Damon's Menace (New Chapters!)

[dratinihaunter13]

Thanks for reading Gavin! Very kind of you to take the time to dive into my fic with no background.

As for your questions, Jared is the leader of Nightscare, a morally questionable organization of trainers trying to "help each other". Jared recruited Damon after rigging Damon's gym battles so he would feel like joining Nightscare would be his only way to succeed. Nightscare is responsible for lots of bad shit, so good trainers like Rex are constantly trying to disband it.
Damon's been through a lot as a regular trainer, struggling to be the best he can. He was a little dark and misguided, but basically a decent guy who loved his pokemon. Several chapters ago, he joined Nightscare, and started to change. He's the protagonist, but whether he's good or bad really depends on the reader and the chapter. At this point, I'd say he's pretty bad. His pokemon vary, and try to influence him a lot.

Thanks again for the time and comments!

[dratinihaunter13]

Latest update here. We get a look into what the leader of Nightscare is thinking. His latest plans for Damon, who has quickly become his star pupil. But a dangerous one.
--


Chapter 34 ~Jared~

Coated in sweat, I tried to mute each footstep on the metal floor. Our battle with that boy Rex was a week behind us, but that night still hovered in my memory. For the first time in all my night intrusions into Damon’s room, the stick of anxiety coated me. I was actually scared to wake him. I was not sure about his limits. When rage drives a trainer, his talents can surpass imagination. As the leader of Nightscare, I felt ashamed at my hesitance.

I finally crept within reach of Damon’s pokemon belt. Save Crobat and Umbreon, I replaced each pokeball with a trusty duplicate. These understudies had served their purpose quite well. On occasion my nightly training sessions would run late, and Damon had no doubt released a duplicate. He hadn’t expressed any sort of suspicion. His Umbreon had kept her word by not giving me away. She wanted to become strong. She knew my training methods would be the only way to achieve Damon’s goals.

Pokemon belt in hand, I looked up at the sleeping trainer, and could have sworn one of his eyes just slammed shut. I had to be seeing things. There was no way he could have heard me. Still, the white of his eye tortured my thoughts until I slid back to the safety of the hallway.

This was pathetic. Damon could not approach my skill level. His anger should be my smallest concern. I sensed his determination, though. Just as I had predicted, Nightscare was doing wonders for his growth as a trainer. After a few missions with our team, Damon had already developed an overpowering battle style. He found weaknesses in his opponents, and then mercilessly attacked those liabilities. Every time his Umbreon fainted a resisting trainer’s pokemon, I wondered how fast his skills were approaching mine.

Walking down my familiar hallway, I recalled my rash decision with Rex from a week ago. After Damon had defeated Rex, I pushed my young trainer aside and took over. I ended Rex’s life, because I knew it would only stoke Damon’s fire. I wanted him to feel that painful hunger to attain power by any means necessary. I deprived him of that, only to let his anticipation build. The look he gave me that night was an angry, frustrated one. Good, but there was more than just frustration in his eyes. I saw hate and murder. Again, the white of his eye flashed before me. He could not have been awake. He could not have seen what I was doing and withhold a reaction. Even if he knew, what was so bad about that? Everything that boy had which he could call skill, he learned from my organization. I was the boss, and I created him.

I opened the door to my favorite room, where Magby and Houndour would hold their training session. The glass boxes had been washed on the outside, though pokemon remains still littered the floors within these boxes. I took time to admire my creation. Revolutionizing our methods was a difficult task, but I had accomplished it. The product of all my labor could be found in this room, where so many trainers and pokemon suffered after challenging my domination.

I released Houndour. The pup had grown. His demeanor to his posture all appeared more confident, arrogant even. He had new battle scars to intimidate every foe. The missions and training sessions had truly done their part with Houndour. I always had an easy time with the Dark types. His intelligence left something to be desired, but I always thought that could be remedied with one mere evolution. To evolve, a pokemon needed experience, and I was an expert on the proper experience for pokemon like Houndour.

“We have some training that involves some heavy battling tonight,” I told him. He snapped at the air, trained to love the idea of battle. I had found Houndour was very capable of focusing on a single task. It was only when two or more tasks befell him that he would falter. I pulled two pokemon belts from a cabinet below one of my glass dungeons. Whipping the ends of each belt, I released twelve low-level Pidgey. The simple birds immediately flew around the room in a panic, already uneasy for whatever reason. Surprised, Houndour yelped and bent his legs for action.

“Now,” I said above the coos of the Pidgey, “these Pidgey are all low-level, Houndour. They can not hurt you. All they can really do is evade.” Houndour interrupted my instructions with an errant Flamethrower attack at the flock. “No,” I told him, “not yet.”

“You will do battle with these twelve-” I made note of a charred, unconscious Pidgey on the floor. “Make that eleven Pidgey. You may only use your Bite attack, Houndour. Get those wicked teeth around these noisy enemies, and deposit them against this far wall.” I pointed to the north wall of the room. Sometimes visuals simplified the instructions for Houndour. “I want to hear their beaks hit that wall loud and clear. Do you understand me?”

Houndour nodded hurriedly.

“Are you sure?”

He seemed to give the same question a little more thought, then nodded again.

“Begin.”

Barking with giddiness, Houndour rushed at the nearest Pidgey. It flew up and away from Houndour’s Bite, which revealed a second Pidgey completely open to attack. Houndour could have easily snatched this second pokemon out of the air, but his mind had already set itself to one goal, and one Pidgey. Eyes locked, Houndour leaped off a table top, and I could tell from the crunching sound that his bite had connected. Houndour landed and jerked his prey side to side in his lethal jaws. The bird became a blur until Houndour finally released, flinging Pidgey at the correct wall. Closing my eyes, I heard the beak shatter and smiled.

