Chapter 2: Unfamiliar Land
Ember couldn't help but moan in agony as she began to awaken. Every part of her body ached and stung. She couldn't see anything as she waited impatiently for the dark mist she had grown so familiar with to disappear from her eyes. Her headache was unholy. She almost wanted to sink back into unconsciousness again, but realized that would be impossible. She'd been knocked out a lot before, but she hadn't felt pain like this in a long time. She also felt very cold.
Finally, the fog began to clear from her vision. Ember hoped to see her friends nearby, telling her how they won the match. She wanted to see Cloyster and hear him try to cheer her up with his bad jokes. She wanted to hear Salamence complaining about how his opponent got another lucky critical hit while his moves missed. And above all, she wanted to see Charizard and try to understand his difficult advice, to hear him tell her she wasn't a failure, and that she still had a place on the team.
But she didn't see or hear any of those things. Instead, when her vision cleared and her senses readjusted, she saw grass and trees all around her. She realized she felt cold because of a chilly autumn breeze blowing by. As she tried to move, she felt that some of her fur was damp and sticky. When she checked the spot, she saw that her side was streaked with semi-dried blood. That must have been from the Stone Edge that hit her.
Eventually, she found she could move again. When she stood up, she got a better view of her surroundings. Gone was the tournament PC room, replaced by a massive forest. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but when she took a step forward, a sharp pain in her leg confirmed she was awake. She took in the very fresh air, which at least felt good. She turned all around, looking for the tournament arena.
But it wasn't there. She saw nothing but forest in every direction. Where was the tournament? Where were her friends? Where was her trainer? Ember suddenly began to feel very worried. Why was she in a forest? She tried to remember all that happened before she was knocked out. She remembered talking to Charizard, stepping onto the arena, battling a Gyrados, then getting hit with Stone Edge. After that, aside from the horrible roar she heard when Gyrados was switched out, everything else was blank.
Ember tried to piece together what happened. She was battered pretty badly, but the match had just begun. She couldn't stop thinking about the roar she heard before blacking out. In all that chaos and confusion, there might have been an accident. Yes, that must have been what happened! She had somehow gotten lost after the battle. Everyone must still be nearby. She ran past a few trees and turned a corner, expecting to find her trainer at any moment.
When she didn't see Rose right away, she kept moving past a thicket and through another clearing. And another. And another. She began to panic as she kept searching but saw no sign of her master anywhere. Had she gone too far? Was she on the wrong path? Maybe her master was still ahead of her? She heard flapping and looked up, seeing a group of wild Starly flying through the air above the trees. She suddenly realized where she was.
She was in the wild.
Ember stopped dead in her tracks as the full realization hit her. How had she gotten in the wild? The NPCT was nowhere near any massive forests. That meant she was probably miles away from the tournament. How would she ever find her way back? How could the team operate without her ability? She didn't know where she was or which way to go. She hadn't been trained for this. Ember tried to think of some logical plan, but nothing helpful came to mind.
"Hey!"
Ember jumped when she heard the voice behind her. She pivoted around, her heart beating a mile a minute. She saw a snow-white figure looking at her from the tall grass, mostly concealed.
"What are you doing?" the figure whispered sharply. "Get down before he sees you!"
Ember didn't understand what he meant, but she instinctively crouched down in the grass next to the figure, whom she now recognized to be a fellow Pokémon. She followed his gaze toward a human who was standing on the other side of a stream from where they were. The man glanced toward them for a moment, pointing a strange device in their direction.
"What is that?" she whispered to the Pokémon next to her.
"What do you mean?" he whispered back harshly. "Don't you recognize a Poke Radar when you see it? He must have detected your movements when you ducked into the grass. Stay still and be silent."
Ember obeyed and didn't move. She watched the human waving the Poke Radar all around him, checking for any other signs of movement. She remembered her master using a similar device a few months back while walking through a thicket, but she hadn't seen any more of it than that. Finally, seeming disappointed, the human walked off in a different direction, holding the radar ahead of him.
