Predator - Hounds and Dragons

Gary was on a roll, "Haxorus lift this stone quick."

Haxorus who was used to his enthusiasm nodded, "Rus hax."

Alakazam muttered, -I kind of pity Urrr'kiel.-

Altaria looked at him then huffed as she decided it was too late at night to bother herself with this and tucked her head into her plumage to sleep. Gary's eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw the luminescent moss and bugs under the stone. Urrr'kiel watched in exasperation and Orr'tiet was watching Gary in fascination as he started to analyze the samples. The three Pokemon though had enough and started to nag him to sleep first and do the experiments later. Gary acquised to their demands after they used their puppy eyes to beg him to rest.

Ash on the other hand was already asleep surrounded by the Pokemon much to Raai'kiel's relief. The second day would be very hectic for them, they would be releasing the hounds. Both Raai'kiel and Urrr'kiel had the feeling the hounds would be tamed by the two instead of hunting the two. Raai'kiel turned to look at the beast tamer Taa'kiet who looked very excited to see how the humans would deal with the hunting hounds. The brothers looked at each other wondering if they should say something before deciding not to ruin any surprises their mates had for the rest of them.

The next day Ash woke up to a loud siren going off and Lucario grumbling under his breath about annoying alarms. Ash pat his Pokemon in comfort getting up and stretching himself doing their morning routine before leaving the lair. He took in the fresh air not feeling the need to hurry while Lucario informed them through the bond about how a few cages had been added. Ash hummed, it was probably the hunting hounds that were unleashed and wondered how to deal with those hounds. Should he kill them or should he take them?

Lucario, -They are dogs at the end of the day.-

Pikachu, "Pikapi."

Trevenant, "Nant."

Ash, "Tame them then. I mean I just killed yesterday so how about we get ourselves a pet today. But somehow I get the feeling that will be more challenging. Dogs are loyal after all."

Raai'kiel though was worried, 'This will be bloody.'

Taa'kiet was amused, "We will see who gets tamed or hunted first."

As they traveled through the wilderness, Lucario picked up sounds of something rushing towards them. They were coming from up North and towards them in high speed, they would reach them in a few minutes. Trevenant who had been quiet so far asked to try something first and Ash agreed to it as long as he doesn't get hurt. Trevenant hummed as he entered the shadows again and started to move the trees around before appearing again.

Ash chuckled, "Leave some for us, darling. I will be bored otherwise."

Trevenant, "Ven nant."

After a few seconds a dozen of hunting hounds appeared. Four of the large hounds were caught by the vine traps being bound and held firmly. Eight of them though looked between their trapped packs and the four of them snarling and growling. Ash though was making a face at the smell, he remembers the Predator movie about the game planet and how smelly it looked. But real life was worse, they smelled like wet dogs, dried fish and rotten meat all at once. Ash wished he had Blastoise or any of the other water Pokemon with him but it was too late now.

Lucario, -Well, isn't this just droll?-

Ash took out his lance a gift from Red, "Yes, looks like we are battling."

Pikachu's cheek sparked, "Pika."

Raai'kiel perked up on the ship, 'A battle.'

Taa'kiet, "This should be interesting."

Yagouti looked worried though, she had become very fond of the gentle humans, 'I hope they will be ok.'

The Elders were watching in interest as Ash and his Pokemon worked together to fight against the hunting hounds. They did not kill the hounds, but knocked three of them out, well the little electric mouse knocked them out. There were murmurs among the Elders and a few were questioning if it should be counted as a group win or solo. Raai'kiel watched as his mate danced around with Lucario following his lead and moving to fight them as a tag team. The two looked like one as they fought with the hounds and knocked them out.

Ash hissed, 'That was a little too close.'

Lucario, -Meema, your leg.-

Ash, "One of them managed to scratch me."

Trevenant made him sit, "Nant, trev venan, trevenant."

Ash, "It stings a little but let's not jump to conclusions."

Trevenant nodded and took off the leg armour and started to check the scratch which turned out to be a deep cut. Ash twitched as his grass type Pokemon started to clean the cut and made sure it was not infected. Raai'kiel watched in interest as Trevenant plucked some of his leaves and started to prepare a paste using some of the other plants available around them. Taa'kiet recognized those plants and muttered their names and uses in the medical field. He had to collect those plants as punishment once and had inadvertently learned of their uses.

Ash, "That was a very interesting second day."