“Excellent! Another!” The sounds turned mechanical. A couple barks, his teeth snapped over flesh, and a beak clashed against metal. “You can hear it, can’t you Houndour?” He nodded violently, hyper from battle, ready to pounce again. After six successful attacks, I gave Houndour a different challenge.

“The cries of your enemies, you hear that don’t you?” Houndour growled through a grin. “They bother me. I don’t want your enemies to even have time to cry out. I want you to finish off the rest of these Pidgey, only using Bites, but I do not want to hear them make a peep before impact.” I could tell he understood. Houndour’s brain was easily manipulated, a welcome quality for my training style. That mind of his was becoming so dark and perfected that I knew his evolution was near.

Houndour lunged at a Pidgey, making sure to shut his jaws around the throat. This kept the Pidgey quiet throughout the attack, up until its beak crumbled against the far wall. Houndour made the adjustments on his own, vanquishing his final foe with an unbridled Flamethrower. I loved the energy, but worried the extra inspiration would cause Houndour to evolve. I had planned the training session to bring Damon’s pokemon right up to the point of evolution. If Damon opened Houndour’s pokeball to find a Houndoom, questions would be asked, and he might not like the answers. Walking past a limp Pidgey set aflame, I returned Houndour to his pokeball.

“Not quite yet my good pokemon,” I whispered. “Excellent work.”

I released Magby. As always, the pathetic thing shivered upon learning it was his turn for training. The messy remains of pokemon around him could not have calmed his nerves either.

“Not to worry, little fellow,” I bent down to his level. “Your training comprises of no battling today.” Magby did not relax. He made eye contact with me for only a moment, before shutting his lids and turning away.

Battling this pokemon was not even worth the effort. All in all, Magby disgusted me. The talent within him was no more advanced than his fear, and this little coward shivered at every challenge. With that attitude, he was of no use to Nightscare. However, an evolution can make remarkable improvements.

Another hobby of mine involved experimenting with evolutionary stones. I fiddled with my modified Fire Stone in my pocket. Magby had almost evolved weeks ago, and just by looking at him I could tell his experience was well past that of most Magmars. Somehow, this pokemon had reversed his evolution on his own accord, bypassing his evolutionary window. In my hand, I held the only way he could become a Magmar.

“Umbreon, make him still,” I released my most trusted pokemon. Magby cried out only for an instant, before Umbreon took control of his entire body, including his vocal cords. I walked back to an experimental station in the room, removing my Fire Stone, a chisel, and a syringe. With the chisel I chipped into the core of the stone, until a bit of red liquid leaked from the indent. I carefully pressed the tip of my needle to the puddle, and I sucked up all that I could.

I walked back to Magby and noticed his terrified expression twisting and gawking. Umbreon could have frozen his facial expressions as well, but he chose to see the fear. That was very typical of my Umbreon.

Slowly crouching down, I placed my thumb on the back of the syringe, ready to give Nightscare a new, hopefully braver Magmar. Umbreon allowed Magby’s legs to kick wildly, his torso still frozen and suspended. With his vocal cords inoperable, Magby could only stretch his mouth agape in silent wails for help. I brought the needle between his eyes and mine, and plunged the tip into his shoulder. I slowly injected the fluid and smiled anxiously, confident my Fire Stone experiment would prove successful. Just for a second, Umbreon released control of Magby’s voice so we could hear how desperate his cries had become. He winced and pushed wet tears out of the corners of his eyelids, but no steam rose from his face. I pressed my other hand to his cheek and discovered his skin was unnaturally cold. He slowly stopped kicking, and his contorted expression slackened to one of resignation. The tears only poured harder. They traveled past his frown and pooled at his feet.

I desperately looked for any sign of evolution, hoping not to have to use the entire contents of my syringe. Steam began to rise from Magby’s face. I scorched my hand against his cheek and pulled it back. My Umbreon kept Magby still, but he could not control the Fire type’s temperature! My needle melted away from the smoldering heat of Magby’s skin, and I knew I had not injected enough fluid to force the evolution.

I returned Umbreon and Magby stumbled to the floor. He did not cry out, but only whimpered like a pathetic victim. His body looked chilled, as he shuddered in the fetal position, likely feeling the side affects of my synthetic creation. Still, his tears flowed. The failure that laid before me would not stop shaking in his puddle, taunting me with his uselessness. I had no time to punish Magby with Damon likely to awake soon, so I returned the runt to his pokeball and went to look for a mop.
--

I tapped against a desk inside my video library. The quick five-finger chorus was the only sound in the enormous reference room, as I considered one concern after another. I had given up on Magby. He could not be salvaged, and would have to be eliminated, but that was not the most pressing matter. When I had returned Damon’s pokemon belt before he awoke, I felt that same anxiety as before. My uniform was heavy with sweat. Ever since that battle with Rex, I knew Damon had the hunger for murderous victory. But those murderous tendencies were not meant for Nightscare’s victims. They were meant for me.

I stood up and paced along a bookcase lined with recruitment videos. Nightscare kept close tabs on all its potential allies and enemies. I found the section labeled “McKale”, pulled a couple tapes and brought them to a viewing room. The monitor flickered until a snapshot of Damon’s profile took shape. What followed were various battles Damon had fought, and I obsessed over each one, trying to find the best way to satiate Damon’s hunger. I felt Damon could already be developing plans to destroy me. It was mostly my fault for the way I guided him, but now I had to protect myself. Damon’s aspirations could not come at my expense.

There sat Damon on a city bus. The unevolved Totodile sat near him, and a girl. She was pretty with light brown hair, and eyes that held Damon captive in conversation. In fact, my little Damon looked happier with her than I had ever seen him! I dialed Kyle’s number.

“Damon McKale,” I said as soon as he answered. “Do you remember anything about a girl and a city bus during your surveillance?”

