Chapter 6: Unseen Cruelty

"Absol, can we please rest now?" Ember asked for what must have been the tenth time that morning.

"Why rest now?" Absol asked, glancing at her. "We're over halfway around the mountains. If we push as hard as we can, we'll be on the other side before nightfall, and then we can rest as much as you like."

Ember merely grumbled in reply as she barely avoided tripping and falling into the mud they were sifting through. They were circling to the left of the mountains, going through a horrible marsh in the process, and Ember was starting to become very irritated with the whole ordeal. She had never been this tired and dirty in her life.

"Alright, we're coming up near the end of the marsh, so I'm going to scout ahead a bit for any other East Side agents," Absol announced. "Stay close to the mountain for a moment. I'll be back as quick as I can."

Absol walked off toward the marsh exit. Ember groaned as she climbed out of the mud and tried to shake herself off.

"'Why rest now?'" Ember mimed Absol angrily. "'We're over halfway around the mountains, right?' Why is it always the same thing? 'Buck up, Ember! We're almost there!' 'How can you be tired already? We've only been walking for the rest of our lives!'"

Ember kicked a stone out of her way, hearing it splash into the mud. She sat down for a few minutes and waited impatiently for Absol to return.

"He probably does this every day," she muttered bitterly. "He probably crests these mountains for fun! Well, he may be able to put up with all this, but I'm not Absol!"

"Thankfully," she heard him say as he returned to the marsh.

Ember turned and glared at him. "I heard that!"

Absol laughed. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up, but she was still ticked off.

"Alright, come on," he said in a placating tone. "I promise that we can rest more often once we get around these mountains and out of the East Side's territory. It really isn't that much farther to the other side. It should only take about another half hour, and we're finally out of the marsh."

Ember sighed, deciding to get the last push over with. She followed Absol out of the marsh, grateful to be free of the mud, but it had already left its mark on her. She was absolutely filthy. She took a hesitant glance behind her, seeing her once-beautiful tails drenched in mud and dirt. Feeling sullied, she let out a long sigh and continued to circle the mountains.

Finally, after walking for nearly forty-five minutes, they at last reached another open field, the brighter atmosphere at least granting Ember some small relief.

"Well, we made it," Absol announced cheerfully. "Now, let's find—"

Before he could even finish, Ember had already plopped herself on the ground, trying to catch her breath.

"—a camp site," Absol finished, glancing at her. "Well, I guess here is as good as any. We'll rest up tonight, and we can continue in the morning as always."

He heard a low growl from Ember.

"Or in the afternoon, I suppose," he quickly amended.

Absol lied down nearby, even though he wasn't tired yet. He occasionally glanced at Ember, which would always be met with an angry glare. He finally sighed quietly and tried to rest, but for some reason, sleep eluded him. He hesitantly looked one last time at his companion.

"Ember?" He began tentatively. "Why so upset?"

Ember shot him another sharp glare. "Oh, gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm cold, exhausted, hungry, and filthy. Does that answer your question?"

"Fluently."

Ember sighed and looked away. "I've never been this dirty. It's unbelievable. I would always be cleaned at Pokémon centers after battles. Now I'm so covered in mud you could probably sink in it, and I'll have to travel for miles like this. It's humiliating."

Absol nodded, mulling it over for a moment.

"Well," he said finally, "we can always get you cleaned up, if you like."

Ember looked back at him. "How?"

"You want me to go in there?!" Ember yelled in horror.

"No," Absol replied calmly. "You want you to go in there. It'll clean you up, won't it?"

Ember glanced timidly at the small lake in front of her. She tentatively reached out a paw and touched the water's surface, instantly retracting it.

"But, I'm a Fire type," she protested.

"So?"

"Well…it's water! Fire and water don't mix!"

Absol sighed. "It's not like you're made of fire, you know. You have more water in your body than anything else in there."

"Well, yes, but my main strength is still fire. Won't the water weaken me?"

"It's not an attack. It won't hurt you at all. Everything needs at least a little bit of water to survive. Your master gives you fresh water to drink all the time, right? There isn't anything wrong with it, unless you're in a battle and it's used to blast you."

Ember looked back at the deep water. "I…I still don't know about this…"

Absol sighed again. "Just try going in, and if something bad happens, I promise I'll pull you right out."

