful not to set the bed ablaze). He smiled mentally. Hook, line...
"Wow.....you can be such a sweet guy, Blaze..." And sinker. She rolled onto her side to catch his eyes again, but then winced in pain. So I'm not ideal quite yet, she thought as the pain shot through her. 
"Are you okay?" Blaze asked quickly.
"Yeah, I'm..." She giggled. His paws were on her sides. "I'm fine."
Blaze made a move to take away his paws, but Val curled up into his arms and closed her eyes. 
"I'm glad you decided to stop by, Blaze," Val whispered.
Blaze now felt the familiar feeling of nervousness and excitement in his stomach. Well, this is certainly pleasant, Blaze thought to himself. 
"I really was worried about you..." Blaze whispered.
"I know." Two words rarely mean that much, thought Blaze. He gripped her a bit tighter. He had never verbally acknowledged how beautiful she looked, and it was tugging at him now. But it couldn't happen. It couldn't happen, and that fact made Blaze even more unsure of himself than he should have been. This couldn't happen, but it was happening. Which meant he would have to put stop to it. And he realized he couldn't. 
"Blaze..." Val whispered. "I've..." Damn, and it was mutual. But isn't that what you wanted? he argued with himself. Oh, shut the fuck up. Blaze muted his thoughts.
""I don't know what it is about you. I've only known you for a few days, but it's like...I don't know, it's like I can..."
"What?" he breathed. She looked into his eyes in the dim light.
"It's like I could trust you with anything. And it's a good feeling." She curled up to his chest again and sighed happily.
"You're..." Blaze stopped. "I would say you're a good kid, but I know you're not a kid anymore. I guess that's just a defense mechanism. That or I just prefer that term for those younger than myself. But...I'm glad to have met such a brave, compassionate, beautiful girl." Val gave a little squeal of delight. 
"You called me beautiful!" Val whispered happily. He smiled.
"Don't have a fit. Yeah, okay, I admit it. You are a beautiful little Vulpix. But hey, I'm not lying on top of myself." She snorted.
"You're enjoying it," she replied.
"Ah, be that as it may, I'm sure this isn't just your charity," Blaze finished victoriously. Val looked into his eyes. Their breathing bodies were the only things moving in the room, and the silence stung the air. They looked at each other without a sound, their faces mere inches from each other. 
"Blaze..." Val started, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't have to say anything. He brought his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, and her thoughts slipped away.


Thunder couldn't sleep. It was happening less now, but still, every once in awhile, he would lie awake and merely ponder such things as faith and love and existence. The Ninetails figured everyone did that once in a while. Or at least the smart ones did. Amazing what some pokes would choose to ignore in their lives. But Thunder had always thought that if he could learn about his problems, he could fix them. Knowledge and power, separate as they are, seem to walk hand in hand in the universe. Thunder knew it. He was no fool. But he accepted he would always have more to learn. It made life more interesting; Thunder was on a mission that would never end. He was making a difference by being at the mansion, and he loved the feeling. It kept him at the mansion. 
Thunder got up and looked at the clock between his futon-like bed and his brother Lightning's. 3:26. Thunder understood the concept of measuring the time in a day, something foreign to most wild pokemon. But then again, he wasn't exactly a wild pokemon. He even slept in a bed. But Thunder didn't think he could ever have a trainer now. Not wild, but not with a trainer. His place was at the mansion. He exited his room, being careful not to wake Lightning, hoping that a stroll might calm his restless mind. 
Thunder took pride in being one of the fastest pokemon living in the mansion. Some said he was the fastest, but that was a title that never went undoubted and unchallenged for long. To Thunder, it wasn't about being the fastest. It was about always getting faster. Always improving, always moving up that mountain. Thunder smiled to himself. He even made analogies like a human now. Along with being fast, Thunder could be extremely quiet when he wanted to. This helped him when he went for such nighttime promenades. There would always be the odd Hoothoot or Rattata that gave him a strange look, but Thunder didn't mind, for whom would they tell? And why would someone think of this as demeaning? Thunder shook his head. Being too self-conscious again.
His walk led him outside, though he hadn't really planned where he was going. The night was calm, some light from the moon shining through the clouds. Thunder stretched out on the grass outside of the mansion. Beds weren't everything, though many pokemon gave up sleeping in the wild for the beds in the mansion. Thunder looked around. Apart from some assorted pokemon sleeping in the trees near the steps of the house, there wasn't anything stirring, save a Nidoking, who appeared to have the nightshift. Thunder smiled a bit, glad that he wasn't often asked to patrol at night. There was a pokemon near the boundaries of the mansion just about all the time, in case a stranded or wounded pokemon came across the place. Thunder had seen this particular Nido before; he often was working about the house. His name was...Zen...something. Zennder? No...Oh well. The Ninetails shut his eyes and felt truly at ease for the first time if the night. It wouldn't last.
His eyes and nose were alert in a flash. He turned to the Nidoking a few meters away, and he nodded. Thunder started running toward where the noise had come from, gaining speed with every pace. It had sounded like a yell, or a groan, or somewhere in between. Whatever it was, it was a pokemon, and they were in trouble. Faster and faster he tore through the grass, now reaching the woods. He darted between trees, then slowed. There it was again; now it sounded like a cry of pain. Thunder took off to the left now, and before long he could smell something in the air. There was something not quite right about the scent...
There. Against a tree. It was a small (compared to Thunder) pokemon, who appeared to be catching its breath. It groaned out in pain again, and Thunder could tell it was a male. He approached the creature. To Thunder's surprise, it was a Drowzee. He couldn't remember the last time a Drowzee had come near the mansion. He called out to the pokemon.
"Are you all right?" The answer was obviously in the negative, but Thunder didn't know how else to get the poke's attention. The Drowzee looked up, but his face remained emotionless. 
"Don't worry, you're okay now. What are you running from?" Thunder took another step forward, but then stopped quite suddenly. Confused, he tried to move, but the truth dawned on him. The Drowzee. Its eyes had narrowed now, and they were fixated on the Ninetails. The Drowzee had him unable to move. Thunder felt horribly frustrated, his mistake could cost him dearly. Even if the Nidoking had been following, he would be too far behind....and the Drowzee was advancing.....
BAM.
Thunder wobbled on his regained legs and nearly fell. He looked up to see the Drowzee lying unconscious on the ground, a panting Golduck by his side.
"Ha! You tricky bastard, I got you!" 


Blaze lay on his back, staring into the eyes of the beautiful girl next to him. Valerie pressed her warm body to his. They both gazed into each other's eyes for quite some time, before almost simultaneously smiling at each other. Despite his face, Blaze was troubled. Val was young, she was naïve, and she had probably never been in love yet. Blaze knew he wasn't in love with her, but it didn't stop him from brushing his paw down her face and reaching in to kiss her on her cheek. Val murred affectionately and licked his face. She was so happy to have him here, so happy that Blaze felt even worse. But there wasn't anything wrong with this, was there? Let her be happy, he told himself. One night. He was giving in...
"Blaze..." Val whispered. "I...I don't know what to say...whenever I'm around you, it's like...I can just be so free, I can be at ease, 'cause I know you'll be there..." Blaze smiled at her words, for they evoked a deep feeling within him. The feeling that he felt whenever he thought back...this shouldn't be happening...it will only hurt later....
"Valerie," Blaze started, not knowing quite how to respond. "I'm lucky to have found you. You...you really are an amazing individual." He held her close. The feel of her fur on his body, the feel of her breath on his neck...it was all becoming too much for Blaze. He burned with the obscure feeling inside him, but he felt the painful dark side that his memories provided. Blaze felt the desire within him as well, but this he could suppress. If he gave in, he would regret it later. And it just might kill the relationship he had forged with Val. No. Out of the question. But just lying here...holding her, kissing her face...Blaze couldn't help but lose himself in the feeling inside in chest, the one that clouded his head and made his thoughts drift. This is alright, Blaze told himself, and it was what he wanted to hear, but he knew he shouldn't want to hear it. His silent argument paused as Val kissed his lips again.
"Val..."
"What is it?" she asked. Her eyes showed so much concern...
"I don't....." He took a breath. This pause was going on too long. "I'll be alright. I just...need to work some things out mentally. And now, I really think we should get some sleep." Val looked as though she had been denied a luxury. 
"But...oh okay. But why? I mean, what are we doing tomorrow?" Tomorrow. It hadn't been just 12 hours since she arrived at the Center; it had been days to her. 
"Well, just because you burned that map, it doesn't mean everything's okay," Blaze said wisely.
"Are you ever going to explain what the map and the compound and...well, what all of this means?" Val asked, clearly wanting some answers.
"I haven't explained it yet? Oh, that's right...Shit. I mean," Blaze said quickly, but Val looked at him with a sarcastic look. "Okay, too late. I'll explain it all tomorrow, kid," he said, putting a nasty emphasis (in a loving way) on the last word.
"I'm not a damn kid!"
"Don't swear." 


