A/N: Written as a side story to Crimson Light of Death's original Pure Light. The credit for the original story goes to them! However, it doesn't extend to influence the plot of this one-shot.

A link to the profile will be given on request, and because I really appreciate them for letting me write the one shot based around their story, so kudos.

Lastly, because the original Pure Light was an OC fic, I stake no claim on the characters used in this one-shot. Credits are as follows:

Ren Di Ceilo Belongs to Happy2beMe

Vien Kamiya belongs to RicePaddyHero

Zia Sapphire belongs to MEIKO no Kokoro

Kaoru Setsuma belongs to Shadowjohn 101

Xylia and Vania Arburn both belong to Crimson. Light. Of. Death.

I own only Brent Stylus, Travis Leroy and Simon Brayschaff

Disclaimer:Don't own any part of Pokemon, yadda yadda yadda, gotta upload the story.

She had him and he knew it. She was the only thing on his mind as of late. Brent cursed his luck. It would be a woman of all things to break his shell. He ran a hand through his frost-white hair. He felt a pool of emotions frothing within.

"And now…" Her image came to him again. She was rather scarred; an eye gone and her face adorned with tattoos of the legendary birds and dogs. But even so, that face had appeared pure, even if her attitude wasn't. Xylia had undoubtedly been there. How he had missed such a stupid girl was beyond him, but he sighed and shrugged it from his memory.

"You seem uncharacteristically emotional today." Brent uttered some noise of dismissal. It had been his partner, the one who had lured their target into the safari zone. He had never gotten her name, and they were just thrown together for simply being skilled members.

"What's it to you?"

"You seem…awkward. I've seen the way you pick at Kaoru. You disregard any kind of serious overtone he has. You tend to…mess with his emotions. Those are dangerous things to have as toys." Brent felt an antagonizing smirk cross his lips and he made sure she saw it. She knew nothing of how well he understood the human heart and its emotions. "What's with the smirk?"

"You preach to me about how emotions are a dangerous thing to play with." He turned his back to her then, walking back down towards "her" cell. "The klutz could've sworn that you were someone important to her; almost like family." She heard his slight chuckle become faint as he walked down the stairs.

She had the same damn look of defiance on her face.

"So you came back?" Brent simply stared at her. She was something of an animal. Ordinarily, he would've made some snide comment, but something gripped him and told him otherwise. He looked around the room, seeing the many other trainers that they had caught for their little "experiments". He had heard some members, among them Mitsuru, claim that such a procedure was downright cruel, but their leader had reassured them that it was for the best. He heard the girl's taunts again; her temper was burning through her reason. "Hey tough guy, you didn't answer me! What are all these people here for? You've told me enough of what you'll need my friend for!"

"It's none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't! If it has something to do with Xylia, then it has something to do with me!"

"Does it really?"

"Did I stutter?" Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze for a long moment. He had found that his thoughts of her were gone and that all that was left was his same hollow routine of picking her apart like he did all the others. He laughed nonchalantly.

"Well, I suppose you didn't." The girl raised a brow in slight confusion. Brent inched closer, his distant expression turning into a flirtatious smirk. She felt his hand grabbed hold of her chin and tilt her face up toward his gaze. He wasn't too much taller than she was, about an inch or two, and that was probably the most degrading part of it all. He opened his mouth to speak but a stifled cry came out instead. She bit him; hard enough to draw blood. He pulled away then, but he still had that same flirtatious smirk on his face.

"What the hell is so funny!?"

"You're a feisty one." He shook his finger a few times and said nothing else. There was that same silence and they locked eyes again.

"Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question. You're a…odd one" His person was changing again, and it was sinking back into his distance. She scoffed at that. He was the odd one! She felt her temper recede and she gave a sigh. She was far from tired but a strange calm had set over her.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" He said nothing and continued staring. "My name is-"

"It's Brent… Brent Stylus." She smiled.

"Well… I'm-" Brent turned his back to walk back up the stairs.

"I don't care." And he was gone.

"What a carefree little jerk!" It was one thing to be hostile, but it was a whole level entirely to be rude and hostile. He had left without even having the courtesy to hear her out. It was his loss anyway. Now that she knew his name, maybe she'd be able to learn a little more about him. Zia smirked. She had friends waiting and no one, especially not this "Brent" would keep her from that goal. Umbreon crawled from out under the bed and brushed up against her and she scratched behind its ears. "We'll get out of here, but not just yet." Zia grabbed for the keys that Xylia had left for her. She unlocked her cell and looked to all the others; there had to be near a hundred people here. They were being used for something but what was it? Brent knew something, and he was the last person she wanted to deal with. "I'll start elsewhere."

"Damn… For a loner, he's pretty tough…" It was the second time his Buizel had been beaten. "I should pay more attention." Someone out there was actually better than he was. The truth didn't sting as bad as he thought it might. Brent was good, but that boy with the Bulbasaur was unnaturally better than most. He turned his attention back to Buizel, tearing down the vines around him. "Are you all right?"

"Bui Bui!" Buizel gave him a loyal salute. Brent laughed at that.

"Cut the crap. Don't be so formal." Buizel frowned for a moment and Brent sighed. "All right, all right, do want you want, Private." Buizel gave him a salute.

Xylia had gotten away, but it was immaterial. She was such a ditz that it actually annoyed him. He looked back to the Hearthome gym, and chuckled to himself because he knew it was so much more than that. He turned away to the direction where Xylia had fled with her friend as if he were hesitant to abandon the mission. He turned again, this time full circle and back to the Hearthome Gym.

Upon his re-entrance, he saw a cell door wide open but he shrugged it off. A trainer escaped as they occasionally did, but they never did get too far before being captured or perhaps killed. It was normally a lower job to go and hunt down escapees. He casually strode by the cage, but he stopped as he took a closer look. He gave a disgruntled sound of annoyance before he looked to the cage number. It read: S5-238.

