Partner

As the two girls fled from Ace and the Houndour a sour feeling welled up within them, a feeling of helplessness and bitterness from realizing they were merely a burden. And as they recalled the appearance of Ace's arm when he told them to run, both of them could only grimace inwardly as they tried to imagine how much pain he was in.

*KABOOM!*

An explosion behind them caused both girls to briefly halt their running, as they turned back to see a fireball forming over the tree line with flaming debris falling around it.

"Ace...!" May let out a choked gasp as she uttered Ace's name, before she grabbed the stunned Dawn's shoulder and pulled her along while fighting the formation of tears on her eyes.

Thankfully the duo soon saw Ace's house up ahead, which meant they were about to exit the woods. Unfortunately though they couldn't stop and tell Delia and Ash what was going on, as they would undoubtedly run into the woods to search for Ace.

So with a heavy heart they ran right by the house, and bolted down the streets as fast as they could, even as numerous people took to the streets to investigate the noticeable pillar of smoke that was forming behind them.

"Ri!" A short figure shouted as it darted past them, though neither girl took notice as they headed directly to professor Oak's lab, while they also ignored the helicopter in front of it.

*slam!*

"Dad! Professor Oak!" May cried out as she and Dawn slammed the door open, alerting the group inside as Birch said,

"May, Dawn! What's wrong?" Seeing something was wrong, professor Birch immediately asked about it while Dawn ran to find professor Oak.

"Professor Oak! Ace is in trouble!" Dawn cried out when she found him in the next room, only to pause when she saw him and Daisy tending to several small scrapes and wounds that were on Gary, while a man she didn't know was investigating a hole in one of the crates they had brought.

"Dawn? What happened?" Oak asked as he stood and left Gary in Daisy's care, hearing the urgency in Dawn's voice.

"Ace was showing us around the woods, and a pack of Houndour appeared and attacked us!" Alarm appeared on Oak's face as he tried to hurry to the back door of his lab, before professor Rowen cried, "Oak!"

Changing course, professor Oak went to see what Rowen was looking at out the front door, and saw a thick pillar of smoke in the distance behind Ace and Ash's house.

His expression turning darker by the second, Oak rushed to the back door with a spryness that didn't match his age, where he found Dragonite sleeping peacefully.

"Dragonite! Wake up!" He shouted, rousing it from its slumber, but any grogginess in its expression instantly cleared when he told it, "Ace is in trouble! He was attacked by some Houndour in the woods!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when Dragonite shot up and quickly took to the skies to locate him, which wasn't hard with the large pillar of smoke.

After sending Dragonite to help Ace, who would be able to take on thirty Houndour without breaking a sweat, Oak then went to rally some of his water Pokemon to combat the growing blaze.

While he was doing that though, Giovanni was headed to the door with his daughter as he told Birch and Rowen,

"I'll go start up the helicopter and head towards the smoke. If the boy needs medical attention then we can take him to Viridian city." Rowen nodded in affirmation, as May and Dawn had both stated that Ace had already received a serous injury on his arm, and there was no telling what state he was in now.

When Giovanni arrived at the helicopter though, he pulled out a communication device and said into it,

"Change of plans. The girls are alive but a boy got caught up in it. Call every news agency in the region, and tell them that a boy under professor Oak's sponsorship had been torn apart by Houndour, and his remains are being taken to the Viridian hospital." Hanging up as soon as he finished speaking, Giovanni then placed a call to the hospital itself to notify them of their arrival, right as professor Oak reappeared with several water Pokemon.

"Wait up!" Oak shouted as he too got onto the helicopter, along with a Vaporeon, while the rest of the water Pokemon hurried on foot towards the fire.

"I've notified the hospital, so they should be expecting us!" Giovanni told him, earning him a thumbs up from Oak as they took to the skies to find Ace.

***

Ignoring the dark feeling that welled up within me at knowing that Team Rocket was behind this attack, and were apparently trying to kill May and Dawn for some reason, I put up my good arm while ignoring the pain in my broken one as the seven Pokemon began to encircle me.

"Kicking ass first, wringing Giovanni's neck later." I told myself as I glared back at the fire/dark type Pokemon, watching their every move for signs of attacking.

"Dour!" One to my right lunged at me suddenly, which I deflected with a swing of my fist that impacted its face, before I quickly sent a kick to my left that hit the one that tried taking advantage of my blind spot.

Through my aura I sensed another about to leap at me from behind, so I leapt up while spinning around, and slammed the top of my foot into its face with enough force that it was sent flying into a the tree behind it.

"Doom!" The Houndoom cried out, right before a searing hot pain lanced across my back.

My shirt erupted into flames as a result of the attack of the Houndoom, distracting me as I tried to put them out before my entire body was burned. Instead I just ripped my shirt off, which was easy after a good chunk of it was burned, just in time for a Houndour to leap at me and knock me over.

"Dour!" The Houndour on my chest roared, as it lunged for my throat with its teeth.

"Fuck....you!" I exclaimed as I put my good arm up, holding it back by the throat as its teeth snapped shut repeatedly inches from my face, before one of its paws swung at me to slice open the side of my chin.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the Houndoom watching my predicament with glee alongside the rest of the Houndour, the sadistic nature that accompanied numerous dark type Pokemon being evident. But it appeared the Houndoom wasn't content just to watch, as it casually walked up to me like it had all the time in the world, before placing its paw on my right shin.

*CRACK!*

"Argh!" I cried out as it snapped my shinbone, like it was only a small stick to it.

I tried kicking the Houndoom with my other foot in retaliation, but with my horrible angle and position, it effortlessly caught my leg in its mouth, before I heard a crackle coming from it that made the one on top of me get off.