Lucario, -Understatement Meema.-

Ash laughed and then hissed as the paste was applied, 'I'm just glad no one else is hurt.'

Yagouti seeing he was fine released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her sister nudged her amused by the care she was showing the human. Yagouti clicked at her sister feeling annoyed, her sister had been teasing her about having a crush on the human nrak'ytara. In reality she was just returning the kindness she had been given by both of them back in the ship. She had been curious when she heard her Elder Elite ask for a training spot for his mate and his cubs and gone to watch.

Yagouti had watched from a corner of the training room as they fought each other and used some very interesting techniques. She had been so immersed she didn't notice a stray lightning attack heading her and shocking her. She had screamed from the pain and the shock, her nerves feeling like it was on fire, before she blacked out. The next thing she knew was being tended to by the human who was being helped by Raai'kiel and the other Pokemon. She had learned they were called Pokemon after listening to them speak to each other.

Ash was explaining to her what happened and that she would be fine, just bed ridden for a few hours. The human admitted to being impressed by her recovery rate telling her how he remembered the first time he was shocked during training. He had been bed ridden for the whole day and that made Yagouti blanch, no wonder the human did not seem to bat an eye at them. They were used to dealing with creatures who were obviously and biologically stronger than them. It had made her very curious about the humans race and she would watch them train whenever she was able to.

At one point after landing home, Ash and Gary even invited her to train alongside them and then she saw for the first time how dangerous and destructive Pokemon were. Yagouti had from that moment garnered a healthy dose of respect for her Elder's mate, not to forget, they were the ones who raised the Pokemon. She was tempted to request training from them for herself and her future cubs but refrained from saying anything. She was not sure if she would be over stepping by doing so, although both humans offered to train with her. Urrr'kiel grumbled under his breath but did not fight against his mate's decision and agreed for Yagouti to join them.

It had been a very interesting week all the way up to the initiation especially with the strict demands the human nrak'ytara had. She had felt like a cub all over again when Ash had pulled her along through his training with no weapons only bare hands and feet. She thought she could deal with it, after all Yautja were biologically stronger than humans but then the Pokemon joined in and she had her ass handed to her. That was embarrassing but the two nrak'ytara did not mock her, instead they pulled her to her feet and told her to keep going.

Lucario, -So what do we do with them?-

Ash, "Well, how about a thorough wash first? I just can't stand that smell. Urk! It's a special brand of torture for those with enhanced sense of smell."

Pikachu, "Pika pikaaaapi pika."

Ash rubbed Pikachu's chin, "You can say that again buddy. Good thing none of the Dragon type trainers are here or they would be bitching a fit over this. Probably kill them, without a thought too."

Trevenant snorted, "Nant trev."

Ash, "Yeah, you can say that again."

Too'kiet turned to Raai'kiel, "I suppose you understand what they are saying?"

Raai'kiel hummed, "Only if they allow you to otherwise it's hard to understand. The language is complicated and has many phrases that may seem simple on the surface but has a deeper meaning."

Urrr'kiel had a glint in his eyes, "Indeed, it's interesting though not my style. I will admit it's a good way to keep spies confused."

Gary meanwhile was catching the hounds using earth traps, both humans had kept the hounds alive. The hounds tried to jump and get out of the pit holes but Altaria made it difficult for them to do so using gust to cover the walls with sand. Gary though was very fascinated by the hounds, though he could do without the smell, poor Ash probably had it worse than him. Alakazam simply sighed on realizing where his trainer's thought process was going and lit a candle for the unfortunate hounds that were caught. The psychic type knew how stubborn his partner could be and once he has decided on something he would stick to it.

Gary, "Haxorus rain dance, give them a thorough bath to get rid of the smell."

Haxorus nodded and started to use rain dance, "Rus hax haxorus."

Gary hummed as the water started to fill the pits, "Altaria use sunny day to dry the water in the mean time. We can't have them catching hypothermia or drowning on us."

Altaria cooed and then flew to the air making the surroundings glowed bright, "Riaaa ~"

Taa'kiet who was watching both scenes turned to the brothers, "I really hope I am not loosing all my hounds to those two."

Urrr'kiel, "He will return them."

Raai'kiel, "My mate just hates the smell but he will return them too. He is not a hunter nor is he interested in killing. Neither of them are actually, they are more inclined to be a nrak'ytara."

Yagouti clicked, "Don't let that fool anyone though. They can easily be a powerful hunter if they chose it."

