Chapter 7: Poisoned
The next afternoon, Ember was still a bit disturbed by what she saw the other day, but was at least starting to feel a little better, especially with Absol doing his best to cheer her up with his usual jokes and showing her more of the wonders of the wild. Her favorite part of the day was when he took her to a nearby beach, and she looked out at the ocean and saw so many incredible things.
She once spotted a group of Lumineon lazily gliding through the sea, the light making their scales shine a rainbow of colors that illuminated the water. The sight was breathtaking. Since she'd never encountered Lumineon in competitive battles or tourneys, she'd forgotten they existed until now. Above them, flocks of Pelipper flew overhead, looking like shadows as they passed beneath the sun.
Ember enjoyed the warmth the sun provided. She didn't even need to use Drought. Despite the cold weather elsewhere, the beach was still amazingly warm and pleasant.
"Say, Absol," she began as they walked along the sand, "I'm enjoying myself and all, but why are we taking such a detour?"
Absol smiled. "I just thought we'd relax a little before our next hurdle, especially since we're going to have to circle around a massive cave owned by Rypherior later."
Hearing that news, Ember felt even more grateful for the pleasant respite from their usual days of travel. Despite wanting to get back to her trainer as soon as possible, she didn't mind just spending time with Absol and going to nice places like this. She was starting to grow fond of the wild and its unique lifestyle.
As they went further along the beach, taking in the sights, Ember noticed something bouncing on the sand near the water. When they got closer, she saw that it was a Pokémon flopping on the beach.
"Look at that!" Ember said, pointing a paw at the creature.
"I see it," he replied.
They quickened their pace a bit until they reached the Pokémon. It was a Barboach, about five feet from the water, gasping for water and flopping desperately to try and get back to the sea, but it was a futile effort. Absol stared at the Pokémon for a moment. Ember saw his unreadable gaze and grew worried.
"Absol, you're not thinking of—"
Absol suddenly picked up the Barboach in his paw and tossed it into the water before it slipped out of his grasp. The Pokémon gratefully swam away, wading into the ocean and joining a group of its own kind. Ember watched it go for a moment, feeling deeply guilty.
"I'm sorry, Absol," she said. "I…I thought you were going to…"
"Eat it?" he finished.
Ember couldn't even bring herself to say it, so she merely nodded. Absol glanced back out at the sea, watching the group of Barboach swimming happily away.
"I only ever eat game for survival," he told her. "That would have been cruelty."
"I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, Absol."
He chuckled a bit. "Don't worry, I've heard much worse before. I'm not upset. Besides, even if I were, you know I couldn't stay mad at you."
Ember felt relieved she hadn't upset her friend, deciding that she needed to trust him more in the future. After all, he'd brought her this far. Absol glanced at the slowly setting sun in the distance.
"It's starting to get late," he announced. "We should probably find another camp site, and then we'll get back on the move tomorrow."
With that, Ember followed him out of the beach and back onto the trail that led through a field of tall grass. As they went, she felt something in the back of her mind that made her uncomfortable. When she thought about it, she realized what was worrying her. Absol seemed to sense this, as usual.
"You're not still upset, are you?" he asked.
"No, no, it's not that," she said. "It's just…when I finally get around the mountains …what happens then?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what will happen to you after you leave?"
Absol shrugged. "I don't know. I guess things will go back to normal."
"I know that, but…will I ever see you again?"
Absol thought for a moment. "Probably not, unless we meet in battle by chance."
Ember felt a burning ache in her chest. She looked away, not wanting Absol to see her so pained.
"So… that will be goodbye?" she muttered morosely.
Absol paused for another moment, seeming to mull something over. Ember waited silently for his response.
"Well, maybe it doesn't have to be," he said finally.
Ember tried to avoid gasping in surprised relief. Absol stopped, Ember eagerly doing the same, wanting to know what he had in mind. His eyes met hers.
"It's a silly idea, I know," he began. "But…you could stay here."
Ember's smile slowly faded, replaced by both surprise and slight disappointment. Seeing her reaction, Absol looked away for a moment.
"I know it sounds crazy, but you've only had a few bad experiences here because you weren't used to the wild," he said. "You're getting much better, and I could show you how to avoid places with trainers and the gangs, since we wouldn't need to be on the move so much anymore. You could be happy here."
Ember didn't know what to say. She had hoped there was some miraculous way she could be with him even after returning to Rose, but she knew that was foolish. It was tempting to stay, to turn around and follow him back to some pleasant forest or something, but she knew in her heart she couldn't.