“You mean his hot friend Monica Rockne?” Kyle kept close tabs on every member of Nightscare. “Yeah, I remember taping her. Sure looked like Damon had a thing for her, right?”

“It appears so from what I can tell,” I paused the video for a long look at the girl’s face. “By any chance, have you been keeping up with her activities?”

“Well, after we got Damon to join I didn’t really think I should waste my time following her anymore.” I held my breath and tried not to panic. “But,” Kyle continued, “I got someone else to do it. Jared, I know you like to keep track of absolutely everything. I know you!”

“Kyle,” I tried not to sound too excited, “thank you. Who did you tell to watch Monica?”

“Talk to Jez. I told her to check up on the girl once a week.” I hung up on Kyle and found Jez’s number in my phone. She was another one of our scouts, though not one I spoke with regularly.

“Hey!” Jez answered immediately. “I can’t believe you’re calling me! What’s up, boss? Shit, am I in trouble? Whatever they told you, hear me out first, okay?”

“Stop,” I told her. I remembered Jez from her grating voice. This was why I didn’t speak to her regularly. “Jez, I need you to tell me about Monica Rockne.”

Surprisingly, my bothersome scout had been doing her job extremely well. Jez told me Monica’s plans for the following night. She was planning to go out with a few of her friends. They all trained pokemon, but none of them were very talented. Apparently, they were all male. With the proper exaggeration, Damon might get the wrong idea about this little outing.

My planning began right there in the library. I had to build a farce, and I had little time to do it. Once complete though, Damon’s menace could be released on those unfortunate boys, and I could be spared. If Monica could truly bring out the best in Damon, she could no doubt bring out the worst.

“Thank you, sweetie,” I said while touching the video monitor, tracing my finger over Monica’s mouth. “Your help is appreciated.”

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

[Thanks for reading! For those unfamiliar, Monica played a sizable role in the first 20 chapters of this story. She was a positive influence on Damon before Nightscare ever came into the picture.]

[dratinihaunter13]

HOLY CRAP I found something

EDIT::

All right, sorry. I got really excited once I found that link but I was in a rush so I couldn't explain!

Using the wonderful but complex Internet Wayback Machine, I've found a LOT of Damon's Menace chapters 1-20. This is a more complete link than the one before:
http://web.archive.org/web/200103042...ML/000005.html

And also a LOT of my first fic, Marty's Pokemon Conquer Elemental League. I wrote MPCEL first, but DM is its prequel.

Here's MPCEL(Chapters 1 & 2 missing):
http://web.archive.org/web/200102150.../000302-2.html

Warning, MPCEL is extremely n00bishly written. I was much younger (like 11 years ago) and it was really the first large-scale Trainer fic on TPM. I was so excited to find it again! Nostalgia overload. The boards were extreeeemely active those days with everyone wanting to write a trainer fic. It was an enormous part of my adolescence. I had a ton of good friends/readers that I hadn't thought about in ages! And all their replies are right there. Me and MistyRocks were pretty stupid (I had a big secret crush on her >_<).

2nd EDIT: Oh I found Chaps 1 &2! It's a re-post of MPCEL, not as spammy, just as poorly written. This one was posted long after the initial Trainer Fic craze, but still 10 years ago.
http://web.archive.org/web/200103051...ML/000320.html

[dratinihaunter13]

Well, I got the next chapter. So I'm a post it!

I found all chapters of MPCEL, but am now missing three chapters of this fic. So if anybody has a copy of Chapters 2, 4, or 20 of Damon's Menace, please let me know! They've become lost over the years.

Changed this chapter quite a bit. Lots of editing, extended dialogue, etc. Enjoy =)
--

Chapter 35 ~Damon~

It felt like late afternoon, but I could never know for sure under Nightscare’s roof. My team trained through the same drills and exercises as day one. Amazing, how everything around me could carry on the appearance of boredom. To an outsider, it may have looked like nothing had ever changed. In truth, so much had changed. Perhaps I was the only one who noticed.

Jared, the leader of this whole operation, had transformed before my eyes. He chose his words more carefully around me. He stared at me lately like he could not predict my next action, and that he would be in danger if he missed it. I could always feel the fear of others, and Jared’s fear had grown steadily since my battle with Rex. Jared knew what he took away from me that night. Unknowingly, he had been robbing me for months. Against Rex, he stood between me and total victory. Every night, however, he did the same thing simply by ordering me around, controlling my destiny. Jared groomed and starved me like a science experiment, and I no longer feared him. He may have feared me.

“Damon,” Jared jolted me from my thoughts. I felt like a predator as I sized him up. He looked undisturbed, but I knew the truth. I had been in his place before, trying to hide emotions from those who could feast on them. Jared kept his back straight and his voice authoritative. “Your team is done for the day.”

I returned my team members one by one. Umbreon and Crobat had proven capable of mastering Jared’s revolutionary battle techniques. For that, I suppose I could thank Nightscare. Croconaw and Magby had become lost causes. Neither was evolving despite plenty of experience, and I had run out of patience for their weaknesses. A champion and his pokemon had to be like-minded. Scizor, for instance, was at least progressing in that direction. He had begun to anticipate my commands and always fulfill every order with exact precision. Umbreon and Houndour seemed to enjoy Nightscare more than Scizor, but at least all three were improving. Strangely, Jared had not requested Houndour for training that night. I began to address him with my suspicion, but he spoke first.

“We have a rather sizable task tonight, Damon. A high-level mission of sorts. I feel your cooperation would be most advantageous.”

“Keep talking,” I said. Jared sniffed and returned my stare.

“I intended to.” He turned his back to me, walking away slowly while speaking. “A competing organization is in the making. There is a group developing, one whose intentions seem to vaguely parallel those of Nightscare.”

“How large?” I interrupted. Jared leered at me over his shoulder. “Or should I hold questions until the end?” Jared’s expression lightened, but his shoulders remained hunched.