Ember reached out her paw again, moving it further into the water. She still felt a knot of tension in her stomach.

"I don't know," she said finally. "Maybe being dirty isn't so bad—"

Ember suddenly felt Absol shove her into the water. She fell in with a loud splash, the cold lake making her shiver a bit. She thrashed out, trying desperately to stay afloat, coughing and groping about desperately for land. She was in the water! She was going to drown! It was a nightmare! She shut her eyes, expecting to start sinking at any moment, to feel her inner fire go out, to be smothered by the water and slowly die.

The reality was a bit less gruesome.

After a few seconds, Ember tentatively opened one eye, and then the other. She stopped thrashing, surprised to find that she wasn't sinking. She glanced around, expecting to feel some sort of pain or weakness, but she felt normal. In fact, once she got used to the temperature of the water, she actually felt quite nice. She glanced back at her tails, seeing the mud get washed off of them. She was finally clean, at least.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she heard Absol ask behind her.

Ember took another glance around the lake she was now floating in. He was right. It wasn't actually bad at all. She still felt her inner fire as strong as ever. In fact, it seemed slightly stronger than before. Perhaps her body had needed this for a while? She swam around a bit, glancing at the ripples in the water she left behind.

Finally, she turned back to Absol, who was still standing at the edge of the water, grinning. Ember was grateful to be clean, but she was still a little angry at him for shoving her into the water. She suddenly thought of the perfect way to get back at him. She swam a bit closer to his edge of the water, pretending to glance around as if still disoriented, which made Absol chuckle.

Then, she quickly sprang up, grabbing Absol and hauling him into the water. They both fell in with a large splash. Ember swam back up to the surface first, looking around for Absol. He came up a moment later, coughing a bit. The sight of his wet fur hanging in his face was too much for Ember. She burst out laughing, unable to contain herself. Seeing Absol trying uselessly to shake the fur out of his eyes and having it fall back down again only made her laugh harder.

When Absol finally got the wet fur out of his face, he shot her a venomous glare. But it slowly faded, a grin beginning to replace it. Finally, Absol couldn't help himself and began laughing in unison. The two remained in hysterics for as long as they could, enjoying the moment. Finally, when their laughter subsided, after a brief splash-fight, Ember and Absol climbed out of the lake, shaking themselves off.

"I needed that," Ember said, smiling. "I haven't had a good laugh in a while."

"I didn't think you had it in you," Absol chuckled. "I won't underestimate you again."

As Ember shook herself off again, she grinned, feeling completely refreshed. She glanced back at her tails, seeing them totally clean and free of the mud and dirt from that awful marsh. She was finally beginning to enjoy herself again. Maybe the wild wasn't so bad after all. It was amazing how such little things could completely change someone's day, she realized.

"Thanks, Absol," she said. "I guess I owe you an apology for being so angry with you before."

"Nah, forget about it. You were just having a bad day. Nobody likes being dirty."

Absol glanced at the setting sun for a moment.

"Well, looks like there's only one thing left to do," he said.

"What's that?"

"Figure out how to get dry before the night gets chilly."

The next day, when they were both fully rested, Ember and Absol continued at a more relaxed pace, now that they were at least temporarily out of danger. The countryside even seemed much more beautiful after the events of the previous days.

"So, why can't the East Side just follow us around the mountain?" Ember asked as they went.

"They can, and they will," Absol replied. "But they don't know where we are anymore. We're well out of their territory, and although they could normally follow our trail to perfection, once they lose track of it, they can't anticipate our moves anymore. All we have to do is be cautious and avoid their territory, and we're safe."

Ember nodded. "So, is the West Side the same way?"

"No, the West Side is actually the opposite. They have so many eyes and are so familiar with the region, they always know where you are, but they're terrible at hunting down enemies. As long as we're careful, they shouldn't be a problem either."

"So they each have something that the other lacks," Ember observed. "But why have they been fighting for so long?"

"I don't really know. Houndoom ruled this region for quite some time. Some years back Luxray started making a name for himself. He likely just want to dominate this region for power. But I do know that Houndoom started the war. He probably knew that Luxray's gang would challenge his reign over the territories and wanted to anticipate him."

"That must be horrible for the Pokémon not involved."

