Some Galahs Go On An Inky Mission: Chapter 6

I'd Like You To Share A Nightmare With Me

Emerald walked into the café, expecting to see just her aunt-in-law and her younger cousin there. Instead, she was met with the entire family, including her strict, elderly grandmother, Flare. Emerald nervously sat down and ordered a heated gingerbread-flavored glass of cowsmilk from a waitress, which Flare raised an eyebrow on. Emerald said, "I like gingerbread."

Flare huffed, muttering, "Maybe a little too much."

"Mom!" Emerald's mother, Chaos, gasped.

"You can't be serious. Emerald just got a promotion, and you're criticizing her over her gingerbread addiction?" Emerald's Aunt-In-Law, Red, sighed.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm used to this." Emerald waved it off, thanking the waitress as she received her burning-hot glass of cowsmilk. Emerald watched her younger cousin, Seraphina, as Emerald sipped her glass, managing to hide a wince as her venoma instincts tried to kick in to the burning sensation on her tongue.

Seraphina noticed though, and the three-year-old babbled, "Emmy 'kay?"

Emerald chuckled at the adorable toddler, reassuring her, "Emmy's fine, she's used to being served glacier ice at work." It was an excuse, Emerald knew that, but with the venoma outbreaks throughout the Fire Kingdom, she could be killed if she even shared any confirmation that she was one of those venoma, nonetheless she somehow was the queen of the hive. Plus, her lies worked anyway. Her family believed her excuse, and Chaos gave Emerald a sympathetic look. Emerald cleared her throat, asking her grandmother, "So, where are we going after our drinks? You must have something planned for my promotion celebration."

Flare perked up. "Well, we're going to go to a movie theater and watch one of those Pokemon movies you like." Emerald's fear spiked for little Seraphina's safety, sensing something bad will happen to her if they go in there.

Emerald starts to protest. "Grandmother, a lot of us can fight, but I fear that my cousin Seraphina won't be able to defend herself if she gets kidnapped."

Red agreed. "My child needs us to defend her, as she doesn't have much training, despite the fact that she is a werewolf."

Flare dismissed them. "Everything's going to be fine. We walk into the theater, watch the movie, and walk out of there. Nothing bad's going to happen."

Emerald had enough. She told Flare, "Not to sound disrespectful, but this is my celebration, not yours. You came here uninvited, so you have to listen to me. I fear for my cousin's safety, so we're going somewhere else." Emerald was careful not to use any flames or black magic in her anger towards Flare. That was all rendered useless, as Flare blew up on Emerald.

"Well, I am the alpha of this pack and I make the demands. I say that we're going to the movie theater, whether you like it or NOT!!!" Violet flames intertwined with green ones flared in sync of Flare's anger. Customers and staff alike look on in confusion. As the flames grew brighter, the heat licked Emerald's skin, making it crawl uncomfortably. She looked in fear, registering the fact that she has to give in to her grandmother's demands before things could get worse.

Emerald lowered her head submissively, muttering, "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Flare's flames flickered out, to which Emerald sighs in relief for. Flare clapped her hands together, cheerfully saying, "Great! Now, let's finish our food, and let's go to the movie theater!"

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As they entered the movie theater, the family were talking amongst each other about some gossip, while Red held her child as she asked Emerald, "What did you get promoted to in that lab?"

Emerald replied happily, "Oh, I got promoted to scientist-level. Which, compared to the security guard night shifts, is a pretty good deal to me!" She was secretly happy that no one's found out about her yet, which usually means that no one suspected her of being a venoma yet.

"Oh…" Red thought for a moment, smiling at Seraphina's subtle demands for attention. "Can you promise something to me secretly?"

Seraphina, surprised, answered. "Of course." She looked around, then Emerald, Red, and Seraphina hid in the corner. Emerald sighed. "What do I have to promise you that no one else can hear?"

Red looked serious. Emerald gulped, thinking she did something wrong. Red said, "I know you're the venoma queen." Emerald mentally cursed. Red continued, "And I see how well you've protected your kind, so I want you to promise me…" she stroked Seraphina's hair gently. "That if I die and Seraphina becomes one of the venoma, you will protect my child with your life."

Emerald said, "I would have done it anyway, but why would you ask -"

"Promise me on one of Simara's children."

"Okay, okay, I promise on behalf of Queen Benji's life that I will protect your daughter." Emerald backtracked. "But if you knew about me, then why didn't you say anything?"

Red said, "Because I know you. Now, let's join the rest of the family."

"Wait, what -"

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As the werewolves sat on row E of the theater, Emerald couldn't help but worry about her younger cousin's safety. After all, the movie theater felt unsafe for small children like Seraphina. Emerald looked at her high-tech watch and researched the rate of kidnapping during the venoma pandemic. As the internet revealed the very high rates in this particular movie theater, Emerald's heart dropped. She starts to look around nervously, wondering if any of these people around her would attempt to kidnap Seraphina. Emerald whispered to Flare, "Um, so I did a bit of research about the rate of kidnapping of this place, and we could be in potential danger right now, especially for Seraphina. Can we please leave?"

Flare hissed, "No, I paid for those tickets, and I'm not refunding them for no reason."

Emerald sighed fearfully, knowing that this is not going to go well. "Fine." She kept her senses on high alert, just in case.

About thirty minutes into the movie, Emerald heard someone grab something small, and Red shout, "MY BABY!!!!"

Swerving to look at Red and Seraphina, Emerald's teenage senses registered that Red was somehow tied to her seat with black magic and Seraphina wasn't in her seat and was being carried away by lab agents. Seraphina's muffled screams made Emerald's fear and anger spike. Flare, however, said, "She's still in her seat, Red, so return to the movie and quit worrying."

