Unknown location…

Darkness.

That was all the Bloodliner Hunter could see. It’d been long since the last time he had some actual rest, almost a decade. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was death and destruction, but that wasn’t the case now.

The Hunter was in the middle of nothingness, floating in an empty void. He didn’t fear death; he considered it a natural part of life itself. Not to mention the fair share of lives he’d been forced to take in his mission, not just of Bloodliners, but also humans and Pokémon who made the wrong choice by trying to get in his way.

He’d been long prepared to die… yet now the time had come, it was strange. Did his actions make any difference? Did he prevent that devastating future? The Hunter did his best, always examining every single Bloodliner he crossed paths with, hoping to change something in that future. He regretted not being able to carry his task all the way out, but at least now he would get his fair glory from Arceus, and have his well-deserved rest for his dangerous mission.

Little did the Bloodliner Hunter know, his time hadn’t come yet…

He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a warm and comforting place, although his head hurt like hell, and he couldn’t remember some things. He tried to get back up, but a stinging pain in his stomach prevented him. His wounds had been bandaged, and he was resting on a small yet comfy bed.

He then remembered what happened: that battle against the Gray Poochyena, the way she defeated him and how he ended up bleeding out in the middle of that thick and shadowy forest.

He also realized he wasn’t alone in that place.

“I’m glad you woke up. But please don’t move, your wounds are grave.”

The Hunter turned to the source of that voice, seeing a little girl, perhaps seven or eight years old, with brown hair. Somehow she seemed familiar…

No. That wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be her, could she?

“Kibou!”

The Hunter jumped to his feet, ignoring his own pain and startling the little girl. Several memories flashed through his mind, memories of a distant past long gone. Before that nightmare his life had turned into.

Those times when he wasn’t the Bloodliner Hunter, just the priest William Stronger.

Kibou, that was the name he’d given to that little girl he raised like his own daughter. That baby a mysterious man had left under his care, the same girl he protected from idiots in his hometown.

‘And the first Bloodliner you ever met,’ a whisper echoed in the back of his mind.

He shook his head, trying to drive that insane idea out of his mind. She wasn’t one of them. She just couldn’t be.

Many years had passed since then, since he touched that accursed orb. That was also the last time he saw Kibou. The last thing he knew about her was that she had killed the town’s mayor and his wife, then escaped along with her friend Mars. Of course, Stronger knew all those were lies invented by the townspeople, but those corpses were the only clue left behind after both of them vanished, never to be seen again.

Could this little girl be Kibou? Had he found her after so many years? Or was his mind playing tricks on him because of the pain?

Unfortunately, as he saw that little girl staring at him with confusion, he knew it couldn’t be Kibou. The physical resemblance was uncanny, but the ages didn’t match: this girl looked roughly the same age Kibou had years ago, while by his estimation she’d be old enough to be a regular Pokémon trainer at the present time.

She also lacked Kibou’s facial birthmarks. Once again, he had to fight against his own thoughts; those accursed Z-shaped marks the Bloodliners he hunted down usually had. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that Kibou just happened to have them. She was a normal human, not one of those abominations.

“Are you okay, mister?”

“Yeah… sorry if I scared you. I thought you were someone else.”

“You shouldn’t move too much. Like I told you, those are serious wounds.”

“I guess they are.” He nodded. “Who are you? Where am I?”

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Hope, and I found you wounded in the forest. Were you attacked by some Pokémon?”

So she found him in the forest? It was a miracle he was still alive; if it wasn’t for this girl, he’d be dead for sure.

Though some things didn’t add up, and he had many questions. Why didn’t the Gray Poochyena attack her? Why was a little girl like her walking all alone in a forest so dangerous?

He couldn’t think clearly, though. He was in too much pain: he had not only many cutting wounds outside, but also a couple of cracked ribs. He could barely move, so once he took to his surroundings, he laid on his back once more.

Strangely enough, the room was small and simple, although the structure looked rather old and the stone walls gave away that it wasn’t a normal house. It looked more like some sort of shrine.

Seeing the little girl gazing at him with curiosity, he decided to ask himself. “I guess I should be thanking you. You can call me Bill, I’m a Sootopolitan researcher. Is this some sort of Draconid temple?”

“No, we’re a bit far away from the village. This place is an Arcean church,” the girl replied with a smile. “The priest isn’t here right now, though; he went to the village to get some medicine.”

Indeed, the situation was weird. He didn’t expect to find an Arcean church all this way out, let alone in Draconid territory. Draconids were more inclined to worship Rayquaza instead, or so he’d heard.

In any case, he was lucky to have ended in that place. He’d be able to recover from his wounds and plan his revenge. He couldn’t let the Gray Poochyena slip away from him.

“You okay, mister?” the girl glanced at him with clear confusion. “Maybe you should get some sleep to recover. You’re still too hurt.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need any sleep… just some time to think, I guess.”

“Then I’ll leave you alone.” The girl smiled at him again. “Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Bill.”

The girl left and the Hunter was then alone with his thoughts. He had too many things to process. There wasn’t much he could do for the time being, but if Arceus had brought him back to life, maybe it was for a purpose.

Maybe his mission wasn’t over yet. No, it was far from over. There was still a Bloodliner War he had to prevent.

…

Impatient as he was, the Hunter knew he couldn’t strain herself. If he wanted to get his revenge on the Gray Poochyena, all he could do was wait until his wounds had healed, and that meant staying put right where he was.

Despite how boring it was, he had to admit it wasn’t a bad change. If he wasn’t in the middle of an important mission, he’d even appreciate the rest. He hadn’t felt so much at ease and peaceful since he left his hometown to embark on this task. It was a comforting feeling, one he’d almost forgotten over the years.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Hope said, as she handed him a tray full of food.