“They are still a very young group of trainers, five at the most. Fortunately for us, our scouts have caught them at their early stages.” Jared slowly approached me again. “We are interested, Damon, because each one of these trainers has at least one parent with political power. Conceivably, with their backing, this little group could blossom at any given moment. Wouldn’t you agree?”

I could not have wanted to agree with him less. I did not reply.

“Damon,” he prodded, tilting his head downward, closer to my level.

“Of course,” I spat out. “I agree.”

“We will put an end to this threat before it grows any larger. The warehouse where they meet tonight is right here in Sphere City. You, Kyle, Jez and I will handle the dirty work. Rylan drives. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” I said. I wondered if Jared would use the mission as another opportunity to exert his power over me. If he dared, I vowed to push back.

“This group does things a little differently than Nightscare,” Jared continued, pacing in front of me. “Instead of the techniques I’ve taught everyone here, they use a type of injection for brainwashing. Their research for the drug is top-notch and easily affordable with their parental resources. You can imagine how powerful they could become with more time.”

I nodded, allowing Jared to go on.

“Kyle reports they have recently kidnapped a female trainer. She is a potential addition, though not willing to cooperate quite yet. She will be more willing after her induction ceremony tonight.” Jared grinned and leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. “The needle is quite large. It enters through the base of the skull, boring past skin and bone. Blood spills down the neck from the wound, which will tell us whether we’re too late or not.”

“Too late for what?” I asked. “We’re there to destroy these guys, not save a princess.”

“Right, yes,” Jared laughed awkwardly. “That’s not what I meant. I am only giving you all I know from Kyle. According to his information, once the girl’s thoughts are completely replaced, she becomes very sluggish momentarily – not an immediate threat. Once her free thought is eliminated, the boys from the group will likely…have their way with her. That could be our opening for attack.”

“Wait,” I said. “What?”

“A shame, really, but boys will be boys.” I still couldn’t process the implication. Was Jared telling me these guys sexually assaulted their recruits? “Kyle has intercepted some of their phone calls. He’s heard their plans. This girl would have no idea what was happening to her. Her brain would be operating at a very low capacity after the injection.” Jared watched me and attempted to lighten the mood.

“This leads me to believe the girl is quite beautiful, Damon,” he said. “I hope that won’t be a distraction to you.” He teased me with a crooked smirk. I didn’t respond, uneasy about his news, but also about his demeanor. Jared had never really teased me before.

“Oh come now, Damon. You mean to tell me you have never been in love before? In lust, even?” He invited me to laugh with him, but I declined.

“What does it matter?”

“I remember my first love, so many years ago,” Jared inexplicably waxed on about romance. I was lost. “She had auburn hair like silk, shoulder-length. A smile that could light up every lamp post in Sphere City.”

I pictured the girl, and remembered someone I had not thought about for months.

“Perhaps you once had a similar sweetheart, Damon?” I remembered Monica. Her hair was lighter, almost blond. It framed her face like a canvas. I remembered how the lights from the streetlamps fluttered across her smile while we rode the city bus. She would look at me with those perfectly green eyes, listening to me every second I spoke. All the while, I couldn’t wait for her turn, so she could tell me about her journey too. I had loved watching her talk. The anticipation and her addictive smile, it all came back to me in exquisite detail. I heard the playful melody of a quiet orchestra, and I indulged in memories of her figure.

“Aha!” Jared shouted and I snapped back to reality. “I see I have sparked your memory!” I felt myself blush, and then turn even redder with anger.

“Can we please get started?” I said. How long had I been staring blankly at Jared? He shook his head at me and walked toward the doorway. I followed in a welcome daze.
--

The familiar lights of Sphere City passed by my window in the back of the Nightscare vehicle. No matter how hard I tried to focus, I kept remembering Monica. I knew we might never meet again, but that only encouraged me to imagine a scenario where we crossed paths. We would tell each other about our journeys just like before. We would train together, eat together, and I could even bring her to my symphony attic. She would love the music and the privacy. We would be alone.

“Damon!” Jared shouted from the passenger seat, above the Camaro’s engine. “Please try to pay attention.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. My voice had come out higher than I expected. I felt weaker, and I blamed Monica for it. I couldn’t afford to lose any of my strength. This mission was actually becoming quite the opportunity for me. I had finally been given a walkie-talkie like the other high-ranking Nightscare members, and I felt Jared was ready to make me second in command, pending the mission’s success. Jared’s underling was not an ideal position, but privileges could come with the promotion. I could learn every one of Nightscare’s secrets, strengthen my team, and who knows what could follow? I imagined becoming a league champion, another dream I had not entertained for some time. I imagined my fame catching Monica’s eye on a television set somewhere far away.

“Listen,” Jared looked annoyed, but not upset. “I will not explain this again. This warehouse is one large, open area. It will not be difficult to spot our enemies once inside. Jez and Kyle will be scouting the surroundings for the law, and Rylan will be waiting for us on the north side of the warehouse.”

The car quieted as Rylan downshifted. He was frowning, which was rare for him. I suspected he was unhappy with his role in the mission.

“Remember,” Jared said, unbuckling his seat belt, “they have that inductee tonight, the girl. Once they are preoccupied with her, we will strike.”

“And please, Damon,” Jared looked back at me. “Do not let her beauty distract you.” I was getting tired of his jokes. Rylan slowed the car to a halt and killed the engine.

“Get it over with,” Rylan said as he unlocked the doors from his control panel. Jared froze in his seat and glared at him. Something had to have happened between the two of them. Nobody ever addressed Jared with so little respect, aside from me lately.

“You just worry about your end, all right?” Jared said lowly. “We need you at the north exit. This is not the time for your concerns.”

“I understand. Go. Please.”

