Wild Pokemon

by ThePrinceOfPuddles

When you've spent your entire life fighting on your trainer's team, how do you continue your life fighting in the wild? One Drought Ninetails will have to find the answer to that question. Luckily she won't have to find it alone; a few mistakes leads her to meeting, and fighting side by side with, an experienced wild Absol. But the wild is quite dangerous without your trainer...

19. Clash with the Storm

Chapter 19: Clash with the Storm

Absol sighed contentedly as he devoured his hard-earned day's rations. He'd worked a fairly good haul, and the benefits were better than usual. He'd gotten plenty of berries and raw game, but even more importantly, Honchkrow and Keckleon still hadn't found the extra water they'd kept hidden nearby, and it was enough to keep him going.

Surprisingly, he and Salamence were already starting to recover from their injuries, at least enough that they could still work well enough to eat. Absol was thankful he'd always been a fast healer. Ampharos had been especially concerned about his and Salamence's welfare, and she elected to stay with them during their break, despite their reassurances that they would be fine.

The three of them were relaxing together and waiting for Honchkrow to call them back to work. They'd already spent nearly all of their twenty-five minutes break, that acording to Honchkrow would only last five minutes this time, idly chatting and talking about their lives before being captured by the West Side. Absol had enjoyed listening to Salamence and Ampharos's stories about their past adventures, exaggerated or no.

"Alright, break's over," Honchkrow suddenly squawked from his high perch. "You can all stop plotting your escape attempts now and get back to work."

All the slaves began to stand up and head for the cavern walls. Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence sighed and got up as well. However, Honchkrow suddenly flew over and landed right in front of them.

"Oh, not you, Absol," Honchkrow cawed, smirking. "I don't know what you did this time, but Arcanine wants to speak with you personally."

Startled, Ampharos looked worriedly at Absol. Salamence moved aggressively forward, but Absol looked at him and shook his head slightly. The dragon sighed and backed off when he saw the sign, looking disgustedly at Honchkrow, who watched the byplay with minor interest.

"Anyway," the bird cawed, "Absol, you will head to the surface. Arcanine is waiting for you there. And if I were you, I wouldn't make him upset."

"Your kind advice is duly noted," Absol said dryly.

Scoffing, Honchkrow flew off back to his perch and began squawking orders at other slaves. Ampharos and Salamence both turned to Absol at once.

"You're not going to go, are you?" Ampharos asked.

"What would be the point in me not going?" Absol said. "Arcanine could easily have guards 'escort' me there if I don't."

"He could try," Salamence snarled. "I'd tear through them in seconds."

"And then we'd both get another beating from those Weavile," Absol reasoned. "Don't worry so much. I'm not afraid of Arcanine. Besides, I'll take any excuse to get some fresh air."

Absol noticed that Ampharos seemed the most troubled by this news, though he could tell it wasn't just because she was worried about him.

"Something on your mind?" he prodded gently.

"I may never see them again, but I'm still part of the East Side," Ampharos said quietly. "If I could kill Arcanine while he was here, I would've fulfilled my duty to Luxray and my comrades. Let me go with you."

"Do you really think no one else has had the same idea about other commanders here?" Absol asked. "Arcanine would kill you, Ampharos. He'd expect just that kind of move and I'm sure he's more than prepared for it. Besides, you're exhausted from your day's work. You wouldn't last five minutes against Arcanine in a fight."

"Then kill him yourself, I beg you!" Ampharos pleaded. "We both know Arcanine is too dangerous to be left alive!"

"Believe me, Ampharos, I agree with you, but trying to murder him here would be useless and almost certainly would get us all killed. Our chance will come, but for now, I need both of you to trust me."

Salamence and Ampharos reluctantly moved away after a brief silence, allowing Absol to head for the mine exit. After a long trek through the four floors of Houndoom's headquarters, Absol finally reached the surface. He was instantly greeted by a strong downpour of rain and a cool breeze. He didn't know why it would be raining there, but he didn't question it. The cold water and crisp fresh air completely rejuvenated him as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling.

His eyes shot open as he sensed someone nearby. He turned and saw Arcanine calmly walking up to him. Surprisingly, Houndoom's right-hand was alone. Absol had expected him to arrive surrounded by guards. The two stood face-to-face in the rain, only three feet apart, scrutinizing each other as though they were about to battle.

"It's been awhile since we had the chance to talk, eh, Shadow?" Arcanine said.

"We practically never spoke," Absol pointed out. "And please, call me Absol."

Arcanine shrugged. "As you wish."

Absol quickly made a mental appraisal of the commander before him. His eyes betrayed nothing, his expression perfectly calm and collected. He carried himself with an air of confidence and strength that not even Houndoom possessed. He definitely needed no guards to protect him. Absol could tell that Arcanine was still every bit the powerful warrior he'd always been, and had obviously been through many battles since they last met. He had also grown far stronger than before, and would no-doubt be a fearsome opponent in combat.

Little did Absol know that Arcanine had made the exact same evaluation of him in those short moments.

"You called for me?" Absol prodded finally.

"I called you to talk about the one matter that weighs most heavily on both our minds," Arcanine replied. "Ember."

"I'm listening," Absol said evenly.

"I'll be brief. I've had plenty of time to experience Ember's personality firsthand now, and she's a lot more spirited than most Drought Ninetails we've had. But despite her strong will, I can tell that she would listen to anything you say. I can't get through to her yet, but you have the power to do so at will."

"Perhaps," Absol said. "Your point?"

"I want you to convince Ember to stay with the West Side of her own free will," Arcanine replied. "Right now, she's with us, but only because you're here. She's the most gifted, intelligent, and skilled Ninetails I've ever seen. Houndoom only wants her for her ability, but I want her as a permanent ally. And for that, I need your help.

"Why would I do that?" Absol asked. "Even if I did agree, Houndoom would just have me killed as soon as I wasn't needed to keep Ember here."

"Not necessarily," Arcanine said. "I could get you a high position in the West Side. We could still use a powerful warrior like you with us."

"I see. But I'm still waiting to hear why I would convince Ember to join you."

"It's the best thing for her," Arcanine said firmly. "Once the gang wars are over, she'll have great power over the lands if I have my way. We're the ones who can offer her a happy life. All I'm asking is that you help her realize that."

"Really? You think you can make her happy as Houndoom's pawn?" Absol asked.

"Houndoom's old, he won't live forever. Once I'm in charge, I can guarantee her everything she needs and wants. You probably think that you can help her escape one day, but what good would that do? Where would you have her go? Back into the wild to fend for herself? Or would you see her back in the hands of her trainer?"

Absol didn't respond, giving away to Arcanine that he was planning exactly that.

"Why are you so interested in her?" Absol asked finally.

"Like I said, she's one of a kind," Arcanine replied. "We appreciate superiority at the West Side, and she is indeed a superior Pokémon. And in my opinion, that means she deserves a superior life, which she will have once I'm in charge."

"I'm not going to manipulate Ember just because you say you want to give her a better life," Absol said.

"You're not manipulating her," Arcanine argued. "You're merely showing her the right path. You've done all you could for her, and this is the last, best thing you can give her. Right now, you're only holding her back."

"From what?"

"True greatness," Arcanine replied instantly. "She has incredible potential, and you're the only thing stifling it right now. You're like the teacher that wants to keep his star pupil under his tutelage forever. Sometimes you have to let the bird fly from the nest on its own. If you really love her, let her go."

"You seem to think that she can't find happiness in life unless it's with the West Side," Absol shot back. "I beg to differ. If she really has so much potential-like we both know she does-then she can find happiness wherever she wants. And she doesn't want it with you. The mere fact that you have to come here and ask for my help to convince her only proves that."

"I can give her the region," Arcanine spat. "I can give her power, protection, influence, and stature. What can you possibly give her?"

"All that I have, and all that I am," Absol replied. "Can you do that, Arcanine? Can you devote yourself to her, body and soul? Can you stand by her through any danger no matter how grave? Could you give your life for her if necessary? Can you set aside your own needs and wants and focus on hers? Can you walk by her side through life and love her the way I do until the day you die and beyond?"

This time it was Arcanine who faltered, proving his lack of true conviction in the matter.

"No deal," Absol said firmly. "If you really want her to forget me and join you, then you'd better kill me and take your chances. But I will never, ever lie to her for you."

There was a long, dead silence. Nothing more needed to be said. No-doubt realizing the futileness of pursuing it further, Arcanine simply turned and began to walk away.

"It makes no difference," Arcanine said over his shoulder. "Even if you won't help, Ember is destined for greatness. She'll realize her place in the world sooner or later. She's worthy to rule the region at my side, and whether you like it or not, that's what she'll want in the end."

Absol smiled to himself as he turned and headed back for the caverns.

"He really doesn't know her," he muttered.

---

Ember was awoken by the sound of distant thunder. She rolled herself out of the hard, ugly bed in her room, glancing out the small window nearby. It was raining heavily outside, water dripping rapidly off the multicolored rooftops of the buildings outside the mansion, the asphalt on the streets a much darker shade of grey. In her enitre stay it had not rained before.

She scowled thoughtfully. Why would it be raining at the West Side-controlled city? Any one of the powerful Fire Pokémon could just use Sunny Day and end the rain immediately. Finally, she merely shrugged, deciding that the West Side Pokémon must just like the rain for whatever reason. Ember glanced at the clock, seeing both hands pointing to the seven. That was usually the time she got up anyway, so she stretched herself out and headed for the door.

