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Qagan lay impatiently in his hospital bed keeping an eye on the clock, watching the seconds tick by. A single female doctor watched him to make sure he wouldn't try to leave again.

"Can you at least call him, again?" He grumbled as politely as he could.

"Absolutely not!" She snapped. "You were nearly dead when we started surgery. I refuse to let you move around for another couple days, at least!" She kept her gaze locked on him. She intimidated him into staying. A particularly stubborn and possibly foolish Human, but this is one place Humans were not simply targets to be eliminated. They assist him with no regard to who he is or what he has done. He respected the ones with the titles of Doctor.

He looked over his wounds for a moment, most were fully healed. A couple were finishing up the process... but there were some that could not be repaired. Two of his ribs were stapled back into place and were likely to be there for the rest of his life, along with several spots on his left and right arms, and his right leg in two areas. The only damage to his head was a simple concussion, thankfully. The spike on his chest was completely gone along with the one that was on his right paw, they apparently could not be saved due to damage on those areas, they would've caused complications with the healing. He was almost completely wrapped in bandages that were surprisingly clean of blood. The condition of his fur crossed his mind. Though nothing could be done about it.

Qagan sighed deeply. "I was nearly killed..." He thought to himself. He had been worrying about Teya ever since he woke up. He hadn't heard if she was even pulled out of the crater. She was likely in for questioning by the Humans. The thought made Qagan worry even more.

"They'll regret it if they hurt her..." He thought with cold sincerity.

A voice could be heard coming down the hallway, deep and in good humor. Moss...

Qagan looked to the door to his room with an angry stare as Moss opened the door.

"I heard some fool in here wants to be released!" He exclaimed with a friendly smile.

"I thought you were going to go ahead and take your vacation while I rot in this hospital..." Qagan replied with a frown, and a sarcastic tone.

"It crossed my mind." Moss laughed. Qagan was clearly unamused. He looked over Qagan for a second as he walked to the bed. "You let that Charizard do all this to you or what? I've never seen you this bad."

Qagan rolled his eyes. "Yes! I walked into the crater looking for a good ass-kicking." He huffed. "I figured I've never been close to death, so why not?"

Moss simply chuckled. "Well I'm here to release you. Hopefully..." He said as he eyed the doctor standing next to the door. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I know I don't have a say in it now, but I would advise against strenuous activities. Such as working out or heavy lifting." She paused. "Or moving at all."

"Bah." Moss said. "He'll be fine, Doc."

She kept her arms crossed and her stare was as cold as ice.

"C'mon. Let's get going, Qagan. She's starting to remind me of my mother." He joked. Qagan shook his head and smiled as he got up and followed Moss out of the room. There was fire in the stare of that doctor now...

Moss strolled slowly down the hallway with Qagan in toe as his door came into view.

"Sorry it took so long." Moss apologized. "I thought they would just let you go on your own. I cooked breakfast for you and everything, and I had to work during. After I finished I looked at the clock and the time simply escaped me." He shrugged. "Though hearing what has happened to you this last week was quite time consuming, and entertaining."

Qagan gave him a curious look. He had to think how he could have heard the story. Teya, That should have been obvious to him. "She told you all that?" Qagan asked.

"Indeed." Moss' smile grew slightly. "Quite the trip. I'll have to talk to you about it sometime. Seems you've grown quite heroic around her."

Qagan rolled his eyes. "Damn him... He knows me far to well." He thought to himself.

Moss chuckled as if sensing his thoughts and stopped in front of his door. Qagan's heart jumped at the thought of seeing Teya again. Knowing that she would likely be overjoyed made him smile. The card forced the door to open and Moss walked inside with a painfully slow pace. Qagan shook his head and shoved him to the side, Moss laughed to himself. Qagan went straight into the living room and looked at the covered couch. There sat Teya with a smile and a tear rolling down her cheek. She quickly hopped off the couch and ran over to him. He knelt down and embraced her as she ran into him. They embrace for several seconds before they begin to speak.

"Thank Flame your alright... I thought you would die..." She cried hard onto him.

Qagan remembered thinking the same thing in the crater. She was the one who kept him fighting, even when he was clearly broken and beaten. Resisting until the end.

"I can take far worse than that, Teya." He lied. "I could not have let him win... Would not let him win."