Absol nodded and sighed. "For years I've waited for the day when those two gangs would bleed themselves and each other to death. They've caused many needless losses and famines in their struggle for power. Most Pokémon are too afraid to try and stop them, with good reason. Others either want to rule with them or just to save their own skin and join one of the gangs. This region is beautiful, but they're steadily turning it into a war zone."

They continued in companionable silence for a while. Ember felt it horrible to contemplate how much suffering the gangs must have caused, and were still causing.

"Can't they be stopped somehow?" she asked.

Absol chuckled. "I've asked myself that question every day for the past seven years. If you find the answer to it, let me know."

After walking for a few more minutes, they reached a small hill. Absol stopped, Ember doing the same.

"Okay," he said, "There are a few long, man-made routes up ahead. We're going to have to be careful to avoid Pokémon trainers from here on out. If they see us, they'll no-doubt try to battle or capture us, so if it comes to a fight, make sure to flee as quickly as possible and avoid their Pokeballs."

"What do we do after we cross these routes?" Ember asked.

"We're about a fourth of the way across the region to the NPCT. If we make it through these routes, we keep moving and don't look back."

"And what if one of us gets caught in a Pokeball?"

"Pray for a miracle," Absol said soberly. "If we get caught, it's over. The whole point is to avoid that happening. Oh, and one more thing: if you see another trainer with a Poke Radar, run for it. I don't care where, just run as fast as you can. If you can't, hide and don't move until he leaves."

Ember nodded. She looked out over the hill at the man-made trails leading through forests and fields. She harbored the vague hope that in a place where there were trainers, she might find her master, but she wouldn't put herself or Absol at risk to find out.

"Alright, are you ready?" Absol asked.

"Yes. Which route are we taking?"

Absol thought for a moment, glancing at the different paths.

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable in the forest," he said. "But trainers anticipate that kind of thinking and usually flock to forests in search of Pokémon. They rarely check wide open fields. We'll take that route, and if we see a trainer, we'll head back here and plan another strategy."

With that, the two walked onto the path leading through the fields and kept a sharp eye out for trainers, Ember making sure not to let her Drought activate. An odd and gruesome scent assaulted her nostrils as they went further through the fields, like a stinking draft out of a slaughterhouse. As she walked further, Ember stumbled over something. When she looked down to see what it was, she yelped in shock and revulsion as she saw that it was a dead Starly.

When she looked around, she began to see several other dead Pokémon scattered around the route in various places, mostly in the tall grass. She felt incredibly nauseous when she saw how many there were. Many of them were lying in piles, patches of red covering the tall grass around them. Ember nearly heaved.

"Absol?" she said shakily. "What…why are these Pokémon dead?!"

Absol soberly scrutinized the field.

"My best guess is that humans have been leveling here," he replied gravely.

"leveling?" Ember asked, scowling slightly. "I vaguely remember doing something like that when I was younger, but all I remember was battling tons of wild Pokémon to get stronger."

Absol nodded. "Exactly. By the looks of it, whatever trainer did this was trying to boost the physical attack stat of their Pokémon, since most of the Pokémon here are more physically oriented."

Ember swallowed hard. "I…I didn't know trainers caused this."

"Well, when trainers march through routes attacking weaker Pokémon by the dozens to boost a single stat, this is the usual result, not like they'd bother to notice."

Shivering slightly, Ember followed Absol through the field, nearly gagging every time she bumped into a dead Pokémon. Had she really done something like this while with Rose? Ember felt sick. That Rose could have ordered her to do something like this-and that she had obeyed and done it without even thinking-was too horrible to contemplate.

Ember wondered if it made her a murderer. The thought was too much to bear. Ember gagged, up-chucking onto the ground. Hearing the noise, Absol turned to her.

"There isn't any way you could have known," he said gently. "You were probably EV trained when you were very young, so it's not your fault. The important thing is that now you know the consequences of that kind of training, and how it can affect the world around you."

Holding back tears, Ember nodded slowly, unable to speak. She at least felt a vague sense of relief that Absol wasn't angry with her. Finally, once she had recovered enough from the shock, Ember continued to follow Absol through the route, trying not to look at the bodies of all the Pokémon.