"Damn it…" Brent turned on his heels and was already up from the cells. She couldn't have gone far. It was unlikely that she could fight her way through the Hearthome gym; not when it doubled as a testing lab. There were to be multiple members of the Deboli, but then again, she was a reputed gym leader, or so he had heard. "So they call her the Fire of the Storm, do they?"

"Where is my Ninetales?" She had no trouble at all working through her opponents. There was the occasional semi-trainer who would have a surprise Pokémon up their sleeve, but most simply held the standard issue Pokémon for the organization's purposes. In this case, that standard issue Pokémon had happened to be Bibarel. "They're much stronger than I remember…" Zia suddenly bumped into yet another grunt. The place was littered with them!

"Hey, what's a subject doing outta-" Zia lashed out before he could finish, hitting him square between the eyes and he crumpled awkwardly to the ground. There was the term "test subject" again. There were so many people left in the cell with broken spirits.

"What in the world is going on here?" She stopped to observe the room for a moment. The footsteps were coming from the hallway ahead of her, lit brighter than in the cellar, but still dim. She made a dash for it and pressed herself up against the wall, as far from the light as she could be. The person walking by hadn't noticed her at all, but she had gotten an eyeful. Xylia had once told her about her sister. Zia nearly fell out of place at the striking similarities. The green hair and eyes were shared by the both Vania and her imposter. Zia could hear her mumbling something in frustration. She strained to catch the words.

"What do you mean she's gone? She couldn't have gotten far!" Zia's eyes trailed from the woman to the small device in her hand. There was a small compact phone-like device there in her hands, the likes in which Zia had never seen before. "Fine then, I'll find her!" The device clicked off and the woman stood there for a moment and Zia pulled herself back into the dark just as the woman looked back in her direction. The woman stared in her direction for the longest time appearing as though she had spotted her; Zia remained rooted to the spot. The green-haired woman gave a scornful looking smirk then disappeared the other way. Zia let out a sigh and she headed to the direction from where the green haired woman had just come from.

The tunnel was an intricate setup of curves and darkness. Zia had been tempted to light the area with her Arcanine but decided against it. She advanced slowly, keeping a hand to the cool brick of the gym. These people had to have held control over the gym for a while to have such an expansion on the place. She slowly trekked through the winding trails, coming to a sudden fork. The path to the left lead down a level and wound sharply around. The other was just its opposite, reaching up a level and winding impossibly sharp so that she was unable to peer around the side.

"Great. Now what?" There was a sudden groan from the winded trail to the right. It chilled her for a moment and she found that she was scared. "Think of Xylia. Think of the answers you need…" It was enough to push her forward. She took a step forward before bolting up the stairs.

The stairs seemed to wind forever; her legs were burning now. The winding stairs were like a portal, changing the dim darkness to a dawn grey now and from the occasional window slit she could see the dawn peeking out over the horizon. It made little difference to Zia. It was barely any different from when she had been younger. She stumbled at that thought and nearly plummeted down the stairway. She gave a slight shake of her head, and sprinted finally to the top of the stairs.

Zia had come upon a room of white light. She raised a hand to wane some of the fluorescence. Immediately after, she felt a gale of force lodge into her stomach. Her eyes went wide as she realized what it had been. She watched as a shade of orange become a Pokémon, wrinkling its nose at her before turning to its trainer. The trainer frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"You're a nuisance." Zia's vision blurred for a short moment.

"No…" Her vision danced between a haze and clarity. His Buizel was particularly strong, enough to knock her over in just one hit.

"Are you finished with your little 'game'?" Zia tried to talk, but she was only able to sputter between coughs.

"…Bite me…" She felt his steps grow louder until his feet were on the edge of her view. A panic suddenly rose in her, a panic in which she hadn't felt since she had been younger. She lifted her head and saw her father.

"What does a good-for-nothing like you hope to become?" It had been over ten years since she had last seen her father, since he had gotten what he deserved.

"How is he still…?" The feeling had come back; she was a little girl again. "I'm not good enough… I don't deserve to…" She saw it all happen again; the cigarette butts that he would burn into her arms or the sting of a slap that she had grown used to from simply making herself known. With the images of her father came her mother who was by far more vicious than he could ever be. She was nothing to neither of them, but her mother had made it known.

"You little whore! You think yourself better than your old mum?"

"Mama, I-"

"Shut up! We need a way to make you know your place. Something to…humble you…" Zia rubbed her face. It stung for only a few moments. She was used to it and there was nothing that her mother could possibly do to degrade her any more. Her mother had come back with a Pokémon; a Camerupt, along with rope and a wooden post large enough for her to fit on.

Her mother beckoned her then. Zia backed away. It was their little "activity". Mother had always promised she would go next but never did.

"Come now little Zia; Mommy loves you." A lie; Zia backed herself into a corner, shaking her head. Her mother's façade dropped, and she went to her feet and to her daughter in an instant, snatching her by the arm and yanking her toward the Camerupt. Zia felt the tears welling up behind her eyes and she fought hard to keep them in check even though her voice quivered under her breath.

"I wish I had a real Mommy and Daddy…" Her mother stopped then turning back for Zia to see the whole of her mother's rage then. The first slap was like any other, and Zia picked herself up slowly. Usually, her mother stopped when she appeared broken and helpless; this time she didn't. Zia stood to her feet and the second slap sent her reeling as she fell to the floor again.

"Come on you little bitch! You want to new mommy and daddy? Then go find them! We don't need you here! You were nothing but a nuisance to begin with!" She was crying openly now, and she lay huddled in a ball. She told herself it wasn't real, that she was living in a nightmare, that any moment she'd wake up and find a loving mother and a protective father and that'd she'd be their princess. But she knew that these people who disclaimed her and beat her were all she had. "Get up." Zia didn't move. "Get up I say!" Still no reaction. "Move damn it!" Zia felt her mother jerk her up from the floor, harder than she had the first time. "Stop crying!" But Zia kept about it. There was someone who was bound to hear her, even if they were out from society. She figured someone had to hear her. Zia was loud, so loud that she was unable to hear the cool clinking of metal, not before …

She was nothing like he expected, and here he was, his life held at her mercy. For a woman, she had a peculiarly strong grip. It was the grip of adrenaline. Brent stared into her eyes, the flecks of green-gold distorted into a fierce, self-preserving glare. She had been screaming some incoherent nonsense when she leaped at him. Brent had both his hands placed over her one, trying to push it away, but there only seemed to be more pressure pushing down on him. Breathing was starting to become quite a task. He barked out broken orders to Buizel.

