Typhlosion's task

(Typhlosion's POV)

Little could be remembered from my shift. Between listening for danger and checking on everybody every five or so minutes, nothing really happened. Except for an incident where I Flamethrowered an innocent Eevee because it made the bushes rumble. Thankfully, it was able to flee before becoming burnt toast. I was able to pass the time by cooking myself some gooey marshmallows. Sadly I was only capable of making three because somebody else ate the rest and left the bag out by the fire. Probably Lucario. He loved marshmallows too much.

As my shift got close to the halfway mark, Robin spoke to me saying that she'd take the rest of my shift and Junior's so that we'd get some sleep together. It struck me as odd that she appeared out of thin air but her timing was impeccable. Without hesitation I got up and entered the tent Junior and I slept in. The pup was sleeping on his side, pink blanket covering his body. His clothes were neatly folded in the corner indicating his naked sleep. While smiling, I eased my way into the blanket. Cuddling the Shifter as I wrapped my fuzzy arms around his waist. He mumbled some incoherent dream talk. It was actually kinda adorable, especially since it wasn't a deadly dream or vision as Robin warned me about. I was really not looking forward to Junior's visions. Robin said that in one way or another they'd come true and weren't avoidable. Like whenever a Psychic Pokemon uses Future Sight. There's no way to avoid getting hit by it, I've tried multiple times. It wasn't until Junior explained to me that it was unavoidable. Sighing to myself, I nuzzled the back of Junior's neck before drifting off to sleep. But right before I actually fall asleep, Junior whimpered. Fearing it was a nightmare, I held him tighter and whispered into his ear.

“Shh.. you're going to be all right love. I'm here for you so don't worry." I cooed. A gentle lick to his ear helped calm him down. His warm gentle smile arose. I couldn't help but show a smile of my own before actually slowly drift off to sleep.

….

I didn't know how long I slept. Maybe an hour or four before something started pushing me awake. I grumbled and rubbed my tired eyes, letting go of my mate in the process. It took only a second for my eyes to adjust to the still of darkness.

“Hey, wake up already." Zoroark commanded. As fast as possible I got up and backed away from the sleeping hybrid in order to have any chance of saving the truth. Of course it was already too late since Zoroark smirked at my reaction.

“What are you doing sneaking into the tent?! Shouldn't you knock first?" I exclaimed in something more than a whisper.

“Knock? On a tent? Huh, guess you needed sleep after all.. you're brain isn't functioning right. By the way, I find it adorable you think I don't already know the secret you and Junior bare." Zoroark stated. My ears perked up and my gaze settled on the sleeping Shifter. His soft snore made Zoroark chuckle. “Deep asleep huh? You ever take advantage of that?" He alluded. I growled. I wouldn't ever take advantage of my little Fluffy while he slept and even if I did, it wasn't his business to know. I wasn't really shocked he knew our secret at that moment but more annoyed he was making it into a joke.

I crossed my arms and shot him a glare. “Obviously not! And how'd you already know?" My question was instantly answered as the illusion fox pointed his black paw at the sleeping Junior. I grumbled. “He came out to you?" I asked, ears perking up somewhat.

“No, just an easy analysis. I smelled you inside of Junior and it seemed it was on both ends. And a little bit of Junior was in you as well. Guess my instinct was correct in that he's the female in the relationship?" He silently chuckled. Instead of doing/saying something I'd regret, I nodded. Zoroark opened his muzzle to comment but a shuffle of footfalls made him shut it.

“Zoroark, are you done waking up the two lovers?" Robin's voice echoed through the dark. She entered the tent and waved a hello to me. I waved my paw at her. “Wake him up Typhlosion? We need to get up and ready to go soon before dawn breaks." She winked at me and I looked over at my lover, nuzzling him to wake him up. I didn't even bother to try and hide it anymore from the two since they already knew. Why wouldn't I be affectionate to my little doggy when I was given an opportunity?

Junior groaned and pulled the blanket over him. A natural response. I wrapped my arms around my canine lover in hopes of getting him up. Yet another groan.

“Five more minutes…" He pleaded. By the sound of his voice, he was still sleepy. Robin rolled her eyes. “Wake up son! It's important!" She faked. He grumbled once again. Obviously he could tell she was faking it so he just nuzzled against my arms. A small smile grew on his silver muzzle. It was contagious because I smiled too before whispering into his ears.

“Come on babe. Stop being a lazy butt!" I encouraged him to wake up. Finally, he sat up, ears tilted to signal his tiredness. He stretched, yawned, and rubbed his eyes with his paws. I smiled and licked his ear, he grumbled.

“Do I have to..? I'm really tired!" He yawned out.

“Would you say you're as tired as a old dog?" Zoroark commented, earning a low growl from my mate.

“Screw off… wait, where's my-" Junior's cheeks turned a reddish hue upon the realization his clothes weren't on him. I chuckled and carefully got out of the blanket and grabbed his clothes in my maw. If I had a tail, it'd be wagging as I brought the fabric back to my lover. I dropped it in front of him and smiled. He blushed more.

“Mom, Zoroark... c-can you get out? Please?" He asked shyly. The two chuckled but decided to cut the wolf some slack and left. I nuzzled him once again as they exited the tent. Obviously, he blushed. I lived to see Junior's blush. It always meant he enjoyed my company, in more ways than one! His tail wagged a storm, showing he was really enjoyed my nuzzling.

“C-Can you please not get me.. in the mood right n-now by nuzzling me?" Junior stuttered. I shrugged. It did smell that he was getting aroused, but that wasn't a big issue. If the others decided to ask about it, and why would they, Junior could just lie saying it's morning wood.

I went behind the sitting canine and nudged his back with my head. “Get up and get dressed lazy butt! We've got a region to explore!" I encouraged. Hesitant, he eventually got up and I smiled. He was completely naked. He adorably placed his paws on his tip showing sheath.

“S-Stop staring! You know I get embarrassed easily!" He stated, ears falling flat. I stood up and towered over the pup. He looked up and whimpered, whereas I only chuckled. “You're still anxious about showing me your goods?" I put my paw under his chin and cupped it so he looked at me. His brown orbs focused on mine. “Don't be embarrassed babe, just breathe and relax. I won't embarrass you plus your sheath is really sexy! So don't cover the goods, okay?" Junior leisurely nodded. He playfully placed his head under my chin and nuzzled me. Deciding to show my affection, I kissed his furry head and held his naked body against me. I didn't care if at that moment somebody else walked in. I cared about him too much to try to think of an excuse to ruin that moment.

….

It took about 3 minutes for Junior to get dressed. I know because I was staring with lust the whole time.

“Should I even bother with my hood anymore?" The Shifter asked, holding his hood halfway over his head. My shake of a head gave him a slight chuckle. “Probably useless to ask anyways, you just wanted an excuse to see my face and canine stuff huh?"

“Yup! You know me so well! By the way, I'm getting the munchies, anything to eat?" I playfully patted my growling cream colored belly. His eyes focused on my belly before nodding his head.

“Um, y-yeah. What are you in the mood for?" Fluffy inquired. I pondered it for a second before smirking. “How about.. let's say canine's meat?" I requested. Instantly, the Shifter's silver fur turned crimson. His adorable blush made me smile back.

“E-Except that.. you can't have… canine's meat. Not right n-now." His adorable reaction was just what I had hoped for. I liked teasing my pup. Mostly due to the fact he's really cute when he's shy and bashful. Too bad he wasn't that socially awkward, that would've been the icing on the cake!

