La de da... Enjoying yourself yet? Oh, and in case you were thinking of flaming me about the name "Fslam," don't. I know what it sounds like ok? I'm not making fun of anything or anyone so... leave me alone. (huddles up alone with her Zim collection)
Chapter
Five
In which Ash is (probably) scarred for life, a tragedy occurs and the traitor walking among the Fslam is discovered...
It wasn't until the feast actually got underway that Aliet noticed her brother's absence. "Calm down, 'Et!" Blaine shook her gently. The panicky girl calmed slightly, but her shoulders still shook in apprehension. "Send your Charizard out to find him, the big guy won't mind too much. Plus, the kid can't have gone THAT far. He's only... what? Six?"
"Seven..." she corrected shakily. "He's seven..."
"Okay okay so he's seven," Blaine waved his hand in the air, his way of saying, "don't correct me." "Still, how far can a seven-year-old go in... fifteen minutes?"
"Far," Jess called over her shoulder. She hadn't heard the whole conversation and was only trying to be helpful. Seeing the dirty looks she was given, the horse-type trainer smiled nervously, sinking into her seat at the Council's banquet table. "Sorry," she mumbled into Ponyta's fur.
"Anyway, just send your Char after him and act like you're having fun."
"All right..." Aliet whimpered. Charizard swung his big head down to her level, sensing her mood. "Please, my sweet?"
-Fine...- The great wings unfolded, beat the night air once, then half-folded again. -Just save something for me, okay?- He beat his wings, thrusting forward with his hind legs, and launched upwards. The wind from his passing blew sand and other bits of grit into Aliet's hair and whatever hair Blaine had left nowadays. The Council Leader snorted out a blast of dust, making him resemble the fire types he Trained. Aliet watched her poke'mon go, an almost hungry look in her eyes. "Please find him..." she whispered to the disappearing speck that was her poke'mon. Blaine placed his hand on her shoulder and gently led her away. "He'll be okay, right?" she asked him as he sat her down at his right.
"Of course!" he patted her hand. "There aren't any wild poke'mon still around here after all the noise we've been making."
"No weak ones anyway," Brad muttered under his breath. The Flareon Trainer nonchalantly took a drink of his wine, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing. His eyes suddenly bulged out and he doubled over in his chair, rubbing his knee. He glared up at Scott, who sat opposite from him. The fox Master grinned knowingly at him, then proceeded to return to his conversation with Sheila.
Aliet sipped her tea silently. The hot liquid flowed throughout her body, calming her and warming her face with the steam it emitted. She wanted to cry. Charmander licked her face comfortingly, cuddling up against her. Her baby wasn't allowed to eat with the other poke'mon. Babies were seen, in Fslam custom, as too young and fragile to be with their elders. Not to mention the fact that things with their poke'mon usually got too rowdy and aggressive to be safe for one at such a low level and young age. Charmander whined in her ear, demanding instant attention from her. She absently rubbed him along is back, producing a low purr from her baby. Jess shot her a sympathetic look before taking a long, slow swig of whatever she was drinking. In the classic, country sense, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sighing with pleasure. "It'll be fine, 'Et," she tried to soothe. "Your big baby'll find him and he'll bring him back."
"Yeah," Aliet managed a weak smile towards her. "I hope. Oh Eatusur I hope he'll be all right!"
The sky was clear, cloudless and above all, warm. How was it possible for a sky to be warm...? He glided along with absolute freedom and prowess. It was fun, he thought sarcastically after a while, to fly upside-down and do barrel-rolls when no one was looking. But it really was fun to do them when Aliet or Scyther was watching. I'm just hungry, he decided finally. I need SOMETHING here or I'm gonna pass out...
The big fire type inhaled deeply, trying to smell something edible within the woods below him. All he could detect at this altitude was... air. He swooped lower; trying to keep his shadow blended with the shadows the half-moon cast in the trees. Now he could both smell and hear the prey. His predatory instincts kicked in, driving him to find the source of the sounds and smells.