When the man was out of sight, the Pokémon next to her breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. Ember finally got a good look at the Pokémon when she did so as well. He was a four-legged Pokémon like her, except with regal white fur. His muzzle, claws, and tail were all dark blue, and he had a crescent-shaped black spike on the top of his head. Ember smelled the smoky, ashy, musky scent of the woods on him, though his scent was even stronger and more defined than the smell of the forest itself. His calm, ruby-red eyes gazed disapprovingly at her.
"You really ought to be more careful," the Pokémon said. "If that trainer caught you on his radar, he could have tracked you anywhere you went until he captured you or beat you for experience."
"Um…thank you, I guess," Ember replied, glancing back and forth. "You haven't seen any other trainers around here, have you?"
"Nah, no one else. We're safe."
Ember felt a bit crestfallen. "Are you sure no other trainers came by anywhere around here?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Are you alright? You look badly hurt. Were you attacked by a trainer?"
"Sort of. I'm a little lost right now. Do you know where the NPCT is?"
The pokemon's head cocked to the side. "You really are lost. That place is hundreds of miles from here. But why on earth would you want to go there?"
"I'm looking for someone. My name is Ember, by the way."
"Ember? Ah, now I understand. You were given that nickname by a trainer, right?"
Ember nodded. "I got lost in an accident at the tournament and ended up here."
"I see. I'm sorry about before. I thought you were an ordinary wild Ninetails. I'm Absol, nice to meet you. So, who are you looking for? Did your teammates get away too?"
Ember shook her head. "No, they're still there…at least, I think they are. That's why I'm looking for my trainer."
Absol paused for a moment. "Don't you know how dangerous that is? Are you just trying to rescue your teammates?"
"Rescue them? No, they shouldn't be in danger. I'm just trying to find my way back to my trainer after I lost her at the tournament."
"Huh. That's interesting. I never thought I'd see a competitive Pokémon that actually wanted to return to their trainer. So, you say she lost you all the way back at the tournament?"
Ember thought for a moment. "I guess so. I don't really know what happened. All I remember is getting hit badly by a Gyrados, hearing a horrible roar, and then waking up here."
Absol nodded. "I think I have a pretty good Idea what happened. Are you really sure you want to go back to your trainer?"
"Of course. She's probably worried sick. Besides, my friends are all back there, and I want to see them again."
"Well, I'm afraid you're out of luck," Absol said with a sigh. "The NPCT is almost on the other side of the region from here. Making it back on your own would be impossible."
Ember was saddened by the news, but she was still determined to get back somehow.
"Well, I have to try," she said resolutely. "It was nice meeting you, Absol, but I've got to get going."
With that, Ember stoically walked off towards another part of the forest.
"Oh? So you know the way, then?" Absol called to her.
Ember stopped, deflated. She remembered that she had no idea where to go. She heard Absol sigh as he walked back up to her.
"I thought not," he said. "Look, the right path isn't too hard to find, but you really should tend to the matter at hand before doing something rash. You're hurt badly and in no condition to go that far. You need to heal yourself and tend to your injuries."
Ember nodded, conceding the point. She was still in pain from all the cuts and bruises all over her body from that Stone Edge.
"How can I get healed?" she asked. "Is there a Pokemon Center nearby?"
Absol snorted. "You've been with your trainer your whole life, haven't you? Sadly, anyone in a Pokémon Center would far sooner capture a wild Pokémon than heal her injuries and watch her leave."
Ember felt a bit vexed at being referred to as a wild Pokémon. She still belonged to a trainer, even if she wasn't there at the moment. Still, she decided it wasn't worth arguing about and let it go.
"Fine, then what do you think I should do?" she asked, trying not to sound petulant.
"You can find some healing berries up ahead. After that, just keep your eyes peeled and try not to lose your head in the forest, and you'll eventually find a path leading to the end. That should at least be a start."
Absol suddenly turned and started to walk off without waiting for reply.
"Wait!" Ember called, surprised. "You, uh…you're not going to at least show me the way?"
"Sorry, but I really have to be going," he called over his shoulder. "It was nice meeting you."
And with that, he was gone. Ember briefly watched him go through the tall grass and eventually disappear from sight. She felt slightly ticked at his unfriendly attitude, but she supposed that since he'd already helped her out with that other trainer, she couldn't expect too much more. With a sigh, she turned and headed in the direction Absol had said led to the healing berries.
