An absolutely epic commission from the talented  Chu who you should all be watching if you haven't already.

Pain and suffering, misery and agony. Families that failed to be the loving groups they should be. And a few words that drove the body and soul onward, through all the sorrow. Endure, Persevere, and Hope. And so one day, they met.

Bane and Rika didn't let their misery claim them while young, and they wouldn't let it claim them after finding one another. He would give anything for the one who gave him a second chance, and she wouldn't let go of the one who made her feel safe. The road ahead would inevitably be bumpy, as nothing as ever been easy for them, but with the raichu on her mate's back, they would go together along that road.

While not the most orthodox of couples, the two endured countless trials and test, and overcame them all. No matter the challenge they face, the two will always stand together in the end.

.....*blinks* What? You old time watchers expecting me to say something insulting about Rika? *shakes head* Nope, sorry but this is just too sweet to ruin.

By and large, I think the shit i've put these two through might border on cruel and sadistic. But on the plus side, I'd have to say the two of them are probably the couple with the second strongest bond of the heroes. Rika may have been a bit abusive, but she learned her lesson and toned it down for her favorite hound. And no matter how much he might complain about her using him like a ponyta, he still has yet to shake her off.

As some of you old fans know, Rika's one of my favorite characters from ToT simply because her personality is the most...umm...energetic shall we say? She shocked everyone who she even thought insulted her, Bane included, but she never did real harm to the people she loved. And in the end, Rika would lay down her life for her mate, and she knows he'd do the same for her.

Bane himself wasn't too bad either, having some of Inferno's traits (which is why he could be the replacement leader when the houndoom died for that brief time) while still being his own guy. In particular I think Bane was a tad more bloodthristy than Inferno ever was, thanks in no small part to his rough puphood. But while he could be unrelentingly violent with enemies, he'd never harm a hair on Rika's head, no matter what she does to him.

Original can be found (and faved) here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7747999/

Rika & Bane © Mecha-MightyenaDOR
Art (C) The-chu