Jared would not break his glare at Rylan. The driver sighed and shifted nervously.

“Okay,” he struggled to say. “Yes, sir. I’m with you, now, sir. I’m sorry.”

Jared stepped out of the car. “We’ll see you in half an hour, roughly.” I opened my door to follow. “Wait,” Jared stopped me. “Let me secure the area. I’ll signal you shortly.”

I reluctantly closed my door and watched Jared disappear into an alley. Rylan squinted down the alleyway and sighed deeply, turning his whole body back toward me.

“Think about this,” he whispered, a desperate look in his eye. “Do you really want to be a part of this? Can you come to terms with actually murdering someone, Damon?”

I couldn’t believe what this driver was telling me. He was questioning Jared’s orders and trusting me not to say anything about it afterward.

“Really think about that,” Rylan persisted. “Killing somebody.” Sweat glistened on his face – red, then green from the changing streetlight ahead of us. “You know who Jared is. He is ruthless, and he will not show any mercy to these guys.”

“You know what these guys do, don’t you?” I asked him, wondering if he had been informed of their perversions.

“I know what Jared told you,” Rylan trailed off. I heard Jared’s voice come over the walkie-talkie. He was ordering me to come find him. It was time to begin our mission.

“I’m fine, Rylan. Really.” I stepped out of the car and closed the door. I heard the passenger side window slide open behind me.

“Think of your pokemon.” I turned back and saw him ducking to catch my glance through the open window. “I know training didn’t go the way you thought it would. But plugging through the gym battles, winning and losing, that’s what makes training so great, you know? The challenges. I think,” Rylan stuttered, “I think that’s what your pokemon would want.”

It bothered me that he knew about my past. I had never told him anything, and I assumed some scout in Nightscare had informed him. He had no right to tell me what my pokemon wanted.

“Look, driver,” I walked back to the car window and leaned down to address Rylan. “I’m going to make this simple for you, since you know so much about my history. I…” I didn’t expect to stumble, but I realized I had never directly told any one person about my disappointments as a trainer. I hated that Rylan was the one to hear it. “I wasn’t… cutting it out there. I couldn’t beat the gym leaders. I wasn’t powerful then, all right?”

I pointed to the ‘N’ on my chest. “This is where I got my power from. You don’t think I couldn’t slaughter those gym leaders now with what I got from this place?”

“It doesn’t have to be about power, though,” he whispered, looking past me to check if Jared was near. My walkie-talkie buzzed and Jared asked what was taking so long. “I know Magby and Croconaw would love to just get back to-”

“Don’t!” I shouted. “Stop,” I said quieter. I cleared my throat and swallowed, upset at the whole ridiculous conversation. I hated every word of it. “You don’t know my team at all. They’re mine. You worry about your end, driver.”

I pushed myself from the car and jogged down the alleyway, slowing to a walk as I tried to shake Rylan’s words from my conscience. I never thought of myself as a murderer, just a trainer trying to become the best. As much as Nightscare had tested me, and in its own way tormented me, Nightscare saw the talent within me. I always believed the only way I could dominate all opponents, was by limiting myself the least. Some trainers couldn’t handle Nightscare, but I was strong enough. Croconaw and Magby didn’t see that, but I had pokemon who knew what was best for us. Umbreon and I started from nothing – just two loners making our own opportunities and doing whatever was necessary to advance. Jared had his reasons for violence, and so did I.

I almost bumped into Jared at the end of the alley. He caught me by the shoulder and pointed to the warehouse a few yards ahead.

“Jez is already in,” Jared told me. “She’ll be watching over us, in the rafters, but she will not interfere unless the need arises. Kyle is on lookout, and Rylan is ready to roll once our job is done. As for you and I,” Jared removed his hand from my shoulder, “we are the front line. Our pokemon will take on the four trainers inside.”

Jared must have noticed some lingering doubt in me.

“We can handle this, Damon,” he assured me. “You have nearly mastered my techniques, and you’ve proven your loyalty to Nightscare with every successful mission.”

“I know,” I replied. Jared checked his six pokeballs at his belt and studied the warehouse before us.

“Consider this preparation for Arthur Lamourrie,” Jared said, alluding to the greatest threat to Nightscare. “He’s likely next.”

I regarded my own pokemon belt. Would Croconaw and Magby provide any help whatsoever in this battle? Did they really want me to go back to my miserable days as a struggling trainer? I hoped my other four would be enough that night.

Static came from Jared’s walkie-talkie followed by Jez’s voice.

“All right,” she said. “She’s ready. Bring him in.” She’s ready? The image of sexual abuse sickened me, and I wondered if that’s what Jez meant. We were likely waiting for these perverts to be at their most vulnerable before we attacked. No doubt they had already violated their hostage.

“Follow my lead,” Jared said. He charged at the nearest entryway, busting through one of the warehouse doors. I ran in after him, my heart pumping and my mind racing from Rylan to my pokemon to whatever we were about to see. As soon as I found the focus to scan the room, I spotted four guys huddled around something at the far end. The deviants looked confused at our intrusion and started calling for help. It appeared our reputation had preceded us.

“Oh, we’re not here to help you,” Jared mocked them, advancing on our victims. The trainers broke their huddle and grasped at their pokeballs, and I saw their seated inductee. Her dark green eyes were rolling to the back of her head. Her light auburn hair, shoulder-length, clumped at the bottom from the blood off her neck. Her clothes were in a tattered pile next to a giant syringe at the base of the chair. She sat there naked except for her bra. She was delirious, barely conscious. She was my Monica.

[dratinihaunter13]

Sorry, been busy with school.

This is the first chapter I have written original material for in maybe 7 years.

The end of the story is starting to come into focus, and I'm really excited about how I'll finish it. Geez, I had no idea I'd be coming back to finish this story. But with enough free time I should be able to do it.