Pokemon and humans alike called it the valley, but it was more like a forest that happened to have mountains on most sides. The south edge of the valley was made of rolling hills, which connected with a mountain range that ran up north and then east, creating the two westernmost corners of the valley. The volcano was located in the middle of this western boundary, and it was near here that Blaze had met Valerie. The river cut out a chunk of the land, as it flowed from the northern hills southwest. Thus, the valley wasn't quite a quadrilateral; the river cut off the northwest corner as it hit the mountain range. It was up way up north where Slyver called it home. The Pokemon Center was off to the east, where the land was flatter and more civilized. Human roads rolled lazily along the east end of the valley. One of those roads eventually led south to Richard's mansion. Slyver had chased that damn Drowzee a long way. 
"Thanks, dude," Slyver panted as he and Thunder hauled the Drowzee toward...toward..."Uh, where are we going?"
"We're headed back to the mansion," the Ninetails replied. "We'll find out what to do with this fellow once we get there. I'm Thunder, by the way."
"Slyver. You an electric-sorta Stinger, or just strange parents?" Slyver asked in his casual yet uncouth tone. Thunder only smiled. Though seemingly rude, Slyver knew when not to pursue a subject. A silence fell as they dragged the barely-conscious poke. Well, as Slyver dragged. 
Out of the trees now, they soon saw the Nidoking, who came running. Nidokings were surprisingly fast on their two legs. 
"Is he all right?" he asked them.
"I should hope not," replied Slyver in a tone that without a doubt surprised the larger poke.
"He attacked me, and would've done some damage if it weren't for Slyver here. Slyver, you are more than welcome to spend the night here." Thunder smiled as the Golduck ran his eyes over the sheer vastness of the house. They made their way to and up the steps and inside, where they handed over the Drowzee to a Hitmontop who promised to get Doc right away.
"And keep him tied down, too!" Slyver called after the retreating poke.
"Won't do nothin', he's a psych-type," the Nidoking said unceremoniously. "We'll keep him sedated."
"Thank you for everything..." Thunder let his sentence linger.
"Zendarritar. Call me Zanner," he stated. His voice was a growl, but it lacked hostility. 
"Now, if I could ask," Slyver broke in, "where the hell are we?"


When the sun was rising early the next morning, Blaze and Valerie were making their way out of the Pokemon Center. Blaze, with much more knowledge in this sort of situation, recommended that they would not want to stick around, as it would only be harder to leave later with all the bustle of the hospital. His plan was to head back west, as they might need help in the next stage of their journey. The problem was, Blaze wasn't sure what this next step would be. It all came back to the map.
"So why was this map so important?" Val asked as they walked through the automatic doors of the Center, despite the protests of a flustered Nurse Joy behind them. 
"It still is important," Blaze said. "With the control of that map, the Pokemon back at that compound could have bargained and blackmailed their way up until they had power of the valley. It was lucky you destroyed before they got the chance to decipher it."
"Before what?" Blaze sometimes used words rather exclusive to humans. Old habits were hard to break.
"Before they could make any sense of it."
"They couldn't read it?" Val asked, surprised.
"That's what I said. They would of figured it out eventually, I'm sure, but the map was made by humans."
"And it shows what? The valley?"
"Yep. It shows plans for construction in the valley. More like destruction," Blaze replied, emphasizing the first syllable.
"Construction of what?"
"I dunno. Whatever the fuck humans come up with next."
"Humans building in the valley...Knowledge is power, I guess," Valerie said, without realizing pokemon had picked up that phrase from humans. "That really could be used to someone's advantage. Is that why you wanted it so bad?" she asked, suddenly on the offensive. Blaze was unfazed.
"Badly. I wanted it so that I could destroy it," Blaze stated. His voice was emotionless, but the fact that it was gave clues to what he was thinking. In any case, Val was satisfied, for she knew he had no reason to lie. 
"So, where do we go now?" Val asked, changing the subject.
"Well, I suppose back west. I'm thinking we might need more than just the two of us if we happen to stumble upon any...unfriendly characters."
"Right. And suppose we find these characters-
"Them find us, more like," Blaze interrupted pensively.
"If they find us, what are you going to do?" Val inquired, a trace of concern in her voice.
"Kill 'em." 
"Oh..." Val replied, a bit taken back. "Right."
"Us or them," Blaze said nonchalantly, for she didn't sound sure of herself. Of course not, she's a kid, Blaze thought to himself, then reprimanded himself. She hated that designation. 
"I figured we would go and find Layla first," he said, and she brightened like he had hoped.
"Really?!"
"Sure. Until we can figure out where else to go, that plan is as good as any. It'll take just about all day, though." 
It took five hours and eighteen minutes.


Slyver was learning about his new environment quickly. He had no interest in taking a permanent residence in the mansion, but he was fascinated with the lives of the pokemon that lived in the house. He now was acquainted with Thunder and his brother Lightening, Zanner and his companions Dolph and Korph, the Chansey Doc, and the Umbreon Sable. He had been spending the day touring the enormous dwelling with Sable, who proved to be very good company. Slyver found her to be outspoken and bold, but also somewhat mysterious. Maybe it's the dark type in her, Slyver thought. Blaze would probably like her though. She's very-
"Watch where you're walking!" grumbled a passing Granbull whom Slyver had run straight into. He turned to see Sable grinning delightedly at him. Slyver was surprised that an Umbreon could look so playful. She's unique, he decided upon. And pretty cute...
"I can tell you're great at making new friends," she said to him. "You still want to go to the battle room?"
"Yeah," he replied quickly. "I'm just kinda...stupid today. Right." They continued down one of the many halls. "A battle room, huh? That sounds more like Blaze's kind of deal."
"I'll have to meet this Blaze," Sable replied, for she had now heard about him several times from Slyver. 
"You never know. I actually hadn't seen him in quite some time 'till a couple of days ago."
"Which was about when you found that Drowzee, right?"
"Yeah, and we kinda got off on the wrong foot. Plus the fact that Blaze kinda threw his buddy off a cliff." Slyver then cursed himself for letting that slip, even though he had said it in his usual casual tone.
"How 'bout that. We're here, by the way." Sable led him through the doors. Slyver found himself in what looked like a pokemon gym, only without the trainers. There was plenty of equipment for pokemon to train their fighting skills, as well as a large separate area for one-on-one battles. Some minor skirmishes also appeared to be going on the sides of the exercise section. 
"Most pokes hang out in this section, and there are always some battles going on. If it's a proper battle, though, it'll go down over there," Sable explained, pointing one of her paws to the larger arena-like segment of the giant room. 
"You ever get out there?" Slyver asked.
"Once or twice."
They walked along the side of the battleground, where some pokemon were gathering, probably for a fight that would take place soon. As they ambled on, Slyver saw the two pokemon that would be competing, a Gligar and a Raichu. The Chu's gonna get his ass whipped...
"These fights can get good sometimes. Some pokes come here just to watch the battles."
"How does it work? I mean, how is it all organized?" Slyver asked.
"There needs to be a challenge that both pokemon agree to. So, the fights are normally pretty equal, we couldn't have kids getting beaten up." Slyver noted that "we" kept coming up in his conversations with the pokes at the mansion. They were part of a whole. "Besides that, the battles are pretty loose; the rules can be irregular if the fighters agree to it. Anybody can enter." 
"Maybe I'll sign up." She had said anybody, after all.
"Really?" Sable looked at him. "You planning on staying?" 
"I don't know. I've only been here a day," he said with a little smile. "But I mean, I'm a rolling stone, no fixed abode. A battle once in a while would be nice."
"Well, I dunno if you can battle here if you're not staying in the mansion. But hey, talk to Thunder, he'll pass it on to Richard."
"Ah, the infamous Richard."
"That guys has some serious issues," Sable sighed.
"Like what?" Slyver asked curiously, as they reentered the hallway.
"Like...I don't know for sure, but it's certainly something. Lots of rumors, anyways. I'm sure you'll meet him soon; that is, if you're staying."
"Hey, I can stick around for a while," Slyver said brightly. "Anybody else I should meet?"
"Uh..." Sable tilted her eyes up, as if she could read the answer on the ceiling. "Maybe Chria. I don't...I don't really spend a lot of time with everybody else." She sounded a bit put out thinking about it, and Slyver was sure she had her reasons. 
"That's cool. Let's go find Chria."
"Oh, are her kids gonna love you..."


