Creatures of the Night
Chapter One
By Crow Skywalker
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Disclaimer – I don’t own Pokemon, nor do I claim to. Characters belong to their creators, I’m just borrowing them for my own fun.
Author’s Notes – Finally finished chapter one last night. I got stuck writing the battle scene half way through, and I had writers block for a while…but it passed last night and I couldn’t stop writing, lol. So, once again, this chapter is longer than it was intended to be. Anyway, before anyone reads this and asks, this is not a Ash/May fic. Also, I couldn’t find May’s last name, so I just gave her the name of her hometown. I don’t want to babble on any longer, so read, enjoy and review.
Other Notes – AU. Rated R for dark and sexual themes, blood, violence and all that good stuff. Can’t have a vampire fic without it, now can I? Normally I would put the pairings here too, but I feel that it would ruin the story/plot. You’ve been warned.
Summary – During the day, Celadon City is full of people and pokemon alike. At night, they aren’t the only ones roaming the streets.
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The night was dark and cold, though the city of Celadon was brightly lit. All around were flashing signs and lights, late hour clubs with their doors open and music blaring into the night. Though it was a cold day for spring, the streets were crowded with people, mainly laughing teenagers who were out looking for a good time.
A rumble overhead caused some of them to stop, being bumped into and cursed upon by angry people behind them. However, another rumble signaled that the sky was indeed threatening the pedestrians below with a promise of a thunderstorm. Couples scrambled into nearby buildings and others did much the same, some of them giving up on their late night activities and heading home.
It began to rain, small drops hitting the pavement below before gathering into puddles or getting lost down the drains. There were some female squeals as women tried to get to shelter, grabbing old newspapers to put over their heads in hope that it would save them from the rain. As if the sky knew this and felt somewhat evil tonight, the clouds opened up and with a flash of lightening it began to poor out of the heavens.
In the darkness of an alley, not far from the flashing light and noise, a lone figure dressed in black walked confidently through the abandoned alley, his shoes clicking on the rough pavement, the rain not bothering him even when he stepped into the growing puddles on the ground. He was on a mission, and an important one at that. A little rain could not stop him from the task at hand.
From the back of his cloak, within the hood, a small black nose poked out, sniffing the air. Twitching when another flash of lightening passed overhead, a small yellow ear appeared from the folds, carefully turning in every direction as it listened for an unknown sound.
"Pika!"
The figure wearing the cloak stopped briefly, a hand reaching up to pat the small furry head of the Pikachu behind him. Searching out the electric Pokemon’s ear, he gave it a light scratch. "I know, Pikachu," the man spoke in a quiet voice, "He’s in here somewhere."
At that very moment there was a screech, metal garbage cans just ahead of them tipping over. The man in the cloak’s hand immediately went to the belt around his waist, his eyes searching the darkness for any movement.
"Pikachu chu pi?" The yellow mouse asked in his ear, and the man immediately translated it to: Do you think it’s him?
The cloaked man shook his head, letting his tense fingers ease as he dropped his arm to his side. From behind the garbage cans came a meow, and a moment later a old tabby cat, who looked like he’s seen better days, came padding out, its fur soaked with rain. For a moment the cloaked man almost felt sorry for the cat – until the tabby turned to look at him and arching its back, hissed loudly at him.
I don’t think he likes you very much, came the Pikachu’s amused voice.
"Apparently." The man answered, watching as the cat took off down the alley.
The attack came from nowhere, and the man felt a searing pain in his back. He almost doubled over, and Pikachu chattered worriedly behind him.
The injured man winced in pain, his hand coming up behind him until he felt the cold blade of ice buried deep within his back. All the while he did not look away from the dark figures that now stood before him, his eyes meeting his enemy’s challenging gaze.
"So the great Ashtereon Ketchum is defeated by a simple ice blade?" Laughed a cold voice.
"Not really," Ash replied, wincing at the mention of his old name. With steady fingers he wrapped a hand around the blade of frozen water in his back, and gritting his teeth, he pulled. The blade slid out and he let it fall, cracking into pieces as it hit the ground. "It just hurts like hell."
"How about another one?" Asked the other man, and the figure beside him took a step forward.
Ash studied them through the darkness, his eyes narrowing in on his main threat – the man before him. Unlike the dark figure, Ash had an advantage that he could use. While the enemy struggled hard to see through the darkness, Ash could see easily. So, as the other man settled into fighting mode, Ash evaluated the figures before him.