Ember stumbled over something as she went. She turned, seeing the trainer backpack she and Absol had carried for so long knocked over on its side, its contents scattered on the floor. Sighing, she leaned down to pick up and put away the spilled items, deciding it had been a bad idea to put the pack on the floor so near the bed.

Ember noticed her old Pokeball among the scattered items. She rolled it over toward her, admiring the worn seals on its front. So many memories of her old life flooded through her mind. She deeply missed Rose, despite what she'd seen from other trainers. But even more so, she missed her old teammates, especially Charizard. She wondered how they were all doing, still in disbelief that Cloyster turned out to be an East Side commander in the end.

She thought back to all the times she'd spoken with Charizard, and all the advice he'd given her when she was troubled. She wished she could see him even one last time, but knew she would probably never see him or her trainer again. She briefly wondered if Charizard might be a West Side agent now. She then mentally berated herself. Cloyster might have changed, but Charizard would never join Houndoom.

As she put away the Pokeball, Ember saw the old, half-torn blue ribbon she'd found in the contest hall where she and Absol had danced together. That dance with him was among her fondest memories. Their last reunion in the mines had been the most bittersweet moment of her life. She was glad she and Absol were finally being completely open about their feelings for each other, but now that they were trapped by the West Side, it wouldn't likely end well for either of them.

Ember thought about how different the two lives she'd lived were. She cherished the memories of each of them, and despised Houndoom for robbing her of both those lives and turning her into his weapon to destroy his enemies. Still, Absol had said they would find a way to escape together, and she trusted him. She knew she would once again feel the cool wind of freedom at her back one day.

"Would you like me to throw out that old junk for you, Miss Ember?"

She started, turning to see Torkoal standing there. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"No, I most certainly would not," Ember snapped. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Just bringing you your breakfast," Torkoal replied nonchalantly. "Although I'm sure you'll be taking more from the kitchen soon anyway."

Ember felt a stab of guilt in her gut. "What?! You know about that?"

"Well, everybody here does it," Torkoal said.

"Uh…you're not going to rat me out, are you?" Ember asked quietly.

"If I ever ratted out someone here for that, everyone else would tear me to shreds for being a 'snitch.' I remember that the last servant—a poor Magcargo—ratted out on a Zoroark for stealing food. We never heard from him again. Besides, like I said, everyone does it."

Ember shrugged. "Alright. Anything else? A call from Houndoom, maybe? Or will I just be put on the battlefield again?"

"No, nothing like that, madam," Torkoal replied. "Now, then, if you'll excuse me, I have to go serve the Infernape in the next room. He doesn't like to be kept waiting. At all."

With that, Torkoal turned and left the room, once again somehow closing the door behind him. Ember decided that Torkoal was very, very strange and left it at that. However, she realized she'd been a little too curt with him and wanted to make amends before he left. She quickly opened the door and caught him plodding his way down the hall.

"Torkoal?" she called.

Surprised, Torkoal slowly turned around.

"Yes, Miss Ember?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say thanks. Sorry for getting mad, too."

Completely taken aback, Torkoal actually smiled a little.

"Think nothing of it, Madam," he said. "Actually, you're the first person to ever apologize to me for anything. Thank you for thinking of me."

Ember smiled back. "Well, I think of all my friends, Torkoal."

Torkoal's eyes briefly lit up. She could tell he had deeply appreciated the remark, even though he tried his best not to show it.

"Anyway, I should probably get back to my room," she continued. "Sorry to hold you up."

"Not at all, Miss Ember," Torkoal said, trying to keep his voice even as he walked away. "Have a good day."

Ember headed back to her room for a moment, pausing as she thought about Torkoal's words. Glancing out the window again, she realized that this would probably be her only chance to get outside and enjoy the rain and cool air, so she quickly reopened the door and headed out into the hall, merely walking briskly instead of running. After all, the last thing she needed was to run into a high-ranking West Side commander now.

Ember ran through the foyer and pushed open the doors, eagerly stepping out into the drizzle. The refreshingly cold wind and rain instantly washed over her, providing much-needed invigoration. It was the first truly enjoyable weather she'd seen in days. She couldn't resist opening her mouth, catching some of the rain for a cool drink. Her fur was completely soaked within seconds, there was a time were this would have been unpleasant but that was long gone. Now she loved it.

She felt free for the first time as she walked down the wet streets. Very few agents were out at the moment, probably because most Fire Pokémon hated the rain. Ember mentally laughed at them. She loved the rain, especially after her last day of freedom before being captured by the West Side. She still vividly remembered trying to get Absol to tell her his nickname, the following chase, and above all, their first kiss.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ember saw Shiftry walking down the street as well. He briefly stopped when he saw her, and then jogged up to her and walked with her.

"Hey, Ember, I was just looking for ya'!" he said.

"Hi, Shiftry," she replied, quite happy to see him. "You're not here to call me into action, are you?"

"No, no," he said quickly, waving his leafy fans for emphasis. "But this rain here is bothering most of the West Side. I know you're not overly fond of us yet, but would you be a dear and use Drought to end it?"

Ember frowned. "I like the rain."

Shiftry shrugged. "I like it too, but I gotta think of the others. Besides, this rain is gonna drive Houndoom nuts."

"You know, you're doing a pretty bad job of convincing me to do it," Ember replied, grinning.

"Aw, come on, Ember," Shiftry pleaded. "If Houndoom and Arcanine get ticked off, it's really gonna make my day harder. Can't you do it just this once, please?"

Deciding it wasn't worth debating further, Ember let out a long sigh. She was actually growing fond of Shiftry, and she knew it would be best not to blow him off.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "But I'm not happy about it."

Ember willed her inner fire to ignite and extend. She released the energy into the atmosphere, waiting for the clouds to disperse and the sun to shine through as always. However, nothing happened this time. Eyes widening in shock, she tried it again a bit more forcefully. The sun slightly broke through the clouds and the rain briefly stopped, but she soon found herself struggling to keep the sun shining. Finally, she could fight it no more, and the clouds once again covered the sun and the rain continued.

"I don't believe it," she muttered, dumfounded. "I…I can't do it."

Shiftry jumped. "What?! W-What do you mean, you can't do it?"

"What do you think I mean?! I can't do it! I can't make Drought stop this rain!"

Shiftry's jaw dropped. He began pacing back and forth, muttering dumbly to himself. Ember was in utter awe. She'd never had any trouble making Drought activate, especially after she'd mastered being able to turn it on and off at will. She'd only ever had trouble controlling the weather when overpowering Tyranitar's Sand Stream. Whatever was causing this unnatural rain must be immensely skilled and powerful.

"I don't know what to think," Shiftry said finally. "I'll talk to Arcanine about it. Thanks for trying, though."

"Yeah…no problem," Ember muttered.

With that, Shiftry turned and began to walk away. However, he suddenly stopped, turning back to her.

"Oh, speaking of Arcanine, that reminds me," he began. "Uh…I know this sounds strange, but if I were you, I'd stay away from Otachi for a while."

Ember cocked her head to the side. "Why? What's wrong with her? I mean, I know she still doesn't really like me, but…"

"I don't really know. She just seems really upset lately. I asked her about it, but she just ignored me. No offense, but I'd bet my money—not like I have any-that it's about you."

"Why me?" Ember asked. "And what does it have to do with Arcanine?"

"That's just it," Shiftry said a bit more quietly. "Don't tell Otachi I said this, but I think she's really jealous that you're getting all of Arcanine's attention lately. It's probably why she's taken such a disliking to you."

"I see," Ember muttered, scowling thoughtfully. "I kind of had a feeling about that. Does she…?"

"I don't know," Shiftry replied. "But she knew Arcanine before any of us. Gunny and I became his friends when we met him here, but Otachi was travelling with him while he was still a normal wild Pokémon. In fact, I think the whole reason she joined the West Side was because Arcanine did. You could say that she and Arcanine were like you and that Absol guy."

Ember looked down, contemplating his words. She finally understood why Otachi had singled her out as an enemy. She hoped Arcanine realized how Otachi felt. Life would be much harder for both her and the dragoness if he didn't.

"Thanks, Shiftry," Ember said earnestly. "I'll try not to get in her way."

"That's probably for the best," Shiftry replied sagely. "Anyway, speaking of which, I think Arcanine was looking for you, so I'll let him know you're here, if that's okay."

Ember sighed. "Sure, might as well."

With that, Shiftry turned and jogged down the street in the opposite direction. Ember grudgingly sat down and waited for Arcanine to arrive, which wouldn't likely brighten her day. Her thoughts drifted back to the rain, and to her inability to stop it. She racked her brain for some solution, but no matter which way she thought about it, there was simply no logical reason why Drought shouldn't have worked.

Ember snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Arcanine exit a nearby building and walk toward her, his bright red fur easily visible against the melancholy grey city and skies above.

"Enjoying the rain?" he asked.

"I was, yeah," Ember replied. "Do you need me on the battlefield, or something?"

"Yes, actually, but not for the reasons you think," Arcanine said cryptically. "I assume you've already tried to use Drought today?"

Ember was taken aback. "Um…yes, I did."

Arcanine nodded. "Dozens of our agents have already tried using Sunny Day and other such moves to break through this rain. So far, nothing. Only recently did we find out why this has been happening. Two of our scouts reported that a Politoed with the ability Drizzle is responsible for the rain, and that it's mastery over the ability is indomitable."

