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What Lies at the Core	By : Twill Category: Pokemon > General Views: 6203 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. I'm not worth anything so don't sue.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
Two wide doors swept open before them. Rel remained cloaked in illusion, but Alex already gathered a small crowd around him, their silence almost reverent. Rel clenched her left paw, the fresh scars stretching painfully. A fleshy pattern carved permanently into her hand, a mirror of the symbol on her back. At least she still had use of the paw.
Alex strode through the doorway in his stupid jacket. Dark fabric hung down almost to his knees, and, at his request, Rel made faint wisps of smoke float from him. Other Zoroark would have ridiculed her for partaking in such an act. Then again, an act wouldn't have come with a stern warning not to kill anyone. She glared at Alex's back.
“I'm here for my match,” Alex announced on his way to the counter. The poor girl behind the desk stared back with wide eyes.
“I-I'm sorry sir, but I would have remembered you signing up and,” the girl trailed off, shrinking back from the darkness that spread from Alex's presence.
A pair of small humans, boy and girl, appeared from the challenger's door, though they clearly weren't challengers. The pair spoke in tandem, their voices in perfect harmony. “We will accept.” Two young humans, wearing garments resembling a strange mix of military uniform and night-clothes.
Rel hissed into Alex's ear. “What is this, children?”
Alex didn't bat an eye, but gave a mocking bow of the head. “The Mossdeep gym leaders. I thank you for accepting me on such short notice.”
“So it is a dark type,” the male said.
“Just as we thought,” the female finished, their speech sounding rehearsed. Both pairs of eyes focused on Rel despite her invisibility.
“We can feel where it leaves a void in this world.”
Rel bared her fangs and walked towards them, gathering more dark energy around herself. Even the strongest human psychics couldn't match the weakest Spoink. Power whirled around her, and her mere presence would crush any ability these pathetic humans could use.
“You do not intimidate us.” Their eyes twitched, no longer able to pinpoint her location.

“Calm yourself,” Alex said coolly. “And you shouldn't antagonize my pokemon, it has quite the temper.”
The girl sniffed. “We shall see. Prepare yourself for this challenge. While you might have come here expecting an easy fight with your type advantage, our psychic abilities will let us see where that pokemon of yours really is.”
“It cannot hide from us.” The pair turned and left through the same door they entered, and Alex motioned Rel to follow. The gym had the same waiting room as all others they'd been to.
Alex paused at the next set of doors. “Remember what I said. And don't get overconfident, these two have a reputation for clever tactics.”
“These children?” Rel remained invisible. “Let's get this over with. I don't want to waste any more time with this nonsense.”
Alex pushed the doors open. “Just be careful.”
Humans packed the arena stands, thousands of them, as if they anticipated this match. Maybe they had; news followed in Alex's wake. But for such a large group, the stadium seemed to hold its breath, a collective tension that ringed the well-lit arena floor. A judge sat off to the side.
An announcer's amplified voice boomed over the hushed crowd. “You've waited, and today, the Shade Trainer has arrived to challenge our Mossdeep City Gym.”
Alex took his place in the challenger's box, across a larger than usual arena. Like all the others, white lines denoted the boundaries of the simple, open space.
With a small flourish, Alex motioned to the crowds of people surrounding the arena. “Well, I'm sorry to say, but my pokemon has informed me we're in a bit of a hurry, so – shall we begin? I don't want to keep these good people waiting.”
The female gym leader called back across the large arena. “For our badge, you will need to win a double battle. Do you know the rules?” She and her brother both stepped forward slightly, each with a pokeball in hand.
“I do.” Alex subtly motioned Rel forward.
The male threw his pokeball high into the air, his sister's following the same arc. “Then you will need at least two pokemon for this battle.”
A Gallade and Gardevoir appeared before the gym leaders, both pokemon falling into a confident stance. In fact, both seemed stronger than Rel expected, not that it mattered. The Gallade might cause trouble though. She'd have to take it out quickly.
Liza spoke. “Well we know one of your pokemon already, but what is your second?”
The rough grain of the floor scratched against the pads of her feet. Good grip. “Let me handle this.”
Alex nodded. Instead of her usual theatrics, Rel formed her illusion quickly. Dark billowing clouds erupted from the ground, black smoke thicker than anything that could float in the air. The smoke formed itself into her large, amorphous monster, dark red eyes and crimson electricity illuminating it sporadically.
Rel walked towards the opposing pokemon and focused, drawing dark energy into her body. It coursed through her muscles and swirled in an aura around her.
“You still need one more,” the male leader called out.