The man accepted it without a word, but he nodded and smiled at the girl with gratitude. She was quite attentive and kind, though for some reason she had an air of melancholy about her.

That was another of the differences she had with Kibou, which convinced him much to his chagrin that it couldn’t be her. To date he still wondered sometimes what became of her. She’d always talked about the hopes and dreams she had, and her wish to domesticate a Houndour to make it her partner, even though he told her many times the pack living in the town’s outskirts was rather aggressive and savage.

“Something wrong, Mr. Bill?” she suddenly asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? No, it’s nothing,” he replied as he realized he’d been caught staring at her.

The girls inquiring expression, however, made it clear she wasn’t buying it. Admittedly, he’d never liked lies. The act of feigned benevolence with some of his victims always had to crumble sooner or later, as he knew such abominations deserved none of those gestures. But it was necessary for his mission.

“Alright, to be honest… it’s just that you remind me a lot of her.”

“Of who?” she asked.

“My… adoptive daughter, we could say,” he confessed. “She was left by my door as a baby and I raised her for many years. I never knew who her parents were.”

“That’s curious, I’m an orphan too. The priest raised me since my parents died in a car crash.”

“Oh… I’m really sorry about that,” he said, genuinely feeling for the little girl. She didn’t deserve to lose her parents at such an early age.

Unsure as to why, that made him recall the main reason he accepted to raise Kibou, despite the shadowy air around the man leaving her in his care. Even though he’d made chastity vows, being that girl’s paternal figure made those years the happiest time of his life.

Until one day she ran away from town, and he never saw her again. Where could she be now? Had she achieved the dreams she had set for, or had she fallen into a bad road? He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.

There was something else he was concerned about right now. He hadn’t seen the church’s priest since he got there, and Hope looked strangely calm for someone alone with a stranger. Not that he meant any harm towards her, of course, but even so…

…

While the daytime went by relatively calmly, nighttime was a completely different story. The Hunter did not want to sleep; he hated it, as he always saw those nightmares over and over again…

But he couldn’t leave his bed, and the pain of his injuries didn’t help. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hurt that badly.

Trying to distract himself, he let his mind go adrift, thinking about his current situation. As any good hunter, he was a patient man who knew when to wait, but being immobile in a bed was getting too boring for his taste.

At least he wasn’t at risk; nobody would recognize him as the infamous Bloodliner Hunter. He was in a deep forest in the middle of nowhere, so there was no need to worry about the police. He also doubted the Gray Poochyena knew his location; should that be the case, she’d probably have come for him by now.

He was safe; the only people nearby were Hope and the priest who lived with her. He felt a tinge of pity for that girl; being an orphan was hard, and living in the middle of a forest wouldn’t help her situation. However, she was so cheery and nice… kids like her deserved a better future. That was one of the biggest reasons for his mission. He’d seen it in his dreams: those Bloodliners had no mercy even with children.

But, if those monsters had no mercy, then he wouldn’t have any either. He’d eliminate as many as needed, no matter their age. That girl, Hope, would live in a happier world, where the Gray Poochyena wouldn’t be lurking around the forest to kill her.

When he thought about Hope, inevitably he thought about Kibou.

Kibou’s disappearance was one of the hardest things to cope with in his life. It was so sudden, and he didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. What could have happened to her?

Several times he considered the possibility that she was actually a Bloodliner, but he always chastised his mind for even thinking such stupidities. Maybe it was true some of her physical traits made her look remarkably similar to those monsters, maybe she did have those strange facial marks… but she was no Bloodliner.

Why was he so sure about that? Because he knew her. She was a cute and sweet girl, cheerful and full of hope. A girl with dreams and aspirations of a better life. Someone who cared about others and always supported him. She was incapable of hurting, let alone killing, anybody. No matter how much the rumors of her being the mayor’s killer spread around their town.

Bloodliners didn’t have anything of that. They were beasts, simple killing machines with no remorse whatsoever. They believed themselves superior to humans and despised them. They were little more than monsters who couldn’t even control their powers. If possible they had to be killed as soon as they were born, before they became a danger.

As he thought about that, a question found its way into his head: What would Kibou think if she saw him now?

Before he could answer himself, though, a sudden sound caught his attention. A howl in the middle of the night, audible enough to snap him out of his thoughts and fill him with anger. That howl didn’t belong to any Pokémon: it belonged to the Gray Poochyena. He knew it: he’d recognize it anywhere after their encounter.

It was so irritating, as if she was challenging or mocking him. He had to hold back the urge to forget about his wounds and run after her. He knew he wouldn’t get anything from facing her in these conditions. He’d just waste his life.

As he heard the howls, he decided to get to work. Maybe he wasn’t up to going out again, but he’d take the chance during his recovery time to make plans. He had to carefully plan his rematch, to avoid making the same mistakes from their first encounter.

…

As the days went by, his wounds healed little by little, though he still wasn’t ready to get back up. Barring the howls of the Gray Poochyena, his days had gone quietly, as he hadn’t seen anyone.

The only person he had contact with was that little girl named Hope. She’d come on a daily basis to give him some food and treat his wounds, though she’d often stay for a bit to keep him company. Sometimes they’d even chat, though most of the time she’d just sit by his side as he thought about his own business.

Business that involved the Gray Poochyena, of course. That was still a question he hadn’t been able to fully decipher.

From what he recalled of their scuffle, the Gray Poochyena was agile and extremely intelligent. He hated to admit it, but she managed to beat him by outsmarting him, thus he’d be at a disadvantage fighting on her turf. However, during the fight he noticed how that savage seemed to lack tolerance to pain, as she winced quite a lot for the scratches the Hunter managed to inflict with his knife.