Ember tried to keep a look of surprise off her face. She finally knew why the rain was unstoppable, but the answer only raised more doubts and questions. She always thought she had complete mastery over Drought, but apparently, this Politoed had far greater skill with its weather ability than her.

"Why is the Politoed doing this?" Ember asked. "Does it just prefer the rain, or what?"

"Politoed is working for the East Side," Arcanine replied bitterly. "They're obviously using his rain to weaken our Fire Pokémon and prepare for an invasion. In fact, the East Side has set up a base on a mountain right outside the city, as if just to taunt us by being so close. With this base, they can fully utilize Drizzle for their next attack."

"Well, what do you need me for?" Ember probed. "I'm useless without Drought, aren't I?"

"Not in the least," Arcanine said instantly. "I'm not here for Ember the Drought Lead. I'm here for Ember the Ninetails. I'd like you with us on the attack force we're going to send."

"Alright," Ember sighed. "I'll go get ready."

"Really? You're agreeing so quickly?"

Ember shrugged. "It's not like I have a choice."

"Don't misunderstand," Arcanine said. "This isn't an order. It's a request. I'd like you with us, but you're free to refuse if you want."

Ember scowled thoughtfully. "Why?"

"I'd much prefer having you come along willingly than forcing you. Your ability isn't your only strength. The choice is yours, but if you come, I'll see to it that you're rewarded."

For a few moments, Ember actually considered the request. This was the first time she'd truly been asked to do something instead of being forced to. She didn't know what kind of 'rewards' Arcanine would give her, but she had little else to do today. Still, she knew it was probably some kind of trick, and she didn't want to unwittingly do anything that might give Arcanine another edge over her in the future.

"No thanks," she replied finally.

Arcanine sighed. "I understand. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but it's your choice. My forces will probably be able to defeat Cloyster and his army anyway."

Ember did a double-take. "Wait a moment. Did you say Cloyster was leading the army?"

Arcanine raised an eyebrow. "Yes, our scouts verified that Cloyster was in charge of the enemy base. Why?"

Ember glanced away for a few seconds, pondering something. Finally, she looked back to Arcanine.

"I'll be ready in ten minutes," she said.

---

Cloyster looked down at the West Side main city from his base at the peak of the Mountain of Twilight—at least, that was what the East Side called it—and chuckled to himself. From the mountaintops, Houndoom's base looked as small as the enemy's resolve, which would soon be crushed. Cloyster glanced at his second-in-command, the Drizzle Politoed that would open the first act in the grand finale of the war, who was still busy keeping Drizzle going. He then turned to one of his chief officers, Blastoise, for once actually eager to hear his report on their status.

"How much longer?" he asked.

Blastoise turned to him and smiled. "Don't worry, sir, Politoed can keep this up as long as needed. I think someone tried to activate Drought down there, but it was useless."

"Wonderful. And are our adversaries responding the way we planned?"

"Our Guest in the West Side reported that Arcanine's forces are preparing to attack the mountain, sir," Blastoise replied.

"Are Mienshao and his soldiers ready to play their part in the final act?" Cloyster asked eagerly.

"They're already preparing to move out, sir."

Cloyster laughed. "I assume Houndoom's Drought Ninetails won't be with the force coming our way."

"Actually, sir, it seems Arcanine has decided to take her with him on the attack despite our rain."

Cloyster scowled thoughtfully. "Very well. As you were."

Blastoise saluted and headed off toward the center of the base, making sure the torrential rains were steadily pounding the land below. Cloyster glanced back down at the city, smirking slightly.

"Ah, Ember, my old companion," he muttered. "You're about to learn the harsh realities of war. Friends don't stay friends when they're on opposite sides of the battlefield."

---

Ember, Arcanine, and Shiftry were flown to the West Side camp at the foot of Twilight Mountain by a trio of Mandibuzz, gently dropped onto the ground in one of the many circles of tents surrounding the base of the mountain. They were instantly greeted by Gunny, who smiled brightly when he saw them.

"We've been waiting for you," he said. "This is a glorious day for the West Side. Today, we finally defeat one of the most powerful and dangerous commanders in the East Side."

"Perhaps, if all goes according to plan," Arcanine replied impassively. "Are our soldiers nearly ready to begin the attack?"

"They should be fully prepared to move out in a few minutes," Gunny replied cheerfully.

Before Arcanine could reply, a black silhouette suddenly appeared on the grey horizon ahead of them. Otachi soon flew down to the camp to greet them as well, her eyes lighting up when she saw Arcanine. However, her expression darkened when she noticed Ember standing at his side.

"Why is she here?" Otachi asked curtly.

"I've asked Ember to join us in the attack," Arcanine said calmly.

"But her ability us useless now. What good can she possibly do here?"

"She can still help us fight," Arcanine replied. "She's every bit as strong as most top commanders here, including you."

"She'll only get in the way," Otachi said angrily. "Drizzle will make her worthless against Water types, which is what we'll be facing here."

"I see," Arcanine said evenly. "Drizzle weakens me as well, you know. Do you think I'll be getting in the way?"

Otachi faltered. "Uh, n-no, of course not, Arcanine, but…"

"Good," Arcanine interrupted. "Then you will treat Ember with respect while we're here. Is there anything else?"

Otachi averted her gaze. "Um…no, there's nothing else. Sorry, Arcanine."

Arcanine's expression softened slightly. "Don't worry too much. The East Side is making this hard on all of us."

Otachi merely nodded in response. Satisfied, Arcanine turned to the others.

"Let's get down to business," he said. "We can't simply charge up the mountain. All Cloyster would have to do is send a few Water Pokémon to use Drizzle-empowered Surf and he'd wipe us all out in seconds. Instead, we'll have our airborne Pokémon fly right up to the base and attack first while the rest of our army ascends the mountain from both the front and the back. Otachi, since you're resistant to Water moves and have Surf, you'll be indispensable on the airborne unit."

Otachi reluctantly nodded and flew off to join the other airborne Pokémon, even though she had clearly wanted to go with Arcanine. Ember couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Otachi obviously cared deeply about Arcanine and didn't want anything to happen to him, and it must be hard for her to go fight elsewhere while he was risking his life.

Ember was snapped out of her thoughts when Arcanine turned to her.

"Our main strategy here will focus around using poison and other status conditions to cripple the enemy," he said. "There's something you need to do before we begin."

Arcanine nodded to Gunny, who quickly ran into one of the tents. The reptilian Pokémon came back out holding a small purple disk that Ember recognized as a TM. Arcanine took the disk and handed it to Ember.

"This TM contains Toxic," he continued. "I want you to learn it and forget Solarbeam. It's useless without Drought anyway."

Ember recoiled in shock. "What?! You must be joking!"

"I never joke," Arcanine said calmly. "We need as many Pokémon who can use Toxic as possible, and you may need it just to survive."

Ember stared at the disk in revulsion as though it were a plague. Other than Fire Blast, Solarbeam was the last move from her days with Rose that she still knew. She didn't want to forget it, and she certainly didn't want to learn Toxic, especially after all the horrible things she'd seen poison cause. Finally, she looked back at Arcanine.

"I won't," she said firmly, handing the TM back.

Arcanine shrugged. "Very well. But if you die in battle here, what happens to poor Absol?"

The words struck Ember like a punch. She realized that in a battle against mainly Water types, she would be in a lot of trouble, and if she died, Houndoom would kill Absol as well.

"It's not as though Toxic can't ever be forgotten," Arcanine reasoned. "You just need to learn it for this one fight. Think of how much it will boost your effectiveness in battle."

Ember stared at the TM again, contemplating his words. She felt disgusted at the thought of learning a move that would cause the same kind of poison Absol was once afflicted with, but as much as she hated to admit it, Arcanine was right. Swallowing hard, Ember grudgingly activated the TM, feeling Solarbeam leave her and become replaced by Toxic. She couldn't help feeling strangely sullied as she handed the TM back to Arcanine.

"Excellent," he said. "Now we can proceed with the attack. Cloyster probably knows we're coming, so we'll have to strike hard and fast. Otachi's aerial unit is already prepared. Let's join the main squadron and begin our ascent."

With that, Ember, Arcanine, Gunny, and Shiftry moved out and joined up with their main unit of Dark and Fire Pokémon waiting for orders, standing near the front of the army. Ember couldn't help feeling slightly nervous with all the West Side agents standing right behind her, but she forced herself to remain calm. Their squadron was made up of mostly Dark Pokémon, with a few Fire types here and there. Ember knew that all it would take was one good hit from a powerful Water Pokémon in this rain and she'd be history.

Arcanine stood at the front of the squadron and turned to them all.

"We'll be using the standard strategy," he announced. "Once we break through their front lines, we'll make our way to the top as quickly as possible. The enemy will probably have many Electric Pokémon as well. Dark Pokémon to the front of the group. Let's move."

As if on cue, lightning flashed in the sky and thunder boomed. It was as if the storm was taunting them, daring them to try and fight it. The rain furiously pelted the ground and sent ripples through the nearby lakes and puddles. The West Side army roared their defiance, lining up and marching down the steep, slanted rock path that led up the mountain with Arcanine, Ember, Shiftry, and Gunny in the lead.

"Just what is the 'standard strategy,' anyway?" Ember asked.

