Day Eight

Ash grunted as he supported the the older scientist through the cave. Dr. Fuji's ankle had swollen to the point where they had no choice but to take off his boot. Ash tried to ignore the Braixen that was leading them through the cave, holding her wand up high, a bright flame flickering on the tip. Though there were lights lining the cave, the fire light illuminated much more than the strings of lights did, allowing Ash to guide the man around the dips and bumps of the cavern.

Ash glanced over at Fuji as they paused at the turn in the cave, allowing them both a chance to catch their breath. Around his neck was a familiar leather cord, but unlike the red one Ash wore the leather cord on Fuji's neck was white. At the end of the cord was a teal topaz gem, which didn't reflect any of the fire light coming from Kindle, unlike Fuji's glasses, which gleamed with the dancing fire. Ash felt his own garnet amulet pressing against his chest, tucked away under his shirt. There was no denying that they had come from the same source, which meant that this man was indeed a Pariah.

Fuji didn't say much, only gave a light nudge when he was ready to move again. Ash took a deep breath as they stepped forward, then asked, "How long ago were you cursed?"

Dr. Fuji stumbled in sheer surprise at the question, causing Ash to have to quickly reach out and balance the injured scientist. He stared at Ash, fumbling back, but was unable to do so properly due to his twisted ankle. Kindle glanced back at Fuji, interest entering her eyes.

Dr. Fuji's eyes flickered back and forth, panicked, like he was a cornered Pokemon. Kindle's firelight lit up the bruises on his face, and a drip of sweat making it's way down his neck. At first he didn't say anything, clearly too startled to piece a sentence together, "I- I- Who- H-how-?"

Ash reached into his shirt, tugging out his own amulet and showing it to Fuji, "You're not the only one," He said. Fuji started at the black amulet for a moment, surprise still in his eyes, but he now seemed much more calm, allowing Ash to stable him once more.

"I... I see," Fuji said quietly, watching Ash with interest. He bit his lip for a moment, before speaking again, "I wasn't aware that there were... were more like me around."

"You're the first Pariah I've met as well," Ash said, starting forward again, "Besides myself of course," Ash gulped, "Um... How long have you...?"

Dr. Fuji looked down at his amulet for a moment as they moved on, "How long have I been 'cursed'? Hmm... I believe... it's been around... six years now? I think... I've honestly don't bother keeping track of how much time has passed, but at the same time you honestly can't help but do it. And you, boy?"

"...About a week," Ash muttered.

Fuji raised an eyebrow, "And you're aware of what's happened to you? Took me nearly a month to start to piece together everything. My first week in this place everyone was thought I was crazy, and I was convinced this was a dream!"

"So you're from another world as well?" Ash asked, not sure if he should be surprised at this or not.

"May we pause for a minute?" Fuji asked, "My ankle is killing me," Ash nodded, coming to a stop. Dr. Fuji hobbled over to the cave wall, leaning against it, making sure he didn't put any weight on his injured foot, "Another world you say? Well, I suppose this is nowhere like my home, though Kalos did exist there. Things weren't as... violent there though. I'm long past the time where I've given this whole situation much thought. I've tried to come to many conclusions; that this is all just a dream and the explosion put me in a coma. That the being's psychic powers sent me to some altered reality, like you suggest. I've settled on the idea that this is hell, and this how I'm paying for my crimes," He stared at Ash for a moment, "Have you been outside of this town?"

Ash frowned, "Um... Ambrette town? Technically we're outside of it right now, but yeah. I started out in Aquacorde town."

Fuji frowned, "I've never been able to leave A-ambrette town and the surrounding areas. Once I reach the borders and become dizzy and lose consciousness and find myself in the middle of the city once more, like when I first arrived. I've always figured that the outside world of this place doesn't exist. But with you here..." Fuji shook his head, "Perhaps you're just a figment of my imagination, me scraping for some hope to free me from this place."

"I'm definitely alive," Ash said, unsure of what to make of this man, "From what I understand this world belongs to Yveltal, that it's under his manipulation."

"Braix!" Kindle cried, as the word 'Yveltal' left his mouth, "Xen brai-!"