Suddenly, Ember noticed two human women on the other side of the plains. One wore a dark shirt and navy jeans and held a very sturdy briefcase, and the other was in an odd garb that Ember couldn't quite make out. She was about to point them out to Absol, but realized that he saw them already.

"I don't think they're a threat," he muttered. "Too far away, and they don't look like trainers. Keep an eye out for anyone with Pokeballs on their belts. Still, we'd better stay as far as we can from there, just in case."

The two continued moving, staying well out of sight of the two trainers until they finally vanished from view as they went through a patch of tall grass. When they made it to the other side, they got back on the trail and kept moving. As they went, after a few minutes, Ember noticed something lying on the ground. Upon further inspection, she noticed that it was a Pokeball.

"Be careful," Absol warned when he saw it. "There might be a Pokémon inside."

Ember carefully approached it. When she got a good look at it, she gasped in shock.

"What is it?" Absol asked. "Do you see someone inside?"

"No," Ember said, stunned. "It's…it's mine."

"What are you talking about?"

Ember rolled it over to him. "I recognize the seals on it. It's my Pokeball. My master always kept me in a ball with a seal that looked like a rose surrounded by a little fire. She only ever took them off to put me in a PC. How could it have gotten all the way out here?"

Absol shrugged. "Well, you're pretty far from where she was. There's also a town nearby. I guess anything could have happened to it after the tournament."

Ember nodded slowly. "She must have lost me after the tournament in the nearby town, and my Poke Ball was left behind here after the accident."

Absol glanced at the ball for a moment before turning back to her.

"Ember, how do you know it was an accident?" he asked.

"What do you mean? I told you, the last thing I remember was a horrible roar and getting knocked out. There must have been an accident in the chaos during the battle."

"An accident that caused you to wake up on the other side of the entire region?"

"I don't know," she replied defensively. "I told you already, I was unconscious."

Absol nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. Ember dismissed it and picked up the Pokeball. She then opened the bag on Absol's back and put it inside.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"Rose will need my Pokeball when I find her again, right?" she replied.

Absol shrugged, contemplating something. His ruby-colored eyes then met hers again.

"Ember, I admire your deep loyalty and love for your trainer, but you shouldn't let it cloud your judgment. The last thing I'd want is for you to be hurt and-"

He was cut off as Ember tackled him out of the way, a blast of water tearing through the ground a split second later. She quickly stepped off of him and he stood, jumping to the side to avoid another water blast. Ember dodged a massive boulder that crashed and shattered nearby. The two quickly looked up for the source of the attack.

The two women they saw earlier were now standing at the top of a hill above them, one carrying a Poke Radar. A Floatzel and a Steelix were glaring down at them and readying their attacks. Absol looked at the black suitcase on the ground next to them and cursed.

"I didn't expect them to hide their Pokeballs," he growled.

"I'll take Steelix," Ember said quickly.

The two swiftly changed places. Absol and Floatzel darted at each other with Aqua Jet and Sucker Punch. Ember ran to the side, narrowly avoiding Steelix's Rock Slide. She used Drought to brighten the rays of the sun, since stealth hardly mattered now.

"These two reacted quickly," the woman in the dark shirt and navy jeans said. "They should be a good capture, eh, Minerva?"

"For sure," the other replied. "I'll break them both in no time. Velour, hand me your case. I'll catch that Ninetails first."

The Steelix coiled up its body, using Curse. Ember could have stopped him, but he was too far away. By the time she reached him, he was already strengthened by the curse. She launched a Fire Blast, bathing the metallic snake in flames. Despite the power behind her blow, the Steelix survived. He then fired off a Rock Slide, which knocked Ember down the hill. Steelix might have used Earthquake, but that would have hurt Floatzel as well.

That fact saved Ember's life.

She wasn't unconscious, but Ember only barely managed to stagger to her feet. She was bloody and bruised from the attack, but she refused to give up. She was tired of being a burden to Absol. She wasn't going to drag him down anymore. With all her might, she dashed back up the hill, aiming another Fire Blast. Steelix had been healed up a bit by its Leftovers, but she didn't care. He was going down.

The Steelix was far too slow to get away, thanks to its Curse. She gathered her strength, staring the behemoth down. She blasted the monster with her Drought-powered flames. Steelix took the Fire Blast head-on, collapsing down the hill with a massive crash. He was finished.

