Training of Tooth and Claw

The arcanine looked to Amber. It then moved over to the houndoom, sniffing its neck. Feeling no vibration it knew it had ended up with the worst fate. The pokemon turned and sat, looking to Amber with a few barks. "He's already gone. His heart popped," it spoke to her. "And it looks terrified in the eyes, as if it had been through whatever happened before." The pokemon walked around the houndoom a couple of times then, it sniffing the pokemon's head. "There was alot of torture," it told her in barks, it clear how the pokemon was special. "I see a parent being tortured for obedience."

Amber bowed her head in silent grief for the Houndoom. The only crime it had committed was being too loyal to the wrong person, and that had ended in its death. If they don't find the man who did this... she thought to herself, and my pack gets stronger, I'll find him and make sure Houndoom didn't die in vain.

She rose from her spot and returned all of her Pokemon to their respective balls. It wasn't something she did often, but she didn't want any more harm to happen to them. "Thank you for searching for the criminal," she said to the Arcanine, "and I wish you luck in your investigation. Since I gave you my statement, mind if I head to the Pokemon Center? I have to find some medical attention for my own Pokemon, since the Houndoom isn't the only thing he's hurt today." She didn't seem bothered by the special talent of the Arcanine. After all, she knew how amazing canine Pokemon could be.

The arcanine barked to its owner, asking him a question. With a quick nod, the arcanine jumped to Amber's side. It barked, telling her mentally it would escort her to the center.

"Thank you," Amber said to the Arcanine, letting it take the lead and show her the way to the Pokemon Center. A cold depression was still in her heart as she thought of the Houndoom's unnecessary death. I-If I wouldn't have intervened it would still be alive, she sadly thought, but something in her mind felt it was inevitable. If not because of me, it would have happened because of someone else... At least now I'm here to find it justice. She had reached this thought as the door the the Pokemon Center was in front of her. "Thank you," she said again to e Arcanine, "I'm sure you'll catch the guy."

The arcanine looked to Amber, it staring to the pokemon center doors. "I'm not actually going to leave just yet," it barked to her mentally. "I have something else that I want to tell you about." It had spent the travel to the center thinking and trying to figure out why Amber was so mysterious, and it had a clue now.

"Okay," Amber said, a little curious about what the officer's Pokemon would find interesting about her. Sure she was a homeless wanderer, but other than that, she wasn't aware that she had anything else going for her. Stepping into the Pokemon Center, she walked up to the desk and filled the nurse in with the injuries that Ash and Azure had sustained before giving them to the nurse to treat. "So," she turned toward the Arcanine, "what's on your mind?"

The arcanine looked up to Amber, her tail waving a bit with the breeze in the Pokemon Center. "Well," she began with light barks, "Have you heard of the Canine Adoption and Protection Agency," she asked. The pokemon's ears tilted down mentioning it to Amber. She started shaking a bit, as if fearing the name a bit as well.

"I, uh, haven't," Amber replied, slowly putting a comforting hand on the Arcanine's head and scratching her behind the ear. She noticed how the Pokemon had started shaking, and her concern and intrigue both rose, "it doesn't sound harmful though, so why are you scared of it?" She asked, wondering what could possibly make the canine fearful.

[CAPA! o3o]

The arcanine looked up to Amber. "It, it's a long story," she barked to her, tears showing up on the pokemon's eyes. Even with the comforting scratches that Amber was giving her, it didn't seem to settle her down. "T, The Canine Adoption and Protection Agency acts like they help canine pokemon, but they don't! T, They..." The pokemon lowered her head, her shivering. "They took my little growlithe from me and threw me out. My leg was cut open and if my owner hadn't found me I'd surely be dead..." There was a scar on the front right leg of the arcanine, her falling silent for a moment whilst she pondered to herself the reasons she was telling Amber of the facility. When she finally built the courage to speak again, she shook even worse. "I didn't tell owner... He wouldn't understand, but someone like you would... I can't sleep thinking of what terrible mutilation they must be doing to my child... They push and say they adopt and help adoption, but why do over half of their adopted pokemon pass away before they leave," she cried out loudly and angrily. The nurse then returned with Amber's pokemon, asking her to keep the pokemon silent a bit.

"Th-That's terrible," Amber said, kneeling down and putting her arms around the Arcanine's neck in a comforting hug. When the nurse arrived, she took her Pokemon back and thanked her. Then, she tossed each ball into the air and released them, allowing them to glance curiously around the Center and at the Arcanine who had followed them. "Feeling better?" she asked all of them, Ash gave a small nod while Azure make a happy yip and wagged his tail. Amethyst shyly hid from the Arcanine behind Amber's legs while Lavender was oddly silent, still disturbed about the Houndoom.

"I, well we, can help you find your puppy," Amber decided, "I'll stay in Unova and find clues about the organization while I travel. Maybe when I gain enough notoriety I'll even be able to speak out about them," she smiled to the Arcanine, "we'll do everything in our power to help you, does that put your mind at ease?"

It didn't really help the arcanine's feelings, her head lowering worse. "The company isn't exactly easy to get to," she whined out. "If they learn you're asking, you'll be killed... They take what they want and no one challenges them..."

"Don't worry," Amber replied, "I'll keep on the down-low and take care of myself. I'm planning on battling Gyms and making a name for myself, and though I'm nobody now, surly if start getting badges and gaining an image, it'll be harder to get rid of me. The people who'll be missed don't disappear easily, besides," she grinned, "I can't just sit back while fellow canines are being hurt. I'll find your pup, you can just count on me."

The arcanine looked to Amber. "I know where they are," she told Amber. "If you'd want to check first..." The pokemon was clearly a bit afraid for Amber, and she was hoping that she could scare her a bit more into getting others to help her instead of doing things by herself.