An illusion. Emerald looked at her mother, who saw the same thing the rest of the family was shouting at Flare angrily for. Chaos nodded. Emerald jumped out her seat and ran for the agents. When she got outside, they were nowhere to be seen. Emerald looked around, then realized that one of her favorite people in the universe was gone. Clenching her fist in anger and tears streaming, Emerald decided right then and there that she'd track this evil organization down and destroy them. Her thirst for revenge spiked a new height.

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After about three weeks of searching for Seraphina in fear, Emerald finally hacked into a base called Thunder Base #305. Turns out this was a cult located outside the Fire Kingdom's premises, and near Emerald's venoma hive. Emerald sucked in a breath, tapping on a file with Seraphina's picture on it. As she read the file, Emerald's horror and anger rose. She eventually watched a video of an experiment.

Five minutes later, Emerald saw a familiar scale. She paused the video. "No, it couldn't be…" Emerald zoomed in on the scale. It's her venoma scale. Emerald gasped, a mix of emotions rushing through her. Her? Having her DNA shared with her own cousin? That's terrifying and something Emerald didn't ever wish on Seraphina. Emerald quickly calmed down, a familiar rush of wrath washing over her. She smashed her watch on the ground, walking off to attack the base.

Three hours later, imagine the security's chaos that Emerald caused as she slammed down the door. Stalking down the hallways, numerous cult robe-covered security guards were thrown onto the walls, held by their throats using black magic. Fire spewed from the staff lounge. The door to the base's lab was punched open as a furious, vengeful Emerald roared, "WHERE IN THE NAME OF THE EXES DID YOU TAKE MY COUSIN TO? I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO -"

Emerald's ears twitched, picked up the sound of a child crying, a familiar voice stuttering brokenly, "E-E-Emmy?"

Emerald looked to her left to see a half-scaly, half-bloody face of her cousin, Seraphina, tied to a chair. Emerald's anger simmered down. Filled with relief that she found Seraphina, Emerald ran over quickly and cupped the three-year-old's face in her hands. Heartbroken, tears started to fall as Emerald whispered, "Oh, Sera, I didn't want things to go this far. I -"

A woman's voice cackled. "Oh, if it isn't the young Venoma Queen herself, come to rescue her cousin from the terrors of our lovely home."

Emerald took her hands away from Seraphina, turning to see a woman in a bright yellow suit. Emerald glared, baring her teeth as she growled, "Who are you? What do you want with me and the rest of us, human?" Seraphina whimpered.

The woman chuckled. "See, I wanted to know more about your kind, so I experimented with some of the Fire Kingdom's younglings, but none of them survived. But when I found your scale, I decided to do one final test. My name's Dr. Belial Wicked, though to my experiments, I will be their Ringleader."

Emerald narrowed her eyes. "You give humanity a bad name."

Dr. Belial chuckled. "Oh, but it's all in the name of science!"

Behind the scientist, Emerald's voice sounded hollow and vengeful as she laughs. "There are other ways to research. Please do pardon me, but you humans do look funny when you're running." Chills went down Dr. Belial's spine as she realized she just had been tricked. "Pray. I dare you. You won't ever come out of here again." Belial's head was then smacked to the side of the wall hard.

Emerald jumped down, landing on her feet as she grabbed Seraphina and ran. Okay, according to my calculations, the human's either's got a concussion or is coming after me right now. I've got five minutes, tops, to get Sera out of the facility. Emerald thought. When they ran into the closet, Emerald shut the door and sat Seraphina down. Seraphina whimpered, which Emerald quickly silenced. Emerald whispered, "Seraphina, I need you to promise me to never talk about what's happening here, or what happened to you. Not even a peek at your new form."

"Why?" Seraphina asked fearfully.

Emerald tried to hide her wavering wisps of hope as she whispered, "Because I love you, and I promised your mommy that I'd keep you safe. Now promise me to not tell anyone or show them anything."

"But -"

"Your safety is more important to me. Promise me."

"I pwomise."

Emerald wiped away any tears that strayed from her eyes as she ordered. "Close your eyes. Don't question." Seraphina quickly obeyed her older cousin's orders. That was…too quick for Emerald's liking. Usually, it'd take Emerald a minute longer to get Seraphina to listen. What did they do to her? Nonetheless, Emerald cast a mixture of a memory-erasing and a sleeping spell on Seraphina. As Seraphina fell asleep, Emerald whispered, "I'm so sorry." Emerald used her black magic to teleport the sleeping Seraphina to her mother.

Belial stalked towards the closet, singing, "Oh, Emerald ~! I'd love to study you, if you'd just come out."

Emerald looked at the door. She'd better end this quickly, or they'd end up harming people again. Emerald silently creeped toward the door, sliding out the two spines she had when she was infected with the venoma virus from her forearms. As the blood dripped down from the two wounds, Emerald said in a dark, reptilian voice, "Well, hope you've learned a lot from life, because I'm about to end you."

"Oooo, an empty-ended threat! I love it! Maybe we'll -"

Emerald punched the door so hard, Belial was slammed onto the wall by the door. A large crater in the wall proved just where the scientist was, along with the door's hole, where Emerald had punched it. Emerging from the dust was a half-dragon, half-werewolf covered in grey scales and fur. Aqua-green eyes glowed in vengeance and rage, sharp teeth dripping with venomous saliva as the creature growled. Emerald scales hung from the wolf-ears, shining blood-red in the twilight. "You messed with the wrong Venoma Queen, human." It hissed.

Belial shook in fear at the powerful creature that stood before her. Was this really the true Venoma Queen? It can't be, venomas are usually smaller -

Emerald spread her wings, chuckling. "Some nightmares never end, do they, weakling?" She showed her evil, unmerciful smirk, adding to the horror she knew she was. "You think you know us? Wrong. You've only got the very tip of the iceberg."  The lines blurred, making Belial shake her head. When she looked up again, aqua-green eyes glared into her own. Belial gulped. Emerald laughed. "You should meet our god. He's much deadlier than I am."

Belial grabbed Emerald's spine on the left forearm. Belial smirked. "I believe I can study you now."

