Zarius saw the language of the gods float above him, words that manifested into meaning in the black-on-red colors.

  -----

  [Combat Concluded]

  [Experience Awarded: 25]

  [Current Experience: 400 / 428]

  -----

  “Huh,” Zarius muttered. “Looks like I can get experience from practicing. That’s good to know.”

  “During your combat bout, you both exerted yourselves. This, in turn, resulted in life essence being emitted from your body – which I recaptured – and Corina’s body, which I acquired.”

  Lucien shook his body slightly as if he was shaking off some type of water dousing and soaking his fur. “Gah. You two should have just gotten it over with.”

  “We did. We fought,” Zarius replied as he glanced down at his companion.

  “I mean the whole mating thing. Obviously, you both have an attraction to each other.”

  Zarius blushed a bit and Yveltal commented, “Being a Trainer must result in a more…animalistic mindset. It explains why the townspeople had a look of distaste towards you. Trainers must be somewhat rare and perhaps seen as a necessary evil.” He chuckled, “It’s not like regular soldiers could have taken that Centiskorch two-on-one.”

  Zarius pushed aside the idea that he was becoming animalistic and submitting to baser instincts. Who cares, he thought, if I am becoming more like a Pokémon. Eventually I’ll ascend to godhood. He glanced down at Lucien. What will happen to you, though? I don’t just want to leave you.

  “You will not have to. When we ascend, we can choose to…what is the best way to put this…uplift him with us.”

  That brought a sense of relief to Zarius, and he scratched Lucien’s head again. “We should probably go to the guy who posted the Quest.” He reached into his hip pouch and pulled out the slip of parchment. “Ah…well, shit. No one is named.” He looked back to the training yard, with the soldiers who had looked at him with such vitriol. Despite having made some distance from them, they still stared after him.

  “Why not ask the locals?” Lucien asked as he padded over to one of the Miltanks near the fencing. “Hi there. We’re trying to find a Luxio. Blue and Electricity Type. Seen it?”

  “Mil. Miltank. Mil, mil mil. Miltank.” The loud lowing noise was impossible for Zarius to understand.

  Lucien nodded, “Thanks, miss.” He looked to Zarius. “She said that she’s heard of that through the herd.” He chuckled at the slight bit of wordplay. “We will have to go to the next farm over to ask more.”

  Zarius followed Lucien, the two picking up the pace to a fast walk as they strode down the main road to the next farm on the path. Lucien kept inquiring with the Miltank population, and through several hours of going from farm to farm. Most of the Miltanks were being used for milk and milk products like cheese – which Zarius had heard of but never tasted. However, the place they came across, finally, at the conclusion of their search for the most recent kill-site, was a slaughterhouse.

  Zarius saw the hides outside, drying off and being stretched. A woman and man – a middle-aged couple – helped by their teenage children, were busy chopping into the stripped-down carcasses of Miltanks. Zarius pulled his hood up to cover his ears and tucked them back. “Hey there!”

  The group turned, and the teenagers had a look of excitement cross their faces as they dropped their tools – to the mother’s protest – and ran over to stand in front of him. “Oh! That’s such an awesome Pokémon! Can I pet him?” the teenage girl asked.

  Zarius smiled and scratched Lucien between the ears, “Just like this.”

  The girl wiped her bloody hands on her smock and scratched Lucien, much to his enthusiasm. The boy soon joined in, and both were saying soft praises about how soft his fur was. Lucien glanced sideways at Zarius, “You don’t praise me like this,” he stated.

  “You have the softest fur,” Zarius said.

  “Bullshit,” Lucien replied with a chuckle.

  The parents came over, with the father wiping his hands and holding out one to shake. “You must be a Trainer judging by the belt and…well.”

  “Yeah.” Zarius pulled out the Quest slip. “What can you tell me about this Luxio?”

  The woman frowned and crossed her arms, “Damned thing killed the Parson’s Miltank three days ago. And just yesterday, got one of ours.” She gestured behind her to a slightly smaller Miltank carcass. “One of the youngins. Took off with a huge chunk of meat, too. A whole haunch! That’s…ten silver, easily!”

  Zarius frowned and glanced around the area, “Well, where were they grazing?”

  The father waved his kids away, “Follow me. I’ll show you.”

  Zarius and Lucien followed to the side of the slaughterhouse, past the family abode, past a large stable, and into one of several fields that were fenced off. The slush on the ground made it extremely muddy and messy going, but Zarius didn’t mind much given he’d been coated in blood already. My clothes must look a mess, he thought knowing that he had not laundered them, and he had to be coated in mud thanks to his earlier tussle with Corina.

  They reached a section of low, green grass in one of the fields. There were some slightly browner sections where blood had soaked into the dirt. “This is where she got gotten,” the man stated.