"Doom!" The Houndoom cried out even with my leg in its mouth, before my entire body seized as electricity shot through me, courtesy of the Thunder Fang it used.

"Gaaaaaah!" I cried out from the pain, losing most of the strength in my body at the same time as the Houndoom released my leg.

"Hound." It growled at me tauntingly as it stood above me and placed a paw on my chest, lording its victory over me with a sadistic gleam in its eye.

"B-bite me bitch." I snapped at it despite the electricity still running through my body, making it snarl at my defiance even as it prepared to do just that.

I watched the Houndoom bare its fangs while eyeing my throat, as it prepared to tear it open and perhaps snap my neck.

"..."

At that moment I suddenly felt a sense of clarity wash over me as time seemed to slow.

I could feel the heat of the nearby fires on my skin, as the inferno raged.

I could see each individual strand of hair that made up the Houndoom's coat of sleek fur.

I could hear the running water back at the pool where I'd just been, less than thirty minutes before.

And I could still feel the sensation of May and Dawn's bodies pressed against my own, the taste of their lips, and the scent they gave off at the time.

My lips curled into a smirk at the Houndoom as it prepared to kill me, making it grow wary of my sudden confidence, before it decided to end me regardless as it lunged at my throat. I wasn't worried however. I knew help had arrived.

"RI!" Something crashed into the Houndoom right before its fangs could tear out my throat, sending it flying back towards the waiting Houndour as the hit stunned it, more from surprise than anything.

Turning my head, I saw a short figure standing between me and the seven other Pokemon. It was humanoid, standing at just under a foot tall, and covered in blue fur with black legs and a matching 'mask' around its eyes. A Riolu.

"Lu...." It uttered while looking back at me, before our eyes connected briefly.

In that moment I felt as if our consciousnesses connected as I felt everything the Riolu felt, and he felt everything I was feeling. I breathed in, and his chest rose as our bodies and minds seemed to synchronize through our aura connection.

Instinctively feeling this, I closed my eyes before opening them and looking back at him, and asked,

"Are you ready partner?"

"Ri!" It declared, stating that it was literally born ready as we synchronized again, and it took my preferred stance as it prepared to do battle.

"Dooooom..." The Houndoom growled threateningly, not at all pleased with having its fun interrupted. Riolu however narrowed his eyes at it, before I instructed,

"Quick Attack, and chain it with Rock Smash!"

Though not really knowing what I was talking about, Riolu could tell what I wanted through our link, and moved on instinct as it suddenly appeared directly in front of the Houndoom, and delivered a glowing fist right to its jaw.

"Ri!" It cried out as the Houndoom was sent flying yet again, while the energy from the Rock Smash also penetrated its body to lower its physical defense.

"Vacuum Wave on both sides!" I quickly ordered as the rest of the Houndour began to move, to which the little Riolu began to swirl its paws, before sending a vacuum at its opponents on both sides to similarly send them to the ground.

"Quick Palm on the Houndoom!" I ordered right as the Houndour hit the ground, to which Riolu used Quick Attack to appear right next to the Houndoom as it tried picking itself up off the ground, before delivering a Force Palm into its side, which dealt more damage after its defense had been lowered previously.

"Doom!" The Houndoom cried out as its muscles seized up, paralyzing it after the hit.

"Force Palm!"

"Quick Smash!"

"Vacuum Palm!"

On and on the battle went as Riolu fought the Houndour, drawing on my experience through our synchronization to help it in battle. That, combined with it being the fighting type that dark types were weak to, helped it keep its numerous opponents in check, but there were several elements working against us that became apparent as the minutes slowly passed.

From its small size I could tell Riolu had to have just been born, meaning that it was still didn't have the strength necessary to deal a decisive blow against the Houndour and Houndoom, even with the type advantage. If there was only one opponent then it would be an easy win even with that, but against so many...

That was where the second problem was, as Riolu didn't have the stamina necessary to fight a battle for more than a couple minutes. It was quickly becoming tired after having to attack and dodge so many opponents, which the Houndour noticed as its movements started becoming sluggish.

"Hang in there partner.." I told it while struggling to sit up, which was murder on my broken leg and arm, while my chest also hurt from when the Houndoom stepped on it earlier.

"Doom!" The Houndoom suddenly cried out, drawing my attention to it before all the blood drained from my face.

While Riolu had been busy with the six Houndour, it had been fighting the paralyzation and gathering energy that now formed around its mouth as a mass of flames.

"DOOM!" The Houndoom shouted as it unleashed the mass of flames directly at me, which I identified as Incinerate.

"Ri!" Riolu cried out as it used Quick Attack before I could say anything, and took the attack head on before it could reach me.

"Riolu!" I cried out worriedly as the burnt figure of Riolu was blown back by the explosion of flame, and landed right next to me.

"Riolu!" I repeated as I scooped up its tiny figure with my arm, its fur burnt, but otherwise alive.

There was no time for relief though, as the Houndour that had been getting their butts kicked by Riolu rushed me at that moment. I ignored my screaming arm, leg, and chest as I curled over to shield little Riolu, before numerous claws started tearing at my sides and back.

"Dour!" One of the Houndour cried out as it released a thick purple cloud from its mouth.

"Ga ha!" I coughed violently as I inhaled the poisonous cloud, which took effect immediately as the poison began coursing through my body.

"Hound!" One cried out before a searing pain assaulted me, courtesy of the Ember that it used on my back.

'Not yet...' I thought to myself through the pain, my grip tightening around Riolu protectively even as my consciousness began to fade from the numerous injuries.

'Please, not yet...!' I prayed desperately, yet despite my wishes I began to pass out.

I was getting so out of it, that I didn't even notice the attacks on my body had ceased, before the ground trembled as something landed right next to me.

"DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"