Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, be it the idea, the creatures, or the world. Some of the characters in this story are my own while others can also be creditted back to the original owners. I take no credit for anything not mine, and thank the creators of Pokemon for giving me inspiration.

Author's Note: And the inspiration train chugs out another chapter! (Okay, that was horrendously lame, I apologize) This one containing both a battle and - LE GASP - A capture too? OHMYGAWDNOWAI! The only reason I note this here, by the way, is because it becomes painfully obvious even before it happens ;)

Chapter XXXVI: Forest Fire

(Ventus' POV)

Time passed quickly in the forest – And after that little incident with my oversleeping, I'd at last managed to set my Poketech correctly, so I even knew what time it WAS – And Cheryl and I had spent more then a few minutes talking amongst one another. Apparently, the forest-haired girl belonged to a family of treasure hunters, generations of people who spent much of their lives skulking about in caves, or wherever else things of value might be found. But among them, Cheryl rather stood out, for she far preferred to spend her time in nature, like the forest here, rather then out hunting for loot.

And while that brought into question just what it was she was carrying, I had other concerns to attend to; Riolu had finally woken up, and while he hadn't latched onto my leg like last time… "You can let go of my face anytime…" I manage to speak, but everything came out greatly muffled by the Pokemon's furry chest.

Handing the flashlight off to my new friend, I tried to pry the fighter from my head – I didn't want to be mean, but I couldn't SEE anything! Just as quickly as he released my face, did he latch onto my arm and lock his powerful muscles around it – Scared of the dark he might've been, but at least he had to the sense not to crush me! Cheryl frowned slightly, and set about rubbing the creature's soft head, "Poor thing… Is he scared of the dark?"

I gave a small nod, "He can't help it – He's been like this since I found him."

She turned her head, "Found him?"

"Caught him." I quickly corrected – Wait a second, now I was LYING about it? 'I guess I really am afraid of the truth… That I might have to give him up after all…' I looked down at the quivering creature, gently patting his back to coax him from his fear, 'I don't wanna lose him.'

Though it seemed to help, the Pokemon still refused to let go – The least he conceded to do was stop shaking, and open his eyes. He stared up at Cheryl, no doubt wondering just who she was, as I watched him with growing concern. Harsh as it may have been, I knew that, in time, he would have to get over this fear, or else we'd never get anywhere. Especially now, with the Galactics in the forest, how could we fight them if he was too shaken, too downright scared to move at all! 'There's no way I could handle the lot of them with just Kirlia… I don't even know how many there are!'

Cheryl, likewise, could offer no information beyond what she'd already told – Apparently, everything she knew she'd heard from the trainers running back, and she hadn't actually seen the Galactics for herself – She just knew they were a force not to be trifled with. 'I suppose that means there's a chance this is all a big hoax but… My luck isn't that good. Nope.'

For the moment, we decided to leave Riolu as he was – Attached to my arm – And keep moving. Burdened though I was, keeping him from falling, the woman agreed to hold the light and stay up beside me so I didn't… You know, fall. As I was known to do – Then again, no amount of light would stop that if it was going to happen. Much like it had since we'd met, the silence between myself and Cheryl began to grow again – And just like every other time, the thoughts of why she was even with me returned as well; Team Galactic. Just thinking of them made me angry, and I became forced to stir up more conversation, about ANYTHING really, just to push them away; it was a vicious circle, continuing to repeat itself every time the silence began again. This time, however, it was she who spoke first, "This is your first time in Eterna forest, isn't it?"

The question caught me off guard, I glanced at her; she was grinning. "What makes you say that?"

She pointed over her shoulder with the light for a moment, indicating the way we'd come, "Before I said anything back there you…" She giggled, "You seemed quite excited to be here. I have to imagine it's your first time… Or you just haven't been here in a long, long time."

Recalling my initial reaction, I couldn't help but smile myself, "You guessed it then. Ever since I started this journey, I've been wanting to explore a forest, and Eterna fit that role quite nicely – I mean, look at all this!" I waved my free arm about, gesturing up and around, even to the grass below us, "Back home I never dreamed of doing anything like this – Stepping out into the wild simply wasn't an option without a Pokemon of your own."

The woman nodded in understanding, "So, how is it so far? The forest, I mean… Not counting… You know, them."

