A Pallet Pair #11:
Fire On High
[ AN: "Fire On High" is an idea I came up with early on when I started writing Pallet Pair. As far as Pallet Pair go, this is something of a movie compared to the "episodes" of the others. Prepare for change… ]
He pounced his smaller brother with a growl of challenge. Slowpoke! he taunted him, grinning.
Hah! Littler Brother replied. Littler Brother took a nip at his tail, but he missed. Catch me if you can!
Why should I? he laughed. Why catch you when you haven't caught me?
Come here!
Make me! He whirled, then plowed into his other brother by accident. He rolled over in the grass, legs flopping, while Littler Brother laughed. No fair! he laughed, rolling back to his feet. He held his tail proudly above him. Roadblock!
Goof, Other Brother grinned, giving him a soft cuff to the side of the face. He returned it affectionately. Of the three, he was the biggest: Other Brother was a little smaller, and Littler Brother was a bit smaller than him. It wasn't that Littler Brother was little, really: he was just the smallest of them. He himself was a bit large for his age, with legs that were really too long for him. His big, fat paws suggested he'd quickly grow into them, though.
They fell to scuffling, all three of them, batting each other with the flats of paws and nipping at tails, not caring whose they bit – even if it turned out to be their own. If one of his brothers fell out of the pile, he'd pin the other, only to get tackled by the one who was free.
A loud, agonized yowl broke through their play, sending all three apart, their fur on end. Mom? they shouted in unison, racing out of the shallow burrow that served as their den.
Mom! Littler Brother shouted again, but he shushed him.
Stealth! he warned his brothers, crouching down on his too-big paws and stretching his tail out stiffly for balance. His brothers followed close behind, all three tracking their mother's scent through the grass.
The yowl came again, and the unmistakable sound of a human voice.
"Get 'im, Flameagle!" the human cried, not that they understood him. His voice was high with youth and shrill with malice. "Agility! Bite! Ember! Bite, bite, bite! Ha! Again!"
They could hear their mother yowling, hissing, spitting obscenities, shouting taunts and catcalls and threats. But too little of what they heard from her were words: far too much of it was pain. Lots and lots of pain.
"Ha! Not so tough, huh? Flamethrower, Flameagle! Now!" Then, with dangerous annoyance, "I said now!"
They were close enough to hear the rush of fire, to see the gleam of it not too far away, but they were still far enough not to feel the heat of it. Their mother shrieked.
Mom! Other Brother yelped.
Bo-yes! Her voice was slurred, slick. Boys, run!
Mom, are you all right? What's happening? he demanded.
RUN! she snarled, making them all start upright. She never spoke that way, ever.
Upright, out of the grass, they could now see everything clearly: their mother, her fur charred nearly completely black, ears burned completely off, her weight barely held up between three half-functioning legs; the human, small and thin, dark-skinned and pale-haired and staring at them in surprise.
And the demon, the fire thing, all flame-fur and glistening teeth and smoking breath.
"What's this?" the human cried. The boys stared at him dumbly, not understanding a word he said. A smile crept over his face, one that set their ears back and their hackles up. They hissed in chorus. "Flameagle!" the boy crowed. "Get them."
RUN! their mother howled.
RUN! he echoed, sparing each brother a nasty glare as he stood his ground. He turned his eyes toward the slowly approaching demon, his ears back, his teeth bared, claws extended. His claws, like his paws, were big for his age; he was the fastest of the three, the largest, the best to take on this creature that was twice his size. His brothers scrambled for safety, his mother screamed, as they met head-on.
He knew he didn't have a chance the moment they collided.
In an instant he was reeling, reeling from the pain that seemed to come from everywhere. He could barely see, but what he could was all in red: the demon's red fur, the red grass. Red grass? No… grass wasn't red. But it was, and wet, too, though it hadn't rained. His paws were red…red and wet. Had he got it? Had he got the demon?
No, he was sure he hadn't landed a blow. The blood wasn't on his claws from a swipe; it was there because his paws were bleeding. His big, useless paws…
Nothing made sense anymore. His heart had found its way into his skull, and was pounding away, harder than the demon pounded away at him. He skidded uselessly over the grass as it tackled him ruthlessly. The human laughed, a high, squealing sound that made his head ache even more. His feet and tail felt limp; he couldn't move them. He couldn't move at all.
"What's going on here?" A new human, older, female.
The human he could barely see looked frightened for a moment, then pulled two, two-colored balls from his clothing. "Flameagle, return!" he barked. The demon disappeared in a flare of red. The human threw the other ball.
He tried to cry out to her, but he couldn't tell if she could see him. If she would hear. He tried to cry out, but only a whine similar to that of the ball dissolving her to nothing escaped his damaged throat.
The human snatched the ball, and ran.
The human wasn't the only thing running. Something else, two-footed, heavier. "Oh-!" a human yelped. Numbly, he felt fingers wrap around his middle. Another human spoke in the background. "Get a pokéball!" the human holding him yelled. They tucked him close to them, wrapping him tightly into their upper garment. "And call Professor Oak! We need his transporter!"
He tried to call for his brothers, but all that escaped him was a gurgling warble. I'm here… he choked. The redness he could see faded to black.
Red had become black… for how long he didn't know. But black eventually – painfully – turned suddenly to white. He yowled at the pain of it.
"His eyes must be a bit sensitive. He's been out for awhile."
"Can I hold him?"
"No, Eevee. He's very badly hurt, and besides, he's still wild. It's too dangerous."
"But-!"
"No!"
He growled softly: wherever he was stank of humans. He forced his feet under him, cringing at the aches that ran through him. Everything felt numb, unreal. Wrong.