Varol was sick of it. All of the others, no matter what they said, they could never know. They wouldn't understand, try as they might. Varol wasn't foolish, at least from his eyes he wasn't. He knew he was ignorant, and he knew he did not know how much he didn't know. Varol smiled. The other idiots wouldn't even understand that sentence. 
Varol had been taught to always be thankful for the good things in life. As he grew up, he soon didn't care about counting his blessings. It was a thing of the past, a childhood memory. But now, as he lay outside on the grass (he had become quite proficient at sneaking around while Chria and the others slept, although he was unaware Zanner always knew his exact location) he tried to think of what he was grateful for. Nothing. Varol couldn't list anything, and he hated himself and everyone around him for it. He was even trying to think of something, anything, for despite all the things he said to the other children and Chria, he knew he really wouldn't mind if he found a source of strength. But there was nothing. A safe shelter? He could've been sleeping out in the woods. Fixed meals? He could find food for himself. There was nothing Varol needed in the mansion.
A lie. He wanted to give in to his overwhelming sadness, but there was something he was grateful for. Varol was proud of trying hard enough to finally find something, but the fact that he could not give in, or that comfort did not rush into him, kept Varol in a battle with himself. It was Demorho. It was the fact that he had not given up on finding good in Varol. In spite of all the dire things Varol had said, Demorho wasn't like the other, naïve children; Demorho hadn't given up on him. And Varol felt angry and saddened and hopeful all at once.


Layla figured she was the most bored pokemon in the valley. Being a ground type and a young one, she had never been Paralyzed, but she figured it would be about this boring. Valerie had been gone for a few days, though she had said she would only be gone a night, at most. What am I supposed to do by myself? she wondered, annoyed with the state of affairs. And to top it all off, Valerie's probably hanging out with Blaze! She was quite jealous of her friend, for Layla found Blaze as one of the most exciting things to have happened in months. Well, him and the volcano eruption.
As Sandshrews only go through one evolution, it happens later in their lifespan than twice-evolving pokemon. Layla wasn't too far off from evolving, though it was something she never put much thought into, unlike her best friend Valerie. Valerie, most likely, was concerned because a Vulpix cannot evolve without a firestone. Despite common thought, pokemon were quite able to gain possession of evolutionary stones. However, firestones weren't too common in the valley. 
The volcano had opened up a rift in the harmony of the valley. Aside from the physical destruction, some pokemon had seen the commotion as a chance for gain. There were many odious pokes moving through the area that Layla lived in, and she didn't like it at all. It seemed like the safe haven she grew up in was swiftly disappearing. Layla didn't think she thought like this before. The times were so different now...
And quite suddenly, Layla completely forgot her troubles.
"VALERIE!" she cried out when she saw the Vulpix approaching. Alongside her was Blaze. They both looked up when they heard Layla, and now were making their way to her. Layla was ecstatic, although when she thought about it, she didn't know why she was so energized by the sight of her friends. Aside from the fact that-
"You said you'd be gone for one night! One night! At most!" Layla exclaimed, although she was more excited than annoyed, and Val knew it.
"Take it easy," Valerie said with a smile. "It's just been...a rough couple of days. But don't worry, you didn't miss much."
"Liar," Blaze noted. 
"What happened to you?!" Layla cried, seeing the line that had been the cut that had been the gash on Val's side. 
"Don't worry, kid," Blaze said (pleased with the new target of the latter word). "We'll tell you everything afterwards." 
"After what?"
"Dinner." It was getting late, at any rate.


It was really late now. Slyver was exhausted, after spending the afternoon entertaining Chria's many young ones. Sable had been kind enough to offer him a place to sleep in her room, which beat the spare bed in the infirmary where he had spent the last night. Now he stretched out along the futon that had been hastily set up next to Sable's. She didn't have any roommates. Slyver would have felt uncomfortable, but there was something about Sable that was different. Slyver had quickly picked up that she had the useful ability of saying a lot without giving anything away. Which meant she was being careful not to give something away. Which meant she had made a mistake in her life, and it had cost her. Slyver would have liked to talk about it, but he realized he was being hypocritical; he never talked about himself to anyone. Love was hard for a poke like him. 
"I haven't slept in a bed in...I don't even remember," Slyver said, closing his eyes, utterly comfy. 
"Maybe tomorrow we can find that Blaze," Sable replied softly, relaxing her body as well. Slyver realized he must have made some sound of skepticism, for Sable went on, "No, I would really like to meet him. I've been...well..." She sounded insecure about something. Though Slyver didn't want to intrude, he was too curious to not say something. And he always knew just what to say.
"It's okay. Close your eyes, relax. We can have a nice conversation, an exchange of feeling between two perfect strangers. Talk as much as you want, or as little." Slyver was manipulative and he knew it. He dismissed it as just a quirk, but it was a quirk he rather liked. Besides, he was eager to her what Sable had to say.
"Perfect strangers. Who better to share secrets with," Sable said evenly. 
"Precisely." Slyver was immediately concerned he had begun speaking like Blaze.
"Well...I just don't know how long I'm going to stay here," Sable admitted. She really could speak without shadowing her feelings; she just did it rarely. "I like this place, but I guess...I guess it's just lacking what I want. I can't seem to find what I really want to get out of it all. Life, I mean."
"And what do you want out of it all?" Slyver inquired. She turned to him.
"Isn't that the question." Slyver thought this was all he would get out of her, but she abruptly continued. "I want to help others. I want to love others. I want to wander around for days and reconnect with everything around me. I want to learn more. I want understanding. I..." She was struggling a bit now. 
"It's okay. I'm surprised you could get that much," Slyver said, truthfully. "Ask a random poke what the meaning of life is, they don't give an answer. They don't give a thought. They don't give a damn."
"And you, Slyver?" Sable looked into his eyes, her gaze soft. "What is life's meaning?" Slyver stared right back, just as composed, just as enigmatic. A perfect stranger. 
"There is not one for us all. There is only the meaning we apply for ourselves." Slyver closed his eyes.
"Goodnight, Slyver."
"Sweet dreams."