The first one, a man that looked as if he was in his late thirties, was the one who was doing all the talking. It was the man that Ash had been searching for earlier, the one who had hidden so well and had been so quiet that when he had snuck up behind Ash he hadn’t even heard him coming. And with Ash’s superior hearing, that was a great task. The man had straight midnight blue hair, longer than most guys would grow it. It descended his back in a ponytail, his bangs left out to tumble down either side of his face. Through the darkness Ash could see his red eyes clearly, the cleft in his chin, and every other little detail that could be seen about the man.
The second figure, a lot shorter than the first, was not human. Ash immediately guessed that it was the man’s Pokemon, and as lightening flashed over head Ash got an even clearer view of it. It was a Vaporeon, its scaly skin a greenish-blue color. It had odd shaped ears, and behind it was a tail much like the mythical mermaid’s. It had its head down, back arched as it growled at Ash.
"Is this really necessary?" Ash asked, and thunder roared overhead. "Just hand over what I’m looking for. You can’t kill me."
The blue haired man grit his teeth, one hand clenching at his side. "No, but I can sure as hell try!"
"Why bother?" Ash asked, moving his hand silently to the belt at his side. From where Pikachu sat on his shoulder, it gave him a confused look. Wasn’t Ask going to use him in the upcoming battle? Why was he choosing someone else? Ash looked at his Pokemon from the corner of his eyes, silently sending him a message that everything was going to be all right. Turning his attention back to the other man, he finished. "You’re only going to lose anyway."
"Not this time," the man replied, and with a jerk of his hand he shouted, "Vaporeon! Ice blade!"
Ash grabbed the Pokeball on his belt as the last words were said, and watching carefully as the Vaporeon’s ice attack was sculpted into another fine blade of ice, he threw the Pokeball down on the ground. His eyes never left his enemy as there was a flash of red and his chosen Pokemon appeared.
In the darkness the Pokemon was hard to see, its shiny black coat blending it in with the darkness of the night and the rain that was pouring it down. The only thing that could be seen was its tell tale yellow patterns and it’s red eyes glowing in the night.
"An Umbreon," the other man mused, grabbing the ice blade once it was finished, and swinging it for good measure. "How appropriate for you. Tell me, do all your Pokemon live in the darkness as you do?"
Ash finally tore his gaze away from his opponent, glancing down at the cat/dog-like Pokemon that now stood between him and the enemy. With a smirk, Ash gave a small shrug, looking up at the other man, who he had now dubbed ‘Midnight’ due to his hair. "I suppose you could say that. What would I do with a Pokemon that wasn’t nocturnal, anyway?"
Umbreon made a rumbling noise deep in its throat, eyeing its fellow evolution. A single paw raked at the ground, its nails scratching against the dark pavement as it continued to growl. It awaited the battle and its first command.
Midnight raised a brow, looking down at the fierce Pokemon. "You’ve trained it well," he commented, before his gaze snapped up and he rushed forward, beginning the attack.
"Pikachu, away." Ash stated simply. Pikachu did what he was told, jumping off of Ash’s shoulder and running off to watch from a safe place, ready to be called if he was needed. The battle between Eevee evolutions began without the Pokemon being told, and Ash could hear the snarling and sounds of battle as the two Pokemon fought each other.
"That was a bad move, Ketchum!" Snarled Midnight, bringing the blade down to slash at the cloaked man. However, his blade hit nothing but air as he landed from his attack, digging the sharp tip of the ice into the ground as he found his footing, twisting around to see where Ash had disappeared to. He found him standing in the same spot, looking as if he hadn’t moved at all. "What the…?"
Ash turned around to face him, a bored expression on his face. "You’re human, aren’t you?" He asked. "Did your boss not tell you what you were up against?"
"He told me everything I needed to know!" Midnight hesitated, lifting his blade warily in his right hand. "That you are a creature of the night, and that if you appeared I was to kill you!" He raised his blade, preparing for another attack, "I was hired especially for this! I am the number one swordsman in Celadon City!"
With a battle cry Midnight raced forward, blade gripped tightly in his leather-clad hands. With a swing, he planned to run Ash through with the deadly blade of ice, this time knowing that he wouldn’t miss. The boss had hired him specifically because he was the best, and he was going to show the man before him what he was made of!
Ash caught the blade this time, perfectly between two hands. Holding it firmly between his hands, he gazed along the blade’s length at his attacker. "He obviously hired the wrong guy to do his dirty work," Ash commented, and with one hard push the hilt of the blade smashed into Midnight’s eye. The man doubled over, and Ash let the blade go.
Behind them, it seemed like Umbreon was getting the upper hand. Camouflaged with its dark color, it could easily move in the darkness of the night unseen. Being a dark Pokemon, it had an advantage over the water Pokemon. Currently, Umbreon had its sharp fangs dug into Vaporeon’s neck, which was hissing angrily and trying to throw it off.
