"Eyes, burning away through me, eyes..., destroying so sweetly, now, there is a fire in me, a fire that burns... This fire is out of control, I'm gonna burn this city, burn this city!" - Franz Ferdinand "This Fire"

9 Golden Flames

"Crazy old lady," Drew growled. He adjusted his new backpack with his thumbs in the straps. "Look what she did to Ash!"

I was completely captivated by the bracelet. The more I looked at it, the more I saw how beautiful it was. It wasn't a dull gold, not in the least! It glowed radiantly in the soft sunlight, and every time I moved my wrist, flames flashed across its surface. I began to see just how beautiful a color red was. Red wasn't just a symbol for strength and blood; it represented love and beauty and… and…

"Temptation," I whispered.

"What?" May said. She was closest to me, and was the only one who heard.

Her voice woke me up. I shook myself, wondering when I had become a poet. This was ridiculous. I was wearing jewelry, for Arceus's sake. Immediately I started fiddling with the clasp, trying to remove the abomination.

It wouldn't budge.

I began to panic. "Uh, guys?" I called timidly. "The thing won't come off."

"Sucks for you," Brock said tersely. He wasn't too happy about leaving the beautiful Professor Teak or Yata, let alone Nurse Joy.

"Dawn, you have experience with this sort of thing, right?" I asked. My fright was showing in my shaking voice.

Dawn shrugged. "Sure, lemme see." She reached out with delicate fingers and tried to undo the clasp. Her face took on a puzzled expression when it wouldn't pop off. "Uh," she grunted. Suddenly, her hand slipped. "Ack!" she cried. "I broke a nail!"

Misty arched an eyebrow at her. "Really, Dawn?" she asked. "Really?"

Dawn shot the bracelet and angry glare and stalked away. "It's not coming off. Sorry," she snarled.

"Great, let's keep going," barked Drew. His backpack slipped again. "God, I hate this thing!"

"Eenie meenie miney moe," Misty was saying. "Which way should we go?"

"What are you mumbling about?" snapped Paul.

Misty whirled on him. "I'm trying to decide which trail we should take. Would you like to contribute your input?"

"No," he replied shortly.

"May, I see why you hate him," Misty called to May.

May, who had been examining her brother's glasses, handed the back to Max. "I can't see anything wrong with them, Max."

"No," Max protested. "The image is weird. It's distorting my vision!"

"Let's go that way," I said, pointing to the left.

Everyone stopped and stared. "Why that way?" Misty interrogated, her eyes narrowed.

The bracelet glinted on my wrist. It had moved my arm, not me. "I don't know; it just seems like the right way to go." I didn't want to tell them that I was listening to the bracelet. They were already giving me strange looks.

"Brilliant, let's go," Drew huffed. His backpack slipped a little farther with each step he took, leading us the way I had pointed.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, scurrying between his legs. This threw Drew off balance, and he dropped his pack.

"God dammit!" he yelled. His voice echoed around the mountain.

"Drew, if it's too heavy for you, I'll carry it," May offered mockingly. She reached down to hook her arm in the strap of his bag.

He snatched it up before her hand was even near it. "I can carry my own things, May," he grumbled.

Our trudge began to take us uphill, the trail sloping slightly. It veered right, in the direction of the mountain.

"That's weird," said Max. He was looking straight up, the dorkiest expression in the world pasted on his face.

"What's weird?" Dawn questioned curiously.

He pointed skyward. "There's no snow up there."

"We're in the tropics," Brock told him, rolling his eyes (I think he rolled his eyes. I can never be sure). "There IS no snow in the tropics."

"He's right," Misty defended him. "There should be snow up there somewhere."

I looked up. "I can't even see the top. There's too many clouds in the way."

Misty showed me the map. "Look, even in the map, the peak is shrouded by clouds." She sounded vaguely annoyed. "It can't be cloudy all the time."

With a grin, I replied, "Looks like it can."

She smacked me with the map.

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"No, James, I saw the twerps go this way!" Jessie protested.

"And I saw them go that way!" James argued.

Meowth folded his arms indignantly. "Why can't cha guys just make up your minds, huh?"

"Meowth!" they cried, whirling on him. The cat Pokemon jumped in fright.

"Which of us is right?" Jessie pried.

"Yes, yes, which way did they go?" added James.

The cat sighed in exasperation. "Dey's going ta find Yacaeli, right?"

The two humans looked utterly confused. "What's a Yacaeli?" James asked in a wondering tone.

"Da ting we saw in Elm's lab, you numbskulls!" Meowth cried, slashing James across the face again. "She's da most beautiful creature dat ever lived!"

"What are you talking about?" Jessie cried. "I think we need to slash you in the face for a change."

His claws glinted menacingly. "You wanna try?" he growled. When the two shook their heads, he launched into a soliloquy. "Yacaeli is da most beautiful cat in da whole woild. Her eyes are like da moon, and da stars dance in her fur. But she is crying, crying all da time." Suddenly, Meowth looked threatening. "And dose twoips are going ta kill her, you hear me? We gotta get to her before dey do!"

Their balloon rose up out of the trees, slowly floating to the mountain. Meowth had a determined look on his face, one of pure rage directed at the meddlesome children down somewhere below.

In another few minutes it would be on his two accomplices, as soon as Yacaeli's temper boiled over.

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"Oh, I see," May commented. "We're circling up the mountain."

Drew smirked. "No duh, bright eyes."

Misty handed her the map, and May whacked Drew across the top of the head with it. "Thank you," May said.

"Anytime," replied Misty. For the heck of it, she smacked me on the head too. I flinched, wary of another attack.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried. He jumped onto the rocks along side us with an excited "Cha!"

Suddenly, his face darkened. The joy in his black eyes was replaced by villainous fury. My Pokemon stared straight at me, sparking angrily.