The wide variety of moves she showcased evidenced someone who had greatly trained their Bloodline. Said moves could be devastating such as Stone Edge, or defensive like Counter.

However, that was where the Hunter found himself at a conundrum. Those moves caught him off-guard, but it proved she wasn’t a Mightyena or Heart Bloodliner. She certainly was a Species type, but… what Pokémon?

That was the riddle he needed to solve. He would gamble on a Rock-type, but those were too slow and heavy, unlike that monster. Was there an exception among Rock-types? He had to analyze well; he couldn’t attack until he fully gauged his opponent’s abilities. Otherwise he’d just get defeated once more, and nothing could assure him he’d survive a second defeat.

After giving it some thought, he decided he should ask the little girl. If she lived nearby, she could have useful information about his victim.

“Hey, Hope.”

“Yes, Mr. Bill?” The girl glanced at him with confusion.

“Say, have you heard about the Gray Poochyena?”

“Of course I have!” For some reason, the girl seemed excited about it. “The priest told me its tale as a bedtime story.”

“What did he tell you?”

“It’s an interesting legend,” she began to relate. “The Gray Poochyena is a very intelligent Pokémon. It lives in the deepest part of the forests and uses its wisdom to help lost travelers to guide them through the right path. I’d like to meet it sometime! They say anybody who meets it gets good fortune.”

Slightly different to what the townsfolk told him, but just as useless. Maybe he’d expected too much of a girl, but she was his only source of info available…

Wait a second… there was the priest too! Maybe he would know about the topic!

“Hope, what about the priest? I haven’t seen him since I got here.”

“I know, I’m getting worried too. He left a while ago to get medicine, but… maybe he got lost on the way out there?”

The priest hadn’t returned? That was too weird. To leave the girl alone with a stranger was not a… but what if he didn’t intend to leave the girl? What if something did happen to him out there?

Maybe the priest was attacked by the Gray Poochyena? It seemed likely, and that was worrying. In his current condition he couldn’t go to try and find him, and with the time gone by, he might even be dead.

Damn it! Another life taken by Bloodliners he could have saved.

His biggest concern right now was little Hope. She was already an orphan, but if she lost that priest she’d be completely alone. He had to think of a way to help her, but before that, he needed to break the news for her somehow.

“Hey…” Stronger was unsure as to what to say. That was a delicate topic. “Look Hope… there’s a possibility that something might have happened to the priest.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Gray Poochyena Gris is real,” he said seriously. “She’s a heartless monster who is neither human nor Pokémon, and there are many like her out there.”

“That’s not true, the Gray…”

“Forget what the priest told you!” Stronger interrupted. “I’m not joking when I say it’s not a legend. The Gray Poochyena Gris is a Bloodliner. Do you know what that is?”

The girl didn’t answer verbally. Instead, she glanced at him for a few seconds before nodding.

“If you already know, that saves us many things. Listen up what I’m about to say, it’s for your own sake and wellbeing. Never approach any Bloodliners under any circumstances.”

“I don’t think Bloodliners are that bad. I…”

“They’re worse than bad!” the Hunter interrupted. “If you want to stay safe, you have to fear and avoid them. And exterminate them if you have the chance. They’re not human beings.”

“Exterminate them?” The girl seemed scared. “Why? What makes them different from humans?”

“Their very nature. They’re destructive, and many won’t hesitate to kill you if they have the chance.”

“But what about the others? There are good humans and bad humans. Why can’t there be good and bad Bloodliners all the same?”

“Because of the power they possess. A real monster is one who cannot control their own power, and that’s what makes them different from Pokémon.” The Hunter took a few seconds to think how to get his point across. “Pokémon are born with their powers, and it’s in their nature to control them to bring balance to our planet. Bloodliners are not; they acquire their powers overnight and they can even kill people just by trying them out.”

“Then they should be taught how to handle them. Fearing them isn’t the answer…”

“Teach them? That’s stupid!” The Hunter’s scream scared the girl, who backed off a little. He then lowered his voice before continuing. “What do you think happens with those who do get to control their powers? Simple: they get corrupted by their power. Unlike Pokémon, they have the destructive ambitions of human beings.”

“I… I don’t believe that…”

“There’s precedent in history. Many real stories prove it.” The Hunter himself had researched quite a bit about it. “For example, in the ancient history of Hoenn, there are records of a Bloodliner with the powers of Ninetales. She mastered the move Attract and used it to seduce an emperor, eventually bringing the downfall of his empire.

“But that story…”

“It’s only one of many examples of Bloodliners across history. Conquerors, demons, criminals, tyrannical kings, all Bloodliners have always been that way.” The Hunter groaned and then sighed. “And that was when there were just a few of them. Nowadays there are thousands, maybe millions, who could put the whole world in danger.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because of their ambitions! Give anybody power and they’ll use it for personal gain. They take advantage of others, they get riches and do whatever they want, and nobody can stop it.”

Once the Hunter finished talking, he noticed the little girl was shedding some tears, as she thought about what to answer.

Then, looking him into the eyes, Hope shyly tried to ask a question. “What if someone in your family was a Bloodliner? What would you do?”

“I’d kill them,” the Hunter replied without any hint of doubts. “I’d kill them before they become dangerous. Many parents have gotten rid of their babies, when they discover their Bloodliner nature. I met a few who threw their baby Bloodliner into the ocean because-”

“Stop it!” the girl shouted. “Do you really believe that?! All those horrible things?!”

“Have you been listening to me? Of course I believe it!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The girl couldn’t hold it anymore, and she ran out of the room with tears in her eyes, leaving the Hunter alone again.

