Chapter 17: Trial by Fire
After one of the most fitful, restless nights she'd ever had, Ember reluctantly opened her eyes to her first day as Houndoom's pawn, hearing the rhythmic ticking of the weird clock on the wall to her right. As her vision focused, she saw the patterned dark-blue walls with vertical emerald stripes all around her, a similar color to the sheets of the bed she was lying on. She stretched herself out, taking a moment to clean her fur before carefully hopping off the bed and onto the mahogany floor.
To others, the room in the large mansion might be a posh, luxurious place of rest, but to Ember, the green stripes on the walls might as well have been steel prison bars. The previous day, Arcanine had taken her out of the mines and led her through the city above. She'd held her breath as she passed through the streets filled with West Side agents, trying not to look as terrified as she felt. Numerous Fire and Dark Pokémon walked by her, occasionally glancing at her indifferently. She'd never felt so out of place in her life.
Arcanine had then led her to the large mansion she was now staying in, saying it was where all the high-ranking or crucial members of the West Side lived, and that since she was so important to the West Side in the gang wars, she would be residing there as well. He led her inside, taking her to her room, leaving a few berries and other personal items on the vanity before telling her she would be tested tomorrow. He then left on that somewhat cryptic note without even bothering to lock the door behind him, probably since she couldn't—or wouldn't—leave because Absol would pay the price.
She'd then spent the night trying uselessly to sleep, cringing every time she heard footsteps down the nearby halls as the other important members of the West Side living in the mansion went by. She'd half expected an Infernape or a Magmortar to smash down the door and brutally maul her in her sleep for her past battles with the West Side. Thankfully, none of them came into the room, save for a Torkoal who occasionally brought her some food or cleaned the room. After the first few times, she'd grown indifferent toward him and his regular appearances.
Ember now waited by the empty wardrobe near the door, anxiously watching the brown clock on the wall. Arcanine said that when the clock chimed six, she would be tested by him. Ember hadn't seen too many clocks before, but she could tell it was nearly six. It was a living nightmare to imagine what the test might be like. At least Houndoom had allowed her to keep the trainer bag-mostly since Absol would have little need for it in the mines-but Arcanine had expressly forbidden its use in the test.
A sudden knock on the door snapped Ember out of her thoughts. She was surprised that whoever it was even had the courtesy to knock before entering.
"Well, it's not locked, and I doubt I could do to stop you from coming in," Ember called nonchalantly.
The door opened, unsurprisingly revealing Torkoal entering with a small tray of food balanced on the shell on his back.
"Good day, Miss Ember," Torkoal greeted calmly. "Arcanine has requested to see you in the foyer when you're finished with your meal."
Ember glanced at the tray, which was holding a surprisingly generous amount of Poffin and Poke Block.
"Well, at least he knows how to treat his top captives," Ember muttered, taking the tray and setting it on the ground. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it, Madam."
Ember frowned slightly. "Say, Torkoal, what's it like working for the West Side? I mean, what can I expect?"
"Well, our jobs are entirely different, after all."
"Yeah, but how do you feel about yours?"
"I'm still breathing," Torkoal replied impassively.
With that, Torkoal left the room, somehow closing the door behind him. Ember stood there in disbelief for a few seconds before raising an eyebrow.
"That's confidence inspiring," she muttered.
With that, Ember leaned down and tried one of the Poffin. It was excellently cooked, with a well-balanced flavor. It was then that Ember confirmed something she'd suspected for a long time: she'd used way too much spice in the Poffin she'd cooked for Absol a while back. The memory gave her a pang of sorrow as she realized those good days were long gone. She hoped Absol was alright in whatever horrible place Houndoom had sent him.
When Ember was finished with her meal, she saved the leftover food for later and headed out of the room and into one of the absurdly long hallways leading to the foyer. She occasionally stopped to glance at some of the beautiful old pictures hanging on the walls, most of them covered in a layer of dust. A lot of them showed images of wide open meadows and valleys, the kind that Ember and Absol would travel through every day, and that she would never see again.
Ember reached the foyer in a few minutes, ever wary of the crafty Chandelure hanging from the ceiling who liked to scare the tenants as they passed beneath him. She'd had the fright of her life the previous night when she was walking down the halls to get a drink. She'd unwittingly passed beneath the Chandelure, mistaking him for a real chandelier, and he'd suddenly sprung down behind her and let out an eerie maniacal laugh, sending her screaming and running back to her room. Thankfully, he seemed to be asleep, but she remained cautious nonetheless as she circled around him.
Finally, Ember saw Arcanine standing at the entrance and talking with a Ditto, and she reluctantly approached him. As she came closer, Arcanine glanced away from Ditto, who then left the room. Arcanine favored Ember with a calm, unreadable eye.
"I'm glad you came," he said.
Ember couldn't help scoffing slightly. "Like I had a choice?"
"You did, and you made the right one," Arcanine replied. "Please follow me. It's time to test your skills in combat."
Ember scowled. "Why? You guys chose me for my ability. Why should I have to prove myself in some stupid test?"
"Houndoom assigned me to look after you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to protect you all the time," Arcanine said coldly. "If this is going to be done, it'll be done right, and I'm going to know for sure whether you can defend yourself on the battlefield, or if your past victories were nothing more than overhyped flukes."