"A…Aqua…Jet! Buizel…!" Zia sat there over him, her hands finally at his throat before Buizel struck her in the chest and she stumbled back onto the floor unconscious. Brent dusted himself off as he stood.

"So you caught her?" Brent looked to the room entrance to find the green haired woman standing there. He looked away.

"Yeah."

"Good. She's an interesting one. What's her name?"

"She's the Azalea Town gym leader." Her smirk broadened then.

"She's a gym leader?" She opened her mouth to say something, but her attention was suddenly snagged by her tattoo of the legendary birds; most profoundly, Lugia. "Brent, do you know anything about these tattoos?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You're from Kanto, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that doesn't mean-"

"Good, then you should know something about them. Or are you slacking on the job?" There was an urge to make a snide remark there, but he fought against it. She had her reasons for being so strict, he knew. Kaoru was so fickle that Brent felt he were perhaps the only male operative worth anything. Of course, there were times he doubted himself as well.

"I… can do some research on it if you like…" She nodded.

"Good. Take her back to the cells until further notice." She turned to walk away. "Oh and Brent…" Brent turned to face her. She gave a warm genuine smile. "My name is Valice. For future reference's sake, remember it."

She was extremely light for him, but an annoyance to carry. She was nearly as tall as he was. He set her down back into her cell, and stepped out. In an ironic twist, she began to stir. He watched as she came to, rubbing her head as though she had been struck there. Brent gave a sardonic sniffle.

"Hey, bird face," she glanced over to him, and her face curled in disgust that mirrored his own. "Mind telling me what the hell that was?"

"What do you mean by 'what that was'?" Brent sighed.

"You have to remember something. You nearly killed me back there."

"It's a shame I didn't." Heated anger had begun to swell in Brent for the first time in a long while. This girl could be as nonchalant as he could at times, and frankly, he did not care for it.

"Anyway," He could hear the irritation in his own voice carrying through both their ears. "What's with those tattoos?" She raised an eyebrow and she grinned.

"So now you're asking the questions? I never figured you'd take an interest in your prisoners."

"What are you getting at?"

"Why are you taking such offense?" Brent felt his face twist in frustration, and among other things, grow hot. He turned away hastily.

"Fine. I'll just… ask some other time." Brent's hands returned to his pockets and he disappeared.

"She can actually get under my skin…" Brent had gone off again, this time commanded by Valice to find more subjects for testing again. In particular, she had put an emphasis on a trainer by the name of Travis Leroy.

"If you can't recruit him, catch him, and if he won't submit, then make him a test subject. If it goes terribly wrong, it'll be another guy who dies, right?"

Brent snickered at her words. Killing another man was something he'd never lose any sleep over, but the way he had treated Xylia…

He thought of something else at that moment. He had been sent from Hearthome to Celestic Town. He had even gotten to stretch his muscles with a few of the wild Pokémon hanging around. He thought of his failed Hoenn League challenge and Team Magma and he chuckled. He had felt so young then, and only a year later he was much stronger than they could ever hope to be.

He walked into the town, and almost immediately saw his man, dressed in a suit casually with a Ninetales by his side. He was leaning against the Pokémon center, a book cracked open. He adjusted his glasses before looking up at him. He seemed to know the drill.

"You gotta be kidding." Travis pushed himself up off the wall, dusting off his suit and straightening himself.

"The Deboli, I presume?" Brent nodded, a grin forming on his face. He could use a laugh at the moment. He saw Travis's brow furrow in confusion and Brent fell to the ground laughing. "You don't seem to be a professional member of any organization I've seen. Please tell me, what are you laughing at?"

"You cannot be serious! A suit, in this weather? You aren't even at any formal conventions!" Travis grinned.

"Hah, well, laugh all you want. I'll be on my way. Some Deboli member you are." Travis turned his back, and then stopped. His Poke-ball clicked open and a haze a steam erupted. Brent coughed and back away. Travis's silhouette was outlined by it, and as it cleared, he stood there with a smile.

"What are you so cheerful about?" Travis chuckled.

"I'd watch myself if I were you."

"What does that-" Brent felt a drop of water and he looked up; a Floatzel was speeding directly for him. Brent went forward toward Travis as Floatzel rebounded herself. There was another click as a drill sped past him. Brent rolled to his right catching glimpses of both of Travis's Pokémon. They both stood on Travis's sides like royal bodyguards. Travis removed his glasses, cleaning them.

"It's cheap to attack when your opponent isn't looking. But still, I believe you'll have a much harder time than what you may believe." There was an open dislike on Brent's face then.

"Yeah, I figured."

Umbreon gave a sound of worry and Zia had turned to him. She had nearly forgotten he was there. She was too focused on exactly what had happened. She could hear Brent's strain in his voice, no matter how well he thought he had hid it.

"You nearly killed me back there." She had found that she had felt guilty, even toward him. The last thing she wanted to do was take a life. She'd be even closer to being like her mother than she would've liked. Umbreon cooed again, and she stood and stretched. Umbreon was always able to tell if something was wrong.

"Don't worry; I'm far from done." She put on a smile but she wasn't sure if it was more for Umbreon or herself. "Time for round two…" Zia went to reach for the key on her belt, only to find it was gone.

"Looking for this?" The voice grabbed her attention and she found herself looking at Brent's partner.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"That doesn't matter." She walked closer and the key shone with every step. She had moved so precisely that Zia believed she taunted her with the gleaming key. "I believe you want this, correct?"

"I'm not going to beg if that's what you want me to do."

"Oh please, you're a prisoner, if I wanted to do something like that, then I'd make you myself." The response hit a nerve in Zia. This woman was so sure of herself. She didn't mind the self-assured walk or even the repulsive language, but it was that she believed she would keel over.