Altering sound waves required much more energy and concentration than light, but she prepared herself, and focused on her creature. Her monster gripped each side of its head in billowing fists. Trails of smoke followed each of its movements, and then her monster screamed.
A deafening noise filled the arena, and Rel could see the shock and fear on the spectator's faces. Her monster pulled, and slowly, it split apart, right down the middle. Black smoke tore like clay, and dark droplets of smoke dripped from the torn monster. Small pools of vapor like a snuffed candle dissipated wherever the blackness touched the ground.
Once her creature tore itself apart, the opaque mist roiled and reformed to leave two copies of her original creature. Maintaining both of them to such detail strained her abilities, but she only had to keep it up a little longer. If Alex could make a show of this, then maybe it was time for her to reveal how powerful she had become. I killed him, not some human weapon. I defeated him. I had control in the end.
The male spoke, his voice a decent mask, but he held his hands a bit too stiffly at his sides. “I don't know what kind of trick you're playing, but that's the same pokemon.”
Alex smiled. “Judge?”
They all turned, including both of Rel's monsters, to the league official, who stood a bit further back from the white line than safety required.
He looked dazed, but spoke loud enough for even the people in the stands to hear. “The challenger does appear to have two pokemon, and nothing bars using the same species of pokemon from gym challenges. Nothing requires him to have a full party either.”
With a nod of thanks, Alex stepped up to the edge of his box. “Now then, if you're done stalling.”
The two leaders bristled, but the female spoke. “Enough grandstanding. Judge, please begin the match.”
“Begin!”
Rel let her illusions disappear, not dissipate, but vanish in an instant. Instead she erected walls surrounding the arena that the spectators wouldn't be able to see, but to leaders and opposing pokemon, nothing but infinite blackness existed beyond the painted white lines, placing them on an island floating in the midst of oblivion.
Her abilities altered her voice, lower, harsher, but she left a hint of her feminine tone. “You think you can defeat me?” She laughed, more power flowing into her body, dark flecks popping into existence around her. “You think you can even touch me?” The rough ground scratched against her pads, and she walked slowly towards the two nervous pokemon.
Dormant pokemon couldn't comprehend her power, and after a thousand years without Zoroark predators, even their instincts grew lax. Well, she would remind them why her kind had been hunted to extinction. A ball of dark energy formed in her palm, hidden from the onlookers.
She altered her voice, so the Gallade would hear it as a whisper to his left. “I'll kill your Gardevoir friend first.”
Gallade reacted faster than she expected, though ultimately futile. He swung with a wild punch that would have devastated her, if she'd been standing next to him. Instead the attack only put him off-balance.
Her dark pulse struck Gallade square in the chest. His typing likely saved his life, though despite staggering back, he remained standing. A flash of heat and light blasted down the field, missing Rel by a few feet.
Rel leapt back, growling. If that focus blast had hit her – she turned to Gardevoir, who scanned its surroundings.
“Crawl back to your humans, before I have to hurt you. You can't win.” She controlled this match. Dark energy flowed into her claws, and she struck. Somehow, the psychic type anticipated the attack, and she spun, gown flaring about her and glowing with a brilliant blue light. Her claws dug into the pale white garment, drawing blood, but something resisted her attack, preventing them from tearing through the Gardevoir. With a shimmer, the pokemon teleported away.
Movement to her right drew her attention. Gallade recovered. A green fist blurred towards her, forcing Rel to throw herself to the ground. Blood pounded in her veins. How? Even if their attacks weren’t accurate, it would only take one lucky hit.
Alex's words echoed in her mind. You have to be careful. Do not kill any of them. I want you to promise me. “Just give up!” Rel screamed. If they weren't strong enough, then maybe they shouldn't fight. Rel drew more energy into herself, bringing her mind and body to the brink of what she could handle, a painful pressure throbbing in the back of her skull, wild impatience screaming to obliterate her nimble opponents.
Dark energy begged for release, to tear apart the two psychic types. With so much power flowing through her body, she could begin to feel the world around her with another sense. Dark and psychic energy were similar in a way, but she commanded the superior force.
And the other pokemon felt it, nervous glances flitting between them. Rel smiled with fangs bared. Nothing this side of the ocean could threaten her. She had killed the man, and now, she could do anything. Rel didn't bother to hide the black flecks popping into existence around her, the field too large to give away her position.
Gardevoir cowered behind the light of a readied focus blast while Gallade stood very still a few feet away, searching.
Rel launched a dark pulse at him. He dodged, but the blast caught him in the side, throwing the pokemon to the ground. Gardevoir fired, but the stupid pokemon wouldn't catch her off-guard again. Rel easily stepped out of its way, and advanced towards Gardevoir. Gallade collapsed to the ground.
