I LIVE!

After several false starts and even a few rewrites, I have FINALLY finished this chapter! This point was very important for the story, so I wanted to ensure its perfection; that's why it took so long. Then, I decided to stall for an appropriate moment, like April Fool's Day, but chickened out at the last moment.

So here we are! I hope this is of suitable length for you guys, and enjoy!

As she predicts, we reach the edge of a town just as the sun sets the next day. We both rest and recover from the battle yesterday, and as we approach the station located near the edge of the town opposite us, Eve reveals what she meant by 'something he wants me to do'. I still don't understand why, and the process turns out to be very hard; I found myself almost crying toward the end, so I'm glad she wasn't around to witness it. She decides to sneak around carefully, to get a feel for tonight; however, when she returns, her expression is grim.

"I've got good news and bad news," she says quickly. "Good news is, an arcanine matching your description is being held in the outside pens, so we don't have to go inside the station building itself. The bad news, however, is that Joshua was right: she has been deemed 'too dangerous', and will be given a shot first thing in the morning."

I jump to my feet, replying, "Then we have to go now! It's dark enough, right?"

She hesitates before nodding. "Are you sure about this?" she asks again. "It's not too late, you know. And those cages are meant to keep Pokémon in…"

"Yes, I have to," I insist. "I must see her, one last time…even if inly to say goodbye. If nothing can be done, well that's what your other plan is for. But I have to try!"

"Very well," she concedes. "Follow me and keep us cloaked. Her cage is near the middle of the enclosure; we'll have to sneak past some of the other Pokémon."

I nod, and we set out. Leaving the shelter of the trees, I summon a few embers of foxfire to circle around us, creating a bubble of invisibility around the two of us. We step silently through the grass up to the gate into the enclosure, which Eve opens using her card. Inside, I see several cages, the metal mesh glistening slightly in the half-moonlight. A few cages held Pokémon; others being held for unknown reasons. They all look fierce, so I'm glad they remain fast asleep as we sneak past.

Then, we turn a corner and I see her. Within one of the larger cages, Nana lies fast asleep. I want so badly to run up to her, but Eve gives me a warning tug with her ribbon, and I restrain the impulse. We approach slowly, and I notice other things about her. There are claw marks on the ground near one side of the cage, indicating she tried to dig out at one point and couldn't. However, there were also red welts on her paws, like something burned them. She also had metal bands around her muzzle, slightly scorched from trying to breath fire, and a leather collar with a red blinking light on it.

Eve notices the collar too and says a few unladylike things under her breath. When I give her a look, she explains in a whisper, "Proximity sensor. If she leaves the enclosure, a silent alarm will signal the station she's escaped, so we better act fast." She pulls out her card again and taps it to the reader next to the gate. It flashes red and she frowns. "I feared as much; my card won't open it. And I saw the officers leave for the night, and I doubt any of the staff left over will have the right clearance…"

"What do we do?" I ask, trying to keep my voice low and not panicking. Before she can answer, a voice I hadn't heard in forever interrupts.

"…Hm? Sol? Am I dreaming?"

Nana stirs, ears swiveling left and right. My heart flutters in my throat, making it hard to speak for a moment; just seeing her again makes me feel like a kit, despite my evolved form. Finally, I manage to whimper, "It's me, Nana. I'm here."

She rolls to her feet awkwardly, as if trying not to touch the side of the cage. Blinking sleepily, she grumbles through the bands, "I hear you, but I don't see you. Are you real?"

I remember the invisibility shield and glance at Eve; she nods to indicate it's safe, so I drop the shield, stepping forward until my nose is almost touching the fence. "Nana, I'm here; I finally found you again. I-"

Yelping, I pull back; my nose brushes against one of the wires in my eagerness, and a sharp pain races through my head. Pawing at my nose and whimpering, I feel a small welt where it touched the fence.

"Be careful," Nana warns, albeit too late. "The cages are coated in repel, to discourage Pokémon from touching it. They also run underground, as I learned my first day." Shaking her head carefully, she growls, "What are you doing here? And how are you evolved?"

"I…I missed you, Nana," I whimper, my paws still over my nose; the pain is fading, but her tone still intimidates me. "After you left, the trainer let me go, though he left behind a fire stone. Lost without you, I grieved for a day or so before deciding to evolve. But even that didn't help; it wasn't until I met an odd Xatu, who claimed he knew where your friend lives. I chose to leave home and look for her, thinking she could help me find and rescue you, as well as tell me where I came from. Along the way, I met Eve, and then ran into the trainer who had you. When he told me where to find you, we came to free you!"

"Who's Eve?" she asks. Then, she takes a deep breath and her eyes flash (Odor Sleuth). "And why do both of you smell of humans?! Especially her!"

I hesitate, suddenly nervous. "Um…I had a few run-ins with humans, the most notable being the trainer who caught you. But I'm still free, thanks to Eve; she's the sylveon next to me. As for her…well…"

"I'll answer for myself, thank you," Eve steps in. "I had a human partner until recently; however, he wasn't a trainer. He's a Ranger."

Nana scoffs. "Rangers are just as bad as trainers, if not worse. Using their disks to hypnotize innocent Pokémon in the name of 'helping others'…"

Eve bristles slightly. "Kevin specifically refrains from using his Styler on wild Pokémon, instead asking me to speak for him."

"Then why'd he get rid of you?" Nana asks.

"He didn't!" Eve replies, shocked. "I was protecting your charge when we got too far away from him, and my bond with him snapped. We discussed what happened and decided I should accompany Sol further on my own. It's thanks to me that we're even in here in the first place, and how we're getting you out!"

