Definitions and Such

Zaphaina- Kaalith word meaning "blue." The root of the word is "phaina." "Za" is a complex word, meaning "red and green as one."

Phaina- Kaalith word meaning "color" or "hue."

Kaalith- One of the sub-languages of Pokemon-kind. It is similar to the English language, in that it is the most common and popular.

Clan- A DeMon's family group.

Shatoki-Mino- Nee's old Clan. This is the DemonTongue name: it roughly translates to "Fate Claw" in English

Hellsing- An English organization working under direct order of the Queen, but operates in secrecy and is unknown by the general public. They are charged with defending Great Britain and her shores from all manner of supernatural threats.

Tanks- Bulky and often aggressive Pokemon trained by Walter to be used by Hellsing's soldiers, for various circumstances and situations.

***

Last Time in Monsters of the Machine...

Nee falls into a deep slumber after Binding her first two Pokemon, and in those hours of restorative sleep, she starts getting to know her new Bound. She also gets taken back to the Hellsing Mansion, where she later wakes.

After a meeting the leader of Hellsing, one (Sir) Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, Nee agrees to help the organization in dealing with Vampiric Pokemon, after revealing that they can be cured by being Bound. Terms are agreed upon, and Nee is led away by Walter, Hellsing's retainer, to meet with Dr. Kreil. The bear of a man sees to tending Nee's injured shoulder and also takes a look at Phaina's odd scar, but not before Nee sees and hears a bit of something that makes her certain Walter isn't to be trusted.

As the days pass, Nee meets others who inhabit the Hellsing manor, and an exchange of words between our heroine and Alucard turns to violence after the Vampire taunts the DeMon and calls her a coward. Luckily, it's nothing serious, and the situation ends abruptly. Nee later finds herself horrified that she had dared attacked someone so powerful, and is comforted by Musa.

Then comes word of a corpse found in a recreational park, completely drained of blood and covered in bite marks. Pokemon tracks are found around the body: the whole thing reeks of Vampiric Pokemon. Nee, Alucard, Seras, and Pip are sent to the island to deal with the situation, and shortly after arriving Seras and Pip leave Alucard and Nee in order to ensure no humans or Pokemon inadvertently interrupt the coming battle.

Minutes after they depart, Nee and Alucard are attacked out of the blue. Nee manages to dodge a Hyper Beam, but takes two Aura Spheres as a result. Alucard, not being as lucky, is struck by a second Hyper Beam and reduced to a smear of gore.

As she buys time waiting for the Vampire to regenerate, Nee takes on the four Vampiric Pokemon that show themselves soon after the ambush, which turn out to be two Riolu and two Lickitung Taken slightly by surprise after expecting only two opponents, Nee takes a beating and doles out a few of her own before Alucard finally manages to pull himself together and enter the fray.

It's not long before the four Pokemon are weakened enough for Nee to try and Bind them. After beginning the process, the DeMon takes a moment to catch her breath while she waits, only to spot a mysterious figure standing not far away. Before she can say anything or try to approach him, though, he vanishes, and seconds later so does the Houndoom accompanying him...

And now, chapter three of Monsters of the Machine...

***

+Order Three: Attack!+

I stared at the spot the man had been standing seconds ago, lips pulling back in a silent snarl. He'd obviously been a Vampire: pale, thin, lean, and radiating an inhuman strength. The Houndoom with him must have been one he'd captured or befriended, being regular and not hellhound-y and such. That alone made me scowl darkly, seeing as most Pokemon couldn't stand the presence of a Vampire, especially dog Pokemon.

So surprised and concerned with this strange twist that I barely noticed the rush that signaled a successful Binding. The relief of no longer being tugged in four separate directions got through to me, though, and I blinked a few times as I looked at each of the four Pokemon. Then I faced Alucard, getting ready to tell him about the blonde-haired, immaculately-dressed Vampire I'd just seen.

He wasn't even looking at me, but was staring into the trees with a somewhat deranged smile spreading across his face. Without saying anything, he started forward, and I didn't bother even opening my mouth. It was apparent he'd noticed the other Vampire as well, and from his actions he obviously planned on finding out who they were and why they'd been watching us.

"Police-Girl and Bernadette are on their way," the Undead informed me as he walked off into the trees. A trace of excitement threaded through his voice as he spoke. "They'll be here in a few minutes to help get you and your Bound back to the mansion."

"But, hey, wait a minute! What are you...oh, never mind," I muttered, shaking my head as I watched Alucard walk away. I couldn't believe he was just going to leave like that, without bothering to come back with us and help give a report, something Integra had sprung on me as we left her office. Apparently, the woman was anal about keeping track of how missions went, and demanded both a verbal and written report from whoever was in charge of any given assignment. In this case, I was said whoever, and was also completely clueless on how to give a formal report on anything. Oh well, it couldn't be that hard.

A few moments passed, and finally Seras came puffing into view. Her orange Hellsing uniform was covered in snags and dirt, as well a few bits of leaf and branch. Her cropped ginger hair was also a little mussed, like she'd had a tumble down a hill. Her Espeon and Beedrill were close behind her and the only Pokemon still out of their Balls: she must have called back the Tanks in order to get to me faster. Both Pokemon cautiously avoided the ex-Vampiric ones lying on the ground, and I shook my head at their troubles.

"Don't worry, they're Bound now, completely normal and harmless," I said, then looked at Seras. She had blanched a little, which was kind of funny considering how pale she was to begin with.

"Oh dear..." she muttered, looking about the area and taking in the damage. "I thought it sounded like a pretty big battle..."

"Heh, yeah, you could call it that," I sighed, then painfully clambered to my feet-paws. Just as I stood, Pip came trotting into view, trailed by Guerrier. When he got close enough to see the gouges in the ground, the ripped-up trees, and the charred area in general, the French mercenary came to a dumbfounded halt and looked around. He let out a low whistle, absently toying with the long braid of dark brown hair he normally kept wrapped around his neck. His cowboy hat was set at an angle, like a strong gust of wind had knocked it askew, and his camouflage clothing was covered in mud. Even his black boots were filthy: the man looked like he'd swam through a giant mud puddle or something.

"What happened to you guys? You look like you're almost in as bad a shape as me," I said, stretching myself and groaning as I found numerous sore and tender muscles. Seras ducked her head a little, clasping her gloved hands before her and giving a little laugh.

"Well, we ran into a family of Bibarel, and they weren't very happy about being disturbed in the middle of the night," the fledgling replied. "A couple of them jumped on me and knocked me down, and I had a little tumble trying to get them off without hurting them."

"You got off lucky," Pip muttered sourly. "We ran into an Arbok zat must 'ave been looking for food. It got startled and launched a Mud Bomb at us. As you can see, it 'it its target pretty damn well."

"Er...where's Master?" Seras asked, which set Pip and the three Pokemon to looking around.

"There was someone, another Vampire, and a Houndoom," I answered slowly, turning to where Alucard had walked off into the woods. "He disappeared a few seconds after I noticed him. I guess Alucard went to try and find him."

"Another Vampire? How did he get past us?" Seras inquired, and I offered only a shrug.

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Ego can take care of himself at any rate. Right now, I'm more concerned with getting back to the mansion so I can get some rest, and some rest for these guys," I said, motioning to the four Pokemon lying around us. Seras nodded absently, and Pip clapped his hands together halfheartedly.

"Guerrier, can you take ze Riolu?"

~Of course, Master,~ the jackal replied, before going to the two Riolu and tucking one beneath each arm. The careful, gentle way he carried them made it clear he sympathized with his un-evolved brethren. I couldn't help but wonder how many times he'd been toasted by some Fire move or another.

"Kiyon, can you use your psychic abilities to carry the Lickitung?" Seras asked, directing the question at her Espeon. The lavender-furred psychic cat nodded, and it was then I noticed the little Pokemon had four tufts of fur on each side of its face, marking it as a male. He then turned his attention to the barely-conscious Lickitung, swished his double-tipped tail once, and flicked an ear as the ruby jewel on his forehead began to glow. It was faint at first, then steadily grew brighter and stronger. When it reached its brightest, a faint red aura flickered to life around both of the Licking Pokemon. Seconds later the two were lifted into the air by the Espeon's psychic power.

"Maybe you should 'ave someone carry you, too. You look exhausted," Pip offered. Before I could object, the mercenary pulled out one of the special Balls holding a Tank, releasing the Pokemon from within. It soon revealed itself as an Aggron, which grumbled a little as it peered around.

=Now what?= it said, its deep, gravelly voice revealing it to be a male. His gaze passed over me without pausing, then swung back to me when Pip said, "Would you please carry Nee? She 'as 'ad a tough time of things."

=I ain't a horse,= the armored beast mumbled, but the words were spoken with good nature. I smiled a little as the large Pokemon trundled over to me, offering me its back.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, pulling myself onto the Aggron's wide back. After hooking my claws in the spaces in the Pokemon's armor, he shifted his weight and spread it over all fours.

=Don't get too comfy back there, kid. Like I said, I ain't a horse. I'm just doing this 'cause it's obvious you HAVE had a tough time of things. I'm gonna have the smell of tired in my snout for a week.=

I chuckled a little at that as I let my eyes slide shut, and before I knew it I had slipped into unconsciousness. It was disorienting: one moment I was resting against the cold yet oddly comfortable armor of an Aggron's back, the next I was floating in black nothingness. That wasn't so bad though, because the forms of Musa and Phaina were there.

=Nee!= Phaina cried upon noticing me. That strange absence of physics then took over, and within a breath she had crossed a distance that would have measured at least ten feet. Her little arms wrapped themselves around my left leg, and I couldn't help but smile and pat her head. Musa appeared beside my head a second later, twisting through the air crazily as he circled me.

=You did it!= the Ghost chimed merrily, and I cocked my head at him as he floated behind my head.

"Wait, how did you...?" I trailed off as I twisted to look behind me, and was somewhat surprised to find the forms of the Lickitung and Riolu there. Where had they come from?

=I'm...normal,= one of the Riolu muttered as it stared at its paws. By the softness of its voice, it was clearly a female. Beside her, the other Riolu, which I assumed to be a male due to the extra bulk and size it had compared to the first, stared in bewilderment at the other, then down at himself. A sort of awed expression came over him, and he suddenly flung his arms around the female, giving a delighted little laugh.

=Sister, we're pure again!= he announced, and the female responded with a joyful laugh of her own. =The Aura has returned to us, and so have ourselves.=

=What, exactly, is going on here?= one of the Lickitung demanded at that moment, and all of us turned to face him. The other nodded in agreement, glancing around in a nervous manner and looking ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. Kind of funny, since there was really nowhere for it to run and all.

"You were all Vampiric before," I informed the four Pokemon. "Like Phaina here was." I motioned to where the Psyduck was still clinging to my leg. "When I Bound you, it cured you for some reason. We don't know why it works that way, it just does. Now, if any of you can tell me something about who did this to you, it might help us figure this whole thing out and put an end to it. All we know for certain at this point is that Vampires are behind it."

=Yes, filthy things,= the male Riolu spat, releasing his sister but keeping an arm around her shoulders, almost protectively. =They captured myself and my sister, ambushed us while we were foraging for food. They locked us in cramped cages, kept us separated in different rooms. Then...= Here the Pokemon seemed to deflate, as if all his willpower had vanished in the blink of an eye. =They hurt us, did painful things, and the worst was when they did...something...to the backs of our heads. We still had the Aura with us then, and could feel one another's pain and fear...then we were...tainted...and the Aura left us. In its place were madness and the horrible, maddening need.= The Pokemon shuddered here, as did his sister and the two Lickitung.

=It was so awful,= the up-till-now-silent Lickitung said. I was shocked to hear a lisping slur in his words, as this was the one with the severed tongue. Funny that something like that should be present in a place that wasn't physically real. =That urge, it only got worse and worse the longer I went without...= The Lickitung let his words trail off, looking highly distressed. The others nodded their heads in sympathetic agreement.