"I'm sorry, Absol," she said sadly. "Thank you for the offer, but I can't leave my trainer, and my friends need me."
Absol nodded. "I understand. Like I said, it was a silly idea."
They continued for a while in silence, Ember trying desperately to think of a way to avoid that inevitable end to her quest. Only one thing came to mind.
"Absol, maybe I can't stay here with you, but couldn't you come with me and let Rose take you in too?"
Absol laughed a bit, but there was no joy behind it.
"Thanks, Ember, but Rose wouldn't take me in. I have no place on a Sun Team. Or on any competitive team, for that matter. I'm a wild Pokémon. Besides, even if she did take me, we'd still never see each other again. I'd probably be put in a PC or traded away to fill someone's Pokedex, or worse, wind up in a daycare."
Ember nodded silently. No matter which way she looked at it, it didn't work. Her idea was even sillier. Was that really how it would end? Would they never be together again? It hurt to even think about it. She decided that there had to be some solution, and that she would find it eventually. Looking ahead, Ember realized she'd been lost in thought for a while, a large mountain with a giant cavern leading into it was already near.
As they went, the setting sun continued to paint the sky in beautiful yellow and dark-blue hues as it mixed with the last of the clouds. Ember took a moment to glance up at the sky. The fantastic colors helped her feel a little better. She even noticed a few tiny stars flickering in and out of view. She watched them in fascination as they slowly filled the sky.
In fact, one of the stars seemed a little strange. It was very large, but it only gave off a small amount of light. The rest of it looked like a large shadow. On further inspection, the star was moving, the light trailing behind it as it soared through the sky at incredible speed. Ember hadn't seen too many stars before, but she was fairly certain that they weren't supposed to do that.
"Absol, do you see that?" she asked, her eyes following the strange star.
"What?" he asked. "Where?"
"There," she replied, pointing her paw at the star.
Absol followed it with his eyes.
"I see it," he said finally. "That's interesting. I haven't seen a Charizard around here in a long time."
Ember looked back at him in shock. "A Charizard?!"
"Yeah, you can see the light from the fire on his tail."
Ember quickly looked back at the flying Pokémon. As it flew a little lower, she got a good view of it. Absol was right. It was a Charizard. But it wasn't just any Charizard.
It was her leader.
Ember gasped when she recognized her friend's unique black scales. It was Charizard!
"That's my team leader!" she yelled. "Absol, come on!"
Absol reacted instantly, darting after Ember. The two raced after Charizard, who was flying away from them. Ember shouted out to him several times, but he was too high to hear. Absol launched a shimmering Flamethrower into the night sky, but Charizard apparently didn't notice. Ember ran as fast as she could, Absol right on her tail, but they couldn't catch Charizard.
Eventually, the dragon-like Pokémon flew over the mountain and disappeared from view entirely. Ember kept running for a while, but eventually slowed down when she realized it was useless. She finally stopped, heartbroken at coming so close to her goal and still missing her chance. Absol stopped as well, not even winded.
"I thought he would have seen my attack," he said bitterly. "He must be heading for the city behind the mountains. We can't catch up to him now."
"Why not?!" Ember shouted desperately. "Can't we just follow him through the cavern?"
"That's out of the question," Absol replied. "That mountain is well within the mighty Rypherior's territory. In fact, he might even be in there right now."
"I don't care!" Ember shot back. "Charizard had to be going somewhere. My master could be right behind that cave! I'll fight through anything I have to!"
"That cave stretches a third of the way across the region, Ember. Even if Rypherior isn't there, our chances of making it through that cave with all the wild Pokémon inside is very small. We don't even have the supplies to make it through if we run into trouble."
"Fine, then how long will it take for us to circle around that mountain?"
Absol did a quick calculation in his head. "To reach the city, we'd have to find another route that leads to it on the other side. It could take weeks."
"My master will probably be long gone by then! I have to try!"
Absol shook his head. "It's much too great a risk, Ember."
Rather than protest right away, Ember paused and thought for a long moment, glancing at the cave. She then looked back to him.
"Absol, you're right," she said sadly. "It is asking too much of you to follow me through there. You've already helped me much more than I deserve. You've guided me so far, and I couldn't ask you to risk your life just to help me reach my trainer. If you don't want to come, I understand. But I have to try."
The two looked at each other for a long while. Finally, Ember turned and headed for the cave. She felt deeply saddened to part ways with Absol already, especially after her resolve to avoid leaving him, but she had to return to her master, and asking him to come with her would be too selfish. She instantly regretted leaving before thanking him for all he did for her, but it was too late to turn back.
