The tedious days after that were all the same: sit in bed, wait until mealtime for Nurse Joy to come in and feed her, wonder why Anonimo left her. Every day, she thought she would run out of tears to cry, and all she could do was mope. Cyndaquil was pretty sick of it. She wanted to move, but her leg and arms still hurt, so she still sat, waiting for the day they could finally move. She felt tension in her limbs that could be solved by simply stretching, so her current state was frustrating.

However, she was focused on her thoughts about Anonimo, wishing he would come back and train her again. Even though she was treated badly by him, she still wanted him to return. She knew of no other life, so that was the only option that she could think of. But, as the last words he said to her rang in her hand, she knew he wasn't coming back for her. At night, she'd realize that her eyes were not dry, and cry herself to sleep.

About a month later, she instinctively stretched to relieve her tense arm muscles, and found that there was barely any pain. She stretched her legs, and although her knees stung, it didn't feel as bad as they did when she had first awaken in the Pokémon Center. She did not try to stand though; she had not the will to. Nurse Joy came in with breakfast, and when she attempted to feed her, Cyndaquil only squirmed away and shoved herself under her pillow, trying to inform Nurse Joy that she didn't want to eat.

"Oh, my! You can move your limbs now?" Nurse Joy asked in surprise. "Hm, I guess you don't need me to feed you by hand." She set the bowl on the bed, and then walked away to carry out her other duties.

Cyndaquil crawled from her spot under the pillow and watched Nurse Joy leave. When the human was gone, her sights landed on the food bowl and its contents. She stared at the morsels, her mouth beginning to water. However, as soon as Anonimo's critical voice boomed in her head, she gritted her teeth, trying to hold back tears.

I'm a weakling, she thought. She forced herself to stand up, and then kicked the bowl off of the bed, spilling the contents all over the brightly shining floor. She continued staring at the scattered tidbits, and wiped her eyes again. I don't deserve that luxury.

In the waiting area, Nurse Joy met Professor Elm, who immediately asked about Cyndaquil's well-being. It had been a month since he and Professor Oak came running in with the bloodied Pokémon in arm; surely she had made some significant progress. Nurse Joy silently brought him to the room Cyndaquil was in, and found the Fire Mouse had buried her head in her pillow, as well as the spilled Pokémon food. They could hear shallow breaths and squeaky whimpers from under the pillow.

"Cyndaquil is doing well in the physical healing process, but it appears she's heartbroken," Nurse Joy sighed.

Professor Elm walked to the melancholy Pokémon lying in the bed, and lifted the pillow to take a good look at her. The black eye was gone, as well as all of the bruises. However, her leg was still bandaged up, and so were her arms, though she could now freely move them. The pad was still on her back, and the bandages were still on her head and nose. He stroked her, only for Cyndaquil to recoil and snatch the pillow from his hand. She proceeded to cover herself once again, with a mournful sigh.

"I guess I'd be heartbroken too if someone I cared about left me," he said sadly. "I still have trouble believing that trainers like her former one exist."

"I'm afraid her emotional pain will take a very long time to heal," Nurse Joy said. "There's no telling what her behavior around other humans will be in the future. So far, signs are pointing to fear, and there's no telling what that may lead to: timidity or aggression."

"Either way, she's going to have it rough." Elm adjusted his glasses. "I hope she manages to overcome her fears in the future."

Both humans left the room, leaving the Cyndaquil to mope under her pillow. She heard the footsteps walking out, and the click of the door shutting. She only pulled on the pillow, nearly smothering herself with the white featherbag. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she could feel the whip smacking her back once again. Breath whistled through her gritted teeth, and Anonimo's words kept erupting into memory. However, for some reason, one line stood out in particular.

"We do want it to evolve, right?"

Those words echoed through her mind. She threw the pillow off of herself, and sat up, pondering just what those words meant. She knew what evolution was; Croconaw had informed her about it. It was just that she had no idea what she evolved into. If Croconaw had told her, either she hadn't been paying attention or just plain forgot.

What do I evolve into? Why is it so important to him? she thought, tapping her little chin.

As she thought this, she heard someone outside yell, "Go, Typhlosion!" She looked out the window, and saw a trainer summon a Pokémon from it's Pokeball. The Pokémon stood slightly taller than the trainer, having a big, bulky build. It had a dark blue back, with a cream colored underside. It's eyes revealed red irises, and it bore sharp fangs. It had thin, triangular ears, and red spots ringed along the back of the neck. It bore a face of utmost fierceness, and its eyes were a window for its fiery spirit.

