I did NOT write this. This was written for me as a gift and is uploaded here with the writer's permission.

Auroz & Darkening

Auroz smirked as he approached the group of Pikachu and Raichu that had formed a line in front of him, denying him access to the power plant that sat behind them. Their red and yellow cheeks sparked as no less than four of each held on to each other's paw to make their line act like an electric fence. The Zorua snickered at the sight.

"Leave!" demanded one of the Raichu. "This is OUR turf!"

"Oh, I don't question the validity of your claim. That was never an issue," the Zorua smiled. "The issue, little mouse, is that you are hoarding all of the electricity and extorting the nearby village out of way more than a generous amount for even the smallest fraction of power."

It was his attitude that ticked them off more than anything. He was using words like 'extortion' and speaking in a tone that possessed an air of superiority over them. He, a Zorua, had the nerve to call a Raichu a 'little mouse' and speak to them like a noble to commoners.

"We got the power plant up and running after it was deemed unusable," said one Pikachu. "They would've probably abandoned the village or had to build new power plant generators if it weren't for us. I'd say we ARE being generous. They're paying us less than they would if they built a new one."

"Yeah, so get lost!" spoke another Pikachu, this one wearing a green bandana. That was something the Zorua noticed. One Pikachu and Raichu both wore a green bandana, one of each wore nothing, one pair had matching red scarves, and another had black capes. It seemed to be some sort of hierarchy, but not one that Auroz cared to figure out.

"Whether or not that's true is not the point," the Zorua replied, pushing at the goggled around his head. "Just because you fix something doesn't mean it belongs to you. You guys are forcing the villagers should have to when you guys should've only asked for a one-time fee as thanks at the most. I agree that rewards as thanks should be offered, but you guys crossed the line, and my guild has been hired to remove you from the premises."

"Your... guild?" questioned another Raichu. He looked toward his colleagues; they all burst out laughing.

"A rescue team guild, huh?" cackled the first Raichu, wiping his cheek with a paw. "So where's the rest of your team, huh? A single Pokemon does not a guild make!"

Auroz tilted his snout toward the side and smirked. The Raichu stopped laughing with an inquisitive look in his eye and looked to Pikachu he was clenching with one paw.

"Kipa! Go tell the others to patrol the perimeter. I think this guy may be a distraction," he warned.

"That won't be necessary! You see, I'm the only one here," Auroz corrected. He flicked his paw against the Pikachu-colored scarf around his own neck. "My teammates need not bother themselves with something as trivial as a group of foolish chus. I alone am more than enough for the likes of you!"

"Is that so?" the Riachu growled, stomping his foot to signal the other to charge up and prepare to attack. "Well, we were going to let you go with a warning, but I guess a Zorua needs to learn just what kind of 'foolish chus' he's messing with. Don't you know who we are?"

"Actually..." Auroz responded with the typical Zorua snicker, "I think the real question to ask here is: Don't you know who I am?"

A sadistic grin crossed the fox-like Pokemon's face, eyes flashing a light blue color. The world around all of the Pokemon in the vicinity grew dark, as if a thick black smoke blown in all around them. The eight electric mouse Pokemon looked around in a panic. Immediately identifying the Zorua as the cause, the commanding Raichu ordered the others to unleash their most powerful Thunderbolt attack upon him. Auroz closed his eyes and snickered as the lightning seemed to pass right through him.

"Don't you understand? You're already within my power!" Auroz cackled. The fox Pokemon waved a paw forward as the smoke lunged for the group, trapping each and every one of them and holding them in place. The smoke enveloped its targets, sealing off their view form each other. The single Raichu from earlier struggled as the Zorua approached him alone. Well, to him it looked as if only he was being approached, but each one of them Pokemon was seeing the same thing. Auroz got right up in the Raichu's face, pressing his nose against his until he was staring him right in the eyes with a huge grin across his muzzle. "You're going to learn first-hand why I am the one in charge here!"

Auroz held up a paw, a flash of fire producing a small orb just barely visible in the corner of the Raichu's eyes. "This is a physical representation of your mind! All the memories you hold dear! Everything that you would consider proof of your free will! And this..." the Zorua swiped at it with extended claws, slicing it in two. As it cracked and slid into two halves until it fizzled out entirely, the Raichu's eyes began to droop. A dull smile appeared on the Raichu's face as all his cares in the world seemed to just... vanish. "...is me destroying it all. Your thoughts belong to me now. I am the one you answer to. I am your..."

"...master..." the Raichu said, finished the Zorua's sentence for him. Auroz smiled and nodded his head.

"Good..." cooed Auroz, the glow in his eyes receding toward his pupils. With the loss of the glow, the smoke disappeared as well. All four Pikachu and all four Raichu now had vacant smiles plastered on their faces, the color in their eyes completely gone. "Now then! You lot will get the power plant up and running and turn over all your profits back to the village. In exchange for me letting you little mice live, you will work your butts off as my guild's personal cleaning service. We'll rent you out until we're certain you've paid off your debt! However long it takes you to do that, then my team and I will decide your fates. Are we clear?"

"Yes, master!" all eight answered in unison.

"Then get to it!" ordered the Zorua, waving his paw to dismiss them. Unbeknownst to the fox Pokemon, not count what may have been in the power plant, there was one additional Pikachu that lurked nearby. He was different from the others, sporting a black top hat and matching tuxedo. A monocle sat over his left eye.

"Interesting..." he hummed softly to himself.

