Training of Tooth and Claw

"You little-" Amber's words were cut off as a vicious snarl erupted from Ash. His eyes locked onto the man, and seeing how he was jumping from tree to tree, he gained his own idea. With a confident trot, he took his place under the next tree in the man's path, waiting. If he were to jump and miss, he'd meet Ash's forceful jaws, and if he made it but the branch was too low, Ash would be able to jump up and grab him and drag him down. If he got away without incident, Ash would move on to the next tree. Wagging his tail with a small sort of pride, he awaited the man's next move.

The man could figure what the hound's plan was, and he was aiming for big heights. He jumped, and kept jumping, escaping the hound's grasp every single time... However, when he jumped for the ledge, he only grabbed a branch hanging from it. He struggled, trying to pull himself up, though his attempt would fail. The branch wasn't very strong, and eventually it snapped, causing the man to fall and hit the ground with a nice thud.

"Ash!" Amber called as the Mightyena lunged toward the man. "Don't hurt him too bad!" She may not like the thief, but she was still human enough not to see him suffer unnessessarily. This was followed by a barking laugh as Ash attempted to bite the man's leg in a firm grip. If all went well, he and Azure would be able to keep him at bay while Amethyst ran to get the police. Amber would stay to keep a steady eye on the slippery thief.

Lavender, meanwhile, just sat between Houndoom and its master, still keeping a steady eye but not attacking. She wouldn't doubt the fierce loyalty it had with its master, and wasn't one to question the health of their relationship with one another. Instead, she did what she does best and observed- taking note of all the Houndoom had done for its master.

The man screamed out when the mightyena grabbed his leg with its teeth, him raging angrily. The houndoom wouldn't move from where it was, keeping an eye on the espeon should it choose to attack. It was in a predicament of helping and risking attack, or just staying, and it was clear in its eyes that the connection the two shared was a long one. The man attempted to kick the mightyena, wanting the pain to stop.

As the man's foot met Ash's body, a vicious snarl from the Mightyena would cause the thief's leg to vibrate from the low growling that followed it. Pain laced through the wolf, but it only made his grip instinctively tighten. Concerned, Azure nudged Ash with his snout, and gaze withcconcern towrard the thief, wanting to know if both were okay.

"You had plenty of warning and time to have made it not end like this," Amber sighed. She knelt down to Amethyst and rubbed her head before guiding her to face back toward town. "Now you go get help, the police and a medic would be good," nodding, the little Tenebris sped off back toward town as fast as she could run, searching for the authorities. "Azure," Amber prompted, "just make sure everyone's okay. Lavender still hasn't caught up, and I'm a little worried." Amber knew the man was a greater concern, though, because the wild side of Lavender was enough for her to take care of herself- well, Amber hoped that was the case.

The houndoom just kept staring at the espeon in front of it. It moved to the left a step, wondering if it would let him pass wihtout fight.

Lavender cocked her head to the side and gazed evenly at Houndoom. She got out of her sitting position and onto her feet, and simply watched. If he made any further moves to try and get past her, she'd be inclined to attack. Just as a precaution, a small glow surrounded her body then faded as if nothing were there. It was a Mirror Coat, just in case Houndoom decided to try a surprise longer ranged attack.

The houndoom looked at the espeon, and as if attacking, jolted right. It was hoping to fake out the pokemon and instead jolt back and run forward past it.

If Lavender were any other Pokemon, she would have fallen for the trick. It was, however, very difficult to trick the ever-analyzing Espeon. Her eyes never left Houndoom, and as it jukes right, she noticed the tense in its muscled, and how they wouldn't look that if it planned on continuing its run. Rearing back, Lavender took a guess and launched a Swift instead to her right, her guess as to where the Houndoom truly meant to run.

The houndoom took the attack, rolling back a couple of times in a yelp. Authorities were already on the way, but it could take a bit of time considering how far out the man had led Amber and her pack. He, meanwhile, kept kicking at the mightyena, trying to get free and run further.

Espeon continued to evenly gaze at Houndoom, but did not attack again. She had gotten her warning out, so there was no more need for action unless the canine decided to try something again.

Ash, meanwhile, put on a brave face as each kick brought a new wave of pain. As if to retaliate, with each kick, his biting grip on the man's leg got tighter. Amber spoke out in concern, but the Mightyena simply wouldn't let go, no matter how much the man fought. Knowing the authorities wouldn't be there for a bit of time, Amber just sighed and shared a concerned look with Azure. They couldn't do much to ease the situation of the man or Ash, for Amber wouldn't defy the wishes of her packmates, and the man would simply run if she gave him the courtesy of a more comfortable situation. Azure gave her a warm and comforting nudge before nestlings his head in her lap. The warmth radiating from under his chin was enough to ease Amber, with something so nice in the cold, it was hard to stay worried.

