Chapter 38 - 


Over the next few hours, the three slept peacefully as the night passed by, the sounds of the river and
creatures of the night lulling them all the further into a sense of security and peace... However... Over
time, the glowing eyes that had been keeping a watch over the tent had grown closer and closer, up to the
point they were watching the site from the very border of the forest, hiding in the line of bushes and trees
around them... Inside the tent, as Chris slept soundly, both Servine and Kirlia suddenly began to stir as
the sound of growling came from all around them, causing the two Pokemon to open their eyes with a dazed
look as they sat up, the both of them facing diffeent directions as the sounds grew slightly louder... Looking
down at Chris, Servine gave him a pat on the chest, then pat him on the cheek before trying to nudge him awake.
Unfortunately, the only response Servine was able to get was an awkward babble before he rolled over onto his
stomach, nearly causing Servine to get stuck underneath him as she quickly jumped to the side. Hearing the
sounds growing closer, Kirlia began making "eh...? eh...?" noises, tilting her head confused as she heard
them, knowing it wasn't coming from the two within the tent. Looking at her, Servine suddenly jumped as the
sounds turned into snarls, quickly jumping towards Kirlia and covering her mouth with a quiet shush, the blind
Pokemon going wide eyed in surprise.


Seemingly whispering to Kirlia, she had the confused Pokemon follow behind as she made her way to the entrance
of the tent, carefully pulling it open just enough to peek outside. For a moment, Servine wasn't able to see
anything out of the ordinary, just the remaining embers of the fire flickering in front of them... However...
After a moment, she began hearing rustling, and next thing she knew, countless Pokemon started walking up in
a group towards he fire, surrounding it before taking notice of the containers of food Chris had left piled
up nearby where his rucksack was. Considering it had grown even darker without the fire to light the area around
the tent, Servine had difficulty making out what they were, able to notice they stood on all fours and seemingly
had horns coming out of their heads. Backing away nervously, Servine began sweating as the numbers continued to
grow, the sound of the containers being crunched on causing Servine to shudder as Kirlia reached out to her,
making a noise as if to ask "what is it?" causing a loud snarl to come from where the group was, Servine quickly
covering her mouth again with another "shush...!!" noise as she slightly sweat. Carefully peeking out, she saw
the glowing eyes of the Pokemon facing the tent as the group snarled, after a moment looking away as they continued
swarming the containers of food. Trying to squint her eyes to see what exactly they were, just as she tried poking
her head out for a better look, she suddenly heard another growl, this time sounding as if coming from that of a
demon itself... Frozen, a huge paw suddenly stomped down right in front of her, followed by another as a huge
Pokemon with enourmous horns walked past the tent and up to the large group, snarling at them as they quickly
lowered their heads and moved aside, allowing the beast to walk up to the food and examine it as well...


What... Were they...? Silently keeping an eye on them, Servine was finally able to make out the face of the
apparent leader once it turned and walked towards the simmering remains of the fire, the slight glow revealing
a dark and eerie face... As it looked towards the moon, it suddenly let out a loud howl, the others joining
around and howling as well. This caused the two Pokemon to cover their ears and shudder, the howls sounding
like the eerie cry of the wreaper himself... As the group of Pokemon looked around, they suddenly heard the
sounds coming from Chris in his sleep within the tent, glaring in the tents direction with a snarl before
slowly heading towards it, Servine going wide eyed and quickly running on top of Chris, shaking him as he
remained in a deep sleep, making awkward howling-like noises himself with a chuckle. Getting frustrated, Servine
prepared to lash him with her vines before noticing Kirlia curiously poking her head out of the tent, slowly
walking out wanting to learn what it was making such strange noises. Turning pale, Servine suddenly ran out
after her, seemingly doing so subconsciously as Kirlia walked into the leg of the lead beast, letting out an
"oomph!!" before feeling the leg and facing up. Quickly grabbing her from behind, Servine yanked Kirlia back
as she faced up at the leader as well, its face shadowed by the night as the moonlight glowed around its body,
the beasts eyes glowing in rage as fire seethed from its mouth. Growling, it looked down at the two, causing
Servine to gulp as Kirlia listened to the sounds coming from the beast.