At the same moment, on the other side of the valley, Valerie was curling up next to Blaze under the starry sky. They had spent most of the evening informing Layla of what had happened over the last four days. Had it only been four days? Valerie felt time was playing tricks on her again. She figured it seemed so long because she had been awake for most of the four days. And she had been beyond tense. Nevertheless, as she lay next to Blaze, the stars hanging far above them, Valerie felt completely at ease. All of their problems had been wiped away; danger was far away. She knew that both her and Blaze would cross danger again soon, but she felt fine. Valerie didn't find herself as exceptionally brave or bold. She didn't know what to think anymore. 
"Blaze?" Her voice was soft, as not to wake him if he were asleep.
"Yes?'
"What are you thinking now? I mean, what are we supposed to think after all this? It's been the longest four days of my life, and...and my mind is still spinning from it all. I just don't...I don't know what I'm feeling right now. And I know we could be staring down danger tomorrow, but it's like everything is fine now. Everything's calm..." She stopped and closed her eyes. She knew Blaze was the only one she wanted to talk to now. How lucky she felt, just to be with him.
"We can't ever know what other's are thinking," Blaze replied after a while. "We say we know how other's feel, how we can relate with their problems, but we are feeling different things. We will take everything differently from those around us; the world will have a different meaning, as well as the things in it. It's the difference, I guess, that is the anomaly of life. But I believe there are feelings that are common among us. It just may take a while for us to realize these feelings." Valerie took his words in and didn't reply for a few moments.
"I like that perspective," she said softly. "I...right now I don't know what will happen tomorrow, or the next day. I don't know whom I'll find, or whom I'll recognize when I find them. I don't even know where I'll sleep tomorrow night. And yet, I'm feeling like...like I could overcome it all."
"You coping with the situation. I respect that, and I'm proud of you for it," Blaze said quietly but strongly. "As for where you'll be sleeping tomorrow night, with any luck, it'll be next door to Slyver."
"To Slyver? Where is he?"
"I think I know where he is. I think he might have gone to a place off to the east. There is a house there. I've never been to it myself, but word is it's a haven for pokemon."
"Why would he go there?"
"Because Slyver knows about the map too. He might think he should go there to warn the correct individuals, or that he can get information there. Or he thinks that I'll go there next, which I will. I hope he hasn't needed to go there to protect the place. Or maybe he's not there at all," Blaze finished. Valerie took in the information and tried to process it with her sleepy mind. 
"Slyver's a smart guy. He'll do the right thing," she murmured.
"With luck, I'll find him tomorrow."
"I'm going with you," Valerie stated resiliently.
"I know."
"A few days ago you told me to trust you," Val whispered, looking into Blaze's eyes. They were always burning bright. "I do trust you."
"And I you. You're remarkable for your age, Val," Blaze started.
"Not too much younger than you," Val smiled sleepily.
"Don't start that again; what I'm saying is I'm proud of you for being so strong right now. I know this isn't where you want to be right now-"
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere right now but with you," Val breathed. Blaze kissed her, and she felt the jolt in her heart once again.
"Blaze...I..." She couldn't say it. She truly wanted to say it; she was being brave enough to put the words into the night air, and yet she couldn't say it.
"I know, Val." Blaze kissed her again and held her close.


Thunder was up and about before the majority of the pokemon in the mansion. Breakfast didn't seem to last long enough, and before long he was walking down the halls, in no particular hurry to be anywhere. Thunder normally had some sort of duties, and though he loved the mansion and (almost) all of the pokemon in it, he wasn't exceptionally energized this morning, most likely because of the trouble he had sleeping lately. He just had a lot on his mind...and now that Niani was less of a newcomer to the mansion, Thunder had more time to think, something he sometimes preferred not to have. 
Pleased with the newly acquired news that his obligations did not start before noon, Thunder was taking a stroll outside. It was certainly beautiful out. Thunder felt like the mansion needed to see more days like this, more days to let the spirits soar and the children grow. 
Alas, it was not to be.
There was a flicker of white that made Thunder's eyes snap to the tree line. He was quick enough to spot the retreating back of some sort of pokemon. With the sight came a feeling that Thunder didn't take the time to identify. It was a feeling of dread, of anxiety, and of resentment. As Thunder ran, he felt these emotions crash into one another in his mind and gut. Something was wrong. Friendly pokemon didn't hide while scoping out the mansion, and they undoubtedly didn't retreat when they thought they had been found out. Something was definitely wrong.
Thunder stopped to catch his breath as he entered the trees. Whatever he was chasing had white fur and was possibly faster than himself. The latter fact narrowed down the suspect's species considerably. A Stantler? But Thunder's concentration was shattered as he saw the white pokemon again. The Ninetails' padded paws flew across the fallen leaves and branches as he tore a trail between the trees. He was gaining on the pokemon significantly. But something was the matter with it, it wasn't moving very fast now at all. In fact, it was a completely different pokemon.
"Varol?" Thunder asked incredulously, but not without a sharp edge in his tone. "What are you doing in the woods?! You shouldn't be out here, especially alone! Don't you remember what happened to your brothers and sister?"
"We're not related!" the young Absol snapped back angrily. "I'm allowed to take a walk if I feel like it!"
"You shouldn't be here alone," Thunder said tersely, his eyes ominous. "Especially...Varol, did you see a pokemon with white fur come by here?"
"You're looking at him."
"Varol, you're already going to be in plenty of trouble with Chria as it is! Have you seen any other pokemon around?!"
Varol sighed, still reluctant, but he knew he wasn't going to win. "There was a Raticate..." he said vaguely.
"Well, he'll be gone by now," Thunder said as he looked around anyway. "Now, you're coming right back to the mansion with me." Which only angered Varol further.


The first thing she saw when she awoke was the dancing shadows of the trees cast by the sun that already hung lazily in the air. Layla sat up groggily, and was soon aware that she would soon have to be walking for a very long time. And by the looks of the sun, the afternoon was approaching quickly. Layla turned and saw that Blaze and Valerie were (aside from being on top of each other) still asleep. Although, it seemed they truly needed the rest.
No, wait. Blaze was awake, Layla saw. His eyes were barely open and he lay perfectly still (for Blaze could easily bring about perfection, it seemed, especially in his motions), but he was awake. Probably more awake than she was.
"Well, this is a charming picture," Layla said, for Valerie was curled up partially next to, partially on top of Blaze.
"If I do remember correctly," Blaze replied very softly, "I believe we first met in a similar situation." Layla instantly realized the truthfulness of his statement, but was not without a retort. 
"Yeah, well, I don't remember you holding me around the waist."
"Oh, shut up, won't you?" Valerie yawned. She lifted her head to acknowledge the serene sunlight that split through the treetops, then closed her eyes again and rested her head to Blaze's neck contentedly. 
"We'll be setting out later than I would've hoped," Blaze said (Valerie snorted and would've rolled her eyes had they not been closed), "but we'll still make it to the house by nightfall."
"And this time, you two aren't leaving me behind." Layla had been quite sturdy with this point and she kept reminding the fiery duo.
"Fine," Valerie said sleepily. "But keep the commentary low, okay? My head hurts like hell."
"Don't-"
"Oh, you shut up too," she told him. 