Sadly, there was no actual visible path to follow. She was merely going in the general direction he'd pointed her to, and she had no idea whether she was still on the right path. She tried to keep going straight for as long as she could, as if that would help her stay on the right track, but she hadn't been known for her sense of direction, and as another good ten or fifteen minutes passed, she realized that she was walking in circles again. Nettles and thistles occasionally stuck her as she walked, and it took an infuriatingly long time to pick them out of her fur.
Ember looked back and forth for any signs of a road or trail, but it was just forest and tall grass as far as the eye could see, which wasn't very far at all. She let out a long sigh and continued searching, but as if she hadn't been exasperated enough by this day, she soon found herself back at the exact same clearing where she'd started.
She let out a long groan and sat down, trying desperately to think of some solution to the problem at hand. She had no map, no landmarks, no paths to follow, and no wild pokemon were around who could—or even would—help her. Worse still, the sun was beginning to set, and once night fell, she would be truly lost. She didn't like the idea of spending a night badly wounded in a dark and unfamiliar forest.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light illuminated the forest for a brief second before disappearing. At first, a startled Ember thought it was merely distant lightning, but she soon began to hear loud shouts and other sounds of a scuffle. Despite her wounds, she got up and ran toward the noise, her Choice Scarf helping her run as fast as she could.
She shoved her way through the tall grass, ignoring the plants and thorns that scratched her as she went. The flashes of light grew brighter and the sounds louder as she drew closer to their source. Soon, she found herself in another clearing, faced with a startling scene.
The very same Absol she'd met a while ago was battling the trainer who had nearly spotted her before. And from the looks of it, he was losing. The tall man was using a Galvantula to battle Absol, and he also had five other Ultra Balls attached to his black denim jacket, which no-doubt contained other powerful pokemon.
Ember could tell that Absol was a powerful fighter, but he had been paralyzed, no-doubt thanks to Galvantula using Thunder Wave or some such move. The yellow arachnid was moving in for the kill, and when Absol tried to use Sucker Punch to ward it off, his paralysis froze his joints and cut him off.
Ember knew that Absol was in grave danger and that the trainer would either kill him or capture him, and that she should help him out. But how could she fight a trainer? It was against all her years of training to attack a human, and she didn't have her master there to give her orders.
As the Galvantula prepared to finish Absol, Ember realized that she couldn't hesitate. She wasn't attacking a human; she was merely battling his pokemon, just like in the tournaments. The only difference was that she didn't have Rose to tell her what moves to use, so for the first time in her life, she would have to rely on her own judgment.
Galvantula was a Bug type, so Fire would take care of it no problem. She used Fire Blast, her Choice Scarf allowing her to move quickly enough to torch the Galvantula before he could reach Absol again. The trainer looked at her in shock before angrily returning the arachnid to its Ultra Ball.
Ember felt a surge of exhilaration. For the first time in her entire life, she was battling on her own, with no one to tell her what to do. It was both exciting and terrifying. However, she had no more time to think about it, as the man had already drawn his next Ultra Ball and sent out another Pokémon, one that was far more fitting to deal with her: Quagsire.
The Water\Ground pokemon laughed at her before moving into its battle stance. Ember activated her ability Drought and used another Fire Blast, the warm rays of the sun shining between the leaves on the trees and strengthening her flames as they bathed Quagsire. However, despite the power behind her strike, eerie pokemon survived with little trouble. Ember mentally cursed. If only she could use Solarbeam, she could knock him out in one shot, but her Choice Scarf had her locked using Fire Blast until the end of the fight!
Now it was Quagsire's turn. It reared back and stomped its great feet, causing the ground to shake. It was using Earthquake! The move would be devastating to both her and anyone else nearby, and there was nothing she could to stop it!
However, just as Quagsire was about to launch the attack, Absol suddenly leapt to his feet, breaking through his paralysis and using Sucker Punch, which intercepted the Earthquake and knocked Quagsire out in one blow. Ember took a moment to look at him in awe. What power must have been behind that attack!
Before the trainer could draw another Ultra Ball, Absol's horn glowed slightly, and he sent out a disk-shaped purple beam of energy toward him. He had used Psycho Cut on a human! However, thankfully, the blow didn't hit the man directly, instead slicing through a tree trunk right next to him. The human apparently received the message, and he quickly turned and ran off in a different direction, disappearing into the woods.