Emerald swung her arm to end the scientist, but Belial blocked it with her own bo. Emerald growled, pressing her weight onto the natural weapons of the venoma, attempting to break the wooden weapon to no avail. Frustrated, the Venoma Queen attempted to bite the human's head off, only to have her face whacked by the spinning stick.

Animal instincts thus arise with that pain.

Emerald grabbed the bo and threw it out of sight. Belial looked at where the weapon went, then at Emerald. Pure fear rushed through the human scientist's body as she realized what this means for her. Emerald screeched, raising her claws for the final -

25 years later…

Seraphina woke up in a cold sweat. That nightmare… It couldn't mean… She's still alive?!

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 15

With how cloudy and dark this part of the desert is, Scylla was surprised to see even a sliver of the moonlight reflecting off her skin. But her curiosity was cut off as she heard the Soulless scampering toward an old city, which was in ruin ever since the apocalypse started. Realizing that she may have a lead to where Zielo and Sonic may be, Scylla lifted herself up, wincing as her body protested.

Scylla? Aite asked, scaring Scylla enough to have her jump and wince from the movement.

Aite, I thought I told you -

I know, I know, but we heard a scream a couple of hours earlier, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.

I'm fine Aite, I have a lead.

Remember, if you need help, you can always call the pack. Ok?

Fiiiiiiiiiine. But no promises. Scylla cut off her link.

Scylla starts to limp towards the empty city. At the most times she winced from her sore legs, she was in a lot of pain. What she didn't notice was the Soulless coyote trailing her from behind. Such irony that a predator was hunting another predator.

Once Scylla reached the ruins, she looked around, and spotted the coyote. It looked strangely familiar, but it clicked once she drew up a memory. Scylla huffed as a form of amusement. She continued walking as though she didn't know the coyote was there.

But a few seconds later, Scylla was stopped by the coyote, who had a sword in his stomach. She could have sworn he did it to himself earlier, based on how deep and fatal the injury was. "Halt!" The coyote said, "You muzt zee Mazter, az you are not perfect."

Scylla laughed weakly, amused by this form of intimidation. She stopped laughing a few moments later, her eyes blazing with joy and fury as she growled, "Whyyy, if it isn't a demigod, descending from Paradise to mingle with the commoners."

The coyote blinked. "We have a mission; and it iz to serve Mazter!"

Scylla rolled her eyes sarcastically as she smirked. "That was the universe's mission? Oh, I feel simply awful." A crack of thunder filled the air. "Must've slipped my mind."

"That's NO EXCUZE TO DISOBEYING MAZTER!!" The Coyote screeched.

That's what I was afraid of. Scylla thought, before smirking and giving a death glare to the coyote. "Well, it's disgusting to see a Bloodthroat think that they are perfect just because their master is. Such as Zielo, and he is -"

"Perfect?" The coyote suggested.

Scylla shuddered. "No, not perfect. Not since he fell to sin."

"Mazter IS PERFECT!!"

Scylla grimaced at the claim. "No one's perfect, not even the god of whatever you call it. That's a stupid claim." Scylla turned around and limped away.

"Don't turn your back on Mazter!" The coyote howled.

Scylla turned her head slightly, rolling her eyes sarcastically as she purred, "Oh no, Antoine, perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on your values."

Antoine let out a bloodthirsty shriek, diving towards Scylla as she dodged the attack. As a returning move, Scylla scratched the coyote harshly. Feeling her feet getting grabbed by some sort of tentacle, Scylla jumped onto an intact rooftop. She scanned the area below her, already picking up on a few details. First off, the location of the Bloodthroat's mark was on his...ugh, tongue. Blech. Second, Antoine was using some kind of updated version of his illusions. Third, the Bloodthroat was too powerful for Scylla to defeat on her own. At least without the necessary resources to save Antoine's soul. So, Scylla made the only choice she could make without bloodshed.

Scylla retreated, quickly and weakly teleporting to the submerged Angel Island.

Some Galahs Go On an Inky Mission: Chapter 4

Third Person POV

"A voice, a soul. The ink speaks to me." The Ink Demon growled.

"Oh yeah? What does it tell you?" Alinta replied sarcastically.

"It whispers your secrets."

Alinta's eye twitched while Audra squeaked in fear and hid behind Alinta. Alinta pretended that she didn't notice, while deep down she liked being relied on to protect her little crush. Alinta muttered in response to the thing the Ink Demon said, "Well, crap. Didn't expect that to happen so soon." They kept walking. Alinta and Audra go through a vent.

While they were in the vent, the Ink Demon asked, "Who are you?"

"Don't answer that question." Alinta hissed, covering Audra's mouth. "It's a trap. If it knows your name, it'll try to kill us faster." Audra nodded, and they kept moving.

"Tell me your sweet name, that I may devour it."

"Heavens, no. I'd rather keep my soul, thank you." The two teens got out of the vent, entering a room with another hall downstairs. As Alinta and Audra quickly entered the hall, the lights flickered. "Oh, that's nice. That's not creepy at all." Alinta said sarcastically. They went down the hallway and Audra attempted to pull the switch as Alinta leaned against the door. Suddenly, the Ink Demon showed up. Alinta and Audra start to panic as they tried to do their current task. "Audra, hurry up and open the goddamn door!" Alinta shouted.

"I'm trying!" Audra replied in earnest. She pulled down the switch and ran towards the door. Alinta got in first; Audra second. They slammed the door on the Ink Demon's hand, and watched nervously as it slithered away. Audra looks at Alinta and asked, "Is that..."

"Yes, it is the Ink Demon." Alinta whispers. "Come on, let's go get those pictures."

Eventually (after searching around and hiding), Audra and Alinta found all the pictures and quickly returned to the room. As soon as they finished putting the canvases, however, the Lost One attacked. Audra and Alinta quickly took it down and ran into the hall. Alinta picked up a note, read it, and set it down. "Well, that explains it." They moved on.