"Do you do this with all the Drought Ninetails you abduct?" Ember asked.
"No, this was Blaziken's job until you killed him," Arcanine replied evenly.
"Well, he didn't exactly give me a choice."
Arcanine shrugged. "More or less."
With that, Arcanine led Ember out of the mansion and into the West Side-controlled city. Ember nervously followed him through the gates and into the streets. She kept her head held high, determined not to show Arcanine any signs of fear as they walked along the dusty roads, occasionally seeing other West Side agents patrolling the town or moving supplies.
Ember nearly gagged on the bad taste in her mouth as she realized that she was one of them now. As much as it sickened her to admit it to herself, she was a West Side agent, doing her part to help out in a cause that would probably destroy the region and kill millions of innocent Pokémon. Maybe it would have been better if Luxray had killed her when they first met.
Ember managed to snap herself out of those dark thoughts just in time to avoid bumping into Arcanine. He'd stopped walking, standing in front of a large, decrepit rectangular building with a pair of old statues at the front.
"We're here," Arcanine announced. "This old Pokemon Gym is where you'll be tested."
"And if I refuse?" Ember asked curtly, trying to mask her nervousness.
"Well, you're free to leave at any time," Arcanine replied calmly. "In fact, I'm the only one who would try to stop you if you wanted to leave the West Side right now."
Ember snorted. "Yeah, right, I'm sure no one else will stop me. Besides, I can't leave as long as Houndoom has Absol, which is the only reason I'm here at all."
"Absol won't live forever, you know," Arcanine pointed out. "I know you feel angry right now, but that's only natural for anyone who's made to do something they don't want to do. That will pass with time, and I'd much rather have you as a permanent ally than someone who's only here because of a prisoner."
"You mean you want my ability as a permanent ally," Ember shot back.
"It would be helpful," Arcanine conceded. "But I'm much more interested in your supposed talents. If what I've heard is true, you'll be the first Drought Ninetails we've had than can hold her own against top commanders. For all I know, you may be able to defeat Mienshao, or even Luxray himself."
Ember looked down, contemplating her options, which weren't exactly numerous. She had no idea how powerful Arcanine was, but she didn't want to risk finding out by trying to resist. As much as she didn't want to go through this test, she knew she had no choice. Arcanine stepped past her and headed for the gym doors, Ember reluctantly following behind. A pair of Heatmor guarding the entrance stepped aside and let them pass, opening the doors as they did so. Ember entered a room that was nearly pitch-black. Arcanine gave her a brief nod, and Ember used Drought, illuminating the area.
She found herself standing on a blue mat in a large, wide-open arena, empty bleachers surrounding the room. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she looked around the old stadium. The fancy lights, the cheering of crowds, the fantastic battles…she thought back to all the times she'd seen and heard those things while fighting in arenas like this with Rose, feeling an odd pain in her gut when she did so. The whole gym had a sad aura about it without those added elements.
On the other side of the stadium, Ember saw a reptilian Pokémon with odd red mohawk-like scales on its head, a tall Pokémon shrouded in white fur and leaves, and a massive black dragon Pokémon. Ember heard Arcanine close the door behind her.
"Ember, I'd like you to meet Scrafty, Shiftry, and Hydreigon," Arcanine said. "If you prefer nicknames, then you can call them Gunny, Sifter and Otachi. Guys, meet Ember, our newest Drought lead."
The Scrafty known as Gunny and the Shiftry known as Sifter smiled and waved politely. Otachi didn't even bother to make a move. Despite that, Ember decided there was no reason to be impolite, so she nodded at greeting to them and then glanced at Arcanine.
"So, what? Are they your vanguard?" she asked.
"Vanguard?" Sifter said incredulously. "Hardly. We and Arcanine are old friends. Glad to meet you, by the way. Please, though, don't use my nickname. Just call my Shiftry."
"This is Houndoom's latest catch?" Otachi scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me. She doesn't look like she'd last six seconds in a real fight."
"Now, now, there must be a good reason why Houndoom chose her," Gunny interjected. "The Master always knows what he's doing."
Otachi scowled at Ember. "Listen, punk, let's just get one thing straight: Drought Ninetails don't last too long on the battlefield, and I highly doubt you'll be breaking any records out there. So, when the real fighting happens, you stay out of my way. Got it?"
Ember smiled. "Sure, don't worry. I won't disturb your corpse."
Before Otachi could shoot back a reply, Arcanine coughed loudly.
"Ahem. Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's get on with Ember's 'initiation,'" he said.
"Let me guess," Ember cut in. "I'm supposed to battle the three of them?"
"Precisely," Arcanine replied. "You'll start with Gunny, and if you beat him, you'll face Shiftry, and then Otachi."
Gunny frowned. "Since when was I the weakest? I'm at least tougher than Shiftry."
Shiftry grinned. "Maybe in your wildest dreams, lad."
"Can you please let me finish a sentence without trying to make a witty comeback?" Arcanine asked in exasperation. "Gunny, take your place. Everyone else, step back and let them battle."
Arcanine and Shiftry walked off the arena and sat on two of the bleachers. As Arcanine sat down, he pulled out three Full Restores and Max Elixirs from a nearby sack on the bench. Below, Otachi smirked at Ember.
"You'd better hope you don't beat Gunny and Sifter," she said smugly. "Once you step into the ring with me, you'll regret being alive."