Obviously spent, Absol groaned and fell on his side. Ember ran over to him, hearing shuddering hisses of breath escape Absol's wounded form.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Absol grunted slightly, straining to look at her. "That Galvantula got me with Thunder Wave right off the bat, and Bug Bite a turn later. It looks like his Poke Radar detected us after all."
"I'm so sorry, this is my fault. If I hadn't come, he wouldn't have found you."
"No, no, don't feel bad. I've actually travelled most of the region without any trouble until now; I knew my luck—urk!—had to run out eventually…thanks for saving my skin."
Ember was a little taken aback. "Uh…no problem. Listen, can I help you get healed? You said something about berries nearby?"
Absol raised an eyebrow. "You mean you haven't found them yet?"
Ember laughed sheepishly and looked down at her own wounds. "Does it look like I've been healed recently?"
Absol gave a brief chuckle, wincing as he no-doubt felt another jolt of pain.
"I'll help you get there if you'll show me the way," Ember offered. "Two injured pokemon have a better chance of surviving together than alone, right?"
Absol nodded slightly. Ember leaned down and helped him to his feet, and allowed him to lean on her until he could stand on his own. She then followed him as he led the way down a different trail, the ground slightly muddy beneath their paws as they continued through the forest. Ember noted with interest the large number of pine cones lying on the ground, wondering how many were actually sleeping Ferroseed.
After a few minutes of walking, Absol glanced at Ember.
"By the way, why are you wearing that scarf?" he asked.
Ember glanced down at the blue-and-white scarf around her neck, then looked back at him with pride.
"Oh, this? It's is my Choice Scarf. My master gave it to me for the tournament."
Absol nodded. "I guessed as much, but I don't understand why you still have it on."
"Why not? It looks nice, and it helps me in battle by raising my speed."
"It does look nice, I'll give you that," Absol replied. "And it may be good for competitive battles, but out here in the wild, it's a liability. The last thing you need is to be stuck using only one move until it runs out. You remember the battle with that trainer? You could have finished off Quagsire easily if it weren't for that scarf limiting your moves."
At this, Ember felt a little indignant. She loved wearing her scarf. It set her apart from all the other Ninetails out there. She tried to think of a good counterargument, but she had to admit, it sounded like he had a point.
"Well, surely the great speed boost it gives me will let me beat enemies quickly," Ember replied defensively.
At this, Absol stopped, Ember doing the same.
"Alright," he said calmly. "Attack me."
Ember was taken aback by his sudden challenge. Seeing her reaction, Absol smirked.
"I'm not in any danger, don't worry. You can use whatever move you like. Don't hold back."
Ember didn't particularly want to hurt this kind stranger, but she saw he was completely cool and confident. That irritated her. She decided to see if a Fire Blast would change his attitude. She reared back, ready to strike…
And Absol suddenly appeared right in front of her despite his wounds, holding his claw at her face, which was now shimmering with purple energy. She jumped back in fright, but thankfully Absol stopped the attack before it hit her.
"You see?" he said patiently. "Sucker Punch lets me attack first despite your speed boost. Now, if this were a real battle, you would be perpetually trapped using a predictable move I could always outrun until I knocked you out. Similar situations will occur all the time in the wild. You need to be prepared for anything, and only having one move at your disposal is not a good way to start."
Ember considered the point for a while. She finally sighed, feeling defeated.
"Can I at least wear it outside of battle?" she asked hopefully.
Absol thought for a moment. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that as long as it doesn't interfere with your combat abilities when real battles start."
Ember sighed in relief, glad that she wouldn't have to dispense with her scarf altogether. Finally, after a few more minutes of walking down the now-visible trail, they eventually reached a small pond nearby with a few plants and berry bushes nearby.
"Alright, we're here," Absol announced.
Ember glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "Why are we here?"
Absol walked over to one of the bushes and plucked a few yellow berries off of them, dropping them to the ground.
"You know what these are, right?" he asked while bringing them over to her.
"Of course," she replied quickly. "Those are Sitrus Berries. They have incredible healing properties."
"That's right. But since you're obviously an aggressive lead Pokémon for Sun Teams, you've never actually tasted one, have you?"