Anyway, enjoy...

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Chapter 36 ~Damon~

“Monica!” My voice cracked as I took in the heartbreaking sight. Her eyes were lifeless, like green marbles rolling around with no direction. She was drooling, and her saliva mixed with the blood on her neck, pouring forth from a wound at the base of her skull. The blunt needle had to have already been injected. She was already under the delirium of the drug. The four kidnappers, they had to have just finished ripping her clothes off her delicate body. I was too late.

“You fuckers!” I ran at Monica’s attackers, ready to mutilate all four of them.

“Hey!” One of them stepped in front of me. Our chests collided, and he clutched my shoulders to push me back. “Cool it, man. She’s with us, all right?”

“Now Damon! Release them!” Jared yelled from behind me. I swiped the brainwasher’s hands aside. I stared into him, hate bubbling from my core. He could have been the monster who raped her. Even without knowing who did it, I knew I would never be Monica’s first.

“She’s not with you!” I spat at him. “She’s mine!” The fury finally reached my fist, and I punched out Monica’s attacker. Teeth clattered across the cement before him. The other three trainers advanced but not as fast as I did. I threw myself at them in a wild charge, but was tackled away by a fourth party. A Houndoom pinned me to the floor, and I could only see a flash of white teeth and slobber before he leapt from my chest.

Rushing to my feet, I realized the battle was already beginning. Jared’s entire team had been deployed, and they were heavily outnumbered. The kid I punched was on his knees, a red tint across his toothless snarl.

“Come on, Damon!” Jared shouted above the melee. “We need more pokemon!”

“Go!” My arms churned out pokeballs. These perverts were going to pay with their lives, and their last thoughts would be ones of regret.

“Crobat,” I ordered, “get rid of that Bayleef.” An oncoming Razor Leaf grinded to a halt in front of Crobat's darkened stare. A twitch of his wing shattered each leaf into tiny shreds, immobilizing Bayleef at the same time. The pathetic pokemon panicked, confused by our superior training. “Toxic,” I said. Crobat swooped toward Bayleef and spilled his corrosive poison into her eyes. The poison sizzled away Bayleef’s eyelids, leaving the screaming grass-type with two cloudy-white exposed eyeballs. I scanned through our opponents to find which trainer I was torturing. One of them looked horrified and I decided it had to be him.

“Bite her,” I ordered Crobat, “and I mean really bite her.” My pokemon understood, looking relieved to receive the final order. He released his control on Bayleef, letting her run around in bind, maniacal circles. Crobat dive-bombed into his opponent, intercepting her path and wrapping his massive wings around her neck. I heard a gnashing sound and saw leaves get spit into the air from Bayleef’s scruff. Crobat released, allowing a stream of blood to pour forth from his opponent. The Bayleef landed face-first into her own puddle. I was far from finished.

~Magby~

The massacre was all around me. Pokemon were not fainting, they were dying, and it wasn't just Jared's doing. Crobat terrified me with his battle cries. The sounds of murder screamed from all sides, and I wanted to go deaf desperately. I didn’t care if it was forever. I just wanted to lose all my senses and stop crying.

Some attack hit me and forced my eyes open. There was my trainer, looking scary as ever. He was so angry, clenching his fists and yelling louder than anyone in the warehouse. I had heard Rylan try his best with Damon in the car. I remembered all of Croconaw’s efforts to save him from Nightscare. We were trying to save him from himself more than anything. I saw his blood-thirsty stare and I knew there was no hope for my trainer. He would always be the monster from my nightmares, if I was awake or asleep, and not my friend. I wished and pleaded for someone to take me away from there.

“Please, somebody,” I whispered to myself, unable to keep it inside anymore. “I want to go back. Take me back.” The carnage became wavy in front of me. “Don’t let me see this!”

What did I do to deserve this? What did I do wrong?

~Croconaw~

The battle was gigantic. Everywhere I looked pokemon were fighting, some even giving their lives. Instinctively, I listened for Magby. There was no way he could have handled the new level of terror Damon had delivered to us.

“Help! Help me!” It was Magby’s voice. I went to help him, but was stopped by a charging Tauros. I decided it didn’t matter what this was all about. When someone attacked me, I always fought back, especially if they stood between me and a friend.

I flipped backward, catching an upside down view of the Tauros. On my head, I fired a Water Gun at him to buy some time, and then ran away. He followed me as I felt the ground rumbling from his hooves. I released a heavy Water Gun at the path in front of me and started sliding instead of running. Once in a charge, a Tauros usually doesn’t notice much else but his target. The bull began to shuffle his hooves across the slippery floor. His charge turned into a sliding stumble as it hurtled toward me. Once the timing was perfect I leapt up, caught a glimpse of an oncoming Hitmonlee, turned around and scratched both of my claws across Tauros’s head.

As soon as I felt my feet land, I Screeched to halt the Hitmonlee, wherever he was. Battle-crazed, I searched for my attacker and found his foot coming down on top of me. I rolled away from the devastating blow but the kicks persisted. He advanced in a flurry, as I tried to find a pattern within his feet, hoping for an opening.

“Left,” I muttered to myself, back-peddling, “right, left, left... now!”

My Water Gun found Hitmonlee’s eyes, and I felt a rumbling underneath me. Tauros must have had returned to his feet. I couldn’t let him know I had noticed him though. Instead, I leapt onto Hitmonlee’s head and used my Fury Swipes to further punish his vision. He punched aimlessly, and I dismounted right in front of his lethal legs. It was a risk, but one worth taking against two opponents. The rumbling felt closer. Tauros had to be nearing me. I Screeched again, this time to get Hitmonlee to kick out in sheer reaction. His foot whizzed over my ducking head, but found its target against a charging Tauros.