"I'm far from being that helpless little girl…" The woman stepped right up to the bars.

"Oh relax. It'll be your turn soon." It had taken a few moments for that to register to Zia, who had sudden become aware of all the trainers around her.

"What are you doing to all these people!?" She seemed to laugh, that woman and she made herself comfortable, sitting on a bench not too far from the cell.

"Do you honestly think I'm that dumb that I'd tell you?"

"I know more than what you might think." The mature woman laughed.

"Is that right? Please explain." Zia grimaced inwardly. It was against her better knowledge to let them, whoever they were, know she had any knowledge of their plans. But she was almost compelled to wrong this particular woman, who spoke to her as though she were completely helpless.

"You want my friend."

"Yeah, that's quite obvious."

"Let me finish." She had said the words much more harshly than she had meant, but then again, this woman deserved it. "That necklace that my friend carries was given to her by one of your 'subjects'. Am I right?" The woman's sneer disappeared at that, and was replaced with discontent. Zia grinned. "That'll be all for now." Her captor turned away, clearly seething at the indignity.

"Then I suppose we'll be having lots of fun with a know-it-all like you." The woman disappeared from view.

Brent's Ninetales sped along next to Travis's. Brent left the two to their business as he went to catch Travis.

"All I gotta do is knock him down…" Brent was only inches from the boy, almost within arm's reach, that is until Beedrill cut him off. He saw Travis jump from behind Beedrill to the left. He heard the sharpening of blades then and turned back to Beedrill. He ducked just below the thrust and he clicked open another poke-ball in response.

A maelstrom of fire had shot out at Beedrill, who darted away at the last moment. Brent could feel Travis holding his ground now. He was done running, and he was here to fight. There was another look of disgust on Brent's face.

"He misinterprets me…" Brent had decided then. He had nearly been gored by Beedrill twice, and smashed by Floatzel before that. He had already been beaten twice before hand; this was not to be his third. Beedrill hovered next to its trainer. There was a slight thump next to him, and Brent found his Ninetales lying next to him, a bloody wound to her side. She was still breathing, his Ninetales, but he wasn't certain how much longer she would hold on. "He had dragged me out of Celestic Town for this…" Travis snapped his fingers.

"Finish off his Ninetales; use Toxic directly at the wound on its side." Beedrill darted right to the left, alternating in between. Brent grinned. His action had surprised even himself, as he leapt there in front of Beedrill's poison. Its sting had lodged itself directly in Brent's side, and he spun with dizziness from the pain.

"Hah."

"What do you find so funny?" Brent stood to his feet.

"I was never really fond of other men. We're all just selfish little devils aren't we?" Ninetales stood shakily to her feet. There was another click from Brent and his Houndour was suddenly next to him. "Both of you, Fire Blast." Ninetales and Houndour both inhaled then exhaled and a powerful blast of symbolic fire burst toward Travis. Ninetales jumped there to defend him, absorbing the whole of both attacks, but she slumped to the ground then, unconscious.

"Nina!" Travis knelt beside his Ninetales. Both Fire Blasts had not harmed her, but had pushed her to her limit. He returned her to a poke-ball.

"I'm surprised you're still standing. This Beedrill is so well trained that its poison could kill a Donphan in little time."

"Safeguard is quite the technique, isn't it?" Travis grinned.

"I suppose I should've seen that coming." Brent's demeanor returned.

"I'll give you this one chance," Travis glared at Brent, who glared right back. All the humor in him was gone; Brent was all business. "The Deboli want to recruit you."

"And send me to catch innocents to test your 'X Vaccine'?" There was surprise then.

"So it appears that one of those morons actually told you about it…"

"I won't follow something so twisted." Brent sighed. This was proving to drag out far longer than he expected, or that he would've liked. He had other things he needed to be doing. Like…

The girl's image appeared to him. What was it that made her into such an animal? What was that something that made her to fight for her life? He had no intention of killing her… He closed his eyes, and then opened them slowly.

"I have business to get to, so we'll do this my way; one Pokémon each. If I win, you come with me." Travis nodded and smugly straightened his glasses.

"Fine by me." Just then, Travis's Floatzel appeared, its eyes focused directly on Brent, who kept his focus on Travis.

"Is that your choice?"

"Yours?" Brent said nothing, but Buizel had stepped out from behind him, a glare on its face matching his trainer's.

"I'll go first."

Zia wasn't sure how many days it had been since Brent had brought her to this hell hole. She would look to the walls in hopes of finding some way to escape, but would eventually give up. What was more, she hadn't seen Brent around lately who would normally visit her every other day to poke fun at her. In comparison to the constant silence of the cells, she had found oddly, that she preferred his company. In the very least, she'd be able to poke fun right back at him.

She sighed. What good was her knowledge if she could do nothing with it? Her captor in Brent's place had taken her key.

"I could always break loose…" She shot down the recurring idea. She would have no base from which she could plan. In her thinking, it had dawned on her. She had been in a dungeon-like cell with dozens of other trainers. She would see the very occasional trainer being led away and up the stairs away from them. The others had to know something. It seemed as though they had been down there for some time.

"Hey! Hey! Can anyone over there hear me?" There was no response and Zia felt her temper begin to rise. She had been in this small space for a while, and it was beginning to wear down on her. "Can anyone over there hear me?"

"I hear you," sounded a voice. Zia almost squealed with joy. She was getting somewhere.

"Can you tell me exactly what these people are testing for?"

"You mean they caught you and they haven't told you?" Zia rolled her eyes. She wouldn't be asking if that were the case.

"I would guess not."

"The operatives of Deboli are looking to be able to splice Pokémon genes with humans. They had made great progress until they hit a wall; the human gene is unable to withstand and adapt to all of the mutations of Pokémon DNA."

"Splicing? They're attempting to mix humans and Pokémon together? But why?"

"There have been rumors that the leader wants to be a god of some sort, but that's only heresay. It is actually due to the leader of the organization wanting to eradicate disease."