Soon, they reached a room with a few projectors. Audra turned one on, and it showed a few pictures of Bendy with a flower. Audra said, "Aww, it's Bendy!! He's so adorable! But it makes me wish that Bendy was still around."

"Oh, he's still around." Alinta muttered under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Suspicious..." Audra looked at the projectors in the glass window, then at the pictures being projected. She got an idea. "Alinta, be the lookout. I'm going to try something."

Alinta said, "Okay."

Audra ran into the room and looked at the screens. "Okay, so... what's the context of this?" She looked around and saw the audio device from the whole...thing. She shuddered and cautiously walked towards it.

Five seconds later...

Audra's finally unlocked the code. It was 2-3-5. She entered the code as she shouts, "Alinta!! I've finally unlocked the door!"

Alinta walked over, stretching her arms as she said, "Good. Let's move as quickly so we can avoid the Ink Demon."

They walked through the door and the hall, and entered a room. They read the scrawling. "'She was the fourth'? Of what????" Audra asked.

"My guess is the Butcher Gang." Alinta said. She played the tape. After it was done playing, she said, "Welp, I'm right."

"Uhhh, the Ghost Girl is gone." Audra says nervously.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?"

"Yeah, um, I opened the crate and saw the terror the ghost is, and when I looked away for a second, she was gone."

"...Audra."

"Yeah?"

"You're paying me 100 bucks for this after the mission."

"Dang it!"

The two went through two doors when Carly had happened to swing a dagger at them, forcing them to dodge. "Goddamn son of a bitch!" Alinta cursed.

"Watch your language!" Audra scolded. They opened another door and walked towards the next room.

"Too many rooms to keep track of." Alinta muttered. Audra and Alinta went through a big pipe and entered a hallway. What they found in the room ahead were broken chains.

"Who could have possibly been through here?" Audra asked.

"Kaiso..." Alinta whispered. "We're on her tail."

Audra ended up helping Alinta across the chasm. They went into the next room and went through an empty pipe that led down to the previous floor. "Dang it!" Audra growled.

"Don't worry, I have the portal balls." Alinta said, pulling out a few multicolored balls.

"Nah, let's keep moving." Audra said.

Five minutes later...

The two girls went through Animation Alley and entered a room that said, "They Crawl", and the Ink Demon gurgled, "The deep abyss remembers you."

"What are you doing?" Audra whispers.

"Shush, this'll be useful later. Trust me." Alinta hissed.

The Ink Demon continued, "Alinta and Audra."

"Shhhhiiit. He knows our names now." Alinta cursed as Audra extended her claws.

"Children of the darkness."

"I am, she's not." Alinta said. "Where's Kaiso in this bullshit?"

"I found a code for the door!" Audra yelped, already decoding the combination lock for the door.

Alinta upgraded her wrench as she said, "Great, let's go!" They entered the next room. As Alinta charged the Gent Pipe, she said, "Damn those secure spaces."

As they unlocked the door and walked through the hall, Audra got ahead of Alinta. Five seconds later, she said, "Searchers! Searchers!"

"Wha-How!!!????" Alinta asked. "Run!!"

Alinta and Audra ran for their lives, dodging the Searchers until they reached an open room. The Searchers left them alone, but a Lost One appeared out of the ink. Audra cut it down with a single claw, cutting the Lost One's neck. "We're in the same room!" Audra whined.

However, Alinta had left Audra alone. Alinta was in Animation Alley, killing off the many Lost Ones in the room and in the hall before that.

26 minutes later...

Audra and Alinta entered a hallway that said, "The Keepers See Everything."

"Ha! No, they didn't, otherwise, they'd be on our tail right now." Alinta said. The two girls went down the hall when suddenly:

"Your journey will end as you are consumed into my dark kingdom."

"Is that a threat?" Alinta growled, flames burning off of her back in response to the sentence.

"Here, you will find meaning to your pain!"

"Shut up! You don't know what we've been through!" Audra hissed.

And then the way to the elevators closed. "Motherfu-"

"Don't finish that sentence. We'll go another way into the elevators." Audra promised. Alinta and Audra then entered a lobby called Artist' Rest. It was full of Lost Ones.

"Dangnabbit!" Alinta cursed.

The Slicer jumpscare returned again. "Noooope, we're not doing that again." Audra said, lifting both herself and Alinta into the air with air magic. Audra then got an idea. "Alinta, as soon as I send you down to the switch all the way over there, I'll guard you while you flip the switch and run to a hiding spot. You understand?"

"Okay, let's do this." Alinta agreed.

Audra flew the two over to the other side of the lobby, and dropped Alinta off at the control panel. Audra had then started to create a tornado to suck up all of the Lost Ones, effectively destroying them. Alinta flipped the switch and ran as Audra followed after her with a teleportation device. As soon as they reached a closed off room with a small window. Audra shoved Alinta in with a whisper, "The Ink Demon's back!"

"Shit!" Alinta hissed. "Grab my hand!" Audra grabbed Alinta's hand and got dragged in the room just as the Ink Demon had almost grabbed Audra's leg. But...

Mango's Adventures in Angst-Land: Chapter 6

(Author's Note: <insert devil laughter here> I push people into portals now! SHORT CHAPTERS UNITE!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA -)

After hours of trying to calm Kiui and logging into a game/tv show called the Amazing Digital Circus (via Kiui's "harmless" hacking), Kiui made a huge portal machine that could send Mango to the Amazing Digital Circus universe. Before Mango could figure out how long it would take for her to get back, Kiui pulled her aside and growled, "Mango, we have a week before we have to meet up with Queen Ningyo and discuss the missing Mercats, so I want you back here in a day."

"But -"

"Don't worry, I have a microphone and headphones installed." Kiui said.

"Wha -" The portal opened, sucking Mango in. "KIUI -"

"Have fuuuun!" Kiui waved cheerfully after her sister.