Prey was near. Where was it? How many, how big? Where where where? Had to be close. Smelled close, sounded close. Had to be somewhere! Why couldn't he see it? Trees. Trees were in the way! Had to get passed the trees! Stupid plants. In the way! How could he get passed the trees? Dive! Swoop low, dodge trees, move plants? No, too loud. Locate. Spiral around. Find thermal, ride it, locate prey. Swoop down. Bite, kill, eat, tear, eat. Kill to eat, eat to live. Thing must die to live. Why? No matter. Needed food. Starving. Ride thermal, find prey. Taste meat, taste blood. That was life. All that mattered was the hunt. The hunt and the flame. Life. Life was only eat, live, breed. He had never bred before. Maybe someday. Had to pick before prime over. Not much time. Why? Not matter. Pick Scyther... Scyther beautiful, strong, survivor. Needed her, wanted her. She would be his... forever his...
They prey was below him now. He banked into a hover, snaking his neck around to smell and taste the prey below him. It was Tauros. There was a whole herd of the cow poke'mon below him. There was no human scent in the air, meaning that these were wild, not trained, and therefore, edible. Humans never understood why he had this need to hunt and eat hot, fresh meat when there was perfectly edible meat served to him. The instincts were ingrained into every Charizard's brain, and no matter how well trained they were, the instincts always managed to surface, driving him to hunt and make a successful kill at least once a month.
He was so sure the prey was below him! Right below, half asleep and unawares. The big char folded his wings, stooping in a wild falcon dive. If he missed the prey, he would break his neck. But he would not miss. He had never missed. As his head broke through the canopy, he extended his wings halfway, giving him more maneuverability and increasing the chances of success. The Tauros heard the sound too late and began to break towards cover, mooing their fear. He used the dive momentum to zip along beside them, swerving past trees and over brush. There was no obstacle that stood in his path. There was nothing he could not dodge. The herd stampeded through the woods, heading for a clearing, trampling everything flat in their rush to escape the aerial predator. Stragglers began to break off from the main herd, giving him things to pick off. A few were calves and their protective mothers. He left those pairs alone. They were too small anyway. The young males were what he was after. They were the biggest and the most tender of all the prey.
One stupid beast ran directly in front of him. With a primordial scream of hunger and savagery, he attacked. His hind claws latched into the Tauros's rump, ripping into the thick hide. He leaned forward, making sure not to be hit headlong by the whipping branches flying overhead. His foreclaws dug into the cow type's neck ruff, helping him hold on. The Tauros mooed in absolute fright, whipping him with its three tails. Each cut into him separately, stinging his hide. He snarled in a blind, red rage. Out of hunger and instinct-driven rage, he snaked his neck around to the Tauros's throat, searching for the right spot to begin. His eyes widened as he selected it and bit deep into the neck vein with the wicked, elongated canines of his kind. Hot blood dripped into his mouth, fueling his need for fresh meat.
The weight of the big fire type caused the half-dead creature to drop like a stone. It fell, dead, to its knees, eyes glazed. Its jerking stop caused Charizard to go flying over its head, making his neck crack painfully. For a moment, neither one, alive or dead, moved. Then, he sat up slowly, dazedly. The smell of hot, fresh meat stirred his hunger to override his pain. Ravenous, he tore into its belly, ripping off great shreds of meat and swallowing them whole. Its still-warm blood ran down his muzzle in red rivers. He licked those up as best he could, wanting to savor every last bit of the kill. There was nothing that had ever tasted so good in all his life. The bones were crunched into pieces so even the marrow could be eaten. For a long while, all that could be heard was the savage sounds of a carnivore and its kill.
"Eew..." a tiny voice weakly broke the sounds. "Icky..."