"But what will that do? Pokémon and people both get sick with their own diseases!" Zia heard a chuckle.

"You must be young and naïve. They are simply running tests for when they get their hands on a legendary Pokémon. Specific Pokémon of legend contain what is called 'Pokerus' or 'the X Vaccine'. These special genes in those specific legendary Pokémon make them immune to all known disease."

"Then why do they need ordinary Pokémon? Can't they just… simulate it or something?" Another chuckle came from the cell next to her.

"What good is it to simulate something that cannot be perfectly copied? The way they see it, they'll need much practice before they are able to perform it with a legendary Pokémon."

"How long has this been going on?"

"For a while I would think. The legendary Pokémon are so very elusive."

"There's no way their research could've taken so long! If they weren't making progress, then it would've been better to give up on it!" There was quiet and Zia had feared she had frightened the voice into silence. "I'm sorry I-"

"Do you mind if I tell you a story? Of how the research came to this standstill?" Zia nodded, and almost immediately felt foolish.

"Yeah, go on."

"I've told you much, that the Deboli wish to wipe out disease through Pokémon gene splicing, but what they lack is an undying source of power, something imbued with such infinite vitality that it could power their devices. Well, nine years ago, there had been a breakthrough with one of their subjects. There was something strange about her. She was able to generate energy that rivaled that of the legendary Pokémon Mew. Mew, according to ancient documents on Poke-earth, had been the common ancestor that all present Pokémon are derived from after Arceus had created the world. They were the pinnacle of life and vitality. This was just the energy they needed, this vast amount to power their machinery. She had bloomed with such energy that we had decided to inject her with our own artificial Pokerus prototype; in hopes that it would stick and adapt…We were so close…" Zia had caught that slight change in his words, and filed it away for future questions.

"All of this…happened nine years ago? Then why are they still testing on Pokémon besides the reason of 'practice'?" She said the words with blatant distaste.

"She had gotten loose; broke away. Many of the Deboli operatives tried to stop her, but she managed to slip by. There had to have been over fifty operatives that day…" Zia saw this as her chance. It was all starting to make sense to her, why they wanted Xylia and her necklace.

"Exactly what did you mean by 'we'?" The voice laughed and was, in those moments, years older.

"Why, I had led the team my naive friend." It was as she thought.

"Then what are you doing as one of their subjects if you led the research?" There was a sharp inhale of breath of if he'd been stabbed.

"I had helped her escape; held off the Deboli operative while she escaped. It was the least I could do after putting her through what I had… I had had been captured however and have been sitting here since…"

"An artificial Pokerus? But didn't you say that Pokerus was found naturally in the legendary Pokémon?"

"I did, however, because Mew was so elusive, we foolishly made an attempt at a replica."

"What did the Pokerus do to her exactly?" The voice was now cracking, emotion leaking through it.

"It…had made her… very sick. Her body was able to hold out for a long while, but from time to time, there would be…spasms, and the body would attempt to purge itself of the Pokerus in the form of blood."

"You never told me of where her vitality had come from. What made her so different from every other 'test subject'?"

"Back in ancient times, it is said that humans are to have derived from the Pokémon Mew themselves. There is research that suggests this and her case made it all the more true…"

"You mean…?"

"Indeed, there had been a small trace of the Mew gene within her, so miniscule that it didn't result in her death as a child."

"Would there happen to be any trace left of her energy?"

"We had…crystallized a small portion of it in the form of a jade-emerald jewel. She had taken it with her when she broke free."

"Could it really be…?"

"You seemed to have gone quiet. Do you have any more questions?"

"Do you remember who the subject was? I mean her name?" He had begun sobbing now.

"With one eye emerald green and another aquamarine blue, I remember her as Vania Arburn." Despite her speculation, despite how much she had tried to prepare for it, hearing the name of Xylia's elder sister as "The One" as the term was so broadly used was simply crushing. Her legs felt weak and she trembled to the ground.

"I had…prepared myself for this… so why is this so overwhelming…?" She knew why. If Vania had shown so much promise as a test subject, what better replacement than a sibling who could possibly share the same trait? She saw Xylia's face, then again stamped down and broken. The old man's voice sounded to her again, and she was on the verge of tears with him. Xylia had been like a sister.

"I believe you must be good friends with Xylia to ask so much of me." Zia's breath hitched.

"How did you know-"

"Vania may have been a test subject, but she was still a human." Zia was quiet then, but a fire was rising in her.

"What if I help you escape? Will you be able to lead us out?"

"I believe so, but you will need to give me time to re-adjust. It has been some time since I've last seen light." Zia nodded, and just then, remembered her Umbreon, who sat huddled in a corner watching her.

"Umbreon," Its ears perked up to show it was listening. "I'll need you to play messenger for me again."

Buizel was taking a beating. Every move he'd make, Floatzel would be there, infinitely stronger and faster.

"Buizel can't be losing again!" Buizel hit the hard. Struggling to its feet, it stood strong.

"Buizel," The weasel turned back to Brent. "That's enough, private."Buizel's eyes went wide, but turned fierce in a hostile glance.

"Bui!" It shook its head defiantly.

"No match is worth getting you killed." Brent felt a pang of realization and he smiled inwardly. He muttered under his breath. "The only thing to make me feel something besides…"

Besides Zia.

He knew her name; it was just his personal preference that she didn't say. She was a woman and therefore had a distinct influence over him even if she didn't know it. He had always been that way. Any man could come to him with the utmost respect, but he couldn't trust them. Almost every man, including himself, were nothing more than selfish pigs.

"At least I try my best to right that wrong…" He looked to Travis and saw the perfect example; prideful, vain and overbearing. It was every ordinary man's vice. Their greed and proud nature were always the death of them.

"Floatzel, Waterfall!" The Floatzel rushed toward Buizel coated in water. The water would prove ineffective, but it was Floatzel's sheer power and speed that was the problem. She simply outclassed Buizel.