"And all of you had something painful, I mean really freaking painful, done to the backs of yours heads?" I asked, and the four nodded again. I shared a glance with Phaina and Musa, feeling like maybe we'd finally come across a major clue. Whatever the Vampires were doing to make Pokemon Vampiric, it evidently involved some sort of surgery that was done without any kind of numbing. It sounded terrible.

"What else can you remember? Anything at all, even if it seems completely irrelevant. We need all the information we can get to uncover these bastards and make them pay," I said, hoping my heated words would somehow inspire more helpful bits of knowledge to dislodge itself in the Pokemons' brains. The four of them gazed at one another, then slowly shook their heads.

=Really, the only other thing I can think of is that there were some DeMon with the Vampires that caught me,= the lisping Lickitung offered, and I bobbed my head as I made a mental note to tell Integra about that in my report. =And...they said something, some weird words that sounded funny, something that sounded like they were talking about newts, or whatever. I couldn't make much sense out of it, I was trying my best to get away from them, and there was a lot of shouting going on.=

"Well, we have more to go on now than we did before," I mused, rubbing my hand-paws together mindlessly as I pondered the implications of what I'd learned. Like what the Lickitung had said about the strange words the Vampires had been saying, I couldn't make much sense out of the new information that had been slapped into my lap. I would have to sit down, think about it, and try to piece everything together. I had the irritating feelings I was missing a lot of needed pieces to finish the puzzle, though.

=So...now what happens?= the female Riolu asked, cutting into my deep though process. I blinked a few times and smiled, shrugging casually.

"That, my small friend, is a very good question. I guess we should start with introducing ourselves?"

=I...the things I remember...aren't pleasant things like my name,= the little female jackal replied, her voice sad as she reached out to her brother. Silently, he grabbed her paw in one of his and bowed his head, his whole frame drooping. The Lickitung nodded, and the motions looked as if they caused the two physical pain.

=Just like with me,= Phaina said softly, grief tracing her words. =The things they do, the hurt they put you through...it's just so hard to hold onto the good, happy memories. It's too hard to think about all that stuff you had, when you're going though so much hurt. It's just easier to forgot, to let it all go.=

=Yes,= the brother Riolu responded, his voice barely audible. =Even though we are free, that we are ourselves and the Aura has returned to us...some things cannot be so quickly retrieved. We forced ourselves to let go in order to cope, and now, to try and get back what we lost...seems so impossible.=

"No," I insisted sharply, causing the Pokemon, Musa included, to start. "Don't EVER think like that! It just takes time is all! You've all been through hell, it's understandable what you're feeling and what you're going through. And you've also got to understand it'll take time to heal from all that. You don't remember now, you might not remember a year from now, but one day it'll start coming back to you, and then you'll know you can move on and let the past go. And don't be ashamed, for Aruseusu's sake! Like you said, you guys did what you had to in order to cope with the things that were being done to you. Don't you DARE be sorry or shameful for doing everything you could for holding on to life! It would have been a lot easier to hold on to those painful memories and drive yourselves into permanent madness or something crazy and stupid like that." I paused for a moment to catch my breath, then blew it out in a rush.

"Now then, you guys don't remember your names for now, so why don't you guys pick something that you like? I suggest something simple that we can all pronounce with relative ease."

And so the task of renaming the Pokemon began. It took an insanely long amount of time, because the four were constantly changing their minds about what they wanted to be called. I didn't understand why it was such a big deal, since the names were only temporary, but then again, they were names that the Pokemon might still be living with years from now. Best to choose something they wouldn't mind calling themselves until their memories kick-started themselves, I supposed.

Finally, the choices were made. The female Riolu choose Aurapaw, the male Auratail. It was kind of creepy, how obsessed these two with this whole "Aura" deal. Then I remembered that the social structures, emotional things, and just about every other aspect of life was ruled, or at strongly influenced, by the presence of Aura in the lives of all Riolu and Lucario. Still, did they actually have to name themselves after it?

The Lickitung chose more normal names, by Pokemon standards at least. The one with the severed tongue dubbed himself Cree, while the other took Ren as his new name. After that hassle was taken care of, I introduced myself, Phaina, and Musa, then explained things with help from the latter two.

=Must we really live in the same place as not just one, but two horrid Vampires?= Aurapaw asked disdainfully, and I smiled at her as I folded my legs beneath me. Phaina had finally detached herself from my leg, and was currently clinging to my left arm.

"Seras is pretty cool, actually. She's more like a human than a Vampire. Doesn't like the whole, "Gotta drink blood now" thing. In fact, I don't think she's had a single drop since she was turned, and it's been a while from what I understand."

=Unfortunately, we all know Alucard's reputation for not being nearly so likable,= Cree grumbled. =That freak's a nutcase and a half, if even a quarter of the rumors about him are true.=

"I find it hilarious that Alucard's infamous among even Pokemon," I said, ignoring the glares from my Bound. "I mean, come on. How many other Vampires do you guys actually hear about as often as him? Any? Just one? I don't know, it's just funny. He doesn't even bother Pokemon, he's the nightmare-turned-reality for troublesome non-humans, yet Pokemon all over the world know about him."

=He's just that kind of freak,= Cree said with a shrug moments later. I laughed at that, so hard that it made my chest and sides hurt.

"Oh God, he is," I said between gasping breaths and breathless laughter. "I swear he annoys me, drives me nuts, freaking arrogant and everything."

=As much fun as Alucard-bashing is, we're coming up on a boat of some kind, and our favorite verbal punching bag seems to be waiting for us,= Cree informed us, and I snorted loudly as I folded my arms over my chest. Vaguely I wondered when the Lickitung had regained enough consciousness to be that aware of his surroundings, and if he was walking on his own yet.

"Hah, Cree, Ren, do you know which of you fired that Hyper Beam that made Mr. Ego all paste-i-fied and such?" I asked, and Ren held up a paw as a grin crossed his face. I gave him a thumbs-up, earning a giggle from Phaina and a smile from the others. "And that boat is the one we came in on, so that's the one we're taking back."

Afterwards, we fell into companionable silence, and I felt the bond between myself and the four new Bound already growing stronger. I found myself wondering what it would be like, if I should lose one of them. I remembered how infuriated, how grief-stricken, Musa had been after the death of Boka. Then I realized with a sharp pang that I would be just as hurt, angry, and heartbroken as the Ghost had been, if any of my Bound were to die. It was hard to explain, but the bond that formed between a DeMon and their Bound was a deep and powerful thing. I had heard of DeMons gleefully sending hundreds of Summoned to their deaths without a single tear, but never had I heard of a DeMon putting their Bound in danger. I'd never really thought about it before, since I'd never had any Bound of my own, but now...it had to mean something. That even something as wicked and twisted as a normal DeMons could feel something as raw and emotional as a true bond to another living being...the fact struck me hard at that moment, and I found myself with an unpleasant idea. Those humans who knew about, or at least believed in, the existence of Vampires saw them as vicious killers, bloodthirsty monsters who all deserved to die. In reality, Vampires were just doing what they needed to in order to survive, and humans are far from being at the top of the food chain. To be feared, hated, and hunted for their nature alone...maybe, just maybe, I'd been doing the same thing with other DeMons. They weren't natural by any means, but they were still ruled by nature. Maybe I was no better than all those humans with misplaced hate of anything or one different. Of course DeMons were killers, murders, liars, corrupt in more ways than I cared to think about. But then again, so were many humans, Pokemon, and other non-human beings. Were any of us truly much better than anyone else...?

=Nee?= Musa inquired gently, and I startled at the sound of his voice, quiet as it was. I blinked twice, noticing that the others were all staring at me with worried looks. I smiled tightly at them, all four of my black wings twitching, blue tail jerking back and forth. I rubbed the thick, skin-colored scales on my arms, patted the arm-fins protruding from the tops of my arms, ran a hand-paw through my golden main, and rubbed my blue, Garchompian legs vigorously. The others watched in curious silence, and when I was done with the little ritual, I blew out a slow breath and smiled, more naturally this time.

=Are you okay?= Phaina asked, and I nodded at her as my wings ceased twitching and I wrapped my tail around my thin, lean waist.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just kinda got lost in some unsettling thoughts, and going through those motions I did just now helps relax me when I'm getting upset. It reminds me that I'm not a monster like other DeMons, and they are definitely monsters..." But I couldn't really bring myself to believe that, not now. The others adopted confused expressions, and I told them about the thoughts I'd had. When I finished, Auratail moved forward and placed his paws on my knees.

=Those are brave words, and a braver truth to face,= he said softly. =We all do what we must in order to survive, and for others, it is simply more violent and vile. Still, even though they are living as their natures intend, it does not make them right, or good. DeMons might be living as they must, but remember that nearly all of them have murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents. Humans and Pokemon, Vampires and others have done this as well, yes, but not like the DeMons have. Their nature is a twisted one, defiling this world. As much as I dislike Vampires, I'll admit they are not as bad as the warped things that have stolen the lives and bodies of fellow Pokemon. Where most other races and species can deal with and even, sadly, grow to like death and destruction, DeMons thrive on it, simply cannot get enough of it. That kind of nature simply must be destroyed, because it not only mindlessly kills others, it would eventually kill itself anyways.

=And yes, you are not like them. Even if you are Benign, there is something else about you that is different. You are more Pokemon than DeMon, more Demon than Pokemon. You are special. But you must always remember that other DeMons, unlike Vampires and others, are truly and wholly unnatural. Nothing like that should exist, but there are more paradoxes existing than most know of.=

I nodded slowly, taking in the wise words of the little jackal. The others, save Aurapaw, looked a little jealous that they hadn't been able to come up with some noble speech, but none of them had anything to add.

"Thanks," I said, feeling a little more at ease now. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that Auratail didn't grasp the full gravity of my new predicament. How could I explain how there must be something, something humane, something normal, in DeMons, if they could all feel connected to their Bound, actually feel something good? Still, I decided it was a problem I could dwell upon later, when there weren't more pressing issues to worry about.

"So, has Mr. Ego said anything about the Vampire he went galumphing after?"

=I didn't hear him mention anything about it,= Cree said, and I sighed a little.

"I'll have to ask him when I wake up. In the meantime, I should start preparing the report I need to give Integra. No better time than the present, right?"

Not a second after speaking those words, I felt myself being roused into wakefulness. I blinked groggily as I came to, once again disoriented by the abrupt changes in environment, then let out a somewhat feeble growl at Alucard, who was still shaking me roughly.

"Whaddahell...?" I grumbled as I sat up, knocking the Vampire's hand away. The Undead gave a vicious little smile as he settled back, satisfied that I was awake.

"We have a report to prepare."

"For Aruseusu's sake!" I snarled irritably, and was unable, despite myself, to hold back a little laugh when Pip recoiled away from me a bit. "I was just getting ready to do that."

"But you were knocked out cold!" the Frenchmen objected. "'Ow could you get ready for anything?"

"Long story," I answered, then focused my attention on Alucard. "What about that Vampire...?"

"Gone," Alucard replied casually, though I could sense the subtle signs of annoyance plastered all over him. The faint tensing, a slight clench of the jaw, a barely perceivable narrowing of the eyes, the barest tightening of his hands on one another as he held them folded in his lap. He was pissed that he had lost the other Vampire, and again I felt another foolish wave of triumph rise within me. Thought himself so great and mighty and all-knowing, yet he hadn't been able to find the Vampire that had been watching us. Hah!

"Integra won't be happy," I said, mustering as much seriousness as I could into my voice. "I mean sure, we got the Pokemon, and that was the mission, but man, the fact that we managed to lose someone who was freaking spying on us, and shouldn't have even been able to get by Seras and Pip without being noticed at all..." At this, Alucard simply shrugged, like Integra being angry wasn't anything big. Mind you, he's nuttier than a Pachirisu. Even in the few days I'd stayed at the Hellsing mansion, I'd come to learn that an angry Integra was a scary-and-mean-as-hell Integra. I winced when I heard her yelling at others. I could only imagine how much worse it would be to have all that unhealthy ire directed at me.