"Be quiet," Arcanine said sharply. "Get over here now."
Still smiling, Otachi flew over to the bleachers near Arcanine.
"Now, remember, these are just sparring matches," Arcanine said. "You aren't supposed to be trying to kill each other, as much as I know some Pokémon here would like to."
Otachi snorted haughtily.
"Are you both ready?" Arcanine asked.
Ember and Gunny nodded.
"Alright," Arcanine said. "Then the two of you will fight when I say go. GO!"
Ember jolted at the unexpected call. Gunny suddenly leapt forward and used Drain Punch, slamming his fist into her ribcage and knocking the wind out of her. Ember was sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, hearing the sickening sound of Otachi laughing at her from the bleachers. Finally, she managed to stand up, glaring at Arcanine.
"That was a cheap shot," she spat. "This isn't a fair fight."
"Fights are never fair," Arcanine said emotionlessly.
Ember quickly rolled to the side to avoid another Drain Punch, then blasted Gunny with Solarbeam. The reptilian Pokémon was knocked back several feet by the move, nearly to the edge of the ring. However, he actually managed a smile.
"You'll have to hit me harder than that," he said in a singsong tone.
When Ember saw Scrafty pull out his held item, she finally realized why he was so confident. Gunny activated the Leftovers, slightly healing himself. Ember cursed under her breath. Beating Gunny while he was constantly healing himself would take forever, and he'd eventually wear her down. However, a solution struck just in time.
As Gunny made another charge toward her, Ember's Quick Claw activated. She used Will-o-wisp, burning the Scrafty and weakening his move. Gunny used Crunch, nailing Ember dead-on. However, she quickly spread out all her tails at once, using them to maintain perfect steadiness. She wasn't even slightly knocked off balance by the blow. As the Leftovers healed Gunny, the burn weakened him as well, cancelling it out.
Finally, Ember launched Fire Blast, torching the unsteady Gunny. He flew backwards and crashed to the ground with a grunt. As the smoke cleared, the anxious spectators saw that he was unconscious. Ember smiled a bit at the victory.
"Not bad," Arcanine said, tossing Ember one of the three Full Restores and Max Elixirs next to him. "If you're ready, then you're next opponent will be Shiftry."
Ember caught the Full Restore and Max Elixir in her paw and drank it down, sighing contently as it healed her.
"Bring it on," she replied.
Arcanine nodded to Otachi, who rolled her eyes and flew down to Gunny, picking him up and carrying him off the arena. Ember quickly turned off Drought so Shiftry's Chlorophyll couldn't activate. Luckily, the natural sunlight was finally creeping through the windows enough to light up the room, allowing them to at least see each other. Smiling, Shiftry eagerly leapt down and faced her.
"I love fighting cocky newcomers," he said jovially. "You ready?"
"I'm always ready," Ember replied, smiling back.
"Go!" Arcanine called.
Ember took the first move this time. She immediately used Fire Blast, hoping to end the fight in one move thanks to Shiftry's Grass type. However, Shiftry expertly leapt to the side just as the flames drew near, skillfully avoiding the technique with ease.
"What was that?" Shiftry asked in mock surprise. "Were you aiming for the bleachers, or what?"
Without waiting for a reply, Shiftry used Nasty Plot, greatly boosting his special attack strength. This time, Ember took a risky second to aim carefully, using another Fire Blast. It sailed directly toward Shiftry, and she was certain he wouldn't be able to avoid it this time. To her surprise, Shiftry didn't even try. Instead, he used Endure, a wall of light shielding him as he took the hit and barely survived.
Suddenly, Shiftry yanked out his held item. Ember watched in fear as he ate a Salac Barry, boosting his speed. Shiftry then grinned.
"Now you'll see what an old pro can really do," he bellowed.
Shiftry suddenly raised up his leafy fans, whipping up a small whirlwind and using Leaf Storm. The shimmering green shards of energy flew at Ember faster than the eye could see, crashing into her and pelting her across the arena. She'd never felt a more devastating Grass attack. The entire world spun around her as she hit the floor hard, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
There was a long pause. Arcanine, Shiftry, and Otachi all watched Ember, waiting to see if she would be able to get up. She could feel their eyes boring into her even without seeing them. She struggled to open her own eyes, but the darkness felt so good…
"Is that it?" Shiftry asked between breaths.
"Ha! I knew she was weak!" Otachi said. "The last Ninetails at least reached me before losing."
Arcanine sighed. "It looks like the winner is—"
Suddenly, however, Ember groaned slightly. The others watched in surprise as she slowly began to rise, her legs wobbling slightly as she did so. She walked back toward the center of the arena, searing pain shooting up her paws with every step she took. Finally, she smiled slightly.
"Close, but not quite," she muttered.
Ember turned on Drought and blasted Shiftry with Solarbeam before he could react, sending the weakened agent flying out of the ring and knocking him out. Arcanine and Otachi watched in silence for a few moments. Finally, Arcanine actually smiled a little.
"Very good," he remarked. "Winning on your opponent's fault is still winning."
With that, he tossed her another Full Restore and a Max Elixir as well. Ember gratefully drank the medicine down, waiting to face Otachi both nervously and eagerly. The black dragoness flew down from the bleachers slowly and nonchalantly. As much as she already disliked Otachi, Ember almost envied her confidence. She rarely ever had good experiences with dragons in the past. Otachi smirked when she saw the slight fear in her eyes.
