Bruno awoke with a jolt. Sharp talons were scraping his face and a dark body was hovering over him. Bruno shot up in terror, his head bashing into the wall. He heard a high pitched screech and felt rough feathers flutter against this skin. He opened his eyes and laughed.

"Murkrow, what are you doing here?"

"Pretty bird!" The Murkrow replied. The dark bird belonged to Karen, and although Murkrow could learn to speak human language very well, Karen could only teach her to say "pretty bird" so far. Murkrow fluttered around the room, her shiny black plumage contrasting with the soft rays of the morning sun.

Bruno's smile faded when he realized something. "Murkrow, did something happen to Hoots?"

Murkrow only cackled and continued her raucous flying. Bruno leapt out of bed. "Show me where she is! Oh my god, if anything happened to her..."

Murkrow shouted "pretty bird" again before flapping out of the room. Bruno grabbed his Pokebelt and chased the bird.

A while later, they reached Karen's private quarters. Bruno was out of breath, more from his worry than from running. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the pale lady sitting calmly at the table eating eggs. Her Umbreon was curled up on an empty chair sleeping. Murkrow glided to Karen, perched on her shoulder, and pulled on her hair with her golden beak.

"Good morning Bruno... what happened to you?"

"I thought something bad happened to you! Your Murkrow came into my room flapping and carrying on and... say, did ever catch that Pokemon we heard last night?"

"See for yourself," Karen smiled.

Bruno could hear a grotesque smacking noise coming from under the table. He looked under and saw a large, hairy canine Pokemon with grey and black fur eating a plate of scrambled eggs. Its eyes were bright yellow and red, and its pointed ears were big and floppy. The beast slowly lifted its head up and a low growl rumbled in its throat when it saw Bruno. He backed away from it... it was that same pokemon he saw the other day!

"Hoots, what the heck is that thing?"

"Isn't she beautiful? She's a Mightyena. When I was a child back at the farm, there were Mightyena everywhere. I admired them for their mysterious and tough nature. Sadly, they frequently attacked Miltank and Mareep herds, so they were overhunted. I thought Mightyena were wiped out of Johto, but apparently they're not!"

The dog prowled from under the table and Karen knelt down and hugged her. Bruno cringed. Bits of egg clung to Mightyena's moist ebony lips and whiskars, her thick mane was dotted with specks of dander, and her large paws were caked with dried on mud leaving dusty paw prints on the clean floor. Being freshly caught, the beast still retained the looks of a wild animal.

"Aren't you afraid of catching something?" Bruno asked. "It sure looks filthy."

"Quarentine it," a third voice said. Bruno and Karen spun around and saw Lance, the dragon master and leader of the Elite Four, standing in the entryway of the kitchen. He had a youthful appearance despite being the second eldest member (Koga's the oldest). His long cape flowed elegantly around his lean frame. "Karen, you are sopposed to refer to me before any new Pokemon is added to your team. We need to isolate Mightyena and make sure it is free of disease."

"She," Karen growled. "Mightyena is female."

"Whatever," said Lance. "Give me Mightyena's Pokeball so I can send her to the Pokemon Center. You'll get her back tomorrow at the earliest if she's healthy."

Karen pouted as she took out the Ultra Ball she used to capture Mightyena. Bruno could swear he saw the dog shoot an evil glare at him before disappearing into her spherical container. What did Mightyena have against him anyway?

***

"Ok, Hitmontop, focus on Defense! And Machamp, don't hold back, use all of your power!"

Bruno was working with his youngest Pokemon and his strongest one. Steelix was napping under the shade of an overhanging rock while Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee were resting against his steel hide. Hitmontop was dodging Machamp's grapples and punches with ease, spinning like an insane dreidle. Machamp leapt up and stomped on the ground using his Earthquake attack. The fissure sent Hitmontop spinning through the air, making him look like a flying saucer from an old low-budget movie. Machamp swiftly snatched Hitmontop in midair and slammed the little fighter into the ground. Hitmontop covered his face as Machamp raised his three fists, his fourth holding Hitmontop down.

Something strange happened just then. Both Pokemon turned their heads and were staring out at Bruno's direction. Their pupils were shrunken and their bodies were locked in their current poses. Bruno realized the two were looking at the direction behind him. He spun around, heart racing, wildly looking at all the surrounding rock formations and boulders. Bruno then stopped. 'What am I doing?"

Bruno then heard quiet snickering. He turned to his fighters and saw Hitmontop nudging Machamp in the ribs, both of them laughing at their paranoid trainer. Even Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Steelix joined in. Bruno fumed.

"Guys, that is NOT funny!" he scolded. Of course, Bruno deserved that morsel of humiliation... he fell for that trick two times already today, and his Pokemon never got tired of it.