Something was wrong.
He remembered what'd happened… too clearly, he remembered. Where he was, well, that was still vague, and didn't matter at the moment. He lashed his tail in frustration.
Then he did it again.
It… it didn't feel right.
He frowned, looking behind him.
He blinked.
He stood, wobbling on his uncertain paws. One of the back ones was completely husked: one of the front ones was husked from the knee down. He didn't care. Still, he stood, and stared. He turned in a circle, then another, trying to come to grips with what he saw… or didn't see.
In his mind, he could feel it lashing with his unease and disbelief. His mind was telling him, that yes, his tail was thrashing away, dancing like a Caterpie fighting capture.
But it wasn't.
His tail! Where was his-
Manx jerked awake with a harsh growl. In his mind, he could feel his tail lashing, but he knew his mind was lying. His tail was long gone… as long gone as that time. He opened his mouth, taking a deep scenting of the air: it smelled heavily of smoke. Of course: the humans had let their fire burn out. That was what had set off the memories… too much smoke in the air.
Static looked at him worriedly. Sweetie was in her place at Ivonar's side; Cole was curled up with Chia, on Remmy's sleeping bag. He could see the lump by Ivonar's feet that was Fluffball, within the sleeping bag. Static had found it too warm in there; he had curled up between Manx's paws for the night. His sudden movement had awakened him. Dad? he said. You okay?
He ran his tongue over Static's forehead, making a mock-attempt to bring some of his stiff fur to order. Dreams, nothing more, he grunted. He rest his chin on Static's head for a moment, the rest it back on the ground. Go back to sleep.
Poe shifted his weight back, taking a deep breath, and let loose a powerful Water Gun – straight into a tree that barely felt it. He turned to his companion, blinked a bit, then gestured toward the tree.
"Psi…" Nuisance didn't look very convinced. He, too, leaned back, taking a deep breath…
… and nothing happened.
"Psyyyyyy…" Nuisance shook his head. It just wasn't working. He scratched his head. Maybe I used too much energy in psychic attacks to learn water ones, he suggested tiredly.
You're just still weak, that's all, Poe disagreed, patting his narrow shoulder. Keep working at it. Maybe Drake should help you…
Nuisance shook his head again. Who helps me doesn't matter, he replied, rubbing a little at his forehead. If it comes to me, it'll come to me. Some time. When I need it to. He smiled weakly. Eventually.
Poe patted him on the shoulder. Keep at it.
"You know," Ivonar said, slipping the pot off the spit, "I really wish I knew what they were talking about."
Remmy grinned as he pulled a pair of bowls from his knapsack. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"
"I'm getting there, I'm getting there… ooh, hot!" She put the pot down quickly. "Pot's going to be scorched, the potholders are doing nothing. This is what we get for me cooking!"
He laughed. "It's okay. Better the pot than lunch."
Ivonar flopped down beside the pot. "I guess. It looks okay…" She fished in her bag for the ladle. "At least Poe and Drake'll get things clean easy. I never would've thought of using Pokémon attacks for cleaning dishes."
"That's because you never taught Nuisance any water attacks. We don't need a dishwasher with Foshe – that's my dad's Seadra." He snickered, grinning suddenly. "We have to be careful though – we can't let him wash them if he's in a bad mood, or he'll break every one of them. Sometimes I think it'd be cheaper if we did get the dishwasher – save us some dishes!"
Ivonar laughed. "Probably wouldn't save much. Ours is always breaking… and Mom grumbles so much about having to wash them by hand when we have a dishwasher, even if the dishwasher isn't working… it's so funny sometimes. She can't trust Toby to do it because he's so clumsy… me too, sometimes. And Daddy never remembers…" She giggled, taking one of the bowls from him and ladling the soup into it, careful not to splash it out. "You can always tell what night was Daddy's night to clean the dishes because they'd be there in the morning!"
He chuckled, trading the empty bowl he still held for the full one. He hissed a little, setting it down before he burned himself.
"Careful," Ivonar warned him.
"I am." He chuckled again, leaning back to get his spoon out of his bag.
"Char?" Ivonar looked around. "Where'd she go?"
"She and Chia're sparring, I think."
"Where?" He gestured off to their right. She plopped down next to him, almost spilling her soup on herself. "You sure?" A bright flash of orange and yellow light answered her. "Er… never mind."
He sat in a tree, resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully. The other hand he held almost protectively over the row of pokéballs clipped to his belt. "What do you think, Maven?" he murmured, tapping one finger against his chin and another on the second pokéball. "They have quite a pretty Persian down there I bet you'd love to get your claws into." Below, the large, ivory Persian had its snout buried in the soup pot as the two trainers cleaned their bowls in companionable silence. "Look at them," he sneered softly, smiling mischievously. "I've sat here for an hour and they're totally unaware. Pathetic." He snickered.
The Persian below snorted, raising its head, its ears rotating in his direction. He fell silent as it peered around.
"What is it, Manx?" the girl asked, looking at the Persian.
Manx? What sort of name was that for so fine a creature? He looked more closely at the Persian, and saw, to his surprise, that the name was appropriate: the creature had no tail. He had assumed it was tucked beneath the feline's body, but now he saw, quite clearly, that that was not the case. He smiled slowly, tapping his finger again on Maven's pokéball.
The Persian below snorted a bit, but did not return its nose to the pot. Instead it nudged it toward a half-grown Eevee sitting beside it, which clambered into it, eager to get what the Persian had missed. The Eevee had a peculiar, stiff pelt that gave it the appearance of having been recently electrocuted.