"Scared already, little mutt?" she taunted.
"Yeah, I'm scared that Arcanine will make me clean up the mess after the fight," Ember shot back.
Otachi chuckled. "Well, I hope this doesn't make you too nervous, but I've never lost one of these fights. You put on a pretty good show, but I've eaten tougher Ninetails than you for breakfast."
Ember acted as confident as she could, but the news did make her nervous. She knew that Otachi might 'accidentally' go too far and seriously wound or even kill her if she lost the fight. She quickly shook the doubts out of her mind. She'd beaten tougher Pokémon than Otachi too. Even if she were outmatched, she would find a way to win. Even as she thought about it, an idea began to form in her mind.
"If both of you are ready for your match, you can take your places," Arcanine said indifferently.
With that, Ember and Otachi faced each other in the middle of the arena, locking eyes and scrutinizing each other's movements, looking for obvious strengths and weaknesses. Ember calmed herself, ready for the toughest fight yet. She leaned over and drank down the Max Elixir Arcanine gave her, but she held some of the liquid in her mouth.
"You really think a suicide lead can beat a special sweeper?" Otachi asked smugly. "You can't possibly—"
"Go," Arcanine interrupted.
With that, Ember and Otachi charged forward to begin the fight. However, before Otachi could even attack, Ember spat out the liquid from the Max Elixir in her face. While Otachi flinched in shock and tried to wipe the liquid from her face, Ember nailed her with Fire Blast and sent her flying backwards in pain. Otachi glared daggers at her.
"So you can't beat a real opponent without cheating, eh?" she seethed.
"Fights are never fair," Ember replied in monotone.
Arcanine smirked a bit. Otachi immediately retaliated to Ember's ploy with Surf in her fury. Before the powerful spray of water hit her, Ember spread out her tails again to keep balanced. The impact stung badly, but her Drought had still weakened the blow. Ember then used Will-o-wisp to burn Otachi, even though it wouldn't affect her special attack strength.
Otachi winced slightly as the burn did its job, but she quickly struck back with Fire Blast, taking advantage of the Drought and torching Ember badly. As she struggled to cope with the agonizing pain, Ember decided to give Otachi a taste of her own medicine and used Fire Blast as well, the flames pelting Otachi until she nearly fell out of the air. When she regained her airborne balance, Otachi snarled at Ember.
"Not bad, mutt, but this firefight's just getting started!" she spat.
Otachi used another Fire Blast, but this time, Ember managed to leap to the side just in time to avoid the blow. She then launched a Fire Blast of her own, but Otachi dove and flipped through the air, the flames sailing past her. Unbeknownst to each other, both combatants simultaneously realized that it would take more than Drought and Fire Blast to end this fight.
Ember's Quick Claw activated, and this time, she used Solarbeam. Despite its weakness against dragons, Ember managed to put some authority behind the stroke, and she got to hear the satisfying sound of Otachi grunt in pain as the energy hit her in the gut. However, a dangerous light crossed Otachi's eyes. She then used the move that would very likely end the fight: Focus Blast.
In the split second she had to think, Ember made a quick mental calculation. Focus Blast would finish her easily, but it had relatively low accuracy. Her only chance was to predict where Otachi would fire and dodge the killing blow. As the black dragoness fired the sphere of energy, Ember used another dangerous millisecond to watch its direction.
Moving on almost pure reflex, Ember flung herself to the left and fell flat onto the ground, the Focus Blast sailing inches above her head. She even felt the energy slightly singe the fur on her back before the ball crashed into the nearby wall, blasting open a hole that let the natural sunlight in. Ember's eyes widened as she saw the hole, swallowing hard at the thought of what would have happened if the move had hit her.
Before Otachi could strike once more, her burn pained her yet again. Ember could tell she was almost finished, and she knew she had to strike the last blow quickly. However, her Quick Claw didn't activate this time and Otachi launched another Focus Blast. Ember actually yelped in fright as the second killing move flew at her. Luckily, her adrenaline worked to her advantage, and she managed to jump clean over the ball of power as it blasted a large crater in the ground beneath her.
As Ember landed, she had to watch her footing to avoid catching her leg in the crater. Finally, Ember decided to take a risk and use another Fire Blast. Otachi moved to avoid it, but she slightly messed up her timing, probably thanks to all her injuries. The move connected perfectly, knocking Otachi out of the sky and sending her crashing to the mat.
Ember stood there for a few moments, panting hard, her heart pounding. For the longest time, Otachi merely lied there, unmoving. A smile slowly crept onto Ember's face. She'd actually beaten Otachi. She couldn't help but relish the accompanying smug sense of satisfaction.
However, just as she was about to turn and leave the arena, she heard a muffled groan. Ember watched in horror as Otachi slowly spread her wings and came to her senses, rising from the ground. Ember braced herself for the worst, but she soon saw that the fight had gone out of Otachi. The dragoness was far too badly hurt to continue the battle. The anger was also gone from Otachi's eyes, replaced by a calm look of what seemed like resignation mixed with admiration.
"That was good," she said between breaths. "That was really, really good. I've never seen a Pokémon dodge three moves in a row like that before. I think I caught your name was Ember?"