He felt partially guilty, for a moment he forgot he was talking to a little girl. He really regretted making her cry, but it was for her own good. Sooner or later she’d have to drop her fantasies and open her eyes to the real world around her, cruel as it might be.

Someday that girl would be grateful. Thanks to this talk, she wouldn’t become a victim in the upcoming war.

…

A few more days went by after that little chat with Hope. Strangely enough, the Hunter’s wounds were recovering faster than he expected, although his arm still hurt a bit.

The Hunter couldn’t wait for his recovery. He hated being inactive, as much as he hated the night. He didn’t want to sleep to avoid the nightmares, but even while staying awake he just became more embittered as he heard the Gray Poochyena’s howls.

On the other hand, Hope became more distant after that conversation. Now she’d only come in to give him food or medicine, and then left.

He really felt sorry for her; the girl was lonely and confused. The priest never came back, which only confirmed the Hunter’s suspicions: he had to be another victim of the Gray Poochyena.

But Hope didn’t have to worry. The Hunter would avenge the priest, killing off that accursed Bloodliner once and for all.

He still was unsure as to which species her Bloodline was, but at least now he had an idea of what it could be. A Rock-type Pokémon, unusually fast and without an apparent secondary type. If he had to guess, he’d say it was probably a predator Pokémon with a great sense of smell, similar to Mightyena or Houndoom. He already had a new plan to finish her off, and he’d decided he’d go out and do the job by nightfall.

The only thing keeping him in that church was Hope. What would happen to that girl? The Hunter was incapable of leaving her abandoned in that place, would he be so inhumane to do that?

No, he would take Hope with him. That girl was absolutely alone and he couldn’t leave her. True, he couldn’t take a small child to his most dangerous missions, but he’d be sure to provide her a safe haven for the incoming war. Who knew, maybe once she changed her mindset about Bloodliners, he might even be able to groom her into his successor once he couldn’t carry on with his divine mission.

He decided. He’d face the Gray Poochyena and once he’d gotten rid of her, he’d come back to the church and ask Hope to come along. With that in mind, the Hunter snuck out through his room’s window.

He’d left a briefcase with some tools hidden at the forest entrance, just in case he was defeated. All he had to do was get to it and take the stuff he needed to confront the Bloodliner.

Weirdly enough, even though it was nighttime it seemed darker than normal, and there was fog covering the trees. The Hunter walked cautiously across that thick fog, but then, a twig being stepped on behind his back startled him, before turning around with his guard up.

“Where are you going?”

Thankfully, it was just Hope. But… there was something weird on her. She didn’t look like the innocent child from before.

She looked more determined, but also… sad?

“It’s okay, I’ll be back soon. I just have a job to do.”

“You’re going to hunt down the Gray Poochyena, aren’t you?” He didn’t have to answer, the girl clearly knew that. “Please don’t, I’m begging you.”

The Hunter was surprised. Then again, after the chat they had, it wasn’t that hard to put two and two together.

“It’s my duty. I have to do this.”

“Please, don’t do that!” The girl continued to beg him as tears poured out of her eyes. “Why do you have to go? You can live in peace. Just forget about the Bloodliners, stay here.”

“Remember what I told you, Hope! If I stay here, the Bloodliners will end the world as we know it. I’ve told you, they can be really cruel and…”

“That’s a lie! The only cruel one here is you!”

The Hunter remained silent for a moment. Hope talked as if she knew the truth about him. Did she…

“You’re murdering people just because they were born different!” Hope wiped a few tears off her face. “They never chose to be born that way!”

Did she know about his killings? Did that mean the girl knew all along he was the Bloodliner Hunter?

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, child,” the Hunter argued, trying to keep his cool. “Bloodliners go against creation, Arceus himself…”

“What? Did Arceus himself send you a messenger or what?” the girl reprimanded him. “Snap out of it!”

His eyes opened wide at those words. How could she know about that?!

“They’re going to cause a war!” the Hunter yelled back. “I’ve seen the future! I’ve seen the deaths!”

“What have you really seen?” the girl questioned. “Maybe there are extremist Bloodliners who could cause it, but that doesn’t mean all Bloodliners support it. You’ve seen it! You’ve seen it every night yet still ignore it! Not all Bloodliners are evil, many of them are just manipulated or forced into it. Even more; many of them protect the humans.”

For a few seconds, he didn’t know what to think. Not just because Hope knew all that or the way she was talking to him, but because the Hunter had found himself at a loss for words.

“Bloodliners aren’t that different from humans!” The girl glared at him with decision. “They can laugh, cry, get angry and feel. They’re capable of doing good and bad. We all live in the same planet, why can’t we share it?!”

“That’s impossible. They…”

“What will you do to them? Are you going to kill them all? Even those who have done nothing and most likely never will?” As the Hunter found no answer, the girl pressed on. “There are too many of them out there, and you can’t follow the trail of all of them. All you’ll do is force many Bloodliners, like the Gray Poochyena, to fight back to protect themselves. You are the one bringing that war you’re so bent on preventing!”

The Hunter, once again, found himself unable to answer. His head hurt and he couldn’t say anything. He had no idea how the girl knew all that, neither did he care. All he wanted was to leave that place as soon as possible, especially since the girl had made her stance clear.

As he turned around and tried to walk away, the girl once more tried to stop him.

“Wait! Where are you going?!” The Hunter kept walking without paying any mind to her. “Are you just going to ignore me?! Can’t you stand somebody telling you how wrong you are?! Are you just running away?!”

The Hunter continued to ignore her as he walked away. He was about to get into the forest and leave her behind.