Hours had passed. Having collected his reward money from Wigglytuff, the Zorua decided to treat himself to a nice, large meal from the nearby restaurant. He was so bored of his teammates' cooking that it was nice to treat himself. He had a bit of a trip back home, so he needed the extra fuel. He'd save some of his fund and pick up something for the rest of his team when he was closer to home.

Auroz was just about to the village gate when the sound of a drawn carriage came up beside him. Strangely, instead of being pulled by Ponyta or some other usual Pokemon used for transport, Auroz noticed that it was being pulled along by a Sylveon. It stopped beside him and the rider of the cushioned backseat greeted the Zorua.

"Hello there~" called the Pikachu, the same tuxedo-wearing Pikachu that had been spying on him earlier. "Need a lift?"

"No thanks," the Zorua mumbled. He'd seen enough Pikachus for one day, and despite how classy this one looked, Auroz couldn't ignore the possibility that this Pikachu wanted revenge for what happened to the others. Then again, Pikachu were so common these days, multiplying like they mice they were. If he hadn't just eaten, he might've thought this one would make for a nice snack.

"Are you sure I can't offer you a ride?" the Pikachu continued.

"I'm good. I like walking," Auroz answered. His ears twitched at the sound of the carriage moving slowly, screeching along beside him. It appeared that this Pikachu was going to give him trouble. If he had just moved along, that would've been the end of it, but Auroz could tell this was going to be troublesome. He sighed softly, and turned his head to face the Pikachu. "I thought I told you that I--"

Auroz's words just stopped. His gaze had met with the Pikachu, a pair of red swirling eyes staring back. The Zorua's jaw slacked a bit. He couldn't look away from the Pikachu.

"I must insist~" the Pikachu grinned, keeping his eyes locked on the Zorua. The power of hypnosis was not common among Pikachu, regardless of how frequent a Pikachu was seen around. The Pikachu scooted over a bit, patting the cushion beside him. Auroz's front left paw took a step forward, then the right. He couldn't control himself. The Pokemon was used to hypnotizing others, but not being hypnotized himself. Before he knew it, the Zorua was sitting up on the cushion beside the Pikachu. He sat with his button against the seat and his front legs keeping him prepped up. His gaze never once turned away from the Pikachu.

"The name is Darkening," said the Pikachu. "And unlike those fools back at the power plant, I know who you are... Auroz." Auroz only continued to stare, letting the Pikachu speak. Darkening motioned for the Sylveon to continue walking. "Yes, I know about your little venture over at the power plant. Fear not, I'm not here for retaliation. Yes, that little gang was sending a lot of electricity my way, but losing that is worth the prize I just gained."

Darkening reached out to pet Auroz's cheek, smiling to him as he looked the Zorua over.

"You've made quite the name for yourself, Auroz. Even so, I never imagined that I'd find you alone like this. That display of yours back at the power plant showed me you aren't an ordinary Zorua. I don't know what it is you did, but you hypnotized all eight of those chus faster than even I could hope to. By the time I finished blinking, they were all bowing at your feet. I could use someone like you."

The Zorua nodded. Darkening's smile widened as he brought the Zorua closer to his face.

"And I mean USE you!"

"Yes... Master Darkening..." replied Auroz in a shallow, melodramatic tone.

---

A week had gone by since Darkening encountered Auroz on his way back home. Darkening sat with his feet up in an armchair seemingly made out of money in his study. The stacks of bills had been arranged into such a shape, the perfect size for him. At his feet a footrest had been built with a small pillow cushioning his feet.

Darkening flipped open the latest edition of the Daily Pokenews. The front page told a story that made him chuckle. [Daring Heist Leaves Vaults Empty! Culprits Still At Large!] was the headline. The largest bank in the city of Poketropolis had been robbed! The article didn't say much about who or what the culprits were, only that there were 2 or 3 of them. The paper mentioned that all of the cameras couldn't pick up anything, and the eye-witnesses couldn't recall anything that had happened. None of the alarms were tripped, and none of the vaults had been forced open, as if the culprits had access to the key. Although there were no leads, police suspected that a current or ex-employee of the bank was at least partly involved with how thoroughly the heist was carried out.

About two pages through the paper, Darkening felt his lips drying. He reached for a bell atop a nearby end table and gave it two rings. His butler, a familiar-looking Zorua dressed for the part, entered. The vulpine was carrying a tray on top of his head, balancing it perfectly. There were two small cups of fresh tea already prepared, as well as a steaming kettle and a small plate with sandwiches cut into four triangles. The Zorua stopped next to the chair, eyes filled with blue and orange spirals.

"Your tea, Master!" he spoke softly.

"Thank you, Auroz!" smirked Darkening, taking a teacup from the tray and a single sandwich.

"Will that be all you require?" Auroz queried.

"Hmm... My butt is getting a bit sore. You can move my armchair back in here from the other other room. I think that will be all," Darkening responded.

"Of course, Master Darkening!" Auroz replied with the most courteous of bows. The tray didn't tilt in the slightest as he did so, the tea in the remaining cup barely producing a ripple.

Darkening refrained from snickering, but let his smile show. He was pleased with his prize, the latest addition to his butlers and mind-controlled slaves. While it was true that Darkening didn't know how long the hypnosis would last, he was confident there was nothing to worry about. He was already making plans to ensure Auroz remained this way for a very long time.

~The End~

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Story By:  AiraFox

Pokemon © The Pokemon Company
Auroz belongs to Airafox! Darkening belongs to me