"Uh…yeah," Ember replied, taken aback. "Why didn't you just use Dark or Dragon Pulse, though? You would've won if you'd hit me with that twice."
"My old trainer wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the socket," Otachi said bitterly. "My fourth move is actually Strength, since he needed a quick HM user and didn't care that I still knew the move when he released me."
"I'm sorry you were released," Ember said earnestly. "I guess we have something in common after all."
"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, that's that. I'm finished. You're a pretty good fighter after all."
Ember couldn't help smiling slightly. Though there was still a trace of bitterness in Otachi's eyes, she left the ring and flew back over to Shiftry and Gunny, who were finally coming to. Ember walked over and grabbed the last Full Restore and Max Elixir from Arcanine, gulping them down greedily. Arcanine glanced approvingly at her.
"Not bad," he said. "You've passed the test. You can go back to your quarters now."
Ember's jaw dropped. She tossed aside the used potions and whirled to face Arcanine.
"What?!" she seethed. "I just beat three of the toughest opponents I've ever faced, and all you have to say is 'not bad?'"
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Arcanine asked in an infuriatingly calm tone.
"Just admit that I'm way better than you thought I was!"
Arcanine shrugged. "I didn't have any opinion of you in combat until now. Besides, your performance wasn't that impressive. Sure, you passed the test well enough, but just barely."
Ember gritted her teeth. Once she felt the potions healing her system, her firm confidence began to build up and boil in her gut. She briefly glanced back at the arena and then locked eyes with Arcanine again.
"Let's change this up a little," she offered. "How about you take a shot at me?"
Otachi, Shiftry, and Gunny looked at her in shock. Ember briefly felt a sense of satisfaction that she'd had the courage to challenge Arcanine, but his reaction was the last thing she was expecting. To her surprise, he actually grinned.
"I thought you'd never ask," he said.
Absol hacked away at the rocky wall in front of him with his claws for what must have been the thousandth time that afternoon, his front paws covered in dirt and blood from the day's work. As he searched desperately for Spheres, Heart Scales, and other ore embedded in the walls while struggling with the sweltering heat of the maze-like West Side mines, he wondered how many Pokémon had already died under these conditions.
"Come on, everyone! Let's see some real effort!" Honchkrow squawked down at them from his perch on a ledge nearby. "You know the drill: the more ore you find, the more food and water you get."
Absol pretended the rock wall was Honchkrow's face to keep himself going as he tore at it. Behind Honchkrow, there was a large metal container that would be used to transport the ore Absol and the other slaves collected to Houndoom. Every time Absol found a piece of ore, he brought it to the container and dropped it inside. For some reason, none of the other slaves did this yet, but he merely assumed they were waiting until Honchkrow called a rest to bring all their ore at once.
To his right, a Scizor was called away from his work to help carry a Grumpig that had passed out under the burning heat and horrible working conditions. Absol sighed and struck the wall with Stone Edge, shattering a tough rock and revealing a large Prism Sphere. He picked it up in his mouth and took it over to the container, hearing a large metallic thud as he dropped it in. With that, he returned to his spot at the wall, continuing the slow and painful task.
Absol shuddered to think of how much the ore would help the West Side's war effort. He was working as hard as he'd ever worked in his life, but his labors were being used to further Houndoom's sadistic goals. Still, Absol forced himself to go on against both the mental and physical fatigue, knowing that he had to keep going in order for Ember to stay alive.
As Absol continued to pound and slash away at the dirt and rocks until his paws grew numb from the pain, he thought about what Ember must be going through right now. A stab of worry and grief cut through him like a knife as he realized that Ember was in the exact same situation Elsa was in the last time he was with the West Side. She would be sent out there somewhere on the battlefield, her life in peril with every passing moment, and he had no way to help her or even know if she was alright until Houndoom either decided he could see her, or she was killed in action.
Absol was snapped out of his thoughts when his claw struck a thick black stone. He sighed in irritation. The thicker stones were nigh-impossible to break, and every time one revealed itself and he accidentally struck it, he'd either have to find a way to dig around them or risk shaking the dirt above loose and collapsing the wall, which would only lead to more work on a different spot. He carefully dug in his claws and tried to pull out a Red Sphere behind it, wincing as a sharp stone cut into his already bleeding arm.
Absol heard deep-throated laughter nearby, which only served to tick him off even further. He glanced at the Salamence to his left, who had an impressive pile of ore behind him. He'd temporarily stopped working and was grinning at Absol.
"You're new here, eh?" the dragon chuckled.
"What's it to you?" Absol spat, licking the blood from his paw.
"I can tell. Most new Pokémon are too soft to take this work, but you'll get used to it."
Absol scoffed. "I'm a lot of things, but 'soft' isn't one of them."
Absol then used Psycho Cut, breaking through several stones at once to emphasize his point. Salamence briefly raised an eyebrow. The dragon then turned and smashed through a large chunk of the wall with Dragon Claw, grabbing a huge Green Sphere and smugly tossing it on his pile. Absol recognized the challenge, turning back to the wall as well. He then used Stone Edge, the jagged missiles pulverizing even the black stones and allowing him to pull out the ore behind them.
Grinning, Salamence tore into the wall, rapidly smashing and clawing through the rocks with all manner of remorseless moves. Mustering his strength, Absol did the same. He could tell Salamence had ridiculous physical strength, but somehow, Absol managed to hold his own in the contest. The desire to 'beat' Salamence and prove his point managed to even make him forget about the pain as the two continued to rip through the rocks and collect more and more colorful pieces of crystalized charcoal.