Typhlosion? she wondered. Maybe this was what she would evolve into. Standing up and leaning against the window, she watched as the other trainer summoned a Hitmonchan. Typhlosion's neck burst into flame, like Cyndaquil's back would. She watched in awe as the two Pokémon battled, and it was quite obvious to her that Typhlosion had a major advantage. Hitmonchan seemed to be tired, and Typhlosion wasn't even breaking a sweat. During the whole time, both the larger Pokémon and its trainer bore the familiar expression that Anonimo had held, and harsh memories came back to her. She began to imagine herself as the angry tool that stood outside the window, finishing the battle with a tremendous Flamethrower. She looked at the Hitmonchan, which was burned more terribly than she had ever seen, and there was no ounce of sympathy for the Fighting Type as it was returned to its Pokeball. She trembled at the sight, especially upon her merciless evolved form.

Do I even want to evolve into that beast? She grasped her blanket tightly. Her heart raced as she imagined herself as a Typhlosion, roasting any opponent that she came up against, but not for sport; for winning, for pleasing her trainer, and not caring how badly the injuries on her opponent were. She could feel Anonimo finally being proud of her, but why? Because she nearly killed a Pokémon? The more she thought about it, the more it terrified her to be destined to be such a monster.

Just then, Nurse Joy came in with another strange Pokemon. It looked similar to Typhlosion, but smaller. It's ears revealed red insides, and there were three red spots on it's rear and two on it's head. It was much less fierce-looking, which spiked her curiosity. Nurse Joy carried it to a table, and sprayed something on it's arm. It cringed for a moment, then its spots burst into flames, making Nurse Joy jump.

"Quilava, stay calm! I'm trying to help!" she exclaimed.

Quilava? Cyndaquil thought.

With a growl, Quilava jumped off of the table and darted out of the room. Nurse Joy gaped for a moment, trying to process what happened. With a loud groan, she began pursuing the Pokémon, leaving Cyndaquil to stare in wonder.

She connected the dots. Cyndaquil evolves into Quilava, and Quilava into Typhlosion, she thought. From what she heard from outside, Nurse Joy was struggling with the Quilava. She heard the weasel continued its strained yelping, and all she could think about was how much of a coward that Pokémon was. She got beaten to a bloody pulp and had been healing for the past month, and she was still not done! Quilava was just running away from some medicine that only stung. She had no idea how that cowardice evolved into a lack of sympathy, but it didn't matter. Low opinions had already been given.

I evolve into an angry coward, and then a monster? Hmph, I don't even want to evolve at all! she thought after her first impression of her evolved forms.

Later that night, for once, she was not crying to sleep. She was clutching her blanket, thinking of her evolved forms and how she saw them. How that Quilava was running away from powerless humans and that Typhlosion had callously scorched his opponent with no sportsmanship was beyond her. With the trainer's face etched into her mind, she gritted her teeth, remembering how Anonimo treated her.

So that's it. Anonimo doesn't care! He just wants me to evolve into a monster!

Thoughts of him raced through her mind, with every insult, spit, punishment, kick, and lash raining onto her. She now understood that it was not proper discipline; it was just him angry with her for infractions that could have been solved a different way. Her sorrow had subsided; it had been replaced by anger.

He only cared if I won battles!

She thought of all her battles, the one win and her many losses. She remembered her list of attacks that had defeated her, and how she could never ignite her flame when needed. He expected her to already know how to control it, instead of helping her overcome that block. Her anger began to heighten, and she began to feel hot. Surely, it was evolving into rage.

He beat me after I saved his life, and abandoned me!

She thought of that night, when during a storm, she shoved him to keep him from being struck by lightning, only to be mercilessly pummeled with a bull whip and left buried in a Pokeball to suffer. It was unfair; she should have been rewarded by Anonimo and given more respect by the Pokémon. But even after her amazing feat, most of the Pokémon didn't even lift a finger or a claw to help her; instead, they only chased off Croconaw, the only one who had remotely even attempted to stop the beating.

He thought I was a hopeless cause!

Her spots began to heat up as she got angrier, and the all-too-familiar surge erupted within her again, stronger than before. Her brow furrowed, her teeth clenched, and she clutched her blanket even harder, as the rage grew even more. She recalled most of the trainers of her opponents, how they verbally abused their Pokémon, with the exception of the Chikorita trainer, but she figured that the boy would grow into an abusive sociopath, just like the rest.

Those human trainers are all the same! They just want power! If they don't get it, the Pokémon will suffer!

She stood up, ignoring all pain that inhabited her body. Her breaths were getting deeper and hissing between her teeth. Her heart rate had increased, much of her fur stood on end, and she began to growl more fiercely than was thought possible for a Cyndaquil. Her fists were clenched so tightly, it would've stung her paws had she not ignored it. Her ire was so intense, she felt as if she were about to explode. The surge within her was going to be released, and she didn't care who got her way. Her vision began to blur, and everything was turning red.

I WON'T LET ANOTHER ONE HURT ME!