Looking over the two, the beast went silent for a moment as it leaned its face down, getting a closer look at
the two before reaching its paw out to the side. With a sudden deep growl, as if saying "move...", it smacked
Servine to the side, causing her to scream before landing on the ground. Within the tent, Chris stirred from
hearing the cry, slowly opening his eyes slightly with a groan. Outside, the beast went up to Kirlia, giving
her a sniff and letting out muttering noises, seemingly speaking to her as Kirlias eyes went wider and wider,
eventually taking a nervous step back and sweating as the beast raised its head and suddenly revealed a wicked
grin on its face, seemingly chuckling at her in a "well well..." tone. Growling at the group around it, the beast
looked down at Kirlia as more flame began seething from its mouth. As if she was standing before something not
of this world, Kirlia started stepping back further, holding herself as tears began welling up in her eyes, slowly
shaking her head as she faced up towards the beast. Somehow... The two seemingly recognized one another... Causing
an intense fear to overwhelm Kirlia whilst the beast found itself in an ironic yet enjoyable situation...


As Servine sat up watching the two nervously, she noticed their behavior, standing up and making a sound as if to
ask Kirlia "whats going on?" as Kirlia continued backing away, only for the beast to step closer and closer, all
the while continuing to grin maliciously... As the group began surrounding Kirlia as well, the leader suddenly
opened its mouth, preparing to unleash a powerful burst of fire towards Kirlia causing her to cover her head and
freeze up. Shouting at her, Servine started sprinting in her direction, only for part of the group to block her
and growl, fire seething from their mouths as well. Gritting her teeth, Servine released her vines, preparing to
attack until she saw an explosion of fire rise up behind them, hearing an ear piercing scream from Kirlia that
caused Servine to launch herself into the air, using her vines as stilts to get a view of the scene. With the group
that had been blocking her caught off guard by her ability as they looked up, Servine was able to see Chris yanking
the beast back in a headlock, Kirlia still standing in terror with her hands over her head. Right when the beast
unleashed its flamethrower, Chris was able to catch it just in time, yanking its neck and redirecting the fire towards
the sky instead. "Ngh... Houndooms... Should have been more careful..." he growled, the beast suddenly thrashing in
his clutch before throwing him off towards Kirlia. Able to land on all fours over her, Chris blinked at surprise at
being able to land in such a way before lowering his head and looking underneath him. "Hey! You alright?" he asked,
Kirlia facing up with a jolt before clutching tightly to his arm, trembling from head to toe. "W... Woah there...
What has you so..." he asked, suddenly facing the leader as it snarled at him.


"Say... You're one of those special mega form Pokemon... I thought that was only able to happen when a Pokemon had
a trainer or something...?" he asked, the leader raising its head and letting out another howl, causing the rest to
swarm Chris as Servine launched herself in his direction, landing on his back and slithering her way underneath him
alongside Kirlia for protection. Looking at the two, he stood and placed them on his shoulders. "These fellas are
pretty dangerous... Especially that leader of theirs... Normally it wouldn't be so bad to have you girls lend me a
hand... But..." he muttered, looking at the fire seething from their mouths as they slowly came closer. "If that
stuff touches you two... They say the pain lasts forever..." he told them, causing the two Pokemon to shout at him
as if asking to run. "Ha ha... I'd like to but..." he responded, looking in all directions only to find countless
Houndooms. "...Guess its not an option. So..." he paused, taking a deep breath and smiling. "Alright... You two help
me out with defense, got it?" he told them, getting a nervous nod in response. Suddenly, several of the Houndoom
charged at the three, and taking a defensive stance while the two clutched him tightly, Chris began dodging them as
best he could, even managing to grab one by the paws to swing it into several others before one pounced on him from
behind. "C... Crap!!" he shout, grabbing Servine and Kirlia, tossing them into the air as he fell and fought the
Houndoom off, quickly grabbing the two as they came back down. "Cl... Close..." he pant, setting them back on his
shoulders, sitting wide eyed from being swung and tossed around as they clutched onto him yet again.