His head jerked up, swiveling to find the source of the voice. Was it someone trying to take his kill? A rival! He rose from the crouch, snarling at the unwelcome guest. He stomped his feet, roaring and fanning his wings in challenge. -MY KILL!- he roared to the invisible intruder. -I CAUGHT! I KILLED! MY KILL! I EAT!- His eyes flickered madly about the clearing, tail flame casting its eerie light on everything within its reach. They soon came to rest on a small, gnarled tree and the figure crouched up in its branches. The killing instincts faded away with the hunger as he slowly remembered his original mission. The aggressive pose faded to one of concerned innocence. -Ash?- he crooned comfortingly. -That you, kid?-
The something in the tree was suddenly sick. He wrinkled his nostrils at the stench of vomit. Aliet was going to skin him alive when she heard about this little blunder. Not to mention the kid's mother... He walked towards the tree, wings folded tightly against his body and neck drooped in submission, attempting to look as non-threatening as possible. All aggression drained from his gaze, leaving the blue eyes calm, as if he were looking at Aliet, rather than a terrified seven-year-old.
There was a sound of shifting in the tree. "St-stay 'way!" the voice called out, wavering.
Charizard sighed, smoke drifting from his jaws in annoyance. -It would be so much easier if I hadn't been hungry...- he mumbled to himself. -Oh gods... I'm stupid.- He approached the tree again, crooning softly, as if talking to Charmander. -It's me kid. Hello? Aliet's Charizard? Gods, I wish I spoke human!-
The boy suddenly fell out of the tree. Charizard's heat skipped a beat. Normally, he would have laughed at the dumb human, but it WAS the kid, and Aliet HAD asked him to return him unharmed. He was at the base of the tree now, and was crouched down, giving the kid a good sniff-over. The boy was unconscious, having most likely fainted after seeing him come so close. He poked him gently with a foreclaw. His head rolled over but he remained otherwise the same. A lump was forming on his head though. The big char groaned. Once 'Et found out, there would be no time alone with Scyther... providing the bug agreed to some private time.
He hefted the unconscious body onto his shoulders, where it would stay until he took off. It would get in the way of his wings, and he doubted his neck could take the strain. 'Et never rode there, as was the custom of some Char trainers. She preferred to stretch out across his back, squished into the middle of his back to allow freedom of wing movement. From her studies of the Char breed, she'd learned that constantly riding on a Charizard's neck increased frailty of the appendage and made the chances of terrible arthritis skyrocket. " 'Nearly everyday,' " she'd read to him one summer night. " 'Someone's Charizard is killed by a broken neck. Examination shows that these deaths are caused by loosening or wearing away of the neck vertebrae and tendons, which cause the neck to snap whenever the slightest pressure is applied. This is not a natural occurrence, signifying that neck-riding, however popular, is an extreme danger to both the Trainer and the poke'mon.' " After reading, she'd slammed the book shut, head bowed in thoughtful sadness. "Such a waste..." she'd murmured. "All those beautiful creatures killed because of a fad." Then she'd leaned against him, and he'd draped his neck over her shoulder. "Don't ever leave me. Okay, big guy?"
-I won't.-
"Promise?"
-Sure, 'Et. I promise.-
She had then ended the conversation by twining her five slender fingers through his large three.
He half-smiled ruefully at the memory. Now, he took off, switching the kid to his arms to be more comfortable. And more awake. It wasn't the brightest idea to eat a lot before flight. He felt so sleepy... The fire type snorted flame at the stars to wake up slightly. An image of Scyther popped up. He blinked, now more awake then ever. He kept that image close to the surface, as it was still a long flight back to the Festival.
The meal was wonderful. Everything was seasoned with the traditional spiciness favored among fire trainers. The feast started with a course of sweet roasted peppers, stuffed with tomatoes, zucchinis and corn, seasoned with jalapenos. After that was devoured, refills on drinks were given to those who had finished theirs in the first course alone. Next came a pasta dish with shrimp and crab in a light red wine sauce. The seafood was grilled with garlic and kian pepper. The spices contrasted the sauce, making for a delightful blend of flavor. The main course was Cajun-style steak over a bed of wild rice with tiny bits of chili peppers worked in. Most ate the rice along with the steak, using one to counteract the other. Lastly, there was a light, creamy, lemon-flavored pudding-like desert, called "me'dai," that the ancients had invented to cool the mouth after a fiery meal.