"We break the enemy's formation," Gunny replied. "We attack with a small number of soldiers and then feign a retreat once we start to lose ground. When the enemy pursues us, we allow them to keep up with us until we reach the rest of our forces. We then turn back upon our enemies and crush them."

"Hasn't the East Side already figured out that strategy by now?"

"They would have, if we ever left any survivors."

Gunny's nonchalant, matter-of-fact response made Ember shudder slightly. Why was this insane war still even going on, and why were they so used to it?

"Stay sharp," Shiftry warned. "We'll be seeing sentries any minute now."

Ember glanced around the path on the cliffs they were slowly ascending, which overlooked the beautiful countryside now under the black clouds of the storm. She saw nothing up ahead, but remained alert nonetheless.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, followed by a blast that sent two West Side agents near the middle of the squadron flying until they fell off the cliffs to their doom. Ember jumped, looking up toward the mountain itself. She saw two tiny figures at the edge of one of the smaller cliffs, one she recognized as a Walrein and the other an Electrode.

"Spread out!" Arcanine yelled. "Find cover and fire back!"

Arcanine barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid another Thunderbolt from the Electrode, Shiftry dodging an Ice Beam from the Walrein. The rest of the West Side agents began scrambling behind rocks or other cover and trying to retaliate, but most of the moves missed since they were too far away.

Ember ducked behind a large boulder, peeking out at the two long-ranged attackers. She heard someone come up behind her. Turning, she saw Shiftry duck behind the rock as well.

"Hey, Ember, let's you and me go get 'em!" he offered.

"I like that plan," Ember replied, smirking. "Nice and simple."

While the two East Side agents were busy firing at Arcanine and his soldiers, Ember and Shiftry waited for the right moment and then bounded down a different path that branched off from the main route. They ran across a rocky hill, which at least had a few trees to provide cover. Finally, they reached the base of the cliff the two East Side sentries were standing on. The enemy was still unaware of Ember and Shiftry standing a good twenty feet below them.

"I'll get them down here," Shiftry whispered. "When they hit the ground, we'll take 'em out."

With that, Shiftry leapt up and used Whirlwind. The fierce gale blew Electrode and Walrein right off the cliff and they landed painfully on the ground in front of Ember and Shiftry. Ember used Psyshock, blasting Electrode against the cliff wall. Before Walrein could retaliate with Surf, Shiftry nailed it with Leaf Storm, finishing the Water Pokémon in one blow.

Electrode tried to use Explosion, but Ember quickly took it out with a well-timed Fire Blast. Even with the rain weakening it, the move was effective enough to defeat her opponent. At last, silence returned to the rock-strewn route.

"Not bad," Shiftry complemented. "Looks like we trained you well."

Ember snorted. "Trained me? I could teach you a thing or two, Pointy."

Shiftry merely laughed at the jibe, and the two hurried back to meet up with Arcanine and his group, who looked both impressed and relieved.

"We took care of the sentries," Ember said, trying to keep the note of pride from her voice. "How much farther?"

Arcanine smirked. "You know, Ember, I should probably reprimand you for always acting without or against my orders. But since it's been benefiting me, I'll let it slide. Anyway, we should be getting close now."

Ember felt thoroughly ticked off at Arcanine's nonchalant dismissal of her actions. If it weren't for her and Shiftry, they'd still be held up by those sentries. Still, she decided not to let Arcanine get her angry, so she merely followed the squadron as they continued their advance up the mountain trail. She expected them to be attacked again any second now, but surprisingly, there was no sign of any enemies for a full twenty minutes.

As Ember looked out over the horizon, she realized why the East and West Sides called this place Twilight Mountain. The light from the sun desperately struggled with the black clouds above, washing the world below in a deep, soothing, dusk-like atmosphere. It was a grim—yet beautiful—namesake. Ember wondered if it always looked this way, even without Cloyster's forces and their Drizzle. The thought reminded her of something important.

"How many soldiers do you think are up there?" she asked.

"Probably about a hundred," Arcanine replied.

"And how many do we have?"

"In this group, there are twenty-one Pokémon," Arcanine said calmly. "In the group on the opposite side, there are twenty-eight. Combined with Otachi's aerial unit, we have seventy-two Pokémon in total."

Ember winced. "Will that be enough?"

"If we play our cards right. Houndoom's military strategies always focus on minimalist, quality-over-quantity units of well-trained soldiers. We always try to win battles with as few Pokémon as possible. Not only do we save numbers and resources, but if we fail any missions, we haven't taken any serious losses."

Ember scoffed. "'Serious losses?' I'd call losing the lives of dozens of Pokémon pretty serious."

"How many more would we lose if we changed strategies?" Arcanine asked.

"How many more have to die before they matter?" Ember shot back.

"What would you have us do?"

"Stop this psychotic war while you still can."

This time, it was Arcanine who scoffed.

"That's easy for you to say," he said. "Houndoom and Luxray will never stop the war until one of them dies. There's nothing the rest of us can do but preserve and fight until we win."

Knowing it was a useless argument, Ember merely sighed and gave it up. She kept her eyes on the path ahead, determined not to let the East Side ambush them. She suddenly spotted several tiny dots moving back and forth on another high group of ledges at a nearby cliff.

"Look there," Ember whispered.

"I see them," Arcanine replied. "They haven't spotted us yet. Get back."

Ember stepped away, Arcanine gesturing to the rest of his unit to move out of sight. From behind any cover they could find, the squad silently watched the patrol up ahead of them. Ember managed to make out at least ten—no, twenty Pokémon guarding the pass, some of them Water types, others Electric.

"Time for the main strategy?" Gunny asked.

Arcanine nodded. "Take ten soldiers to fight them. Poison as many of them as you can. When you think you've fought long enough, fall back here."

Gunny motioned ten of the agents to follow him, charging at the enemy. Ember, Arcanine, Shiftry, and the other eight Pokémon in their squadron moved back behind any cover they could find, be it boulders, cliffs, or holes made by the move Dig. They heard several shouts and explosions as Gunny and his forces battled the East Side battalion. Ember heard a few shrieks from Pokémon saying things like, 'Help me! I've been poisoned!'

After a few minutes, the sounds of battle began to die down as cries of 'Retreat!' or 'fall back! There's too many of them!' were heard. Arcanine didn't even risk a glance.

"Here they come," he muttered.

The blasts and war cries steadily became louder and louder, almost to the point of being deafening, even with the noise of the harsh wind and rain all around them.

"Now!" Arcanine bellowed in a voice that was used to giving orders.

Ember, Arcanine, Shiftry, and the rest of their forces jumped out from behind their cover just in time to meet Gunny's, who had lost four soldiers in their decoy attack. There were at least twelve East Side agents charging at them, who still didn't realize they were running to their deaths. Ember leapt out from behind the boulder she was using for cover and rolled to the side as it was obliterated by a Thunderbolt.

The whole area became engulfed in chaos as the two forces met, each individual Pokémon finding a target and battling them to the death. Blasts of water, fire, electricity, darkness, and even wind were flying back and forth, striking down Pokémon one by one. Ember saw a Blastoise stomping towards her, the enormous cannons on its shell pointed menacingly at her. She recognized the Blastoise as one of the Pokémon that had been with Cloyster back at the slave camp where she'd been captured.

Ember lunged to the left as Blastoise fired a Hydro Pump, the vicious stream of water missing her by inches and cutting through the solid rock of the cliff behind her. Even though she hated the move, Ember used Toxic, an eerie purple mist shooting out of her mouth at Blastoise. The powerful water Pokémon's eyes widened in terror as he was poisoned.

Rather than continue the fight, Blastoise immediately turned and fled as soon as the poison entered his system. He was probably heading back to his base to look for an antidote. Ember didn't blame him, though she didn't have time to think about it as she was suddenly struck by Thunder, agony shooting through every part of her body as her vision nearly blackened. She was flung back several feet by the move, stunned and disoriented.

The rain made Thunder an ideal move, since its normally low accuracy was made perfect by the weather. The Pokémon that had exploited that rule against Ember was a Rotom in its normal form, who was grinning as it floated toward her. Ember used Toxic again, poisoning the electric ghost. However, Rotom didn't flee, despite its fear. It prepared to use another Thunder, and Ember knew she was finished.

Suddenly, however, Gunny sprang at Rotom from the side and used Crunch, nailing the ghost and taking it out. Ember sighed in relief, but she knew she had to keep moving or another Pokémon would finish her. She launched a Fire Blast at a Ludicolo, burning the ugly dancing freak, but the rain made the move too weak to take him out in one shot. Luckily, Arcanine finished the weakened Ludicolo with Close Combat before it could retaliate.

A Lapras sitting on a nearby rocky ledge was about to use Surf, which would probably decimate the entire West Side squadron in one shot. Ember quickly used Toxic, desperately trying to distract the powerful Water type. Luckily, the gambit paid off, and Lapras focused its attention on her.

Ember wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Lapras prepared to use Thunder. Ember quickly yanked open her trainer bag and guzzled down a Hyper Potion before the unavoidable move hit. She was flung backwards before she even saw the move coming, electricity coursing through her veins and making her shiver in pain. However, she managed to stand, retaliating with Psyshock.

The waves of energy blasted Lapras right off the rock ledge, the behemoth Water Pokémon hitting the ground hard on its belly. Ember ran in close before it could recover and torched it with Fire Blast, which still did a fair amount of damage. Thankfully, Lapras's poison finished it off before it could strike back.