He'd been somewhat startled by the four Eevees the trainers had between them. One, pitifully small, rarely left the girls shoulders; one with a thick coat had wandered off to watch with another – one with an odd, black tail tip – as a Charmander and Raichu sparred together.
He frowned thoughtfully, running his finger down the line of pokéballs clipped to his belt.
The boy put his dish down in front of him. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You want to battle?"
The girl gave him a startled look, then laughed. "Are you kidding? You'd win in thirty seconds."
"Not necessarily. You know my tricks. We haven't seen anybody in a long time; we're gonna get out of practice."
The girl frowned a little. "You have a knack at this. I don't."
"Stop underestimating yourself." He grinned suddenly. "Chia and Char've already got a head start on us. And Char's been kind of miffed that she hasn't been in a real battle in a while."
"I guess…" The girl sighed, standing up and stretching, her bowl in one hand, her spoon in the other. The stiff-furred Eevee trilled, staring up at the dish. The girl giggled, putting the dish down for it. "Eh, sure, why not," she said. "As long as you take a couple of the Eevees for the battle."
"Huh?"
"That way we're eight on eight. The Eevees need some experience: they're getting old enough to start battling. I want to start training them against each other a little. They can't learn completely by pouncing each other."
The boy nodded. "Good idea. Which ones should I use?"
"Cole, definitely. He's getting to be more yours anyway. Static or Fluffball, take your pick."
He smiled to himself. "Can it wait?" he spoke, making both trainers jump. The girl looked around, startled, but the boy looked immediately in the right direction.
"Who's there?" the boy demanded, frowning slightly.
He smiled, jumping down from his perch. "Just a trainer like yourselves," he replied simply, patting the pokéballs clipped to his belt. "I overheard mention of a need for battle. Perhaps you would like to battle me before you battle each other?"
The two traded looks. "Where'd you come from?" the girl asked. The Persian growled, sounding uncertain. The stiff-furred Eevee ran under it, as if taking cover.
He smiled patiently, though inwardly he rolled his eyes. He pointed at the tree from which he'd observed them, and shrugged. The girl frowned, obviously disliking his answer.
"And before that?" the boy asked politely.
He shrugged. "I've been nearly everywhere," he replied evenly. "Where I was last is not important. What's important is whether or not I'm wasting time talking to people when we could be battling."
"How do you want it?" the girl asked. "Two three on threes?"
"Or maybe three two on twos," the boy suggested, grinning at the girl, who shrugged.
"Actually," he replied, smiling faintly, "I prefer two on one." He gestured to them both. "I challenge both of you to defeat me – using as many Pokémon as you like." His smile grew, becoming almost warm. "I also propose a minor wager." All warmth left his expression. "If you win, I give you one of my Pokémon." He patted his belt again. "If I win… I choose one of yours."
"Never!" the girl snapped.
"Forget it," the boy agreed a split moment later.
"No?" He feigned disappointment, but by now he was used to the initial refusal. "But you seem to have plenty to spare."
"No deal," the girl repeated, glaring at him. The Persian snarled under its breath.
He shrugged slightly, as if it didn't matter. "As you say," he replied lightly. "We'll see when we're done." He smiled at them both. "Shall we battle?"
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
He smiled slightly. "Call me Billy," he replied.
Ivonar looked at Remmy, who shrugged a little. Then she looked back at their challenger. He looked a few years older than they, but a bit on the short side; at most he was an inch taller than Ivonar. His skin was richly tanned, but his hair, by contrast, was pale blond. His dull jade eyes fell in between, neither dark nor light. "Well?" he asked again. He smiled vaguely.
"Let's get everybody rounded up first," Ivonar said to Remmy. He nodded slightly. "The Pokémon who aren't battling into their pokéballs." Manx growled softly, never taking his eyes from the stranger. "Manx, do you want to go first?" Manx made a chuffing sound, sitting slowly, with Static still between his paws. He looked like a peculiar idol, glowering and cold, with the Eevee between his forepaws. "Manx?" He glanced toward her, snorting, and returned to staring at the other human, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. She chose to see that as a yes… though it was one that sat very poorly with her. As soon as she returned Char, Nuisance, and Poe to their pokéballs, she took Static away from Manx and placed him where the they'd decided to have the other Eevees stay – namely, in a small thicket where Q had been taking a nap. The Cunone was now wide awake, but remained where it was, keeping the Eevees corralled.
"All right," Ivonar said, taking a stand. Manx got to his feet, baring his teeth slightly. Remmy stood just behind her, hands in his pockets. His position was casual, but Ivonar knew better: his pokéballs were in his pockets. "We're ready."
The stranger smiled a little. "Let's start this out simply," he suggested calmly. "That's a magnificent Persian you have there." He unclipped the second pokéball from his belt. "But I think mine's more unique. Remember… as many Pokémon as you wish. Don't be shy." He held out his hand. "I choose Persian!" he snapped, his voice harsh. The pokéball popped open obediently, allowing its occupant to appear before its master. Ivonar gasped.
It was large, a little larger than Manx, with the same long-legged grace to it… but there the resemblance ended. Its fur was an unnatural, almost painful-looking black; it snarled at them with jagged teeth. "Mraaaw!" it roared, lashing its mostly-black tail. The only parts of it that weren't black were a few flecks of natural ivory on its tail and paws. It lowered its head in challenge, but did not do the same with its ears… for a very simple, pathetic reason.
It didn't have any.
"What happened to its ears?" Ivonar asked, looking at the challenger in surprise.
His smile was cruel. It sent shivers up and down her spine. "How happened to yours' tail?" he replied mysteriously.