Ember glanced at the berries with interest. He was right. She'd never actually eaten a Sitrus Berry before. Whenever she asked her friends what they tasted like, they merely said they couldn't describe it. She always figured they were teasing her, but now she had the chance to find out for herself. She looked up hesitantly at Absol, but he merely smiled reassuringly.
"Go ahead," he offered. "They're fantastic, not to mention they'll heal your wounds quickly."
Ember looked back down at the berries. She nervously picked one up in her mouth and began to eat it. Instantly, she tasted a horrible bitterness that almost made her gag. Was this really what she had waited so long to try? Seeing her scowl, Absol actually laughed a little.
"Just give it a moment," he said jovially.
Ember did as she was told and avoided the strong urge to spit it out. After a few seconds, the bitterness began to disappear, to her great relief. Still, the berry tasted bland and uninteresting. But when she bit down further to its core, she began to taste a sweetness that was unlike any other fruit she had ever eaten. It only increased as she continued to chew it, overwhelming her with pleasure and satisfaction. It was hard to keep a goofy smile off her face.
There was also a slight sourness, but it perfectly complemented the sweetness and balanced the flavor astoundingly. She also no longer felt her wounds anymore. All the pain in her body simply melted away as she continued to savor the otherworldly berry. She was almost reluctant to swallow it, but the taste remained in her mouth for some time afterward. Her friends were right. It was impossible to describe.
When she looked back up, she saw Absol grinning at her. She couldn't help but return it.
"You're right," she said happily. "That was pretty incredible."
"What did I tell you? Have as much as you like, and you can head on your way whenever you feel ready."
With that, Absol went back over to the bush, taking a Cheri Berry to heal his paralysis and eating a Sitrus Berry as well. Ember felt a bit uncertain about having more than one.
"Shouldn't we conserve as many as possible?" she asked.
Absol looked back at her, swallowing his berry. "Why? They aren't going to get up and run away."
"I know, but…well, I've never seen my teammates eat more than one per battle."
Absol chuckled a bit, grabbing another berry with his claw. "Let me tell you something: out here in the wild, you don't have to follow the rules of Pokémon battles. There are other berries like this all over the forest if you know where to find them. You can eat whatever you like whenever you like, and have as many as you want. No one will stop you."
With that, Absol went back to his meal. Ember looked back down, tentatively eating another Sitrus Berry, quickly biting down to its core to avoid the bitterness. After tasting the incredible flavor again and feeling more of her fatigue vanish, she ate another one. She suddenly felt a rush of excitement. Her trainer always gave her a relatively small set amount of food and no more. To have all she wanted in front of her and the freedom to eat it without anyone telling her not to felt like a great release.
When her wounds were all but gone and her appetite finally satisfied, she looked up and saw Absol was finished as well.
"Thank you for that," she said earnestly.
"It's no problem. Sorry I was a little curt with you before. I've, err…been through a lot this past year. Anyway, do you think you'll be okay on your own?"
Ember shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'll be able to find my way eventually, as long as it isn't too far. I guess I'd better keep moving before it gets dark, huh?"
"Probably. Again, it was definitely nice meeting you."
Ember smiled and nodded before turning toward the trail, continuing on her way. She still didn't know where to go, but perhaps—
"Wait a second!" Absol suddenly called.
Surprised, Ember turned back to him. "What is it?"
"You say you're heading for the NPCT, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
For a brief moment, Absol looked hesitant, as if mentally debating some point or other. However, his smile soon returned.
"Well, you sort of saved my neck back there," he began. "I guess, uh…I suppose the least I could do is show you the way to the tournament."
Ember felt her spirits soar for the first time that day. He was actually going to help her!
"You mean, you'll come with me?" she asked, trying not to sound too ecstatic.
"I heard that the NPCT is on the other side of the region, which is divided by a great mountain in the middle," he explained. "I'll take you to the mountain, and after that, you should be set."
Ember couldn't help a grin. "Thanks so much!"
"Heh, don't thank me yet," he replied with a faint smile. "I still have to get you there in one piece now. Well, if we're really going to do this, we'll need to get some sleep. It's going to be a long journey."
Chapter 3: The Long Road Home