Until the girl said the one thing that could have stopped him dead on his tracks.

“Hold it right there! Father William Stronger!”

No.

It wasn’t his imagination. That little girl had just called him by his birth name.

How could she know?!

“You… how the hell do you…”

But the girl wouldn’t let him ask any questions.

“Do you hate Bloodliners so much, you refuse to listen to reason?!” The girl’s voice was a mix of anger and frustration. “DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?!”

That last part made him pale. What did she mean? Was she a Bloodliner, of all things?!

He turned to see the girl, and the next that happened left him stunned. A pair of small marks suddenly appeared on the girl’s cheeks, and her eyes changed color.

But the Z-mark wasn’t the most impressive thing about her. Her arms suddenly became covered in electric energy, leaving the Hunter’s face completely white. He couldn’t move or think; he was too shocked.

He couldn’t believe it, and yet…

“Kibou…” was the only word he could utter.

There was no doubt; that little girl was Kibou. The same Kibou he raised like his own daughter, the same who brought him so much happiness in the past, and the same who vanished mysteriously.

So then… Kibou was a Bloodliner? That sounded impossible, hard to believe, it just couldn’t be…

No, he already knew. Deep down he always knew, but never wanted to admit it. The only person he considered part of his family, the little girl he raised, was a Bloodliner all along.

He glanced at her arms and how electricity crackled around them without harming her. That was a Thunder Punch, Kibou’s Bloodline, no doubt.

The Hunter tried to talk, but the words just didn’t come out. He couldn’t recover from that shock. He’d been looking for her for years and… it made no sense! Even if she were Kibou, she looked exactly like the last time they saw each other. She was still a child and didn’t grow even an inch. How could that be possible after so many years? How could she be that age? Kibou would have to be a teenager by now!

But now that he looked at her, he noticed her look was different to Kibou’s. Any trail of innocence in her eyes had vanished, all he saw in them was sadness and sorrow.

“Kibou, what happened to you?”

And then, right in that moment, a howl took the Hunter by surprise, who immediately turned around. It was the Gray Poochyena’s howling, but that mattered little, they had to…

“Kibou? Kibou, where are you?!”

He just turned around for a second and she’d vanished, as if she’d never been there.

It wasn’t just Kibou. The whole church’s building had vanished too, and the Hunter found no explanation for it. Where the church had been before there was nothing but trees, as if the fog had swallowed the church whole.

What had just happened? The Hunter ran off trying to find the church, but he tripped. He took a couple seconds to get back on his feet and… was he now somewhere else? It was another area of the forest, one without fog at all.

“Kibou?!”

The Hunter was confused, and his cry was never answered. He then heard another howl, bringing him back to reality. The Gray Poochyena Gris was still stalking him out there.

Enraged and confused, the Hunter decided he’d prioritize his mission. He’d go get his weapon briefcase and hunt down the Poochyena. As he was now, he needed to vent with someone.

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

Deep into the forest…

He’d finally found her.

He already knew where her cave was, so he only had to look for it. The Hunter approached carefully from behind the bushes, glancing at his next victim.

The Bloodliner was outside her cave, surrounded by Poochyena and Mightyena. She was just childishly rolling around the ground while playing with… Pokéballs?

Those were the Pokéballs the Hunter had brought in their previous encounter. With a quick glance he noted the activation buttons were broken, so the Pokémon inside wouldn’t be able to get out.

The Hunter groaned in anger as he saw the Bloodliner playing with the Poochyena as she threw the Pokéballs like a baseball or something. He wanted to get revenge on her, but he knew he’d end up badly if he didn’t act carefully. For the time being he’d try a sneak attack, that was his advantage.

“You don’t need to hide, you can come out.”

The Hunter remained hidden, holding his breath. At least, until the Bloodliner stood up and glanced intently towards her hiding place.

“My ears can pick up waves between 10,000 and 50,000 hertz. I can hear you over fifty feet away.”

He wasn’t in the mood for any more games, so he just walked out of hiding, showing a clear expression of rage. The girl, on the other hand, just stared at him with indifference.

“I see you survived our last encounter. You’re skilled; if I have to guess, you probably escaped when I passed out due to the pain. But I wonder, how did you evade the Poochyena? You shouldn’t even be able to move.”

The Hunter didn’t answer, instead just glaring at her. He then noticed the bandages the Gray Poochyena had over her shoulder. It looked like she didn’t come out unscathed out of their previous scuffle. Good for him; that gave him an advantage.

“You don’t want to talk? At least let me ask you a question. Why do you want to kill me?”

He had no intention of answering that. He cleared all doubts from his head: there was no point in trying to exchange words with a monster like her. He just had to kill her: that was his mission.

The Poochyena and Mightyena growled at him and began surrounding him, but the Hunter was not afraid of them. They caught him off-guard the first time, but now, he had a plan.

“Guess it’s a lost cause.” The Bloodliner sighed heavily. “Honestly, I was hoping you’d have some information about that man, but I see that’s not the case.”

Then, a quick succession of events followed:

The Gray Poochyena raised her arms, and a bunch of stones materialized above the Hunter. Thanks to his quick reflexes he was able to jump out of the way before getting crushed, but he had no time to analyze what happened. The Poochyena quickly jumped him, forcing him to move fast. He managed to knock one of them away with his baton, but there were too many and he knew he couldn’t hold them for too long.

Fortunately, he was ready for them.

He managed to pull back keeping them at bay, long enough to pull another gadget from his jacket. It was a small metallic cube, which he quickly activated to produce a small antenna.