"Nraow!" Manx yelped, eyes wide.
She was a magnificent female, some years his senior, though her fur was the color of a fire pit and her earlobes had been long removed. Forgive me! were the first words that she spoke from between wordless snarls, surprising him. I will do as ordered, she growled low in her throat, lowering her head challengingly. Even if it means killing you.
He stared at her, as if staring could jog what it was that pounded between his ears… a feeling, a sensation, that screamed at him not to fight.
Then the sensation – the memory – overwhelmed him.
Her scent.
--- RUN! she snarled, making them all start upright. She never spoke that way, ever.
Upright, out of the grass, they could now see everything clearly: their mother, her fur charred nearly completely black, ears burned completely off, her weight barely held up between three half-functioning legs; the human, small and thin, dark-skinned and pale-haired and staring at them in surprise---
MOM?! he yelped, ears flicking erect again. It couldn't be! Not possibly… He looked at the human she stood before… and then his lips curled back, his ears laid back, and with a hungry snarl, he lunged. MONSTER! he roared.
The dark-skinned, pale-haired male spoke something, and she came between them, knocking him aside with one paw. Mother, it's me! he cried, shaking off the hard cuff. It's ME!
She glared at him coldly.
Of course… her nose must also be damaged. That had to be it. He couldn't have made her forget, forget the three boys the monster had made her abandon – especially not the one who'd made certain the other two got away. If her nose were damaged at all, she might not remember his smell… or recognize it. Hers was changed with her form, as his was. And he was full-grown now – he smelled like a male, not completely like the kitten he had been.
The human ordered her to attack; his own ordered an agile dodge. He did so; he had no intention of hurting her. Mother, please, he pleaded, rearing to his hind legs to dodge her claws but keeping his forepaws down to protect his underside. He pranced backwards on his hind legs. Mother, it's me, Biggest Brother! he insisted, falling to all fours and rolling out of her range. His human ordered an attack, but he ignored her. Mother, please!
"MANX!" his human shouted. "I said Fury Swipes!"
"Maven, do as she says," the other said, sounding smug.
What has he done to you?! he cried, backing up several steps as she continued to try to claw him. Mom, STOP ATTACKING ME!
STOP CALLING ME THAT! she snarled, landing a blow across his muzzle. He snorted, as blood plugged his nose momentarily. He backed off, ears lowered unthreateningly. My sons… she snarled softly, her voice laden with hatred, …are dead.
No, he replied. He shook his head, snorting more blood out of his nose.
I'm not. He glared toward the pale-haired human. He stole you from us. He took you away with that fire demon! He roared in challenge, but not at the other Persian: his challenge was for the human alone. YOU STOLE MY MOTHER! he screamed, charging forward in a full sprint.
"Manx, stop it!" his human cried, horrified.
"Maven, stop him!" hers shouted angrily.
She tackled him, sending him reeling. Maven… was that what the monster had named her? Stop this nonsense at once! She – Maven, Mother – snarled at him, lowering her head dangerously. Her white-speckled tail stretched out behind her. Don't make me have to kill you, youngling.
That… isn't how this works, Manx snapped. This is a battle, Mother.
Stop calling me that! she spat at him. Her head lowered further, her legs tensing. A scrap of flesh that was all that remained of her left ear was flat to her skull.
And you obviously haven't been in a real battle before, child.
Battles are not to the death!
Then they are not battles, even!
"Maven, I'd say this Persian needs a lesson," her human said.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with him!" his human apologized. Idiot. "He's never been this way!"
"Maven, he attacked me," her human continued, ignoring his. He sighed. "Beat him within an inch of his life."
"HEY!" his human snarled.
"Chia, Thundershock!"
NO! he roared at the Raichu before she could move. Maven slashed his nose again. Chia blinked, looking at her trainer, then at him.
"Remmy, what are you doing?!" his human yelled at the other.
Maven's trainer smirked. "I did say, I challenge you both. Go on, 'Remmy'."
"Recall Manx, Ivonar," the other snapped. "He's not going to attack. He's just letting himself get beaten out there."
"But why? Manx, come back here!" He growled at her, hackles raised. "Manx!" Maven tackled him again, sending him skidding.
Billy shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Such poor training," he chided her.
Ivonar didn't understand it. Manx wouldn't fight, he wouldn't let Chia fight, and he wouldn't come back. Why was he protecting Billy's Persian? And why did he keep trying to attack Billy? "Manx, what is wrong with you?" she yelled at him. He dragged himself to his feet, snarling vaguely in her direction.
Something wasn't clicking. Something about the black fur of Billy's Persian… and how it had no ears, like Manx-
Like Manx!
"Wait, time out!" she shouted. Billy looked startled. Without orders, his Persian stopped. "Billy, where'd you get your Persian?"
He looked at her boredly. "I caught it," he replied.
"As a Meowth?"
"Yes…" he admitted slowly.
Ivonar swallowed at the dead feeling that threatened to make her ill. "With a fire Pokémon?"
Billy sighed, making the single swoop of faintly greenish blond hair that fell over his face blow upward. The rest of his hair went almost entirely back. "What is the point of all this?"
"How many years ago? Where?" she demanded.
"Please get to your point."
"When, and where?"
Billy rolled his eyes. "A few years ago, somewhere between Viridian and Pallet, I think. Your point being?"
Ivonar's eyes narrowed. "Were there any others?"
"Eevee…?" Remmy's tone was questioning.
Maven sat by her trainer's heel. Billy rubbed her head. "She might have… I don't really remember."