Ember reached the cave entrance, staring at the hole. It looked like the mouth of a giant beast. Ember quivered in fear at the sight of it, but knew she had to continue. Just as she was about to enter, however, she heard a noise. She turned to see Absol coming up behind her.
"I'd hate to miss seeing the end of your quest after going so far," he said, smiling. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
Ember grinned widely. She secretly felt exceedingly relieved not to have to face the cave on her own, and even more happy that Absol would still by her side.
"Thank you, Absol," she said earnestly.
He gave her one of the chuckles she'd grown to love so much.
"Don't worry about it," he said jovially. "After all, you'll need someone to watch your back when we face all the wild Pokémon."
Absol stepped into the cave mouth.
"Hungry wild Pokémon," he added over his shoulder.
As Ember followed him into the cave, she hoped he was teasing her, but something told her he wasn't.
Ember felt a new kind of cold like she'd never known before. Not even her inner fire helped keep her warm in the chilling depths of the cavern. It was also very damp, and above all, very, very dark. The light from the entrance made it visible for several feet, but after that, a wall of darkness engulfed everything else. It was a horrible feeling, like the walls could close in on her at any moment.
As they went, Ember half expected a wild Pokémon to jump out at her from the darkness. It soon became unbearable as the light from the entrance slowly disappeared.
"Absol, may I please light up the cavern with my ability?" she asked hopefully.
"Hold on a moment," he replied.
Ember almost let out a startled yelp when she looked to the side and could no longer see Absol in the darkness.
"What are you doing?" she asked, praying her voice wouldn't quiver.
"I'm looking ahead for any wild Pokémon that might be disturbed by your light. I think it's safe."
Ember breathed a small sigh of relief and allowed her ability to activate, feeling her inner fire welling up inside her and shine outward. Slowly, the cave began to grow brighter until everything was finally visible.
"Ah," Absol said contently. "Much better than Flash. Nice work, Ember."
Ember almost wished she could turn off her ability again so he couldn't see her blush at the praise, but the darkness wasn't worth it.
"Thank you, but how were you able to look ahead for wild Pokémon?" she asked.
"Well, you might have already guessed it, but I can see in the dark," he said as they continued. "It's a common trait among Dark-type Pokémon."
"Oh," she muttered, deflated. "I knew there was a good reason."
Ember tried not to show it, but she felt incredibly jealous. It was no wonder Absol wasn't even fazed by the darkness. She shrugged it off, deciding she was at least lucky to be able to dispel the dark at will. Now that she could see, Ember took a good, long look at the enormous cavern around her. There was so much space inside the cave that she could barely even see the entrance anymore.
Above her, on the gigantic cavern ceiling, she saw a few oddly colored spiky objects. What did her master used to call them? Stalactites? They looked quite beautiful. A few drops of water fell to the ground from their tips. To her right, there was even a large stream of water flowing through the cave, probably leading outside. This giant cavern was yet another amazing new world for Ember.
"What do you two think you're doing here?"
Ember jumped as the gravelly voice snapped her out of her trance. She and Absol turned to see a massive rock Pokémon seem to appear from the cave wall to their left.
"You two must not value life much if you want to trespass in Rypherior's domain," the Rhydon threatened.
"We're just passing through," Absol said calmly.
"You don't 'pass through' our territory," the Rhydon shot back. "Leave this cave and walk around it if you must reach the other side."
"We have urgent business on the other side that can't wait so long. We do not intend to start any trouble."
Rhydon laughed. "If you need to cross all the way to the other side of this cavern that badly, you must want trouble somewhere."
"Well, if we do decide to start trouble, you certainly won't be involved. Ember, if you please."
Before Rhydon could even react, he was suddenly blasted backward by Ember's Solarbeam, smashing into the cave wall. He was out before even hitting the ground.
"Nice shot," Absol remarked, hiding a smirk.
Suddenly, they heard a horrible screeching sound. A Crobat flew overhead, disappearing further into the cavern, screeching loudly as it went.
"That Crobat just sounded the alarm," Absol said gravely. "We need to move fast."
Ember needed no further incentive. The two ran through the cave, slowing down at every blind corner in case of ambush. After a few minutes, they reached a large, circular area with four other pathways leading to different parts of the cave. Despite the potentially deadly location, since they had no idea which path to take, they stopped there, catching their breath.
"Which way do we go?" Ember asked between breaths.
"I don't know," Absol replied. "The different paths could lead anywhere. We could get lost in these catacombs for days if we make the wrong choice."