"What do you want?!" Ash snapped at his starter, "I thought it was quite clear that we were no longer traveling together!" Ash grabbed her Pokeball from his belt, throwing it at her. Kindle yelped, jumping back as the sphere came towards her. She reached down to pick it up as it rolled to a stop, shifting the bag on her back, "Is that what you're after?! Do what you want with it, I don't care. Run back to Yveltal."

"Braixen brai-!" Kindle begged, her amber eyes starting to fill with tears of desperation. She clasped her paws together, trying to communicate despite the language barriers between them, "Xen-"

"Boy, stop it," Fuji snapped at Ash, "I don't know where things are like where you're from, but Pokemon are just as intelligent beings as we are! I've made the mistake of treating one as lesser, and I ended up here! That Braixen saved us back there- now you properly thank her for that!"

Ash clenched his fists, "I know that," Ash growled, turning to face him, "I hold most Pokemon in the highest respect- but you don't know what's going on here! Ever heard of Yveltal? The Pokemon of death? He's the reason why were here, because we 'cheated' death! And Kindle here is a Pokemon that works for him- she slaughtered a whole nest of Pokemon! She's no better than the so called 'trainers' of this world!" Ash gritted his teeth, "At least it's nice to know that there's someone else here that doesn't see Pokemon as objects- but Kindle is nothing but-"

"Boy," Fuji grunted, cutting off Ash with a frustrated growl, "Take a look at the Braixen right now."

"Axe!" A small voice cried out.

Shaking, Ash turned, looking at Kindle from the corner of his eyes. She had set the leather pouch on the ground, pulling a young Axew from out of it, the same Axew from back at the Zubat Roost. Kindle was cradling the hatchling, trying to calm the whining baby. Kindle looked at him for a moment, before turning away, tears in her eyes.

"That is not a Pokemon that would attack a nest," Fuji said quietly, "This Pokemon followed you all the way out here, carrying a hatchling with her across the rough terrain. If that isn't loyalty, then I don't know what is."

Kindle scooped up her Pokeball that Ash had thrown, holding close to her for a moment, before slipping it into her bag.

"I- I-" Ash muttered, shaking, not sure of what to make of the sight, "...It's not loyalty. It's a t-trick, just like everything else here! Something else set up by Yveltal for his amusement! I won't fall for that- I'm not falling for anything else!"

Fuji watched him, then looked at Kindle, then sighed, "...I've heard the legends of Yveltal during my time here, and if he's truly involved like you say it is, then what's stopping the idea of you doubting your own Pokemon being yet another trick by Yveltal?"

Ash felt his heart pounding his chest as Fuji said this, his mind grasping the idea. His thoughts turned back to the Kindle he had first met here, the Kindle he now believed to be a lie. His eyes flickered towards the Braixen for a moment, then down to the floor.

"I-" Ash began, heart racing. He pictured the little Fennekin in his mind, but the pain of falling into another trick of Yveltal's crushed out the thought.

"Let's focus on getting out of this cave," Fuji suggested, shifting slightly, "And head back to the lab I have in town. We can discuss more there. But for now boy, calm yourself and think things through. Trust me, there's few things worse than setting your mind on something, only to later face the guilt once you realize you were wrong."

Ash blinked at this, and Fuji leaned against Ash to stay balanced. Not sure of what else to do, Ash began walking forward, and he found himself unable to look at Kindle as his mind raced at what Fuji had said. So instead he scanned the older man one more time, watching as Fuji examined his amulet, a sober look in his eyes.

"Axe!" The Axew cried happily, setting down into Kindle's arms.

"I'm so sorry Amber," Fuji muttered under his breath, so quiet that Ash barely caught it, "So sorry..."

AZ ran a finger down one of many grooves in tree, the large slashes clearly caused by a Pokemon that had large claws, or perhaps a horn. AZ didn't really know, but she didn't really care either way. The ancient king hadn't been near a Pokemon in all of these millenniums that she had been cursed, so often she found the best way to feel close to them was to be where they once stood.