"Did your fire Pokémon rip off her ears?"
"Ivonar!" Though he was talking to her, Remmy shot a glance at Manx, who was panting heavily.
"No," Billy replied easily. He gave Maven's head a pat. She flinched slightly. "They burned off."
Ivonar's lips pulled back in disgust. "How… how dare you!" she shouted. "How could you EVER do that to Pokémon! To anything!"
Billy gave her a bored look. "Weren't we battling?" he chided her, as if the current problem was of no fault of his own.
"You monster!" Manx growled challengingly at him in agreement. "There were, weren't there! And you just left them, didn't you!"
Billy sighed, as if the conversation were boring him out of his mind. "Perhaps she had a runty kit or two." Maven bowed her head. "They ran away, though, the pathetic creatures." He chuckled. "Except one. Even more pathetic… it thought it had a chance."
Manx roared, teeth fully bared, claws digging into the ground. He crouched, ready to lunge, ears pasted to his skull, hackles raised. Maven mirrored the position, tail out straight and fur bristling.
"You ripped out Manx's tail!" Ivonar accused.
"Did I?" Billy crossed his arms. "Why would I do such a thing? Not I, never."
"How could you do such a thing?!" Ivonar yelled. "To a defenseless kitten!"
Billy snorted. "If he's the one who attacked my Growlithe, it's his fault." He pulled the first pokéball off his belt. "Well, let's see… does this Persian remind you of anyone, Flameagle?" The ball opened, letting out the Pokémon inside. In a flare of red, the creature took form, mostly orange fur with white and brown so dark it was almost black, its fangs bared, its hackles raised, ready for battle.
It was the biggest Growlithe Ivonar had ever seen. Over three feet long, it had to be close to seventy pounds worth of canine. It was as big as Manx, something that simply should not have been possible.
Manx let out a strangled growl.
Was that what he had tangled with?
It had gotten bigger with age, but then, so had he. It had been a puppy, an infant like him… but a trained infant, an infant with human training behind its instinct.
Now, they were on equal ground.
He threw himself at the enormous Growlithe, claws and teeth bared.
"Flameagle, Agility!" Billy shouted. The Growlithe avoided Manx's attack.
"Manx, Mirror Move and Fury Swipes!" Ivonar snapped. "Now!" With barely a twist, Manx met Flameagle's dodge, tearing into its snout with his claws. Flameagle yelped.
"Flameagle, Body Slam!"
"Agility!"
"Take Down!"
"Double Team and Take Down!"
Flameagle's barely missed, but the Take Down landed. Then, suddenly, there were four Manxs for Flameagle to deal with, all of which hit it at once from different directions.
"Flameagle! I want you to Fire Cross every one of those Persians!" Billy howled. "Now!"
"Manx, don't get hit!" Ivonar shouted.
"You are really starting to annoy me, child!" Billy chided her.
"Chia!" Remmy ordered.
"Chu?"
"Get ready."
"Rai…" Chia's cheeks sparked, but she looked uncertain.
"Drake. Fairie. Ratzy." The three Pokémon came out of their balls. "Get ready."
Billy smiled thinly. "What are you waiting for? A sparring partner? All right, then…" He patted the Persian on the head. "Maven, target the Clefairy or the Dratini… your choice."
Drake chirped, eyes narrowing. Ratzy chattered a challenge, stepping in front of Fairie. For her part, Fairie stared dumbly about her, trying to figure out what was going on.
The char-furred Persian stepped forward, tail out straight, head lowered.
"Scythe? Bully? Join in the fun." He pulled the other two balls from his belt, releasing two more Pokémon. "Scythe, clear the way, Bully, go for the Raichu!"
"Scyther!" the Scyther cried, slashing the bushes with its blades, giving the bulky Tauros room to move. Chia yelped as she blasted the Tauros with a Thunderbolt it shook off with an eerie amount of ease. It barely slowed as it slammed Chia into a tree. Chia squealed in pain.
"Char! Poe! Ro! Kakuna!" There were two flares above her head, two below, as The Kakuna and Ro appeared in the air and Poe and Char appeared at her feet.
This wasn't a battle.
This was a fight.
"Ro, Kakuna, Fury Attacks to the Tauros!" she snapped. "Poe, target that Growlithe! Char, Flamethrow that Scyther, now!"
"Drake, Water Gun that Growlithe!" Remmy barked. "Ratzy, Quick Attack Tauros but careful of the Fury Attacks! Fairie – Metronome, now! Saurus, protect Fairie, let her get her attack!"
With a bright flare of red light, Saurus appeared before Fairie as Fairie started swinging her fingers from side to side. Poe and Drake tried to catch Flameagle in a crossfire of powerful Water Guns, but Flameagle sprinted forward, catching Manx in another Take Down and avoiding the sprays of water.
"Nuisance," Ivonar said quietly. With a small pop and a brief flare of light, the Psyduck appeared at her feet. He looked about, startled, then at her. "We're going to need your psychic attacks," she said sadly.
Nuisance frowned slightly, as if understanding… then waddled away as fast as he could, dodging between Bully's legs to leap into the thicket where Q and the Eevees were hidden. For an instant she feared he'd run in panic – when she heard the tell-tale clang! of Q's bar against Nuisance's skull. He'd understood. She flinched inwardly, forcing herself to pay attention to the battle, and prayed that Billy didn't have any psychic Pokémon in pokéballs he didn't keep on his belt. It was painfully obvious that his Pokémon had been training far longer than hers or Remmy's – and that they as were used to being teamed up upon as they were to teaming up in return. The Scyther had made short work of the trees and bushes, easily opening the clearing into something over six times its original size, all the while agilely dodging Char's attempts to Flamethrow and Ember it. Many of the piles of debris burst into flame. "Char, be careful!" Ivonar warned her. "We don't need the whole place burning up!" Heeding the warning, Char started taking more careful aim, but still the Scyther was too fast.