Ember thought it too horrible to contemplate getting lost for days in a hostile cavern, not to mention she would never catch up to her master. She looked at the nearby river, an idea beginning to form in the back of her mind. Hadn't her master Surfed across streams like that before? Suddenly, it hit her.
"Absol, I think we should follow the path to the far right," she said.
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"That stream gave me the idea. If there's water running through the cave, it must be coming from somewhere, right?"
"Ah, I see!" Absol said, grinning. "Good thinking. We'll follow the stream out of the cave."
"That's right," Ember replied confidently. "Let's go."
Ember took the lead this time, and they ran through the path on the far right, running alongside the stream. They made good time through the cave, Ember's Choice Scarf helping her maintain solid speed through the multiple paths.
Suddenly, they heard the loud screeching again. Ember and Absol quickly halted, glancing around. They saw the Crobat fly back down again, but this time, several other powerful Pokémon charged into the room after it. They saw several Golem, one or two Gigalith, a Nidoqueen and an Onyx. Absol quickly used Psycho Cut, the wave of energy blasting the annoying Crobat out of the air. It fell screeching until it splashed into the water.
"Spread out!" Absol shouted. "I'll take this side!"
Ember took off and put away her Choice Scarf, then ran at the Onyx, firing off a Solarbeam that blasted the rock-snake across the cavern. One of the Gigalith stomped toward her, flanked by a Golem. She used Dark Pulse, which struck both of them at once. She dodged to the side as a Stone Edge flew at her, the bullet-like rocks shattering against the cave wall behind her.
Ember used her Hidden Power, which was Ice-type. It blasted the Gigalith, finishing the behemoth. The Golem tried to use Explosion, but Ember moved quicker even without her scarf and finished it with another Hidden Power.
She quickly turned to see if Absol needed any help, but he had just finished off the other Gigalith before it could launch Stealth Rock. The other Golem lay unconscious around it. He smirked.
"Guess they didn't know who they were messing with," he said.
Suddenly, Ember noticed a slight movement nearby. The collapsed Nidoqueen slowly stood.
"Absol, look out!" she yelled.
She was too late. The Nidoqueen reared back and used Megahorn, slamming into Absol and knocking him against the cave wall. Ember angrily launched a Fire Blast, finishing the poison Pokémon off. She then quickly ran over to Absol, praying he was okay. She saw him slowly stand up, groaning. Ember's heart missed a beat when she saw the large red gash on his snow-white fur.
"Are you alright?" she asked nervously.
Absol glanced at the wound on his side.
"Heh….Haven't been hit like that in a while," he said. "I must be getting rusty."
Absol's legs wobbled a bit. Ember quickly stood at his side in case he needed support, but he shook his head.
"I'm okay," he reassured her. "It just stings a bit. I hate Bug-type moves."
Ember nodded, but she couldn't help worrying about his awful wound. It was almost too much to bear when she saw his blood begin to drip onto the ground like the water from the stalactites.
"Absol, can't we use a Sitrus Berry to heal you?"
Absol smiled. "Thanks for your concern, but we need to save those for emergencies. Let's go before more of them show up."
Ember sighed and followed him through another path, her eyes occasionally resting on the streak of red on her companion's fur. Why did Absol always have to be so stubborn?
Suddenly, as Ember took another step, she felt a sharp pain in her side! She cried out and stepped back, searching for the source of it. She saw an oddly-shaped, jagged stone seeming to stick out of nowhere toward her. She glanced at the spot where it stuck her, seeing a large cut.
"Stealth Rocks," Absol said gravely. "Rypherior must be using them to guard this passageway. We'll have to tread carefully, and we may get cut up a bit by all the stones, but we'll make it as long as we move slowly."
Ember nodded, extending her Drought to further illuminate the cavern ahead. Some of the Stealth Rocks were amazingly well-concealed, others in more obvious places designed to ward enemies off. They littered the entire passage, each ready to jab into unwary travelers. Ember stepped as carefully as she could, but every now and then a stone would cut into her and force her to change her position.
It was a grueling twenty minutes before they finally reached the end of the Stealth Rock-littered passage. Ember's entire body stung. It wasn't unbearable, but she'd certainly had better days. She knew Absol probably took a lot fewer cuts than she did, thanks to his experience.
She was wrong.
When she glanced at Absol, she couldn't help but gasp when she saw his entire body covered in small red marks and gashes. He was even limping slightly, his right foreleg almost completely drenched in blood. Ember couldn't stand to see it.
"I really am getting rusty," Absol said between small breaths. "Sorry if I'm dragging you down."