A slight chuckle escaped my maw whilst I scratched my ear with my foot. “I know fluffbutt. Just pulling those adorable strings of yours!" I stated. Junior grumbled, crossing his arms and arching his brow. “Since when did you get so flirty with me? Or are you just horny?" Junior asked. I didn't even know why I was suddenly flirting with him so much today. Maybe I accidentally touched some Poke-nip and was experiencing it's lustful affects. Or probably the late night cuddling got me excited. Either way, I just shrugged.

“Of course you don't know, anyways, why don't you get out and eat together with the others? I'll be there in a few, just.. gotta stretch." Junior passed me his bag and I sniffed it. A hint of food reached my nostrils, triggering a response from my belly. I had the urge to just eat now but reluctantly I got up and exited the tent.

Turns out, it was still early in the morning. The bird Pokemon were still sleeping in nests made of twigs and such. The sun was barely rising into the sky as a refreshing gust of wind passed by. I actually expected that the others would still be asleep. Much to my surprise, everybody was already eating by the died out camp fire. Robin was chuckling beside the sitting mons. The mother of my mate saw me and beckoned me to get closer. Once I did she stretched her hand toward me and I accepted a plate filled with food. It was rice covered in Pecha and Cheri Berry sauce with some odd spicing on it, a couple pepper and Tamato berry stuffed sandwiches and syrup covered pancakes accompanied by a cute little juice box. I didn't know where in heck she got all that food from but I didn't argue as I sat down and started to devour the delectables. Apparently I sat down beside Lucario who smiled upon my choice of seating. His plate was in front of his crossed legs. It was filled with sandwiches and a multitude of berries with the same juice box I had. Oran, Pecha, Sitrus and Leppa berries. Even some unrecognizable berries. One of which was a berry that was grey with a black pattern.

“She's a good cook. Now I understand how Junior got good at cooking.. speaking of which, is that guy still asleep?" I shook my head before stuffing my face with food. I picked up one of my sandwiches but it slipped from my paw. Luckily Lucario used some sort of aura move to stop it's fall, making it float instead. I grabbed it with a smile.

“Thanks! Would've been a shame if I dropped this tasty sandwich." I thanked before taking a big bite out of it. The spiciness of the peppers mixed in with the hot Tamato Berry seeds. “But," I began with a muzzle filled with sandwich. “Has Junior been helping you control your aura recently?" My inquiry was answered by a shake.

“Not really.. maybe some midnight training with him could help. Probably do some meditation and practice my sixth sense and aura scans."

“Can I have in on that?" I playfully nudged the canine. He gave me a confused look.

“But, don't you hate night training?"

“Normally, yes, but any time I have where I don't protect Junior from assassins is time wasted. Plus, I can be good training against Fire types! You are half Steel type after all. Perhaps with your aura you can control or block a fire attack?" I suggested.

“Hey! If you two are going to train with that dog then I want in!" Blaziken bellowed.

“Same here." Zoroark added in. Lucario's gaze ventured to our comrades. A slow yet delighted smile spread from cheek to cheek on his face. At that moment, I heard rustling inside the tent. After a second, a young lupine appeared out of it, stretching. His fur blew with the calm cool wind.

“Ahh…" He calmly sighed. Oddly enough, Junior sat down and scratched his left ear with his foot. The amulet that hung around his neck jingled a bit the more he scratched. The movement looked so fluent, so natural. Like he'd always acted like that. Had his true Shifter form been making him act more dog-like? Or was he in control of his silly doggy actions?

“...what is it? Do I've got something on my nose?" Fluffy innocently asked. He rubbed his nose thinking it was the cause of the confusion.

“Huh, never knew you scratched yourself like I do. Trying to copy me pal?" I teased, purposely slowing down pal to get a reaction from him. He emitted a deep throated growl but a blush on his cheeks and muzzle gave away his embarrassment.

“I didn't even notice I did that.. wait, the sun's barely up! Mother, why are we up so early?" Junior, as well as everybody else, looked at the woman. She smiled back at the questioned glares.

“Questions that harbor hidden truths. But, it's easily guessed huh? Reason for that, and me personally choosing the foods of your Pokemon," She gestured to Lucario and I as prime examples. “As they are. Training just doesn't start from working out son. A fire type like Typhlosion, or Blaziken need spicy food to enhance the power of their fire attacks. You've done that well so far but your Lucario and Zoroark need more specific meals. I've always watched you and your team's travels from afar you know? From the beginning when you chose Cyndaquil as your starter. And, personally, I'm surprised you haven't noticed what foods give fighting types like Lucario, or Dark types like Zoroark strength. Do you two mind showing him what you're eating?" She asked, with a slight hint of an order. I looked over at the two canines as they showed the trainer the plates of food they had. Zoroark apparently had more hearty foods like sunny side up eggs but still had pancakes with blueberries on it. It looked odd seeing Lucario and Zoroark not eating some kind of chocolate with their meals, but it WAS Robin's choice of meal. If it had been Junior's choice, he'd let them have chocolate.

Junior placed his paw on his chin while studying their assigned diet. He hummed a familiar tone.

“But do you like this food guys?" Junior asked. Zoroark simply shrugged whereas Lucario made a meh gesture with his free paw. “Not bad, I especially like this berry." He exclaimed happily while raising up the grey and black berry. He gave it to Junior to hold, examine and even sniff.

“Wait a minute.. Typhlosion pass me my bag?" I stopped stuffing my face and gave my mate his bag. While holding the berry in his left paw, he scrounged around in his bag until taking out two items. One was a light green book with some Japanese writing on it. It read Berry Dictionary in black with an Oran Berry between the two words. The other item was a Berry pot from Johto. Its soil was still moist from the last time he grew berries back in Goldenrod City. Those Sitrus berries were good when they grew back in Johto. I still remembered nibbling on mine as I rode on top of Junior's head.

He flipped through the book until tapping the page. “Got it!" My mate exclaimed. “Mother, isn't this an Enigma Berry? A rare berry here in Kalos?" Questioned my mate. His mother nodded with a warm smile.

“Yes it is, it's my last one as a matter of fact. When Enigma are eaten, it fills the Pokemon with much needed vitamins to repel against super effective attacks. Each of your Pokemon's dishes has some sprinkled in." Robin stated. At that moment, I glanced at my food, at the odd spice in the rice. So that's what it was! I thought. Kinda tasty spice too. In an instant, Junior pulled the berry with both his paws until it split into two. The seeds of said berry fell to the ground. I curiously picked them up. They had a rough texture to their black look. I raised my paw to give the three seeds to Junior. Chuckling, he passed both the Enigma berries halves to Lucario. He caught them. His tail wagged while he cut the two halves into four pieces. The aura user handed each piece to us with such zest. One for each of us on Junior's team.

“Thanks!" I happily barked when I was given one.

“Oh, thanks!" Zoroark smiled at getting his. The only one who didn't give a verbal response was Blaziken. He just slightly nodded before continuing his meal. A slight chuckle arose from Robin.

“You like sharing don't you Lucario? Odd, normally most Lucario wouldn't share any food unless ordered to and yet, you do it out of your own free will. Huh... my Lucario wouldn't have shared as easily as you do." Robin stated. The tone of her voice sounded like she was recalling a pleasant memory. A sadness grew in her already burdened eyes.

“Wait, you have a fellow Lucario? Why don't you bring him out so we could say hi?" Lucario questioned. Instead of replying, Robin looked around. Her eyes traveled toward Blaziken then at Zoroark before stopping on Lucario and I. Her hand balled up.