"The mission was a success," Alucard continued, sounding bored. "We arrived at the park, proceeded forward, and eventually split up. Police-Girl to the front, Bernadette to the back. Soon afterwards, you and I were attacked by four Vampiric Pokemon, not two. We were ambushed from the treetops. I was temporarily taken out of commission, while you battled alone until I was able to join you. After the battle, you Bound the targets, and an intruder was spotted. A Vampire, to be exact, accompanied by a Houndoom. Before interrogation could take place, both vanished. Giving chase yielded no results."

I sat for a moment, and I hate to admit it, but I was pretty impressed. To come up with a formal report so quickly and effortlessly...well, if he could do it, then no doubt I could as well. I mean, after all, it was pretty much just stating what had happened and what you'd learned during any giving amount of time, right?

I cleared my throat, nodded at Cree, who was pretty much fully conscious by this point, and said, "On top of that, I've learned that the Vampires who are making Pokemon Vampiric are definitely doing it via some sort of surgery. Cree and the others here told me they've all had horribly painful things carried out on the backs of their heads. Once we reach land, I'll check for scars on them like the one Phaina has.

"Also, none of them remember anything about their pasts. Like Phaina, the things they were put through made it extremely difficult to keep on remembering the good things in their lives, so they gave up those memories in order to cope with what they were going through.

"And with Cree here, at least, there were DeMons present when he was captured. So far, it seems all the Vampiric Pokemon have been captured by either Vampires or DeMons. No humans or other races involved, at least not as far as I can tell."

"Wait...when did you learn all zis, and 'ow? You conked out after you got on ze Aggron's back!" Pip exclaimed, shaking his head. I smiled at the confused man and shrugged.

"Again, long story. I'll explain later."

The rest of the trip back was made in silence. I allowed myself to drift off, and was just dropping off into normal sleep when I was jerked awake by the jolt of our boat striking something solid. I half-expected an angry Gyarados to rear out of the water in front of us, but it turned out to just be the dock. After a bit of effort, the lot of us was out of the ship and on land once again.

Shaking off the last bits of sleep, I quickly checked the back of Cree's head. As expected, there was a large, ugly-looking scar twisting across the base of his skull, and it was about the same size as Phaina's. Checks on the others revealed the same thing: thick, raised scars that looked as if the wounds that had caused them had been horrendous to endure.

Soon enough we were back at the Hellsing mansion. Even though I wanted nothing more than to reunite with Musa and Phaina, then collapse in my bed and pass out for several hours, I instead trudged after Alucard as he headed toward Integra's office. Oh well, better to get the angry-Integra thing done and over with.

However, as we walked down the hallway towards Integra's office, Kreil's massive form exited the door we were headed towards. He looked ready to walk off, but he must have spotted us from the corner of his eyes. He turned abruptly to face us, clapping his hands together and emitting a small explosion as they collided.

"Nee!" he exclaimed as he strode towards us. "Phaina's x-ray has developed! I was just letting Sir Integra know."

"Anything interesting?" I asked

"Very," the doctor replied as we came upon Integra's office. Alucard opened the door without bothering to knock, and I hesitantly followed after him. It felt odd to just barge in like this..."There's something in the flesh that looks like it's been placed in the bone at the base of the skull. Whatever it is, it's small and made mostly of a dense metal, with what looks like thick plastic in certain places."

"What do you think it is?"

"It could be anything. With your permission, I'd like to remove it so we can find out what it is. It could be something very important, or something completely trivial."

"I doubt it's trivial," I said as Alucard stopped before Integra's desk, nodding his head at the young woman sitting behind it. "The Pokemon I Bound all have scars just like Phaina's, and I'll bet anything that whatever it is in her head is in their heads too. At any rate, go ahead and take it out, if you can. I'll bring her to your office when I'm done here."

"Right-o," Kreil replied, then hurried out of the office. I supposed he was heading off to get things ready. As Kreil shut the door, I went over to stand by Alucard.

"Your report?" Integra asked simply, and I nodded at her as I took in a breath and basically repeated the same things I'd said on the boat earlier. Then I quickly went over what I remembered Alucard had said on the boat and added in his part of the report as well. Integra nodded slowly as she laced her fingers together, resting her chin against her hands as she watched me. Alucard was watching me as well, a small smile playing on his lips. I couldn't tell whether he was impressed or annoyed, but I didn't care. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so I could see Musa and Phaina, get the latter taken care of by Kreil, and get some rest. Cree and the others were doing that already, so I would go meet up with them later after I got some sleep.

"From what you just told Kreil, you believe whatever is in Phaina's head is also in the heads of the four Pokemon you Bound tonight."

"Yeah, they all have scars just like Phaina, and they all said they went through pretty much the same things she did. Being captured, held in cramped quarters, put through hell, all that. I told Kreil to remove whatever the thing is, if he can. I'll ask him to x-ray the others too, you know, make sure about things I'm sure about." Integra smiled a little at this, inclining her head as she sat back and dropped her hands into her lap.

"Very well. Now, you look relatively tired. Go get some rest. I'm sure Phaina and Musa are eager to see you, as well." I nodded once, then turned and walked out of the room. I was aware of the fact that Alucard remained behind, but that was none of my business. Maybe he had things to add to what I'd said.

I was halfway to my room when I realized Integra hadn't gotten angry when I'd told her about the mystery Vampire. I found that a little odd, considering some of the minor things she would erupt over. I shook my head a little as I climbed a flight of stairs. Humans were so hard to understand sometimes...

Finally, I reached my room and pushed the door open. It took less than two seconds for Phaina and Musa to notice me: Phaina was lying on my bed, and Musa was hovering over her head. They both looked nervous and twitchy, which changed rapidly as I stepped into the room. It was almost like I was in that physics-less blackness: one moment the two Pokemon were across the room, the next they had crossed that distance in what had to be record time. Phaina did her customary ritual of attaching herself to my nearest leg, while Musa shoved himself against my right shoulder. I laughed as I greeted both of them, glad to finally be back with them. It had only been a few hours, yeah, but it had seemed like an eternity. There was a lot to this bond between Pokemon and DeMons that I was still learning about. I made a note to ask Musa later on why it was so hard to be away from my Bound.

=Where are the others?= Phaina asked after looking around. I bent down to scoop her up as I smiled a little.

"They're resting up in another room," I told her. "It seemed better to let them get some sleep as soon as possible, instead of dragging them all over the mansion to my room. Once we're all refreshed, I'll introduce them to you guys properly. For now, Kreil wants to see you, Phaina."

=Why?=

"Your x-ray finally processed, and there's something in your head. He's gonna take it out, if he can. I want him to check the others too, since they have scars like yours and went through the same things. I'll bet anything that they have the same things in their heads that you have."

=It seems we are finally beginning to get somewhere,= Musa commented merrily as we exited the room and started for Kreil's office. I nodded in agreement, but was more worried about when we'd finally reach the end of this mystery.

The sooner we figured all this out and put an end to it, the better...

***

Days passed.

Kreil removed the thing from the back of Phaina's head, which turned out to be some sort of chip thing. I'd been present through Phaina's surgery, watched as Kreil had pulled the blood-streaked, metallic square from my Bound's head. It was thick, and by what Kreil said, thicker than any other kind of chip he'd ever seen. The thing had been passed to Walter for the old man to study. Apparently, he was not only a butler, a Pokemon Trainer, a soldier of Hellsing, and a weapons designer, he was also a tech man of sorts. All-around handy-man. Too bad I still didn't trust him, not since that episode back in Kreil's office.

In the days that went by, Kreil also x-rayed Cree and the others, and found they, too, had those odd chips in their heads. He removed them, though he had a hard time piercing the steel hide of the Riolu siblings. I wound up wondering how steel flesh could heal itself, how steel could even form flesh. Several hours later, though, I gave up on trying to make sense of it. Some things about Pokemon were just too bizarre to ever understand, even for a DeMon.

There were few incidents, and none involving Vampiric Pokemon. Mostly it was just the regular problematic Vampire that needed disposing, though there was one in which a Lycan was terrorizing a small town. In the end, it took several blasts from a shotgun loaded with blessed silver bullets to bring the thing down.

One evening the day after Cree and the others had the chips removed from their heads, myself and my Bound were out wandering through the woods that grew behind the Hellsing mansion. It was peaceful and relaxing, not at all like the trek through the woods of the recreational park. Then, I was expecting a major battle. Tonight, I was simply enjoying the company of my Bound.

"Hey Musa, why is it so hard for me to be away from you guys for too long?" I asked as we walked, and the Ghost did a few lazy spins in the air as he answered.

=The linking and merging of our souls is a deeper thing than you might first think. The longer the souls are connected, the more like one they become. I've head of DeMons and their Bound being unable to leave one another for ten minutes without suffering serious physical pain. Over time, it's like being separated from a part of your spirit, which I suppose is pretty much the gist of it.=

=It's hard for us, too,= Phaina put in. =I hope you don't ever have to go off on your own like that again. I don't think I would be able to stand it.=

=From what I've heard, it's not as bad for a DeMon who has a lot of Bound,= Ren said. =I guess as long as long as some of them are with their DeMon, the lot of them can stand being away from one another for a while. But only for so big a distance.=

=There's much to this bond we don't know about,= Aurapaw commented sagely. =But there is always time to learn, and as long as we are together, then we shall learn together.=

We fell back into silence after that, ambling along through the moonlit woods. The scent of loam and rich earth was strong in the air, most likely because of the showers that had been falling since the previous day. The ground beneath my feet-paws was slick and wet, slightly cold but quickly warming up. It was summer, after all. All around us were the sounds of an invigorated environment: it seemed that after a good bit of rainfall, places like woods and such always seemed to pulse with more life than usual.

We soon came upon a tiny clearing, most of which was taken up by a pond. The moonlight was reflecting off the still water, and we went over to have a drink and take a small rest. Phaina, being a Water Pokemon, decided to also have a swim. Not a minute after entering the pond was she splashing about happily, drawing the attention of a group of Guagsire that apparently called this pond home. Luckily, the Pokemon were as easygoing as the rest of their species, and soon they and Phaina were romping about.

I watched their antics, feeling content and happy. Sure, we were having more downtime, and yeah, I wanted to get to the bottom of the Vampiric Pokemon thing and stop whoever was doing such awful things. But for the moment, I was happy to just relax.

Then I noticed Aurapaw and Auratail both looking back in the direction of the mansion. They were standing stiff-legged and rigid, their tails lifted high, ears swiveled to the front. The black protrusions on the backs of the heads were vibrating madly. Something was clearly upsetting them, and I scowled as I stood and went over to them.

"What's up?" I asked. "You guys seem tense about something."

=Something...is not right,= Aurapaw replied, her words tight with anxiety. =The Aura is being disturbed around the mansion.=

"Eh, what do you mean by "disturbed," exactly?"

=We should head back,= Auratail answered, his voice just as strained as his sister's. =I do not like this, not-= The little jackal cut himself off suddenly, giving a little choking noise as he stumbled back a few paces. Beside him, Aurapaw let out a breathless gasp and clapped her paws over her head, as if trying to ward of a feared blow. Worried, I knelt between them and placed a hand-paw on their backs. Moments later, the others were standing around us, and I could sense the concern radiating from them.

=Such...power!= Auratail sputtered a moment later, shaking his head. =To affect the Aura like that...=

"What's going on?" I prodded, worried for the two Riolu, but also worried about what might be going on back at the mansion.

=A Gardevoir, a Gardevoir is attacking the mansion, along with a Sneasel and a Vulpix!= Aurapaw offered, visibly shaken from whatever she and Auratail had just experienced. =Just now, she must have sensed us watching her somehow. She let off a burst of Psychic energy that managed to temporarily rend the Aura!=

"How is something like that even possible?"