The Blizzard: Chapter 2

(Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter is short, guys! The next chapter will be longer, I promise!)

"YOU SURE THIS IS GOING TO WORK?!" Demetria shouted as she started summoning every last bit of her concentration.

"FOCUS ON THE TASK!" Scylla shouted back, fighting the ice yeti.

Right. Trust the plan. Demetria turned around and held out her hands, closing her eyes and imagining that the storm disperses. That only made it worse.

Scylla yelped as the yeti grew bigger. "DEMETRIA!"

"I'M TRYING!" Demetria whined.

"THEN DON'T FORGET TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"

Demetria started to gather her beliefs in fighting for justice, since it was feels more natural to do so than believe in herself. Eventually, the blizzard eased up to the point where the sun was visible once more. The ice yeti melted, releasing shrieks that would sound ridiculous if it didn't hurt Scylla and Demetria's ears.

"Thank god that it's over!" Demetria gasped, her vision quickly dimming.

"So, you're thanking me?" Scylla joked, yelping as she tried to walk towards the Froster. Nonetheless, Scylla made it just in time to catch Demetria as she fell unconscious.

Mango's Adventures in Angst-Land: Chapter 11

(Author's Note: Deck the halls with boughs of holly falalalala -)

"What?"

"You heard me! Do you remember that different universes have different time zones?" Mango sassed.

In true karma fashion, an Abstraction slithered up to Scylla. When Scylla looked at it, it starts to squeak, "Squeaky squeakatty-squeakins." Scylla nods.

Much like a cat, Mango freaks out. "AAAAAAAAAA -"

Scylla growled, asking Mango, "Then why are you here -"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA -" Mango continued screaming.

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Meanwhile, in Mango's home dimension, Kiui sighed as Hikari rushed into the room, shouting, "What happened?! Where's Mango?! Is everything okay? Do I need to -" Hikari paused her worried tirade, looking at a very calm eleven-year-old, who said, "Mom, I think Mango needs therapy."

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Scylla asked the Abstraction, "Oscar, can you please calm Mango down for me, please?"

Oscar nodded, slithering up to Mango. "Squeak -"

HISS!!

Mango bared her teeth, her tail puffing in fear as she tried to look bigger in front of the larger Abstraction. This turned into a huge fight between the two gremlins. Scylla smiled, secretly missing the little family play-fights they had half the time.

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 10

Everyone started protesting.

"WHAT?!!!"

"WE CAN'T JUST DO THAT!!!"

"WHY SHOULD WE BE LEAVING???!!!"

"THIS IS OUR HOME!"

"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING OUT THERE?!"

Scylla rubbed her temples, telepathically shouting with a burst of authority, STOP! 

Everyone quieted down, shivering in fear. Scylla said softly, "We have to make sure that the Sons of Heephis aren't heading towards a trap. During the time I listened to their thoughts, they were heading towards the Ini Pyramid."

This led to a fearful silence. Sophia asked meekly, "Isn't the Ini Pyramid a dangerous place to go for a mission, though?"

Scylla nodded, speaking more authoritative voice, "Exactly. It's home to a Stage Three Soulless, who goes by the name of Anna Croi. If anything goes wrong, we need to have a plan in place."

A nervous tension filled the air. Sensing this, Scylla gently said, "We can come back to this topic at dusk, but for now, pack your valuables and destroy this watch house." Scylla got up and walked carefully out of the glass building, a sign that the meeting was over.

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At dusk, the Dark Gaia pack transformed into wolves and left the territory. The watch post was destroyed, as Scylla had ordered.

Scylla asked telepathically, "Does everyone have any ideas on a backup plan?"

None of the other pack members even looked at their alpha. Scylla sighed, feeling guilty for making the decision in the first place.

Aite nudged Scylla, telepathically saying reassuringly, "Let's hunt something first. No one's eaten anything today, so it might help to think it over a pile of dead scraps."

Scylla barked in laughter. "Are you making a joke out of Zielo's right hand man?"

"Maybe."

Adam, Diana, Sophia, and Ajal hid their laughter by running ahead. Scylla and Aite gave chase, telepathically shouting, "HEY! Wait up!"

The night was filled with the sounds of the Dark Gaia pack happily yipping and barking.

The Blizzard: Chapter 10/Epilogue

(Author's Note: IT'S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!!!!! Oh, and Ajalia belongs to a different story yet to be written, but she is very much a part of the story.)

Luckily, this wasn't a city or a castle, like it was a year ago. It was more of an accident, the trigger for it being the animatronics and the surroundings affected was a forest.

Demetria will never make fun of Ashley, Serenity, Ajalia, and Amaris's fear of animatronics ever again. She understood that feeling now, Demetria ran and ran, never looking back to see if the animatronics are following.

Meanwhile, the blizzard above storms over to other areas, frosting them in ice.

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Mango looked outside groggily. "Uhh... guys? Should it be snowing at twelve a.m. in the morning?"

"What?" A very-awake Kiui asked, also looking through a window. "HOLY SALMON, IT'S SNOWING OUTSIDE!"

Hikari walked into the kitchen, asking groggily, "What's all the fuss about, girls?"

"It's snowing outside, about 20 miles away from us." Mango reported.

"What in the name of the heavens have I gotten myself into?" Hikari muttered. "It's winter, I'm sure everything's fine." Mango gave her sister a knowing look, which Kiui understood immediately.

Kiui gasped, whipping her head to look at the blizzard. "Demetria made the blizzard?! But she only does that if..."

"She's fearful," Mango muttered.

Kiui looked at Mango. "What?"

THE END OF THE BLIZZARD.

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 7

Scylla jumped at the voice, turning around to see a Mobian Coyote - with the aura of a demigod. Scylla grew angry, spitting out the words, "So, your one of those DEMIGODS."

The coyote calmly tried to speak, confirming this before Scylla made an illusion and quickly left, hearing the coyote demigod "defeating" Scylla's little illusion.