Ember didn't have time to relish her victory, as she suddenly felt herself being pulled toward the two trainers. She looked and saw, with great horror, that she was being sucked into an Ultra Ball. Was her quest already over? She was surrounded in bright light and trapped inside the ball.

On the other side of the battlefield, Absol slashed Floatzel with a Psycho Cut, finishing him off. He then turned, seeing Ember get pulled into the Ultra Ball.

"Not a chance!" he roared.

Absol dashed to the ball at top speed. He didn't know if she could break out on her own, but he refused to take the chance. He quickly slashed the Ultra Ball with another Psycho Cut and tore it apart with his claws and teeth. Ember suddenly reappeared out of the broken ball in a flash of light, gasping for breath.

"Let's go!" he shouted.

Ember mustered what strength she had left, putting on her Choice Scarf to boost her speed and fleeing from the fight with Absol. She heard angry shouts and cursing from the two trainers, which gave her a bit of much-needed smug satisfaction. They went back the way they came as fast as they could until they came back to the small hill at the crossroads.

"Alright," Absol said between breaths. "We're safe now. I think we got far enough away that their Poke Radar lost track of us, too."

Ember breathed a sigh of relief, but she was too exhausted to even stand anymore and fell to the ground, trying to regain her breath, the throbbing pain of her wounds hammering her. Absol walked over and lie down beside her, opening their bag. She was glad to see him pull out a Sitrus Berry, giving it to her. She happily ate it, feeling the wonderful fruit relieve her pain and begin to heal her. Even so, Absol merely being close to her strangely made her feel better.

"Are you alright?" Absol asked.

"Not right now," she replied. "But I will be, thanks to you."

"I should have seen that attack coming," he said bitterly. "I didn't expect that two normal-looking humans would have both Poke Radars and concealed Pokeballs. I won't make that mistake again. From now on, all humans are potential threats."

Under different circumstances, Ember might have protested, but after what she just went through, she agreed completely.

"Those two were probably the ones who were EV training here," Absol added solemnly. "I only wish we could have stopped them sooner."

When she finally began to regain her strength, Ember slowly stood, Absol doing the same. He took off his bag and glanced inside.

"We only have two Sitrus Berries left," he said. "We'll have to use them sparingly until we find some more. Well, it looks like we have no choice but to go down the route leading through the forest and hope for the best."

Ember nodded, following Absol onto the trail that led into the large forest. Once inside, Ember glanced around. The area around them looked strangely bleak. An aura of lifelessness seemed to engulf it. There were no Pokémon anywhere. The trees were devoid of any webs or nests or any other signs of life. She shivered a bit, her blood running cold. Even the air seemed dead.

"Absol, where are we?" she whispered. "Why is this place so…"

"Deceased?" Absol finished.

Ember merely nodded.

"I remember this place," Absol whispered soberly. "This route leads to a Pokemon Daycare."

Ember and Absol continued silently through the cold, darkened woods. It seemed wrong to make any noise, as if it would disturb the quiet. Not only was the place chilling, it also felt strangely sad. As they moved forward, Ember hoped she would see any Pokémon nearby, praying for some kind of life to present itself, but none appeared.

"Alright, the Pokemon Daycare is up ahead," Absol announced gravely. "We can't avoid it completely, but we're going to stay as far away as possible."

"Because there might be trainers?" Ember asked.

"Partly, yes."

The two continued through the grove until they finally came out of it, much to Ember's relief. When they reached a hill, Ember looked out over the horizon and saw Absol was right. She noticed a small building about a hundred meters away with a fence surrounding the yard behind it, a few Pokémon inside. She and Absol circled far to the left of it, although she didn't see any trainers yet. Once the day care finally came into full view, Ember saw that there were no trainers around.

"I think we're safe," she said. "I don't see any trainers, do you?"

"No," Absol replied, "but we're still going to stay away from there."

"Why? Are you worried they might come?"

Absol shook his head. "Wild Pokémon stay away from daycares out of respect."

"Respect? For who?"

Absol glanced at her. "For the Pokémon trapped there who can never be free."

Ember looked at him, startled. Seeing her questioning eyes, Absol glanced back at the building.

"You know that trainers leave their Pokémon at daycares sometimes, right?" he asked.

"Of course," Ember replied. "I've seen them do that. Trainers leave them there to get stronger."