Ember ran over and opened the bag on his back, pulling out a Sitrus Berry. She held it out to him with her paw. He chuckled a bit.
"I'm okay, Ember," he said reassuringly. "I promise you don't have to worry about me."
"I know," she replied quietly. "But I still do."
She held her friend's gaze for a moment. He finally relented, taking the Sitrus Berry and eating it. Ember felt immensely relieved when his smaller cuts and wounds began to disappear from his body, the scars of the Stealth Rocks rapidly healing. The large gash from the super-effective Megahorn didn't disappear entirely, but he looked much better nonetheless.
"Well, now we're down to the last one," he sighed.
"As far as I'm concerned, it was well worth it," she replied.
Finally, the two continued through another crossroads, taking the path that kept the water visible. The cave became slightly narrower as they went on.
"You know, Ember, you're really taking charge here," Absol complemented as they walked. "Not only would we have been completely lost without your quick thinking, but you're also holding your own in battle even more than I am. I'm starting to think you don't even need me anymore."
Ember was happy to receive the praise, but she didn't like to imagine being there without Absol, whether he was right or not.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by a deep rumbling beneath her feet. She heard a loud crash nearby, followed by a thundering noise coming closer and closer.
"Here they come," Absol muttered.
Ember took off her Choice Scarf as always, putting it back in the bag. After checking to make sure her Drought was as strong as ever, she looked ahead and saw the enemy. There was a Steelix, a Lunatone, a Gliscor, and a Nidoking.
"Don't worry," Absol said. "They won't dare use Earthquake in here."
Absol used Sucker Punch, instantly dropping the Lunatone. He then engaged Gliscor, using a sun-empowered Flamethrower to counter Gliscor's Arial Ace. This time, Ember made sure to lure the Nidoking away from Absol, battling both he and Steelix at once. The Nidoking used Dig, tunneling underground nearby. The Steelix used Curse, raising its strength.
Ember wasn't about to fall for that trick. Rather than attacking the tempting target Steelix, she quickly leapt aside, avoiding the Nidoking as it suddenly burst up from the ground beneath her. Once she saw an opening, she launched one of her remaining Fire Blasts at the Steelix seconds before it could use Stone Edge.
She glanced back at the Nidoking. The giant, spiked Pokémon got a manic look in its eye. It was then that she realized what was about to happen.
It was going to use Earthquake.
Apparently the monster had decided they were worth taking out at all costs. Ember used Hidden Power, the ice attack doing solid damage to the Ground-and-Poison Pokémon, but it wasn't enough. Nidoking reared back, about to use Earthquake.
Suddenly, Absol slammed into it with Sucker Punch, nailing the beast right in the head. Nidoking staggered back a few steps, then fell to the ground with a thud, finished.
Ember breathed a sigh of relief. They would both have been dead if Nidoking managed to fire off Earthquake in that cavern. She glanced at Absol, noticing another large cut on his side that went right across the first one, creating a single large, horrible gash. Absol followed her gaze, scoffing angrily when he saw it.
"I hate the 'Nido' family," he said bitterly. "They always manage to annoy you, no matter how quickly you finish them off."
"Are you okay? Does it hurt badly?"
"It's alright. Those spines on its body just cut me a bit, the same as Nidoqueen. Come on, let's go."
The two continued through the next passage, being wary in case of more Stealth Rocks. Thankfully, there weren't any this time. Still, the next passage was incredibly long, and they walked for nearly a full half-hour, constantly on edge in case of an attack. They moved at a slightly more brisk pace, glancing back occasionally in case of ambush.
As they went through several more passages, Ember heard a small thud nearby. She turned to see that the bag Absol was carrying had fallen off his back. She went over and picked it up.
"I can carry this for a while, if you like," she offered.
Absol nodded. "Thanks. It was getting a bit heavy."
As Ember strapped the bag onto her back with Absol's help, she felt puzzled. It didn't feel that heavy, especially with their lack of supplies. She merely shrugged and continued through another path, Absol following behind.
Soon, she reached a massive, circular area with only one path on the other side. The massive cave room was so wide, Ember felt almost intimidated. She looked forward, seeing a faint light at the end of the tunnel ahead.
"We finally made it," she muttered.
Ember turned back, seeing Absol enter a second later, panting slightly. That was the first time she'd seen Absol look truly winded. It made her uneasy, but she decided that he knew what he was doing and was probably alright. After all, who wouldn't be tired after all that walking and battling?
"Do you see that light ahead?" she asked.
Absol nodded. "It's about time."