=Psychic energy and the Aura are very closely related. Both are kinetic and based on energy, and one can easily be affected by the other is the opposing force is great enough,= Aurapaw explained. =But it isn't important. Right now we must return to the mansion!=

"Right, you two go on ahead," I ordered, and the two Riolu nodded sharply before leaping away. I turned to the others and grabbed Phaina, who was looking downright terrified. I nodded at Cree and Ren, asking, "Exactly how strong are those tongues of yours?"

=I think that should be pretty clear, considering I almost strangled you with mine,= Cree said. =And even though a good quarter of it is missing now, well, I think it's got some muscle left in it.=

"Good. Both of you, wrap your tongues around my waist. I can carry you guys easier that way. Musa, how fast can you go?"

=As fast as I must,= the Ghost replied somberly. I didn't reply, but instead unfolded my four wings, stretching them and preparing for a tough flight. Not only would I have to move as fast as I possibly could, I'd be carrying over a hundred pounds of extra weight. I honestly wasn't even sure my wings could deal with it: with a twenty-foot wingspan, I was able to carry myself with relative ease. I'm no bird, you know, or a real Dragon. My bones aren't hollow and light. I need large, powerful wings to get my bulk in the air and keep it there.

All the same, I had to try. If I couldn't carry all of them, I'd have to let Cree and Ren go on foot and catch up with us. That idea didn't appeal to me though, so I was determined to get all of us there together.

After a few moments, I motioned for the two Lickitung to latch on. They shot one another a peculiar look, like this was just about the weirdest thing they'd ever had to do. Then they stepped closer and opened their jaws, thick tongues shooting out with amazing speed and winding around my waist. I have to admit that it was much grosser than I thought it would be. The appendages were hot, drool-covered, and pulsing on the bottom. It was worse now than when Cree had tried to suffocate me a few days ago. I winced, feeling the numbing effects of the saliva start going to work on my waist. I hadn't thought about that...

Without waiting any longer, I crouched and pumped my wings a few times, gaining strength and momentum with each beat. When I was satisfied I'd built up enough power, I lunged into the air on a downward stroke, shooting into the air. A few more strokes took me above the forest, Musa zipping along beside me. Phaina gave a squeal, whether of excitement or fear, I couldn't tell. Dangling about a foot below me, Cree and Ren gave slurred exclamations as they swung back and forth. Not knowing how long their tongues could hold their weight, not knowing how long my wings could keep us airborne, I quickly got my bearings and leveled out, soaring in the direction of the mansion.

It took only a few minutes for my wings to begin tiring, which was a bit longer than I thought they'd last. The mansion was sitting in the near distance, getting closer with every beat of my wings, but it still seemed so far away. I cursed silently, forcing my wings to keep moving. The tiredness quickly turned to pain, a burn that spread from my wings to my sides, and from there to my back and chest.

As we drew closer, I could hear the madness that was going on in the mansion. It seemed like the attack was taking place inside, since there was no commotion I could see going on anywhere else. The bright flashes of guns being fired illuminated various windows, yells and screamed curses were coming nonstop, booming gunfire making my ears hurt. Then a gout of brilliant orange flames exploded from one window, taking with it two Hellsing officers. I watched, horror-struck, as the flaming men tumbled through the air before meeting the ground with sickening thuds. Neither of them moved, and neither had made any noise as they'd fallen. Most likely, they'd died the moment those searing flames had struck them.

Phaina whimpered as she tried her best to burrow into my flesh, terror pouring from her in waves. I tried to think of something to comfort her, but no gentle words would come from me. All I wanted to do was rage, scream that all this was pointless, that all this mindless fighting and killing was useless. Of course, it would do no good to throw a tantrum, so I didn't waste the energy on it.

Then, as I was getting ready to land, my wings seized up with a painful wrench. I grunted in shock, tried my best to get my wings beating again, but they had reached their limit long ago. The muscles were locked up and wouldn't be working again for some time. Unfortunately, we were at least a hundred or so feet in the air, though that altitude was quickly being lost.

"Damn!" I shouted, worried more for Phaina and the Lickitung than for myself. I'd taken falls before, from greater heights mind you, and walked away from the resulting impact with Ms. Earth. Sure, I'd needed several days of healing after most of those graceless crashes, but that's besides the point. Phaina and the others couldn't heal like I could, and their bodies weren't capable of absorbing as great a deal of physical damage. A fall from this height would surely kill them.

As we fell, Phaina started whining loudly. Cree and Ren were shouting something in Kaalith, most of which sounded like some serious profanities. Musa was silent as he zoomed towards the ground with us, and I could tell the levelheaded Ghost was trying to think of something to ensure the rest of us walked away from this in one piece. Then he stopped for an instant, a satisfied look crossing the Spiritomb's face.

=Nee, catch the wind, you can make it to that window if you can catch the wind!= he called, and I struggled to right myself from my freefall to see what window he was talking about. Sure enough, there was one of those glassless windows about twenty feet below us and about the same distance away. Gritting my fangs and desperate to do something to save my Bound, I leveled myself again and tilted the upper part of my body towards the ground. My wings had locked up at the peak of their upward stroke, so I was trying to get them as level with the ground as I could. At the very least, doing that would allow me to get into a glide.

It took several tries, but finally I managed. We were just above the window now, and as we soared in through it I whirled, so Phaina wouldn't be crushed against the wall we were about to hit. Seconds later, the momentum from the improvised dive was abruptly taken away. My back crashed into the wall hard enough to snap the fragile bones in all four of my wings, as well as send the air in my lungs whooshing out in a painful wheeze. Not five seconds later, Cree and Ren slammed into my stomach, further winding me and causing me to gag as the Pokemon rolled off me onto the floor. Musa darted in moments later as I sunk to the floor, pain stabbing at me from my shattered wings and abused back. No doubt I had some impressive bruising going on back there right about now.

=Nee!= the Ghost exclaimed, looking stricken. =Your wings...=

"Yee-ah," I gasped as I let Phaina go, feeling Cree and Ren unwrap their tongues from my waist as they shakily got to their feet. I blinked when I saw the long appendages streaked with blood, then realized they must have been torn up when I'd hit the wall. The two Pokemon were clearly in quite a bit of pain, but drew their injured tongues back into their mouths and watched me with troubled expressions.

=Nee...?= Phaina said, her voice small and fearful. I smiled at her a bit, ignoring the shrieking pain in my wings and back, as well as the beginnings of what was going to be a hell of a stitch in both my sides. Steeling myself, I pulled myself to my feet-paws, my wings limp and dragging on the floor.

"We...gotta find...Aurapaw and Auratail...and help fight the Pokemon..." I panted. "Come on..."

We started off, following the sounds of shouting and gunfire. The thick scents of blood, death, gunpowder, and erratic emotions combined into a wholly unpleasant assault on my tender nose. Throw in the smell of smoldering flesh and clothes, courtesy of the Vulpix that was here somewhere, and it became downright stomach-churning.

As we went, I concentrated on healing my wings and back. Not enough to fully mend them, but enough to stitch the bones together and heal the shredded muscles and flesh. Mostly it was to take away the pain: it was hard to focus on fighting when you were getting smacked stupid by good ol' agony.

We rounded a corner, just in time to nearly get caught in the path of a towering pillar of crackling flames. Luckily, it veered crazily to the left, sending a wave of heat at us as it slammed into a wall. The spinning vortex quickly ground itself out against the stone, leaving the charred remains of what looked like a person. Honestly though, it could have been a Pokemon, a Humanshape one. The body was so badly burnt up it was difficult to tell.

I turned from the smoking corpse to see the Vulpix that had obviously released the deadly Fire Spin attack. The little fire-fox was surrounded by Hellsing officers and their various Pokemon, though many of them looked like they were injured. Currently the auburn-furred thing was yowling insanely, its six curly tails whipping through the air like angry snakes. As it whirled back and forth, the three large curls of lush fur between its ears fell into its vicious crimson eyes, which seemed to make it all the more angry.

"Waters up!" one of the soldiers hollered, and the eight or so Water Pokemon that were present stepped forward. "Fire!" At this command, the owners of the Pokemon each ordered their partners to use Hydro Pump. I watched, certain the Vulpix would not only be knocked out, but probably drowned, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the little thing. It hadn't asked for this, and now it was going to end up badly injured, maybe even dead, for something it couldn't help.

As the massive bullets of crystal-blue water roared towards the little fox, it let out an even louder shriek and crouched against the floor. A glow surrounded its body, faint at first, but then growing stronger and fiercer. Just as the Hydro Pumps reached the Vulpix, it rolled underneath the gap between the water bullets and the floor, much to everyone's surprise.

=They're getting smarter,= Musa said softly, his tone tight. =They're still mad, but they're getting smarter. Not fighting blindly, like they were in the past...= I nodded slowly, knowing exactly what he meant. I didn't know about the Gardevoir or the Sneasel, but they were most likely as Vampiric as the glowing Vulpix that was now getting to its paws. Behind and beside it, the Hydro Pump attacks collided and exploded into a fountain of water, which fell to the floor with a splash seconds later. This resulted in the Vulpix getting a bit wet, and I swear the thing looked damn ready to explode from fury.

Then it did explode. Not literally, I mean. But the glow around it grew so bright it made my eyes sting and water. The glow around it was then replaced by a colossal wall of glittering white flames, which erupted from the Vulpix's small body. Heat flowed from the wall, almost as intense as Baskerville's odd purple fire, and the roaring it was giving off made my ears ring.

I watched, dumbfounded, as several soldiers and Pokemon closest to the flaming wall were killed by the heat alone. They dropped heavily, while the other soldiers shouted and turned to run, their Pokemon right behind them. Some of the Pokemon refused to leave, though: a few of the dead soldiers were probably their Trainers.

"MOVE!" I screamed at them, because the Heat Wave attack wasn't over yet. The Pokemon ignored me, though, too angry and grief-stricken by the loss of their Trainers to listen to reason. Seconds later, they ended up joining their humans as the wall of white fire expanded, then imploded violently. The resulting blast of heat was so strong it turned the stone it touched black, seared away the flesh and muscles and organs from the bodies it washed over, leaving only blackened skeletons in its wake.

As the shimmering wave of death came at us, I grabbed Phaina, pushing Cree and Ren back around the corner and quickly following them. Musa turned incorporeal just as the wave passed over him, and seconds later I felt it hit the wall in front and to the side of us. It was a like a deep thrum in my body, and then an aftershock of heat rolled over me. It wasn't that bad, though it was nowhere near pleasant. Though Phaina and I weren't affected by it much, me being part Dragon and her being Water, Cree and Ren made noises of discomfort in their throats as they shuffled back a few more paces.

Finally, the heat dissipated, and we crept back around the corner to see most of the soldiers and Pokemon were now dead. Some were horribly injured, and probably dying even as I looked at them. I saw several figures lying farther down the hall: apparently, the Heat Wave had moved a lot faster than the fleeing soldiers and Pokemon had. There'd been no chance for them once the Vulpix had released the attack.

As I forced myself not to gag on the heavy smell of burnt flesh, hair, and fabric, I set Phaina on the floor and stared at the Vulpix. It had its back to me, having turned around at some point, and was snapping at the air like crazy. The sight reminded me of a rabid dog I'd seen once.

"All right, I need some of you to go help out with the other Pokemon that are supposed to be here," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving the Vulpix as it bit at nothing and started barking.

=I can move faster, and through the walls and floor,= Musa said as he floated near my head, still insubstantial. =Cree and the others should stay to help you, though. This Vulpix is old: she's seen a lot of battles. That Heat Wave is proof of her strength.=

"Be careful," I muttered as the Ghost rose higher into the air, soon vanishing through the ceiling. I stared at the place he'd gone through for a moment, then lowered my gaze back to the Vulpix.

=What now?= Phaina asked, and even though there was still fear in her voice, there was also a determination that hadn't been present before. I smiled a little, opened my mouth, and sucked in a deep breath. I then saturated the air in my lungs with energy, and the next moment I shot out a glittering stream of brilliant yellow energy. The Dragonbreath attack popped and crackled as it crossed the space between myself and my target, which gave it away rather quickly. One of the Vulpix's large ears flicked back towards me, then the fire-fox whirled as her hackles rose.