Slyver stood, weary but proud and immensely satisfied, at the edge of the battle arena. So I can still run with the young guns, he thought with a smile. However, Slyver wasn't much the elder of his old friend Blaze, and Nacillio was older than both. 
"Good going out there," the Gligar complimented Slyver. He was panting a bit himself as he floated over. "There's not many that can stand up to me."
Slyver shrugged, though he was pleased to hear it. "I got type."
"Elements aside, that was a good fight," Nacillio replied. "You're one an' oh. Keep it up, and we might talk about a rematch." Slyver laughed. 
"You really think I got potential or something?" Slyver asked, sounding amused and skeptical. "I've seen scraps in the past, but my buddy did all the fighting. My plan was always to haul ass outta there."
"Eh, you might not be a prodigy, but you're something else," Nacillio mused as they started down the hall to get some lunch. Slyver was fascinated by the way his new companion moved down the halls. The Gligar couldn't really walk, but he hopped with much proficiency, and Slyver found he didn't need to accommodate for the irregular movement of Nacillio.
"Say, you ever battled with Sable? She's an Umbreon..."
"Yeah, I know who Sable is. Never fought her though. That'd be a good fight."
"Now would it,' Slyver noted. "She doesn't seem intent of talking about the whole fighting thing."
""How 'bout that. Seems that's all she ever talks about, least 'round me," Nacillio made a gesture that resembled a shrug, which Slyver assumed meant the same thing. 
"Well, yeah, I guess, but I meant more of on a personal level."
"Don't know what she's hiding," Nacillio replied. "She's good."
"How good?"
"Ahhh...I think...somewhere around 19-6-2. Yeah, she is a bit reserved about her conversations, but really, that record's one of the best you'll find."
"You don't say..." Slyver said, somehow not surprised with the new information. He had assumed Sable for a fighter, and a good one. "You and her, that sure would be a fine match."
"Yeah, well, first comes our rematch, right?" They both laughed, although Slyver realized he could have been serious. 
Slyver had been quick to challenge Nacillio after hearing he was an adept combatant. Slyver figured that if he wasn't to become a champion fighter, he could at least get some exercise, and maybe impress some girls. There was no avail for the latter, but Slyver found himself liking the mansion more and more. But he couldn't stay. He just wasn't ever going to be part of the whole, and he knew it. It was simply in his nature to never settle, never stop moving and changing, and to never let anyone know too much. Even Blaze didn't know most of Slyver's secrets, but that was an understood agreement from back in the day; everyone remained strangers. Right, Slyver smirked to himself, reminiscing for the first time in too long. We're all perfect strangers. Tell that to me, Blaze and Heather. 
Slyver had known Heather, maybe not as well as Blaze, but better than most. Dark pasts and secrets...story of my life, Slyver thought. That's just the way life was. At least, that was the only life he knew.
In a way, they all had been perfect strangers, and in another, they had all been closer to each other than anyone else. Until it all fell apart, Slyver noted, sorrow creeping somewhere within him. Now they were all unknown faces with surreptitious pasts.
And Heather was gone forever.


Layla had been quite good about not annoying Blaze and Valerie, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her.
"Um...Blaze?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know where we are?'
"Nope."
"Oh." She'd been planning on a yes. "So...we're lost?"
"Nope."
"Are you gonna talk like that the whole way?" Layla asked, annoyed.
"What, with a dreary monosyllabic demeanor?" Blaze grinned.
"Yeah."
"Yeah." 
"Oh, I give up." Layla went back to enjoying the scenery. Which she wasn't enjoying very much at the time.
"We're more than half way there. I'm not sure where we are currently, but I know we need to move east and then move left once we get near a stream." Blaze had no reason to hold back the information after his opponent admitted defeat.
"What, you just know everything?'
"Depends on the classification of 'everything'. To answer briefly, yeah, I know everything."
"But you haven't even been in the valley for that long." This one wasn't even a question.
"Not long at all, really. Before long I met up with you. That memory is a bit hazy, though..."
"So what were you doing before you got here?" Layla went on.
"Look, if Blaze isn't getting tired of the questions, I for one am, so knock it off for a while," Val cut in. 
"Geez, you're grumpy. I should've let you sleep longer. Which reminds me, seems like it didn't take much time for you to end up in Blaze's arms last night..."
As the girls shot back and forth at each other good-naturedly, Blaze was thinking of what Valerie had just done. She had just protected Blaze from answering a question that she herself wanted answered. Blaze was very aware of the bond that had quickly formed between Val and himself. He was also very aware of the flames that clashed with the green environment around him.
"You really think Slyver will be there?" Val asked Blaze.
"It's logical," Blaze shrugged. "It's where I'd go."
"And you think he'll stay there?"
"Slyver? He can't stay in any one place."
"You think you'll know anybody else there?" asked Layla.
"I hope not." His answer surprised both Val and Layla, but they were both able to silently figure it out. There was a silence that lasted a few minutes. Then...
"Blaze?" Val asked tersely. "I...I think there's someone else-someone following us."
"I know, don't worry. Back at the volcano a while back I-" Blaze didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. 


Sable couldn't figure out why she was feeling so horrible. Try as she might, she could not come up with any feasibly solution. She felt horrible nonetheless. And not knowing why didn't help. 
Sable understood that everything that was exchanged between individuals was opinion, and this helped her sort out her beliefs much easier. She figured the majority of true facts are obvious to all, so it was pointless to dwell on such things. What's true is true. Opinion is what shapes the world. And of course, she knew that all this thinking was just one more opinion. She dismissed it as one more ambiguity in a mixed up world.
Sable felt awful, both physically and mentally, but the reason why was a mystery to her. She felt hurt. No, that wasn't it. Alone, she settled on. She was feeling alone again. Sable said she had been at the mansion for a year and a half to anyone that asked her, but not even she knew how long it had been. Probably not a year and a half. The only thing she was sure of was that she had evolved prior to arriving at the mansion. That memory would stay forever. Sable had evolved the night before she had found the mansion. While technically it had been two nights before, the morning Sable arrived she had not slept all night, so she chose to say she had only been an Umbreon for one day before arriving. She had never needed to tell anyone, though.
Despite being of the dark type, Sable loved the rays of the sun almost as much as the glow of the moon. She had gone outside hoping to cheer up, but it just wasn't happening. She had settled on a problem now. She was alone. But why should this affect her so suddenly? Sable was no stranger to solitude, and had been depressed from her seclusion in the past. Despite it all, Sable was now ill from the feeling, the thought of being so lonesome in a house full of others. It wasn't that she didn't want to open up, or that she was scared to; Sable just hadn't found anyone she was comfortable talking to yet. Sure, she talked to plenty of the pokemon at the mansion, but there's a definite gap between conversing and confiding. Sable couldn't confide. And now her secrets were tearing at her from the inside. 
Sable lay still in the sun as the scene around her moved, the pokemon of the mansion moving in and out as the children played on the beautiful day. She couldn't move forward, couldn't get over it; she couldn't clear her mind and start afresh. Sable was losing it now; she knew she was strong but she also knew she had a breaking point, and she feared she had reached it. 
What a rare and painful thing love is, Sable thought to herself, and yet we need it. Sable was cast off from the normality of the mansion; she was left to herself and though she never would admit, not even to herself, that it got to her, maybe it finally was. I can live without what I have now, Sable thought. I'm just searching for love.