It was an experience all its own, far different from what I'd gone through so far. I hadn't even DONE anything here, yet just walking inside the forest around seemed like an accomplishment in itself. This only strengthened my wish to see all the sights I could, for the memories in the end would be all the more worthwhile. There was just one thing; something bothering me about being here in the forest – Like I was missing something altogether. It must've shown on my face as well, for Cheryl caught on it right away, "You okay?"

She was a sharp one; I'd have to keep that in mind. "Something feels… Weird, about it all." I said at last, looking around the darkness before back at her, "I'd heard this place was crawling with wild Pokemon – But I haven't seen a single one since I've been here!"

A great, drawn-out howl pierced the air, echoing from all around the three of us.

Despite it, Cheryl found herself giggling again, "You were saying?"

"Well, to be fair, I still haven't SEEN it yet."

She held up a finger, "Point." Her light turned on the trees, seeking the source, "What do you think it was though? And where could it have come from? With an echo like that, it could've been anywhere – And who knows how far off it even is?"

I had no answers for her, but had to admit, I was wondering all the same myself. Riolu turned his head up, despite his fear, and sniffed at the air. His bright red eyes scanned out into the darkness, seeking the cause of the sound on their own; it was weird, he was afraid of the darkness, but the howl didn't seem to faze him in the least. It was almost like… He was afraid of being unable to see, but not of what he COULDN'T see. 'This goes beyond a simple fear of the dark…'

Finding no cause for the sound with her searching, Cheryl turned back and watched me; I was staring at Riolu. "Why not just… Put him back in his Pokeball for now? Surely it'd be easier then having him so frightened, right?"

But at the mere mention of the ball, the fighter began to quiver and shake all over again; he clamped his eyes shut and whimpered pitifully. Quickly realizing her mistake, Cheryl quickly rubbed Riolu's head and apologized profusely; "I'm so sorry Riolu! I didn't mean it!" she cried out, staring up at me with questioning eyes; I knew what she wanted to ask.

"He's hates his Pokeball – He gets like this the moment it's even brought up, that's why I leave him out with me all the time." I gave his fuzzy little head a scratch, much to the fighter's enjoyment, "It's worked out for the best though – I get someone to talk to, and he doesn't have to… Be…" I stopped mid-sentence, staring vacantly at my Pokemon as the truth seemed to dawn on me.

'He doesn't want to be alone. That HAS to be it!' I realized, looking back at Cheryl, "He doesn't want to be alone." I whispered. I didn't know how long he'd sat by himself in the ball near Lake Verity, and quite frankly, I didn't want to know. The very fact that he'd been left like that was enough to make me feel for the poor creature, 'But what if he wasn't simply left there? What if he was dropped by mistake? What if his trainer is out there looking for him right now?'

The thoughts worried me, even more so then Riolu's fear did – Thankfully, they were quickly interrupted. But not by Cheryl – Heck, not even by Riolu!

A stream of flame burst passed the three of us, fading from existence just before striking the far wall of trees. "What the!?" I cried out, leaping back and pulling my friend with me, "What was that!?" Did I really see that, or just imagine it?

The howl repeated itself, sounding much, much closer this time. "There it is again…" Cheryl whispered; Riolu perked his head up again and looked about, sniffing the air once again.

The heat from the flames made the air warmer, I began to sweat. I pulled Riolu tighter against my arm, for fear of dropping him should another attack seek us – But who was attacking us? Any why? 'Could it be Team Galactic? Would they really go that far just to be rid of me?'

"Riolu!" The Pokemon cried out, at last relinquishing control of my arm and pointing frantically off to one side; from a small opening in the trees, another burst of fire roared out towards us – "Hit the dirt – NOW!" I cried, diving to the ground even as the words escaped me; Cheryl was not a second behind me.

The fire blazed passed overhead, thankfully missing the trees once again – But our luck wouldn't hold out forever in that respect; sooner or later, our unknown attacker would strike a tree, or even the grass itself, and then we would have a WAY bigger problem. "Take Riolu." I whispered, gently handing the creature off to Cheryl beside me, "And hand me the light – I've gotta go see what this is."

"Are you crazy? You're gonna get hurt!"

Quickly, I shook my head, "If we do nothing, we're in serious trouble – And so is this whole forest! I've got to at least find out whats out there, and Riolu won't move in the dark, I don't want him to get hurt when his guard is down." I gave the Pokeball on my belt a gentle pat, "Don't worry, I'm not alone if I run into trouble, just stay here for a second."