Suddenly, the area grew quiet. Ember tentatively looked around. There were no more East Side agents in the vicinity. They had won. Still, the minor victory had come at a cost. They'd lost another six Pokémon, lowering their numbers down to eleven. Shiftry and Gunny gravely scrutinized the battlefield, helping tend to the wounded. Arcanine walked over to Ember, a solemn look in his stern black eyes.

"We've lost more good soldiers, but we pulled through," he said. "You did a fine job. Are you hurt?"

"I've seen better days," Ember muttered.

Arcanine nodded. "I'd heal you, but we have limited supplies…"

"Don't worry," Ember said, shrugging off her trainer bag. "I've got my own."

Taking the hint in her curt tone, Arcanine turned and left her alone. Ember pulled out another Hyper Potion, leaving her with only two left. She slowly drank it down, beginning to recover from the effects of the Thunder she was struck with. Thankfully, it hadn't paralyzed her, or she'd be out of luck.

"We've broken the enemy's formation," Arcanine announced to the remaining soldiers. "Let's finish them and move on to Cloyster's base before they can recover."

The remaining eleven West Side agents, including Ember, Arcanine, Shiftry, and Gunny, lined up and marched further up the steep, wet trail, searching for their remaining enemies. Ember began to understand why some people were afraid of heights as she stared down the maw of an enormous canyon below them, which yawned open for miles, threatening to swallow up anything that fell down into it.

Ember shook her head and quickened her pace to keep up with Arcanine and the others, who were tensed and warily searching the area as they steadily ascended the now-spiral pathway to the peak of the mountain. It would be eleven against eight when they found their foes, but the enemy had the terrain advantage.

"Ember, use Toxic," Arcanine suddenly ordered.

"What? Why?" she asked, surprised.

"Just do it!"

Startled, Ember used Toxic, along with several other agents. Suddenly, the other eight Water and Electric Pokémon charged around a corner at them, no-doubt trying to ambush them. The enemy soldiers ran right into the clouds of venom the West Side had unleashed, instantly becoming poisoned. Most of the enemy soldiers let out a shocked, horrified cry at the realization that they were doomed.

Two of the enemy soldiers fell back, leaving the other six to their fate. Arcanine's squadron piled on them and wiped them out before they could even defend themselves, taking no casualties this time. Once they were certain there were no more East Side agents nearby, their group briefly stopped to catch their breaths.

"We're almost at the peak now," Arcanine said. "Otachi's air unit and the other ground force should be there already. It's time to take down Cloyster."

---

Cloyster clamped his shell closed and rolled to the side to avoid another Focus Blast from the infuriating Hydreigon he was battling. Once the powerful projectile exploded on the ground nearby, Cloyster reopened his shell and launched an Icicle Spear at the dragoness, but she deftly flew out of the way, using the fairly large distance between them to her advantage while firing another Focus Blast.

Flying Pokémon of all kinds were bombarding them with powerful attacks from above, badly damaging their forces. Most of the Flying types were quickly shot down by Thunder and other such moves, but there were plenty of airborne Pokémon of different types that were still causing them trouble. A squadron of West Side agents was also pouring into the base from the mountain path on the rear, and the East Side was now being attacked on both land and sky.

Nearby, Politoed was focusing all his attention on keeping Drizzle going, several guards surrounding and protecting him from all sides. He occasionally fired off an attack, but the soldiers were sufficient for the most part in handling the West Side attackers, especially with Swampert in the lead.

Several of the tents the East Side had set up were quickly destroyed in the chaos, littering the mountaintop with wreckage and ruined supplies. Furious at all the damage this squadron was causing, Cloyster attacked the enemy Hydreigon even more ardently, finally scoring a lucky hit with a Rock Blast. The blow didn't defeat the dragoness, but it sent her reeling back through the sky and struggling to stay airborne. Several other Electric Pokémon ran up to the edge of the cliffs and engaged her, leaving Cloyster free to deal with other matters, like the army that was encompassing them on all sides.

Suddenly, one of Cloyster's top lieutenants—the Blastoise he'd sent below to prepare for the enemy—limped into view. Blastoise quickly ran up to Cloyster, avoiding all contact with the enemy. He seemed weakened and desperate, panting hard as he stood before Cloyster.

"What are you doing here?" Cloyster asked, slightly angry. "You were supposed to be—"

"Sir!" Blastoise interrupted in a panic. "I've been poisoned. Please help me!"

Cloyster's dark eyes narrowed. "Interrupting your commandant after deserting your post is a good way to die, Blastoise."

"I'm going to die anyway, Sir. Please!"

"I'll ask again," Cloyster said, saying each word slowly and firmly. "Why are you here?"

Despite his anxiety, Blastoise managed to compose himself.

"Sir, there is a third enemy squadron coming at us from the front side," he said between nervous, shaky breaths. "One of them poisoned me. The force is being personally led by Arcanine, Sir."

Cloyster gritted his teeth. They could hold off one squadron, maybe even two. But three of them—with Arcanine himself leading the charge, no less!—was far too much. Cloyster realized what he had to do, and how he would deal with his cowardly lieutenant who had obviously fled without even fighting.

"We're going to retreat," Cloyster said. "There are healing items among our remaining supply tents. You can heal your poison. After that, you are going to cover our escape. Understand?"

Blastoise knew he probably wouldn't be able to hold off the enemy for long, but it was better than dying slowly from poison. He saluted and ran into one of the supply tents. Cloyster turned to his remaining commanders, including Politoed, who was no longer being attacked at the moment.

"We're falling back," he announced. "We'll take the planned escape route through the canyon. Blastoise and a handful of soldiers will cover our retreat. Swampert, you know what to do. Let's move!"

Swampert and Politoed sounded the general order for retreat, following Cloyster as he and his best agents fled the base. Cloyster knew he would never see Blastoise again, but his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Arcanine would never catch him now.

---

Arcanine's squadron wasted no time charging into Cloyster's base once they heard the sounds of battle inside, knowing that the other groups were already fighting there. Ember, Arcanine, Shiftry, and Gunny instantly began firing off attacks at the East Side agents around the wide, circular mountain peak, but for some reason, there were far fewer soldiers left than they expected.

Ember broke off from the main group without permission, searching for Cloyster. She saw Otachi flying a few yards above her, firing away at a group of Emolga. Otachi suddenly turned toward Ember, her eyes filled with bloodlust. She began charging up a Focus Blast, still facing her. What was she doing? Was Otachi going to attack her?

Ember flinched as the Focus Blast flew at her, but it missed, flying over her head. She heard a low, agonized groan behind her. She turned, seeing a Samurott that was about to blast her with Surf collapsing to the ground, the Focus Blast having nailed it right in the head.

"Now we're even," Otachi called down to her.

Ember couldn't help smiling slightly. With that, Otachi flew off toward Arcanine, helping him battle a horde of Simipour. Ember continued her search for Cloyster, occasionally either battling or avoiding the odd East Side agent she ran into. She also hoped that Politoed might be nearby as well, since he was the one causing the unstoppable Drizzle.

Ember suddenly saw Gunny near one of the enemy supply tents, as well as two Electrode that were viciously attacking him with Thunder. Even with all of Gunny's health and endurance, he was steadily losing ground against them. He also appeared to be paralyzed, which left him nearly unable to retaliate, let alone catch up to the enemy.

Ember blasted one of the Electrode with Psyshock, defeating the already-weakened Pokémon in one shot. With the first one out of the way, Gunny managed to crush the second one with Drain Punch, healing himself as well.

"Thanks for that," Gunny said between breaths. "What took you guys so long?"

"Take that up with Arcanine," Ember replied. "I'm just here for Cloyster."

"Well, it looks like we're all out of luck, then, because Cloyster's flown the coop."

"What?! When did he—"

Suddenly, a powerful wave of hyper-pressurized water blasted the ground between them, making a massive crater and sending shards of rocks flying that battered Ember and Gunny. The two turned to face their assailant, seeing the Blastoise from earlier slowly stalking towards them, both his shell-cannons pointed right at them.

"You're gonna pay for making me lose Cloyster's respect," the behemoth tortoise barked. "How d'you wanna get crushed? One at a time, or both together?"

"I choose neither," Ember replied calmly.

With that, Ember used Toxic again, poisoning Blastoise. However, Blastoise suddenly reached into his shell and pulled out a Pecha Berry, healing himself.

"You're not gonna get me with that twice!" Blastoise laughed triumphantly.

"Okay, how about this?"

Ember used Will-o-wisp, burning Blastoise. The East Side commander's eyes narrowed when he reached into his shell and found nothing to cure himself of the burn.

"I hate you," Blastoise mumbled angrily.

The cannons on Blastoise's shell suddenly erupted with another Hydro Pump, which Ember couldn't avoid quickly enough. However, Gunny suddenly jumped in the way of the move, his great stamina allowing him to withstand the rain-empowered blow. He then retaliated with Drain Punch, chipping away at Blastoise and healing himself, his Leftovers adding to his health.

Ember used Psyshock, nailing Blastoise and dealing solid injury. The burn also inflicted even more damage, nearly finishing Blastoise right then and there. However, the behemoth Water Pokémon wasn't finished just yet. He regained his footing and used Earthquake, the move smashing both Ember and Gunny at once.