Likewise, Poe and Drake were having trouble landing a blow of the Growlithe. With or without Agility, it was simply too fast.
Ivonar fought to keep up with Billy, but he, too, was far more experienced at an all-out Pokémon brawl.
Things were looking bad.
Scythe tore through the bushes heedlessly, taking no note of anything but the other Pokémon. Wild Pidgey flew away as fast as they could: a wild Spearow tried to Peck the Scyther, only to be smacked aside with the flat of a metallic blade.
Then, it stopped.
"Scy?" it chirped, startled. It hung in midair, blades ready to slash into the thicket hiding the four Eevee, the Cunone, and…
"Psi."
He waddled out, looking up at the bug that was over twice as tall as he was. Scythe looked down at him in return, and visibly sneered. "Scyther!" it yelled, its shoulders straining, but it could not move.
"Nice Disable, Nuisance," Ivonar told him tightly.
"Bully, Takedown that Psyduck!" Billy snapped.
"Nuisance, Confusion!"
Nuisance put his fingertips together, closing his eyes. The Scyther fell to the ground, landing on its feet: it lifted its blades, preparing to slash downward, even as Bully shook off another electric attack and charged. "Pssssssyyyyy…" The Psyduck threw his stubby arms apart: an invisible wave sent the Scyther and Tauros tumbling gracelessly backwards.
"What was that?" Billy demanded.
"I dunno, but I like it!" Ivonar replied.
Billy grimaced. "Maven! Flameagle! Both of you, Agility and Takedown! Get that Psyduck!"
Nuisance put his fingertips together again. "Pssssssyyyyy…"
Maven was closer than Flameagle: Nuisance wasn't going to have enough time.
"Q, Bone Club, now!" Remmy shouted.
"What?" Billy's eyes passed over the Pokémon: which was Q? Bone Club was a Cubone attack, and there were no-
"Q!" Q sprang out of the thicket, bar in paw. It leaped easily over Nuisance, bringing the bar down hard on Maven's skull. Manx roared as the black, earless Persian was sent skidding over the grass. Q scrambled after her, getting out of the way as Nuisance unleashed his attack, sending Flameagle flying.
This wasn't working.
Had those been their only Pokémon, it would have, but they weren't: where had that… that Cubone creature come from? His favorite four would have taken care of the eleven easily, but they had had one in reserve.
He was losing.
He had never lost, not since he was little, and just starting out.
He was not going to lose.
"Flameagle!" Billy roared. "To me!"
"Poe, Drake, Water Gun Flameagle while it's weak!" the boy shouted. He was good. The girl was still trying to play things "fair", do things by their boring rules. The boy was trying to win, just as Billy was. The more worthy opponent. His Pokémon would greatly help Billy's collection: he had neither a Dratini nor a Clefairy. The girl's Pokémon were common, but that Psyduck… it was so powerful. She could not have trained it herself…
He needed it taken out. Immediately.
He always knew he'd have to do this eventually.
Flameagle ran to his side, limping as she did. She looked up at him, her gaze blankly loyal. She was his first Pokémon, given to him by his father as a start to his Pokémon collection. As his father had pointed out, everyone had to start out somewhere. She'd been small and weak. Billy had quickly made her otherwise.
Now, it was time to go a step further. She'd learned all her attacks, and ones she shouldn't have been able to, but that he'd trained her hard. As hard as she could stand. Harder, sometimes, when need be.
"Flameagle," he said, his voice almost kind as he pulled the Fire Stone from his pocket, "evolve for me." He touched the stone to her forehead.
"This isn't good…." Ivonar said tightly, as the Growlithe turned blindingly white.
"Poe! Drake!" Remmy snapped. "Water Gun, now!"
"Maven, Light Screen!" Billy snapped. Maven dragged herself to her feet: the Water Guns jerked sideways inches from their targets. "Double Team! Take out those Water Pokémon!" Manx roared, sprinting toward the evolving Growlithe. "Bully, stop him!" The Persian managed to dodge the attack, but now his angle of attack was wrong for Flameagle. Chia's cheeks sparked. "Scythe, Quick Attack!" The Raichu tried to change her aim, but was not fast enough.
"Ro, Kakuna, Fury Attack!" Ivonar shouted. It was wrong to attack a Pokémon in the middle of evolution, but they couldn't let him get any stronger… they couldn't let Billy win. Not like this…
"Flameagle, Fire Cross!" Billy crowed.
There was a roar of flame as the Arcanine complied, her attack tearing through the Fury Attacks like tissue paper. Ro and The Kakuna fell with one attack. "Return!" Ivonar told them quickly, getting them back in their pokéballs.
This wasn't good at all….
"Agility!" Billy ordered, a look of eerie glee on his face. "Bite. Everything." With a blur, the giant Arcanine vanished.
Chia. Manx. Fairie. Drake. Poe. Ratzy. Q. Char. Saurus. Each went down with a startled cry. And stayed down.
Nuisance barely managed to hold off the Arcanine with Disable long enough to get out of the way.
"Nuisance!" Ivonar shouted. "Psychic Toss, now!"
Nuisance started to turn, to face Flameagle, but he wasn't fast enough: with a single Take Down he was sent crashing into Scythe. The Scyther threw him aside like a weighted sack. Nuisance groaned weakly, but didn't move.