There were certain sound frequencies that Pokémon could catch, but humans couldn’t. He created that gadget based on that concept; it generated sound waves capable of causing unimaginable pain to Pokémon without affecting humans. One of his first inventions; back in his hometown there were enough Pokémon to experiment on. Sadly it was too fragile, so he seldom used it in his hunts.

He finally got a moment’s rest; the Hunter smiled upon seeing how all Pokémon around him stopped attacking and became paralyzed, groaning in pain.

“Now, let’s get the job done.”

It seemed like the Bloodliner’s hearing was as good as she boasted, as she too was agonizing with the sound. He had to finish her off before she recovered and used her powers.

Without missing a beat he ran towards his prey, his baton in hand to mash her to death. He finally had her; he’d finish her off before she tried to pull any other dirty trick…

Then he suddenly lost sight of her and suddenly felt a surge of pain himself.

It took him a few seconds to realize what happened, but when he did, his anger towards the Gray Poochyena only grew. The Hunter had fallen into some kind of trap hole, covered in dirt and leaves. He was angry at himself for falling for a trap of such level, though the pain returned him to reality, making him realize he sprained an ankle with the fall.

Right then, he heard a small detonation and several angry barks. He guessed they probably destroyed his machine, meaning that the Poochyena would try to kill him when he tried to get out. Fortunately, he was more than ready to confront them.

“That hurt!” he heard the Gray Poochyena’s voice. ”My ears are still buzzing! Now get out of there or I’ll crush you with my Rock Slide!”

As the Gray Poochyena recovered from the sound, the Hunter pulled out the tool that would give him victory. From inside the hole, he threw some gas bombs that quickly filled the area.

“It can’t be!”

When the Gray Poochyena realized what was going on, it was too late. Many Pokémon, like Poochyena, Growlithe or Houndour, relied a lot in their senses of smell and hearing to perceive the world. The combination of gases the Hunter had unleashed took advantage of that handicap, disabling completely the Pokémon’s acute sense of smell, with a bit of helium thrown into the mix so they wouldn’t recognize the Gray Poochyena’s voice. Now the Bloodliner would have nobody to help her, and they would settle this.

As she tried to calm the confused Poochyena, the Hunter took his chance to get out of the pit and with a swift move smacked her with the baton. The Bloodliner fell violently to the ground, and he was delighted to see his attack had been effective. The Gray Poochyena’s eyes were tearing up, as if trying to hold back her pain.

However, soon that expression turned from pain to anger. “I TOLD YOU THAT HURTS!”

Screaming in rage, the Gray Poochyena hit the ground, summoning rock pillars against the Hunter. He barely managed to slide out of the way, dodging a Stone Edge that wouldn’t have left him unscathed. He’d achieved his goal of getting her angry and make her lose composure, but he was taking a huge risk. His sprained ankle hurt like hell and didn’t let him move freely.

He was unable to dodge the Bloodliner when she jumped at him for a Bite attack, and his arm paid the price. He tried to smack her with his baton, but she was too fast and agile, dodging and attacking savagely, and managing to land several punches and kicks.

Upon realizing that once again he was losing control, the Hunter became concerned. He managed to land another hit with his baton, although the Gray Poochyena smiled at it. She then used Counter, delivering a punch that knocked him back a few feet.

The Hunter managed to get back on his feet with difficulty; that had hurt a lot and he felt his wounds from the previous fight were opening again. Worse, the Gray Poochyena returned to attack, though fortunately he knew how to get about that trouble.

“Hey! Hold on a second!” The Bloodliner held off for a bit, but kept her guard up for anything he might try. “Tell me, do you know what this is?”

He’d pulled a small object from his trenchcoat, one the Gray Poochyena evidently recognized.

“It’s just a lighter, what…” Then the Gray Poochyena realized what it meant, and her expression shifted into terror. “Wait a moment! You wouldn’t…?”

Indeed, a lighter could be mostly harmless at first, but as they were surrounded by inflammable gases all over, he could create a fiery explosion. Of course, the Hunter had no intention of killing himself, but his prey didn’t need to know that.

“Hey, stop…” She tried to appear calm, but she couldn’t hide the worry in her voice. “What are you up to? You’re gonna blow us both up!”

And taking advantage of the Gray Poochyena’s fear over the possible explosion, the Hunter took the chance to hit her with his baton. It was a swift move, one she didn’t see coming, and not just at any random spot: he hit her right on the bandaged shoulder, on the spot she had taken a bullet during their previous encounter.

But he didn’t stop there; with another swift move, he pulled out a knife from his coat and stabbed the Bloodliner with it.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The Gray Poochyena’s cries of pain echoed all over the forest as she fell to the ground, completely helpless. No, that stab wound wasn’t meant to kill her, just to disable her. During their previous battle he’d come to realize the brat wasn’t very tolerant of pain and decided to take advantage of it. Maybe with enough pain she wouldn’t even be able to counterattack.

“So you had fun mocking me, huh? Let’s see who’s laughing now.”

With a psychotic smirk in his face, the Bloodliner Hunter was ready to finish his victim once and for all. He raised his baton and smacked the Bloodliner, over and over again. At first, he struck her on the shoulder, causing as much pain as possible, though after a while he stopped caring about that spot and simply hit her as hard as he could.

This was what Arceus wanted, the mission he’d been sent to fulfill. He’d eliminate all those monsters and save the future. He was a hero, even if people didn’t understand.

Finally, the Hunter glanced at his victim, full of bruises and covered in blood, completely helpless. It was time for the coup de grace, to end her once and for all. Soon enough, the Gray Poochyena would cease to be a threat to the world, and nothing could stop him now.

“Stop please! Don’t do it!”

The Hunter hesitated just for a moment. He recognized that voice.