"Direct an attack to its stomach Buizel! Aqua Jet!" The smaller weasel burst from the ground, propelled by a current of water. He flew low, aiming for the stomach as his trainer said to.

"Floatzel, feint around him!" Floatzel suddenly stopped, and danced to the side of Buizel's Aqua Jet.

"You believe that's going to jar us? Curve around!" Buizel had learned complete mastery over the attack. Even though it was a varied edition of Quick Attack, it came in handy at times. Buizel made a wide arc turning back at Floatzel. He had nearly nailed his target before Travis called out for another attack.

"We got them! Now, use Ice Punch!" The only indication that Floatzel had used the technique was when she had struck Buizel. A fist drove into him, and the Floatzel carried him into the ground with her fist. From where she had struck him, shards of ice had begun to form. Buizel was freezing.

"Bui! Bui Bui!" And that was it. Buizel was frozen solid, a look of surprise that matched Brent's own.

"Buizel… you… how did they…?" His emotions were beginning to overtake him. He knew better than any that they would only lead to bad news. Travis smirked and snapped his fingers.

"I believe this fight is mine. So you'll leave me to go about my business?" Brent only nodded, his attention too focused on Buizel to care.

"Yeah… you can go." Travis, in moments, was gone. There had been a static coming from his pocket then. "Damn PokeNav…" He clicked open to the communicator function. "Yeah?"

"Brent, get back here. Now." It was Valice.

"Well, I just kinda got pounded here, so can't you get Kaoru or someone else to do it?"

"Kaoru is off on his own mission. We need you here, please." Brent had wrinkled his nose, almost like Buizel would have at that plea. He laughed despite himself.

"Since when did you try being polite?"

"Brent this isn't the time for your games…" Her voice had become so much smaller than what he was used to. She had always been the one barking orders. He sighed, and cursed his weak will. He turned to look at Buizel.

"Sure, give me a few."

His name was Simon Brayschaff, and clearly he had a reputation. From many of the Deboli operatives' faces, she could at least verify some of his story, although it seemed unlikely he was lying anyway. She was all power now. Zia had traded in her stealth card for something she was far more used to, and that was battling. There had been again the swathe of operatives she had to get through when she had snuck by them the first time. It was a wonder on how she did such a feat. She wasn't any good at it, and that probably got her caught the first time. Her Flareon was making a mess of things, and she quickly fought her way to the curled forked hallway.

"Where to now?" She looked behind her to see if the stringy, white haired man was still following her. He had been dressed in drab rags for far too long. He slowly stepped out into the intersection of halls. His trembling hand pointed down stairs.

"This will probably be the only place in which the Deboli would never suspect to look." Zia hesitated. She had been surprised enough to last her a lifetime.

"Are you sure that'd be a good idea?" The man gave a small nod, and that seemed as though his neck would snap from pure strain. He gave a smile, revealing dingy and worn teeth.

"It is out of the way, and judging from your style of fighting, a few walls wouldn't really obstruct you..." Zia hesitated still, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and went down the stairs with the old scientist in toe.

It was dark and she was unable to resist the urge. She summoned her Flareon, and the small room had brightened. In the room, there boxes stacked atop each other and numerous medical tools littered the ground, from syringes to full sets of equipment. Zia felt herself shaking uncontrollably. Again, this was something she expected, and yet it was so hard to look it in the face.

"Is…is this what Vania dealt with?" She turned back to Simon; whose gaze was to the floor in shame. "It's a dead end here."

"Well, I would've thought you would have tried to break a hole through the walls." Zia gave a slight chuckle at that. She was the blunt kind of person who'd do something like that, but this was something else entirely.

"Do you really think that'd be a good idea? I don't want-"

"At this point, the Deboli probably already know that you know too much." Zia thought back to Vania's double and realized it was more than likely true.

"Alright, you have a point." Her poke-ball clicked, revealing a powerful-looking Charizard. "Punch through with Dragon Claw." The Dragon did as told, and a gaping opening appeared before them, and they stepped free of the gym. It had been a while, and Zia took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. She turned to Simon. "Are you afraid of heights?" Simon gave a slight chuckle.

"I may be old, but I am not ancient." There in his hand was a poke-ball of his own. "I'll follow you with Fearow." The two took to the air leaving the gym behind.

"We should be fine…" Her thoughts were proven wrong as a crystal blue beam shot past them, nearly striking Fearow. She turned to look at who it was, and once again saw his familiar face. "Doesn't he ever give up!?" He ran his hand through his frost white hair. The expression on his face was unreadable, and that made her shiver. Another crystal beam flung for them. "Charizard, let's get them off of our back!"

"But wait, young lady!" Memory tugged at Zia then. She was trying to escape so they could warn Xylia. At the same time, she wanted so badly to beat this pest into the ground.

"Simon, I'll need you to get to Solaceon Town. Ask for someone name Ren Di Ceilo…" She had come to say the words with distaste. Even now, she was still fuming about his mentality. "Him, or Vien. They're both extremely strong, but leave Xylia out of this."

"Are you certain?" Simon looked to Brent. "He's quite strong." Zia grinned at that.

"If he's been beaten twice before, then I'm sure he can't be all that tough." Simon was quiet for a moment, but his voice conceded defeat.

"If that's what you believe, then I won't make an attempt to stop you…" On that note, Fearow began flapping its wings before it disappeared out of sight to the east.

Zia flew in a little closer.

"You're still around? What took you? I'm surprised you weren't hanging around trying to poke fun at me." He remained quiet, his expression blank, but unmistakably focused. "Well, say something!"

"Ice Beam." Zia eyes widened at such an abrupt command and Charizard, without her order, countered with a Flamethrower. Steam poured from the collision, but Charizard gave a single flap of his wings and cleared it. Buizel, again with its expression identical to Brent's, flung forward with another Aqua Jet.

"I thought you would! Dragon Claw Charizard!" A scaly blue aura formed around the lizard's arm, and he went in for the counter strike, but Buizel veered away at the last moment, and onto the ground beneath her.