  Zarius got close to the ground and sniffed. He could smell the heady scent of the dirt. The coppery tang of the blood. The pungent odor of a Miltank. And, something slightly different. A zesty, almost lemony odor. “I think I’ve got it,” he whispered.

  Lucien came over and sniffed next to him, “Smells like it. We can track with this.”

  “Uhh…what are you doing?” the butcher asked.

  Zarius stood up and tapped his nose, “I’ve got the Luxio’s scent. We’ll track it, but who do we go to for the reward?”

  “Oh…uhm…the Parson’s. They’re the next farm over from our ranch.” He pointed a bit of a distance away, where another farmhouse was on a slightly raised hill. “Take care of this thing, okay, stranger?”

  “Will do. One question, though.” Zarius glanced down at Lucien then at his messy clothes, then back to the farmer. “You weren’t put off by me. In town a lot of folks had a…unease about me. Why?”

  The butcher cracked a slight, tired smile. “You must not be from around here.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Zarius pointed to the distant peaks, “Up there.”

  “One of the villages? Ah. That explains it. Well, Trainers tend to be violent. That’s the main reason. I’ve heard a story years back about Mary, the local Guild Leader, who got into a fight in the middle of town with a Trainer that wanted to take her position. Just…in the middle of town…” he shook his head, “Three houses had to be rebuilt. Thankfully, the upstart little shit was put in his place.”

  Zarius sighed, “So I’m being judged for what others have done.”

  The butcher clapped him on the shoulder, “Just do some good, lad, and you’ll get a reputation. Corina, Bradley, and Wilson – they’re all great Trainers. Those who’ve actually talked to them know they’re just people.”

  “Thanks,” Zarius replied feeling genuine gratitude at the stranger giving him the information. “We’ll get to work. Lucien? Take the lead.”

  Lucien began padding off at a slightly slower pace than their travel from farm to farm, sniffing constantly. Zarius gave the butcher a wave and followed Lucien, making sure he kept on the scent trail perfectly.

  They lost it in a couple of places, but after stopping and then spiraling outward in opposite circles, they would pick it up again. Until they reached a creek. The scent trail there was faint, and it took them a few hours as night began to fall before they picked the trail up again.

  “We’re getting close,” Lucien rumbled. “Smell the intensity?”

  Zarius nodded as he sniffed once more. The lemony scent had grown far stronger, but he also detected a bit of a different scent. A few, slightly distinct variations of the same. “More than one?” he asked in a whisper.

  Lucien’s yellow rings turned to crimson as he growled. “Cubs. Three of them.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Focus your will on the main scent that we have been tracking and then tilt your head slightly until you discern each individual odor.”

  Zarius did as Lucien told him, and as he slowly tilted his head, he could make out the faint differences in the smells. “That’s surprisingly easy.”

  Lucien padded forward, into the water, but then leaped backward. “Electric Type. Being in water or getting wet is not wise.” He backed up a bit, “We should jump at this narrow channel.” He got a slight running start and leaped across.

  Zarius backed up a bit and sprinted, jumping and clearing the ten-foot gap with ease. He drew his sword on the other side and activated Double Team and Double-Edge. Note to self – I need to meditate and swap out Double Edge for Taunt.

  Lucien led the way, and the duo were wrapped in the shadows of the darkening night. It surged around and caressed them both, and Zarius felt a slight discomfort fade as he realized he still had some soreness from his earlier practice bout – so caught up in his tracking and the new experience that it had slipped his mind. Lucien must have activated Helping Hand, as Zarius felt the heat near his chest as if a red-hot poker was inches away.

  They crept along the slightly rocky riverbank, and Zarius noted that his footsteps were quiet. He couldn’t hear Lucien’s padding along, either. They were silent shades slinking along the landscape. The soft, grassy bank to the side slowly blew in the breeze, and as the moon came over the lip of that bank, the scent trail grew far stronger.

  Zarius crouched lower as he saw a sparking blue light. It came from an overhang, where a rock from long ago had become embedded into the grassy berm. It made a small space underneath, and the light, blue, crackling energy indicated the presence of the Electric Type they were hunting. He had the sword in his hand, but now that his prey was so close, he could feel the pulsating through the blade. The incredibly powerful energy surging along his arm, into his body, and filling him up with a sense of bloodlust that caused him to embrace that manic grin once more.

  Getting to the hollow, he peered in with Lucien. A small space, no wider than three feet and a foot in height. And he saw small, half-blue-half-black Pokémon pups. They were stirring as they slept in a small litter – three of them. The slight star on their tails was emitting blue energy as they were intertwined, almost as if the electricity was breathing along with them.

  “This is what I was afraid of. Xerneas’ increased influence over the balance of life and death has resulted in increased population. From one Luxio, to three…whatever these are called.”

  “How many should we kill, then?” Zarius asked softly. “If the goal is to cull the population-”

  Lucien pulled his head back and looked over at Zarius, “I won’t kill defenseless pups. I propose we kill the Luxio and then take these three to the Guild Hall.”