Blaze blinked and spat blood to the dirt. That fucker got me good, his brain flashed. Now for payback.
"Blaze!" Val screamed.
"I'm okay," he got out, but then he was hit again. He grunted and almost fell over again, but he drilled his determination through his body and swept his claws wildly in the direction of his attacker. He was rewarded with a flash of red and a howl of pain.
"You," Blaze breathed heavily, surprised more than anything. It was the Raticate, the one from the cliff. The one that had taken Val...
The Raticate flew at him again, tearing through the air, teeth flashing. But Blaze was no fool, and certainly no novice when it came to fighting. He rolled out of the way and even managed to make a swipe upward, which missed.
"Fuck," Blaze snarled. "I'll send you to hell, you piece of shit." Unfazed by his words, the Raticate charged another time. Blaze managed to block his attack, but he could tell he really had a fight on his hands. This guy's a fucking machine, his brain told him. What now?
The eyes of Blaze's enemy were fixed on the Typhlosion, but they were not looking in the direction of Valerie, who fired off a Flamethrower that met its target. Blaze nearly took the time to be impressed, but instead launched himself at the Raticate, his claws drawing blood from the screaming pokemon. But this Raticate was tough, and Blaze was kicked to the ground before he could finish it off. Blaze tried to jump back up before he realized he had fallen badly, but pain shot through his leg and he knew something was wrong. He couldn't stop, and he wouldn't stop, no matter the pain. Blaze got up despite the needles in his leg, but he knew he was too late. The Raticate was already closing in on Layla. And Valerie was on the ground...
However, the Raticate stopped quite suddenly, only steps from Layla. Blaze could see she looked horrified. At first he figured it was from the fighting and bloodshed, but the screech of pain from the Raticate told him otherwise. Blaze ignored his throbbing leg and moved to the young Sandshrew. The scene before him stopped him.
Now Blaze knew why the Raticate was screeching. Blood was flowing freely from the pokemon's eyes, where the deathly-sharp claws of a Magmar were inserted. They came away and the Raticate fell. Layla remained petrified. 
"Is she okay?" he asked. Blaze then turned to Valerie. She was still motionless.
"Oh no," Blaze breathed. He darted to her and checked for any wounds, but as he did, she spoke.
"I guess I saved you," Val whispered. Blaze released the breath he had been holding and grinned.
"I guess so. Can you stand? I want you to meet someone." He helped her to her feet.
"Hopefully there will be no concussion. My name is Ryledar." The Magmar cleaned his claws on the grass as he spoke. 
"It's good to see you again. Particularly because you just saved Layla here. Are you alright, Layla?" Blaze asked, now concerned as he turned to her.
"Y-Yeah," she said back shakily. "I-um-"
"Don't worry about it," Ryledar said to her. "We are very close to the residence, if that is indeed where you are headed."
"It most certainly is. Let's move, girls, we're almost there." Blaze then took Ryledar aside as Val and Layla started to move again. "Will he live?" Blaze asked, indicating the immobile Raticate behind them. Blood was still running from his face.
"With the amount of blood lost-he will not survive." Ryledar then turned and started to walk. Blaze moved, his leg still paining him greatly, to the fallen Raticate. He was unconscious. Blaze stood still for some time, thinking of anything he knew about this pokemon he was about to kill. He's a killer, and a good one, Blaze thought. He might not even like what he does, but he does it anyway. He could have been ordered to go to the mansion, or maybe he was trying to recapture Valerie. Blaze's eyes raged at this thought. But he couldn't loathe this Raticate anymore. He didn't even have a name to hate.
"Just one more lost soul," Blaze murmured. "I'll never know why you did it."
The Raticate never felt the blow that killed him. His last though was of the trees, slowly trembling in the wind.


The moon had now risen to the sky in the absence of the sun. Varol had spent most of his day wandering about the mansion, trying to avoid Thunder. But now it was night, and he could finally be free. He didn't even know what to do with his newfound freedom. But he knew he would first enter the battle room. 
Varol had mastered the talent of moving with no sound. Or, he thought he had, but this had been disproved by Thunder earlier, which gave Varol one more thing to be angry about. Beyond all of his anger, however, his main concern was Demorho, If only he knew what was happening...Varol ran his eyes across the dark room, watching the Vul's chest rise and fall with each breath. Then he was gone.
Demorho had always been trying to help Varol. Which meant to Varol that at least someone saw something worth saving. Although he sometimes felt like he wanted to be, Varol was not nearly suicidal. He was just a child with dreadful memories and no one to turn to. But there was Demorho. He really had tried to treat Varol like a brother. He was the one to turn to. But it was too late for that. Varol continued down the darkened halls, his ears sensitive to every sound. 
The battle arena was a very large room, so it had been in a wing section of the mansion that led out to a courtyard on the edge of the forest. Chria never wanted any of her children going in there, and all had said they wanted to go at one point, even Demorho. But now Varol would really be spending time in there, and the fact that it was forbidden was enough to satisfy him for the time being. He arrived.
As Varol made his way into the huge room his worries disappeared for a moment. The sheer vastness of the room was enough to amaze the young Absol, and the contents of the room prolonged the stupor. All the training equipment, all the punching bags and dummies-Varol hadn't seen anything like it. And the arena itself...Varol nearly gasped when he saw it. There was where all the battles took place...Varol felt overwhelmed. And then he just felt stunned. 
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Varol's feet actually left the ground as he heard the words. Someone had followed him! No...someone had come in the other way...from outside? But even an outsider could figure out Varol was not supposed to be there. Varol looked to see a group of pokemon that had somehow managed to enter quieter than he had. And Demorho was with them. No, wait...it was a different Vulpix, a female.
"Run along, kid," the Typhlosion spoke to him again. Varol bolted.


"Damn it, Doc, wake up!"
"I'm not asleep," Doc lied as he opened his eyes. He had just grown a bit annoyed by the overhead lights, and needed to close his eyes, just for a minute...the clock on the wall..."Aw, it's late, Vlad, what do you need?"
"Ain't what I need," the Hitmontop replied. "We got some new faces around, we got any rooms for 'em?"
"You told them to come back in the morning?" Vlad smiled.
"Sure, Doc, I told 'em."
"Fine. Then...yeah, I'll check..." How come they always needed to come in the middle of the night? 
"Actually, they say they be lookin' for somebody," Vlad said in his very fast manner. "He's new too, says them. You know any Golducks in here?"
"None except the one that brought in that damn Drowzee. He the one?"
"He's new?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, probably him," Vlad offered. "I'ma get some sleep, okay?"
"Right," Doc said absentmindedly. "Go ahead..." He was already gone.
Within fifteen minutes Doc had encountered the new arrivals and was taking them to the rooms. Pokemon were always coming and going from the mansion, and every new face had a new scar with a new story, most of which Doc learned, because it was normal him to fix up those who came to the mansion as they often carried injuries into the mansion. This group was particularly interesting, though. They were all fire types save the Sandshrew, who looked to be the youngest. The Typhlosion took the role of doing the talking, but Doc noticed after a short while that he was speaking but not giving any information. Well, Doc wasn't one to pry. They had their own business. The issue at hand was to give them a room, and fortunately there were two openings with two beds apiece. As they approached in the dark, however, a door opened. 
"Fancy seeing you here." Doc turned to see a grinning Golduck. Wait, a Golduck?
"That's my queue to exit. Good night, all." Doc turned and left, heading for his own room.


Blaze made sure the Chansey was out of distance, then spoke to Slyver.
"Good to see you," he started, then went straight to business. "Anything happen yet?"
"Not yet. You should ask Thunder though. He's a Ninetails that kinda runs the show here," Slyver told him. "So, what, you thought they'd be coming here?"
"I know it." That got Slyver's attention. 
"What? I mean, how?"
"Met one," Blaze said grimly. "Remember that Raticate?"
"That motherfu-ahhhheeeey, you brought friends," Slyver said, noticing Layla almost too late. 
"This is Layla," Valerie said.
"Pleased to meet you!" chirped Layla, who was of course wide-awake.
"Aha. And this fellow?"
"Ryledar. It's a pleasure," the Magmar said. He sounded fierce, and yet calm.
"The pleasure's mine." Slyver could tell this was a pokemon of strong will just by looking at him. He was a rebel. He could already be trusted.
"Now, I think we should be getting to bed," Blaze spoke up, although what he really wanted was privacy. "Ryledar, you want to take this room with Layla?" The Magmar nodded, seeing Blaze's other intentions. Thankfully, Layla put up no verbal protest, though she looked as if she was considering it. Once they had gone, Blaze spoke to Slyver again, this time in a lower voice.
"So, first off, what happened to that bastard from the cliff?" Slyver asked.
"Ryledar." He didn't even need to say anything else.
"Well, you fought him for a long time," Valerie pointed out.
"And do I remember you joining? That's not a bad Flamethrower you have. But anyway, if any pokemon are coming here with bad intentions, we need to know. Can we trust this Thunder?"
"Yes," Slyver said simply. It was a straightforward analysis, despite the fact that both he and Blaze knew how important trust was, especially in this sort of situation. 
"Okay. Then we need to be ready."
"You're making sound like a war, Blaze," Val put in. "Why would any pokemon go to these lengths?" 
""It's a power chase, Val," Slyver answered. "The world's real simple; there's us, and there's the cold-hearted bastards that want to kill us. Then there's everyone in between, but they're not important right now. Right now, the whole valley is gonna go to hell if it goes into some fucked up regime dealt by an ego-happy punk. Now, I myself am interested in stopping that, and fortunately I was able to get into contact with Blaze when I found out the map was in the valley."
"How? And why?"
"Eh, some old friends, some new contacts, some flying pokes, the word gets around if you know what to do," Slyver answered, doing a divine job of ignoring her second question, but despite his efforts, it remained.
"Why Blaze?" Val asked again.
"Because..." Slyver sighed. "Because Blaze is the guy to call in this sort of situation. And I trust him." That would do. For now.
"What, you don't even say because he's your friend?" Valerie asked surprised.
"Sometimes trust is more important than friendship. I'd say this is one of those times." Slyver turned back to his room. "Now, I'm more worn out than a Snorlax on a speed binge, so I'm going to bed. Sweet dreams, children." With that he entered his room and closed the door.
"Why's he being so brief?" Val asked, cynically curious. Blaze smirked.
"He's got a girl in there."