Aliet sighed softly, pushing away the bowl of half-eaten me'dai. Nothing had tasted right. She assumed it was merely because she was worried. Charmander had decided he didn't like anything served, so a vendor who was closing for the night made him a special treat from scratch. "Just glad to help the Council," he'd said while cooking it. Her baby was now asleep, curled in her lap. She stroked him gently, other hand grabbing at her tea. It was still warm, and helped her to relax. "Still worrying too much?" Blaine asked. He cast a quick glance over at the circle where the poke'mon were sitting as a particularly loud cry echoed from the ranks. His concern vanished as poke'mon laughter erupted from the circle.
"I guess..." she muttered. "If Charizard would just hurry up..."
"I know you promised to save something for him, 'Et," Scott said kindly. "But the cooks always have leftovers."
"That's not what I mean, Scott," she sighed, looking up at the stars. They sparkled down at her with their silver light. "I just want to know that everything's gonna be all right." She sipped her tea nervously.
"It will, 'Et," Sheila smiled warmly. "Just trust me on this one. Call it one of my feelings maybe."
The whole Council knew of the Arcanine trainer's "feelings." They were more like psychic premonitions than feelings. What was strange about them, was that there was no record of psychic powers in her family, only powers lying with the race of the Shie.
Another cry, this one resembling a hacking cough, came from the poke'mons' circle. All heads turned towards them, anxiously. This, too, proved to be a false alarm. "Here's to being too drunk to know a joke!" Scott grinned, holding up his glass. The council chuckled at his remark, knowing only a two members actually drank alcohol. These members were strangely young for their terms of service, ranging from Jess's tender fourteen to Blaine's ancient eighty-odd years. They raised their glasses in a rowdy toast, proving their good mood of the evening.
Their mood was ruined by a true cry of pain. It was Magmar who fell to his knees first, coughing and grasping his chest while blue foam bubbled at the edges of his beak. Rapidash and Ponyta succumbed to the same symptoms, Charmeleon following them. Ninetails collapsed, moaning shortly after her pre-evolutionary form. Arcanine and Growlithe howled in agony, throwing up before passing out.
The council was out of their seats and beside their fire types in a heartbeat. A witness called for a Nurse, or at least someone who could take them to one. Pandemonium broke out. Aliet was sobbing, holding Charmeleon tightly against the spasms that shook the fire type's body. "It's okay baby," she kept repeating. Her fellow Council weren't acting much different. They were wailing in heartache and praying aloud for Eatusur's intervention. No one was thinking clearly. It was a single-minded instinct to save the lives that were so deeply entwined with theirs.
Finally, someone began to take charge. A small boy with flaming red hair and liquid brown eyes began barking out orders. People ran about, transfixed by this pint-sized leader. Rapidash, Ponyta, Charizards, and even a few huge Arcanine were produced by Trainers who were all willing to deliver the Council's poke'mon to Fuchsia's Poke'mon Center. The Council had to be forcefully restrained while their poke'mon were taken aboard the creature that could take them to safety. Now, those who had not sped away with a poke'mon grabbed a Council member, hauled them aboard, and rocketed after them.
"Please miss!" the girl cried, trying to get at Charmeleon. "Please! She needs medical attention!"
Aliet could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. The world around her was blurred, she could only see Charmeleon. She had stopped having muscle spasms, and now lay still, eyes half open, breath coming in small wheezes. "Please give her to me!"
"No," Aliet rasped. "She's mine! Charizard! Where's my Charmander? Where is everyone!? Blaine! Blaine!" She cried out, swatting away the hands that reached for her poke'mon. There was a thud behind her, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her gently. She spun, trying to throw them off her. In a flash, she recognized her first. "Charizard..." she moaned softly, almost passing out with relief.
-Give her to me,- he grunted. -I can take her home faster than those freaks.-
"No," Aliet shook her head almost violently. "Fuchsia's closer..."
-I don't want my sister in the hands of some underling!- he practically roared. Almost angrily, he took Charmeleon from their trainer, glaring the whole time. -I'm taking her home. Now!-
The Char trainer didn't even bother to shut her eyes as he took to the sky, blowing grit into the hazel pools that already watered with tears. "She'll die..." the Char trainer whispered into the wind. "Oh Eatusur... she'll die..."