“...mother? What's wrong?" Fluffy asked, ears twitching. I swallowed the last of my food then curiously looked at the lupine's parent. She just stood there, glaring at the sky. A longing expression painted on her face.

“He… He isn't with me anymore. Or in this world anymore. Rujin, my Lucario, has passed away. Just like the rest of my Pokemon." A single tear fell from her right eye. The forlorn look Robin had fell toward her son before wiping her tears away. “But, it wasn't in vein. They died for a purpose, for what they believed in." She informed in a mournful voice. I nudged Lucario with my paw and shook my head. Obviously this was a sore subject and I didn't want Robin to relive any bad memories. That would've been really bad if she got upset. More because of the fact she did have a weapon and we didn't know where she hid it. Safety was my top priority with my mate around.

More rumbling from inside tents helped pass the subject as everyone glanced over. It was Axel and the blue-haired man emerging from their separate tents. Both tired and stretching to help wake them up. They were immediately surprised when Robin gave them plates of food like ours but more flexible. I didn't really care to notice their plates of food.

“Uh.. thanks? But, why'd you prepare us food? You didn't have to you know, I can manage myself." Axel pointed out.

“Speak for yourself kid. I'm starving!" The blue haired man exclaimed before sitting down beside me. I growled but he smirked. “No need to bare your teeth badger. I won't do anything. Unlike you, I don't bite. Unless we're alone then I might." He spoke to me in a very seductive tone. Junior's ears perked up upon hearing the man's statement.

“Typhlosion may not bite, but he'd happily comply if I tell him to." My mate shot a threat back. It seemed to work since he just grumbled and silently ate. Axel joined in soon after.

For the most part, the rest of the 'snack time' as Robin called it, went off quietly. Nobody really talked after Junior's threat. The Shifter just happily planted the berry seeds into the berry pot, watered it with a Lotad watering can then sealed the case tight. His mother watched him throughout the process. Actually, she looked worried about him. Her eyes darted around, focusing on Junior then suddenly at the trees around us. Cautiously, observing even the smallest detail. Like she was awaiting something that might happen. I swore that woman was a shroud of mystery.

It took about a couple minutes for everybody to completely finish what Robin gave them. She even gave Axel a few snacks for his Pokemon who, besides Tyranitar, preferred to stay in their balls to eat. Tyranitar eventually grew tired and returned to his ball. After a lot of convincing from Lucario and I, all four of us got to stay out of our balls. Yawns and groans of fatigue emerged from us all. Even after the meal all of us were still tired from the early rise. Judging by the sun's position it was probably 7 or 8 in the morning. Pretty early by our standards. It took us a total of ten minutes to put everything away, tents, plates and the such. When nobody was looking, I sneaked a quick nuzzle against my mate's neck who moaned out loud. It alerted Lucario.

“You OK Junior? Did you hurt yourself?" The urgency in his voice alerted everybody, even Axel and the other man. A cute flush appeared on my mate's muzzle.

“No! Er, uh.. n-nothing happened! I didn't hurt m-myself.. so no need to worry!" Junior tried to pass it off as nothing, but a snicker from Zoroark kept the attention on him.

“Really? Cause, I heard you groan.. are you sure you aren't hiding it to keep us from worrying? I heard from Blaziken that-"

“HEY! You're not going to say that in front of everyone!" The dual type threatened. A chuckle arose from my mate.

“What if I ask what it was huh Blaziken? You.. wouldn't defy an order from your trainer now would you?" Fluffy inquired in the most taunting way. Blaziken grumbled and crossed his arms. An angry look on his face from being reminded that Junior can easily make him do something if he so wishes. And he's done it before so he wouldn't do it now.

“You know I wouldn't… I swore my loyalty to you the moment I joined your team. And you're just abusing my word." Blaziken countered. The other man glanced over when Blaziken said loyalty. A grim look plastered on his face, like he remembered something he didn't want to. If he hadn't immediately smiled an odd but wholehearted smile I'd warn Junior. The cause of his smile must've been connected to loyalty. Or maybe he just enjoyed being with us. Either way, he seemed content for the moment.

“Ok, look I know Blaziken, but it isn't nice to hide things. Especially from your trainer. Due to my.. uh transformation, I'm more curious than ever. Besides, if it's not that bad and it's about me then why not tell me? Understand?" The dual type only grumbled before nodding his head. A motion of his head gave Lucario the impression to continue what he was saying. He eagerly restarted.

“Blaziken told me how you hid how dangerous your bullet wound could've been in favor of making the rest of us feel at ease." Lucario stated. My ears perked out of interest. My mate never told me that. A small piece of me felt betrayed he even hid it from me. Once I glanced at my lover he only responded by a shy chuckle.

“That would've been nice to know pal…" I held back my growl. Robin took notice of this and half covered her smirk with her hand.

“Alright, alright so if this is all over, Junior have you packed everything up? Gotten something to eat? Put on a fresh pair of-"

“Mother!" He called out, wanting her to stop talking. Not lying but all of us began to laugh our asses off. Even the other two humans. All the while Junior stood there. Red as ever out of pure embarrassment.

“L-Lets just go.. I packed everything while y-you all were eating." Junior stammered. I chuckled before pulling my boyfriend close with one arm.

“Come on babe! I'm just playing with you! You know I love you! I'm just trying to hide it from being obvious remember?" I truthfully explained in a whisper. Well, partly true. I did still need to keep the 'only friends' ruse up for Lucario, Blaziken and the humans. But that was kinda only half of it. I didn't NEED to tease my pup, but the adorable flush he had afterwards was enough reward for me to keep doing it.

A small grin arose from the two who are knowledgeable about our hidden truth. The fact two people out of the potential eight knew about us was surreal. I actually thought it'd be a year or two before Junior even tried coming out. Personally, I didn't care if anybody knew I was into other males. Their opinions didn't matter to me, but Junior.. he was a different story. Just from his hesitation and reaction when his mother knew, I can guess my mate did care how the others viewed him. That's why he was afraid. That's why he wanted to take his time telling it. But for all he knew, he was going to be forced into revealing it. Robin had told me when Junior would reveal us being together, though it was a dreadful thought.

“Hey Typhlosion you ready or what?" Zoroark called out. I nodded my head while putting Junior's backpack around my shoulder. I wanted to help my mate with the load of his backpack so without asking him I just decided to carry his bag. He sighed out and stretched.

“Hey, um, Robin?" The jackal asked whilst walking down the dirt road.

“Yes Lucario?" She replied. A soft smile on her face.

“Well if it was you who has been following us the entire time, then why did you attack Junior in Lumiose city? Zoroark had to perform a bit of doctor work on him because of you.." Lucario inquired. A small bit of worry in his voice from the horrifying memory. Blaziken, Zoroark and I looked at the white haired woman. I had actually tried to forget that moment when I realized she was the hooded figure but I couldn't. She did hurt my mate and I couldn't forgive her for that. I tried not to but I unintentionally growled which caught everyone off guard. Mostly Junior, who jumped because I was walking behind him.

“Look, I'm sorry Typhlosion and most importantly to you Junior. But I have valid reason as to why I did what I did. You keep your amulet safe?" Robin suddenly asked. My mate rose his hand into his blue jacket and pulled it out. His hand marking was visible upon taking out the amulet. It was still creepy. Maybe it was tied to the amulet somehow?