I walked away from both my fainted adversaries and spotted Magby. He was curled up on the floor, defenseless, crying out every last drop of spirit left in him. My heart tightened and I felt responsible for his breakdown, like I had failed to save him long ago. His crying eyes had seen too much ugliness. I reached him and checked for any wounds.

“He’ll never change, Croc,” Magby choked out the words. “You have to take me away.” I held my friend close, and I stayed strong for him.

“Magby, it’s not the time to run away right now. We can’t escape. Look around.” I immediately regretted telling him to open his eyes. Crobat was raking his teeth across a Furret’s back. Umbreon was slamming one unconscious pokemon into its own teammate, breaking both of their bones. In the far corner, barely visible past the mayhem, a Nightscare member was dragging a naked, bleeding girl out of the warehouse. I didn’t even want to look for Damon.

“I’m not fighting for that,” Magby thrust his finger past my shoulder. It led to Damon, chest heaving, fully engrossed in battle. He was relishing every attack, but this was hardly a battle. It was a killing spree.

“Neither will I,” I told Magby. “We’re leaving this place, but now is not the time. We’re going to have to fight.” The innocent fire-type whimpered and shut his eyes again. “Don’t close your eyes. This is reality, and we’re going to have to be strong. If we don’t fight, we’ll be miserable here until the end. Listen, I’m going after Umbreon.”

“What?” Magby asked, concerned.

“I have to. We have to get out of here. Damon won’t return me. He probably wants her to kill me. I’m going after Umbreon, and if anything happens to me, at least I’ll know I fought for what I believed in. I didn’t fight for Damon, Jared, or Nightscare. I fought for myself, and I fought for you, Magby. Fight for me, too.”

Magby lifted his chin to meet my face. He looked so tired, but he was gaining strength. I could see it.

“I’m always here. Right by you, Magby,” I told him. “Don’t be scared when I’m around, because I can protect you. If we work together, all of this,” I motioned to the battle behind me, “will disappear.” His fear was diminishing, and I knew my will was getting through. “I’m not leaving this nightmare without you.” I extended my hand. Magby gave me a new expression - one of hope. He grasped my palm tightly and I lifted him up. Steam rose from our grip, water and fire together forming a pact to survive.

“Together, Croc.” My partner stepped to my side. I followed his gaze and spotted Umbreon fighting with unbridled giddiness, longing for her next kill. I turned back to Magby and smiled at the friend I had found in all this darkness.

“She’s ours.”

~Damon~

I lost track of her. The battle was going beautifully but my Monica had disappeared. Our fight had spread throughout the warehouse, some of our pokemon even taking their battles outside the walls. I had focused on Crobat on Scizor but couldn’t remember seeing Houndour anywhere. Umbreon was her usual, dominant self, until a fire and water attack hit her from behind.

I looked for the source and spotted Croconaw and Magby standing side by side. Those two had made an enormous mistake if they had really challenged my Umbreon.

“Damon! They’ve taken her! This way!” Jared called from a doorway at the top of a long staircase against the far wall. I felt confident in Umbreon’s ability to handle herself. Crobat and Scizor were more than a match for the remaining enemies’ pokemon. I had to get Monica.

My heart pounded harder with each footstep as I ran for the staircase. I entertained thoughts of being Monica’s hero. She would kiss me and marvel at how much stronger I’d become. We could have started back up where we left off.

I ran through the doorway into the open air, on top of the warehouse roof. Jared and Jez were peering over the rooftop edge, Jared holding one of the brainwashers by his bloodied shirt.

“We’re too late,” Jared motioned at his hostage.

“No,” I whispered, running to where they stood. “No!” And I saw what they saw. Monica was sprawled, motionless at the foot of the building. Her body looked broken, her eyes frozen open in a lifeless stare.

“No! Fuck!” I ripped at my hair and yelled at the night sky. Just as soon as I had found her again, she was gone. They had brainwashed her, and then taken her away from me.

Jared shoved Monica’s murderer at my feet. The monster drooled red, gasping and crying, so desperate for mercy he could hardly speak.

“It wasn’t me,” he croaked out. That was all I cared to understand.

“Scizor!” Within seconds of my call, I heard heavy, metallic footsteps come bounding up the staircase. My powerful Scizor buzzed over to me. I could feel my fingernails dig deep into the base of my palms. “Bring him here.”

I held my hand up past the edge of the roof. Scizor pointed a claw at our enemy. He looked at me with a questioning stare.

“Yes, him!” I yelled at my pokemon. “Grab him and hold him here!” Again, I held my hand over the edge of the roof. Scizor grimaced at my shouting, but did as he was told. He placed his claw around the murderer’s neck and held him where I asked. Our enemy’s legs kicked weakly, and he gurgled unintelligible pleas. “Throw him down.”

Scizor reared back his claw but stopped abruptly. He shook his head and swung back again, the murderer’s limbs flailing for an escape. Again, Scizor slowed his throwing motion, as if waiting for me to change my mind.

“Kill him!” I ordered. “He killed her!” I pointed to the one girl I ever loved below us. Scizor’s claw shook and his eyes clenched shut. “Damn it!” I stepped to the edge and hugged both arms around our captive. I ripped him from Scizor’s serrated claw, and heard the flesh of his neck tear against it. Warm blood spilled against the right side of my face as I threw him to his death. He hit the ground past Monica, motionless, while a puddle of blood spread from his jugular.

I stared at his body for several moments before a feeling of nausea overcame me. A powerful surge bubbled from the base of my core, up through my chest, and I vomited over the edge of the building. The nausea vanished after that. I stood up straight and looked to Jared. He looked pleased, but I wanted him to look more than pleased. I wanted him to be impressed, intimidated, and even frightened. I had revenged my love’s death without mercy. I had taken complete control.

~Croconaw~

Magby and I limped deeper into the forest, unsure of where to go, or how much time we had. Umbreon looked like she had given up. We had to keep moving.