They continued their hug for several more seconds, neither of them wanting to let go. They had come so close to the abyss...

Moss cleared his throat. After the two Pokemon finally released each other, Moss directed Qagan to the table so he could get some good food in him. After the meal was reheated he ate it hungrily. Teya watched him work skillfully with the utensils, apparently having used them before. They all talked about the last couple weeks in general. Moss kept his nose firmly planted in his notebook writing and asking Qagan several of the same questions he had asked Teya earlier. Eventually the two finished their talking and Qagan finished his meal and sat back. Moss closed his book and and excused himself for a moment before he stood and left the table, leaving Qagan and Teya alone.

"How are you feeling?" Teya asked. Looking over the bandages that nearly covered all his body. Some of his injuries looked awfully painful, she immediately felt guilt. Qagan seemed to notice her guilt.

"Remember what I said before, Teya. I chose to do the things I did." He said with a sincere smile, his eyes shining with honesty. "I'm perfectly fine, it's mostly cosmetic." He answered. She still didn't look convinced, and still harbored regret. Qagan sighed deeply. "What I did... I did do for you. That creature in the crater... is far more powerful than I am."

"I know." Teya said. "I saw your struggle against him. The last thing I remember is you diving in front of me. I stood there locked in fear as you shielded me..."

Qagan simply nodded. "For what it's worth, I was just as terrified."

Teya looked to him with unbelieving eyes, prying his expression for a hint that he was lying. She couldn't find it. He was telling the truth.

"How could you stand up to him then? Why did you fight him?" She asked.

Qagan didn't let his mind dwell on it. They both knew the reason. "I did it for you... When I woke and saw your trail lead into the crater, I worried for you. When I heard you scream it worked me into a frenzy. He would have killed you. I would not let that happen. It was the same when the humans had you before. I will not watch you suffer anymore."

Teya nodded, thankful to him. "I could never repay you for what you have done. Why did you defend me with no hope of something in return?

He seemed shocked at this question. "I never expected repayment, even if everything had turned out like you had hoped. You do not deserve what has happened to you, Teya. You are innocent in all things that have occurred." He sat silently for a moment. "I wanted nothing but your friendship from the beginning..."

She smiled. "You have more than that..." She reddened with embarrassment at her own statement.

He frowned. "I do not deserve more than that." He stated frankly. "I am just as much monster as the one you called your father. Loving me could get you killed, and I will not risk that."

This comment took her by surprise. He was not a monster, why would he say something so cruel about himself.

"You saved me, Qagan. Three times in the last week alone. I want to be someone you love and respect. I want to know more about you, I want you to know more about me..." She pleaded.

Qagan watched her with eyes unbelieving what he had heard. He hung his head in sadness.

"She wants to know, but she has no idea how bad things really are... with me. She has to know." He thought to himself.

Moss returned to the table and sat back down. He eyed the two Pokemon curiously.

"Something wrong?" He asked, noticing the increasingly unpleasant silence. Qagan looked to him with the utmost seriousness in his eyes.

"She wants to hear about me, about the past." Qagan said.

Moss sighed. "It's like Shokan all over again." He mumbled. "I'll listen to it again I suppose." He looked to the Charmander. "This is a somewhat..." He paused. "disturbing story. Qagan has only told it to myself, Shokan, and the Professor. The Professor worked here before he took over and turned the whole forest into a reserve, for good reason." Moss turned back to Qagan and gestured for him to continue.

Qagan looked to Teya. She deserved to know what plagued him, one way or another she would find out. This was different than the others he told. He wanted her to know.