Without words she took the amulet and put it gently around Junior's neck. He blankly stared at her. “Always have this around your neck OK? It's… important that you do." Robin suddenly stated. She got down on one leg and had her hands on her son's shoulders. A worrisome look on her face. “If anything happens to me, don't intervene ok?" She swiftly said. The urgency in her voice caught everyone off guard. The blue haired man looked the most concern.

“Mom, w-why are you telling me this? Is..Is something gonna happen?" Junior inquired meekly. Ears flattened out of worry, tail hid between his legs.

Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the trees. I went on high alert and pulled Junior behind me. Lucario and the others instantly followed my action.

“Stay behind us Junior! Lucario, aura scan!"

“On it!" He replied. Right after his black appendages rose up. A blueish aura surrounded them. Then out of the blue, Junior's ears perked up.

“Look out Lucario!" He yelled out. The lupine jumped toward the jackal, shielding him with his body. A sharp metal material zoomed past me and found a home in Junior's back. He bellowed out in pain. Blood trickled out of the wounds the iron shurikens made. Lucario watched in dismay as his best friend groaned. I immediately discarded everything from my mind and rushed to my mate's side.

“Junior! Are you-"

“I'm fine.. a-all of you, just be wary. They are.. i-in the trees." Fluffy managed out with a groan. Robin got near the injured wolf and without hesitation, pulled the iron weapons out of him. An ear piercing shriek roared from the Shifter.

“Come on out and fight like a man!" Robin angrily commanded, turning toward the trees. A chuckle arose from high up the tree. Leaves fell as did a man. He landed with a smirk. It was the assassin from the cave.

“Almost had that Lucario huh? Would've been easier to take out that menace called Junior if he wasn't always protected by idiotic creatures." That assassin rose his arm and tapped it. A sound similar to static echoed.

“CIF 3 calling in. I found him. Imma need back up at sector 5-EO3, and a trash bag."

“Copy that Kotaro, help's on your way." A female voice responded. Kotaro tapped his device on his arm and chuckled.

“You might've survived our last encounter but you won't this time! My shurikens are handcrafted to pierce even the scales of a Garchomp." The pointy bearded man flashed three of his shurikens between his fingers. Without another word he threw them straight at Junior who quickly leaped out of it's path. His mother somehow grabbed one of the flying shurikens and flung it back at Kotaro. Kotaro, who must've expected that she would, deflected the returning weapon.

“Persistent to live huh? This'll be quite fun." He chuckled as Robin reached toward her hip, unsheathing a beige steel sword.

“Y-You have a sword?!" Junior exclaimed. Everybody else on the team was just as surprised as he was. Even Blaziken.

“Now isn't the time. Go, run. I'll hold Kotaro off as much as possible."

A glance at my mate as he watched his mother viciously ran toward the man. A killer look deep in her eyes as he lunged her sword at the assassin. It grazed his shoulder as he elbowed her in the gut. She groaned out before hitting his face with the butt of her weapon. He yelped out before a click of a gun was heard.

“OK So I know you're an idiot Kotaro but I didn't know you were rusty!" An unknown voice mischievously called out. “You always need someone to help you kill something huh? Eh, I'll do it." Two men dropped down with guns. Both were pistols of some kind. The man on the left had messy blonde hair, similar to Axel's. Brown eyes and light skin. He wore a black suit with grey shoes. The other man wore the same outfit. But had a more assassin like wear. Adding sharp points to his elbows and one on his chest similar to Lucario's chest spike. His hair was a dark brown and his skin tone was slightly darker than his acquaintance. All of us backed away at the sudden reinforcements Kotaro got. This arose a chuckle from the taunting assassin.

“Don't worry darling, you mustn't worry. I'll make your deaths fast and painless.. well, at my leisure! Now," He began twirling a knife around before feeling the blade's sharp point. A devious look on his light face. “You're Junior right?"

“STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" I shouted. Baring my teeth at the assassins, my flame collar ignited. Lucario yelped when the flames grew blue for a moment. Blaziken, Lucario and Zoroark jumped in front of us to create the Poke-wall.

“G-Guys, wh-what are you.."

“You idiots! You have to run! Typhlosion, take Junior and get out of here! You know what'll happen if you DON'T LEAVE NOW!" Robin snapped. My cream furred ears perked up. That was the moment of realization that she told me about. If Junior witnessed the events that would happen, he'd be in serious danger.

I growled and lifted my lover into my fuzzy arms. His ears perked in surprise. “W-Wait! I have to help-"

“Son! Leave now!" She yelled out as she blocked a shuriken from Kotaro. The other two assassins lined up shots at Robin, fingers readied on their triggers. One gun fired. The sharp ring of it echoed as Robin yelled out in pain. She fell to her knee and tightly gripped her right shoulder. Crimson blood oozed out her newly created wound. It stained her hand but her determination didn't die.

Junior struggled out of my grasp and yelled out. “Lucario, Bone Rush and ExtremeSpeed! Knock their weapons away! Typhlosion and Blaziken follow behind and attack with Fire and Thunder Punch!" We didn't hesitate as Lucario rushed forward and created a light blue bone. The assassins averted their attention toward the jackal but each time they shot at him, he'd simply dodge. He was too quick for their aim. Once he was in point blank range he smacked the guns out of the two assassin's hands. The weapons flew miles away until it seemed like a spec of dust. They both recoiled from the hit.

“You dog! How dare you!" Blonde cried out upon reaching for his belt, at the knife sheaths. That was when Blaziken and I hit them spot on the chest with our punches. The assassins flew back and hit a tree hard enough to snap it in two. It fell over but sadly not on top of them. The two groaned before getting back to their feet, somehow still alive. They didn't even have a scratch on them.

“Wanna.. play rough huh? I'll fucking show you rough you wild beasts!" Blonde shouted, taking out a dagger from his belt. Its steel was splattered with dried blood. Perhaps from an earlier kill. The other silent assassin reached behind himself to take out another gun. A simple shotgun. The pellets of said weapon hanging outside for display. All three of us retreated upon the sight of another gun. We weren't wimps, but one shot from that gun would've been our deaths. The sound of battle to our left as Robin kept distracting Kotaro.

“Who are you people?! Why are you gonna kill us?" Axel asked in hope of finding an answer. Yet that answer didn't arrive as he had to jump out the way from a shuriken. Oddly though, they didn't attack that man that traveled with us. He probably was in on the ambush.

I didn't dwell on the obvious for long before Junior shouted another command. “Zoroark now!" Precisely at that moment the illusion Pokemon jumped out of the ground, directly behind the assassins. This caught them off guard, giving Lucario an opportunity. Using ExtremeSpeed, he rushed back toward the assassins. A blue ball began to grow in his right paw. He growled out once he launched the Aura Sphere at the silent assassin. The assassin dodged it but left an opening. Zoroark attacked him with Slash. But the other assassin blocked the slash with a sword he had. A smirk spread out on his face before slicing at the fox, hitting his arm. An ear piercing scream followed suit. Fox blood oozed out of his wound as he fell down. He didn't give up though as he tried to Slash at them again but it was futile. The blonde assassin moved to dodge his attack and jabbed his leg. A painful cry as he fell to the dirt floor.

“Zoroark! No!" Junior cried. I watched as the fox kept a paw placed on his wounds. It was quickly covered in his own blood. Lucario was horrified upon the scene. His paws placed over his muzzle to contain his whimpers. The blonde assassin crouched down to the illusion fox and placed one finger on his lips.

“Shhh… you'll go to sleep soon." He cooed in a very sadistic manner. Junior balled his fists and ran forward, alerting the assassin of his approach.

“Ah, I see you wanna help your little pet. Huh?"