Taa'kiet turned his eyes back to the screen twitching when his hounds were acting submissive, "And apparently a tamer too. I wish to call the hounds back."

Both Gary and Ash had washed the hounds, Alakazam and Trevenant held them up as Gary and Ash scrubbed them clean. Ash was just glad they were allowed to carry their capsules on them and no one bothered to remove them. It reminded both of the many times they had to deal with with raging Pokemon who calmed down after a nice long bath filled with massages and wash. It seems the hounds were no different, they calmed down after being thoroughly scrubbed and massaged, who knew.

Ash, "Heh, they are adorable when they don't attack you or smell like garbage."

Lucario, -Pity they are not Pokemon though.-

Pikachu's ears perked up, "Pika?"

Ash heard the whistle as well and the hounds started to get restless, "Guess they are being called back. Let them go buddy."

Trevenant nodded and released the hounds who started to rush away from the area they were in. Gary at his corner was pouting when the hounds rushed away after hearing the loud whistle. Haxorus and Altaria had winced on hearing the high pitched whistle and Alakazam had held Gary back as the hounds rushed off.

Gary pouted, "Maybe we can ask to research them later."

Alakazam nodded, -Yes, we can.-

Gary sighed, "I wonder how Ash is doing."

Alakazam, -I can feel Lucario's presence give kilometers North from here.-

Gary, "Awesome, let's go join him."

Ooo'kiet, "Looks like they will meet each other soon. How curious!"

Too'kiet, "Indeed, you would think they would search each other out first. That's what most groups do."

Raai'kiel, "Most groups are not consisted of humans and Pokemon. Many times humans spent time on their own with only their Pokemon for company."

Urrr'kiel, "It's even more prominent when they are training for something important to them on a personal level like a tournament or a Gym battle. At least that is what we observed."

Elder Too'kiet hummed, "I see, well this was going to be kept until the third day but it seems we have to unleash them today itself."

Taa'kiet agreed, "The hounds never stood a chance but perhaps the Moltoran will."

Raai'kiel and Urrr'kiel looked at each other warily, a Moltoran was as large as one of those Legendaries back on their mate's home planet. They could be a challenge to their mates or they could end up like the hounds, it was hard to decipher what the humans considered life threatening. Especially with the way some of the trainers would run after Pokemon who are obviously stronger and more powerful then them. The two of them still remember the Cyrus problem their mates had to deal with and how much trouble they went through to subdue him.

Ash heard a loud roar late in the afternoon, "Now what?"

Lucario looked up, -Is that a dragon?-

Pikachu, "Pika pika pikachu?"

Trevenant pointed at the Southern direction, "Tre trev ven."

Ash looked in the direction and perked up, "Gary, you are here."

Gary grinned waving, "Yo, Ash, looking good."

Ash rolled his eyes, "Yeah right. So, you have been busy I see."

Gary, "Can you blame me? These plants are fascinating."

Ash pointed at the giant flying lizard in the air, "So, how to deal with that?"

Gary, "Well, we could treat it like we are dealing Groudon or Kyogre."

Ash, "I still have nightmares about Team Magma and Team Aqua's ridiculous turf battles."

Gary, "Yeah, they were such meaningless fights it was not even funny."

Ash, "Here it comes!"

Gary, "Scatter!"

Lucario, -Hey, is it just me or did they up the difficulty level?-

Alakazam, -Not just you.-

Raai'kiel got up furious, "That is not a Moltoran. That is a Trannullla. Who released it?"

Yagouti, "We didn't but one of our rival clan's did."

Urrr'kiel clicked sharply, "Was it Baauli's clan? I would not put it past them to try and get revenge."

Merr'kuh, "I'll check. That Cjit has been trying to create trouble the last few days while the preparations were being made."

Gar'kuh snarled, "It is them. Things are going to get bloody."

Werr'kuh, "They are fighting."

They turned to the screen as Altaria's wings glowed and she tackled the giant lizard spit fire towards them. Ash cursed as he and Pikachu jumped away from the attack while Altaria tackled the monstrosity. Gary though was grinning ear to ear seeing how powerful the beast was. Lucario grumbled under his breath about adrenal junkies who could not differentiate between danger and fun. Though he was internally thankful his Meema had turned out to be calm and collected compared to Gary.

Ash, "Gary, can Alakazam send me up there?"

Gary, "Sure, why though?"