"No…" Ivonar breathed. Nuisance was their strongest Pokémon. Without him…
Billy had won.
No! He couldn't!
"The battle is mine," Billy said, looking at them with frank disdain. Manx and Maven both pulled themselves wobblingly to their feet.
"No," Ivonar told him flatly.
"Your Pokémon are unfit to battle. You were surprisingly worthy." He made it sound like a compliment. "Now I chose what I want."
"Forget it," Remmy snapped. "We're not done yet." Chia dragged herself painfully to her feet, only staying there by holding herself against a tree. Poe tried to stand, but fell back down. "Pi!" He threw his remaining pokéball into the air: it popped open, releasing the Pidgey.
Billy laughed loudly, an eerily high sound. "A Pidgey?" he snickered. "Against an Arcanine?"
"We still have Pokémon left," Remmy replied coldly. "You haven't won yet."
"Come on, Nuisance," Ivonar whispered. "Wake up, please…" Nuisance opened his eyes, looking at her blearily.
"You two annoy me," Billy said, eyes narrowing. "I've won by the rules we set. I get my choice of Pokémon."
"We aren't done!" Ivonar snapped.
"Oh, shut up," Billy retorted. Ivonar yelped in surprise as Flameagle cuffed her.
"Hey!" Remmy snapped. Manx snarled.
"Face it: I've won," Billy stated flatly.
"You're not getting our Pokémon," Ivonar told him, sitting up. Her shoulder ached horribly where Flameagle had smacked her, but she refused to let it show.
"You are especially annoying," Billy told her. "Thinking you're worthy of my time."
"You're insane, if you think you're a Pokémon trainer," she replied.
Billy scowled. "It isn't very mature, to think that different training styles are automatically wrong."
Ivonar laughed. Billy's eyes narrowed further. "You're not the person to tell me I'm wrong," she told him.
"No? Flameagle?"
"Stop it!" Remmy shouted, as the Arcanine knocked Ivonar aside. "You can't use Pokémon attacks on people!"
"Why not?" Billy sneered. "True Pokémon trainers have to be ready to face what their Pokémon do, or they'll never have their respect."
Ivonar laughed, startling both of them. She dragged herself to her feet, wiping at a cut by her eye. "You're not the person to be telling us about respect," she said.
"Flameagle."
"Pi, Sand-Attack!" Remmy snapped, but it was useless: Flameagle ran through it like it wasn't there. Ivonar was sent skidding. Nuisance let out a weak whine: Manx snarled, leaping for the Arcanine, but the bigger Pokémon simply batted him aside.
"You…" Ivonar groaned, pulling herself to one hand and both knees. "…aren't… going… to… win." Her head swam: her left arm screamed in agony, as she suddenly had a second elbow in her upper arm and her wrist was bent at an unnatural angle. Broken. The rest of her ached dully, as if the pain weren't really real.
"I already have," Billy replied simply.
"No. You haven't."
"Denying it is useless."
"I'm not denying it. I'm telling you."
"Chu!" Chia threw a Thundershock at Scythe: the Scyther, caught off guard, slumped into unconsciousness, even as the Raichu slid off her feet, exhausted.
"I don't have time for you." Billy looked at Flameagle. "Ember the Pidgey."
"Pi, return!" Remmy snapped, but he was too slow: when Pi returned, he did so blackened. He grimaced darkly.
"Happy now?" Billy sneered. "You really are out of Pokémon."
"You aren't going to win," Ivonar told him simply, cradling her arm.
"I always win," Billy told her frankly. "With Flameagle, I never lose." The Arcanine slammed Ivonar aside; she cried out in pain. "Isn't that right, Maven?" The blackened Persian, barely able to stand, still dizzy and aching from the metal club in her skull, mewed weakly.
Ivonar opened her eyes. Her entire body throbbed. Her left arm screamed in pain. Her legs were completely numb: she couldn't feel them at all. Still, she pushed herself weakly to her knees with her right hand. She looked about the clearing.
All her and Remmy's Pokémon, fallen and bleeding. Poe fighting to stand, but not succeeding. Nuisance was conscious, but barely, not two feet away. Manx was dragging himself back to his feet. Numbly, she watched as he limped over to her; gently, he rubbed his forehead against hers. She put her working hand on his shoulder, forcing herself to her feet, even though she couldn't feel them. She leaned heavily to her right: she felt like she would fall any moment.
But Billy was right about one thing.
Pokémon trainers had to be willing to do what their Pokémon did.
"We're not done yet," she said flatly. "We can still fight."
Billy looked at her dully, not in the least impressed. "You have ceased to amuse me," he said, sounding bored. "Flameagle… Fire Cross."
The Arcanine turned to them, her flames roaring toward Manx, Nuisance, and Ivonar with perfect aim.
None of them stood a chance.
He sat alone under a bush. None of the other Pokémon had anything to do with him: he was too haughty, they said. Too self-centered. Arrogant.
Perhaps he had been arrogant, but not anymore. Not now. He knew better, now. Arrogance had gotten him captured: he would no longer be arrogant. He had learned his lesson, and was not going to repeat it.
Nor was he self-centered. He had more important things to focus on.
Things like revenge.
Like freedom.
Like making that wench and her pet pay for stealing his freedom from him.
Especially her pet.
He was well aware of their predicament: the bond between himself and the girl never waned. It was permanent, after all. She was not aware of it, not at this distance, but it was there. It was very much there.
He'd enjoyed the battle, for the most part, safe and sound as he was under a bush far, far away. He could not feel her pain, at this distance, but could appreciate what it was doing to her. He enjoyed seeing both get their due.