Once they took a few steps forward, they felt a rumbling again.
"Here we go," Absol muttered bitterly.
However, they weren't ambushed by a group of Pokémon. Instead, they heard a single, penetrating voice echo through the cavern.
"So, you two are the ones causing all the trouble," it said. "You certainly have guts to make it this far."
The rumbling intensified again, the ground before them cracking open. Suddenly, a single Pokémon burst up from the earth, spinning like a drill. It then stopped spinning and thudded onto the ground. The massive Pokémon had a single, gigantic horn on its head, a massive spiked tail ending in a rock-like club and red stones lining its body. Its enormous form towered over them.
"But, Absol, did you really think you could leave my cavern alive again?" asked the mighty Rypherior.
Absol boldly stepped forward, Ember staying at his side.
"Rypherior, we came all this way with peaceful intentions," he said. "You might as well just let us through. We've no wish to fight you too."
Rypherior let out a deep, gravelly laugh. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before tearing through my soldiers, eh?"
"We were attacked first when we tried to pass through," Absol lied. "We only want to reach the town nearby."
The massive Pokémon folded its hammer-like arms. "Why do you need to reach the city?"
"None of your business," Ember spat curtly. "What makes you think you have the right to stop us? You don't own this cave just because you live in it."
Absol shot her an angry glare, but Rypherior merely chuckled.
"I like your spunk," he said. "No wonder you've been stirring up so much trouble with the East and West sides."
Ember's eyes widened. "You know about that?"
"Everybody knows about that. Whatever you've done to aggravate the East Side here, it's cost us many soldiers and resources to ward off their armies. You two are either very good, or very bad, and I don't really care which."
"We aren't trying to cause any harm," Absol said. "If you let us pass, we'll deal with whatever the East Side throws at us."
Rypherior nodded thoughtfully.
"I have a better idea," he said. "I'll just kill you and take that Ninetails for use as leverage against the East Side."
"If you so much as touch her, I'll level this entire cavern with you in it," Absol shot back.
Rypherior laughed again and then pumped his massive arm toward him.
"I'd like to see you try," he challenged.
Rypherior then aimed a Rock Blast at Absol, who skillfully avoided it and used Swords Dance. Ember launched a Solarbeam at Rypherior, but the behemoth rock Pokémon had already drilled its way back underground, the beam of light missing his head by inches.
"When he reappears, flank him from the side," Absol said quickly.
He and Ember ran in different directions, waiting for Rypherior to emerge. Ember felt the slightest sensation beneath her feet. Luckily, she had forgotten to take off her Choice Scarf before the fight, the extra speed allowing her to avoid Rypherior the same way she avoided Nidoking, though Rypherior was nearly twice as fast.
Rypherior was about to use Hammer Arm, but Absol struck him from behind with his Swords Dance-powered Sucker Punch. Rypherior grunted in pain, but redirected his attack and slammed Absol across the room with his Hammer Arm. Absol landed painfully on his side, trying desperately to get up. Rypherior prepared to use Rock Blast and finish him, but Ember stood in his way, taking the attack.
Luckily, most of the rocks missed, thanks to the poor accuracy of the move, but the ones that did hit pelted Ember backward. She felt her entire body go numb with pain like she hadn't felt since Gyrados's Stone Edge. She wasn't finished, but she could barely move. She heard Rypherior laugh smugly.
"Finished already?" he taunted. "I expected more from the Pokémon that attracted the attention of both the East and West sides. No matter. This ends here."
Rypherior slowly stalked toward them, his speed thankfully reduced by Hammer Arm.
"Now, which one of you should I destroy first?" he asked.
Ember felt another idea forming in the back of her head. She thought back to when Absol took her to the lake and pushed her in, and how she got back at him. Then, the solution became clear. Ember groaned, clutching her side where the Rock Blast hit her, then shut her eyes. Rypherior scoffed.
"You really are done, aren't you?" he said smugly. "Fine, then I'll put you out of your misery."
Ember forced herself not to smile. She let out another groan of false agony. She was definitely in pain, but she wasn't finished just yet. Rypherior came closer and closer, rearing back for another Hammer Arm.
Using every last bit of her strength, Ember suddenly stood and launched another full-power Solarbeam, this time nailing Rypherior dead-on. Rypherior let out a roar of shock and agony as he was sent flying across the cavern until he smashed into the far wall.