Ash, "I get a feeling that big guy has been drugged. Look at his eyes."

Gary, "I'm coming with you. If he is drugged maybe we can knock them out?"

Ash, "Or kill them. They don't look like they want to listen to reason."

Gary, "Well, if we are killing it. I'm keeping it."

Ash, "Go ahead. I would not have a clue what to do with it anyway."

Alakazam, -Prepare yourselves!-

Ash and Gary teleported and appeared above the dragon creature's head landing and holding on to it. It didn't seem like the dragon had noticed which raised alarm bells in Ash's head, no matter what you are, there should be a reaction of sorts. Ash looked at Gary who looked grim trying to hold on to the dragon who was fighting Altaria and Haxorus. It was very odd it did not even flinch but that was not important at the moment, neither Gary nor Ash wanted to watch the forest burn down in flames. That would piss Trevenant off and make the next few days complicated for both of them, especially with another clan interfering.

Ash, "Aura sphere."

That got every observer's attention as Ash used the Aura ball and pressed it against the head, eyebrows frowning. They had heard snippets about Aura from the brothers and how very few humans could use it although the Pokemon used it everyday. It was however fascinating to watch it in action, Ash though was not having a good day as he got a rough reading on what was happening. Gary called for Alakazam and both men teleported away from the dragon to where Trevenant was looking at the destruction with a dark eye.

Ash, "Not good. The big fella was drugged and instructed to kill or be killed. No option left for us."

Gary, "Pity, it's not even his call is it?"

Ash shook his head, "Sadly no."

Lucario, -Well this will be fun.-

Alakazam drawled, -Fun of course.-

Gary, "Altaria, Haxorus stop holding back. Use dragon breath and dragon pulse. Alakazam shield us."

Ash, "Trevenant confuse ray, Pikachu thunder wave, Lucario shadow ball."

Raai'kiel watched with tense shoulders as his mate directed his Pokemon to attack and paralyse the Trannullla. They were known for being almost impossible to tame and no amount of training could control them so most clans use them as game bait. Urrr'kiel was cursing under his breath beside his brother as he watched the grin on his mate's face slowly become forced. While they may have refrained from approaching their mates when they were just leaving their cub years behind it didn't mean they didn't observe their behavior. He knew how much trauma theur little mates carried thanks to the adults of their own kind performing cruel acts.

Pikachu's thunder wave lit up the early evening sky in a bright yellow thunder as it came crashing down on the dragon. Altaria, Haxorus, Lucario and Trevenant grounded themselves using steel type moves to avoid being shocked. Ash and Gary watched with unamused expressions as the Dragon like being shrieked because of the pain and fell on the forest ground. It could no longer move because it was completely paralysed from head to tail and the two men looked at each other.

Ash, "I will do it. Not the first time."

Gary, "Hey you don't have to, you know?"

Ash, "Look it's already in a lot of pain. I will give it a quick end."

Lucario was already on the move, -Too slow Meema.-

Ash murmured, "Lucario... No, you know what your cuts are the finest I have seen. And since you have a better control over Aura... He probably did not feel the pain. Thank you baby, I appreciate it."

Lucario nodded, -I know how you feel about killing. I would rather you leave it to me. You can kill the asshat humans.-

Gary gave a small smirk, "Now, who wants to help me bury him?"

Alakazam, -Weren't you planning on adding him to your samples?-

Gary scowled, "I was till it came out he was already drugged to high heavens. That's not exactly bragging material, no matter what anyone says. The fella is drugged high as a kite, not exactly there."

Urrr'kiel growled, "They insulted my mate. I will not let this go."

Raai'kiel, "Tomorrow the other clans enter the arena and we enter the day after to claim our mates in front of everyone."

Too'kiet hummed, "They have interesting standards for hunts. I wonder how they will fare against a Trannullla that has not been drugged."

Yagouti murmured, "They will either adopt it or it will become a trophy."

Ash walked away from the large grave, "That left a bad taste in my mouth."

Gary had a dark look on his face, "No kidding. It was too close to what Plasma did with the Genesect. But I guess this means the other clans really want to take us down."

Ash, "Let's show them why we were called Champions."

Gary smirked, "Can't wait for tomorrow."

[A. N.: Okay, yes, both Ash and Gary are a little unhinged in this story.

I mean, if you are surrounded by loss people tend to react in many ways. For most it's depression but for some it's anger and others well this happens.

On that note please take care of your mental health too. Happy New Year!]