Umbreon growled, sinking its fangs in deeper.
"Vaporeon!" The water Pokemon cried, and with a hard swing of its tail, it managed to dislodge the dark Pokemon. Backing up a distance to catch its breath, Vaporeon felt the warm blood trickling down its neck. Umbreon had managed to break its tough skin, and now Vaporeon was very angry. Planting all paws firmly on the ground, its eyes glowed a bright green as it blasted a Water Gun attack at Umbreon. Caught off guard, Umbreon was lifted off the ground and slammed into the brick wall behind it.
"Umbreon!" It cried out in pain, its red eyes closing as the Water Gun continued, water blasting at it at remarkable speeds.
Ash stopped dodging Midnight’s attacks, who, after swearing loudly, had started attacking Ash with his fists repeatedly. Midnight was enraged, swinging his fists despite only being able to see out of one eye. His right eye, which Ash had slammed the hilt of the blade into, was red and useless. Ash knew that the man before him would never see out of that eye again.
Umbreon, use your Swift Attack! Ash ordered his Pokemon with his mind, momentarily looking over his shoulder to see how his Pokemon was fairing. This moment of lost concentration was all Midnight needed, and, picking up his ice blade from where it had fallen, he slammed it into Ash’s stomach. Ash fell to his knees in pain. He mightn’t be human, but being stabbed still hurt.
"Now you have two matching holes!" Midnight yelled angrily, pulling the blade out with a quick jerk of his hand.
Behind them, Umbreon called out to its master, having opened its eyes long enough to see his master fall to his knees. Remembering what Ash had told him to do, he inched his head ever so slightly to its left, where its paw was trapped beneath the water. Struggling against the pressure, it managed to bite into its fine ebony fur, pulling out its hair with its sharp teeth. Then, taking a deep breath of air, it spat them at its fellow Eevee evolution. The hairs glowed in the short distance, turning deadly. Vaporeon stopped its attack, dodging out of the way. But not before a sharp hair pieced its fish like ears.
Umbreon landed on its feet, shaking off its wet fur coat, even though it was still raining out. Vaporeon’s Water Gun attack was much colder than the drops of rain falling. Having that done, it quickly turned its head worriedly to look at Ash.
Don’t worry, I’m all right. His voice sounded in the Pokemon’s head, and Umbreon nodded slightly as it turned back to watch Vaporeon, who was snapping at the needle like fur lodged painfully in its ear. While the water Pokemon was distracted, Umbreon leapt, claws outstretched and mouth full of sharp pointy teeth.
"You can’t beat me," Midnight was boasting, walking around the fallen man. Ash winced as the other man delivered a kick to his side, and he did all he could to stay upright on one knee, one hand at the wound to his stomach, the other lost somewhere in the darkness of his cloak. There was a scraping noise and, glancing up, Ash noticed the now bloody ice blade touching the ground. Its deadly tip left a stain of sheered ice and blood on the wet pavement as Midnight moved around him.
"Pika!" Came Pikachu’s shout from somewhere up above, and Ash saw his favorite Pokemon and best friend gazing down at him from an old fire escape. The electric mouse looked anxious, worry clear upon its face. Ash knew that Pikachu wanted to help him, but he silently shook his head no.
You’re hurt! Pikachu cried, and he gripped the railing as if he were about to jump down.
No! Ash shouted, giving him a firm look through the darkness and the rain. I know what I’m doing!
The small electric mouse still seemed restless.
Midnight smirked evilly. "Talking to your rat, are you?" He asked, "I heard that vampires have that ability – they can communicate with Pokemon. Is it true?"
Ash didn’t answer him. He simply glared.
The blue haired man glanced up at the yellow mouse, then back at Ash. "By the looks of it, your Pikachu has abandoned you. You’re about to die, and your Pokemon is hiding." He lifted the bloody blade, waving it at the electric Pokemon, "Don’t worry, you’re next!" He turned then, and for a moment Ash thought the other man was going to try to finish him off. But he surprised Ash by turning to the two battling Pokemon, his empty hand taking a gun from his belt, "But first…"
Ash’s eyes widened, darting back and forth from the man now holding a gun to his unsuspecting Pokemon. Umbreon was a fast Pokemon, but there was no way it could move fast enough to dodge bullets!
"I think I’ll pop off its eyes first," Midnight was saying, aiming his gun and tilting his head, looking through his good eye. "Since you took one of mine! It will give me great pleasure to see your Pokemon suffer."