But as I pushed myself to my feet, our flame-tossing foe made its presence known. A furry shape collided with my chest the moment I found my footing, and sent me sprawling back to the dirt. A low growl, one of much warning, filled my ears as I turned the light on the source; it was a Pokemon, no doubt of that… But there was no Galactic with it. 'Is this a wild Pokemon?' I wondered, clutching my hurt with my free hand as I sought to rise again, 'Man, that HURT!'

Though it didn't try to tackle me again, the Pokemon, nevertheless, held its ground, barking profusely as I rose to my feet. "Growlithe!" it called out, but strangely, I didn't feel any anger in its voice. No, not anger… More like excitement; this Pokemon, I slowly realized, was looking for a battle – I smiled, this could be fun.

Cheryl rushed to my side, "Are you alright?" She cried out, her voice ripe with concern as Riolu stared worriedly up at me as well.

I gave a quick nod, focusing more on fishing out my Pokedex then anything else, "Looks like our attacker has found us – And if he wants a fight, then I'm going to give'em one." It'd be good training, after all, and despite knocking me flat on my butt, I had to admit, this Pokemon looked… Pretty cool.

It was dog-like in appearance, a mix of orange fur with black stripes racing over the lot of it. A tuff of fuzzy, snow-white hair topped its head, and similar fur made up both its belly and tail as well. The Pokemon, Growlithe, stared up at me with much anticipation through its deep-set black eyes, watching my every movement; studying me, almost. I snapped open the Pokedex and aimed the scanner, catching the different in pattern between the standard Growlithe, and this one, right off the bat; most Pokemon of this variety had stripes only along its body, but this one; one thick black line of fur streaked across its face, looking almost like a scar. Almost.

Riolu whimpered, still quite afraid of the surroundings, but began to move in Cheryl's arms regardless; I gestured for him to stay still, "It's alright buddy." I assured him, giving a small smile, "I know you're not up for a battle right now, I'll let Kirlia handle this one."

Relieved, the fighter sunk back down, and looked away, though his shivering decreased substantially, there was no questioning how afraid he still was. Plucking the Pokeball from my belt, I released Kirlia; she appeared, and immediately I felt her eyes set upon me, "Cheryl, you might wanna step back, just in case." I warned her, though standing at the ready myself as well – If Growlithe continued to be so reckless with its flame, it went without saying that I, too, was in just as much danger. In truth, I feared for Kirlia, but teleport would, hopefully, be enough to dodge the fire-types attacks.

Growlithe waited no longer, and charged forward, rearing back only a moment before diving at Kirlia; "Teleport!" I called, pointing off to the side; the psychic disappeared, and the puppy slammed face first into the dirt. 'That wasn't a tackle.' I realized, noting the intensity of the dive, 'That had to be… What was it called… Take down!'

I checked the Pokedex, sure enough, Growlithe couldn't even USE tackle! - Strange, how does any Pokemon not know how to do something so simple? Turning its head, the fire-type opened its mouth and roared out another sheet of flame; the great blaze shot off, aiming right for Kirlia! "Teleport again! Dodge it!"

'Flamethrower too? Growlithe sure knows some advanced moves!' I thought, my mind slipping into panic – Focus! If I had time to worry, I had time to think of some kind of counter; Magical leaf was defiantly out – The flames would eat right through those. 'Confusion?' I wondered, 'Will that even be strong enough?'

Kirlia reappeared, quickly setting its sights on me as it awaited another order; "Confusion!"

Unlike Ralts, Kirlia had eyes big enough to tell with; the moment she began the attack, they shone with an eerie, almost luminescent blue aura – Why didn't I see it before? The attack slammed Growlithe, dropping him to his knees as the puppy howled out in anger – But it wasn't enough, for the now furious fire-type rose once again and blasted Kirlia with more flame. I didn't need to call out this time; my Pokemon knew well enough to dodge – After all, fire was hot!

Though it had served well when she was smaller, as a Kirlia, confusion simply wasn't working anymore – Our opponents were too tough now, and with only magical leaf to use as a fill in attack, I was starting to get worried. Growlithe reared back his head once more, and roared at Kirlia; Riolu, I noticed, began to shake, but the psychic didn't even bat an eyelash. 'That's weird… That move is supposed to make Pokemon retreat, or at least back down; why is she just standing there?'