"Clearly, you haven't thought far enough ahead." He started again with the cutting remarks, but there was a snark edge to them. He was serious, yet his expression made no reference to it. An Ice Beam fired upwards and into Charizard. The dragon gave a howl, but threw the pain aside. Livid, Charizard charged the small weasel, which stood there; it's expression a confidant grin now.

"Charizard! Wait a second!" The lizard wouldn't listen. He had never felt like such a fool and he would make sure he'd get that Buizel for the indignity dealt to him. Charizard had gotten only a few feet away before a barrage of whip-like appendages struck at him with a glistening purple. Charizard made a sharp turn to the right and went into the ground. Zia shook her head to relieve her dizziness as she climbed off Charizard. She was immediately greeted by the same attack and she went to the side to avoid them. She looked to Brent, and again he had the same facial expression. Blank but focused.

"I believe you'll need to do much better than that. Tentacruel's growing quite bored." She felt something wrap around her ankle and hoist her from the ground. Zia held her shirt to her body in embarrassment.

"You pervert!" Brent wrinkled his nose again.

"That's…immaterial." The stumble over words jarred Zia for a moment. He was pulling out all the stops, but at the slightest mention of her, he stumbled over his words. Her Charizard picked himself back up and rammed itself into Tentacruel, who dropped her. A beam of red light encompassed him then, and he was pulled back into a ball.

Zia got back to her feet.

"What'd you do that for!? The fight's just getting started!"

"You're extremely abrasive."

"What of it?"

"It's annoying." The outburst was nearly too much for her to contain and her response was coated with disdain.

"You're the one who's annoying!"

"Then makes you beyond whatever titles I could give you." That did it, and Zia clicked all of her Pokémon into action; all but Ninetales. She had forgotten about him until then, and that only furthered her anger.

"What have you done with Ninetales? And why are you even involved in this whole fiasco!?"

"That's none of your business. " Zia had found herself off sprinting toward him. She could not stand his indifference. He had to have feelings of some sort. Her fist shot out at him, and he simply sidestepped and sent her tripping into the ground. "You don't stand a chance." His speech was laconic. Zia gritted her teeth.

"Extreme Speed!"

Click!

A flash of white revealed a Trapinch moving to catch her Arcanine, but was falling behind at a rapid pace. Arcanine had gotten to Brent and inhaled, preparing to expel the blaze until Ninetales caught him in the side. Arcanine scuffled away and Charizard moved to take his place, but a potent blast of water struck at its tail, sending him crashing down to the ground unconscious, the flame struggling to stay lit.

"No! Charizard!" The sight had nearly broken her. She turned to Brent,but her anger had quickly dissipated. He had dealt with two of her Pokémon in little time. "I still have Flareon and Gardevoir…" A poke-ball was in her hand as their eyes met. There was a hint of hesitance in her then. His eyes were almost on par with hers, the hazel being a bit more dingy than her gold. The hazel was dotted with small flecks of green and all the while, she could see his own hesitance in them. He seemed to become alerted then, the only form of emotion since he had appeared. He pushed her away then but she took a step forward then stopped.

"Buizel…" His voice trembled.

"Brent…"

"Ice Beam…" She felt the air around her chill, and she shut her eyes tight, awaiting the impact but felt a bursting heat instead. She opened her eyes and saw the glistening golden fur, his body rigid for battle; Her Ninetales was here to help her.

"Ninetales!" he gave a puff of smoke through his nose. She looked to Brent, her anger wilting away from her returning confidence. "Now, we can really get started." Brent turned to look at her taking extreme care to make sure his eyes were hidden from view.

"You're welcome."

"What do you-" He threw the premier ball that she kept him in.

"I'm not interested in you…" He was lying to himself. "So, I'll just beat you senseless and be done. Then, I'll be on my way to get your friend." Zia gave him a frown, a genuine one at that and it had caught him off guard.

"Can you at least tell me why you're a part of this organization?" He was staring into her eyes again, and a flood of emotion burst forward. His voice became small, and began to tremble again.

"I…Believe in the leader's vision."

"At the cost of people's lives? Is it really worth all of this trouble?"

"There is sacrifice for…everything." Zia had been observing him for a while, and she had speculated that this boy, at heart, could possibly have a weak spot for women. If that were the case, then why wasn't he hitting on her? Was he such an introvert that he found it unnecessary? She discarded the thought, turning her attention back to the present.

"You look as if you're deep in thought…" Zia's face went hot, although she figured it was nothing to be embarrassed about. "However," His Buizel returned to his side, along with his Ninetales and Trapinch. He called Ninetales and Trapinch back into their balls and Buizel stood there with him, his first choice like always. Zia still frowned.

"One more question." Brent raised a brow at that. "Of all the times you could've killed me, why didn't you do it?" His face went taut.

"I had…my orders to take you alive. Besides, why kill a woman? It's not as if she deserves it."

"But it's not just that. There's something else. It has something to do with me, so I think I could at least know a little." Brent sighed. The emotion was crushing him underfoot and he felt that he was going to break. She was entirely different than what he expected. He was fighting with himself. He had wanted to tell her that he endeared her, coveted her, but at the same time, there was a fear. Every woman he had ever known had been taken from him and it was this fear that kept him in check.

"It's because…I…I…" He could see that the tension was getting to Zia as well, but he couldn't bring himself to it. He sat in silence, and Zia's voice picked up.

"Get on with it!"

"…Ice Beam…" the beams arced for Zia but her Ninetales purged them, turning them into vapor before they had even neared her.

"So you won't tell me?" Brent said nothing, but as if to prove her wrong, ran his hand again through his hair, but he stopped halfway, holding his white hair above his eyes so she could see them. There was a certain look to them, something that transcended his hesitance, something so much more powerful that it communicated it all to her.

He loved her. So many things had taken her by surprise, and she did not expect this to be among them.

"You... your eyes…that look. But…" He was beside her now. She was breathless. This could not be real. An enemy had fallen for her when she felt nothing. Her mind flooded with the possible complications. What made her so attractive? Many of her experiences with men had ended poorly, many saying that she was too 'butch' for their taste. She stammered, struggling to get words loose, but Brent put a finger over her lips to hush her.