Nurse Joy walked in to check on her and tuck her in for the night, not expecting the fright that the Fire Mouse was about to give her.

"QUIIIIILLLLLL!"

She had found herself walking in to a Cyndaquil whose back exploded into a bright azure flame, instantly scorching the pad on her back. Before Nurse Joy had time to react, Cyndaquil shot out a powerful Flamethrower directly at her. Jumping in fright, she quickly ran out of the room with the Flamethrower barely missing her. However, she could still feel the intense heat of the flames beside her, and she scrambled into another room. She caught her breath, and looked at the patches of skin turning red. Then she noticed Cyndaquil running past the door.

"Cyndaquil?!" she gasped. She crawled from her spot, and watched as Cyndaquil scurried down the hall, kicked another door open, and dashed into the waiting room. Joy stood up and followed Cyndaquil's path. When she ran into the waiting room, she looked around at the scorched walls, furniture, and décor before running out the front door, where she was certain that the Fire Mouse had run out.

Once outside, she stopped dead in her tracks, watching in horror at the siege being laid on New Bark Town.

The first thing that Cyndaquil did was leap onto a random passerby, tackle him, and Flamethrower his face. Then she glanced at a couple that was passing by, and wasted no time in chasing them as she rolled into a Flame Wheel. The couple ran as fast as they could, unfortunately leading her deeper into town. At first, the other citizens that were out for a stroll curiously watched the couple dashing in a flailing panic. Then their eyes all widened collectively at the shock of a blue Flame Wheel rolling down the street.

Cyndaquil sprang out of her attack, and the people looked at the bandaged Pokémon curiously. She didn't take the funny looks that everyone gave her very well, so she took a deep breath and blasted out another Flamethrower at the pedestrians. Some fell due to the burns their legs sustained, some crumbled at their top half being engulfed in fire, and the rest began to run away in fright. Some decided to take shelter in nearby houses, and a couple of them had brought out their cell phones, and were spattering into them.

The Fire Mouse smirked in a seemingly evil manner, and proceeded to cause more destruction. She leapt onto a bike rack, and then dove into one of the house. The house was quickly engulfed in flames, and a family began to run out, covered in burns. Cyndaquil followed them out the front door, and then set fire to another house across the street with Flamethrower. She jumped into the middle of the street, and then blasted Flamethrower at another house; and another; and another.

The street was now immersed in a blue and orange glow, and Cyndaquil looked around, seemingly admiring her work. However, her musing was interrupted with a couple of boys shooting water guns at her, in hopes of killing the blue flames that flared from her back. The water evaporated on impact, but that didn't stop her from direction her anger at the two boys. She jumped at them, and the boys fought back in a panic, trying to wrestle the vicious little Pokémon off of them.

They ended up throwing her away from them, and she landed in the arms of a young man and his date. She fired her flames into the girl's face, and the young woman screamed in absolute pain.

"Jennifer, no!" the man screamed. However, he soon sounded pained roars as Cyndaquil aimed a Flamethrower at his legs, and immediately, he stumbled onto the pavement. He didn't have time to rest, however, as Cyndaquil swiftly threw a punch in his face, lifted him up, and threw him onto his date. With a smoky snort, she ran from the couple, and continued her rampage.

Horrified at the havoc Cyndaquil was wreaking, Nurse Joy made the decision to run to Professor Elm's lab. Taking a deep breath, she began to run in a direction that avoided the street that was burning. She flinching when she heard screams from another street, and she rushed to the lab. Her journey was all a blur; all she could feel was her heart pounding; all she could hear was people screaming; and all she could smell was smoke and burning flesh. Her mind was blank, and there seemed to be nothing that could stop her, not even the burns that lined her limbs.

She burst into the lab to find Professor Elm distracted by something under a microscope. The loud bang that sounded when the doors burst open didn't even make the man flinch. She panted loudly, which informed him that it was Nurse Joy that arrived.

"Oh, hi, Nurse Joy," he said without looking up.

"Professor Elm, there's a problem-"

"Did you run out of medicine?"

"No, it's not that, it's-"

"Is Chansey not feeling well?"

"No, I'd be able to handle that!"

"Then what is it?"

"It's Cyndaquil. She's gone berserk!"

Professor Elm looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Cyndaquil? Okay, I'd understand if it was a Typhlosion, since they're notorious for their bad tempers and burning everything in sight when you interrupt their nap, but Cyndaquil? They're one of the mildest fire-types! Why would one being going on a rampage? Besides, won't dousing Cyndaquil with a well-aimed Water Gun stop it?"

"Come with me, I'll show you!" Nurse Joy shouted, grabbing his arm. They darted out of the doorway, with the professor begging the nurse to slow down. Once she let go, she pointed in the direction of the rest of the town.