With leaden steps, she dragged herself up, clutching Charmander to her chest. Almost instantly after rising, she found where her Char had dumped Ash. She traded him for Charmander and began the long walk to the sea.
Chapter
Five
In which Ash is (probably) scarred for life, a tragedy occurs and the traitor walking among the Fslam is discovered...
It wasn't until the feast actually got underway that Aliet noticed her brother's absence. "Calm down, 'Et!" Blaine shook her gently. The panicky girl calmed slightly, but her shoulders still shook in apprehension. "Send your Charizard out to find him, the big guy won't mind too much. Plus, the kid can't have gone THAT far. He's only... what? Six?"
"Seven..." she corrected shakily. "He's seven..."
"Okay okay so he's seven," Blaine waved his hand in the air, his way of saying, "don't correct me." "Still, how far can a seven-year-old go in... fifteen minutes?"
"Far," Jess called over her shoulder. She hadn't heard the whole conversation and was only trying to be helpful. Seeing the dirty looks she was given, the horse-type trainer smiled nervously, sinking into her seat at the Council's banquet table. "Sorry," she mumbled into Ponyta's fur.
"Anyway, just send your Char after him and act like you're having fun."
"All right..." Aliet whimpered. Charizard swung his big head down to her level, sensing her mood. "Please, my sweet?"
-Fine...- The great wings unfolded, beat the night air once, then half-folded again. -Just save something for me, okay?- He beat his wings, thrusting forward with his hind legs, and launched upwards. The wind from his passing blew sand and other bits of grit into Aliet's hair and whatever hair Blaine had left nowadays. The Council Leader snorted out a blast of dust, making him resemble the fire types he Trained. Aliet watched her poke'mon go, an almost hungry look in her eyes. "Please find him..." she whispered to the disappearing speck that was her poke'mon. Blaine placed his hand on her shoulder and gently led her away. "He'll be okay, right?" she asked him as he sat her down at his right.
"Of course!" he patted her hand. "There aren't any wild poke'mon still around here after all the noise we've been making."
"No weak ones anyway," Brad muttered under his breath. The Flareon Trainer nonchalantly took a drink of his wine, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing. His eyes suddenly bulged out and he doubled over in his chair, rubbing his knee. He glared up at Scott, who sat opposite from him. The fox Master grinned knowingly at him, then proceeded to return to his conversation with Sheila.
Aliet sipped her tea silently. The hot liquid flowed throughout her body, calming her and warming her face with the steam it emitted. She wanted to cry. Charmander licked her face comfortingly, cuddling up against her. Her baby wasn't allowed to eat with the other poke'mon. Babies were seen, in Fslam custom, as too young and fragile to be with their elders. Not to mention the fact that things with their poke'mon usually got too rowdy and aggressive to be safe for one at such a low level and young age. Charmander whined in her ear, demanding instant attention from her. She absently rubbed him along is back, producing a low purr from her baby. Jess shot her a sympathetic look before taking a long, slow swig of whatever she was drinking. In the classic, country sense, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sighing with pleasure. "It'll be fine, 'Et," she tried to soothe. "Your big baby'll find him and he'll bring him back."
"Yeah," Aliet managed a weak smile towards her. "I hope. Oh Eatusur I hope he'll be all right!"
The sky was clear, cloudless and above all, warm. How was it possible for a sky to be warm...? He glided along with absolute freedom and prowess. It was fun, he thought sarcastically after a while, to fly upside-down and do barrel-rolls when no one was looking. But it really was fun to do them when Aliet or Scyther was watching. I'm just hungry, he decided finally. I need SOMETHING here or I'm gonna pass out...
The big fire type inhaled deeply, trying to smell something edible within the woods below him. All he could detect at this altitude was... air. He swooped lower; trying to keep his shadow blended with the shadows the half-moon cast in the trees. Now he could both smell and hear the prey. His predatory instincts kicked in, driving him to find the source of the sounds and smells.