To Ember's surprise, Absol quickly stood up and ran at Rypherior as well. The massive rock Pokémon tried desperately to launch one last attack, but Absol finished him off with a full-power Sucker Punch to the head, taking him out. He stood there for a few moments, catching his breath, then went back over to Ember.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Ember nodded. She noticed the cut Absol received from Nidoking was bleeding even more than before, though. Absol saw her worried gaze and grinned.
"Don't worry, it's not like I've never been cut before," he said jovially. "But it isn't every day I get the pleasure of knocking out the mighty Rypherior. Thanks for saving my skin back there."
Absol glanced at the final tunnel leading out of the cave.
"Shall we?" he asked.
Ember never realized how much she loved the sunshine and fresh air until she stepped out of the cave, the scenery seeming to explode with color and light in stark contrast to the dark cave. Absol came out a second later, grinning as the sun bathed his fur.
"Are you still using Drought?" he asked.
Ember shook her head happily. "Nope, this is natural."
The two took a moment to take in the sights. The wide open, beautiful plains could only really have been appreciated after being in the darkness for so long. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw several gorgeous lakes surrounded by flowers of all kinds. Beautifly were peacefully fluttering through the air nearby, as if greeting them.
Absol laughed triumphantly. "At this rate, we'll reach the city before sundown. I hope you're ready to be reunited with your trainer."
Ember was glad to hear the news, but also felt a vague sense of sorrow at the reminder that the end of her quest would mean leaving Absol. Still, now that they were out of the cave, she decided to enjoy every moment she could with him, pushing those thoughts aside. The beautiful day also helped to raise her spirits. They had faced the greatest of challenges and come out ahead. They had won!
"Come on, Absol," she said giddily. "Let's take another dip in that lake over there before we continue."
Absol smiled and nodded, and they continued on their way, leaving the cave behind until it was well out of sight. Good riddance, Ember thought.
Still, something felt wrong. Ember looked back at Absol. He looked pained, but when he saw her looking at him, he merely shook his head.
"It's just that cut acting up," he said. "Nothing to worry about."
Ember glanced at the scratch from Nidoking. It was bleeding even more now, staining the green grass beneath Absol red. She felt a nervous sensation in her stomach, but decided to move on, trusting that it would heal. As they went, however, Absol's breathing became more and more labored. Ember had never seen him this winded. He was barely keeping up with her.
She took another hesitant glance at the cut on his side. It hadn't stopped bleeding. There was a streak of red on the ground where Absol had walked. She slowed down and allowed Absol to catch up, and they continued at a much more lax pace, but he still seemed tired. In fact, he seemed even more exhausted than before.
Finally, as they came within a few yards of the lake, Absol stumbled, falling on his side. Instead of getting back up, he merely lied there, panting and heaving, his body shuddering with every breath.
"Alright, that's it," Ember said. "Let me heal you again, Absol."
"No," he replied, shakily standing up. "It's just a cut. I told you, I'm fine."
Absol slowly got up and tried to walk onward, but Ember stepped in his way.
"No, you're not," she said firmly. "Ever since you got that cut from Nidoking, you've been getting weaker and weaker. I don't know what's going on, but I've never seen you like this, and it's making me worried sick. Now, I'm not letting you take another step forward until you let me heal you."
To her surprise, Absol didn't respond. He merely stared at her blankly.
"Absol, don't ignore me!" she yelled. "I know you think I'm fretting over nothing, but I'm really worried about you, so stop being so stubborn!"
Absol still didn't respond. Ember felt deeply hurt by his attitude.
"Okay, fine," she said angrily. "Sorry for caring about you."
Absol still remained silent. Ember paused for a moment. This wasn't like him. They may have disagreed in the past, but he never just ignored her. She stepped out of his way, but he didn't move. He wasn't even looking at her. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing. When she looked back at him, she saw that he was merely staring straight ahead, his eyes vacant.
She noticed drool coming out of the side of his mouth. She began to panic when she saw that the drool was turning a bright green.
"Absol!" she yelled desperately.
There was no response. Ember frantically nudged Absol, trying to get him to snap out of it. Finally, after she shoved against him enough, he stirred slightly. His eyes slowly moved until they met hers.
"Oh, Ember, I didn't see you there," he said, his speech slurred. "I thought I'd lost you for a second."
"No, no, I'm right here," she said, her voice beginning to quiver.
Absol didn't respond. Ember nudged him to wake him up, but this time he didn't. When she shoved against him again, he slowly fell to the ground with a thud.
He didn't move.
A chilled hand gripped Ember's heart. Absol merely lied there, completely still. She didn't even see him breathing.
"Absol, get up!" she said, terrified. "Please! Answer me!"