“Kibou!” He glanced around all over trying to find her, but he couldn’t see her anyway. He could only hear her cries, Kibou was clearly crying. “Please understand, Kibou, I have to do this!”

“No you don’t!” He heard her voice again, as if the forest’s wind brought it to him. “Please stop, there’s still time, you can…”

“No, Kibou. I can’t stop.”

“Of course you can! What you’re doing is wrong, that’s what I’ve told you. You’re destroying yourself!”

“Don’t you get it?! There’s no turning back now!” For a moment, a tear went down the Hunter’s cheek. “The priest William Stronger is dead. I’m the Bloodliner Hunter.”

“Please…” A few moments of silence. “Please, I’m begging you…”

“I…” Why did he feel so much pain? He felt horrible upon hearing Kibou’s cries, but he couldn’t stop. He had a mission and nothing could get in his way. It was the time to leave his past behind. “I’m sorry, but this is my duty. Listen, Kibou…”

“REVERSAL!”

The Bloodliner Hunter’s musing was interrupted by the Gray Poochyena’s scream, followed by a powerful flash that sent him flying several feet against a tree. The Bloodliner was still keeping a move hidden and took the chance when he was distracted to use it.

He got back on his feet as soon as he could, and glanced how the Gray Poochyena limped towards her cave. That didn’t matter; with those wounds she’d never got too far and would never escape from the Hunter.

He tried to follow her inside, but…

“ROCK SLIDE!”

Many giant boulders materialized and covered the cave’s entrance completely. Unable to believe it, the Hunter attempted to remove them, but they were too heavy and his wounds only made his efforts worse. The cave had been sealed.

“No… no! NO!” Rage took over the Hunter, seeing his prey had escaped him. He pounded on the stones to vent his frustration, uncaring about the pain in his hands. “DAMN IT! Look at what you did, Kibou!”

The Hunter turned around, but Kibou was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t even hear her voice.

Thus, he decided to retreat before the gases dissipated and Poochyena attacked him.

…

The days went by and the Hunter treated his wounds in the nearby village, telling the residents how a savage Poochyena had attacked him. Fortunately, the Draconids had enough medical knowledge to help him. Unconventional medicine, but effective nonetheless.

The Hunter returned to the forest afterwards, managing to gain entrance into the cave. He eventually found the Bloodliner had slipped away through a different tunnel. He looked far and wide all over the forest, but the blood trail went cold by the edge of a river, finding no trace of her whatsoever.

How could she leave the forest so quickly despite her wounds? The Hunter didn’t know, it was almost as if she was ready to make her escape. Certainly, she’d been one of the most dangerous Bloodliners he’d ever faced. With luck, if her wounds didn’t kill her, she probably drowned or was eaten by a Carvanha school downstream. He certainly hoped that was the case.

One thing was for sure; with the Gray Poochyena no longer in that forest, there was no reason for him to stick around that place.

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

A few weeks later…

Once more, the Hunter was back on his mission. He still hadn’t fully recovered from his wounds, but he realized he’d still have a long way to go and couldn’t waste any time.

Savitore had put him up to date with the latest events during his absence. From his account, a group of Bloodliners wreaked havoc at the power plant at Gringy City in Kanto, causing a huge blackout that killed lots of people in accidents caused by the panic and hospitals that found themselves without backup electricity. A guard who survived the attack and his declarations confirmed what the Hunter already knew: Kanto was already infested with Bloodliners.

That kind of incidents always made him nervous; more of them were happening and they were less far in-between. He glanced unpleasantly at his computer with the data Savitore had sent him about the Kanto region. There was a list with several names of possible or confirmed Bloodliners: Tyrian, Tajiri, Raylight, Ketchum, Beedle, Akai, Borealis, among many others. And those were just the Kantonians.

Many of them were coming into the spotlight during the past few years. Anybody could argue that would be advantageous when it came to identifying them, but that wasn’t what the Hunter thought. He felt frustrated, as he realized how far he was from fulfilling his mission.

Most of the ones born in the Bloodliner Baby Boom were growing up, many were teenagers and aside from having powerful Pokémon teams, had also better developed their powers. That would only make them more dangerous and harder to hunt down. The clock was running, and the appearance of Bloodliners who were growing stronger showed him time was running out. The war could break out at any moment.

And though the future of his nightmares seemed to get closer, the Hunter’s effort were nowhere near enough. He hadn’t even eliminated one quarter of his list, and more were added every day. He had to work even harder, be more efficient if he wanted to off them before the war began.

However, he couldn’t go after a potentially dangerous target until he was fully recovered, so he’d focus on an easier victim for now.

The Bloodliner’s name was Marron Armond, a thirteen-year-old female. She lived alone with her mother in Mahogany Town, Johto. She still wasn’t of age to be a trainer, but she cared for a low-level Pikachu and Clefairy, so her Pokémon team wouldn’t be any trouble.

“You sure you’re ready for the mission?” Savitore asked when he communicated. “You still have some wounds, and you seem to be having ravings lately…”

“I’m fine!” He had no time for Savitore’s stupidities, he had a mission to finish. “How are the preparations coming?”

“Everything’s going well. Those Team Rocket dumbasses are ready to play their part. It’s a minor cell, though, but they can get the job done for a quick buck. As soon as we give them their cue, they’ll start wreaking havoc.”

“Good.” The Hunter sounded pleased. He had no love for Team Rocket, but every once in a while they could come in handy. They could create the perfect cover for his hit, and with luck, he could even pin the blame on them for the crime.

“So, what about the Bloodliner’s ability?” Savitore asked with curiosity. “Something dangerous?”

“Nothing to worry about. She’s a Bloodliner with the move Charm. I don’t think she’ll give me any trouble.”