Looking around, countless Houndoom continued surrounding him, the ones he caught off guard already standing with
the others as well. Taking a step back, Chris failed to realize the Houndoom behind him preparing a blast of fire
in its mouth, and just as it prepared to release its inferno, Servine quickly turned and snapped her vines around
its mouth, forcing the Houndoom to swallow its own fire before thrashing it around and forcing its mouth open to
swamp the others in the smoke now bellowing from deep within its body, the Houndoom breaking free and running off
into the woods as others began attacking with fire as well. Trying to dodge, Kirlia picked up on the bursts of
intense heat coming in his direction and started trying to keep up with it using her psychic abilities, stoping
the onslaught as best she could while Chris tried to remain out of harms way. Three against... What...? Thirty?
Fifty...? Seems fair..." he muttered, slightly sweating as the watched the group step closer and closer from all
directions. For some time, it seemed as though they were simply toying with Chris, wearing him down little by little
as Servine and Kirlia did what they could to avoid letting harm come to him as he dodged and caught as many as he
could off guard. Eventually, the leader walked up amidst them, seemingly grinning at Chris before making noises
as if to communicate. "Wh... What...?" chris asked. Suddenly, Kirlia clutched the side of his head and hid behind
it, suddenly starting to shudder once again as the leader faced the cliff, letting out something like that of a
chuckle before looking back at the three with a raised eyebrow. "H... Hey... Is it talking... To you?" Chris asked, 
Kirlia only letting out a quiet whimper in response.


Finally joining in himself, the mega formed leader lunged towards Chris as the onslaught of fire resumed all around
them, Chris forcing Kirlia to compose herself enough to stop whatever fire she could whilst Servine whipped and grabbed
what Houndoom she could to keep them at bay. Trying to make his way out of the center of the pack, Chris quickly grew
more and more worn out, until suddenly, the leader finally jumped right at him and sent Chris to the ground, trying to bite
his face only for Chris to grab its mouth and struggle to keep its sharp teeth away while Servine and Kirlia lay on the
ground severla feet away, having been thrown off by the sudden fall. "Y... You two alright?!" he shouted, the both of them
quickly sitting up and shouting in response. Trying to run back to him, the two were cut off by the group, facing the two
and ready for battle as Chris struggled with the leader, randomly catching him in a headlock and trying to wrestle it to
the ground as the group watched. "Wh... What is it with you?!! If you want the food just take it and get!!" Chris told the
leader, shoving its face into the soil before being thrown off by its horns, landing roughly and groaning. Walking up to Chris,
the leader and the rest of the group surrounded him, each preparing another burst of fire in their mouths as the leader
once again chuckled, seemingly calling Chris out as weak. Quickly standing, Chris glanced towards Kirlia and Servine as they
fought off their own group of Houndoom. Now split apart, Chris was on his own as he dodged the endless bursts of fire, feeling
their aim gettign better and better as his hair and clothes her singed more and more as they attacked. Finally, as Chris faced
part of the group behind them, he accidentally turned his back on the leader who took the chance to ram into his back as hard
as it could, causing Chris to gasp before being sent flying into the distant trees, smashing through branches before landing
on the ground roughly.


Letting out a groan, Chris weakly stood up, trying to step forward only to feel something pinching and popping along his
spine. Jolting with wide eyes, he glanced behind himself, trying to feel the spot that was causing discomfort only for a
sharp pain to suddenly burn in his head, a sensation seemingly trying to force him to remain still. "Ngh... Th... Those
two..." he groaned, looking towards Servine and Kirlia as they continued trying to fend off the Houndoom, shouting out
for him as the leader started walking in their direction. Leaning against the tree, Chris glanced towards his back once
more before shaking his head and moving forward, this time trying to run as his back repeatedly popped and sent
the sensation of his nerves being clamped down on throughout his body. "Th... That attack... When he rammed by back..."
Chris muttered, having to stop and put a hand against his back with a groan. Looking at the pack of Houndoom, they seemingly
realized he was no longer a challenge, considering him the loser of the situation after a single attack from their leader
had him ready to collapse. Turning their backs towards him, they suddenly charged towards Kirlia and Servine all at once,
causing the two Pokemon to scream for help all the louder as the leader calmly walked up to them, maliciously grinning once
again. Looking down at the two, Servine quickly stepped in front of Kirlia, lashing her vines out only for the leader to
snatch them in his jaws and clamp down on them, causing Servine to scream and stumble onto her knees. Seemingly chuckling at
her, the leader grabbed her vines with his paw and slammed them into the ground beneath him, standing on top of them while
looking at Kirlia. Watching and hearing this, Chris continued making his way towards the group, all the while his back popping
and the sensation in his head that was seemingly trying to control him burned hotter and hotter.