Ember threw down her bag and opened it up, grabbing the last Sitrus Berry. She quickly put it in his mouth, helping him swallow it. She waited anxiously for any sign of a recovery. Absol's wounds didn't close, but he began breathing faintly. Ember lay down next to him, trying to clean the sickly green drool from his cheek, hoping it would help in some way.
"Where," Absol started but then had to pause for breath. "Where are you?"
"I'm here, Absol," she said. "I won't leave you."
Absol seemed relieved to hear that.
"What's happening to me?" he asked.
"I don't know. You got cut by Nidoqueen and Nidoking, and it's been making you weak for some reason."
Absol moved his head slightly, which seemed to take great effort. He looked down at the cut on his side, which was now turning a sickly, oily green as well.
"Oh, I see," he said quietly. "I've been poisoned."
Poisoned. Never had a word horrified Ember more than when she heard it now. She felt her heart stop.
"No, no, no," she said rapidly. "That can't be it. There must be something else."
"Forgot that Nidoking and Nidoqueen have Poison Point," Absol said distantly. "To think that after all I've survived, I got killed by that ability. I really have lost my touch."
"You're not going to die!" Ember shouted. "Please, there must be a way to heal you! Aren't there any Pecha Berries around?!"
"Told you already," Absol replied softly. "Berries don't grow around here. Only in forests and occasionally around them. There isn't a forest for miles. And even if there were, your chances of finding the right berry in time are almost none."
"T-There must be something I can do!"
Absol glanced toward the nearby town for a moment and then looked back at Ember.
"You should be able to find your trainer now," he said. "I'm still not sure how I feel about humans, but I hope yours takes good care of you. The poison spreads through your body faster when you walk a lot, which is what I've been doing, so I'll stay here and rest. I like this spot. Much better than dying in that cave."
The way he talked about his death as if it already happened tore at her heart. Tears began to run down Ember's cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, Absol," she sobbed. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't taken you through that cave…I…I'll never forgive myself…"
Absol coughed a bit. "No…not your fault. I was careless. You didn't do anything wrong. This kind of thing can't always be avoided. It was my fault for not seeing it sooner."
"But…if I hadn't come in the first place, you never would have been in this situation."
Despite his obvious pain, Absol smiled warmly at her.
"Elsa," he said softly, "you made me happy. Until I met you, life was only about surviving for me. I had a lot of fun traveling with you, even during the hard times. You're a great person. Sure, if you didn't come along, I might be okay now, but in body only. So, please don't blame yourself for what happened. I don't regret anything."
She didn't know why he said Elsa instead of Ember, but decided the mistake must have been because he was so disoriented. Ember lied her head down on Absol's warm fur, her body shaking with sobs. So this was how her quest was to end? This was how they would part ways? She couldn't bear the thought of him dying because of her mistakes.
"You still there?" he croaked.
"Yes," she choked out. "I'm still here."
"Thought maybe you'd gone. Heck, I thought maybe I'd gone. Anyway, you need to get back to your trainer now…don't feel bad…waited for my turn for a while now…always knew it would come…just glad…that you…were with me…"
Ember's breathing halted. She leaned up, watching Absol carefully. After a few moments, she lied back down, shivering with grief.
Absol was dead.
Ember remained frozen for a long time. She couldn't bring herself to move. She could barely bring herself to breathe. Her entire body felt numb. Why did this have to happen? Why now? Why when they were so close to the end? If only she hadn't been so hasty to return to her master! Looking back, she realized she wouldn't have minded traveling even for another ten years if she were with Absol.
As Ember lied there, engulfed with despair, she heard the faintest of sounds. She dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her. Still, as she remained there in motionless silence, the sound refused to disappear. She listened more carefully. It was a faint throbbing noise. She leaned up against Absol's chest, listening intently. She began to hear the sound she had prayed so desperately to hear.
A heartbeat.
Absol was still alive!
Like a coiled Arbok, Ember sprang up, pacing back and forth, thinking rapidly. Perhaps the Sitrus Berry she gave him had bought him some more time now that he wasn't moving so much anymore. But how long would that last? She racked her brain for a solution. She would not let this happen without a fight. But how could she use the time she still had to save him?
Then, it struck her. The nearby town! The market always sold antidotes for poison to trainers! It was a slim chance she would even make it in time, let alone get one, but a chance nonetheless.
"Please hang on a little bit longer, Absol," she said. "I'll return with a cure if it kills me."
With that, Ember put on her Choice Scarf, dashing at full speed for the town, praying that Absol wouldn't give up the struggle either.
Chapter 8: Partners to the End