“He's not a pet. He's my friend!" Junior recoiled, snarling. His ears were bent back. An odd shimmer of dark light shrouded him. Anger and resentment filled the air, but faded away as fast as it appeared.

“Junior don't engage. I'll save Zoroark." Robin stated, thrusting her sword at Kotaro but missing by an inch. He jumped back and threw another shuriken at Robin. She backflipped out of its range, landing perfectly on her feet and sprinted toward Zoroark. Blaziken and I ran toward Robin to assist her in helping our friend but the other assassins stopped us in our tracks. Kotaro stopped Robin a few feet from Zoroark.

“I suggest you don't try and avoid fighting me or else," He casually walked toward Zoroark and grabbed him by his mane. Pulling his head back, he set a shuriken at his throat. The sharp tip barely touching his neck. “If you persistent bunch don't give up, my fingers might slip! We wouldn't want that, now do we?" He teased. The iron weapon aimed at his throat made the illusion fox whine.

“Coward! You dare take an innocent hostage to fuel your goal?" Robin shouted. Junior growled but stepped back. He didn't want to get his friend killed. But if he didn't think of something, he'd die. I argued with myself whether or not to wait for an opportunity to present itself. That was when I saw it. Zoroark's left leg shimmered out of existence for a second. I nudged Lucario and whispered into his ear what I saw.

“A-Are you sure?" The jackal asked. I nodded my head. I was sure of what I saw. As my body heated up, I got down on my paws and growled. Exactly after that I opened my maw and released the fire I held inside. The assassins jumped high up to avoid it but Kotaro wasn't as lucky. My Flamethrower hit his shoulder singeing it. He yelled out before slicing Zoroark's neck with the shuriken. A spine tingling squelch echoed as his body fell to the floor.

“NO!" Junior yelled out, Lucario and I had to hold him back. A black aura surrounded his body once again. This time it grew even to the extent of lingering for a few seconds. Blaziken just stared in disbelief at Zoroark's corpse. But suddenly his body flickered in and out of reality. As I thought, his body completely vanished. Kotaro looked pissed.

“What?!" He bellowed. Looking around for an answer before said answer appeared.

“Am I getting better at illusions?" Zoroark happily inquired behind my mate. He was still holding his arm to keep pressure on the wound. A smile crept on his face as Junior jumped from fright.

“Wha? Wait, but- you"

“Junior, it was only an illusion. That's why Typhlosion attacked because HE saw my illusion shimmer and didn't need to worry.. right?" Zoroark looked at me with a bit of an awkward smile. Probably to reassure himself I knew what I was doing. Hell, I wasn't going to do anything stupid if it was dangerous. Junior turned toward me and gave me a quick pat on the head.

“Good job, but get ready. We aren't gonna let them even get close to what they thought they did.." Junior threatened. His ears fell back and he growled. His white teeth were exposed, focusing on the assassins. Robin took notice of this before acting.

“Son, calm down. You can't drive from anger.. Typhlosion, Lucario get him out of here! Please!"

“Mother, I will not leave! Let me fight beside you! I can't have these assassins kill you because I didn't help!" Junior defended his statement by running to her side. His amulet moved around ecstatically, shining like he did before with that same dark glow. I began to grow anxious. That glow wasn't a good omen. His mother noticed that faint glow and pushed him back.

“Don't." She ordered. Robin was very persistent to keep Junior away from the battlefield. Even if we did have the numbers advantage, they had weapons. Robin must've wanted us to be safe by making us not engage in combat, but Junior's thinking was different. He wanted his mother to be logical in the situation. Hell, it was even getting to him! The dark aura really was a bad sign but of what exactly?

“Aw that's adorable! The little wolf want to protect his mommy!" Kotaro taunted. A snicker arose from the assassins. I growled alongside Blaziken.

“Why don't you fight us without the need for weapons huh?" Blaziken growled out. This humored Kotaro.

“And why? To make it fair? When our objective is much more important than petty morals? Pshhh.. fuck that Tauros crap."

“Our mission is to kill the destroyer of our world, to save it." The supposed quiet assassin stated. Robin looked anxious whereas the rest of us were confused. What do they mean by destroyer of their world? I curiously though.

“Don't listen to them Junior! They're telling lies!" Robin shouted as she lunged at the assassins again, this time the quiet one stepped to the left and smacked her face with his gun. A plain expression on his face as he did.

Robin stepped backwards and held her nose which oozed blood. It stained her coat but that was the least of her worries. The quiet assassin shook his head in disapproval.

“You of all people should know that fate can't be changed. You've seen our world haven't you? You shouldn't be protecting him, you should've joined us. Why protect him? Just because he's your spawn?" He inquired. Robin got annoyed and swung her sword at him. He jumped back and sighed. It was filled of disappointment. “I didn't want to do this.. especially since I knew your husband." He grimly stated.

“You guys ready to change fate?" Kotaro asked twirling his shurikens around. The two nodded before Kotaro vanished. Instinctively, I turned around and saw him throwing a shuriken at me. Junior jumped in front of me and yelped out. My ears fell back.

“Junior!" I shouted, holding out my arms to catch his falling body. More blood spilled from his newly obtained arm wound. That was the second time he was hurt this battle. Robin once again pulled the weapons out of his body. I whined once I saw his wounds. Lucario's ears also fell back from worry.

“Go lay him down beside the tree, Typhlosion make sure you protect him. Same goes to you two." She pointed at the two other humans who nodded. I had actually forgotten about them. They weren't involved much in the whole situation. “Everyone else, help me drive them off!" All of us obeyed as I carried my mate to a quite far away tree. I laid him down on his side and held him still. He panted hard.

“T-Typhlosion…" Junior muttered out, reaching his paw toward my cheek.

“Shh.. just be quiet. Everybody is going to deal with the assassins. I'll be by your-"

“I.. h-have to help." Junior muttered once again. He pushed himself up, his ears perked up. A horrified look on his face. “S-Stop them from fighting! Please, Th-That won't turn out well…" He stated. I would've countered his odd thinking before I saw his wounds going through some sort of hyper healing. They were healing in front of my eyes. “How…" I whispered to myself from astonishment. That was when I saw it. His eyes which were an adorable hazel brown had turned a pearly white. Junior stood up and calmly walked toward the fight. The shouts and orders from Robin didn't faze him. I quickly got to my feet and followed the white eyed canine.

“Junior stop!" I called. I wasn't sure if he was even able to hear me but I had to try. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Babe, come on snap out of it." I encouraged whilst shaking his body. The roar of battle up ahead didn't distract me from freeing my mate. From the moment he saved me from my lonesome agony in Elm's Lab I promised to always protect him. Without a second thought I pressed my muzzle against his. Junior's ears perked up as the excess of white escaped his eyes. A happy expression on his face.

“Hey Typhlosion!" My mate happily barked. His happy demeanor caught me off guard. A second ago he was in pain but now he was happy? I seriously was confused by that point. Before I could ask anything a yelp got our attention. We turned to see that Lucario's shoulder was dripping blood. He growled and pressed his paw on his bullet wound. Blaziken swung his Thunder Punch at the assassin who shot Lucario. But they simply ducked and punched his gut. He stepped back to catch his breath but the blonde only jumped and kicked him away. Blaziken was sent flying before hitting the floor with a loud thud. Dirt covered his feathers as he got back up. That fool never knew when to give up. Especially if his opponent was stronger or as strong as he was. He wanted to prove himself but to who? Who was that Blaze Pokemon trying to impress?