"You're making me feel bad." He got up then but she couldn't. To her, the ground had disappeared beneath her. The sun was shining outside and in her line of sight, making him appear as nothing but a silhouette. She put a hand up to shield her eyes.

"But…why? What makes me so appealing?"

"You don't quit. You're persistent and blunt…" He felt himself smile, a wide and real one. "You don't back down. I like that." Zia face brightened and it was her turn to stare at the ground embarrassed.

"You're flattering me…."

"But it's true. You're every bit of woman as your weak-willed counterparts. You're just… a bit rough around the edges." His hand touched her cheek then. He could feel her face burning under his touch. Zia felt him intently staring into her eyes. She pulled away, her back facing him.

"You're only doing this to…throw me off! Yeah, you won't fool me." Brent raised a brow, a frown on his face. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if that's what you truly believe-"

"I do." She kept her back turned, but she stiffened as she suddenly felt his presence behind her. Against her judgment, she turned and again met his eyes, and in a jarring and abrupt instant, it was done. She felt his lips on hers and his arms hugging her close, her eyes wide in surprise. He was warm, so surprisingly warm… He broke the kiss and let her step back.

"Are you convinced?" Zia said nothing, and only stared at him. There was a something of a spark when she had kissed him. She had expected repulsion, or at least awkwardness. A spark was the last thing she wanted. She thought of Ren then and how simple it would be if she were just to argue with him and pretend that this event with Brent had never happened. She blinked a few times, and a quick as it had appeared, his smile was gone, replaced by a sardonic and punkish-looking smirk.

"Get away from her." That voice…they both turned and there with Simon was Ren, but no Vien.

"Just him?" She turned back to Brent, whose face was now something fierce and feral. The two had clearly met before. She heard Ren's calloused remark.

"What did I tell you? Still kidnapping women I see, first Xylia and now Zia?"

"She got in the way." Zia felt a stab of offense.

"It's no big deal. Hand her over and we'll avoid another pointless fight." Zia kept her eyes on Brent the whole time, watching as his body had tensed itself even further, giving off a blatant tone of belligerence, but then he seemed to compose himself. He turned to her.

"Go."

"W-what?" She couldn't believe he was letting her go so easily. "Just like that?"

"Hurry up, before I change my mind." Zia slowly stood, but she nearly fell over. The last few days had been far too long. The Deboli's objectives, the stress of being held captive and discovering that Brent actually did have a heart had left her exhausted. She began to walk forward, but black suddenly obscured her vision and she went down.

Brent and Buizel both wrinkled their noses, a habit for both. She had passed out it seemed. Valice would get him for letting her get away, but who said she needed to find out? He watched as Ren moved to retrieve her, hoisting her over his shoulder. He stood there for a moment, looking at him and Brent returned the stare, unperturbed.

"That's one of them…" That was one of the trainers that had beaten him. "Hey." He stopped, but turned his back disdainfully. Brent bit back a comment. "Tell me your name."

"Give me a reason to." Brent glared, and Ren gave a snide grin, something that he would've done. The likeness made Brent sneer and he gave his own snide expression back.

"So I can address the loser by name, why else?" Ren laughed at that, a mocking laugh.

"Believe what you want, but its Ren. Ren Di Ceilo."

"Brent Stylus." Nothing more was said, and Brent watched as Ren had walked away with Zia over his shoulder. He felt something in one of his pockets vibrate. It was the PokeNav. Valice was attempting to reach him. He stood there staring at it for a while until it finally stopped shaking. Valice could wait.

The sun was setting, and Brent inevitably found himself thinking. Was his leaders dream truly worth human lives? Were they sacrificing too much? How much was too much? Brent gave a frustrated exhale of breath.

"Now you know how it feels, punk." Brent's hands found their customary place in his pockets.

"Did you come to rub it in my face?" He could see Kaoru's dark hair from the corner of his eye. His normal black jacket was gone, and he had only the sleeveless undershirt, the skull painted on the front like his own sweatshirt ordinarily was. He actually looked tough for once.

"I could, but I figure you finding out you had a heart would be much more devastating." Brent stared forward, the orange of the sunset illuminating his skin.

"How much of it did you see?"

"How much?"

"You know what I mean."

"You mean Zia?"

"I know her name." He noted that Kaoru had said her name with a slight distaste.

"Everything, and honestly, I didn't think she'd be your type. She's sort of butch." Brent remained quiet, and Kaoru turned to stare toward the sunset with Brent. "She got under your skin that bad, did she?" Brent gave a nod.

"I don't understand how. We were supposed to be clearing up disease, not putting people in danger..." Kaoru gave an incredulous grunt.

"You can't really tell me that I'm a fickle person anymore. You know that right?"

"I hear you." Kaoru turned away.

"Well, you know Valice is going to want you back. Come on, let's go." Brent nodded. The two had begun walking back, but he let Kaoru get ahead. He had found it interesting. Kaoru was among the few members that didn't know, about Vania, or Xylia, or the X Vaccine in general. The boy would've went against them in outright rebellion if he did. Brent stopped then.

And he would've too. He disliked other men, it was clear in his person. They were prideful, obstinate and most of them were stupid, but Kaoru had been the exception. Sure, he would poke fun at him and toy with him at times, but he was one of the few, if not only, male he accepted. There was another dismissive grunt from Brent.

"Bui." Buizel was there at his feet, tugging on his jeans. Brent looked down to the Pokémon giving him another salute. Brent grinned and knelt down to pet him.

"I never dismissed you from the battle did I?" Buizel shook its head, a wide smile painting his face.

"Bui! Bui Bui!" Brent grinned again.

"You are dismissed…Private. Now, let's go catch Kaoru."

u/2349507/Crimson-light-of-Death

I clearly forgot, this is the link to the authors profile who did the original Pure Light. I hope they can forgive me for my slight slip-up.

Also, I have a poll concerning this story. Tell me if you liked it or not. I'd appreciate it. Well, till next time.