Before he even knew it, Honchkrow was already calling a halt. Panting and gasping for breath, Absol stepped back from the wall in relief, surprised at how much time had passed during his and Salamence's 'competition.' Absol quickly grabbed the impressive amount of ore he'd collected piece by piece and dropped them one at a time into the large container behind Honchkrow. The other slaves still weren't bringing their ore to the container, and Absol began to suspect he was making a big mistake somewhere.
"Alright, everyone, let's see how you did!" Honchkrow cawed.
Suddenly, a green, reptilian Pokémon appeared next to Honchkrow seemingly from nowhere. Absol soon recognized him as the Keckleon that had led him and Ember into the forest ambush a few months back.
"Keckleon will now examine your progress," Honchkrow announced matter-of-factly. "The more ore you've found, the more you'll eat."
Keckleon suddenly disappeared for a few seconds, then reappeared next to a nearby Hitmonlee, who jumped in fright as the reptile materialized before him and examined the pile of ore next to him.
"A fair haul," Keckleon announced. "One half-serving."
Keckleon then disappeared and reappeared next to another Pokémon, making a similar evaluation. He was obviously using his camoflage skills as a means of frightening unsuspecting Pokémon rather than just walking up to them. It was an insidiously clever move; it kept the slaves in fear, wondering where he would appear next and making them start if they weren't expecting it.
As Keckleon continued to evaluate the ore piles, Absol finally realized his mistake. The ore each slave collected was supposed to be evaluated before it was put in the steel container! Absol cursed bitterly and mentally screamed at himself for making such a stupid mistake. Now it would look like he hadn't collected anything! He'd spent hours pounding away at a wall and working harder than he'd ever had to in his life, and it was all for nothing!
When Keckleon finally appeared in front of Absol, the reptile scoffed.
"No ore collected at all?" Keckleon asked in disbelief. "Well, no food or water for you, then."
"Look, there's been a mistake," Absol said quickly. "I put the ore I collected in the steel container already. I didn't know we were supposed to keep it for you to inspect."
Keckleon glanced at the container, which was now being filled with all the ore collected by the other slaves who had been examined already. He then looked back at Absol, smirking.
"Nice try, but I've heard that one before," Keckleon taunted. "No effort, no food."
Absol angrily stuck his bruised, bloody claw in Keckleon's face, causing the reptile to flinch slightly.
"Does this look like 'no effort' to you?" Absol seethed.
Keckleon shrugged. "Well, it's not my fault you didn't happen to find anything during your work. Some spots are good for finding ore, and others aren't."
With that, Keckleon vanished again, Absol suppressing the urge to pound him into the wall. Finally, after a few other inspections, Keckleon muttered something to Honchkrow, who cawed loudly again.
"That will be all," Honchkrow announced. "You may all take a twenty-five minute break to eat before returning to the walls."
The other slaves eagerly stepped away from the wall and found places to sit down on the ground and relax in the massive underground tunnels, some talking with fellow slaves, others eating alone. Absol let out a long sigh and decided to walk around a little to try and take his mind off his hunger. He hoped he would at least be able to collect as good a bounty of ore next time, but for now, all he could do was starve.
"Hey, you!"
Surprised, Absol turned toward the source of the voice. He saw the Salamence from before looking at him near one of the cave walls a few yards away.
"Me?" he asked.
"Yeah, you!" Salamence called. "Come over here."
Absol hesitated for a few seconds. He had no idea what Salamence wanted, and for all he knew, the powerful dragon could want to pulverize him for their 'duel' before. Seeing his reaction, Salamence chuckled.
"I'm not going to bite your head off," the dragon called jovially. "Just come over here."
Although the comment didn't reassure him overmuch, Absol still had nothing better to do, and he knew it wouldn't be wise to make a Salamence angry. He tentatively walked over to the dragon and sat down a few feet away from him, remaining wary in case of an unexpected attack. Salamence chuckled again.
"You're smart to be cautious, but you don't have to worry," Salamence reassured him. "I just wanted to say I'm impressed at your strength. It's a pity about the mistake, though."
Absol snorted bitterly. "Yeah, a mistake that'll cost me the day's meal."
Salamence nodded knowingly. "Almost every newcomer makes that mistake the first time around. Honchkrow loves it when that happens. He gets to work the slaves into the ground and collect tons of ore, while avoiding having to feed them for a full day."
"I should have done like all the others," Absol muttered. "I'm just not used to copying other people to survive. I can't believe I didn't recognize my mistake before it happened."
"Most Pokémon would recognize the mistake under normal conditions, but don't forget, this heat is driving everyone crazy. Houndoom leaves the mines in these conditions on purpose for just these kinds of mistakes. It's almost impossible to think clearly down here because thinking can lead to rebellion."
Absol nodded, recognizing the insidious fact. However, he suddenly realized something else.
"You could have said something," he angrily pointed out. "Why didn't you tell me I was making a mistake?"
Salamence shrugged. "If I did, you would've gone to the container and tried to take back your ore. Anyone caught trying to take ore from the container is immediately killed."
Absol looked down, reluctantly conceding the point.