Upon seeing my comrades in danger I pushed Junior behind me. I growled to make sure my mate knew I meant business. “OK.. go, I'll just be here." He said in a somewhat saddened tone. Axel and the other man stood beside him and nodded his head. Without any sort of hesitation, I ran into the fray. Kotaro noticed me running toward them and threw shurikens at me. I Flamethrowered them, melting the weapons to liquid. “Hey you guys OK?" I asked Lucario and Blaziken.

“Never fucking better." He coldly replied. “We can still fight right? A little shot won't stop me." Lucario stated with pessimism. He twirled his light blue Bone Rush bone around and readied it like a spear. Blaziken cracked his knuckles, preparing his thunder punch. Zoroark sharpened his claws with Hone Claws. That distinct sound of razor sharp claws echoed once he finished in less than a second. My flame collar reignited upon seeing the assassins regroup as well. A few scratches and burn markings on their gear from the previous struggles. But they didn't seem to back down.

“Quite fun huh? Sadly you should just give up, you're only trying to stop the inevitable!" The blonde assassin guffawed. I growled and shot a Flamethrower at them. The three jumped in separate directions, dodging my attack. Kotaro threw shurikens at us which we mostly avoided but one grazed my shoulder. I grit my teeth as it sliced through my arm. Small drips of badger blood fell to the floor creating a puddle. I felt my mate's horrified gaze from where I stood.

“Junior don't!" I heard Axel shout from far behind. But I didn't dare look back for the fright of being cut down. All I hoped for was that Axel held him back from trying to help. Lucario ran forward with a battle cry and swiped at the silent assassin. He blocked the hit with his shotgun. He pointed his gun at our friend and clicked the trigger, Lucario (and all of us) flinched. But there wasn't a loud bang but rather a soft click. He sighed with a scowl and took the shells hanging out of the gun. Hastily inserting them into the shotgun. Lucario swiped his Bone Rush at him but the assassin sidestepped and kicked his back. The jackal was sent sprawling to the floor. He growled then got back up.

Blaziken and I rushed at the blonde assassin. His idiotic chuckle miffed us.

“Two for one? Aww that's not fair!" He falsely whined. Soon he twirled his dagger. A wicked smile on his face. He extended his arm toward us and beckoned us to attack. Blaziken idiotically took the bait. He rushed at him with a Thunder Punch, swung, missed and got sliced on his arm. His pained grunt was my signal to help. I placed my paws on the ground and focused. Not even a second later, several flame pillars erupted between the two. My Fire Pledge blocked the assassin's attempt to get in point blank range. Blaziken stumbled back in shock which turned to anger.

“Why'd you do that dumbass? I could've had him!"

“Shut up, now isn't the time to be bitchy. Your arm was cut and it seemed you needed help. If you aren't careful he'll get close and kill you. Attack from range." I chided. He growled but accepted what I actually said. The Fire Pledge subsided around the assassin. He looked at us, very pissed.

“You damn bear badger thing! How dare you block me from the taste of blood?!" He screeched, holding his dagger tighter. I kept my sight on him to ensure he didn't do anything sudden. Then, out of the blue, he threw his dagger at us. At me. I jumped away from it and it lodged itself into the ground. I glanced at it. The urge to pick it up and use it against the assassin was tempting but I wasn't like them. I didn't need weapons to fight. I heard fighting to both of our sides. Robin fighting Kotaro on the left and Lucario fighting the silent assassin to our left. I didn't glance behind us at Junior because I trusted he was under Axel's and Blue hair's protection. Even if I didn't completely trust that man, it wasn't the time to be judgy.

“Ready Blaziken?"

“Yeah, let's toast his ass!" Blaziken eagerly stated. His wrists lit aflame as my collar reignited. Blonde took out another dagger from his belt and rushed at us. He swung at Blaziken who backflipped, and pushed himself off the ground with his hand. He landed without falling over himself. Show off.. I angrily thought. Blaziken's arm glowed a bright orange, signaling his Power-Up Punch. Like usual, he rushed in without a plan but somehow hit the assassin straight on his chest. He coughed out a bit of blood as he was sent flying. Their body hit the tree enough to make a dent. Groaning and coughing blood, he pushed himself up. He wiped away the blood with his arm.

“Nice.. but not good enough." He spat. He picked up his dagger and initiated a fighting stance right before smirking. His attention wasn't on us either but his nod made me turn around. My ears perked and I rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding the assassin's attempt. The blade passed by and trimmed a tuft of my fur. As it passed, I saw the assassin's freshly blood stained blade. A hint of dog that surrounded it made me uneasy. If he hurt Lucario I was going to slaughter him. Nobody hurt my friends!

Grumbling, he tried to hit me with the butt of his gun but Blaziken blocked it by smacking his weapon down and kneeing him. He grunted and flew back a couple feet. I growled but before I could say thanks I noticed blonde running at Blaziken. I pushed him away and used Flamethrower at him. He stopped dead in his tracks and jumped away. I growled before friendly footfalls approached us. It was Lucario and Zoroark. The jackal had a nasty gash in his arm that he held tight whilst his canine friend attached a pink cloth tightly around it. Once it was secured the illusion fox nodded with a reassuring smile.

“Thanks, now I don't have to worry for now. Where's Robin?" As he asked it, Robin yelled somewhere behind us. My ears perked. Fearing something dreadful happened, I quickly turned and my heart dropped. “Get a-away from us! I-I swear I'll kill you!" Junior threatened, holding his mother's sword. She was on her left knee, clutching her side. Her hand and robe a stained dark red. Multiple tears in her robe and some deep enough to leave deep scars. Axel and Blue were trying to help her to her feet but she couldn't. And that cut on her heel must've been the reason why. I growled and rushed to his side.

“Lucario, with me! Zoroark and Blaziken you guys deal with those two!" I commanded. Without any thought, the obeyed my order. Those two ran at the peons whilst Lucario and I ran to help the humans. Once we got close Junior's expression lightened up. Kotaro glanced back at us with an impressed chuckle.

“You thought to ambush me from behind? Heh, how cute. I won't accept failure in our mission." He turned toward us and threw a shuriken. Lucario and I dodged out of its way but he took the opportunity and punched Junior in the gut. He groaned and dropped Robin's sword, doubling over in pain.

“Junior!" I yelled out. I jumped to my feet and rushed for my mate. But before I could help him, Kotaro threw some sort of device at me. It latched around my arm. Slowly the silver chain expanded until it wrapped around my entire body. I fell, starting to try and shake it loose but it only tightened. Spikes on the chain dug into my body. Soon after Lucario also fell victim to the same device. We tried biting the device but it just griped around us more. We yelled out as it penetrated our skin.

“Now that those pests are out of the way," Kotaro chuckled before grabbing my mate by his jacket. He clawed his hand but didn't even flinch from Junior's struggle. He smirked then threw him quite a ways away. Fluffy landed with a painful shriek. Kotaro walked over and viciously kicked him.

“Junior!" Lucario and I shouted in unison. We tried struggling again only to result in the iron spikes to stab into us even more. The pain was unbearable. Like multiple Cacturne just using your body as a pin cushion. I couldn't even feel my flames in the pit of my stomach.

The roar of battle behind us grew louder as Blaziken and Zoroark kept the other assassins at bay. I couldn't even see Axel or the other man anymore. They ditched us to save themselves. I bitterly thought, tears welling up in my eyes as I was forced to see my lover kicked, punched and abused. His mouth and nose oozed out his blood.