Before she could do anything, my attack struck her full in the face. The Pokemon yelped in anger and shock as she was blown off her paws, landing on her back a foot or so away and rolling another several inches. She came to a stop and laid there for a moment, dazed, and I took the opportunity.

"If she starts glowing, I don't care what you have to do, don't let her fire off another Heat Wave!" I shouted. "Phaina, use a Confusion attack to keep her occupied, Cree and Ren, I want both of you to hit her with Rollout attacks. If we keep on her and don't give her a chance to retaliate, we can get done with her quick and go help the others!"

=Right!= the three Pokemon chimed, and as the Vulpix stumbled to her paws, Phaina's eyes started to glow purple. Seconds later, she lifted a paw and flicked it at the enraged fox down the hall, enveloping her in an amethyst haze of Psychic energy. Then, without the slightest hint of effort, Phaina lifted our foe into the air as the Vulpix began howling. She was crazy before, but I knew firsthand just how disorienting Phaina's Confusion attack was. That Vulpix was probably going to need some serious psychological therapy when this was all said and done.

Meanwhile, Cree and Ren both began to spin in place. Soon they had worked up enough speed to become large pink blurs, and on some unknown signal they both shot forward. I had no idea how they could aim or steer while moving so fast, but somehow both of them avoided hitting Phaina or the walls as they spun down the hallway. Phaina, smart little duck that she was, lowered the Vulpix in her mental grip enough so Ren and Cree's attacks would hit. Once, twice, the fox was struck by the powerful spinning blows dealt by the two Lickitung.

It seemed like the battle would be over sooner than I'd thought. The Vulpix fell silent after the second Rollout hit her, and I paused in the middle of the Dragon Rush I'd been preparing. It looked like she'd fainted, and I wasn't about to unleash anything else on her if she was no longer a threat. Slowly, I walked down the hall to where the little Pokemon was still being held in the air by Phaina's Confusion. Cree and Ren spun into view, abruptly ending their Rollout attacks and coming to a stop beside me.

=Is she-= Ren started, but before he could finish his question, the Vulpix snapped her head up and snarled viciously. Without any further warning, she somehow managed to execute a flip, sending a sudden wave of inky energy flying from her entire body. I don't know how she managed to use the Payback move to begin with, but once the Dark energy was released, it easily destroyed the Confusion attack. Free once more, the Vulpix landed in a crouch as she growled loudly. The Payback move, spent from canceling Phaina's attack, ended before it could hurt any of us. Which couldn't be said for the fire-fox.

Ren was the closest to the infuriated Pokemon, and therefore the one who received her wrath. In the blink of an eye, the fox had thrown herself at the Lickitung. The Quick Attack ended as Ren gave a startled little squeal, trying to shake his assailant off. The Vulpix had dug her claws in, though, and hung on as she unleashed a hasty Flamethrower right in Ren's face. Screeching in pain, the Lickitung toppled over and hit the ground as the fox clinging to him snapped at his throat and shoulders. Within seconds, bloody gouges had been torn open in Ren's upper body, though thankfully his throat was still intact.

=Get OFF him!= Phaina cried shrilly from down the hall, and her words were followed by a roaring orb of water that tore by me seconds later. The Hydro Pump slammed into the Vulpix, sending her flying into a nearby wall. The collision was a painful-sounding one, as the fire-fox hit the wall with a faint thud. She then collapsed to the ground, growling faintly.

Ignoring her for the moment, I rushed to Ren's side and dropped to my knees, fear writhing in me. Phaina and Cree joined me, both of them looking as terror-struck as I felt.

=My eyes!= Ren was crying, his paws clutching at his face. He seemed unaware of the wounds to his shoulders and chest, which weren't as bad as they'd looked moments ago. =My eyes...= He then started cursing in Kaalith, moaning and rocking back and forth.

"Ren, move your paws," I said, sounding more calm than I felt. Gently, I reached out and pried his paws from his face, then felt my stomach do a painful twist. Cree and Phaina gasped in horror, and Phaina started crying softly.

Ren's face above his nose was nothing but a mass of burnt, twisted flesh, blackened from the heat of the flames that had inflicted the injury. Pus and blood were leaking from the mess, and layers of dead flesh were clinging to the Lickitung's paws. Yellow fat bubbled in a few places, mainly under the Pokemon's ruined eyes. The sight made me feel sick, and even as I racked my brain for a way to help my Bound, he started slurring his words and rocking less.

"No!" I shouted, but it was no good. Ren's slurred speech dissolved into senseless gurgling, and his rocking switched to violent spasms. I had no idea what was happening, other than Ren was most certainly dying, and I didn't have a clue as to help him.

=Shock,= Cree said numbly, staring at the perishing Lickitung on the floor. =I saw it before. His injuries are making him go into shock, and...= Here he made a strangled noise, and when he started talking again, his voice was shaking as bad as I was. =He's gone. We can't do anything...= At these words, Phaina started crying harder, and I couldn't hold back an angry sob of my own. I had wondered what it would be like to lose a Bound. Now I was finding out, and I hated it.

A few seconds went by, and Ren fell still. His breath came in short, labored gasps, and I gathered my poor, dying friend into my lap. Getting his head off the floor didn't seem to help his breathing, though, and he just kept sucking in air like he wasn't getting enough. Some part of me said to just let him go, that I needed to Bind the Vulpix and go help with the other two Pokemon that were somewhere in the mansion. But I couldn't bring myself to just abandon the Lickitung and leave him to die alone.

The seconds ticked by, and about two minutes later, Ren let out a wheezing sigh. It took me a moment to realize that had been his last breath, and that he was dead. I sat there, arms around his body, unable to believe that he was gone. Unable to bring myself to let him go. I don't know how long I sat there, holding him, but after a time I felt pressure on my right shoulder. I turned and blankly stared at Cree, who had tears running down his face.

=Gone,= he whispered. =Nee, he's gone...=

I looked away from the grieving Lickitung, back down into the slack, mutilated face of the dead one I still held in my lap. Slowly, I lowered him to the floor and stood, too numb from the shock of losing a Bound to feel anything at the moment. Somewhere in my mind, I knew when the feelings came, they'd be horrid and unlike anything I'd ever faced. The part of my spirit that had been connected with Ren's felt as dead as the Lickitung, though some part of me knew this wasn't true.

=Th-the V-Vulp-pix,= Phaina stammered as her shoulders jerked, and I turned to face the fire-fox. Somewhere between having hit the wall and this moment, she had passed out, and was lying unconscious on her side. Slowly, I walked over to her and knelt down, staring at the prone, cream-colored belly. I thought about how it was her fault Ren was dead, her fault my beloved Bound was lying as a hollow shell on the floor behind me. But try as hard as I could to be angry, I couldn't. In truth, it wasn't her fault. No, Ren's death couldn't be blamed on her, because it was really the ones who'd made her Vampiric that were to blame. If they hadn't done this, the Vulpix never would have been here, never would have attacked Ren, never would have killed him.

For a long while I stared at her. I had a moment where I didn't want to Bind her, didn't want to have more Bound than I did already. I didn't want to go through this numbness and the anguish that would come after it more times than I had to. Then the thought hit me, that I couldn't just leave the Vulpix as she was, or any Vampiric Pokemon. I had to help them, had to Bind and cure them. It would be selfish and cruel to just leave them.

I reached out, placing a hand-paw on the Vulpix's side. Her soul was easy enough to find, and I twined some of my own spirit around it. Then I pulled back and stood, staring at fox Vulpix for a moment longer before turning away. Without saying anything, I started walking down the hall, Cree and Phaina soon following after me. I stepped around the charred skeletons of those who'd got caught in the Heat Wave's initial implosion, avoided puddles of melted flesh and boiled blood. The corpses of those that had been farther down the hall when the Heat Wave had gone off were even more gristly to look at: flesh burnt away, leaving twisted muscle that was thick with hardening yellow pus, eyes swollen or burst open,

On we walked, until we came to a floor that was full of chilled air. I shuddered a little, wrapping my arms around myself as I cautiously turned a corner. Standing not far away was the Sneasel, its midnight-black fur sleek and shiny in the moonlight it was standing in. A reddish-purple feather rose from the right side of its head, and a yellow gem between its ruby eyes gleamed brightly. Three feathers that were the same color as the one on its head grew above its rump.

The ice-weasel looked surprised for a moment, then lifted its paws, Two wicked, curved claws extended from sheathes hidden within each paw, and I didn't give the thing a chance to attack. I breathed in deep, ignited the oxygen, and blew out a particularly vicious Flamethrower. The blaze screamed towards the Sneasel, which nimbly jumped over the attack. Not wanting to leave myself open, I snapped my mouth shut and cut the attack off, dancing backwards as the weasel let off an Ice Beam.

"Phaina, hit it with a Disable!" I said, and the little duck quacked her acknowledgement. She jumped forward as the Sneasel landed on its paws, slapping a paw on the ice-weasel's forehead. Before the thing could react, a brilliant white light flared around Phaina's paw, then flickered out. In its wake was a very dazed-looking Sneasel. For a few minutes, at least, it would forget it had Ice Beam in its arsenal. That being its strongest attack, we would have an easier time of this until the Disable's affect wore off. By that time, we might actually be done and moved on to the Gardevoir.

"Phaina, quick, before it recovers, hit it with a Screech! You too, Cree!" I ordered now, and both Pokemon opened their jaws to take in deep breaths. A heartbeat later, they expelled the mighty breaths as ear-shattering Screeches. Even though I wasn't in the line of fire, so to speak, the attacks still sent me reeling. I recoiled, lips rising as I gritted my fangs in discomfort. The Screech attacks echoed loudly in the hallway, reverberating all around me as the Sneasel let out a pained cry. I watched it stagger back, shaking its head madly as it went. Perfect. Now it was not only greatly disarmed, but it was also so stunned it could hardly function.

I moved forward, lifting an arm and preparing a weak Slash. Sneasel didn't have the greatest defense, as their bodies were light and handled physical punishment badly. I just wanted to knock the thing out, not do any real damage to it. Before I could execute my attack, though, two blue blurs dropped from above me. I blinked in surprise as Aurapaw did a midair spin, moving so fast a ball of bright red flames burst to life around her right hind paw. This was slammed into the Sneasel's right shoulder seconds later, while Auratail smashed a glowing paw into the ice-weasel's belly.

But the Vampiric Pokemon were nothing, if not tough. Any other Sneasel would have been dropped by those powerful blows, but not this one. Oh, yeah, it hit the floor, but it didn't stay there long. Within seconds it was back on its feet, squealing in mad rage and ripping its talons through the air. The Riolu twins agilely jumped back, avoiding the flailing claws and landing about a foot in front of me.

"Where...where did you guys come from?" I asked in confusion, looking up. My question was answered by a gaping hole in the ceiling above me, and I wondered how I could have missed it.

=He tried to hit us with an Ice Beam, but we dodged. The ceiling froze, and was made brittle. A surprise Metal Claw sent me through it,= Auratail explained. =My sister came up to make sure I was all right. That was just a few moments ago.=

"Where are the others? I can't believe they'd leave you two to deal with this thing on your own..."

=He and the Gardevoir were attacking together. But a soldier was injured and dragged off out of the way, and we were the only ones who noticed the Sneasel following them. We tried to get someone to come with us, but everyone was too busy trying to fight the Gardevoir,= Aurapaw replied. =So we went after them on our own. Both men were dead by the time we caught up...=

"So many," I muttered, feeling the numbness that Ren's death had initially caused beginning to fade. A seed of grief unlike any I'd felt before took root in my belly, and I hated thinking about what it would be like when it blossomed.