Prey was near. Where was it? How many, how big? Where where where? Had to be close. Smelled close, sounded close. Had to be somewhere! Why couldn't he see it? Trees. Trees were in the way! Had to get passed the trees! Stupid plants. In the way! How could he get passed the trees? Dive! Swoop low, dodge trees, move plants? No, too loud. Locate. Spiral around. Find thermal, ride it, locate prey. Swoop down. Bite, kill, eat, tear, eat. Kill to eat, eat to live. Thing must die to live. Why? No matter. Needed food. Starving. Ride thermal, find prey. Taste meat, taste blood. That was life. All that mattered was the hunt. The hunt and the flame. Life. Life was only eat, live, breed. He had never bred before. Maybe someday. Had to pick before prime over. Not much time. Why? Not matter. Pick Scyther... Scyther beautiful, strong, survivor. Needed her, wanted her. She would be his... forever his...
They prey was below him now. He banked into a hover, snaking his neck around to smell and taste the prey below him. It was Tauros. There was a whole herd of the cow poke'mon below him. There was no human scent in the air, meaning that these were wild, not trained, and therefore, edible. Humans never understood why he had this need to hunt and eat hot, fresh meat when there was perfectly edible meat served to him. The instincts were ingrained into every Charizard's brain, and no matter how well trained they were, the instincts always managed to surface, driving him to hunt and make a successful kill at least once a month.
He was so sure the prey was below him! Right below, half asleep and unawares. The big char folded his wings, stooping in a wild falcon dive. If he missed the prey, he would break his neck. But he would not miss. He had never missed. As his head broke through the canopy, he extended his wings halfway, giving him more maneuverability and increasing the chances of success. The Tauros heard the sound too late and began to break towards cover, mooing their fear. He used the dive momentum to zip along beside them, swerving past trees and over brush. There was no obstacle that stood in his path. There was nothing he could not dodge. The herd stampeded through the woods, heading for a clearing, trampling everything flat in their rush to escape the aerial predator. Stragglers began to break off from the main herd, giving him things to pick off. A few were calves and their protective mothers. He left those pairs alone. They were too small anyway. The young males were what he was after. They were the biggest and the most tender of all the prey.
One stupid beast ran directly in front of him. With a primordial scream of hunger and savagery, he attacked. His hind claws latched into the Tauros's rump, ripping into the thick hide. He leaned forward, making sure not to be hit headlong by the whipping branches flying overhead. His foreclaws dug into the cow type's neck ruff, helping him hold on. The Tauros mooed in absolute fright, whipping him with its three tails. Each cut into him separately, stinging his hide. He snarled in a blind, red rage. Out of hunger and instinct-driven rage, he snaked his neck around to the Tauros's throat, searching for the right spot to begin. His eyes widened as he selected it and bit deep into the neck vein with the wicked, elongated canines of his kind. Hot blood dripped into his mouth, fueling his need for fresh meat.
The weight of the big fire type caused the half-dead creature to drop like a stone. It fell, dead, to its knees, eyes glazed. Its jerking stop caused Charizard to go flying over its head, making his neck crack painfully. For a moment, neither one, alive or dead, moved. Then, he sat up slowly, dazedly. The smell of hot, fresh meat stirred his hunger to override his pain. Ravenous, he tore into its belly, ripping off great shreds of meat and swallowing them whole. Its still-warm blood ran down his muzzle in red rivers. He licked those up as best he could, wanting to savor every last bit of the kill. There was nothing that had ever tasted so good in all his life. The bones were crunched into pieces so even the marrow could be eaten. For a long while, all that could be heard was the savage sounds of a carnivore and its kill.
"Eew..." a tiny voice weakly broke the sounds. "Icky..."
His head jerked up, swiveling to find the source of the voice. Was it someone trying to take his kill? A rival! He rose from the crouch, snarling at the unwelcome guest. He stomped his feet, roaring and fanning his wings in challenge. -MY KILL!- he roared to the invisible intruder. -I CAUGHT! I KILLED! MY KILL! I EAT!- His eyes flickered madly about the clearing, tail flame casting its eerie light on everything within its reach. They soon came to rest on a small, gnarled tree and the figure crouched up in its branches. The killing instincts faded away with the hunger as he slowly remembered his original mission. The aggressive pose faded to one of concerned innocence. -Ash?- he crooned comfortingly. -That you, kid?-
The something in the tree was suddenly sick. He wrinkled his nostrils at the stench of vomit. Aliet was going to skin him alive when she heard about this little blunder. Not to mention the kid's mother... He walked towards the tree, wings folded tightly against his body and neck drooped in submission, attempting to look as non-threatening as possible. All aggression drained from his gaze, leaving the blue eyes calm, as if he were looking at Aliet, rather than a terrified seven-year-old.