Standing before the mega formed Houndoom, with Servine now under its control as well, Kirlia faced up towards its face with a
pale expression of terror while it seemingly mocked her, sneering and snickering as it glanced in Chris's direction,
clearly involving him in the mockery as well while flames began seething from its mouth once more. Facing Kirlia, Servine tried
to shout at her, trying to coax her into fighting until the leader stomped her vines deeper into the ground beneath its paw,
getting a scream from her that made the beast seemingly start laughing in pleasure, stomping on them again and again until
Servine fell silent from the pain beneath it, Kirlia facing Servine in misery and terror as the leader brought its face close
enough to Kirlia's for them to be eye to eye as if it wanted to check something... And after gazing into Kirlia's eyes, the
beasts grin spread from ear to ear, growling deeply and quietly as if it say "it IS you..." before glancing at the pack and
motioning for them to come closer. Gritting her teeth, Servine raised her head, growling as if to seemingly call them out as 
"bastards" before finding herself trapped within the jaws of one of the pack, trying to attack with her vines only to let them
limply fall to the ground due to their wounds, her tail unable to be of use as it had already begun to droop from her injuries.
Facing Kirlia, she tried to seemingly convince her to run, shouting at her only for the blind Pokemon to turn and run into the
legs of the Houndoom behind her, falling back as the leader started laughing at her helplessness, the rest of the pack suddenly
joining in as Kirlia teared up and Servine grit her teeth and looked away, noticing Chris stumbling towards them. Going wide eyed,
Servine reached out to him and screamed, only to go silent when she noticed something was wrong as he tried to clutch his back
while pressing forward, nearly falling several times until the both of them heard Kirlia let out a scream as well, causing Chris to
force his body to hasten whle Servine turned her head, seeing Kirlia in the jaws of the leader as he started walking towards the
cliff, motioning with its head for the others to follow with Servine as well.


Struggling to escape the leaders grasp, Kirlia tried as hard as she could to free herself, even trying to use her psychic abilities
to no avail as with each try the leader would clamp down on her small figure all the harder, making a sound as if to tell her "uh uh"
as it grinned, enjoying its little mouthfull of helplessness. Finally, the pack reached the edge of the cliff, the leader looking up
at the moon before letting out muffled noises, seemingly speaking and causing Kirlia's eyes to go wide as she screamed even louder
suddenly, causing Servine to start struggling once more as well and shout alongside her as the leader closed its eyes, taking a deep
breath and letting out what sounded like a satisfied sigh, as if it was... Taking in the moment for some reason... A look of nostalgia
on its face. Looking towards the Houndoom with Servine in its mouth, he made a sudden motion and together they both crunched down on
the two, causing them to let out a sudden raspy and gargled scream before they went limp and unconscious, the pack chuckling together
as they stepped back from the leader and the Houndoom holding Servine, giving them room. Taking a few steps back, the leader and the
Houndoom dashed towards the cliff and released both Pokemon, sending them flying high into the air at the same time while the pack
howled as if enjoying a twisted celebration...


Yet... The merriment was cut short, as Chris suddenly sprint madly through the pack, bounding across them as if they were stepping
stones as he rapidly made his way towards the cliff. Seeing this, the leader let out a mighty howl, and beneath his feet it was as
if a sea of lava appeared as every Houndoom spewed fire from their mouths, releasing a mighty inferno towards him as he made his
way along. Dodging what he could, Chris could feel his back giving out more and more, the sensation of numbness slowly running through
his lower body more and more as his head felt as though it had an inferno of its own within. Deep... Deep in his mind... He could swear
he heard something screaming... Something calling him a fool at the top of its lungs as it tried to stop him to no avail... Reaching the
leader, it faced Chris with wide eyes before unleashing its wrath... As its flame erupted in his direction, Chris shut his eyes tightly
as he felt it rushing against his legs, disintegrating his pants and covering his legs in severe burns... Yet he pressed forward with
sweat covering his face and tears streaming from his eyes... As he felt the cursed fire eating away at his legs, he also knew it would
be the last sensation he feels in them... As once he reached the leader, he stomped on its face and jumped from it like a springboard
off the cliff, feeling his spine finally give and sever all feeling in his legs as he soared through the air.


Heading straight for Kirlia and Servine, he quickly grabbed them as they fell towards the ground below, turning so he would take on the
impact instead, looking towards the top of the cliff as the pack watched them fall from above. Glancing at his legs, he saw they were
covered in red and black, the skin having suffered a horrible mutilation from the power he forced them to endure head on... Looking at
the two Pokemon in his arms, Chris shut his eyes and held them tightly against him. "At least... You two will be alright... And if I
make it too... At least I won't have to feel the pain... Right...?" he told them, his tears streaming as he let out a final laugh.


And then... Everything... Went dark...