=Nee, what happened?= Auratail asked, turning to face me with concern in his brilliant red eyes. =Aurapaw and I felt something a few minutes ago, an awful pain in our hearts. Where...where is Ren?=

I had no chance to answer the jackal, for at that moment the Sneasel snapped out of his blind rage. Before any of us could do anything, the weasel inhaled sharply, then blew out a thick, sparkling white cloud. It moved rapidly, and the sharp scent of a winter morning filled the hallway as it spread out. I backpedaled as fast as I could, but there was no way to get out of the cloud's path. Even as my Bound and I moved away from it, the Icy Wind washed over us.

The moment that insanely cold air hit me, I felt myself slowing down. It was so cold it seemed to burn, and the chill caused my muscles to spasm uncontrollably. I tried to speak, but the frozen air filled my lungs as I breathed in. It felt like I'd sucked in a lungful of acid, and I started to cough violently. This only caused me to suck in more of the Icy Wind as it passed around me, and I swear I could feel my chest freezing.

I sank to my knees, trying to draw air into my burning, half-frozen lungs. I was distantly aware of someone calling my name, but the cold had settled around my brain and was making it hard for anything to make sense. I gasped, coughed until drool was dripping from my fangs, and became aware of the fact that I was shivering.

Dear sweet Aruseusu's sake, I downright LOATHE Ice!!!

Then a force smacked into my chest, and warmth enveloped me from where it struck. Not the warmth of blood flowing from a wound or the flushing heat of an internal injury, but the pleasant, relaxing warmth that reminded me of a cozy fireplace. It spread through me, and I felt that deep-seated cold flow from my bones. Within a few seconds, I was no longer shivering and could breathe normally.

=Thank goodness you're all right!= Aurapaw exclaimed, her hind paw still against my chest, balanced perfectly on the other. I stared at her blankly as she lowered her leg, looking close to tears. =I...I used my Blaze Kick to thaw you out, you were pretty much Frozen...I thought you were going to die!= Here she threw herself at me, a little sob escaping her. =I don't want to lose anyone else!= I wondered when she had realized Ren was dead, if maybe Phaina or Cree had told her. Or maybe she'd worked it out on her own, after thinking about why the Lickitung would be missing.

During all this, Phaina was standing by my left side, hers paws against my ribs as she watched me worriedly. I smiled a little, then gave her and Aurapaw a reassuring hug. In front of us, Cree was unleashing a frenzy of Power Whips on the Sneasel as Auratail darted between the attacks, using a Quick Attack to land swift yet weak punches on the weasel. Neither of them seemed to have suffered as badly from the Icy Wind as I had, which made me both glad and a little envious at the same time.

Then there was a moment, a split second, where neither Cree nor Auratail were attacking. Cree was snapping his tongue up, getting ready to bring it down in what promised to be an extra-strong Power Whip, and Auratail was pulling back a fist. Neither of them had the chance to land their attacks. Even though the Sneasel had soaked up an incredible amount of damage, he wasn't about to go down just yet.

Throwing back his head and letting out a scream, the ice-weasel flung his paws out and slashed them through the air. Just as Cree swung his tongue down and Auratail jerked his fist forward, a sizzling brown-orange shield sprang to life in front of the Sneasel. Cree's tongue and Auratail's fist collided with the Counter barrier, rather than their foe, and both Pokemon were blown back as their attacks were sent back at them with double the force.

I narrowed my eyes as the two stunned Pokemon lay on the floor, taking a moment to recover their wits. Then I stood, determined to get this battle over with. Apparently the Sneasel had a few other unpleasant attacks at his disposal, and not just the Ice Beam as I'd first thought.

"All right, you," I snapped at the Sneasel as his Counter move ended. Whether it was drawn by my voice, or just because I was now the largest thing in the area, the Pokemon's attention fell on me as he growled deep in his chest. "Yeah you, you evil little thing. It's time to put an end to this. I have a Gardevoir to Bind too, and..." Here I cut myself off abruptly, then swallowed thickly. "And I've got other important things to see to. So just faint already!"

The Sneasel wasn't having any part of that, though, and instead leapt at me. Startled, I took a few hurried steps back, but it didn't put enough distance between us. The thing barreled into me, wildly hacking at me with his long claws. Several of the frantic slashes hit home, opening long but thankfully shallow lacerations along my chest and shoulders. Irritated more than anything, I bashed an arm-fin against the Pokemon's skull, which sent him sprawling on the floor.

The little bugger just didn't know when to quit, though. He hit the floor and rolled, gaining his paws seconds later and looking furious. I growled softly as he glared at me, wondering if the Gardevoir would give me so much trouble.

"All right, I asked you nicely, now it's time to play mean," I said. "Guys, back me up. I'm gonna hit this thing with a good ol' fashioned Fire Blast, straight from the oven to that thing's head." Wordlessly, Phaina and the others stepped forward and engaged the Sneasel. He seemed a little surprised to be dealing with four opponents at once, instead of one or two, but that's what the damned stubborn thing got for not knowing when he was beaten.

As the others held the little weasel off, I inhaled as much as I could. Then I threw out my chest and pushed my shoulders back as far as I could, making room for even more air. Finally, when I felt I might very well split right in half, I ignited the oxygen in my lungs. It took all my strength and will to keep the flames from bursting from me at that moment. Instead, I shot another round of chemical into the fire. At this point my chest and sides were aching something fierce, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Of course, I wasn't actually going to vomit all over the place, but heck if my body knew that. Before I could drop my jaws and heave out the nice little explosion-to-be dancing in my lungs, I injected another round of that nifty chemical mixture.

That did it. There was no way I could keep my jaws shut. They were forced open with such force and speed that they creaked painfully. Whether sensing the Fire Blast that was surging up from within me, or hearing the deafening roar of the attack as it was released, I didn't know. Either way, my Bound knew when to get out of the way. The four Pokemon flung themselves to the floor as the biggest Fire Blast I'd ever unleashed tore by above them, engulfing a very shocked-looking Sneasel. Darn thing might have been almost as crazy as Alucard, but that didn't mean it was stupid. It knew what the raging torrent of flames wrapping around it meant.

The attack was so strong it took several seconds to end. When the last few embers died away, I padded over to where the Sneasel was lying, not unconscious, but near enough to be satisfactory. I knelt by him once I reached him, setting a hand-paw on the weasel's smoking back. His fur, despite having been pitch-black to begin with, looked slightly incinerated, as did the edges of his feathers. It gave him a look that would have been comical any other time. As it was, I was tired and feeling more of that dreaded grief pushing through the failing wall of emotional numbness. I could tell the others were feeling it as well, for they were twitching and looking distraught.

I didn't realize until after I pulled my hand-paw from the Sneasel that I had been Binding it for the past several seconds. I shook my head slightly, wondering how I could have been so lost to not have noticed earlier. I then stood, sighing heavily as I stretched. Several parts of me popped in protest, and others just groaned loudly. Man, I was going to be sore for the next few days.

"C'mon," I muttered as I turned from the ice-weasel. "Let's go take care of the Gardevoir. I just want to hurry and get this over with..."

We left the Sneasel behind, the five of us walking in silence. Phaina kept make weepy noises, and I knew just how she felt. With every passing second, the dam of emotions being held back by the numbness was getting stronger and stronger. Soon the wall would be overpowered, and all that grief and hurt and anger would crash down on me like a hurricane. I wasn't looking forward to that.

The others were showing signs of worsening sadness as well. Cree's tongue rapidly flicked in and out of his mouth, a sign of distress among Lickitung. The Riolu twins ahead of us were clutching one another's paws, as if for dear life, and I could sense the thick wave of sorrow that was pouring from them with increasing strength.

On we went, passing floor after floor. Desperate to pierce the sullen silence we walked in, I asked Auratail how the battle with the Gardevoir had been going before he and his sister left to confront the Sneasel.

=We were easily able to find her,= Auratail answered. =After we reached the mansion, we mostly tracked her through the Aura. When we arrived at the battle, it was going badly for the soldiers and their Pokemon. The Sneasel was tearing around all over the place, making it nearly impossible to focus on the Gardevoir as she launched attacks. The moment someone tried to concentrate on her, that little weasel would pop out of nowhere and slash them up.

=She uses a wall of Psychic energy to shield herself with, too,= Aurapaw added. =Whenever a Pokemon attacked or a soldier fired at her, the shield would come up and deflect whatever it was coming at her. Even the Tanks can't break through it, despite all of them knowing Brick Break. Every time they'd get close enough to try and use the move, the Gardevoir would shoot an attack at them or something.=

=And she's even...= Auratail paused for a moment, shaking his head slowly. The movement was like that of someone who'd just seen something very unbelievable. =She was even holding Alucard at bay. Her shield kept all his shots away, and even when he used some of his powers he couldn't get through.=

"She must be extremely powerful to hold off so many soldiers and Pokemon, on top of the strongest Vampire known to exist," I sighed. "That also means she'll be a tough opponent."

=But now that the Sneasel is out of the way, maybe the soldiers and their partners have been able to focus enough of their strength. Maybe they've finally managed to bring down that cursed barrier,= Aurapaw said, sounding hopeful. I didn't share her enthusiasm: maybe they had brought down the shield, but most likely they hadn't. Even if they'd managed, there was the disheartening possibility that they may have just killed her and been done with it. After all, Aurapaw had just said the soldiers had been shooting at her, as had Alucard. In fact, if that shield had come down with him still around, it was almost guaranteed that a bullet from his Jackal would have blown her head apart. That thing was ungodly strong, and I had a hard time believing a human had developed and manufactured it.

"Let's hurry up then. Though, if her shield was destroyed already, there's a big chance that there won't be much of her left."

=I'm sorry we can't locate her,= Aurapaw said, sounding disappointed. =But the closer we get to her, the more the Aura is distorted and warped. Though, I can tell you that she's nearby. The Aura is almost as unstable now as it was when we were right in front of her.=

I was getting ready to reply when I heard a muffled explosion. I glanced up, as did the others, for the source of the boom had come from above us. Without further hesitation, I broke into a run and charged up the next flight of stairs, rounded a few corners, and ended up stumbling into chaos.

How I managed to not hear the commotion going on was just crazy, simple as that. The hall in front of me was packed with Hellsing troops and their Pokemon, along with several dozen Tanks. Granted, most of them were sprawled on the ground, and a distressingly large number of those were lying too still for comfort. Then throw in Seras and Pip, the former bellowing commands as her crystal-blue eyes burned with some intense emotion. Fear, anger, or something else, I couldn't really be sure. The latter of the pair was looking cool and collected, issuing orders to his Pokemon as if this was just another night. Walter was there as well, and I saw flashes of...something...trailing from his fingers as he stared, stiff-backed and looking strangely uncomfortable, at the Gardevoir standing amidst the insanity. And of course Alucard, not boasting either of his monstrous guns. Instead, he had gone through those odd changes again, with his black hair nearly twice as long as it was back when he'd regenerated after being smeared by Ren. I quickly pushed that thought away: it was getting more and more painful to think about the dead Lickitung.

Hovering above them all was Musa, unusually still. Slowly, he turned towards where I was standing, and I could tell instantly that he understood and knew the pain I was feeling, and that would soon be too much. That was only to be expected, though, since he had lost his DeMon.

"Here at last," came Alucard's unknowing, snide remark. An insane grin was plastered across his face, and for a moment I wanted nothing more than to unleash all my increasing grief and fury on him. Then I remembered that he had no idea, had no way of knowing I'd just lost a Bound. So I kept my raging emotions in check and focused on what needed to be done.

"Everyone, back down," I stated. The troops that were still conscious and upright scoffed at my words, as did their Pokemon. All except Seras, Pip, their Pokemon, Walter, and Alucard. The latter was surprising, though at the moment I didn't really pay it much mind. I was more angered by the fact that these stuck-up humans, along with their Pokemon, who weren't listening to me, when it was obvious none of them had been able to do anything to the Gardevoir. Said Pokemon was acting oddly subdued for being Vampiric, which she clearly was. The whole glowy-red-eyes-and-big-fangs thing kinda gave it away.