"So, why did you call me over here?" he asked. "Just want to talk to the new guy?"
Salamence laughed. "Nope. Since I don't like to see people starve for simple mistakes, I'm gonna give you some of my food today."
Absol's eyes widened. "Really? But, how can you afford to do that?"
Salamence smiled. "I used to be a physical sweeper back in the day. I always have enough food."
The dragon stood up and moved aside, gesturing to a generous helping of berries and uncooked game in a large pile behind him, as well as several bottles of fresh water. Absol gave a whistle of surprise at the impressive portion.
"Wow," he muttered. "You must never get hungry down here, huh?"
"Yeah, I almost always have more than I can eat. I usually share what I don't eat to the weaker Pokémon down here who don't get much food. And I'm sharing it with you today, since you put on such a good performance. Besides, you drove me to work harder, so I wouldn't even have this much if it wasn't for you."
Absol grinned. "Well, I've never been known to turn down free food."
With that, Salamence moved about a third of the pile of food in front of Absol, who no longer kept his distance. Aside from the berries, the food was mostly raw game, such as slaughtered Patrat and Bidoof. It certainly wouldn't taste good, but it would get him through the day. He and Salamence wolfed down their bounty, the hunger defeating all thoughts about the bad taste. Finally, Absol gratefully looked up at his new friend.
"Thank you," he said earnestly. "By the way, you said you were a physical sweeper. How did someone so strong and valuable end up down here?"
"I worked for the West Side's army, but I was sent down here for disobeying orders," Salamence replied. "I used to be on a trainer's Sun Team before I came here, though, and I suppose I was pretty useful, since I covered most of the team's weaknesses. But when we lost in a major tournament, my trainer decided that the team needed some serious renovations, and I had no place on the new end result."
Absol's eyebrow went up marginally. "Your Sun Team was in a major tournament? That tournament wouldn't happen to be the NPCT, would it?"
Salamence's eyes instantly lit up. "Ah, you've heard of us! Yeah, we were the runner-ups in the tournament before some trainer wiped us with Pokémon that counter sun teams, like Tyranitar."
Absol couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I've heard all about it. Say, what other Pokémon were released from your team?"
"Just about everyone. Me, Victreebel, Volcarona, Cloyster, and our Drought lead, Ember, were all released. You know, our master pit Ember against a Gyrados and didn't switch her out. I was so angry! She should have switched Ember out and sent me in. I'd have crushed that Gyrados in two moves flat!"
"I bet you would have," Absol agreed. "Do you know why the others were released?"
Salamence let out a long sigh. "Victreebel, Volcarona, and Cloyster were released almost by accident; the PC was filling up so fast, and Rose—that's the name of our trainer-had to get rid of a few Pokémon to make room for more eggs. She didn't even hesitate to release them when their usefulness came to an end. I also heard that Victreebel never made it in the wild on his own, and Volcarona was killed in battle while serving with the West Side."
"And Ember?"
"Ember's release made me rethink my opinion of humans," Salamence replied resentfully. "You see, a long time ago, Rose left a Drought Ninetails and a suitable stud in the local daycare and bred many Vulpix, including Ember. However, she never took the first Drought Ninetails out of the daycare, so she was breeding more Vulpix every day. After the tournament, Rose double-checked Ember's stats and found out that her IVs weren't quite 'perfect.' When she checked the daycare, however, she found a new Vulpix with a flawless IV count."
Absol felt a lump in his throat. "So, she was replaced after all…"
Salamence merely nodded. "Our team leader, Charizard, was really sad to see it. I think Ember was almost like a daughter to him. I know he was like a father to her."
Absol looked down at his feet. He'd suspected that Ember had been replaced ever since he first heard her story, but being told the truth still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Ember would be heartbroken if she ever learned about it.
"You know, the worst thing is not knowing what ever became of them," Salamence said. "Cloyster might still be alright, but Ember was more sweet and cheerful than strong. It makes me want to kill Rose for sending her into the wild when all Ember ever did was try to make her happy."
"She's alright," Absol said firmly. "She's become a lot tougher in the wild."
Salamence did a double-take. "What?! What do you mean? You know her?"
"I've travelled with her ever since she appeared in the wild. You wouldn't recognize her if you saw her. She's really changed. What Rose did was awful, but it might have been the best thing for her."
Salamence broke into a grin. "Ah, it's so great to hear she's still up and at 'em! Where is she now?"
Absol looked away sullenly. Salamence's grin slowly transformed into a look of horror.
"No!" he cried. "She can't be here too!"
"Don't worry, she's not in the mines. But she is with the West Side. She's Houndoom's latest weapon. She'll be alright, though, you can take my word for it. She'll survive no matter what, and we'll find a way to escape together."
"I hope so," Salamence said gravely. "God knows she doesn't deserve this. When we were in the tournament together, everyone was feeling horrible, but she helped us pull through. Even if she wasn't the strongest of us, she had the most spirit, and she did all she could to share that spirit with us. She's an amazing person."
"…Yeah," Absol quietly agreed. "She certainly is."
The two remained in companionable silence for a while. Finally, Salamence glanced at Absol again.
"Hey, uh, you don't happen to know where Cloyster is, do you?" he asked.
Absol briefly debated over whether to tell Salamence that Cloyster was now a Commandant of the East Side. He promptly decided against it.