Gaulvin was alone but not lonely, for he had given up on the pleasure of company a long time ago. Besides, he would not be alone for long. If Gaulvin's memory was right, tonight was the night. And with any luck he could be out and free again very soon, away from the prejudiced minds that kept him ensnared in their prison. They, like others before them, seemed to find Gaulvin's ways to be nihilistic. He instead saw himself as unique, unlike the wasted minds of those who dwelled in ignorance. Gaulvin smiled in his weakened state. He would always be defiant, if not with actions then words, and if not with words then with thoughts. It was his pride to construct the intricate and proverbial speech that others cared not for. It was his pride, his life in a breath, his act of defiance toward the world that had no care for him. He could spin vengeance to the world in twofold with his words alone, and Gaulvin's obsessive mind was put at rest at the thought. One pokemon had even complemented him for his discourse.
Gaulvin knew he could not shut off his restless mind, so he instead avoided his compulsive thinking for as long as he could. He knew he had a problem, but he knew that he could fight; he could succeed where others with more than him failed. It was not nihilistic. It was mere nature. Maybe Gaulvin wasn't even that different. But he struck out this thought, for he would grow to a near-ill state if his mind came across the notion that he was not radically altered from the bounds of common life. He was his own life and future. And tonight was the night he could reclaim his life, or die in the process.
But maybe, he contemplated in his diluted state, death would be better.


Val's mind drifted back out of unconsciousness. She realized she had probably been in the first layers of sleep, but for some reason, though she was perfectly comfortable and exceedingly tired, she could not doze off. She did indeed have plenty to think about, but Val just felt like pushing it all off until the morning. Valerie sighed without opening her eyes and then wrapped herself up in the blanket, pushing her body to Blaze. Except Blaze was not there. Now Val did open her eyes. Her vision was blurred at first, but soon she could make out Blaze sitting a few feet away from the bed, which in reality was a thin mattress with blankets laid out on the floor. Val couldn't see well at all, the only light emanating from the low flames on Blaze's back and the soft glow of the digital clock, but she could see something was wrong.
"Blaze?" she called out softly. He turned to her, his eyes virtually invisible. "Are...what is it? What's wrong?" Blaze didn't respond at first. Val felt his eyes fixate open hers. 
"I'm having a bit of a rough night..." he said finally. His voice was low and shaky, much different from his usual wise and deliberate speech.
"Come here," Valerie said simply, and he did, laying down next to her. At first she was unsure why he complied so quickly, but maybe...
"You trust me, don't you?" Val asked, her voice not much higher than a whisper.
"Don't you know by now?" Blaze replied rhetorically. Beyond the composure in his voice, Val could sense he was troubled.
"Blaze," Val murmured, "you know I'd tell you anything."
"I know," he sighed, closing his eyes. "And yet we only just met mere days ago. What a strange thing trust is."
"Well, I'd trust you with anything." Her voice was so sure and soothing. "I can put faith in you and know you'll be there. So now I'm here for you. You can tell me anything." With that she closed her eyes and nuzzled up to Blaze.
There was a long pause before either of them said anything else. Blaze was fighting for his composure, but realized it was a lost cause. Blaze did not see showing one's emotions as being weak; he simply thought it wasn't like him to do so. But now was different. He didn't feel like he was weakening to the thought of just letting go, of opening up and just finally making words out of his problems. He felt as though he had already lost the fight, and was wondering why he didn't feel any better. Blaze wanted to lose, he wanted to give up his dignity and just say it was all too much for him He knew it was. And he still felt awful. 
"Val...thanks," he said quietly. "I'm just...geez, I can't even string two words together. I've just reached a breaking point. I try to not let it get to me, but this life I'm living, it has the tendency to overwhelm me at times. That's the feeling I have right now. And I hate it." Those words even struck accuracy as well as honesty.
"I could say I know how you feel, but we both know it's a lie," Valerie said to him. "That doesn't even matter. What matters is that you can have someone there for you when you need it."
"And you're doing a great job of it," Blaze smiled. He closed his eyes, returning to his thoughts. Silence crept into the air again as they lay, both feeling the other's heart beat. 
"What am I doing," Blaze said rhetorically, finally breaking the silence. "What am I doing. What the hell difference does it even make any more if I stay or leave or kill or die. Life overwhelms me, and doesn't give me a reason. It doesn't give me any more options." He was actually starting to feel water build up in his eyes, something very rare for him, but he pressed on. "I have plenty of actions, but nothing that they're leading up to. I have a past I erased to give me a future, and an instinct that keeps me alive in the present, but besides that? Nothing. Except you, Valerie."
Val hadn't interrupted him because she could feel he needed to speak out, but now she felt pressured to say something. She was thinking, to no avail, of a response when Blaze spoke again.
"It's alright. You don't need to say anything," Blaze murmured, reading her mind. "I guess you're keeping me going, Val. I say I don't know what I'm fighting for, but the truth is, I do. I have my past, and you." Valerie kissed him with a passion that made the stillness of the room unnoticed. All she wanted was to be in his arms...she felt as though she could never tire of his kiss, his arms, his eyes...his eyes showed the war deep within. 
"There's something else," Val whispered. "There's still something wrong. Blaze, can't you tell me? I just want to help..."
"I know it, Val. I know it..." His voice trailed. After a pause, he exhaled and went on. "The past is making me sick. I'm stuck in this feeling where I just want to shed tears but they won't come. I could give it all up, give in, forget what I told myself about not dwelling on what's bad. I go back and just let it out, feel the pain all over again, but something's wrong. Whatever was supposed to have change didn't. And I dragged you into it..."
"No, I came with you," Val said firmly. Blaze's face bore a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, Valerie. I know what it means to be sorry now, and I am. But there's no perfect ending this time. I'm still battered and bruised, inside and out. I tried to fight trough it, and this is the inevitable letdown. Life overwhelms me..." His whisper faded.
Not a sound was in the room. 
"What hasn't healed, Blaze?" Val asked in a soft voice.
A single tear fell down his face.
"I loved her."


He didn't even have to say her name. Valerie pressed herself to Blaze's body, but her eyes stayed open in the darkness. A rush of understanding filled her as her mind centered on the one truth. And then Valerie became very aware of two things at once. Blaze had loved Heather. Val's sister had known Blaze; she had loved Blaze, and he had known it when he lost her.
The second was that war had erupted out on the moonlit grass.