"I said, back DOWN," I repeated, putting some snarl in my words. Normally, I would have never thought of trying to intimidate others like this. The situation, combined with my mounting emotional problems, made it a heck of a lot easier, though. "None of you have been able to do a damned useful thing. And the only ones who most likely have," here I nodded in the direction of Pip and Seras, as well as their Pokemon, "have done so because they haven't tried beating this poor Pokemon into a mindless pulp or shooting her to hell and back."

"And you think you can do better, oh mighty DeMon?" one of the men asked sarcastically, and the others snickered. Alucard made something that was like a combination of a laugh and a warning noise, sprinkled with a generous helping of amusement. "Oh, by all means, please enlighten us; show us what we were doing wrong!"

During all of this, the Gardevoir was simply standing there. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong, horribly wrong, because none of the Vampiric Pokemon I'd ever seen or heard of had been so calm. The soldiers and Pokemon, along with Seras and the others, had apparently given up on any assault, and the Gardevoir seemed content to not bother them if they let her be. But that just wasn't how Vampiric Pokemon worked. They were crazed, blood-hungry things.

Then she raised an arm, suddenly, fluidly, and swept it out in a wide arc before her as she faced me. Her crimson eyes smoldered with insanity, and I finally realized what was so terribly wrong. She was mad, as mad as any other Vampiric Pokemon. But somehow, instead of being controlled by that madness and becoming a mindless beast, she had overcome it. She was focusing it, concentrating the increased strength the insane possess and putting it to good use, instead of striking out at random and generally mucking about.

This would be fun.

As she finished sweeping her arm around, she dropped it to her side and gave a tiny smile. At that, the soldiers and their partners, as well as the Tanks, collapsed to the floor. There were no gasps or shocked cries, no shouts or any other sounds, except for a large number of bodies collapsing to the floor. I was surprised to hear a few dull thumps behind me and turned, surprised all over again when I saw Phaina and Cree slumped on their bellies, obviously asleep. The Riolu siblings looked a little dazed, but were still on their paws, at least. I turned away from them, wondering when the lot of them had caught up with me.

The only ones left standing were myself, the Riolu siblings, Alucard, Seras, Kiyon, and Guerrier. Musa was still conscious as well, but he didn't count among those standing, considering he hovered and had no legs or feet. I pondered the implications. DeMons were pretty much immune to all assaults against the mind, especially suggestive ones. The one exception had been my initial encounter with Alucard. Vampires were also resistant to mental attacks, for the most part. Auratail, Aurapaw, and Guerrier most likely had the protection of the Aura to shield their minds, and Musa was, well, Musa. All in all, we were the only ones mentally strong enough to defy the mass Hypnosis the Gardevoir had just used to knock everyone else out. Not quite what I'd had in mind when I'd told everyone to back down, but it worked nonetheless.

~'Ware,~ Guerrier cautioned from across the hall, though the Gardevoir never took her glowering eyes from me. ~She is, somehow, both mad and aware. It lends her incredible strength, as I'm sure has become obvious.~ His worried eyes then fell upon the slumbering forms of Pip and his fellow teammates. I nodded absently, my mostly-mended wings popping as they lifted a bit.

=What should we do?= Musa inquired as he floated over, his voice tense. It was unsettling, to see him so distracted and unfocused. He was normally so calm and anchoring.

"Bring down her shield, first of all," I replied, loud enough for the others to hear. I was getting ready to add more when the Gardevoir suddenly vanished with a faint cracking noise. My words caught in my throat as I cut myself off, alert for when the Gardevoir reappeared from her Teleport. I was getting ready to look behind me when I heard that soft crack, like the sound of a car backfiring in the far-off distance. I started to turn faster, sensing my Bound readying attacks.

Then things got all unpleasant.

I saw a flash of stark white as the tall, graceful figure of the Gardevoir moved just out of my line of sight. I finished my turn just in time to experience that slowing-down thing that happens when a big "oh crap" moment is upon you. The Gardevoir was shorter than me, thanks to the height boost I got from my Garchompian legs. Her ivory-white body was floating in the air, though, her glaring ruby eyes level with my amber ones. Then her head lowered a little, causing her pale green hair to fall into her eyes and obscure her delicate face. With agonizing slowness, her slender white arms reached out for me, closed themselves around me with more strength than a Gardevoir should have. As she came closer, drawing herself to me, the pink horn protruding from her chest dug into my own.

Then time seemed to do a skip to fast-forward. One second the Pokemon was clutching me with her head down, the next she was jerking forward with unthinkable speed, mouth dropping open, fangs gleaming as a tiny yip worked its way from my assailant's throat.

Luckily for my throat, I had really good reflexes. I bent back and twisted sharply to the side, and the Gardevoir's fangs sunk into the area where my neck and shoulder met, on the right side. Oh, trust me, it hurt like hell. Imagine having to miniature fire pokers, glowing white from being so hot, driven into that tender part of your body. But hey, at least my throat, which had been the Pokemon's initial target, was still where it belonged.

A bellow that was a mix of pain, rage, and shock tore itself from me, and I snapped my left hand-paw up as my claws started glowing a brilliant gold. The energy sparked and hissed, and, still roaring, I slashed my talons at the Gardevoir's temple. The Dragon Claw connected, which was actually somewhat of a shock. That infamous shield failed to protect the Pokemon gnawing on my neck, and she recoiled with a shriek. The moment I was free from her twisted embrace I jumped back, ignoring the pain from my torn-up neck and the uncomfortable sensation of hot blood pouring down my front and back.

=Vile!= Auratail screeched furiously, and his sister simply yowled her rage. Musa let out a ringing scream, and all three Pokemon unleashed their attacks on the bloody-mouthed Gardevoir as she stumbled back, dazed from the blow to her head. Musa whipped up an Ominous Wind, while the two Riolu unleashed the biggest Aura Spheres I'd ever seen them use. A second before hitting the Gardevoir, the three attacks collided. The energies looked like they'd combine at first, but the friction between them was too great. The Gardevoir was caught the next second in an explosion as the three attacks combusted.

"Nee!" came Seras's worried exclamation, and I turned to see her hurrying towards me. As she came to a stop about a foot away, her eyes flashed crimson for a moment. During that brief moment, they fell and lingered on the hole in my neck. There was a scary minute where I was sure she would lose herself and lunge at me, but she managed to tear her eyes away from my wound and bring them to my face. They went back to their normal blue as the fledging flushed. "I...um, are...are you...well, I suppose it's actually a stupid question, you're obviously not all right..." she muttered, and I smiled as best I could.

"Don't worry," I told her, feeling a sharp little burst of searing pain ripple away from my injury with each syllable. Damn, that freaking Gardevoir must have bit into the muscles of my neck or something. I then turned back to the Gardevoir, catching a glimpse of Alucard as I did. He was only smirking now, arms folded over his chest, hair back to its normal length. He obviously wasn't going to take part in the battle anymore. Maybe he'd gotten bored, or maybe he wanted to see how much of my blood was spilled before I begged for his help. Hell if that would ever happen.

The smoke from the explosion was clearing away slowly. The windows on this floor were small and only allowed a small amount of the already scarce night air in. I would have used my wings to disperse it, but they were still too messed up to be flapping at the moment.

"Musa, think you can whip up an Ominous Wind to clear this smoke?" I asked. Well, I should say I was going to ask, because I only got about halfway through the question before a luminous green orb flew from the smoke. I blinked in surprise as it then split into four smaller balls, one of which joyfully whammed into my stomach a breath later. Musa barely avoided the one launched at him, and the Riolu used their powers over the Aura to negate the mini Energy Balls that had been sent at them.

I felt like such an underachiever as I sank to one knee, wheezing like an old dog.

"Impressive," I managed to cough, my stomach feeling like it had just met with a speeding train. The force behind that little ball was shocking. Not too shocking, though, since Gardevoir were known for their strength in the non-physical department. Their special attacks, the ones that didn't rely on muscle, were backed by their immense telekinetic abilities. There was a reason their species was considered one of the strongest among Psychic Pokemon, and my current dilemma was a prime example.

=I tire of this,= Musa said heatedly, and I sensed power gathering to him as he started charging a Shadow Ball. =All of this! This insanity!= The inky sphere of darkness was shot into the fading haze of smoke, though there was no indication that it hit its target.

I took the lull in action to take stock of the situation. I was on one knee, my throbbing neck ripped open and spilling a spreading puddle of blood all over the floor. My stomach felt like a Machamp had taken an industrial-sized sledgehammer to it. My wings were pretty much shot and would remain so for at least three or four days. And let's not forgot that inner turmoil Ren's death was causing.

It was safe to say things weren't going in my favor.

Then several things happened at once. As the smoke continued to clear, I saw a shape moving within it. The form was like a black stain, so dark it stood out against even the deepest shadow. It was jerking forward and to the sides, moving fitfully as it got closer. Then the shape darted straight forward, slamming into Musa before the Ghost could react. As that happened, two flares peeled themselves from the shadow and spun backwards. One of them was a bluish-red orb of fire that left a faintly glowing trail in its wake. The other was a simple ball of dark light. The former brushed against the fur of Aurapaw's right arm, then seemed to sink into the steel flesh. The Riolu gave a yelp of pain as the Will-O-Wisp inflicted a nasty burn on her, while her brother was caught in the ball of dark light. Seconds later, a stupefied look came over Auratail's face.

In the span of five seconds, Musa had been struck by a Shadow Sneak move, Aurapaw had been Burned by a Will-O-Wisp, and Auratail was confused to high Heaven because of a stupid Confuse Ray. The sister wouldn't be able to focus on attacking with her burn distracting her, and the brother would just as likely attack himself as he would the Gardevoir, at least until he snapped out of his dazed confusion. Musa was temporarily dazed by the Shadow Sneak, hovering just about a foot from the floor.

I turned from the Ghost in time to see the last dregs of smoke clearing away. Standing there was the Gardevoir, blood smeared around her mouth and down her chin. It gave her a decidedly crazed appearance, which fit well enough with her personality. There was a small gash trickling blood where my Dragon Claw had connected with her head, and I have to say, I felt cheated. My neck was doing its best impression of a fountain, and my opponent had something that was hardly bigger than a big scratch. How it was possible she was even still standing was a mystery. Sure, she was Vampiric, but the fact remained that Gardevoir seriously lacked in the physical defense department. She should have been floored and knocked silly at the least, not standing there with murder dancing in her eyes.

The next attack came then, and I was completely taken off-guard. One, by the simple fact that it was being used, and two, by the fact that it didn't affect me. The second fact didn't really surprise me for long, though.

The ivory-skinned Pokemon lifted her hands, and a bright yellow spark popped into existence between them. This quickly expanded to about twice the size of a basketball, then rapidly fell in on itself as the Gardevoir shoved her arms out towards me. The resulting Shock Wave came at me, a barely visible ripple in the air that passed over me a second later. I blinked, then gave a barking laugh as the attack lost its strength and dissipated behind me.

"Silly Gardevoir," I muttered as I managed to finally get to my feet-paws, one hand-paw going to my neck and assessing the damage by touch. The wound was healing, but slowly, and I was losing a lot of blood. In fact, I was already feeling woozy; sounds were just slightly muffled, like there was thin fabric stretched over my ears, and the world seemed to tilt a little to the right. Still, none of it was something I couldn't deal with. "Electric attacks won't work on me. Not only am I part Ground, but I can control lightning with the best Electric Pokemon." To prove myself, I flung out my free arm and released a simple blast of glaring yellow electricity. It flowed from my hand-paw, down my talons, and around the Gardevoir's body. She had been surprised, no doubt, by the failure of her last move, and didn't have time to defend herself as the wave of power coursed through her. The only signs that she was taking any damage were the twitches and jerks she gave as the voltage went through her.

I then dropped my arm and lunged forward, whirling in mid-leap and slamming my tail into the stunned Pokemon's right side. She grunted softly as the blow knocked her from her feet, sending her crashing to the floor moments later. Before she could stand, I inhaled deeply, then released the air as a Dragonbreath. Not a second after I let the attack loose, a pain blazed through the bite the Gardevoir had inflicted. I felt the newly-mended flesh rip back open a little, felt the blood flow a bit too freely for a second, and realized I was pushing myself too hard.