But the human had crossed the line.
*You are mine to finish,* he sneered to the one who had defeated him. *No one else's.*
Nuisance could barely keep his eyes open as he watched the Fire Cross bear down on them. He was a water Pokémon: technically, he had a partial strength against fire attacks. But this one, he knew, would kill him. And Manx.
And Ivonar.
And there was nothing… nothing… he could do. There wasn't time.
*You are mine to finish,* a voice said out of no where. He stiffened: it was a voice he had never wished to hear again. *No one else's.*
Three inches away, the flames already scalding his feathers, the Fire Cross slammed into a psychic shield, dissipating harmlessly.
"What?!" Billy roared.
The fool… the crazed, psychotic fool of an Abra…
He had his chance.
*DRAKE!* he roared mentally, shutting his eyes tightly. The Dratini jerked awake with a squeak. *Poe…* He fought to keep focused. They would have one chance… one, and only one. *I need… your Water Guns. As powerful as you can manage. I need you to put everything you have into them – everything. Aim anywhere but at the Arcanine.*
Drake looked at him, then at the Tauros. Poe pushed himself to his knees, eyes downcast wearily, then lifted them, staring at nothing.
Both collected what strength they had left, putting it into their attacks, and did as he said.
With what strength he himself had left, Nuisance used Confusion on them both.
Drake's Water Gun, reinforced with Nuisance's Confusion, slammed into the Tauros with a power of an Ice Punch, sending it slamming into the Arcanine. Poe's Water Gun, equally reinforced to act as a Hydro Pump, slammed into the Arcanine from the other side.
In all, the entire maneuver took six seconds. All five Pokémon went limp.
And now, all sides were equally out of Pokémon.
Billy stared blankly.
What had just happened?
The Psyduck could not have had the power necessary to erect a shield strong enough to make Flameagle's Fire Cross completely useless. It was simply impossible. And the water Pokémon couldn't possibly have had the energy left to use such powerful attacks… and Water Guns traveled in straight lines. They had had psychic powers aiming them.
The girl glared at him, still leaning on her Persian. Of the Pokémon there, only the Persians were still standing, but Maven was still reeling from the blow the Cubone creature had given her. She couldn't battle.
Stalemate.
"We win," the girl said hoarsely.
"I would call it a tie," he replied harshly.
The girl laughed weakly. Slowly, she shook her head. "You lose," she said. "You're out of Pokémon, aren't you? You only have the four."
"You're out of Pokémon as well."
Again, she slowly shook her head. "We win," she disagreed. "We still have Pokémon left."
Slowly, from the thicket, they came.
He'd forgotten about the Eevees.
The smallest one squealed, leaning against the girl's leg with two paws; the girl's leg buckled, and she fell to her knees. The one with the black tail tip and one with thick fur stepped forward, hissing menacingly. The last, the one with the spiky fur, soon joined them. The smallest did as well.
"We win," the girl said again, glaring at him defiantly.
He returned his Pokémon to their balls, and returned her glare.
"Stalemate," he corrected her.
Then turned, and ran.
Fluffball tried chasing the boy, but soon returned. Remmy returned the Pokémon, his and Ivonar's alike, to their pokéballs. "Ivonar…" He didn't know what to say. Asking if she was all right would be like asking a starving person if they were hungry. She needed medical help immediately.
They were in the middle of no where. Vermillion City was still a week away.
Manx glared at him when he aimed his pokéball at him, but could not fight being returned.
"Ivonar…" Remmy grabbed her before she fell, unable to keep upright without Manx to support her.
"We win," she said weakly, head falling forward a bit. "We win, Remmy, we win." He pulled her right arm around his shoulders: she winced, groaning. The Eevees pooled around their feet, mewling worriedly: Q was tucked under his other arm. "We win."
There was no way.
He couldn't do it: he couldn't drag her for a week.
Remmy grimaced. Gently, he put Ivonar down. Going to their packs, he pulled her sleeping bag off hers. He unrolled it next to her, unzipping it fully, then helped her lay flat.
He grabbed two straight sticks, and the elastics to her sleeping bag and his own. One stick he bound tightly to her upper left arm: the other to the lower part, one end to her lower arm, the other to her hand. He wrapped both tightly in gauze from the first aid kit. She would only be able to move her elbow.
He rummaged through their packs, getting all the junk food and Pokémon food, everything that wasn't in cans and didn't need to be cooked. He put it in the bag by Ivonar's feet. "Stay here," he told the Eevees firmly. They chirped at him. "This'll hopefully be enough… you guys can find other things to eat if you run out." He closed the sleeping bag around Ivonar, zipping it up fully.
"Remmy, we win," Ivonar said dully, looking right through him.
He bound Q's bite wound with what gauze was left, then slid him gently in the sleeping bag with Ivonar. There was still a little room on the other side. "Stay here," he told the Eevees again. "Keep Eevee warm, okay?" he told them as he clipped all twelve pokéballs to his belt. "And make sure she eats."
Would they understand? He hoped so. Pokémon were smarter than normal animals.
But these were little kids… these weren't full grown. Would they understand enough?
"Stay here," he told them one more time.
"We win," Ivonar replied vaguely.
"Yeah," he told her as he grabbed one of their full canteens, pulling it over his head. "We're going to." He looked at her: she was deathly pale, her hair slick with sweat. Hopefully, warm in the sleeping bag, it would help stave off shock, but it'd only work for so long.
She wouldn't last a week.
With only a canteen and twelve pokéballs of exhausted, useless Pokémon, Remmy did the only thing he could.
He ran.