Luckily, Ember's burn had weakened Blastoise enough to prevent the move from finishing either of them. Ember used Psyshock and Gunny used Drain Punch, both moves nailing Blastoise at once and finishing him off. The East Side commander let out one last moan of agony before collapsing to the ground.

Ember heard a low, pained wheeze. She turned and saw Gunny clutching his gut with a wounded, bloody arm. He'd taken one too many hits and badly needed to be healed. Ember quickly unslung her trainer bag, pulling out one of her last Hyper Potions.

"Here, take this," she said. "I wish I had more, but I'm running out of supplies, so that'll have to do."

Gunny gratefully accepted the container, carefully opening it and drinking the contents down, wincing slightly at the bitter taste. All around them, the sounds of battle were beginning to die down. Ember and Gunny turned and scrutinized the base. The East Side agents had all been either killed or captured. The Mountain of Twilight was theirs.

The West Side agents began cheering and roaring, celebrating their victory. However, the Drizzle was still active, meaning that Politoed hadn't been found anywhere in the base or killed in battle. Ember ran over to Arcanine, Gunny slowly following behind.

"What's going on?" she asked. "How did Cloyster and Politoed escape?"

"They must have used the path leading to the canyon," Arcanine replied bitterly. "I didn't think they would try for it, since Pokémon trainers commonly gather around that route. We can't catch up to them without taking grave risk."

"So, what?" Otachi said indignantly. "Are we just gonna let Cloyster get away? We all knew there would be risks when we joined the West Side, and we're always ready for them!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Otachi," Ember added. "If Cloyster thinks it's worth the risk, then the danger can't be too grave. We should finish them while we have the chance."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to disagree," Gunny said. "We've already driven them off and sent them running home to Luxray. We shouldn't push our luck any farther."

"Agreed," Shiftry said.

All four pairs of eyes looked to Arcanine, who scowled at the canyons below thoughtfully. Finally, he sighed.

"We came here to beat Cloyster and Politoed, and that's what we're going to do," he said firmly. "We're going after them. Take what supplies you can find here and get ready to move out."

---

Having taken and\or used all the supplies in Cloyster's base and followed the trail he took to escape, Arcanine's battalion—now united and fifty-two Pokémon strong—travelled through the massive, darkened canyons in hot pursuit of the East Side. The skies behind them were beginning to brighten, but the clouds above them continued to pound the West Side relentlessly with rain as they chased down its source.

Ember had to admit, she was beginning to grow tired of the endless rain, especially since it made her Fire Blast so ineffective. Thankfully, she'd found a fair amount of supplies in Cloyster's base to fill up her trainer bag with, including enough Elixirs to keep her Toxic and Psyshock at full power. She glanced at Arcanine, who was carefully studying the terrain as they went, no-doubt searching for any signs of their enemies.

"How long do you think it'll take for us to track them down?" Ember asked.

"If we're lucky, maybe a few hours," he said. "If not, we could be tracking them down for days. At least we have more supplies than them, so we'll outlast them eventually, and they'll have to stop and rest more frequently than us."

"You said there were Pokémon trainers here, though."

Arcanine nodded. "Trainers have been appearing more and more frequently around here lately. I suspect that the gang wars are starting to draw their attention now that we've become a legitimate threat to their way of life."

"You mean because you and Luxray have taken over their lands and caused so much damage?" Ember said curtly.

"In response to the lands they've taken from us and the damage they've caused, yes," Arcanine shot back. "Just keep your eyes peeled. Cloyster is a clever adversary. I think there might be more to this chase than meets the eye."

For the next few minutes, there was complete silence amongst the group of weary soldiers, save for the occasional orders or brief, hushed conversation between agents to pass the time. The darkened canyon walls loomed over them ominously, as though they wanted to come together and crush them for invading the silent route.

Ember suddenly began hearing a faint beeping sound in the distance. It seemed to be coming from somewhere behind their battalion, but it was hard to tell with the constant rain. It seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put her paw on it. The sound refused to go away even with all the ground they were covering. In fact, it even seemed to grow louder as they went, the beeps becoming faster and sharper sounding with each passing second.

Ember finally began to recognize the sound. She'd heard it several times during and even before her quest with Absol through the region. There was no doubt about it. It sounded like…

"A Poke Radar," Arcanine muttered, confirming her suspicions. "Several of them, actually. They're tracking us."

"Are they behind us?" Ember asked worriedly.

Arcanine nodded. "And closing fast. They'll catch up to us any minute now if we don't move faster."

"Wait a moment, guys," Gunny suddenly said. "What's that up ahead?"

Ember and Arcanine squinted and stared further through the canyon trail. They spotted the vague outlines of what looked like several dozen Water Pokémon waiting for them up ahead, facing them directly. Arcanine cursed under his breath.

"A trap," he spat. "Cloyster set us up. That's Swampert and his elite agents up ahead. They knew we'd be followed by trainers. They're trying to trap us by cutting off our escape."

"What's the plan?" Otachi asked.

"We have one of two options: we can turn around and try to fight our way through the Pokémon trainers following us, which will probably not only cripple our forces but ensure that Cloyster gets away, or we can charge straight into Swampert's force and try to fight our way through them instead."

Otachi scoffed. "Great. So all that's left is to decide how we want to die."

"Maybe not," Arcanine mused. "We might still have a chance. If we rush Swampert and his soldiers, the Pokémon trainers might attack both our forces at once in the chaos of the battle. After all, they're just looking for experience or rare Pokémon. They don't care which side they're helping."

"And you think we might be able to win under those conditions and get past Swampert," Ember deduced.

"It's a small chance, but it's our only one," Arcanine replied.

Ember glanced back down the path they'd travelled. She saw at least five humans near the top of the canyon, walking along the edges and staring down at them. She knew they would fly to the bottom of the canyon on their Pokémon any moment now, probably as soon as they were finished gauging and examining their targets. Arcanine was right; they had no choice but to face Swampert's force.

"Well, I'm all for it," she said finally.

"News flash, mutt: that's Arcanine's call," Otachi spat. "No one cares if you're 'all for it' or not."

Ember hated constantly being called a mutt, but she tactfully ignored Otachi's remark. Arcanine gave her a brief and almost imperceptible glance of approval before turning to Otachi.

"I don't know if you noticed, but now is really not the time for that," he said. "Let's go before those trainers finish sizing us up for Ultra Balls."

A little embarrassed, Otachi quickly snapped to attention and everyone followed Arcanine as he led their battalion toward Swampert's. They could see the dozens of Water and Electric Pokémon up ahead still standing there, waiting for their enemies to attack or flee. The East Side agents began to move and scramble to different positions once Arcanine's force drew closer, some of the Water or Electric Pokémon ducking behind cover and charging up their attacks.

"Let's move!" Arcanine bellowed.

Ember, Otachi, Shiftry, Gunny, and all the remaining soldiers charged forward under Arcanine's lead, rushing the enemy and breaking formation to avoid being easy targets. Thunderbolts and Hydro Pumps flew at them from multiple directions, sometimes hitting their target, other times missing entirely. The enemy obviously didn't want to use Surf right away, since that would be dangerous to their own soldiers as well.

At last, their two forces met dead-on. Ember instantly found herself face-to-face with a Poliwrath that was charging at her, using Belly Drum to raise its attack and preparing to use Close Combat. She quickly blasted it with Psyshock, the super-effective move sending it flying and knocking it out in one shot. A mighty Kingdra soon took its place, Swift Swim allowing it to move at lightning speed. It nailed her with Dragon Pulse, sending her staggering backwards and giving her a bad headache. Luckily, she was obviously a much higher level than Kingdra, which allowed her to withstand the attack with relative ease. She used Toxic, poisoning Kingdra and giving her the advantage.

Nearby, Arcanine was battling a Galvantula and a Milotic. He managed to knock out the Galvantula with Flare Blitz despite the rain, though Milotic used Hydro Pump, which would have been more than enough to take him down. Fortunately—or perhaps, unfortunately—a Weavile staggered in front of the attack after being hit by Thunder. The unlucky West Side agents was pulverized by the Hydro Pump, his body smashing into the canyon wall.

Arcanine ran at the Milotic and used Close Combat, beating the weakened Milotic to death and avenging his fallen underling. He then turned to look for other opponents, hoping he would find their main enemy in the chaos of the fight.

On the far end of the battlefield, Shiftry, Otachi, and an Infernape were fighting Swampert himself. Shiftry used Nasty Plot, doubling his special attack strength. The Infernape who was with them rushed at Swampert with Close Combat, but the powerful East Side commander withstood the attack, his incredibly high defense protecting him as his Leftovers steadily restored his health.

Otachi used one of her last few Focus Blasts, feeling her Power Points depleting as she did so. The move solidly struck Swampert right in the abdomen, but he still survived the blow, smiling contemptuously at her. He then used Surf, a wave of rain-empowered water crashing down onto them viciously and sending them sprawling onto the ground. Otachi and Shiftry managed to survive the relatively ineffective attack, but Infernape was only barely able to hang on to consciousness.

"This isn't working," the hunting leader said between breaths, shakily standing up. "We need a new—"

Suddenly, Infernape disappeared in a flash of light. Otachi and Shiftry stared dumbly at where Infernape had been standing a second ago, seeing a Quick Ball lying on the ground and shaking several times, finally clicking as the lock mechanism activated.

"They're here!" Shiftry shouted.

All three combatants looked up and saw five Pokémon trainers flying down into the fray, tossing Poke Balls of all types at the weakened soldiers on both sides and sending out Pokémon of their own.