"I do not know who my parents were. My first memories were of white walls and robed humans always watching. They taught me to speak, walk, write, and eventually fight. They always pushed me to do all these things better. They often beat and tortured me for failure, to see where exactly my life would end. I remember dying many times only to be brought back and tortured again... For every time I failed, I would die. For every success I would be allowed a next meal. The older I became the more the standards were raised. The more Pokemon I was pitted against. I fought for my place to simply live one more day, the ones who failed were often never seen again. Around the 8th year is when the humans showed us a new power that had been discovered, Aura. This seemed to be what they had been preparing us for. The survivors were told that if they used Aura to fight they would be exempt from punishment. This was true for several battles until they felt like we were being merciful against each other. Most of those who failed also used the Aura to fight and therefore were exempt from capital punishment. The rules had changed, if we spared our opponent... We were to die three times and forced to train for an additional 72 hours. I decided to spare my opponents from that point on. For years after I was tortured by the humans for every battle. The hours of training I had endured had made me so powerful I nearly never lost battles, but I spared every Pokemon I fought. This earned me more hours of training and the required 3 deaths. I do not know why I chose that path, all I knew was instead of making me weaker, I was the strongest. They tried to tell me it will be permanent death if I do not slay my opponents. At that point though, I welcomed the idea. Which is likely why they didn't kill me. After a year of threats. They did something they had never done before. I was pushed into the battlefield and the doors locked behind me as they always had. As I looked to my opponent..."

Qagan paused a moment. Teya had a look of sadness and disbelief on here face. This story had definitely struck some emotions out.

"My opponent was a human. He held a knife in his hand but did not look like he wanted to fight, like he was afraid. He had nothing but rags on his back, but all the same I reacted as they have been conditioning me to. That is when my rage first began to burn. It felt like my chest was on fire, all I could think about was how many humans had tortured, killed, and beat me. How I would have vengeance. Even if it would be one human I made suffer as much as I had all these years. That is when I felt my evolution take hold. Rage, Evolution, and the Aura. This was a combination that made me a deadly warrior. I could feel my fury grow the more my evolution progressed, the power came to me. When I finished my evolution I watched the human. I imagined the many ways I could make him suffer, make him bleed, make him scream. All the things those humans put me through for my entire life. My body moved on its own, it was very fluid and felt like time had slowed down. I would squeeze every ounce of pain I could from this human. He dropped his knife and pounded on the locked door behind him. He screamed with fear as I descended on him and began to crush him as he pleaded for mercy. I unleashed a barrage of kicks, punches and Aura upon him. Making sure he wouldn't die too quickly before he had ample time to suffer. He cried out names I no longer can recall, he begged me for mercy but I was blinded by rage. I could see the fear in his eyes. It was as beautiful to me as the morning sun on an Autumn day. I found peace in his suffering, almost like I was being set free from the wretched place I had to endure day in and day out. His face was now broken beyond recognition and cries of pain were still heard, blood beginning to cover my fur and the ground beneath him. Some bones were falling from him as I mindlessly beat into the man. It didn't feel like long before he finally stopped breathing, even then I still pounded on his useless flesh. Until my rage finally subsided. Afterward I felt like the most despicable creature alive. Why would I kill a man who posed no threat to me, like he was a creature unworthy of my sympathy? Because that is how they treated us in that hell. How could they stand it? They hated and feared us. They had five of them for every one Pokemon. They mock us and beat us, spit on us and killed us. They studied me intently once I had the abilities of Fury. It was many days before they put me back in my small single bed room. I was left there for the next two days until something had happened. A large explosion tore through the complex killing most of the Humans and Pokemon within. I had nearly died myself, but my new power seemed to keep me breathing. I struggled to stand for several hours, knowing that if I didn't escape now, I never would. The alarms blared in my ears and nearly made me go deaf. I could hear gunfire over the alarms and a series of explosions, even some screams. I wandered into the vast forest that night with only one thing on my mind, to survive."

Teya reeled for a moment from this new information. Horrifying as it was, she pitied Qagan. He had to suffer for his entire childhood at the hands of the humans. The brutality he showed the humans in the forest didn't seem unwarranted anymore.

"That's..." She stammered. "Unbelievable."

Moss nodded. "But it doesn't end there." He stated. "That's the worst of it though. The rest is pretty smooth going."

"Yes, that is true." Qagan stated. "After a couple hours I noticed all of my wounds had healed, I no longer had to limp and could walk straight. My head was clear. The forest was quiet in the early morning light. I looked back to the accursed place and I could still see smoke rising into the sky. I had no idea what had happened. Suddenly the world as I had knew it had drastically changed. I had left so easily, I was now independent. The problem with that was I had no idea how to survive on my own. It was a couple days before I found a small stream to grab a drink. I still hadn't found a food source, or shelter from the weather. I slept next to that stream for the next several nights. I had no energy and my stomach screamed for something to eat. I soon began to lose track of time letting death finally come to me. I embraced the thought of a permanent death, never having to come back and suffer tortures." Qagan looked at Moss with a smile. "But, I suppose it wasn't meant to be. A couple of hikers happen to be walking by.