There was a sound of shifting in the tree. "St-stay 'way!" the voice called out, wavering.
Charizard sighed, smoke drifting from his jaws in annoyance. -It would be so much easier if I hadn't been hungry...- he mumbled to himself. -Oh gods... I'm stupid.- He approached the tree again, crooning softly, as if talking to Charmander. -It's me kid. Hello? Aliet's Charizard? Gods, I wish I spoke human!-
The boy suddenly fell out of the tree. Charizard's heat skipped a beat. Normally, he would have laughed at the dumb human, but it WAS the kid, and Aliet HAD asked him to return him unharmed. He was at the base of the tree now, and was crouched down, giving the kid a good sniff-over. The boy was unconscious, having most likely fainted after seeing him come so close. He poked him gently with a foreclaw. His head rolled over but he remained otherwise the same. A lump was forming on his head though. The big char groaned. Once 'Et found out, there would be no time alone with Scyther... providing the bug agreed to some private time.
He hefted the unconscious body onto his shoulders, where it would stay until he took off. It would get in the way of his wings, and he doubted his neck could take the strain. 'Et never rode there, as was the custom of some Char trainers. She preferred to stretch out across his back, squished into the middle of his back to allow freedom of wing movement. From her studies of the Char breed, she'd learned that constantly riding on a Charizard's neck increased frailty of the appendage and made the chances of terrible arthritis skyrocket. " 'Nearly everyday,' " she'd read to him one summer night. " 'Someone's Charizard is killed by a broken neck. Examination shows that these deaths are caused by loosening or wearing away of the neck vertebrae and tendons, which cause the neck to snap whenever the slightest pressure is applied. This is not a natural occurrence, signifying that neck-riding, however popular, is an extreme danger to both the Trainer and the poke'mon.' " After reading, she'd slammed the book shut, head bowed in thoughtful sadness. "Such a waste..." she'd murmured. "All those beautiful creatures killed because of a fad." Then she'd leaned against him, and he'd draped his neck over her shoulder. "Don't ever leave me. Okay, big guy?"
-I won't.-
"Promise?"
-Sure, 'Et. I promise.-
She had then ended the conversation by twining her five slender fingers through his large three.
He half-smiled ruefully at the memory. Now, he took off, switching the kid to his arms to be more comfortable. And more awake. It wasn't the brightest idea to eat a lot before flight. He felt so sleepy... The fire type snorted flame at the stars to wake up slightly. An image of Scyther popped up. He blinked, now more awake then ever. He kept that image close to the surface, as it was still a long flight back to the Festival.
The meal was wonderful. Everything was seasoned with the traditional spiciness favored among fire trainers. The feast started with a course of sweet roasted peppers, stuffed with tomatoes, zucchinis and corn, seasoned with jalapenos. After that was devoured, refills on drinks were given to those who had finished theirs in the first course alone. Next came a pasta dish with shrimp and crab in a light red wine sauce. The seafood was grilled with garlic and kian pepper. The spices contrasted the sauce, making for a delightful blend of flavor. The main course was Cajun-style steak over a bed of wild rice with tiny bits of chili peppers worked in. Most ate the rice along with the steak, using one to counteract the other. Lastly, there was a light, creamy, lemon-flavored pudding-like desert, called "me'dai," that the ancients had invented to cool the mouth after a fiery meal.
Aliet sighed softly, pushing away the bowl of half-eaten me'dai. Nothing had tasted right. She assumed it was merely because she was worried. Charmander had decided he didn't like anything served, so a vendor who was closing for the night made him a special treat from scratch. "Just glad to help the Council," he'd said while cooking it. Her baby was now asleep, curled in her lap. She stroked him gently, other hand grabbing at her tea. It was still warm, and helped her to relax. "Still worrying too much?" Blaine asked. He cast a quick glance over at the circle where the poke'mon were sitting as a particularly loud cry echoed from the ranks. His concern vanished as poke'mon laughter erupted from the circle.