"…Don't bother," Nana comments, laying back down. "I'm tired of running, tired of hiding. I'm not long for this world anyway; may as well face my deeds now."

"B-but, Nana…" I whimper. My nose doesn't hurt anymore, but her words do.

"No buts, kit," she replies firmly. "You've clearly moved on without me, so go enjoy your life with her if you want."

Eve seems a little flustered, but I fixate on Nana's other point. "I haven't moved on, though. There's so much I want to tell you and for you to teach me! Please, don't leave me alone again!" Tears prick in the corners of my eyes, as I try not to completely break down.

Nana growls, climbing back to her feet and fixing me with her famous stare; the one she always used when I whined as a kit. "That's enough, young mon. I will not have you make a scene and attract the guards to us. Just leave me be!"

Her scolding is too much for me to handle. Strangling a sob into silence, I bring up the invisibility around me and dash away, seeking some small corner of the enclosure where I can grieve alone. In the darkness behind a large cage, I let my tears fall, but barely make a sound.

{Firedancer's POV}

I watch Sol run off, trying not to show how much it hurt to scold him like that. However, it must be done; I must atone for my crimes, and he needs to leave me behind. I start to lay back down, then notice the sylveon is still here.

"What do you want now?" I growl, unable to hide my bitterness. "Shouldn't you be consoling Sol?"

She doesn't respond for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she says, "You shouldn't have done that. His whole mission was looking for you, and you so quickly cast him away."

"It had to be done," I insist. "He's not a part of this, so he shouldn't be caught up in my punishment."

"Is that what this is?" she asks. "Punishment? Are you not simply running away again?"

I glare at her, my growls rising. "What did you say?"

"To face a perceived punishment without understanding the cause is cowardice," she replies calmly.

"What's to understand?" I ask. "I clearly killed my former trainer, as well as five of my teammates. What's worse, I've evaded the police for almost a decade. I feel this is an apt punishment."

She sighs, then reaches into the bow around her neck. She carefully reaches her ribbon through the wires and uncurls it, putting a weird object in my cage. It has a single button and a blinking red light.

"What's this? Some human tech?" I ask.

"It's a voice recorder," she replies. "Sol had more he wanted to tell you, but he worried if he had the courage to tell you himself. So, I had him record it on here, with the promise I would give it to you in his stead."

I hesitate, still angry. "I don't want anything to do with humans, not anymore."

"It won't do anything to you; all you have to do is press the button, and the recording will play. Otherwise, feel free to smash it and your charge's hopes under your paw."

The sylveon…no, Eve…turns away. "I should probably go find Sol and get out of here; night is almost over."

She wanders away, holding her ribbons out in search of someone who's invisible. I just stare at the thing in front of me, emotions warring within me. I swore to myself I would have nothing to do with humans and their technology, unless it was forced upon me, such as being caught. Part of me wants to smash this thing, just like Eve said. But, against my misgivings, I reach a claw and tap the button.

The voice coming out of the tiny device is slightly garbled and speaks only in our language. Yet it is unmistakably Sol's voice. She was telling the truth, I think as the message plays.

"Are you sure this is working?" (pause) "If you say so…"

"Nana? I-it's me, Sol. If you're hearing this…I guess I didn't have the courage after all. To tell you the truth…I've been thinking about what you've taught me…especially about humans. In my travels, both alone and with Eve, I've seen my fair share of humans, trainers and not. I also have the advantage of my ancestral memory, which allows me to see the lives of all Ninetales, past and of their accounts lend credence to your opinion. One even died by being drowned in a lake, because she disobeyed orders."

"However, for every bad case, there are four or more good ones. In my own experience and in others, there is overwhelming evidence against the abuse of Pokémon by humans, which leads me to believe that somehow either your own experience or your memory of the event is flawed."

"Please, Nana. Try and remember properly. Are you sure your trainer meant ill when he decided to evolve you? No act happens without a reason…"

The recording ends there; the blinking light goes out. And yet, I stare at the thing, confused. My memory is flawed? I think. What else did he need to say-

Suddenly, a notion begins to tickle in the back of my mind, and as I follow it to its end, my blood runs cold. I bring back the memory of my evolution, but force myself to see through the red haze of anger. My trainer's words ring in my head once again.

"I know I promised to ask you beforehand, but you need the extra strength. Your last three battles have been wins, but you've been near exhausted each time. You can't stay a growlithe forever; you need to grow up. Please forgive m-"

He…never finished that sentence; he was dead before he could…

Sol was right, I realize. My trainer may have broken his promise, but he did so for a good reason. And I killed him for it.

I went into this with a calm heart, simply accepting it as due course. But for the first time in ten years, grief overcomes me. As the sun rises over the edge of my enclosure, I lower my head and let the tears fall. "Sol," I whisper. "I'm sorry. You were right; even now, I still love my trainer." I know he can't hear me; he shouldn't hear me. But speaking aloud helps. I lift my head high and howl, "SOOOOO-"

Suddenly, my vision turns red as I'm sucked into my Pokéball, and I hear the warden's voice outside. "It's too late for remorse, lady. Your judgement is today."

I sigh, even though I have no breath. I hope Sol finds solace in the future. And…I hope Eve stays by his side.

And there we have it. Firedancer exits the picture, but at least Sol got to see her one last time. Where will he go from here?

A word of warning for you all: I foresee only a couple of chapters left, three at most. I didn't want to cut this short, but I find myself quickly running out of steam, so I want to finish before I lose all motivation. And I promise the wait won't be nearly as long, I swear!

Also, I have heard the news about COVID-19, but being out in the woods means it hasn't hit me here. Please be safe, and may your Ember stay strong through these troubling times.