Zanner was seeking blood. He had once come to the mansion, a long time ago, seeing it as some sort of psychiatric stabilizer. His mind was now set on two things. Staying alive, and making sure the intruders didn't. Zanner's eyes darted around the dark lawn before him. There were killers in the grass, and he was one of them.
The Nidoking swept through the darkness toward the battle before him. The entire scene was total chaos, combat breaking out everywhere; the tree line was where most of the pokemon were congregated, so Zanner ran in that direction. There. A Growlithe stood with blood on his muzzle, his fur swept back regally. Zanner felt no loss as he flung the pokemon into the nearest tree. He picked up the snarling canine and quickly snapped his neck. One down. 
Zanner realized his carelessness as he felt the sharp sting of fangs on his shoulder. His skin was tough, but it was not match for the teeth of the Arbok that shone in the night. Zanner grabbed his attacker and threw him away, but he could already feel the poison spreading through his body. He willed himself to move on. Around him, pokemon were fighting tirelessly. Some were winning, some were losing. Some were dying.
The fierce Nidoking plowed ahead vigorously, despite the venom moving through his body. The fight had now reached the steps of the mansion. Zanner tried to think of a reason why these renegades would go to such efforts in an attack, but is mind was not working properly. All he could do was keep on fighting. Ahead he saw a Machop fending off a Hitmontop. Zanner charged towards the Hitmontop, but then stopped awkwardly. That was Vlad. Which meant...
Zanner drove his horn into the Machop's side, earning a yell of agony. He pulled away and lifted his tail so that it was alongside the Machop's head. Vlad spun his body around and snapped the Machop's head back with a sharp kick. 
"Zanner! You need to be in the mansion!" Vlad shouted.
"I can do more out here," Zanner panted, but he was unsure of the merit in his statement; the Arbok's bite seemed to be slowing him down more than he had expected. 
"Zanner, they're in there, you need to go help in there! They've gotten inside!"


Blaze was already in the hallway. There were lights somewhere along the darkened corridors, and Blaze could see a shadowy figure approaching him. Blaze let out a Flamethrower that showered the hall with fire, but a silhouette burst through the wall of flames. It was a Larvitar, and a vicious-looking one. A hint of worry crossed Blaze's mind; he couldn't fight against this one. He braced himself, preparing to launch in any direction if need be. The Larvitar was closing in on him, he looked ready to leap...but he froze suddenly. Blaze loosened a bit, confused, and saw the Larvitar struggle in his stasis, then crumple to the floor. The perplexed Typhlosion then saw multiple golden rings floating in the air...no, they were not floating, they were merely glowing from another figure. The Umbreon cocked her head at Blaze. She then took off down the hall. Blaze made to follow, but was stopped by a voice. 
"Blaze!" It was Layla.
"Layla, go find Valerie. Stay with her, and tell her not to do anything stupid."
"But Blaze-"
"Get going." His tone was enough to make the small Sandshrew nod and start moving. He wasn't sure where Valerie or Ryledar were, but he couldn't go looking for them now. 
Blaze was at the entrance of the mansion before long, where the doors had been flung open. He saw an Arcanine and a Jolteon at the other end of the room, and they looked occupied. Blaze was about to call out when he was hit hard in the side and sent sprawling across the floor. He picked up his weary body to see a Houndour before him, preparing another attack. Blaze snarled, but then, quite suddenly, smiled. It threw the Houndour for a loop and he looked around, much too late. A strong stream of water blasted into the poke, sending him back into a wall. 
"Nice of you to show," Blaze said. 
"Hey, I was just hoping I wasn't too late" Slyver replied good-naturedly. "Kinda reminds me of a fight...shit, was that only a few days ago?" 
"Oh, right, reminds me of a fight..." Blaze mocked. "That fight was avoidable."
"Inevitable. That Charmeleon was gonna pounce anyway. Had to do something."
"It was a nice bluff. Pity it didn't work. Now, if we could stop reminiscing like two fucking morons..." Blaze stated.
"And beat down some fools like the good old days? You know I'm there." They set off toward the Arcanine and Jolteon, who were at the head of a hall on the bottom floor. 
"You two alright?" the Arcanine breathed heavily when he saw them.
"Forget us, how are you holding up?" Blaze asked.
"Still alive. More of 'em coming, though." They could see the forms of more pokemon headed down the hall. "How did they get in?"
"We must need more help outside," Slyver said. "Quickest way to find the problem is to get to where these guys came in..." He stepped forward and started soaking the hall ahead of him with water. 
"What the hell are you doing?" Blaze demanded. 
"Have you no tactics?" Slyver asked rhetorically, and then turned to the Jolteon. "If you would, my good lady."
She smiled, the spiky fur on her back flickering. She then fired off a bolt of electricity down the hall, connecting with the water and making the hall burst into an array of lightening. The pokemon were stopped in their tracks, except...
"It doesn't affect the grass types," she said worriedly. 
"Don't worry 'bout 'em," Blaze replied. He and the Arcanine inhaled deeply, then both lit up the hall with Flamewheel. Now there were no pokemon coming at them.
All four of them took off, the Jolteon pulling ahead, with Blaze, on a rare all four paws, not far behind. They reached the side door at the end of the hall and burst into the darkness off the night. They could hear the sounds of battle in the distance. 
"You take that side," Blaze told the Jolteon, and she nodded and took off. Blaze forced his exhausted body to run in the other direction. He thought of Valerie and Layla, and he thought of the Umbreon, all while running. He told his body to keep moving, ignoring the burning in his legs. Blaze thought of the lives hanging in the balance of the fight that raged through the night. He pumped his legs despite the jagged feeling of pain in his chest. Blaze thought of Heather. He kept running until he collapsed on the cold grass. He could go no further. 
Blaze opened his eyes again to see the stars above him. The fight was somewhere distant. He was torn with exhaustion. Blaze tried to pick himself up, tried to continue running, but he could not; he had reached his limit. 
"Blaze." Now he could stand.
"I'll be damned," Blaze said, exhausted, but not without a smile. "I suppose you're why these pokemon are here?" 
"Not exactly," the Drowzee replied. "They want the map."
"Fuck the map. It's gone."
"I know this, but they do not. They were, however, kind enough to release me from this place."
"Kind? Then what the hell is all this, this battle?"
"They will lose," the Drowzee said simply. "They can kill and be killed, but eventually they will lose. There will be more fights, perhaps, but there are more important enemies for us all elsewhere. You would know."
"Don't take shots at my past," Blaze told him. "You speak like you aren't a part of all this."
"I was released, but I am not the reason this fight exists. I am not your enemy now, Blaze-"
"Oh, you'll always be my enemy. You took Valerie."
"The girl?" the Drowzee replied. "That was the work of a certain Raticate that I was associated with. I have decided I shall not be associated with him any longer." 
"I already decided that for you," Blaze responded. The Drowzee's eyes narrowed, but his smile grew.
"Always the fighter, Blaze."
"What will you do now?" Blaze asked him.
"I rather disliked my forced stay here, but it gave me some time to think. I am going back into the valley. From there, I do not know," the Drowzee said honestly. "But I shall discover my path, just like you will when you return."
"You're truly one to love to hate and hate to love," Blaze noted.
"Not going to swear vengeance?" the Drowzee asked with a smile. "Not going to promise my death in our next meeting?"
"We may never meet again," Blaze replied. "If we do, I wonder if we will be enemies. But you're right; there are other enemies out there. It's a big world, and too many living in it that don't know their place, so they try create their destiny."
"Are you one of destiny?" the Drowzee asked.
"No," Blaze admitted. 
"Nor I."
"Then neither of us can predict our next meeting, be it in this life or another," Blaze concluded. "We ourselves are more than more than enemies; more than black and white. We are living. We are individuals. And even if we never meet again, we will learn from each other."
"And it is this that makes us different. Well said."
"You think we are different from those that are fighting out there?" Blaze asked him. "Can you give up on another living being that easily?"
"I can. It is naught but what life has showed me."
"Then I will continue searching for what life will show me." The Drowzee smiled again.
"I hope you find what you are looking for, my dear enemy." He turned and began to walk away.
"We're enemies no longer," Blaze stated firmly. "If you had no intention to harm Valerie, I have no reason to oppose you. We're just two more scars in this valley. Hell, I don't even know your name." The Drowzee turned his head, to look at Blaze for one last time. 
"Gaulvin." With that he was gone.




Wow. This turned out to be about as long as my other chapters combined. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, though, even if it has taken some hard work and a very, very long time ^_^ Now, before the fifth chapter takes place, there will be a chapter featuring my characters in the story "A Mansion Made Of Dreams" by Lion vom Silberwald. Be sure to read that! As always, I would love to hear your feedback, so feel free to write me a review, or email me at [email protected]. Until next time! ~!