Ash tried to stand, stumbling as he held on to his bleeding wound. He was growing dizzy from lack of blood, and unless he found something to eat soon, he would probably be dead within the hour.
Sensing his movement, Midnight swung the gun back on Ash. "Don’t move!"
Ash stopped all movement, staring up at the blue haired man. He had no choice – he had to do what he was told.
Midnight smirked. "Good." And then the gun was turned on Umbreon again, who was busy wresting with the water Pokemon.
Umbreon, Ash stared at his Pokemon, who abruptly stopped to look at Ash. Stay still. Don’t move.
Vaporeon, sensing his enemy’s hesitation, attacked more furiously. Umbreon tried to hold his ground.
"Too bad he’s yours, Ketchum," Midnight commented, "He’d make me a good Pokemon."
"You’re a horrible trainer," Ash replied dryly, staring at the gun in Midnight’s hands, "It’s a wonder your Pokemon obeys you at all."
"We’ll see about that," Midnight replied, malice in his voice. "Vaporeon!" At the sound of his name, the water Pokemon looked to its owner, "Back off!"
The Pokemon did what it was told, backing away from Umbreon with a questioning gaze. Umbreon continued to do what it was told, going as far as sitting down on the cold hard pavement.
"Stupid Pokemon," Midnight laughed, "Its sitting there…making itself an easy target!" There was a click as he pulled back on the gun, his finger on the trigger. "Say goodbye to your Pokemon, Ketchum!"
He pulled the trigger, and the sound of a gunshot echoed through the alley. From above, Pikachu watched in horror, and Umbreon flinched. They both watched as if in slow motion, awaiting the hit that would kill the dark Pokemon.
It never came.
From where he stood, Midnight dropped the gun he was holding. It fell to the wet ground with a thud, a noise that was accompanied with a strange gurgling sound. As the gun fell, Midnight fell to his knees, blood dripping out of his mouth as he stared straight ahead, his good eye wide and unseeing.
"Nobody fucks with my Pokemon," Ash’s cold voice came from behind him, and Ash dropped the hand holding his own gun, which he had cleverly hidden under his cloak next to his Pokebelt. He clipped it back to his side, once again covering it with his dark cloak, and stepped towards the dying man. "Now, I believe you have something I want."
Midnight could not answer, only stare down at himself in shock. Ash had shot him – he was going to die.
Kicking the blue haired man over onto his side, Ash began searching through his clothes. He found what he was looking for in Midnight’s back pocket, folded neatly in a plastic bag so that the weather had not harmed it.
Ash waved the bag in front of him with a smile. "Thanks, man." Turning to Umbreon, he nodded his head, and reaching out with a Pokeball in his hand, he recalled the Pokemon. Above him, Pikachu jumped down from stair to stair on the fire escape, jumping onto Ash’s shoulder from the last small metal balcony.
I thought Umbreon was a goner there for a second, Pikachu said, tilting his head to look at the papers in Ash’s hands.
"You doubt me that much?" Ash asked, putting the papers away somewhere safe. He grimaced as his stomach and back caused pain to shoot through him.
Pikachu seemed to notice his discomfort. Come on, we need to get home before they send more people after us. Besides, you need a good rest and drink…you need those wounds to heal quickly.
Ash nodded, turning away from the now dead man lying in the alley in the rain. "You’re right. Let’s go home."
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May Petalburg was sitting back in her desk, her hands behind her head and her feet propped up on the desk when the door crashed open. Startled, the young girl jumped in her seat, causing the chair to move backwards and fall. She managed to get both feet on the ground, her hands steady on either side of the chair, as a dark cloaked man and his Pikachu entered the apartment.
May had been seventeen years old when she had first met Ash Ketchum. She had always been curious about things that went bump in the night, and at an early age she decided that she wanted to seek out and prove the existence of creatures such as vampires, werewolves, and monsters. While she had found no werewolves and monsters on her journey, she had wandered across rumors while heading through Celadon just a few years after she had left her hometown.
The rumors had been that a vampire lurked in the darkness of the city, destroying his own kind and feeding only off blood from butcher shops and blood banks. At first, May didn’t believe such things. When growing up, she had been taught that vampires were vile, evil beings. But she had managed to find out that the rumors were true enough, and after about a year of investigating, she had finally come across him.
May watched as Ash crossed the room, shedding his black cloak. Underneath he wore clothes of the same color – a somewhat tight black shirt that showed off his muscular chest nicely, and matching black jeans. May had never seen him wear anything different in all the time she had known him, which was almost a year now.
