Author's Note:

If anyone spots any grammatical error, please let me know; Microsoft Word isn't perfect...

"Cynder!"

I spun around at the sound of my name…only to get tackled by a mass of orange and yellow fur that belonged to a certain Growlithe.

"Archie! How did the mission go?" I asked.

Ever since Archie started to live with me, I have been raising him as if he was one of my own. Although his blood is not of an Ancient, his growth rate is stupendous. He's already starting to go on missions and he has started to get accustomed to his light powers as well as controlling his own fire powers. I didn't want him to almost burn down a forest…

Since he was born from regular Pokemon, he doesn't have the abilities of an Ancient or the endurance. Yet here he is; back from his first mission, which was a success by the looks of it, at such a young age. This most likely has to do with being a Sol though. They were naturally powerful as well.

"It went great! I got to do lots of stuff too! There wasn't any fights, but I got to explore and get supplies and camp out and—"

"Sounds like you had lots of fun," I said to him.

"Yeah I did! Oh! I still have to report back! I'll be home later, okay?" With that said, he bounded off towards the direction of his leader.

I'm so proud of him...He's growing up so fast. I can't believe this is the same Growlithe that me and Ty found all alone in the ruins of a clan ground. He was so puny back then too. Now the Growlithe has gotten a lot bigger and put on some muscle. He's gonna need it too of he wants to be able to fight alongside us…He's not an Ancient, so that makes him a regular Pokemon, excluding that fact that he is a Sol.

Being an Ancient; it means that we have access to enormous amounts of power, those of which are beyond a regular Pokemon's ability. Still, some regular Pokemon have the capacity to exceed an Ancient's power if they had proper training, experience, and strategy, but that's usually rare.

Although we have this much power, our...civilization, I guess it could be called that, is very small compared to most clans or areas in general. Ancients are an exclusive group, usually purists, of powerful Pokemon that protect the balance of existence itself, but most likely would want to have it to thrive towards salvation. Searching, gathering, and training the Sols are our top priority, so that we can lead them towards their journey to gather at the Seals and lock up the darkness that seems to be getting stronger with every generation.

Finding a Sol is very hard for a very simple reason; with our low population we don't have many scouters or seekers to go around, without dying, and look through the large clans that contain Pokemon. And making the job even harder would be the fact that there are only 8 Sols, who can be living in the most remote locations, and it's hard to even TELL that a Sol would be amidst the seeker.

But we are always prepared; if we weren't, then things would be even worse than it is now. We've always had a back-up plan and always will. We've found hints and clues that bring us closer to finding the Sols before they might end up getting killed.

First, we have befriended the Pokemon race Lucario in order to aid our search. They use their aura powers to "sense" Pokemon aura around them. They would be able to tell if a Pokemon was a Sol just because of the aura the light within them emits.

Second, we monitor places that have been attacked or raided by "unknown forces". Usually Sols are targeted to be killed, so the darkness would be able to do more damage, and prolong the Seals along with the next Sol generation. When all 8 Sols are alive, the generation starts, and the Seals start to appear.

And finally, when we've found a Sol, we make sure to keep them alive, so they can then pass down their light to another Pokemon, thus making the search easier on everyone.

"Cynder!" I saw Archie running back towards me. He seemed particularly happy about something.

"What is it?" I called back. He stood before me as he looked up at me and smiled.

"We've got a mission together!" He said happily, his fluffy tail swinging back and forth. Of course, everyone had their own parts to fulfill, even the kits. It was only a matter of time before another assignment. I hadn't been on one ever since I took Archie home with me and cared for him. He was able to stand on his own paws now. Although never been in a fight, I'm confident he will do just fine; I trained him after all.

"Sure," I said to him smiling. I was excited myself. Our first mission together…Let's hope it would turn out great.

Our group was comprised of me, Archie, a Sneasel named Rumei, and a Meditite whose name escapes me. Most of the time groups have about 6 – 7 Pokemon on it, but this was a rather easy mission; we were escorts for a group of Pokemon delivering items to another clan.

Trading and currency weren't very popular in a lot of areas – usually it's first come, first serve – but these Pokemon seemed to work out some sort of circulation that seems to be almost flawless. The only thing to be worried about were Pokemon who wanted to steal from them, which I think was called bandits.

In exchange for missions from other Pokemon, we either gained mainly information, food supplies, and other various items. Our clients must be carrying some pretty rare items to be targeted by Pokemon just for stuff. Mainly it would be for reasons like territory, food, or possibly a grudge.