“Croc,” Magby gasped. “Croc, my foot. I can’t run.” I had lost feeling in my left leg after a Bite from Umbreon.

“It’s too dangerous to wait around,” I told him. “This is our chance, all right? You have to try.”

“I just want to rest,” Magby sighed as he collapsed onto the forest floor. “I want to go to sleep somewhere else, anywhere but Nightscare.”

“Look. Can you see past those trees?” I asked with an idea. “Look at the moon.” Magby lifted his chin to find the full moon, shimmering like the promise of another world.

“I want to go there,” he wheezed with a weak smile. “Take me there, Croc.”

“I can’t. You have to do it yourself, Magby. We’re going together, all right? Now come on!” I lifted him up and tried to support half his weight with my good leg. I could feel his whole body heaving with exhaustion. We were escaping, though. We were moving. That’s what mattered. I fought to keep focused on that, and not the pain beginning to shiver up and down my leg.

“That’s it!” I grunted. “It’s like a three-legged race, Magby! See!” He laughed and coughed. “It’s like a three-legged race to the moon!”

A vicious bark came from behind us and I was immediately pinned to the dirt. Magby tumbled head over heels in front of me. I swiped the legs out from under my attacker and turned to face him. I could tell from the eyes, it was Houndour, but he was bigger. Horns curled atop his head, and new muscles rippled from underneath his jet black coat. He had evolved into Houndoom.

“Run!” I yelled to Magby. Before Houndoom could pursue I shot a Water Gun at his feet and jumped into his path. The landing was excruciating. “Go!” I yelled to Magby again, but he wouldn’t leave. Instead, he formed a ghostly energy from his hands and sent a Confuse Ray at our enemy.

Houndoom grimaced from the aura, but to my surprise, he did not stumble once. In a blur, he pinned Magby to the ground and snarled, “We’re nowhere near Faia’s gym anymore, old friend.”

A Smokescreen billowed from Magby’s body and shrouded both of them from my sight. Random fire attacks burst forth from the cloud, some barely missing me. When the smoke cleared, they stood in battle stances five feet apart.

“Come on!” Magby screamed, flames leaping from his fists. Houndoom wore a devilish grin, and sprung from his feet onto an invisible platform, then another. He bounded higher and higher until he was several feet above us, having memorized where Magby had placed each of his signature Barriers during the Smokescreen.

“Wooooo!” Houndoom howled from above, and he started Faint Attacking to different Barriers, firing Flamethrowers with pinpoint accuracy. In between taking damage, I saw Magby taking it even worse. I tried to find a pattern in Houndoom’s reappearances, but he was moving unpredictably. I Screeched to try to slow him down, but was drowned out by his Howl.

“Surf!” Magby yelled while doing his best to dodge Flamethrowers. “Use Surf!”

I let the torrents of water spill from my every pore. A giant wave formed in front of me, the crest reaching Houndoom and knocking him from his perch. He was hurt. I swam through my Surf with all the strength I had left, hoping to unleash a finishing Thrash attack, but everything turned red. I looked back, and there was Damon firing a pokeball beam at me.

“No, you can’t, Damon!” I yelled at my trainer. “He’ll kill him!” But Damon showed no emotion. “Run Magby!” He was already running, but I couldn’t help him anymore.

~Magby~

All I had to do was follow the moon. That’s what Croc said. Just follow the moon. I wanted to be there so badly. The moon was perfectly white, and far away from the warehouse, from this forest, from the Houndoom behind me. I could hear him chasing me but I didn’t dare look. I just kept my sight trained on the moon. That’s what Croconaw wanted me to do.

Houndoom was much faster than me. I tried to leave a smoky cloud in my wake, and it sounded like it was working. My Smokescreen had to have confused him because his footsteps were growing fainter and fainter. I couldn’t stop running, though, no matter how much my foot felt like it was breaking with each step. Like Croconaw said, that Houndoom wanted to take away my life. A few minutes ago that didn’t sound like such a bad thing, but I knew I could find a better life somewhere else. I just had to keep running to the moon.

Maybe it was my imagination, but the great, white ball was getting bigger. It grew and shined more brightly the closer I got, and my foot was growing numb. I got dizzier and fell, but I could still see the moon descending lower like it was trying to meet me halfway, so I picked myself up. That’s where I was going. I could rest there, and I could come back for Croc. We would live without a trainer, or maybe find somebody like Rylan. Everything would be warm and wonderful, and I would never be afraid again.

The forest was getting thicker, but I didn’t stop running until I burst through some dense bushes and into a clearing. There, the moon had grown to an enormous size, and it silhouetted a pokemon’s dark, seated figure. She was howling, her body shimmering and gaining strength from the moonlight behind her. She opened her red eyes and I froze in place. I had placed all my hope in Umbreon’s Moonlight.

“Great advice from your buddy, Croconaw,” Umbreon said, prowling around me. “How could he forget that the moon and I, well,” she laughed, “we go way back.” She used her dark powers to slam me once against the ground. I felt my ribs crack on impact and screamed from the damage.

“Great job running away, too,” she mocked me. “They’re all nowhere near you now. It’s just you and me.” Again, my broken body slammed into the dirt floor. “Damon would want this, I think. And shouldn’t that be your number one priority, Magby? Doing what your trainer wants?”

“I want to go away,” I managed to squeak out before she mentally clenched my vocal cords.

“You’re worthless,” she answered, slamming me down again. “You’re dying a coward.”

But I knew I wasn’t. I fought for my friend, and I fought for myself. After the pain from my ribs, from my whole body subsided, I knew Umbreon was doing me a favor. I couldn’t wait to lose consciousness and leave this world for good, and with each pounding into the ground, I got closer. I was going away, and I just hoped Croconaw could find as good a fate.