Moss nodded. "It was myself and my parents." He said. "More by coincidence than anything."

Qagan looked back to Teya. "I was to far gone at the time to respond to them, but if I had he would likely be dead."

Moss chuckled. "Comforting thought." He mocked offense.

"It's true." Qagan shrugged. "But it doesn't matter now. They had picked me up and decided to cut their trip short. They headed back to their house with his father carrying me all the way. They took care of me while I was out. When I could open my eyes, I was once again in a white room. The sight made me cry out actually, in horror. That's when Moss entered the room."

"He was making a lot of racket." Moss added. "My parents told me to watch over him."

"When He approached me he told me to calm down. That I was in his home. I didn't believe him until I looked around the room, pictures hung on the wall, tables next to the bed and door, and the door was wide open. That never happened in the Cells. I didn't know where I was or how I got there. Moss did tell me about that, though. I was not inclined to believe any Human. Lacking the energy to move, I simply hoped for the best." Qagan told her. "He talked with me a bit but I didn't say a single word. I never had the opportunity to talk to a human before, not socially. They didn't want their scientists making bonds with us. I listened intently to him as he talked about himself and his family. He told me of many things I had never heard of before. He was not like the Humans I had known all my life. He wanted me to learn about the things he enjoyed and occasionally tried to pry some information from me. He asked me questions about what I liked to do. I had no answers for him. For I had never enjoyed anything. He asked me about my family, I didn't have a family. Again I stood silent. He looked at me with fascination. Trying to see past my outer appearances and into my soul, my thoughts." Qagan stopped for a second as he drank from his cup of water. "He gave up after a while and left me to rest. The one thing that showed his character is that before he left he turned back to look at me. He saw I was nervous, staring at him as if I was pleading for something. He walked out, and left the door open. I had never been so happy before that day. I remember thinking for the first time in my life, Thank you."

Moss chuckled. "Yes, He didn't look happy when I was going to close the door. Luckily my common sense told me not to piss you off." He said.

"I don't understand something..." Teya said. "How were you unable to move?"

"I was malnourished." Qagan stated. "My body was sick, beyond healing ability. The only way I was going to be able to move again was to eat something, and a lot of it. Moss' parents were kind enough to feed me as I slowly recovered. Moss spent a great deal of time with me during those days. I came to trust them in time, but I always had my eye on that door. I never wanted to see it closed. I did tell his father where I had come from. He listened to every word I had told him. He told me to not tell Moss until he was older and he would tell his wife later. He offered me to stay in their home, as a friend." Qagan smiled. "The first friends I ever had."

"He's considered family now. Nearly more akin to me than my brother." Moss added.

"And I'm better for it." Qagan said. "It gave me a look into the good side of the Human race. Not all of them deserve to be destroyed. I hunt the evil ones."

Teya nodded. "I agree. I'm glad you think that way, Qagan." She said.

"Believe me, so am I." Moss laughed, and Qagan laughed with him.

"I try to help the humans here in the Keldan reserve but some old feelings still exist. It makes it hard for me to get along with some of them, but we will overcome it." Qagan finished.

A couple seconds passed in silence.

"I think that's a good a place as any to close for the night!" Moss chimed. "Perhaps it is time to get a full nights sleep."

Qagan sighed. "I've been asleep long enough." He stated with disdain.

Teya gave him a curious look. "Won't you finish healing faster if you rest?" She queried.

"Yes... but it's only about 6-o'clock." He said with a hint of anger.

She let a sly smile spread on her lips. "Oh, come now. You can sleep on the couch with me."

Qagan's heart leaped into his throat and he could only manage a small nervous nod. She headed off to the living room.

Across the table Moss gave a suggestive smile and a raised eyebrow.

"It isn't like that..." Qagan said weakly.

"Of course not." He chuckled. "Just try to get some sleep." He stood up and walked to his room, and quietly shut his door.

The Pokemon sat at the table a couple minutes lost in his thoughts. He finally stood and walked into the living room. His heart beating fiercely.