Absol nodded. "What you probably don't know is that most trainers never come back. They either find their Pokémon too weak and can't be bothered to return, or, in worse cases, the trainers force their Pokémon to constantly breed, and then take their babies one by one to find the Pokémon with the "correct" nature and strengths, then raise them up for battle and leave the original Pokémon there to keep breeding just in case they find a better one."

Ember stopped, Absol doing the same. She nearly staggered backward in shock, her mouth hanging open.

"That…that can't be true," she said, horrified.

"I'm afraid it is," Absol replied sadly. "Ember, do you have any memories of before meeting your trainer?"

Ember was hesitant to answer. She felt he was getting a bit personal, especially after what he just said about the daycare, but decided he deserved to know.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I don't remember ever not being with my master, until now."

Absol nodded slowly. "Then you were most likely bred in a daycare too. That would explain why you're so combat-worthy. Your trainer probably found your mother-a Ninetails who knew Drought like you-then put her in a day care and made her breed as many Vulpix as possible with the same ability to find the one with the "fitting" nature and IVs. She then examined each and every newborn Vulpix to find the right one, and ended up choosing you."

Absol paused for a moment, looking back at her.

"I don't want to upset you, Ember, but if you were born in this region, it's quite possible that this day care or another like it is your birthplace."

Ember was speechless. She couldn't even choke out another denial. Her legs felt very weak. She looked back at the daycare, shaking slightly. It wasn't true. She wasn't chosen like that. It was impossible. The Pokémon there couldn't have been abandoned by their trainers. They couldn't be forced to breed. They couldn't have been suffering.

Then, she saw the Pokémon more clearly. There was a Dragonair and a Milotic inside the fenced area closest to them. The Milotic happened to glance in their direction, possibly having heard them. When the Milotic saw the two, she instantly came over to the edge of the fence, looking out at them. After a few moments, the beautiful Pokémon let out the longest, most mournful cry Ember had ever heard.

When the Dragonair heard Milotic, he ran to the edge of the fence, crying out as well. Their howls were filled with such sorrow that it made Ember want to cry out with them. Behind a separate fence, Ember saw two Pupitar join the somber chorus. Other Pokémon in different parts of the day care began howling and crying out in unison, the wistful, somber sound echoing through the dead forest and fields.

Ember felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was true. The Pokémon there were suffering. How long had they been there? Would their trainers ever come back? What did it feel like for the ones that had their children taken away from them? Ember looked at Absol, hoping he had some kind of reassurance that it wasn't as bad as all that, but he looked equally pained.

"Let's go," he said quietly.

Even when the day care was well out of sight, Ember still heard the cries of the Pokémon in her mind. Her breathing became strained whenever she thought of the looks on their faces.

"I'm so sorry you saw that," Absol said. "Now you know why we stay away from day cares. The Pokémon there know they will never be free, never get to experience any of the joys of life like we do. It's the worst fate that can befall a Pokémon. We try not to let them see us walking about freely because whenever they do, it reminds them of who they are, and what they will never have."

After a few moments' silence, Ember looked at Absol again.

"I…I wasn't born there," she said, her voice quivering. "I can't have been born in a day care. My master would never do that."

"Well, if you were taken from the wild, you would remember it. I know it must be hard for you to accept, but there really isn't any other explanation."

"No. It's not true. Rose isn't like that. She…she loves me. She couldn't have just chosen me because of my natures or strengths."

Absol shook his head. "That's what nearly every trainer does when building competitive teams. It's the best way to find the strongest Pokémon."

"I don't care. Rose is different."

"Why would she be different than any other trainer forcing their Pokémon to fight in tournaments while she reaps the rewards?"

Ember felt a knot in her stomach. His words hurt, but she couldn't think of a counter argument.

"I've never known a competitive Pokémon that wasn't bred in a daycare," Absol continued. "Capturing random wild Pokémon and hoping for the right natures, IVs and abilities almost never yields good results."

Ember looked away. "Absol, I…I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

She expected him to argue, but he merely nodded in response. After a few moments, they continued down the new trail in silence. Ember refused to believe she was born that way. It was horrible what the other Pokémon were going through, but she couldn't accept that her master was bad too. She decided to find out the truth on her own.

Chapter 7: Poisoned