Our group seemed to be mainly for younger Pokemon, those who were just starting out on missions, or those too inexperienced in battle, which is why I was made leader of this mission. I didn't argue about that, this group had more than enough potential to be escorts.

The Meditite, whose name I still don't remember can use psychic to scan the area for potential threats, while still being able to fight if there is a time. I could do it myself, but I wasn't going to do all the work myself and I surely wasn't going to tell him that.

Rumei is young too, but she's very capable at combat, especially with her claws. This was her second mission since she broke her leg on the first one. She was pretty beat up when her group returned. I guess things got a little too dangerous or someone was being reckless, but she recovered nicely and is now at tip-top shape; fast, agile, and good with her icy daggers, an excellent fighter.

Next were me and Archie. We would both be able to burn anything that is considered an enemy. We were the firepower in this group...Literally.

We waited at the border of the clans for our clients. They seemed pretty concerned with the items. What exactly are they trading anyways?

"This is going to be great!" Archie said. He was so hyped about it. Probably because I'm here with him. I admit I'm a little excited about this as well. It gives me a chance to see how much he has learned and how much progress he is making. The Sol generation has started after all and he needs to be able to fight before going to the Seals. I'm secretly hoping to observe him in battle too. I haven't spent any time with the other Sols, but they are all pretty much older than him, so they've been training longer…

Soon our clients arrived to the rendezvous point. A Machop, Pidgeotto, Charmander, and a Pokemon that had a full brown body, a long pointed nose, and a single leaf that seemed to grow from its head.

"We are ready when you are," said the Machop in a slight monotone.

Hmm, by the looks of it, these Pokemon look like they could escort themselves effectively; the Pidgeotto would be able to fly up and become a look-out for bandits, the Charmander, if I remember correctly, can produce a smokescreen at a young age, which makes it a quick getaway plan, and the other two Pokemon looked like fighters to me…Maybe the bandits are just that strong?

"We should head out before the sun begins to set," I told them. "Let's go."

Walking in the afternoon isn't that bad. The clients were a little bit too quiet for my liking. Maybe they were just really nervous. Although, I liked it when everyone talked a little bit…like Archie was doing now…

"So can you teach me about the Seals?" He asked me. "Like what happens when you are at them? How do you get there anyways? What does it look like?"

"This time they are a bit north of where we live and it will most likely take a week to get there at most, depending on what happens on the way. It's located underground, so it's well hidden. It moves for every generation too, just so that there wouldn't be a constant location that can be taken advantage of. Nobody wants to have an enemy know where they are at." I let him take that last part in, and then started again.

"When you get there, you would have to go deeper underground to get to the actual Seals – which is defended very well. There are many traps, crossroads, and pitfalls there. It's meant to be like that because not just anybody should be allowed to enter. Only a Sol can truly get through without harm. They also act as guides when accompanying those who aren't a Sol." I let him process more of that information I had just given.

"And...Umm…I don't really know how to describe the looks of it..." I said.

"That's fine. When I go there, can you come with me? Please?" He said. I chuckled a bit at this.

"Of course I'm going with you, and I'll be there fighting alongside you when the time comes too," I said smiling. He smiled at my answer. This was true. I WILL be going with Archie. I'll protect him with my entire life…he means so much to me….

"What about Ty and Maxwell? Would they be coming along?" He asked.

Ehh…I don't even know how I survive with those two around me. They are always up to no good and goofing off, yet when it comes to battle they are a good team. They're like brothers to me, and I love them both to death, but the thought of their games wasn't exactly appealing to me…

"I'm not sure. You should ask them when we get back," I told him. That would have to be our leader's decision. Since I was a Sol too, I was obliged to go.

Not far away, I was able to make out what looked like our destination. I could see little moving dots, which I assume were the Pokemon that live there. It was a fairly big place to live; it was a square shaped meadow, surrounded by trees that covered all its sides, except for an opening in the front to enter the grounds, and it looked like it had a lake judging from the blue that's off to the side.

"Hey, is that the place we're going?" I called back to our clients. The Charmander and Machop nodded at each other, and then the Machop dropped the wooden crate full of items. Why did they do that?

"No," Said the Charmander with a big grin on his face.

"Oh OK, then let's keep going," I said. I could have sworn that was the place.

"No," Said the Charmander again.

"What? What do you mean 'no'?" I asked him. Archie, Rumei, and the Meditite turned towards our clients at this response. His grin became wider, as the Pidgeotto landed, and all four of our clients gathered together.

"What we mean is that nobody is going to be receiving any items. We're taking these items with us," He said, grinning evilly. "Nor, are we going to let you live."

Crap…

They charged…