Professor Elm looked up, and gaped at the sight of half of New Bark Town on fire. An unpleasant smoky and fleshy odor filled his nostrils, and he winced at the sight of the paramedics picking up burnt residents and visitors of the town. The police and the firefighters were darting everywhere they could, trying to calm the citizens and put out the fires. In the distance, there was a blue glow among the orange flames that crackled around them. Many people ran panicking, despite Officer Jenny's best efforts.

"EVIL CYNDAQUIL!"

"It's the end of the world!"

"That's no Cyndaquil, it's a demon!"

"Run for your lives! Cyndaquil's gonna get you!"

Still staring in disbelief, Professor Elm mumbled, "What the..."

"I told you! I don't know why she's doing this! All I did was walk in and she tried to kill me!" Nurse Joy shouted. Holding out her arms, she hissed, "I'm lucky only to escape with these burns! Civilians are suffering much worse right now!"

"...are you sure this is the same Cyndaquil that was suffering from depression?" Professor Elm asked.

Nurse Joy nodded. Groaning, Elm bemoaned, "And she takes the aggressive option. Now... we have to find a way to stop her!"

Cyndaquil stepped foot in a field, feeling flames lick her teeth. Her heart still pounded against her chest, and she felt smoke churning out of her throat. She stomped forward further into the field, glaring at any wild Pokémon that occupied the area. Pidgey and Spearow flew from the spots where they had pecked their last meal of the day from, and upon the Fire Pokémon's arrival, all had quickly realized that this was no normal Cyndaquil that was storming through, and that it was suicide to attack.

She stopped in a patch of soft grass, and immediately a fire began forming around her. She breathed heavily, and with a roar, tore off her remaining bandages. She ripped those wrapped around her head off first; followed by those wrapped on her leg, then by those on her left arm, and finally, her right arm. She was in better shape than initially thought, with nearly every part of her healed. However, when she looked at her right arm, her face fell.

A large, pink, raw scar, formed a thick band around her arm, as a reminder of the severe lashing that Anonimo had given her, and how it will always be a part of her. She stared at the scar and brushed it with her paw. Her vision was cleared of red, and it was sharp as she focused on the scar. Her flames faded from bright blue to deep orange, and then died down. Her left paw found her way onto her head as she shook it.

During her the time where her vision was nothing but a red blur, she had no idea what happened. She was in a bed, and now she standing in a grass field in the dark? She remembered being angry; now she was scared, confused, alone, and cold. What happened to her? Why is she hearing screeching sirens? Why can she feel something awful being cooked? She clutched her head in both arms and quaked, overcome with heavy fear. She had began to cry when she felt herself being picked up by her underarms.

"Cyndaquil!" she heard Professor Elm say. Knowing it was him who picked her up, she began to squirm, and was pumping strong flares from her back. She looked at his face, which clearly had a mixture, of anger, fear, and disappointment.

"Cyndaquil," Professor Elm said sternly. "What did you just do? Nurse Joy led me outside to see the destruction you have caused! Why did you do it, and what did that solve?! You might have killed innocent people for all I know!"

Her attempts at getting him to put her down were fruitless, and from the corner of her eye, she could she flames engulfing over half of New Bark Town. With a sudden new burden on her shoulders, she stepped squirming, grabbed Elm's sleeve and squeezed it. She looked away from him, still filled with anger at all elements that made her miserable, and trying to deny that she was the cause of the New Bark fire. However, her eyes still spilled tears, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that she was confused.

Professor Elm was just glad she calmed down before anything truly terrible happened to anyone, but afraid of the power that Nurse Joy described. He cautiously pulled her forward, and cradled her like he did a month before, when she was still spilling blood from her wounds. Feeling Cyndaquil's tears soaking his shirt, he turned around and carried her back to the Pokémon Center.

"What am I going to do with you?" he mumbled.

Author's Notes: What? Shouldn't Fire Legendaries be powerful enough to expel blue fire if they wanted to? :/ I don't see why it should just be a single attack instead of some crazy-awesome ability that could obliterate anybody. Again, if you expect me to be completely faithful to canon, you're wasting your time. It's difficult to be faithful to canon while trying to twist in concepts of my own invention. But I try to be as faithful as possible! ^^;

Anyway, we now have the heavy question of our little Half-Blood's confusion and why she went berserk. Also, she doesn't like her evolved forms (reasons may be flimsy, but you can accept that she's like a little kid... right?).

Anyway, I'm planning on ending "Shattered Spirit" on this chapter, and the next installment of this Cyndaquil's saga will be... actually, a whole lot more upbeat and comedic. It might take you back to the old episodes of the anime, even!

Anyhoo, Chapter Ten of this won't be a chapter... it'll be a Q&A, if you have any questions. Sound good? M'kay, see ya later, folks, and thank you for reading this tale!