"I haven't seen him," Absol replied. "You can only get so lucky. Sorry."
"That's alright. I'm sure he'll be fine, and it's enough to know for sure that Ember's at least okay too. Listen, I'll help however I can when you guys plan your escape."
"You'll be the first to know."
The two heard the grating sound of Honchkrow cawing loudly, signaling that the break was ending after half the promisd time and it was time to resume working. Absol and Salamence stood up, walking back toward the mine walls.
"I'd like to talk to you again when this is done," Salamence said. "But this time, bring your own food, okay?"
Absol smiled. "Not a problem."
Ember heard the sickening crack of bones as she hit the ground for what must have been the tenth time. Gritting her teeth in pain, she rose just in time to avoid another lightning-fast swipe of Arcanine's claw. She'd turned Drought off already to prevent Arcanine from strengthening his Fire moves, but that left Psyshock as her only method of attack thanks to his Flash Fire.
"You need to stop being so defensive," Arcanine admonished her. "You're focusing more on my moves than your own."
"That's easy for you to say," Ember spat back. "You actually have other moves you can use!"
Ember leapt and rolled to the side to dodge Arcanine's Flare Blitz and then used another Psyshock pulse to blast him backwards. However, the blows she inflicted on him barely seemed to have any effect. She was about to take another shot, but Arcanine suddenly sprang at her with Extremespeed, slamming into her and knocking her to the edge of the arena.
Ember desperately fired another Psyshock, but Arcanine dodged the pulse with ease and continued his steady advance. Ember tried to circle around him, but Arcanine bolted at her with Extremespeed again, cutting her off and smacking her against the wall. Ember spat out the blood in her mouth before pushing off the wall, charging at Arcanine. She tried to leap at him and bite his neck, but Arcanine ducked under her and she barely managed to land on her feet.
Arcanine then struck her from behind with Flare Blitz, sending her flying backwards despite the ineffective type. As Ember hit the ground again, she knew she would be horribly sore and covered in bruises the next morning. She felt a sharp jolt of pain in her stomach as she stood up again, and it only grew worse as she jumped back to avoid a Dragon Pulse. Ember couldn't help but take a moment to be impressed by Arcanine's move variety. She was definitely starting to regret making the challenge.
"There's no shame in surrendering, you know," Arcanine said calmly. "It can sometimes save your life if you're facing a superior adversary you can't hope to beat. You did alright for a new recruit."
"Screw you," Ember spat between breaths, furious at his patronizing tone.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Arcanine fired another Dragon Pulse at her. As Ember dodged in the same way as before, Arcanine used Extremespeed to intercept her. However, that was exactly what Ember was hoping for. She managed to spread her tails out just in time to remain balanced when she was hit. Before Arcanine could recover, she quickly grabbed him by the neck and leapt onto his back, biting and clawing with all her anger.
Arcanine thrashed and struggled as Ember rapidly blasted him with Psyshock while ferociously clawing and biting him, hoping to take him down and end the match. Arcanine, however, had other plans. Before she could react, Arcanine suddenly leapt back, slamming Ember against the wall. He then fell onto his back, crushing her against the floor. As Ember's grip slackened and her vision darkened, Arcanine rolled to his feet and threw her off, kicking her sharply as she landed on the ground.
There was a long, cold silence. Ember gasped for breath, both the wind and her senses knocked out of her. The world spun around her, and she began to feel consciousness slipping away. No, she decided, that would not happen again. She was tired of being beaten. She was tired of being knocked out. All her life, she'd hated losing, hated always being forced to sleep by Pokémon she despised.
Mustering all her strength, forcing her aching, half-numbed limbs to move, Ember slowly rose from the ground. She stood firm, defiantly glaring at Arcanine. She knew she would just be knocked back down again, but she refused to give in. Gunny, Shiftry, and Otachi stared at her in awe. As Arcanine watched her, she saw a brief glint of admiration in his eyes.
"You really did beat Tyranitar," he said. "Sadly, there are no second chances in the gang wars. You'll be called on again in the morning."
The last thing Ember saw before hitting the deck was the flash of Arcanine's flaming claw.
Ember let out a low groan from her incredibly sore, dry throat as the old, despised feeling of waking up after being knocked out took hold of her. She didn't even bother trying to open her eyes or lift her head yet. Her head throbbed even worse than usual, and she ached in places she didn't even know she had. She merely lied there—wherever she was—until the pain finally eased enough for her to move slightly.
When Ember slowly opened her eyes and her vision stopped swimming, she found herself lying on the large, blue-and-green bed in her room. She carefully tilted her head up, the throbbing pain still tormenting her. She saw a tray of food on the floor, meaning that Torkoal had recently visited. As the memory of the test came back to her, Ember cursed under her breath. She vividly felt the bump on her head from where Arcanine had hit her. She made a mental note to pay him back for that somehow.
Ember glanced out the window, seeing the sun beginning to set, the sky bathed in an orange hue. She sighed miserably and lied down again, deciding it had been too long a day to get up now. She'd had enough of the West Side, of Arcanine, of his tests, and of constantly fighting. She shut her eyes and tried to get some real sleep for a change. After all, she would probably have to get up bright and early tomorrow to be a pawn for Houndoom and fight the East Side.
"My first day with the West Side," Ember muttered. "Great warm welcome."
Chapter 18: The Call of Battle