  “Growing a conscience?” Yveltal asked wryly.

  Lucien shook his head and tapped his front paw on the ground. “No. Let them grow into worthy prey.” He turned away from the hovel and kept sniffing the air. “It is late, the Luxio is a daytime hunter. It should be returning to its den-”

  Zarius saw a flash of blue from his left side and let out a brief shout of warning as the bolt came towards them. He felt it slam into his left side, and he lost control of his body for a moment as the searing, scorching heat spread along his side, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

  Umbreon jumped in front of Zarius and his crimson rings glowed a deeper, more violent red as he let out a deep Growl, using the Move. Zarius could, somehow, just tell that the Move was used.

  The pups in the den began waking with little cries of “shi, Shinx, shi” as they stirred. The parent, the Luxio, was standing on top of the grassy berm about fifty feet away. But a second one joined them a split-second later.

  Of course, both parents, Zarius thought as he felt the shadows that wrapped around him cured his injury. He rushed forward, raising his left hand and making the claw-like grip gesture as he shouted “Bite!”

  The shadowy jaws crunched around the Luxio that had fired off the lightning, and blood was drawn. A scent that drove Zarius on ever faster. He could see the faint, glimmering outline of purple energy surrounding the Pokémon, and then another Bite from Lucien impacted. It drew more blood, but the Shadow Brand left behind by Zarius’ Bite detonated, and the purple energy erupted in a brief, glimmering hue before fading.

  The Luxio let out a cry of pain and faltered, but the other one was not idle. It let out a cry, “Luxio!” and a bolt of light-blue lightning arced to Zarius, slamming into him. Once more, the pain spread over his body and caused him to lock up, the tingling having spread all over. He tried to say something but couldn’t.

  “Paralysis,” Yveltal advised. “The good news is-oh. Unfortunate."

  What? Zarius asked in his mind.

  "They aren't affected by Paralysis. Must be some interaction with Electric Type. Irritating. This will hurt."

  Zarius was hit by another two bolts of blue lightning, and felt intense heat inside his chest as he was being cooked from the inside. His eyes were seeing literal sparks, and the shadows wrapping around him from the darkening night continued to heal him back from the verge of what had to be death. It was agonizing, and his whole existence was pain and being trapped in that pain.

  Lucien unleashed a Bite on the uninjured Luxio, carving a huge bite mark along its body and drawing it's attention. The Bite took a chomp out of the leg, and must have caused enough injury that it slipped down the embankment and to the stony shore. The other one, still hurting from the earlier Bites, fired off a bolt at Zarius. He watched as the arcing blue energy shot forth, hit him, and he felt agonizing pain as if tiny insect-like Pokémon had been released all over his skin and inside his veins. He could feel every single nerve in his body on fire.

  Lash Out! Zarius thought as he tried to activate the Move.

  The black spikes of energy formed around his body and raced into the Luxio that was still on the berm. They pierced into the creature, pincushioning it, and it let out a yowl of pain before firing off another blast of electricity.

  Lucien reached Zarius and jumped in front of the hit, letting out a grunt of pain as he landed.

  Zarius felt his body respond once more, and he quickly ran to the heavily injured Luxio on the ground that was missing its front left paw entirely. He stumbled a few times, rolling back to his feet as he staggered until he found his footing. He let out a shout and slashed down, cutting its head clean off and slaughtering the creature. He could feel the rush of energy that flowed into him, and cackled madly at the bloodshed as the deep, blue ichor spurted up onto him. He also felt the wrenching pain in his arms from Double-Edge being activated finally. The coursing shadows coated him in even thicker layers, a billowing shroud of healing darkness that soothed his wounds.

  “Uh oh!” Lucien shouted, prompting Zarius to turn from his bloodshed. The Luxio on the berm was glowing white, and its body shifted. “It’s evolving!” Lucien warned.

  “You cannot interact with an evolving Pokémon. An ancient decree of Mew’s design. Get close to it, and get ready for a real fight.”

  Zarius dashed up the slope with Lucien and reactivated Double Team to stack another use of the Move, Double-Edge to be ready to strike, and held his left hand in the claw shape, ready to use another Bite.

  Lucien got on the other side, a short distance away and activated Helping Hand as Zarius felt the heat near his chest again. He also buried his forepaws into the ground. “Ready!” he barked out.

  The glimmering white aura surrounding the Luxio faded. Where once a shin-height Pokémon stood, a new figure stood before them. Coming up to Zarius’ chest at its head height. A large, quadrupedal Pokemon with black fur along its head and chest, and gracing the back legs. The tail lengthened, and the yellow star sharpened to a razor-studded mace head. The thing let out a cry, shouting its new name into the heavens. Its anger at losing its mate.

  “Luxray!”

  The world exploded in blue lightning in front of Zarius’ eyes, and he was blasted backward.

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