She sighed, pulling back from the tree and looking at the empty forest around her, hand falling to the chain and key on her neck. It wasn't that the Pokemon wouldn't go near her, it was the fact that they couldn't. She could view them at a distance, but if she got too close they would be forced to flee. It was simply an effect of her curse, and she forced herself not to focus on it, since that only brought more pain.

Well, there was one Pokemon that could come near her...

"Ash's really starting to get on my nerves."

AZ didn't move as she heard the voice she dreaded the most- and the only voice that she had heard throughout these last three thousand years. The cursed 'king' took in a shaky breath, but was hardly surprised at his sudden arrival, which was how he always turned up. She knew that if she heard a voice then it was either her own ramblings, or him.

"Things not going well with your new Pariah, Yveltal?" She asked after a moment. As much as she wished to ignore him, the loneliness was far worse, and she wouldn't let this chance for conversation slip by.

She shivered as she felt a pair of cold hands rest on her shoulders, "Quite the opposite, Rosa deary, things are going quite well with Ash. It's just that he's managed to stumble across another Pariah... one I nearly forgotten about. He was pretty boring. Even when I think I have Ash under control, he finds a way to surprise me."

"..." AZ was quiet for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts, "...Why don't you let the other Pariah go then, if he's not entertaining to you?"

Yveltal laughed, "Fuji? He'll croak any day now, he's an old one. Not as old as you are, of course, Rosa. Why do you care, deary? Why would it make you happy to hear that someone if had gotten free of my game? It really shouldn't, not when you've had no contact with anyone but me..."

AZ took in a deep breath, "Don't apply the way you feel to me," She whispered, quivering. Perhaps this was the difference between an immortal being and what should be a moral being. While Yveltal would comfortably sit through the same pattern of life for centuries on end, AZ did everything in her power to find something new, "Sometimes I just wonder if you just can't change, or if you're simply afraid of change."

She felt Yveltal's fingers digging into her neck as she said this, nails like talons as they pressed against her skin. AZ bit down hard on her tongue, trying hard not to cry out. She felt his cold breath blow up against her ear as he leaned in close, hissing like a Seviper as he whispered quietly in her ear.

"And I wonder if I've just gone too soft that you're not afraid to talk back, or if somehow you just want me to get angry," Yveltal muttered, and he spun the giant 'man' around. Yveltal's unnatural blue eyes stared into Rosa's dark ones, gleaming haughtily. The forest around them was silent as Yveltal used his human avatar to press Rosa up against a tree. Rosa twisted at the sight of the avatar he was currently in- a tall man with long silky hair- the same avatar he had approached her in millenniums ago, before she had known who he truly was.

He grinned at this, the ruby amulet on her neck allowing him to catch a glimpse of her thoughts, "Don't like seeing 'Victor', even after all these years, your majesty?" He asked mockingly, "It's quite a shame, you seemed so fond of me then, back in those days... What changed Rosa?"

AZ struggled to piece together her words, "T-the fact that you w-were lying, and using that form to your advantage- you never cared about me-!"

She was cut off of Yveltal pressed his lips against hers.

AZ stiffened as Yveltal wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace as he kissed her, bright blue eyes pressed shut as he was caught up in the moment. AZ sat frozen in his arms, part of her afraid of fighting him, and the other part not even wanting to as he kissed her harder.

He pulled back after a minute, staring down at her as ended the kiss, breathing heavily. She looked up at him, not sure of what to do, trembling in the legendary's grip. He smirked at her, 'Who said that I never cared, Rosa?' He muttered as she stumbled out of his embrace. She didn't understand a word of what he just said however, since he had been speaking in the tongue of Pokemon.

"L-leave me alone!" AZ screamed, turning away from him. Yveltal's eyes flashed angrily, but yet he followed her request, turning into a mass of dark energy, slipping away into the forest.

Awkward wasn't quite the word.

Ash and Kindle were seated in Fuji's office while he was taken to the local doctor's to have his leg looked at. No longer in possession of her Pokeball, Ash couldn't return the Braixen, so instead they sat, waiting for Fuji to return. Ash had laced his fingers together, staring down at them as silence dragged on. The only noise he heard came from their breathing, not even a ticking clock filled the void. Kindle was holding the leather bag in her paws, rocking back and forth while the little Axew slept on inside of it.