She’d found him fighting off another one of his kind one night – a heated battle that she was sure he was going to lose. But he’d impressed her as he had thrown the final blow, and she had clapped in the end, startling him. At first, he had refused to talk to her. That was, until she had mentioned his name. When asked how she knew it, she simply informed him that she’d done her research – she knew all about his past and present.
He had been shocked to know this, though he made no attempt to stick around and find out why she was following him. It was when she had mentioned the name ‘Geovanni’, and her vast knowledge of languages and abilities that he finally stopped. He intrigued her, and she wanted to know more. She knew more about the modern world than he did, and he needed the help. They had joined forces – he the brute strength, and she the brains out of the two. They made a good team.
Raising a brow, she watched as Pikachu darted after Ash into the kitchen, chattering about something or other. "Did you get the scrolls?" She called out, curious now. How had his latest mission gone?
Ash returned moments later, a first aid kit in one hand and a bag of warm blood in the other. May scrunched up her nose as he sat down on her good couch, seeing the blood on him for the first time.
"I got them." Ash finally replied, peeling off his shirt to get a better look at his wounds. Pikachu sat at his feet, ready if his master needed anything.
"Mission didn’t go too well, I see." May commented, getting up out of her chair. She walked towards Ash, carefully studying the damage that was done. Bending down on one knee, she winced as she saw the hole in his stomach.
"The holder wouldn’t give them over without a fight," Ash said through gritted teeth, and he winced as May took the first aid kit from his cold fingers.
May opened the small white box up, picking through the contents until she found what she was looking for. Aha! Bandages! She glanced at his wounds again. I’m going to need lots of these… "I told you it wasn’t going to be easy! Who’d he send this time, anyway?"
"Some guy." Ash shrugged, despite the pain, "Didn’t exactly catch his name. Oddly enough, he was human."
"Ah," May nodded. "Took care of him?"
Ash watched as she worked, unfolding the bandages and taping him up. "Didn’t have a choice. If I hadn’t have killed him, then he would have killed me and my Pokemon."
May shook her head, wrapping a bandage around his shoulder so that his back was covered as well. She saw him grimace at her touch. "Oh Ashy, where would you be without me?"
Ash looked up at her, giving her a rare smile. "I probably would be back living on the streets, doing what I usually do."
"You would bleed to death without me," May sighed.
"Probably."
"You need to take better care of yourself." She scolded lightly.
Ash resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
There was a moment of silence as May finished up, cutting the bandages and making sure the tape was holding firmly. Finally, standing up, she declared, "There! All done!"
Ash mumbled thanks, glancing at his dirt and blood covered shirt. He would have to wash it before he put it on again.
"Next time, do me a favor?" May asked, and Ash tilted his head as he looked up at her. She was staring down at him now, hands on her hips and a stern look upon her face.
"What’s that?" He asked as Pikachu jumped up on the couch. The electric mouse chirped happily at him before crawling onto his knees, where the Pokemon proceeded to lie down. It drooped its ears to one side, urging Ash to scratch them. Ash obliged.
"Take Gary with you." May grabbed the first aid kit, closing it before taking it back into the kitchen. Behind her, she could hear Ash grumble about something. "I know he can be quite an asshole at times, but he is a really big help."
"Whatever." Ash answered, settling back on the couch. He was careful not to upset his wounds as he reached for the blood bag, one hand scratch Pikachu’s ears. It was then that he remembered the package in his pocket. "May, come here for a second!"
The brown haired girl appeared from the kitchen, and he handed her the package of paper. "Here, these are the scrolls."
May took them, settling down next to Ash on the couch as she looked over them. The scrolls were written in an odd language that she didn’t recognize, and she squinted as she tried to study the words in front of her. It was a language totally foreign to her, and that was disturbing considering she had studied every language she could while she was still living with her father at his Pokemon Gym.
"Can you translate that?"
"I don’t know," She replied honestly, "I’ve never seen these characters before!"
Ash leaned over to get a better look. He didn’t know what any of it meant either. He was about to open his mouth to say that it had all been in vain – he’d went after scrolls that couldn’t be translated and got hurt for no reason, when May suddenly got up, her eyes never leaving the pages.
"I’m going to have to look all of this up," she stated.
"How long will that take?" Ash asked.
"A few days…maybe a week."
"Try to make it a few days."
May nodded, heading over to her computer and sitting back down in her favorite chair. "I’ll try my best." Finally, she glanced over at Ash. "You should get to bed, get a decent night’s rest. You need to save your energy…you never know what you’ll be fighting next."
For once, Ash didn’t disagree with her. Picking up Pikachu with one arm, and carrying his bag of blood in the other, Ash disappeared into his room, leaving May to look over the scrolls in peace.
To Be Continued…