Several hours later, Scylla transformed into her wolf/Dark Gaia hybrid form at night. Her ruby red eyes turned a gentle orchid color, her fur turned a navy blue, and her face had blue and violet markings, signifying that Scylla was a servant of Dark Gaia, not Zielo.

As per usual, Scylla's pack appeared in thin air, eager for the hunt in the desert tonight. Scylla's paws sunk into the desert sand like a pile of worms, and Scylla raised her head to the new moon, took a deep breath, and howled. The other Dark Gaia wolves joined Scylla's howling. To them, it meant that the hunt has started.

The Dark Gaia pack then ran off, the wind cooling their fur to a raven's feather-point. Scylla had never felt so alive before. It's like she actually belonged in the pack, and she wasn't discriminated because of her DNA.

Scylla was the alpha of the pack, guiding the pack away from the Soulless whenever possible. The hunt only lasted for a few hours, but by then the Dark Gaia pack were exhausted and needed a place to sleep. Scylla spotted a pyramid about ten miles east of where the wolves were standing, but the place felt like Zielo.

Scylla was concerned about her pack's safety, so she led the Dark Gaia pieces north, towards a dune where they could rest peacefully.

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A few months (?) later...

Scylla had ran. And ran and ran. That's all she knew how to do right now. She tripped over a rock, falling on her stomach. Black eyes darted to a cyan-eyed hedgehog. Zielo. Scylla's black eyes swiveled towards a horde of Soulless behind Zielo. For the sixth time this month, this nightmare actually scared Scylla. Flipping onto her back, Scylla whispered in a distorted, scared voice, "Please, just let them go. You could have chosen something else to be your minions."

Zielo held no expression, saying in a bored voice, "Did you forget that I'm your God?"

Scylla grew enraged, blue-violet lightning striking the ground as Scylla shouted, "I am not your little puppet, and you do NOT reign over me, you psychopath!"

Zielo shouted in a very enraged voice, "YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT GOD!!"

Scylla's voice distorted into a very unrecognizable voice as she shouts back, "THEN WHY DO YOU DISRESPECT YOUR PEOPLE? IS IT BECAUSE OF THAT PARASITE SSSSSIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN?"

"SILENCE!"

"NO! ANSWER THE QUESTION, ZIELO THE HEDGEHOG!"

Scylla saw what looked like tainted versions of Sonic, Silver, and Shadow, and it shook her to the core. These...Tainted...versions of the hedgehogs had sharp teeth, claws with blood on them, and looked particularly insane.

Scylla went from rage to concern and fear. Turning to Zielo, Scylla shouted, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE SONS OF HEEPHIS?"

Zielo smirked. "I didn't do anything. They only did it to themselves."

Scylla stood up and backed away from them, her EXE form overpowering her instincts. She fell deeper and deeper into the overwhelming rage and fear.

Unable to take the pain of it anymore, she screamed.

Scarlet Pokemon Adventures

(This is based on the second part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC)

Arriving at the Blueberry Academy, Akari and Director Cyrano were soon met with two female students. One had pink hair and brown eyes, and the other had kiwi-colored eyes and banana-blonde hair. The pink-haired student had answered Akari's question with, "Director Cyrano and Director Clavell got to know each other through their postgraduate work at the same university. Or at least that's what I've heard!" The blonde-haired student looked at Akari Cobra curiously, but as Akari made eye contact with the student, she turned away to look at the stands. The entire school was surrounded by the sea, and was also blue. The kiwi-eyed student often wondered if it was a defense mechanism for the school to be colored this way.

Director Cyrano exclaimed, "Yes! Right! Exactly! Took the words right out of my mouth. Always on point, aren't you, Lacey?"

"Oh, no, it was nothing..." Lacey replied. "Do we have a guest today?"

The blonde-haired student snapped to attention, gesturing to Akari Cobra as she shouts, "ARE WE DUMB??? That's CLEARLY a guest!!!"

"There's no need to be so rude, Kiui." Lacey snapped.

"H-huh? I'm just proving a point! Visitor or not, she's still a guest!" Kiui defends herself. Turning to Cyrano, Kiui begs, "Right, Director?"

Director Cyrano laughs, replying with, "Kiui's right." He then answered Lacey's question. "Akari Cobra is here as part of the exchange program. Make her welcome, eh?"

Kiui's eyes widened to look as big as dinner plates in surprise, muttering, "Well, glitch my neurons..." 

Lacey blurted out, "Hold on - this is the exchange student from the Paldea region?!" 

Kiui looked dumbfounded, holding up her hands in question as she asked, "Okay, what's going on? I have a million questions right now, and I want to shove them for later, if I wasn't so clueless right this second!" 

Kiui's questions was ignored as Lacey turned to Akari and introduces herself, "I suppose I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Lacey - one of the second-year students here!" 

Kiui also introduced herself, "My name's Kiui, one of the first-year students in Blueberry Academy. I'm surprised you'd get here as soon as the school turned into a tense environment for students and teachers alike." 

Akari looked confused, but before she could ask, Lacey said, "You must be really special, you know. It's rare for Director Cyrano to remember the name of a new student." 

Kiui murmured, "That...I can confirm."

Director Cyrano jokes, "Hah! Just call me out, why don't you!" Kiui hissed like a Skitty, then covered her mouth as her spirits lowered in embarrassment. Akari managed to hide a chuckle. Kiui was quite an interesting... character, to say the least. "Actually, why don't you explain how things work around here, Lacey." Kiui smirked, before Cyrano added. "And Kiui will help Akari Cobra get settled."

Kiui groaned. "Seriously??? I thought I was gonna enjoy the chaos, not be a part of it!"

Lacey asked, "You... you want ME to do it?!"

Cyrano replied, "Well, yeah. You know this tour-guide stuff isn't my strong suit!"