On her end, Ember barely managed to dodge a Repeat Ball and quickly looked up toward her attacker. She saw the Pokémon trainers landing in the canyon, sending out their best Pokémon for battle. One sent out a Haxorus, and soon came a Vaporeon from another, then a Gengar, a Starmie, and a Rypherior.

Ember gasped when she saw the Rypherior, but quickly realized it wasn't the same Rypherior from the mountain pass. This Rypherior was far deadlier, and one-hundred percent trainer-bred. She only hoped that the trainers wouldn't direct their attacks at her or her sort of-allies during the battle.

Like so many others, that hope was almost instantly dashed.

Gunny, who had just finished defeating a Feraligatr, was suddenly blasted by a Focus Blast from the Gengar. The trainer in command of the Gengar almost immediately threw an Ultra Ball at Gunny, which enveloped him inside and plopped on the ground. The ball shook once, twice…and suddenly burst open as Gunny managed to break the lock mechanism before it activated, reappearing in a flash of red light.

Ember fired an Psyshock at Gengar, blasting him away from Gunny and badly damaging him. The trainer quickly recalled Gengar back into its Dusk Ball and then sent out a Milotic, this time going after Ember.

Shiftry continued to battle Swampert, but Otachi was forced to disengage him and battle the Haxorus that was tearing through both their ranks and that of the East Side as it drew closer. Otachi and Haxorus faced each other head-on, surrounded by clashing Pokémon on all sides. Otachi used Surf, the rain making the move deal solid damage to Haxorus.

For what must have been the thousandth time in her life, Otachi cursed her old trainer for leaving her with Strength instead of a better fourth move. Haxorus charged at her and used Outrage, beating her senseless with an anger and ferocity that could only be found in a dragon. Her last thoughts before falling into unconsciousness were filled with bitter anger that she'd been knocked out before Ember.

Shiftry heard Haxorus coming closer, and he had no choice but to face him as well. Swampert used the distraction to flee the fight, disappearing into the chaos of the battle. Knowing he had no chance against a Haxorus, let alone one stuck on Outrage, Shiftry prepared to use Whirlwind to blow the Dragon Pokémon away.

However, he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Shiftry circled around Haxorus until a large number of the East Side force was behind him. He then used Whirlwind, blowing the dragon right into the middle of the enemy soldiers. Still infuriated and stuck using Outrage, Haxorus began smashing through all the East Side agents around him, rapidly decimating the enemy numbers.

On the other end of the battlefield, the trainer commanding Rypherior—a tall, dark-skinned man with sharp features and a confident gleam in his eye—glanced around the area, observing all the various Pokémon fighting each other for no apparent reason. He then commanded Rypherior to use the move that would end the fight and level his Pokémon up almost immediately.

Earthquake.

All at once, the incredibly powerful move swept over the battlefield, devastating anything and everything it struck. Both the East and West Sides sustained more casualties in those few seconds than they had in the entire battle.

The Fire Pokémon of the West Side and the Electric Pokémon of the East Side had it the worst. So many of them were knocked out that their bodies began to litter the ground by the dozens. The trainer commanding Rypherior heard some angry shouts from his fellow trainers as Earthquake knocked out even their Pokémon as well.

Nearby, Ember and Arcanine saw the attack coming, knowing it would be the end if it hit them. Arcanine quickly used Extremespeed, leaping up onto one of the high rock ledges and jumping off it just in time to avoid the tremors' shockwaves. Ember had no way to mimic the move, so she braced herself for the end. However, the solution suddenly hit her. She yanked off her trainer bag and pulled out an X Defend, an item she'd been lucky enough to find in Cloyster's camp.

Ember quickly activated the capsule, feeling it boost her defensive strength just in time. She felt herself flung back by the Earthquake, her body slamming into the rock wall of the canyon, the wind knocked out of her. The impact had been lessened by the X Defend, but it still knocked her senseless and made every muscle in her body scream in grating agony.

Arcanine immediately looked around the battlefield as soon as he landed, his eyes resting on the massive hole in the East Side's numbers caused by the Earthquake.

"There's our way out!" he bellowed. "We've got to go!"

Despite the pain and dizziness she felt, Ember heard his words and knew he was right. All the West Side agents that could still move quickly grabbed anyone else who was wounded but alive and dashed for the gap in the enemy's defenses. The East Side made no moves to stop them, as they were too busy tending to their own wounded and\or fleeing from the trainers that had crushed most of their numbers.

Arcanine found Otachi as they were running and managed to sling her unconscious body over his back, somehow managing to continue running even with the added weight. Ember, Gunny, and Shiftry took a moment to be surprised by his strength before following him and his remaining force into the night, finally free of the darkened canyons.

---

Winded and gasping for breath, Swampert continued running for his life until he reached the peak of the Mountain of Twilight, having backtracked his way out of the canyon to escape the trainers. He finally stopped, taking a moment to catch his breath. He was certain he'd gone far enough to avoid his enemies.

He then muttered a bitter, furious string of curses. If it weren't for those trainers, he would have been the East Side commander to defeat Arcanine himself. He had been so close to finally achieving what so many commanders had been striving for, only to have his victory snatched away by five disgusting humans.

He knew he couldn't return to Cloyster, if Blastoise was any indication. He'd have to either try to get back to their headquarters on his own, or just leave the East Side altogether. Neither choice was very promising, but there was no other option.

Swampert suddenly felt something small bounce off his back. He turned around and, to his horror, saw an Ultra Ball opening up. It shot out a red beam of light, slowly enveloping him in its eerie glow. He felt himself becoming drawn into the ball, his body enveloped in the capsule. He desperately struggled to break the lock mechanism before it captured him, but that cursed Hydreigon had wounded him more badly than he'd thought, and his strength failed him.

Nearby, the young trainer who had thrown the ball put away his Poke Radar, picking up the capsule as its lock mechanism completed the capture. He then hopped on his Flygon and flew toward the nearest Pokemon Center, eager to trade his newest catch to a friend who had always needed a Swampert to complete his Pokedex.

---

After running at full speed for nearly a half-hour, Arcanine's battalion finally stopped to take a rest in a damp meadow a few miles from the canyon. They hadn't been able to cover as much distance as would be optimal, especially while supporting and\or carrying their wounded, but it was far enough that the enemy trainers wouldn't find them, at least for the moment.

Ember, who had been supporting a wounded and half-conscious Typhlosion, gratefully sank to the ground as soon as the rest was called. The Typhlosion thanked her for the help and managed to limp over to a nearby tree and lied down as well. Using what energy she had left, Ember stood back up and walked over to him, using one of the Max Potions she'd found in Cloyster's base to heal him. Typhlosion once again thanked her, but she was too fatigued to hear his words.

This was by far one of the most exhausting days Ember had ever faced in her life. Even when she was with Rose, she'd never fought this many Pokémon in one day, let alone supported one that was twice her weight while running for her life to elude the trainers before they could track her down. She desperately hoped they caught Cloyster soon. She was starting to regret volunteering to go on this mission, but it was too late to turn back now. She had to find Cloyster and try to convince him to see the light before Arcanine killed him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ember saw Otachi waking up as Arcanine gave her a Max Revive. Even though she was a few yards away, she still recognized the glint in Otachi's eyes when she looked up at Arcanine as he healed her. Ember couldn't help envying her. Even if Arcanine wasn't paying as much attention to her as he should have, at least Otachi could be with him most of the time.

Ember saw Shiftry walking up to her, a Hyper Potion in one of his leafy arms.

"Here, take this," he said. "I know you're not too happy to be fighting with us, but you did really well back there."

Ember merely nodded her thanks and took the potion, drinking it down and allowing it to rejuvenate her.

"How is everyone?" she asked.

"We're doing okay," Shiftry replied. "That last fight really did a number on our soldiers, but we have enough supplies to help the ones who are still alive. If it weren't for the supplies we got from Cloyster's camp, we'd be dead by now."

Yeah, no kidding, Ember thought to herself, remembering Rypherior's Earthquake.

"So, what now? Are we getting close to Cloyster, or what?"

Shiftry shrugged. "I think Arcanine will probably figure out what to do. Maybe we should go and find out what he has planned."

Ember nodded, standing up to follow Shiftry. The two headed over to Arcanine, who was now talking with both Otachi and Gunny. Arcanine nodded to them when he saw them coming, signaling that it was okay for them to join the conversation.

"Ember, Shiftry, please sit down," he said. "We were just discussing our next move in the hunt."

"We think Cloyster is running out of places to flee," Gunny added. "For some reason, he's not running toward East Side headquarters. We think he'll stop to recover from his losses somewhere ahead of here."

"Well, what's ahead of here?" Shiftry asked.

Arcanine pointed a paw down the weather-beaten trail ahead of them.

"There's an old, decrepit bridge that the humans used to use as a Bicycling Route past here," he explained. "There is also an entire valley below that bridge, which also leads to a well-concealed cave directly under it. It could take days for Cloyster and his forces to tunnel their way through that cave to the other side, so he'll almost certainly stop there to rest for a while, especially since he probably thinks Swampert finished us off."

"So, what's the plan?" Ember asked. "Are we just going to attack them?"

"Something like that," Arcanine replied. "But we're certainly not going to just charge at them without being a hundred percent certain. That's why I've already sent stealth scouts to verify that Cloyster is there, and also to examine his defenses. We'll wait for them to return and then make our move."