"That'd be good," Amber said, reassuring the Arcanine, "if you'd like, I'll only go in to look, and if I see any canine in need, I'll release them. In and out. I promise I won't do anything too dramatic, so you don't have to worry for my safety. It'll be okay, my pack and I are resilient. We'll get out of there and fight for another day, I promise."

The arcanine wasn't very reassured, but she thought that perhaps there were a small chance. She started leading Amber and the rest of her pack to where the corporation's main building was. It wouldn't really be a good idea for them to sneak in from the front, but the arcanine knew a secret little path. And as such, she led Amber and the others in her group to behind the building, a small wedge there were someone could barely fit through. "This is the building," she had spoken as she took Amber around it towards the back. "And this is where some say you can escape..."

"Thank you," Amber replied, "and I can take it from here. I don't want you to go through any duress by following unless you really want to." She then turned to her anxious pack that eyed the opening with a little reproach, as if sensing the danger that lay ahead. "Sorry guys, but I'm going to put you in your balls for the time being, I don't want any of you getting lost or in danger." She then returned each of her Pokemon, well, all but one. As the red beam of light tried to envelop Lavender, the graceful Espeon jumped out of its way and made her way to the entrance. With a flick of her hear, she silently stated her accompaniment of Amber, she couldn't make note of this lab from within her Pokeball, and an extra pair of eyes and ears, especially sensitive ears like hers, would be better. Finding no protest she could raise, Amber just nodded toward Lavender and the two made their way into the facility.

The arcanine looked as Amber disappeared into a shadow of where she had shown them an entrance was. She wouldn't let her go alone, her following after her. "I hope we find him," she whined lightly, not wanting to alert anyone at the end of where they were going.

"Me too," Amber replied, a little glad the Arcanine had decided to tag along, it was reassuring to have a dog that knew the place better than she. Without any knowledge of the facility, Amber was acting on pure instinct and whim. Closing her eyes, she listened for any approaching voices and footsteps before picking a hallway to go down. She also glanced around for any sort of clipboard or spare uniform that she could "borrow". If I've learned anything from sneaking into places I'm not supposed to for food and materials, she smiled to herself, if you look the part and act like you know what you're doing, people rarely question you.

The arcanine showed Amber where to find an outfit to use, the pokemon knowing full well the same thing that she did. "Hey, where have you been," a person asked, looking to Amber having shown up unexpectedly. "You're the guest that the director called for, correct? You brought the pokemon he requested?"

"Er, yes," Amber replied before mentally scalding herself. You never hesitate. Just go along with everything. "I hope the Director isn't disappointed with the specimen. If it's not too much trouble, I'm still not familiar with the facilities you have around here, the layout back home is completely different. Could you bring me to the containment center for all of the canines, I'd like to check a few things before my meeting," she gave as much of a sincere smile as she could muster as her heart was silently beating more rapidly as nerves pulsed through her. All she could do was await the person's response.

The person standing in front of Amber was clearly armed, him blinking a couple of times. He fell for her act though. "You're funny," he told her, turning. "Follow me." He led her to the containment area of the canines, and there were quite a few howls and barks coming from cages. It was as if a pound, except worse. Few of the pokemon were hooked to tubes to survive just a few days longer, and a few more people were standing in the center keeping an eye around the entire room. "We keep the pokemon for adoption well fed. You'll find that we provide the utmost care as well." It seemed that way, but what was in the stuff keeping the pokemon barely alive still living? "I don't see him," the arcanine whined.

Amber did everything in her power not to narrow her eyes in disgust and take action right then and there. "I see," she said, forcing her voice not to waiver from the terrible sight and sound. Lavender at her feet couldn't help but scan the room in horror, but the only thing to show her emotion was the bristling of her fur. "I don't seem to see what I was looking for," Amber sighed, trying to sound as if it were just a thing and not a living being. She had no idea what sort of meeting awaited the 'Guest' and 'Director', but Amber knew she'd be in a very dangerous situation if the true guest arrived. Because of that, she'd have to bail. "I seemed to have forgotten an item crucial to my meeting," she said to the other person, with a facade of apology, "would you mind me stepping out for a minute. It's so embarrassing, I'd rather you let people think I'm late than forgetful, so could you see if you can get me out of here without many people seeing and I can just go grab it. I'm so sorry, but I'd do the same for you." She looked up at the person with wide, pleading eyes. "Please."

"What's with those wide eyes," the stranger groaned, him waving his hand at Amber's face. "Please, I can take you out of the room without you doing any of that nonsense! Yeesh, this generation..." He escorted her right through another chamber, him leading her down a hall. A few rooms of the hall held happy and joyful barks, but others held powerfully moving howls of pain, and cries of rage. The arcanine heard one of these and twitched her ear, realizing it wasn't her son but just another growlithe. "What are they doing to my son by now," she started yipping," the man leading the two stopping. "Is something wrong with the specimen," he asked, turning to look at Amber.

"The whining and helping drives most of them on edge," Amber replied fluidly, knowing that another slip-up may cost her and the Arcanine their lives. "I'm sure she'll calm down once we're away from this room. Now, I just need to leave the facility for a few minutes to retrieve some data," she nervously bit her lip, not realizing that she was doing so, "so if you don't mind, lead the way. I'm on a schedule, so let's make this quick." She hoped her sudden authoritative manner might make the other person less weary, it was just a whim, but she assumed whoever she was pretending to be had at least a little power over others.

The stranger looked to Amber. He immediately put a hand over his forehead and saluted. "Yes ma'am," he told her, leading her towards the entrance. He didn't suspect a thing, the arcanine settling down. "Did I do something wrong," she asked Amber, her a bit scarred from everything she was seeing in the facility.