Suddenly, Hitmonchan stopped laughing. He cocked his head as if doing a double take, then froze. All of the other Pokemon froze too. Bruno sighed.

"Ah jeez, do you guys really think I'm foolish enough to fall for that again, especially so soon after..."

WHUMP! Bruno found himself face down on the ground and felt rough paws scraping his back. He looked up. A Mightyena was standing on his back snarling menacingly. Like a bolt of brown and purple lightning, Hitmonchan pounced on the attacker and sent it flying into a rock. Steelix grabbed his trainer by the belt with his mouth while the two other Hitmon rushed at the canine. As Bruno dangled in the air like a kitten being held by its mother, the Hitmons surrounded the slightly dazed Mightyena. Bruno was shocked... it was Karen's Mightyena!

The fur on Mightyena's back bristled and she growled at her challengers. The Hitmon were shaking with fear but they tried to stand up to the wolf. Mightyena charged at Hitmonlee, fangs bared. Hitmonlee dodged and swiftly kicked her in the side. She yelped in pain as she hit the ground but soon rose again. The Hitmon trio circled her but didn't attack. It was like they were trying to intimidate her. This confused Bruno... Mightyena was a Dark-type Pokemon meaning she was weak to Fighting techniques... why don't the fighters just gang up on her and attack at once?

A deep growl of annoyance was heard, and Machamp charged past the Hitmon right into Mightyena. He turned to the three as if to say, "If you sissies won't take this mutt down, then I will!" Machamp held the dog down with the lower arms and raised his upper arms. Before he could pummel her, Mightyena snapped at one of his wrists. He flinched back before the fangs came into contact, releasing his captive in the process. Mightyena bounded to her feet, shook herself off, and glared at Bruno before taking off.

Steelix set his trainer down as the other Pokemon gathered around him. He collapsed to his knees "That was... that was really really ODD," Bruno said. He turned to Machamp. "Why did you flinch from Mightyena' bite? You get Crunched by Karen's Houndoom all the time, it doesn't bother you. Dark's weak to Fighting, remember?" Machamp just shrugged his two sets of shoulders and hung his head in shame. "Ah buddy, it's no biggie, it's cool! Put 'er there!" Bruno tried to high-five Machamp, but he just stood there with no response. All of Bruno's Pokemon had serious expressions and glanced at one another worriedly. It was like they knew something that he didn't.

***

"That can't be Karen's Mightyena. She was sent to quarentine in Indigo Village which is miles away, what would she be doing out here?"

"I dunno Will. But I swear it was her, I could tell."

Koga, the ninja Poison Pokemon trainer, snickered. "Fu fu fu... I like the sound of this Pokemon's stealthy nature. I wish I was the one who captured her."

"Yeah right," said Bruno. "If you did, you would never hear the end of it from Hoots...ugh, I mean Karen."

"Hoots?" Will and Koga questioned in unison. Will giggled. "What, is that like a Hooters reference or something?"

"No!" Bruno shouted. "It's, um. Sigh. Ok, that's what I call Karen. You know, like a Hoothoot."

Will squealed. "Bruno and Karen layin' in the bed, H-U-M-..."

"STOP IT!" Bruno shouted. "Atleast I have a girlfriend, Willy!"

"Don't get so defensive," said Koga. "You've been high-strung all day."

"Well you'd be high-strung too if you had an evil mutt stalking you," said Bruno. "I wish Karen didn't sleep during the day, I really want to talk to her."

"I know you want to do more than that," Will smirked. "I'm psychic, I can read minds."

"Psycho is more like it," Bruno said. "I'm going to my quarters, you guys are too immature for me."

Koga scoffed as Will continued his childish giggles, dirty images dancing in his youthful mind.

***

The door to Bruno's room cracked slightly. A stick poked through probing the air. Bruno slammed the door open the rest of the way, shouting, "AH HA! Thought you could sneak up on me, eh devil-dog?!"

He looked around the room. 'Good, no sign of that monster.' Bruno then noticed a lump under his covers. He smiled. Karen was waiting for him. She looked so beautiful too under the light of the full moon. Bruno thought it was funny the way she tried to be extra sneaky by hiding her head under the covers.

"Hey Hoots," he said. "Boy, what a crazy day I had today. Let me tell you all about it."

Bruno reached under the covers and stroked Karen's hair. He stopped. The hair felt thick and bristly. It didn't take long for him to realize this wasn't his lover waiting in bed with him. A rumbling growl confirmed his realization. So did a pair of glowing eyes. And a row of razor-sharp ivory teeth.

'It can't be...' was Bruno's last thought before the Mightyena mauled him...