"I guess..." she muttered. "If Charizard would just hurry up..."
"I know you promised to save something for him, 'Et," Scott said kindly. "But the cooks always have leftovers."
"That's not what I mean, Scott," she sighed, looking up at the stars. They sparkled down at her with their silver light. "I just want to know that everything's gonna be all right." She sipped her tea nervously.
"It will, 'Et," Sheila smiled warmly. "Just trust me on this one. Call it one of my feelings maybe."
The whole Council knew of the Arcanine trainer's "feelings." They were more like psychic premonitions than feelings. What was strange about them, was that there was no record of psychic powers in her family, only powers lying with the race of the Shie.
Another cry, this one resembling a hacking cough, came from the poke'mons' circle. All heads turned towards them, anxiously. This, too, proved to be a false alarm. "Here's to being too drunk to know a joke!" Scott grinned, holding up his glass. The council chuckled at his remark, knowing only a two members actually drank alcohol. These members were strangely young for their terms of service, ranging from Jess's tender fourteen to Blaine's ancient eighty-odd years. They raised their glasses in a rowdy toast, proving their good mood of the evening.
Their mood was ruined by a true cry of pain. It was Magmar who fell to his knees first, coughing and grasping his chest while blue foam bubbled at the edges of his beak. Rapidash and Ponyta succumbed to the same symptoms, Charmeleon following them. Ninetails collapsed, moaning shortly after her pre-evolutionary form. Arcanine and Growlithe howled in agony, throwing up before passing out.
The council was out of their seats and beside their fire types in a heartbeat. A witness called for a Nurse, or at least someone who could take them to one. Pandemonium broke out. Aliet was sobbing, holding Charmeleon tightly against the spasms that shook the fire type's body. "It's okay baby," she kept repeating. Her fellow Council weren't acting much different. They were wailing in heartache and praying aloud for Eatusur's intervention. No one was thinking clearly. It was a single-minded instinct to save the lives that were so deeply entwined with theirs.
Finally, someone began to take charge. A small boy with flaming red hair and liquid brown eyes began barking out orders. People ran about, transfixed by this pint-sized leader. Rapidash, Ponyta, Charizards, and even a few huge Arcanine were produced by Trainers who were all willing to deliver the Council's poke'mon to Fuchsia's Poke'mon Center. The Council had to be forcefully restrained while their poke'mon were taken aboard the creature that could take them to safety. Now, those who had not sped away with a poke'mon grabbed a Council member, hauled them aboard, and rocketed after them.
"Please miss!" the girl cried, trying to get at Charmeleon. "Please! She needs medical attention!"
Aliet could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. The world around her was blurred, she could only see Charmeleon. She had stopped having muscle spasms, and now lay still, eyes half open, breath coming in small wheezes. "Please give her to me!"
"No," Aliet rasped. "She's mine! Charizard! Where's my Charmander? Where is everyone!? Blaine! Blaine!" She cried out, swatting away the hands that reached for her poke'mon. There was a thud behind her, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her gently. She spun, trying to throw them off her. In a flash, she recognized her first. "Charizard..." she moaned softly, almost passing out with relief.
-Give her to me,- he grunted. -I can take her home faster than those freaks.-
"No," Aliet shook her head almost violently. "Fuchsia's closer..."
-I don't want my sister in the hands of some underling!- he practically roared. Almost angrily, he took Charmeleon from their trainer, glaring the whole time. -I'm taking her home. Now!-
The Char trainer didn't even bother to shut her eyes as he took to the sky, blowing grit into the hazel pools that already watered with tears. "She'll die..." the Char trainer whispered into the wind. "Oh Eatusur... she'll die..."
With leaden steps, she dragged herself up, clutching Charmander to her chest. Almost instantly after rising, she found where her Char had dumped Ash. She traded him for Charmander and began the long walk to the sea.