“Son…" Robin weakly called out. “I'm.. I'm coming.." She painstakingly crawled herself over to him but Kotaro put his foot on her head. She growled. “If you hurt him again I swear I'll kill you!"

“Now that just sound silly doesn't it? You, the one who's going to die, threatens to kill me? In your dreams." A swift kick to her stomach earned a yell from Robin. He started to leisurely walk back toward Junior.

“Lucario.. do you know Heal Pulse?" Robin inquired, trying to lift herself up with her arms.

“I-I don't know.. Junior and I never had time to-"

“Try!" I cut in. “Please, we can't be stuck in these traps so they can kill Junior! Just try!" I wasn't sure if it was my urgent tone or the tears I shed that gave Lucario the courage to try but he gave me a reassuring smile. His appendages glew a bright blue and floated. A pink aura enveiled Robin but it dissipated once Lucario grunted. The spikes were digging into his skin.

“I-I can't, the spikes… the pain.. they won't let me concentrate. I'm sorry but-" He stopped himself once he saw Robin get back up to her feet. The cuts and wounds were slightly healed up, just enough so that she could move. She ran, grabbed her sword.

“Save Junior first! Don't worry about us!" Lucario told her. Robin gave us a reassured nod and ran behind Kotaro. He grumbled and dropped Junior who limply fell to the floor. His amulet flickered the same dark color once Kotaro turned toward his mother.

“Persistent bitch ain't ya? Fine then.. I'll just kill your son now and get you later on." The lead assassin avowed. He looked down at Junior's body and raised his foot up high. He then viciously slammed it down but it only hit the floor once Junior rolled out of it's path. He got up to his feet and growled.

“Wow that was close… urk, my body really hurts.. but I can't give up. Mother! Do it!" Kotaro angrily threw a shuriken at Junior but he dropped to the floor. Robin charged at the assassin and swung her sword. Kotaro, unfortunately, jumped with such speed she only hit air. Growing impatient, Kotaro took out another one of those devices and threw it at Junior. My ears perked up.

“Junior look out!" I warned. “T-Typhlosion?" He stuttered. My mate's glance went toward me before the device latched onto his legs. He yelped and tried to move his legs. A light yellow powder spread from a hole in the device. It was Stun Spore. He groaned and started shaking. Static quickly spread through his body, completely paralyzing him. Robin ran to help her son but Kotaro got in her way, smirking.

“I specially personalized that Stun Spore grenade. In case you were wondering, I added the poison of a Pokemon called Salandit, who's poison can kill any other Pokemon even other Poison types." Lucario and I gasped. Another Poison Pokemon who has a poison deadly enough to kill another Poison type hasn't been heard of. And I personally never heard of it. A shuffling behind us made me break from my concentration.

“Get away from us!" I blindly shouted before a hand closed my muzzle.

“Shut the fuck up idiot, before you give us away!" Somebody threatened.

“Don't worry guys, we've got you." Axel reassured. My ears perked up. It was Axel and the other man! They didn't abandon us as I previously thought. A flip of a pocket knife made my ears perk.

“When did you have that?!" Axel exclaimed in a hushed tone.

“Found it in my bag." He nonchalantly opined. He somehow cut through the device and set us both free. “Didn't know why I knew this knife could cut it.. but hey whatever. Oh and I also found this." He took out what looked like pieces to a weapon. A sniper to be exact. I shuddered but got to my feet as did Lucario. But a bloodcurdling shout make me remember what was happening.

“Junior, look out!" Axel shouted. I glanced over at my mate's paralyzed body and saw Kotaro rushing at him with a kunai. I flinched once it landed and blood pooled out. But it wasn't Junior who it hit. It was his mother. She coughed, even more blood was shot out of her body. Kotaro twisted the sword before abruptly pulling it out. A soft slump as her body fell to the floor. Junior's horrified expression broke my heart. Tears fell from his eyes all the while still being unable to move. Chuckling and probably feeling cocky, Kotaro snapped his fingers and Junior was suddenly able to move. He went on one knee and held his mother, ears flattened and whimpering.

“Junior.." She choked out, coughing more blood. Without much strength, she cupped her son's cheek and smiled. “Don't… cry. Be strong.. for m-me. You've.. grown so much.. my little boy. Don't… don't…" Robin suddenly dropped her hand from his cheek and fell still. Junior sniveled.

“No.. nononononono… M-MOTHER!" He screamed. The floor started to shake upon his scream. This caught everyone off guard. Even from a distance, I felt Blaziken, Zoroark and other assassins look over. It shook so much that I fell over. Our unnamed comrade almost fell onto his pocket knife due to the earthquake. Junior looked at his paws. They shook violently. Kotaro shook his head and got close to Junior, holding his kunai.

“I don't care if the fucking earth swallows me up! I won't fail my mission!" He declared. He swung his kunai at my mate but Junior inhumanly grabbed his wrist, tightening his grip. His eyes were the frightening white again. He threw Kotaro away enough for him to crash against his grunts. Blaziken and Zoroark ran toward us with worried expressions.

“What happened to Robin? Is she.. dead?" Blaziken wearily asked. He glanced at Junior and made an uneasy sigh. “Is he gonna be o-"

“MOTHER!!!" Junior screeched into the air. A dark purple and black light surrounded him. The light thickened around him, leaving only a silhouette of Junior. He hit the floor with his fists. Suddenly, he looked back up at the sky, holding onto his head. A loud and deep growl roared. It was wolf-like. Junior's silhouette glew red eyes. A low growl echoed as Junior's body expanded.

“Mother…" A low voice growled. Junior fell on all fours. His Shifter paws started to take a bigger and scarier shape. Becoming more animalistic paws and tail growing in size. All of us watched in awe as my mate's entire structure changed. Before long, the darkness around him faded and left behind a large creature. He stood at around 7 feet. Silver fur and red eyes. Ears tainted with a red hue. But none of that scared me. What did was wolf amulet dangling around his neck.

Growling with huge sharp teeth he roared. It was a huge wild wolf. Junior's playful and cheerful demeanor gone, leaving behind only urge for death.

“J-Junior.. is that you? A-Are you-" Lucario was cut of by Animal Junior's loud Noble Roar. All of us shuddered. An odd power sapping feeling flooded me. Suddenly I was weaker than usual. Apparently I wasn't the only one since Lucario, Zoroark and even Blaziken looked at their paws/claws.

“Wh-What did Junior do? I feel… weaker than usual." Blaziken stated. Without even a thought, blonde ran towards Beast Junior. Jumping with a sword, he yelled out.

“Die dog!" But his attempt ended abruptly as Junior swiped his paw down on him, knocking him down into the ground. The Shifter then smashed his paw down on his body. A bone chilling crack followed suit. Once he lifted his paw, it revealed the assassin's body covered in a pool of blood. He sniffed his body before starting to bite into it. The sound of flesh being torn off his body made everybody blench. Lucario tried his hardest not to vomit.

“Junior! Stop that!" Blaziken ordered. Instead he ignored his words and started clawing and throwing around the assassin's torn up body.

“Thomas!" Kotaro shouted. “DAMMIT.. YOU YOUNG FOOL!" He vociferated. “Damn that amulet! Zola! Get your sword and help me avenge Thomas!" Zola nodded and took out his sword and ran at Junior. His large wolf ears perked up from their footsteps.

“Grrr… RAWR!" Beast Junior howled out. Kotaro shot shurikens at Junior which seemingly bounced off without a scratch. Feeling threatened, Junior smacked the ground, making the ground open up and almost made Zoroark fall in. He, luckily, grabbed onto Blaziken's claw.