The houndoom just looked to the espeon. It pondered to itself partially how it could sit there and hold it back. It began speaking... [Just writing it in english] "Surely you wouldn't want this done to you and your trainer," it told the other pokemon in their native language. "Would you want to be held back from your trainer when she is in pain... Would you want someone to bite you for doing what is right? He may be bad, but he still cares for me... And you'd let me watch him in pain... Monster."

The man, meanwhile, just kept kicking harder and faster the more the pokemon's grip tightened on his leg. It was an infinite cycle, and he eventually stopped when his leg became numb. However, in one last attempt to get it free, he mustered strength and swung his fist towards the canine's face; right between the eyes. Hopefully it was going to cause enough pain for the pokemon to let him go, him needing to tend to his wound and attempt to get away if he could. He looked over and watched the houndoom he raised simply barking at the pokemon holding it back, and he wasn't amused... He was, in fact, severely enraged by it, but held his anger in as not to let off that he even thought of hurting his pokemon to Amber. After all, if she would let her pokemon hurt him for just simply running, how would she react if she knew that he sometimes lost his anger and slapped or punched, a single time only, his pokemon when it did something wrong.

"The definition of Monster depends on what side you take," Espeon replied evenly as wisely, "Have you ever heard of Karma? A pair of Smeargle I've met practice and believe it. It is the thought that every action we do, good and bad, will come back to us in greater force. To me, what he has done to that woman, and what my friend Ash is going through," she flinched as she looked over to see another vicious kick, "Is catching up with him. I understand your loyalties, but I could not be loyal as you are to a monster that I see. Perhaps if you were to see the other spectrum, and I the same, we may have been able to take sides differently." She sat and waited for the Houndoom to dives this. Lavender wasn't one to spin lies and trickery, almost all she's ever said has been her own analytical truths. This was no acception.

Ash did howl in pain and instinctively let go as a heartbreaking whine rocked through his body. Quickly reacting, Azure bounded toward the man while Amber ran to Ash, putting his head around her arms to comfort him. Azure, meanwhile, attempted to tackle the man and pin him down with his weight. Surely the man with an invited leg couldn't have gotten far enough to elude the dog, that was a little flaw in the man's plan, considering it's very hard to run without one leg working properly.

The man wasn't very approving of Azure's action, and he struggled under the weight of the other pokemon. He was sure that the action he had committed against the mightyena would infuriate Amber, and he wanted to get away as quickly as possible... However, he couldn't do that if there was another pokemon that held him down after he fell, which seemed to happen alot with an injured leg. "Get off of me you slime," he growled to the pokemon, him struggling even worse when he looked over to Amber comforting her pokemon. "Let me go!"

"I'll gladly do it, once my Tenebris gets back," Amber said with a stinging voice, "wouldn't want you do do any more harm. If I had any sense of justice, I'd break your nose right now, just be glad I'm not one to throw a punch- unlike your sorry existence." She continued running her hands across Ash's head and down his back, petting him in order to soothe the Mightyena. He may have a harsh exterior, but he was still a young puppy on the inside, now hurt and scared. The great wolf Pokemon shivered slightly as the pain throbbed in his head. He did slowly relax under Amber's touch. He had saved her once, now she was returning the favor.

The man was furious, him throwing another punch towards Azure, who was holding him down. He reached with his other hand for a weapon in his pocket, and when he got his hands on it, he moved to use it. It was something that he had purchased with stolen money, and it was usable for tazing Pokemon. The fact he hadn't remembered earlier shamed him partially, but he set it to a nice, shocking, amount to help himself get free, where his houndoom was clearly failing. He was going to taze Azure in the torso around his heart, since that would give the most reaction [so he thought], and then he could use it further if he needed to to aid in his escape. "That pathetic houndoom is going to pay for abandoning me with this," he thought to himself angrily.

Azure, expecting the man's tactics, quickly jumped off from his body as the punch swung and weapon would have made contact. Then, honing his puppy play skills, he quickly jumped forward and attempted to nip the hand that carried the taser in an attempt to make the criminal drop it. Then, he jumped back, hopefully in time to avoid any damage. His tail was rapidly wagging and his tongue lolled out. If the man made a move, Azure would treat it as he treated everything: a game.

Lavender still silently watched the Houndoom with curiosity. Perhaps he is considering my words... she thought to herself, contemplating.

The man didn't drop the taser as the pokemon thought he would. He, instead, watched as the pokemon jumped from him and jumped back, and then right back off of him. As if acting without thinking, he lunged and hoped to tase the pokemon to the ground.