Lacey reasoned, "Well, that's certainly true... But still, I imagine there must be more suitable than me."

Kiui said, "She has a point."

Akari looked a little upset and confused at this, asking, "So, you don't want to show me around?"

Lacey reassured her, "Oh, please don't take it like - It's not that I don't want to show you around or any thing!"

Kiui said, "What Lacey means is that she doesn't think that she is capable of doing such a task, although she is one of the Elite Four here and has more capability than most to do something so simple as to take a new student - as well as an exchange student - out on a school tour."

Lacey continues, "Director Cyrano just has this bad habit of pushing his duties onto me, you see."

Kiui nodded, adding to her previous statement with, "Also that."

Lacey turns to Director Cyrano, pulling her arms to make a x-shape as she scolded, "And it's just not right!"

Director Cyrano shook his head exasperatingly, saying, "Really letting me have it today, aren't you?"

Lacey then took it into consideration. "That being said... this might be my chance to get to know the new student everyone's talking about before anyone else can..."

Kiui looked disgruntled. "ExCUSE me! I'm right here!"

"That decides it! I will take on this task!" Lacey decided. Kiui looked like she was gonna throw a Mach Punch at Lacey.

Akari and Director Cyrano nodded happily as the Director said, "Excellent!"

Lacey turned to Akari Cobra and announces, "Now then, let's head straight down this bridge and to the entrance! On you go!" Kiui walked next to Akari Cobra, happily looking around the place as if she hadn't seen it so many other times before. Kiui seems quite intent on doing her new job, and if Akari had read her expressions correctly, she would have said that Kiui was enjoying the scenery around them, although she looks quite...somber. Akari would have to confront Kiui about this later. She couldn't say much, however, because after a quick walk, they had reached the entrance of the school. Behind the two, Director Cyrano and Lacey walked up to them, Lacey narrating, "This is the entrance to Blueberry Academy. Our school puts a great emphasis on the art of Pokemon battling. We hold official matches on this central court right here at the entrance - and any student can freely utilize this court if it's not otherwise in use." Akari and Kiui look over at Lacey as she clasped her hands together and exclaiming, "I think it's safe to say that you'll be battling more here than in any school!"

"Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself!" Director Cyrano praised, causing Kiui to squeak in surprise. Obviously, she forgot that he was there.

Lacey suggested, "Director Cyrano... I think perhaps it's fine if you just leave the tour to me."

Kiui shouts, "HA!"

Lacey continues, "Still...it's really relaxing here, with the sea breeze blowing over you. Even when no one is battling, you often see students lazing about in the stands. Oh, oh, oh! And there's one other quality of our school that you'll likely find very surprising!" Lacey crosses her arms. "Wild Pokemon sometimes Terastallize here!"

Kiui looks at Lacey and gestures to Akari as Kiui said, "Uhh, isn't she from Paldea, where Pokemon already do that?" Akari nodded in agreement, exclaiming, "Really!"

Lacey said, "Oh. I suppose that's not anything special to someone from Paldea, is it?"

Akari shook her head, replying, "No, it's really not." Kiui made a smug look at Lacey.

Cyrano added, "The Terastal phenomenon was first found the Paldea region, after all. But we've taken it a step further than you and your Tera Orbs."

Kiui asked, "Why does that sound menacing?"

Cyrano continued, "We've developed some neat tech ourselves - something that lets us control the Terastal phenomenon ourselves on our own turf!" Akari looks surprised. Director Cyrano asks, "I bet that piques your interest, doesn't it?"

Kiui muttered, "Oh, please, technology's improving and changing every day. There is no way that Akari would be -"

"Yes, it does!" Akari answers.

"Damn it."

"Um, sir, I think it will be easier to understand how all that works after we go to the lower level." Lacey pointed out. "If you could put a little pin on that thought?"

Kiui said, "I agree with Lacey, sir."

"Always thinking ahead - that's our Lacey!" Cyrano praised.

Kiui sighed. "Not this again..."

Looking between Lacey and Akari Cobra, the Director casually suggested, "Oh! You know what? I think it'd be great if the two of you had a battle!"

"Wha-?! Right now?!" Lacey asked nervously.

Kiui demanded, "Yeah, sir. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not? I'd like to see what Akari Cobra here is capable of." Cyrano said. "And our Lacey is a member of the Elite Four in the League Club we have going here. To say nothing of the influence of her father - one of the Unova regions famed Gym Leaders! I bet you'll learn a thing or two!"

Kiui looked so done with the Director as she muttered sarcastically, "Wooow. That's my swan song."

Lacey looked annoyed as she growled, "Oh, I wish you wouldn't go spreading personal information without asking first!" She proceeds to make the same x-shape from earlier as she said, "It's just not right!"

Director Cyrano walks off as he cheerfully said, "Now, give me a good show now, you two!"

Lacey said apologetically to Akari Cobra, "I'm sorry, but...there's no negotiating with Director Cyrano once he gets an idea in his head. There's no way that he'll move on with the tour until we've given him his battle. Besides, I have to admit I'm a little excited myself at the chance to battle you! Here at Blueberry Academy, we tend to go for Double Battles. Let's give one a try to get to know each other a little better!"

"Bring it on!" Akari challenged. "I won't go easy on you."

"Oooooh, I like this kid." Kiui muttered, standing in front of the front desk to keep a fresh eye on the battle. Soon there was a huge Double Battle going on. Kiui watched intently as a flurry of Pokemon moves and dodging happened. Eventually, Akari Cobra won. "Wow," Kiui whispered. "No wonder she's called a cobra. Every move she lands is like a venomous bite digging into her opponent's skin."

Lacey praises Akari Cobra with, "Well, you beat me soundly!" As Lacey walks up to Akari, she said, "Spectacular! You really are quite skilled. I wish I could have seen you Terastallize one of your Pokemon, though. I'd love to see how someone from Paldea does it! The students here at Blueberry Academy were only recently issued Tera Orbs, so I hope you'll be able to teach us more about them."