"Pikachu?" I said timidly. The bracelet on my wrist started to feel hot.

Max jumped. "Did you see that?" he hissed to May. His finger was again pointing up.

May was too focused on Pikachu to pay him any attention. Drew noticed this and, without taking his eyes off the mouse, knelt down to Max's level. "What was it?" he asked quietly, as if anything too sudden would send Pikachu on a rampage.

"It was Yacaeli," Max whispered. "I'm sure of it."

Misty clutched her red bag tighter. "I can feel them shaking," she said with horror. Her bag contained all her pokeballs. "They're trying to get out."

"PikaCHU!" cried Pikachu. Lightning exploded from his red cheeks, creating a blinding flash and causing the air to come alive with electricity.

"What are you doing?" I yelled at him. My oldest friend ignored me. Instead, he charged.

I wasn't ready for his Quick Attack, and it hit me full on. I was knocked backwards, into the dirt, with a jolt. Pain shot up my spine, and I groaned pitifully. Black spots danced across my vision.

When they cleared, Pikachu was on my chest, panting madly. Behind him, I saw my friends quivering, electricity alive on their skin and causing them to twitch. Had I really passed out? I couldn't recall.

"Pi," growled Pikachu. I suddenly realized there were other Pokemon surrounding us, the typical creatures of the mountain. A Geodude smashed its fists in the ground. Two Machops stood menacingly by my friends. One vicious looking Cranidos and his buddy Armaldo were ready for a battle.

I blinked, hoping that any minute Pikachu would shock me and wake me up from this nightmare. I tried to move.

The first part of my wish came true, but it didn't wake me up.

The stupid bracelet on my wrist made its presence known by growing steadily hotter. It felt like flames had wrapped themselves around my forearm.

Like an old memory, it clicked.

I thrust my arm up, arcing gracefully over me. Soft orange flames followed, creating a ring of fire above me.

Pikachu leapt back in fright, the fire completely unexpected. Then his lips curled back in a furious snarl, a deep growl emanating from his throat. I had never heard such a vicious sound come out of him. His eyes glowed with a deep hatred, and I had a terrible feeling that he was planning my death.

Instinctively I leapt to my feet and waved my arm. The flames tailed after it, dissipating after a few moments. Never had these Pokemon seen a human with fire. It scared them, and they began to creep away, snapping defensively.

Realizing I had an advantage, I spun around, encircling myself in fire. Now the flames had gone from gentle orange to intense yellow, climbing hotter and hotter. The bracelet, however, didn't grow any warmer, but it emitted a soft golden glow.

The Geodude roared, as if preparing to attack. It flew towards me like the hundred pound rock it was.

I was acting on a whim. I thrust my hand out as if hoping to stop the creature in its flight. Abruptly, flames erupted out of my palm, hitting the Pokemon square in the face. It dropped to the ground with a dull thud, its body black and charred, and it moved no more.

The others sprinted away in panic. I gaped at the Geodude, petrified. Was it dead? Did I kill it?

I glanced at Pikachu. He seemed somewhat dazed. Suddenly he shook his head, and his livid face was replaced by the smile I knew so well. "Pika cha!" he greeted.

I was starting to shake when I saw the Geodude continue to remain still. Someone pulled me up; I hadn't noticed I had sunk to my knees. Misty was there, her eyes filled with concern, and an occasional twitch from being electrocuted. "Are you—," twitch! "— okay?"

My eyes were like glass orbs. I looked up at her beautiful face without seeing it. "I killed it," I whispered hoarsely.

Brock was kneeling next to the Geodude, a worried look on his face. "Hey," he murmured to it, nudging its lifeless form. "Wake up, buddy."

"Give up," Paul said coldly. "It's dead."

"Ash, don't worry," Dawn cooed.

"Yeah, you were defending yourself!" May put in.

For once, Drew agreed with her. "It was you or the Geodude," he said. "It's fine."

I had killed something. I, Ash Ketchum, had killed a Pokemon. And it hadn't even been that hard. All I had to do was spew some magic fire from my hands and boom; I'm a murderer.

The bracelet had done this. Not me. It was an evil thing. Satanic, perhaps. Mom had raised me a Christian, and I had paid enough attention in Church to know when something was bad. I had to get it off before it invaded my soul and dragged me to hell or something like that.

"Ash! Calm down!" Misty was shouting. I was so unfocused that I barely heard her. She snapped her fingers in my face. "Ash, come on! It's okay! Do you hear me? O-kay."

Pikachu settled in front of me, staring up with liquid black eyes that were torturously innocent. "Pika?" he said quizzically.

I felt a tug on my arms. Misty and Drew were pulling me, guiding me forward. "C'mon," they said. "Let's go."

Everything felt strangely distant. I heard their voices as if through a wall, listening on the other side of a door. The clearest words I heard were from Max, and he spoke them in a terrified whisper that I don't think he intended anyone to hear.

"I saw Yacaeli."

*AN: OHEMCHEESE Ash killed a Geodude! I never liked those Pokemon anyways. So we have a magic bracelet and secret medallion now. Wonder what the medallion does...?

I'll probably use Franz Ferdinand again because I love them so much right now. :D I updated so fast because I am in a KILLER good mood right now. (Just got my braces off after FIVE years of hell. I think I should brighten your days too!)

WARNING: The next chapter gets kinda... kinky. Inappropriate. Yeah, you know. It's not that bad, just a little WOO and a bit of HAH and a smidgen of BOw-cHIkA-wOw-WoW! If you're expecting something extreme, well, you'll be disappointed. It'll come, I promise, just... not now. And, unfortunately, it's not between Ash and Misty. That's not till chapter 13.

Thank you for reading and you are the best! Till I can no longer stand taunting you with an update!*