“What's wrong with him?! Doesn't he remember us?" The illusion fox asked, a hint of worry in his voice. I glanced at Beast Junior apprehensively. I wasn't sure if he DID remember us in whatever form he was in. Nonetheless, I hoped he did in fact know of our existence. But he was thankfully targeting the assassins instead of us.

“ZOLA!" Kotaro yelled. Junior pinned the silent assassin down, trapping his arms with his paws. “Just kill me… I never wanted to kill another soul anyways.. all I'm hoping is that the me in your time-" The somewhat indifferent assassin never got a chance to finish his sentence as Junior ripped his head off. The assassin's head spewed blood like a fountain. It got all over Beast Junior's silver fur, turning it crimson. What made us all look away was Junior eating his head. Loud crunching as he inevitably swallowed his 'prey'. Without another thought, Junior ripped off his leg. Chewing it at his leisure. All of us groaned from disgust. I had to stop him. This was too much. I walked forward but Blue hair pulled me back.

“Let me. Maybe I can help somehow." I nodded and stepped back. He walked forward and yelled to get his attention.

“Hey! Junior!" That made the large beast turn around, lowly growling. He flinched but put his hands ahead of him to show he was being cautious.

“Hey.. Hey hey. Remember us? You know, your companions? The ones who you traveled with? Come on you can remember!" He encouraged. The Shifter growled. He slowly walked toward the man, blood from his kill oozing from his mouth. Suddenly Junior pounced on the man. He watched as the 7 foot tall wolf opened his mouth to kill him. At that moment, a shimmer of white light shone from under his shirt. The light formed a figure and blocked Beast Junior's murder attempt with a Bone Rush. The light faded until revealing another Lucario protecting his trainer from harm. His fur was a darker shade of blue compare to our Lucario. He growled before Force Palming Junior straight in his amulet chest. He yelped before being sent flying. The amulet moved slightly from its original position. Once he landed he simply shook his head. The other Lucario sighed.

“You ok Master? You hurt anywhere? Need me to heal you up with my Heal Pulse?" He sounded so professional toward the blue haired man who just stared at him absent minded.

“Who the fuck are you?" He asked. The Lucario only tilted his head.

“What do you mean boss? You know me… you know… Akio?" The man just blankly stared at the mon. The Lucario grew impatient.

“Come on Zero! Stop joking around, we gotta kill the Shifter and save everybody!" So that's your name huh? Sounds alien to me. I thought wearily. The Lucario would've ran forward but Zero grabbed his arm.

“Wait,I don't know who you are or who I am,I don't even know much about that huge wolf beast thing. But I do know he's important to these guys," He paused to look at us. To help his statement, Lucario and I flattened our ears even whimpering. It seemed to have gotten Akio a bit annoyed as he growled. “Just let us try to save him for them."

“OK! You don't need to convince me. Whatever Master says I do." His Bone Rush disappeared in an instant. The Cario sat down and began meditating, not caring about the situation. Sighing, I walked toward my mate who was eating the remains of the two assassins he killed. His ears perked up, sniffed the air and turned toward me. Junior growled at me as though we were complete strangers. My heart tore a bit.

“J-Junior.. come on, it's me! Your.. boyfriend.." I whispered that last part so that the others couldn't hear. He took a step toward me as I sighed, preparing myself to help him. “I'm gonna regret this.. don't hold it against me." My paw lit ablaze and I quickly punched my mate on his chest. His yelp made me cringe especially since it was my doing. His amulet fell from his chest, but he didn't revert to his previous form. I picked it up and put it around my neck. It smelled similar to him. He growled and ran at me but a large flame pillar stopped his advance on me. I cleared my throat before using Fire Pledge to cycle around Junior and I. The heat was intense but it also meant nobody could help me. My pride and courage diminished but the image of Junior's soft smile in my Typhlosion mind brought it back.

“Typhlosion! What are you doing?! Stop that, if you get in danger we can't-" I tensed up and the flames got hotter, louder and thicker.

“Let's do this love.. ahem.." God this is going to be embarrassing.. I thought. I held the amulet in my paw. It was warm and welcoming, like Junior's fur. But also brooding.

“In endless dream-" I didn't get to begin that much as Beast Junior rushed at me. Luckily, I rolled away but he crashed against my flames. He didn't break through but some of his fur was singed. My ears flattened. All I hoped was that it didn't affect human-like Junior.

I cleared my throat once again before I began to do what I had to to save my trainer, friend and lover.

In endless dreams, countless realms collide

Gaze upon your carnage and a single truth

A legacy of lies, a familiar sight

Junior's loud roar echoed and shook me out of concentration. I held my ears with my paws to prevent hearing problems. Junior's eyes turned white again and he violently rushed at me again. Without hesitation, I jumped and used Flamethrower on him. He howled but shook the flames away. As he looked around to find me I continued the prophecy.

Stay with us, one last time,

For a world's sacrifice, endless death arrived but with a price.

Lost between these lands there strives,

A long lost child, you were here all alone.

Thou seek the truth with an ancient stone

A divine past lies within you, so conquer a false path to restore the world- cut away for the truth

His wolf ears perked and he swung his paw at me. I grunted from the hit but easily fell to the floor. I couldn't move my body. From the attacks from the assassins and Junior's Noble Roar, I was weak. My Fire Pledge walls wore off and our comrades saw me get pinned by the large wolf.

“Typhlosion!" Lucario called out. He tried running toward me but Zero's Lucario held him back.

“Believe in him. He can do this." Akio said. Just… gotta..

Not for day nor night, wrong nor right, for truth and peace you fight.

Beast Junior kept a paw on my throat, growling viciously. His teeth bared at me, ears bent back. Suddenly he tightened the grip on my throat. I had sung the last part of the prophecy and Junior wasn't going back to normal. My lungs hurt and I couldn't get any air. I clawed at his paw. My futile efforts were unnoticed by the large beast.

“I'm sorry.. I couldn't h-help you.." I cried. I tried saving my mate but whatever the amulet did was unerasable. I calmly placed my paws on his paw, tears trailing down my cheek. My lungs kept burning up. Begging for precious air, a plea that fell on deaf ears. A forced a smile. If there was any glimmer of hope it has died along with those assassins. And I too, was going to join that trio. Time slowed to a near halt. As seconds turned into minutes and minutes to hours, I saw my entire life flash in my eyes. Me being born, being unwanted in Elm's lab and meeting Junior and traveling with him. As my eyes flickered and sight faded I managed to choke out one sentence I wouldn't regret.

“I love you Junior."

…

…

…

“T-Typhlosion? W-Wake up. Please, don't leave me." A voice echoed. A soft feeling of warm comfy almost bedding-like fabric against my fur made me warm. Arms wrapped around me with a whimper.

“I'm sorry… please wake up.."

“Get the hell up already! You're making this bitch cry!"

“Hey.. Typhlosion, your aura isn't gone. Wake up to reassure us.. come on."

“Don't worry guys. He'll wake up soon." The distorted voices echoed. They seemed to care for me but I couldn't wake up. The burning in my throat as well as my lungs continued to last.  It wasn't the typical burn you'd experience from a fire type attack but worse. Painful searing pain. Suddenly a soft lick on my head made me shudder. My eyes opened a bit to see a huge paw wrapped around me. A bunch of grinning faces upon my wake. All of my comrades motioned up and I glanced up. Tears fell from the beast as he hugged me tighter, giving me affectionate licks.