“Those are good news. I’ll get in touch with the Rockets to get started soon…”

“No, not yet,” the Hunter interrupted.

“What are we waiting for?”

“A man has been following the monster’s mother.” The news seemed to surprise Savitore. “I don’t know who he is yet, but I’m not taking any chances. For all we know he could belong to the International Police. Let’s wait until the woman goes out for work, and then we’ll strike.”

“That might change the plans a bit… what do you need, Hunter?”

“This time I’m going to need a Koffing or Weezing. As well as a Fire-type.”

“Oh, I get it. The classic explosion trick, I like it.” Savitore’s chuckles were starting to tire the Hunter. “You’re lucky; I could send you a Houndoom, what do you say?”

“No, I hate Houndoom.” Too many bad memories of that species. “Don’t you have something else?”

“Well, aren’t you a superstitious one?” Savitore chuckled again. “I could send you a Magby. Is that better?”

“It’ll do.” The Hunter was pretty irritated by now, so he decided to end the conversation. “You wait for my signal and get everything ready in the meantime. We’ll do the hit tonight.”

Before Savitore could reply, the Hunter ended the call. He was tired and there was still about half an hour left before the woman left for work. He was planning on getting everything ready, set up the safety of his camper and rest for a bit.

Though she wouldn’t let him rest.

“Please, don’t do this.”

There she was again. He’d been seeing her occasionally since the forest incident. Nobody else could see her, and Savitore was worried upon seeing him ‘talking to himself’. But the Hunter knew she was there. He could feel her.

“I’m not going to stop, Kibou. So don’t try.”

“I’ll keep trying as long as I have to! I’ll insist over and over until you leave this dark path!”

“It’s too late, Kibou. There’s no turning back for me. I’ll never be able to rest until I fulfill my mission.”

“It’s not too late, you can still stop. You’re destroying yourself from the inside, you…”

“Stop, Kibou! No matter how much you beg, I won’t stop. My hands are already stained in blood. Don’t you see?”

“I don’t like to see what you’ve become!”

“If you hate so much what I am now, why don’t you just scram and leave me alone?!”

“Because I can’t stand seeing you suffer this way!”

For a few seconds of silence, neither said a single word. The Hunter finally sighed.

“Look Kibou, I have no time for this. There’s a mission I have to fulfill.”

Kibou tried to reply, but the Hunter ignored her and left the van. Still hearing the girl’s cries, the Bloodliner Hunter focused on what was in front of him. He had a mission and nobody would stop him.

Maybe they questioned him now, but in the future, he’d be known as a savior.

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

Undisclosed location…

The pain was unbearable. In her rush to flee she hadn’t been able to treat her gravest wounds, and she had no time to rest. She knew she had to keep moving if she wanted to stay alive. The last thing she remembered was getting to the edge of a river, the sensation of falling into the water and then, nothing but darkness.

“Too… cold…”

She had no idea how things ended up that way. That man almost murdered her and she didn’t even know the reason. If it wasn’t because the madman suddenly started to talk alone, he’d most likely have killed her.

She was frustrated. All her preparations, the traps she set up, everything she learned, it was all for nothing. The forest was no longer a safe place for her, and she had to abandon it as soon as she could.

Before she died, her mother warned her to be on the lookout, as many people could come looking for her, seeking to take advantage of her abilities.

Including that trash of a man who called himself her father, or stepfather, if she got technical. Sure. A father wouldn’t use his daughter as his personal attack dog in poaching, just to save some money on equipment and weapons.

Her mother did everything she could to keep her safe, and yet, she couldn’t even defend herself against a regular guy. How could she prevent being captured by that man, when she couldn’t even beat a normal human without any abilities?

There was nothing left to do. The events that transpired in the forest would probably get that man’s attention, and she couldn’t stay at a compromised location. She had to leave the forest ASAP.

But she had her limits and she’d already reached them. She didn’t even know where she was anymore, and her pack was unable to follow when she fell into the river. Her wounds and the cold of being soaked wet left her unable to get back up. It was a real miracle she’d come this far.

That was her end. Nobody would come to her aid, she was done for.

“Rowf, rowf…”

A tiny, strangely familiar bark alerted her. Daring to open her eyes, she saw a Poochyena, looking at her with concern. But it didn’t belong to her pack. In fact, it didn’t look like a wild Pokémon.

“Rowf, rowf, rowf!”

“What’s the matter?” an unknown, human female voice asked. “Oh my God!”

She heard the running steps coming close to her. She’d barely had any strength to raise her head and look who it was, although she did hear some more barks, although these sounded more like those of Mightyena.

“Are you alright? Please answer if you can hear me!” the voice asked upon reaching her.

She was barely conscious, but the voice did get her attention. Still, she was too weak and scared to give a reply. She didn’t dare to open her eyes to look at her, and kept only listening to the Pokémon’s barks.

“Hang in there, please!”

She felt herself being lifted up and held under the armpit. Even if she could fight back, she didn’t want to.

She finally opened her eyes, even though she was too weak to even speak. She didn’t know if the pain was playing trick on her mind, but she didn’t feel like questioning it.

Her savior turned out to be a young woman, maybe around twenty. She had green hair cut just above her neck, and she wore what looked like a forest ranger uniform. Through the corner of her eye she saw run in front of them the Poochyena from before, and three Mightyena, the four of them still barking frenetically.

For a brief moment, she activated her Bloodline, staring at the woman who saved her. She smiled slightly, knowing for sure she was trying to save her. She could feel at ease now; there would be a lot of time to ask questions later.

For the time being, she preferred to surrender to unconsciousness and rest after that almost fatal encounter. She deserved it.

FIN.