She and Gardevoir stood the same height, though the psychic type crouched while Rel sauntered towards her remaining opponent. Three gashes marred Gardevoir's rather beautiful living gown, green blood leaking down her left side. The light of another focus blast gathered in the pokemon's hand.
Gardevoir spoke in a voice that sounded like she rarely used it. “I don't fear you.”
“Then you're an idiot.” Rel dodged the blast of light and lunged, grabbing Gardevoir by the throat. To the psychic type, invisible hands grabbed her out of the air. Such a soft, delicate throat. Rel's claws encircled the pokemon's pale skin, and squeezed. Panic filled Gardevoir's eyes, and her hands clawed at Rel's.
Rel could feel hot blood, clawed free in Gardevoir's desperate struggle. The pokemon's feeble body shuddered in the last moments of its pathetic life. Rel dragged the struggling pokemon towards the leader's side of the arena, nothing but the sound of her pounding heart and Gardevoir's feet thrashing against the ground in her ear. She barely felt her captive's frantic struggle.
Rel stopped a few feet from the dual gym leaders and lifted the woman's pokemon. Animalistic terror filled Gardevoir's wide eyes, its mouth opening but unable to breathe through Rel's grip. Rel looked into those eyes.
Large, red eyes, pupils wide. Time seemed to slow with Gardevoir's weakening attempts to break free. Flowing gown tangled about the pokemon's kicking feet, tiny claws tore at Rel's hide.
Large, red eyes, growing unfocused. The pokemon in Rel's grasp began to grow limp, life choked away. No. Rel dropped Gardevoir to ground before her. The pokemon collapsed in a heap, filling its lungs with shuddering gasps before coughing. It couldn't fight.
Rel spoke quietly. “Don't make me finish this.”
The gym leaders looked through her with a mixture of anger and fear. They stood close to the arena, and away from where Rel's illusion made it look like the world ended in darkness. Rel released the illusion, bringing the spectators back into view.
For a moment, Rel thought she'd have to go through with it, but the gym leaders motioned their concession to the judge. The man made a hand gesture, and small groups among the onlookers cheered. The amplified human voice shouted her – Alex's, rather – victory. Rel barely heard it.
She walked back to Alex's side and waited for him to get his badge from the gym leaders. When he returned, she prodded him in the arm to let him know of her presence, and they made their way to the exit.
A smug smile adorned his face. “Did my sense of theatrics rub off on you? You played the part of my monster perfectly!”
Rel couldn't even manage to glare at him. She dragged a claw lightly through the fur of her bleeding paw. Red on red. Always.
---------------------------------------------------
“I'm going up above.” Alex looked to where Rel sat in the corner, but only received a brief glare before she returned to her brooding. “Suit yourself.” The ship rose and fell gently, and Alex left their small cabin.
Rel sat in a corner of the claustrophobic room. A single dim lamp lit the interior, but sufficient for her eyes. Like usual, they only had one bed, which relegated Rel to either her pokeball or a small pile of blankets in the corner. She didn't really care.
Once the door shut behind Alex, Rel wrapped herself in an illusion, one of a human with green eyes, moderate brown hair and an average frame. Pretty by most human standards, if a bit average. The last time she'd taken this form, she'd shown Professor Freyd on the boat trip to this land. What had she become since then?
The gentle rocking of the boat tried to lull her to calmness, but she didn't let it. She could still feel the Gardevoir struggling in her grip, afraid and unable to see its attacker. And she could still feel the disdain she'd held for the creature, too scared to retaliate as it slipped towards death.
Rel looked at the pale, fur-less skin of her human hands, her large breasts, covered by a simple blouse. Was this what she was becoming, a human like the one who imprisoned her, tortured her, looked down upon her for being born a pokemon?
The voice that used to tell her that everything would be okay, that everything that happened was somehow a big misunderstanding, that someone would rescue her, had long since quieted. The other voices spoke poison which seemed sweeter with every backhanded victory.
What part did Alex play in this? How much could she lay at his feet? Probably not enough to ease her mind, to remove the guilt that bothered her less every day. Rel pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin atop her knees. Soft fur nestled against her muzzle.
She could leave him, but not the ones responsible for what happened to her. Rel brushed a hand across her belly. No, not them, not after coming this far. Only a few more days until she finished Alex's idiot journey. Then nothing would tie her to the human.
“I'll kill you, Mewtwo. There's no going back for me. There's no other reason for me to live.”
Because for a broken, useless Zoroark, no one in two entire civilizations cared.
- 13
- 14
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What Lies at the Core