It was at that moment that a faint vibration filled the air. I blinked, wondering what it was as it grew in strength. Soon, a deep, pulsating hum was pounding through and around me. My whole body was quivering from it, my teeth gently chattering together.

Then the noise came. It was a loud rushing noise; it was probably what it would sound like inside a tornado. I turned and saw Guerrier, paws held out and towards the grounded Gardevoir. Well, to be fair, by this point she was on her knees.

Then the rushing sound stopped suddenly, and I felt the air around me shift direction. It was like it was sucked towards Guerrier, and I could feel the pulse in the air flowing away from me as well. It was so strong I could see it gathering around the Lucario's outstretched paws. It looked like a small heat wave had sprung to life there, shimmering in the air like it was.

And the shimmer then exploded into a massive orb of clear, undulating energy, which tore itself from Guerrier's paws and shot at the Gardevoir. The Dragon Pulse thrummed powerfully as it moved through the air, and when it struck, a sound similar to a roar rang out. Once again, our foe was blown off her feet and knocked to the floor.

~Rest,~ the Lucario commanded. ~I'll deal with her for now.~ As he spoke, Kiyon moved to Guerrier's side. Seras nodded without saying anything, and Alucard just kept smirking like the whole thing was the best joke in the world. One only he knew the punch line to, of course.

I nodded faintly, only getting in two motions before a fresh bout of stinging in my neck announced I'd succeeded in tearing the wound open again. Without further hesitation I slunk out of the way, pressing my back against the wall when I reached it and slumping to the floor. I didn't mean to, but at some point I let my eyes slide closed and entered a state that would leave me completely vulnerable. I usually only did it when I was sure I was safe, but my body had taken a nice beating within the past twenty or so minutes, and it demanded a bit of attention.

So I slipped deeper and deeper into something like a coma, focusing my energies on the sole task of healing my sorely-abused body. The more I fell into the altered state, the less I became aware of what was happening around me. Soon, there was nothing but the sensation of my body.

I started with my neck, feeling along the injury and beginning the process of fixing the gaping hole. With my attention concentrated on it, the bite healed much faster, torn flesh knitting itself together in little under a minute. Of course, the lost blood couldn't be replaced so easily, so I'd have to take it easy for a while and give m body time to make some more.

Then it was on to my wings. I finished the task I'd started earlier, repairing what hadn't healed on its own by this time. Bones that had been hastily drawn together and left to their own devices were correctly aligned and fused together. Muscles that had been left partly shredded were made whole again, as were tendons and other such intricacies. It took several minutes, and even after my wings were fully healed, the muscles were still stiff from having been pushed past their limit. I wouldn't be flying for a few days.

Finally, I dealt with the other issues. Once I was pretty much healed up, I started coming out of my self-induced stupor, becoming aware of the things going on around me as I did. My eyes cracked open, and the first thing I saw was Alucard kneeling in front of me, barely a foot away. Amusement blazed in his eyes as he gave a vicious little fang-bearing grin.

I almost screamed.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake up," he said casually, as if a giant battle wasn't taking place behind him. His arms were resting on his knees, hands clasped between them, and something about the pose just oozed menace, even though there was nothing outwardly threatening about it. I tried to ignore the feeling of being studied, like a rabbit might be by a hawk, and glared at the Vampire.

"The hell!" I spat. "I would be grateful if you could get out of my face. Like, now."

"Hunh," came the indifferent response. The smile stretching the Undead's mouth spread more, and it looked like his face should split. I was struck by the mental image of a snake and the way its jaws could open to a hundred-and-eighty degree angle. It was not a comforting thought. Then one of Alucard's arms lifted and swung out to the side, motioning behind him as his head lowered just a bit. It was a challenge, I knew it. "By the way, you might care to know that during your little nap, the rest of your Bound were knocked out by our guest."

That got me up, and I was in such a hurry to see if the words were true that I almost ran into Alucard. I didn't much care, and either way, he rose out of the way and I ended up missing him by a few inches. I didn't say anything or look back, I just strode to where Guerrier and Kiyon were standing behind twin shields of blazing white energy. Seras's Beedrill was buzzing away behind them, and opposite of them was the Gardevoir. Her right arm was stretched out before her, and dozens of blue-green leaves were swaying in the air in front of her hand. Then they moved, so fast it was almost impossible to track their path.

The Magical Leaf attack slammed into the double Protect shields Guerrier and Kiyon were holding up, and there was a flash of white as the attack was negated. The light faded, revealing that the leaves had harmlessly fallen to the ground.

All of this happened at about the same time I realized Alucard had been telling the truth. I spotted the forms of the Riolu siblings and Musa, lying on the ground about three yards away. I felt my heart freeze, my pulse turn to sludge. When had they been knocked out? How?

I whirled as the Protect shields evaporated and the Beedrill started buzzing forward, turning to face Alucard as fury raged in my belly. The Vampire was leaning against the wall, arms over his chest again, looking much too pleased with everything that was going on.

"What the hell!?" I nearly screamed, but managed to keep the words to a loud shout. "Why did you let that happen? Why are you just standing here being absolutely useless?!" Ire flashed in Alcuard's eyes as I yelled at him, but I ignored the warning and kept going. "You're supposed to be some great freaking Vampire, some strong and mighty being, and you're slinking in the shadows like a damn dog with its tail permanently jammed between its legs! Quit skulking and HELP us already!"

I saw the blow coming, jerked my arm up to defend myself. Instead of a slap or something fiercer, though, Alucard's hand clamped down on my upper arm, his grip like a vise as he jerked it roughly. I had to stagger forward to keep my balance, which cut the distance between us down to about seven or so inches.

"I'll do what I please," the Vampire said, his grin gone and replaced by a sudden anger. In any other situation, I would have been scared stupid. As it was, my Bound were all unconscious, Ren was dead, the floor was littered with dead and slumbering soldiers and Pokemon, and Alucard was acting like it was all in a day's work. In short, I was just as pissed as him, if not more so.

"The make it your pleasure to be of use!" I snapped, ignoring the sounds of battle that were raging behind us. I heard Seras saying something, her voice pitched high in distress, but I didn't understand her words and so ignored her as well. "Do something other than stand here like none of it's a big deal, damn you!" As I spoke, I wrenched my arm from the Vampire's grasp and came within an inch of smacking him upside the head. Instead, I forced myself to turn away and rush over to help Seras's Pokemon and Guerrier.

I was done playing around. I was done taking my time. I was just done. Wrath and grief were now merging to make me almost assume my Pure form, but only almost. It would take more parts wrath and less parts grief for that to happen. Instead, I charged at the Gardevoir laying, my left arm on top of my right so my arm-fins were pointing outwards.

She tried to move out of my way, but I was faster than she was. I lunged with all my strength, one fin catching her just below the throat, the over ramming hard into her solar plexus. She fell, and I was carried with her by my momentum. She hit the floor, and I rolled off her and fluidly rose to my feet-paws. I then prepared another Dragon Claw, determined to end this thing here and now.

Without a sound, I jumped forward and swung the right side of my body down, slashing my claws at where the Gardevoir was lying, on her back. My talons aimed at her belly, but before the attack could connect, a blinding flare of white exploded around the Pokemon's prone body. My claws bounced off the Protect barrier as I staggered back, eyes stinging and watering from the brilliant flash.

By the time my vision cleared, it was too late. The Gardevoir was on her feet, a dark brown, glittering sphere of energy pulsing around her. Above us, the Beedrill buzzed loudly and shook its stingers around, looking unsure of what to do. Across from us, Guerrier had a fist cocked back, and a faint white glow was slowly coming to life around it. Kiyon looked a little droopy, like he'd been battling for too long and was getting exhausted. And Alucard was no longer leaning against the wall, but was instead watching the battle with an unnerving intensity. I glared, wanting to stomp him for still not helping, but I didn't have the time.

Our friend the Gardevoir swung her arms up, then out, and the bright brown energy around her quickly started falling in on itself. Then it flowed down her arms, gathered into an unpleasantly large ball in her hands, and cut loose.

The Focus Blast was large enough to stretch from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. My view was abruptly filled with a giant wall of energy screaming towards me. I couldn't dodge it, unless I jumped out a window. I was a bit too high up for that to be more than just a passing fancy, though. So I did the next best thing and moved back as fast as I could. Unfortunately, since I lacked eyes anywhere on my back, including my head, I couldn't see what was behind me.

My right foot-paw came down on something jagged and small, sending a sharp bite of pain through my flesh and knocking me off-balance as the thing shifted under my weight. I felt myself falling, could do nothing about it, and seconds later was swallowed by the Focus Blast.

The strength of it knocked me into the wall still several feet behind me. I hit hard, lost my breath, and slid to the floor in as ungainly a manner as possible. Through the fog of pain that was racking my whole body, I still felt kind of embarrassed by the way I was slumped.

It took several seconds for me to recover. That had been one hell of an attack, the kind that made me grateful my host had been made tough by whatever life she'd led. A lesser DeMon, or, say, a human, would have been put down for the count by that attack.

I was getting to my feet-paws and wondering what to do now when I saw Guerrier leap into action. Literally, too. He jumped, clearing the distance of about seven feet between himself and the Gardevoir, and jerked his now brightly-glowing fist forward. I could tell, even from how far away I was, that the blow would be a brutal one. I was right, too, because the Focus Punch hit the Gardevoir squarely in the back of the head and dropped her like a ton of bricks. Or maybe a ton of rocks, just to be different and avoid my mortal foe, the cliché.

It was kind of funny, actually. The look of shock had been so clear on the Pokemon's face as she got whacked in the head. Her eyes went wide, her mouth opened in a little 'o' of surprise, and she basically had adopted the "oh damn" expression before just crumpling in a heap.

Then the humor left, and tension filled its place. I stiffly walked forward, hyper-aware of the fact I was being closely watched by the others. I ignored it as best I could, reaching the Gardevoir and dropping to my knees beside her. For a moment I hesitated, just in case she was playing possum. That last thing I wanted was to be nibbled on again. The Pokemon didn't make any move to attack me, though, so I slowly reached out and placed my hand-paw against on her back. Then I sighed and set to Binding her, barely aware of the threads of my spirit that were still working on the Vulpix and the Sneasel. They were pretty darn tough, indeed, if they still hadn't been fully Bound yet.

I finished the beginning process of Binding and lifted my hand from the Gardevoir's back.

Then I knew agony.

That numbing wall that had sprung up within me upon Ren's death fell away, and it took several seconds for me to realize I was shrieking. I had thought that the emotional buffer had been fading bit by bit, allowing small doses of anger and grief to come through in amounts I could handle, so when the wall finally fell, it wouldn't be so bad. I was horribly mistaken. Vehemence and anguish crashed down on me, and my screaming was cut off by the wailing sobs that ripped themselves from me. I started trembling violently, tears pouring from my eyes as I hugged myself tightly and felt such raw agony and unbridled rage that I thought I might explode. I became aware of other sources of sadness and anger, and knew that even though the others were still unconscious, they, too, were going through the same emotional trauma I was.

I only barely felt pressure around my shoulders, hardly heard Seras as she spoke words I couldn't make sense of in a soothing voice. I was hardly aware of a warm, furry body pressing consolingly against my stomach or the gentle pressure of a paw on my left arm. I was slightly more aware of Alucard's voice, but only because, for once, his tone lacked arrogance and meanness. Still, I couldn't make sense of what he was saying, and I honestly didn't care.

"REN!" I screeched through my sobs. Over and over I cried out for him, trembling and rocking and unable to stand it. I just wanted the suffering to stop, wanted it to go away and leave me feeling nothing. Being hollow would be a blessing, never being happy or content or at peace again would be fine, as long as I didn't have to go through another second of this emotional torment.

Then I got my wish as the world abruptly faded to the empty, unfeeling void of unconsciousness...