Had he just jumped to conclusions on Kindle? She had confirmed the story that Chester had told, but now that Ash looked back on it he remembered the pain that had been in her eyes as she told him. But if the attack on the Pikachu's nest had happened, then how did that leave Kindle anywhere but guilty? That wasn't just something that could happen on accident!

But the idea that Yveltal could have turned him against Kindle sickened Ash just as much- it would have meant that he had yet again fallen for one of Yveltal's tricks- which is a thought he had been avoiding.

...But Kindle had been with him through so much in this short time, she had fought in battles with her life on the line. She had made her way after him even after he had practically abandoned her- with a young Pokemon in toll as well! She had saved the baby Pokemon, and she had ended up saving him as well! If Kindle was truly on the same side as Yveltal, then why would she go through all of that?

Kindle had even fought against Yveltal... back when Midnight died, Kindle had been the one to defend her, to fight against Scape the Skiddo while Yveltal had possessed her...

Possessed.

Ash jumped as the thought entered his mind, the realization following in after it. He knew that Yveltal could possess Pokemon- he had witnessed that before! He thought on Kindle's desperation after he had learned about her past, how she had acted up at any mention of Yveltal from that point on... She had been trying to tell him. It hadn't been her fault- it had been Yveltal's, and Ash had failed to realize that.

Guilt started to build up in him, not only had he fallen for yet another of Yveltal's tricks, he had abandoned a Pokemon because of it! He had abandoned a Pokemon, one that still had come back to protect him! This was no different than his Charmander waiting on a rock in a storm for his old trainer to return, Tepig being tied up by the one he had fought for, or Chimchar begging for Paul to take him back after he had been released! The guilt clawed at Ash from the inside.

He had been no better than any of those trainers.

Ash buried his face into his hands, tears pricking his eyes, "...Kindle..." He whispered.

The Braixen looked up at him, slightly startled as she heard Ash mournfully saying her name, "B-brai?" She whimpered.

"I'm s-so s-stupid..." Ash whispered, trembling as he tried to hold back his tears, "I- It-" Ash hunched over, "It was Y-yveltal, not you... it was Y-yveltal, wasn't it...?"

"B-brai!" She cried, nodding her head vigorously as these words left his mouth, "Braixen brai!" The Braixen leapt to her feet, carefully setting her bag down after she remembered that Erica was fast asleep in there. She ran up towards Ash, a warm feeling pulsing in her heart as she thought on Ash's words. She was going to thank the old man a thousand times when he got back! Ash understood, Ash understood!

Kindle found herself coming to a halt however, as Ash pulled back from her. Her trainer had tears flowing down his face, and he looked at her, the guilt filling his eyes, "I thought I wasn't going to let Yveltal get the better of me," Ash whispered, "But I ended up walking right into his hands... If you leave I won't blame you Kindle. I treated you terribly..." Ash covered his face, "Yveltal used me, I let him used me..."

Ash couldn't bring himself to look at Kindle still, it hurt worse than ever. The small fox stood there for a minute, taking in Ash's words. A scowl crossed her face for a moment, then she ran forward, throwing her arms around Ash. He stiffened as the small Pokemon hugged him, startled by this response. She looked up at him, amber eyes gleaming with tears of happiness, and the message was quite clear.

Kindle wasn't going anywhere.

Only about a half chapter left of Ambrette town- then we'll finally be at the second gym! I don't know why the X and Y games are paced like this- with the first few gyms so far apart. I promise the pacing won't be like this the whole time.

Current Teams:

Ash: Kindle (Braixen), Aura (Pidgeotto), Scape (Skiddo), Mulan (Honedge). Erica (Axew) - in game Erica was caught, but in the story she hasn't. Boxed: 3

Serena: Frogadier (Jet), Fletchinder (Robin), Charmeleon (Charlie), Abra (Conner), Espurr (Amanda), Roselia (Rick). Boxed: 2

Shauna: Chespin (Chesa), Zigzagoon (Ziggy), Skitty (Luna), Squirtle (Shelby), Zubat (Sonic), Dwebble (Hermit). Boxed: 14