The answer was quick enough in coming; Kirlia was not ORDERED to retreat, so she wouldn't. That even roar wouldn't force her was a sign of her strong commitment to that; 'If she's not backing down, then neither am I! We'll think of something!'

Kirlia teleported again, just in time to dodge another flamethrower attack – It was nothing short of luck that the flames never reached the trees, and I could only fathom why the died out before touching the grass itself – There were just some things about Pokemon I would never understand, after all. Angry, the puppy lunged at Kirlia as she reappeared, opening its mouth and clamping down hard on the psychic before she had a chance to react – Bite! "Crap!" I cried out, unable to contain myself, "That's a dark-type attack! Kirlia, use confusion again!"

Though reeling with pain, my Pokemon complied; her eyes glowed again as the dog was harshly slammed into the ground once more. Though the attack didn't stop him, it nonetheless got Growlithe away from her. Kirlia wrapped her tiny arms around her body, staggering back as she tried to stop the pain; "If only she knew recover…" I murmured, but even a check of the Pokedex proved that, no, she hadn't suddenly inherited such a skill – In fact, it didn't look like she ever would.

From the maw of Growlithe burst forth a fire attack of new variety; rather then a stream of flame, this one arced out and became… Almost human in shape. It rather looked like a stick figure gone aflame, and it raced towards Kirlia faster then flamethrower ever could, "That's fire blast!" Cheryl cried out in shock – Fire blast!? 'He knows that too!?'

There was no way THAT kind of fire was going to fade – And if we let it strike one of the trees, it'd explode and put the entire forest at risk! 'But without protect… No – Wait!' An idea sparked in my mind, but would it work? "Only one way to find out… Kirlia!" She gave me a quick glance, "Use confusion again! Push that fire back!"

She complied without hesitation, holding her head as she tried to focus all the more. The man of flame came to a screeching halt, and though it seemed to force itself forward, bit by bit, Kirlias powerful mind slowly began to push it back. I looked on at Growlithe – He was panting, unable to even keep his tongue from drooping out of his mouth; all those powerful attacks were taking their toll on him. He looked on as his attack slowly made its way back to him, and watched as its momentum finally died, and the full brunt of Kirlias psychic abilities sent it flying back at him. "Growlithe!" the Pokemon cried, as the flames erupted around him.

At first, I worried for the forest – For wasn't grass just as flammable as the trees themselves? – But when the area showed no clear signs of damage, my fear turned to Growlithe himself. Fire-type or not, that was a powerful attack, 'Maybe we overdid it?' I wondered, struggling to see as the flames died out.

Kirlia collapsed in a heap, unable to even remain standing, having overexerted herself so much – But the battle was done, even despite that. Growlithe lay, unmoving. Though still very much alive – Much to my immense relief - The Pokemon was utterly worn out. In truth, its defeat had come more from its extensive use of powerful attacks, then from our own strikes, "If he had just stuck to ember and the like…" I whispered, approaching the poor creature.

Though it had attacked us, and unprovoked at that, I felt… I dunno, sorry for the little guy. There was still no sign of a trainer, and as such I felt sure this one was wild; I readied a Pokeball. "Kirlia!" I called over to her, smiling brightly, "You did great, take a break now." I told her, summoning her back into the ball and focusing once more on the fallen foe. Cheryl came to stand beside me and Riolu, opening his eyes ever so slightly, focused on the unconscious puppy.

Gently, I dropped one of the empty Pokeballs upon him, and in the blink of an eye, the fire-dog disappeared inside. Unlike with Ralts, however, there was no struggle; heck, there was no strength left to put one up! The ball "pinged" with the success of capture, and my grin grew as a result. This was a totally different feeling from when I had captured the psychic Pokemon – Though it felt every bit as good. This capture was by the books, and as I rose, newly filled Pokeball in hand, I gave Riolu a gentle pat. "Say hello to our newest friend." I told him, holding the ball out for him to see.

Despite himself, despite even his fear of both darkness and Pokeballs, Riolu leaned out of Cheryl's hold enough to sniff the Pokeball… And grinned that toothy grin of his.

--

Hurray! Ventus has three pokemon! But whats this? Two are out cold and Riolu can't battle? Whatever will he do?