The houndoom looked at the espeon for some time before it yelped. It had a collar on, and it shocked it after the man leaned back from his lunge. If that wouldn't set Amber off and her pack, what would?

Not expecting the man's hostile yawn, a whine rocketed out of Azure as the taser made contact with the side of his head. His body involuntarily shuddered and crumpled to the ground. With Ash and Azure injured, he was free to try and wobble off from the authorities, if the authorities weren't close enough to stop him. The shocked yelp from Houndoom was more important than catching the criminal. "I hope you're happy," Amber said, "enjoy your leg, you probably won't get far."

Turning, Ash and Azure rose to stand by their master's side. If their was a Pokemon in trouble, especially after what this man had done to them, it was mor important to take care of it before all else. They ran back toward the Houndoom, and once there, Lavender filled the other two canines in with their current predicament. Kneling next to Houndoom, Amber placed a gentle hand on its head. "What's hurting you?" she asked with concern, "I can help if you let me, you don't have to be in pain."

The man took his oppurtunity, starting to crawl away after the pokemon ran off with their trainer. He knew exactly what had happened to his houndoom; the switch in his pocket had been set off. He kept crawling onwards, and when he got to a tree, he tried to climb up. If Amber wasn't looking, it would provide good cover when the authorities came. He still had time whilst the linen on his leg absorbed the blood from the mightyena's bite, and he got up just in time. He watched the others around his pokemon, him knowing that it could be a potential threat to him now. Even if he cared about it, he couldn't let the houndoom stay alive, and he pulled the switch out and set it to the maximum. The houndoom just started shrieking worse and shaking, the collar vibrating and beginning to short-circuit from all the electricity it was sending through the pokemon. The houndoom couldn't exactly communicate, it losing its ability to make noise after a short time. If it hadn't come to Amber's mind the collar was the issue, the pokemon would surely be gone soon. "I wish I didn't have to do this to you, despite my anger," the man thought to himself. "But I guess what needs to be done needs to be done..."

Amber flinched as the heartbreaking screech of the Houndoom echoed through the area. Because her hand was placed on the canine, she felt the shock rock through her arm, a weakened jolt from contact. Then, the collar vibrated rapidly, and she put two and two together. Lunging for it, she found the fastener that clasped the collar together and attempted to unlatch it and save the Pokemon. Great Arceus, she thought, this man truly has no limits.

Amber's attempt was a noble one, and surely it would pay off. The collar shorted out, the houndoom's heart pounding. It was clearly beating loudly, as it was capable of being heard. The pokemon was breathing really quickly, it jolting and jittering its head from all the shock that had occured; in addition, a small scent came from it as if part of its leg had been fried. The authorities arrived shortly after the collar was removed, though it was only two people. "What's wrong mistress," the first asked, noticing a collar in her hand.

"There's a thief somewhere a little ways away," Amber answered, "he attacked a woman from an alleyway back into town, I'm sure you've found her and she can give a statement. He's attacked me and my Pokemon while we tried to keep him here and wait for you to arrive, but he managed to slip away. He has an injured leg, so if you search the immediate area, you can probably find him. He's hurt my Pokemon and almost killed this one, so if you could contact the nearest Pokemon Center, it would be greatly appreciated." She sighed as the weighty situation was finally meeting its end. "And if it's not too much trouble," she said, "If you find any Pokeballs with the man, release the Pokemon from his care. They deserve better," she smiled and put a reassuring hand on the Houndoom's head. "So how about that Pokemon Center?"

The houndoom wasn't listening to Amber, or anyone for that matter. The pokemon was stuck, paralyzed from the shocking it had just been put through. If it didn't make matters worse, a pop could be heard whilst it stopped breathing. Amber had her statement wrong; the pokemon, more specifically a canine, was gone. The other authority started searching the area, calling his pokemon out to help with the search. The first did the same, though he stuck by Amber and the houndoom, his arcanine walking upto Amber. It sniffed her hand, sensing something about her that it liked. "Hello," it barked to her, the phrase being repeated in her head as english. It was a special pokemon. The first authority looked down to the houndoom, noticing it started bleeding from the mouth with its heart exploded.

"Hello," she greeted the strange canine, "it's nice to meet you." She cautiously placed the hand that it had sniffed on its head, petting it. She wasn't too aware of the Houndoom's death until Lavender suddenly made an angered growl she hadn't thought capable of the Espeon. Lavender had jumped up onto Amber's lab and took a look at the Houndoom, discovering him lifeless. This brought it to Amber's attention, and she gasped. "this Pokemon needs some help, now!" she said, looking to the Arcanine. "Can you do anything?" she asked with desperation.