Director Cyrano says as he walks up to Lacey and Akari Cobra, "Well done to the both of you! You really battled it out Blueberry-style." Akari attempts to look for Kiui, but she wasn't anywhere in sight. Cyrano continues, "Speaking of style... I forgot I had a uniform for you! You'll feel like you fit in as soon as you're dressing the part!" Akari Cobra receives the official uniform and changes her outfit just to wear it.

Lacey exclaims, "It suits you perfectly!"

Director Cyrano proudly said, "Now that's what I call fashion! Oh, and you can take this as well." Akari received a card called the Indigo Style Card. Director Cyrano explains, "That should give you a few more options when you visit shops and salons and such in Paldea!"

"Now that you look the part - and hopefully feel it too - why don't we head into the school?" Lacey suggested. "You can pick where you want to go from the gates over there." When Akari looks hesitant, Lacey says encouragingly, "Come on! I can show you the pride of Blueberry Academy: our world-famous Terarium!"

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As Akari Cobra strode into the Terarium, the blinding light caused her to raise a hand to block it. As she took a moment to let her eyes adjust, Director Cyrano and Lacey walked towards Akari, taking their places from either next to or behind Akari Cobra. Lacey said, "This is it. The park beneath the sea that has gained renown around the world... Our own Terarium! We may be underwater, but the projectors built into the walls and ceiling make it feel like we're actually outside, don't they? We've been able to create a comfortable environment for Pokemon through technology!"

Director Cyrano says, "I designed all this myself! And believe me - it wasn't cheap."

Lacey explains, "Within this dome, there are four distinct biomes." Gesturing to the land in front of them, she continues, "Here we have the nice and toasty subtropical Savannah Biome." Pointing to the right, Lacey added, "Then, off to your right, you can see the breezy, tropical Coastal Biome." Waving to the left, (I think we all know the drill), "Further out to your left, you'll see the craggy, crunchy, ragged Canyon Biome." Motioning ahead of the Savannah Biome, Lacey says, "Last but not, waaay out in the distance, we have the artic and snowy Polar Biome!" Turning to Akari Cobra, Lacey said, "Each biome's air temperature and humidity levels are regulated with the utmost care. That's why you can find completely different Pokemon species living in each area!"

Director Cyrano says, "We sure put a lot of effort into it!"

Lacey asks, "Tell me, Akari Cobra, which biome tickles your fancy off the bat?"

"The snowy Polar Biome." Akari answered.

"Oh, so you like it cold, don't you?" Lacey asked.

"Yep! Sure do."

Lacey says, "I'm not very good with the cold myself, but the Ice-type Pokemon can be awfully cute!" Gesturing to a resting place nearby, Lacey continues, "If you need to heal up your team while you're down here, feel free to use the self-serve healing machines we've installed around the Terarium." Lacey turns to Director Cyrano. "Now then. Director Cyrano... Can you explain to us why crystals form here, and how the wild Pokemon are able to Terastallize?"

Cyrano asks in a surprised voice, "I - huh? But don't you know already, Lacey, that..." He pauses, then realizes, "Oooh, I get it! You want me to do the talking." He says, "In that case, let me show you - the reason is actually right above our heads!" Akari looks up to see a large green ball in the middle of the dome above them. Cyrano explains, "That there is the Terarium Core, which presides over all that happens in the Terarium. It contains a fluid that we've jam-packed full of a special material from Paldea. It's constantly emitting Terastal energy - that's what allows Pokemon to Terastallize in the dome!"

Lacey exclaimed, "Wonderful! Well said, sir! That's exactly right!" She turns to the Director. "Though...I still don't know what that 'special material' is, within the Terarium Core itself. It's never been shared publicly, has it?"

Director Cyrano replied, "Ohoho, you want to know? Well, in fact, it's..." He then looked confused. "It's... Now what was it? I've plumb forgotten. Briar put all of it together, so I'm not certain myself."

Lacey looked disappointed. "That's...what I thought you might say."

The school bell rang, with an announcement that said, "Practical battle class will commence shortly in the Coastal Biome. Students participating in this class should make their way to the Coastal Biome now." The class bell rang, signaling the end of announcements.

Lacey exclaims, "Oh! It looks like you're just in time to see a class session too!" She turns to Akari Cobra. "This is too good of a chance to pass up. Won't you join us, Akari Cobra? You can get your first taste of our school's classes."

Akari replies, "Yes! I'd love to!"

Lacey giggles. "I do love to see that sort of passion for education! I'll go ahead and register the Terarium map to your Rotom phone for you."

Boom! Installed.

Lacey said, "It's fun to take a stroll through the Terarium on your own, and I think I'd be more of a hassle than anything if you had me holding your hand... So, yup, that settles it! Please find your way to the class site in the Coastal Biome on your own!"

Director Cyrano says, "Well, doesn't seem like I'm needed here."

Lacey, afraid to hurt the director's feelings, starts to say, "Wait, sir, you don't -"

"But I've made sure that a dorm room has been all set up, Akari Cobra, so don't forget to give it a visit later!" Director Cyrano interrupted. "Oh yes, and one other thing: Could you open your Pokedex app for me?" Akari Cobra complied and opened up her Rotom phone to this app, recieving the Blueberry Pokedex on the app. Director Cyrano turned to face the way he came. "Catch as many Pokemon here in the Terarium as you please - don't be afraid to go Sawsbuck-wild!" As he leaves the Terarium, he said, "It's your student life here at Blueberry Academy, so remember to live it up to the fullest!"

Lacey says, "And there he goes..." She then determinately said, "Well, you can at least count on me to be around when you need me, so there's no call for concern!" Lacey turned to get ready to run. "It's probably time we both head to class! I'll be waiting for you to join us in the Coastal Biome!" Lacey sprints away.

REST OF THE POKEMON FANFIC HERE!!!!