"I don't mean to tempt fate here, but what if something bad happens to them and they don't come back?" Shiftry asked.

Arcanine shrugged. "Well, then, we'll know that Cloyster was there to kill them, won't we?"

"Ah, I see," Shiftry muttered. "Anyway, so what do you want us to do in the meantime?"

"Shiftry, I want you and Gunny to continue tending to the wounded," Arcanine replied. "Otachi, I need you to fly over our base and keep watch. We need your eyes in the sky in case Cloyster finds out we're here and tries to ambush us."

"What about me?" Ember asked.

"Stay here for a moment," Arcanine said. "I'd like to talk with you about this Drizzle situation."

With that, Shiftry and Gunny saluted and went off to help the others. Otachi briefly glared daggers at Ember before flying off and leaving her alone with Arcanine, which definitely wasn't where she wanted to be.

"Otachi really seems to like me, huh?" Ember muttered.

"She just needs more time to get used to you," Arcanine said. "Now, let's get down to this endless rain."

"So, you want to talk about the weather? How original," Ember said wryly.

"All jokes aside, tell me: what impression did you get when you tried to break through with Drought today?"

Ember shrugged. "I don't know. I just couldn't break through it, I guess."

"Obviously. But I mean, did you notice anything else about it? Did it have any effect on you personally? Did your Drought change anything at all?"

Ember thought for a moment. She did remember a peculiar feeling about the rain when she'd tried to stop it.

"I remember that I could break through it, but only for a few seconds," she replied. "It took all the energy I had just to stop the rain, let alone actually get the sun to shine through the clouds."

Arcanine nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps if you can even briefly break through Politoed's Drizzle, we can use that in the final battle against him."

"Maybe," Ember muttered. "I don't know how long I can do it, but it might be long enough to help beat Cloyster, I guess."

"Speaking of Cloyster, why did you come on this mission?" Arcanine asked. "You didn't want to at first, but when I mentioned Cloyster, you almost immediately changed your mind."

Ember knew it would be useless to try and deny it, and Arcanine would only get more suspicious if she ignored or dismissed his question. She sighed mentally.

"He's an old friend of mine," she replied. "I knew him back when I was with my trainer."

"I see. But I find it hard to believe you came on this mission because you wanted to help us kill him."

"I came here to try and make him see reason before you can kill him," Ember said. "I've known him for years, and I'm certain that the old Cloyster is still in there somewhere."

"I understand," Arcanine replied calmly. "You know, of course, that I can't help you, nor will I hesitate to kill Cloyster if given the chance."

"I know," Ember said evenly. "But I'm still going to try. I know it hasn't been like this for you in the West Side, but I lived most of my life with my trainer, and my teammates were my family."

Arcanine nodded slowly. "You may think me heartless, but I haven't been with the West Side my whole life. I know what it's like to have a family, which is why I won't stop you from trying."

Ember was taken aback. "Really? What was your life like before you joined the West Side?"

Arcanine shrugged. "It's not that interesting of a story. I was born in the wild, I was briefly caught and owned by a trainer, I was eventually released, and I was soon found and recruited by Houndoom for the skills I'd learned in both the harsher parts of the wild and with my trainer. It didn't take long for me to rise through the ranks, since that was before the war with Luxray, back when both gangs were nothing more than minor groups of Pokémon trying to survive."

Ember couldn't help feeling slightly dissatisfied with the brief, vague summary of his life. Still, one curiosity wormed its way into her head. She didn't particularly want to keep a conversation going with Arcanine, but it was a matter far too important to ignore.

"You said you were caught by a trainer," Ember said. "Did the trainer give you a nickname?"

Arcanine nodded. "Yes, he called me 'Scar, short for Scarlet.'"

There was a brief silence.

"Oh," Ember said finally, slightly crestfallen.

"Is something wrong?" Arcanine asked.

Ember quickly shook her head. "No, nothing…I just thought it would be harder to get you to tell me."

She thought she heard Arcanine mutter something about never being able to understand females, but she decided to ignore the comment, whatever it was.

"So, when did you meet Otachi?" she asked.

Arcanine raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Shiftry told me that you two knew each other before even he and Gunny did," Ember clarified.

"That's true," Arcanine replied, almost wistfully. "I met Otachi sometime after my trainer released me because I wasn't strong enough for his tournament teams. She actually saved my life. I got trapped in a dark cave, and vicious wild Pokémon were attacking me on all sides. I ran into her while trying to escape my pursuers, and I was surprised that she didn't want to attack me as well. She knew her way around the cave like the back of her claw, and she helped me escape."

"What happened then?" Ember prodded.

"Well, Otachi and I were still fairly young at the time and neither of us really had any home to call our own, so we decided to travel together and look out for each other. We searched the region to find a home and a peaceful life, which was all we really wanted. We were eventually found by the West Side, though, and Houndoom opened my eyes to a much greater destiny. I remember that Otachi was a little reluctant to join the West Side at first, but I eventually managed to convince her."

"I guess I really can't blame her for being jealous of me after hearing all that," Ember muttered.

"I can't either, but there's nothing I can do about it," Arcanine said.

"Well, you could try spending more time with her," she suggested. "I mean, I know Houndoom assigned you to me, but after this battle is over, you could be with her whenever you're off duty."

"It's not as simple as that. I'm the highest ranking member of the West side below Houndoom himself, and I have to help lead an entire army to victory against a superior enemy. I'm never off duty. Otachi knows that too."

"Well, I doubt she's happy about it," Ember said, a slight hint of anger creeping into her voice. "She always seems to have time for you, and that fact that you don't have time for her is your own fault. I hope it was worth giving up the life you had with her to become Houndoom's pawn."

Arcanine smirked. "You think I did this to become Houndoom's pawn? I said that he showed me a greater destiny, but he did it without even knowing it."

Ember was taken aback by Arcanine's change in demeanor. There was a sudden hint of cool smugness in his eyes, as well as an unshakable confidence.

"What do you mean?" Ember asked, genuinely curious.

"Houndoom's not getting any younger, you know," Arcanine replied, still smiling. "I'm next in line to rule the West Side, and when I do, things are going to be very different. I've always served Houndoom faithfully, and he is a fairly good leader. But his ambition is far too small, and this war with Luxray has blinded him. But when I take over, I'll have a goal of my own, and once we defeat the East Side, it will be within my grasp."

Ember began to feel slightly uneasy. "What are you going to do?"

"Tell me this, Ember," Arcanine said slowly. "What's the greatest threat to Pokémon right now?"

"Is that including or not including you, Houndoom, and Luxray?"

Arcanine's eyes narrowed. "I'm still your superior, so I suggest watching your tone, Ember. Now, be serious. What's the greatest threat to Pokémon in the world? What causes the most agony, suffering, and hardship for all those of our kind?"

Ember thought carefully, but she couldn't figure out what Arcanine was driving at.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Pokemon trainers!" Arcanine said as though it were obvious. "We've all seen what humans do. They pollute, they destroy, and they enslave. Humans have done it for so long that even they don't know the effects of what they do to the wild. They think themselves greatly accomplished, but they're actually driving Pokémon to extinction and destroying the world around them. Pokemon are helpless to fight back against them, and are constantly taken from their families, forced to fight others of their kind for the amusement of trainers, and worst of all, thrown into Day Cares and made to breed for the rest of their lives while having their children taken from them by the dozens."

Ember merely listened in stunned silence as the veil lifted from Arcanine's personality and he revealed his true nature.

"After we defeat the East Side, we will become stronger and stronger," Arcanine continued. "Think of how easy it will be to recruit more members once we're the only gang left. Once that happens, we can fight back. Wild Pokemon generally can't defeat trainers in battle, since they have too many supplies, Poke Balls, and powerful Pokémon, but we can fight in other ways. We can cut off routes, destroy supplies, overwhelm smaller towns, harass trade ships, and make the entire region useless to them. We can starve them out in their own cities. They'd never expect wild Pokémon to organize themselves and fight back. We'd eliminate half of them before they even recognized us as a serious threat."

"You're…you're going to defeat all the Pokémon trainers and drive them out of the region?" Ember asked, her voice shaking in awe and horror.

"Every single one," Arcanine affirmed. "When the humans are gone from this region, only then can wild Pokémon truly be free. We'll be saving millions of lives and putting an end to a far greater tyranny than the East Side."

"You…y-you can't make that call! You're not God! How can you think you'll just defeat all Pokémon trainers and take over the entire region?" Ember sputtered.

"It will be well within my power to do so," Arcanine replied simply. "I'll be liberating the entire Pokémon race region by region. You see, my ambition extends far beyond Houndoom's goals. All he wants is to defeat the East Side and rule what portion of the region we already own. But I will lead the West Side to a far more glorious new age, where we will be the greatest heroes this world has ever known!"

Ember actually took an involuntary step back from Arcanine.

"How can you think I'd ever help you with that?" she asked incredulously.

Arcanine chuckled. "Well, it certainly leaves quite a promising future open to you. Once I take over and carry out my plan, you could become renowned as a great hero and liberator. I'm not trying to blackmail you or anything, but one way or another I'll be the ruler of an entire region in time, so it might be best if you got on my good side."

Ember scowled. "Why do I think you're talking about more than just a promotion or two?"

Arcanine grinned. "You always were more perceptive than the rest. But you're quite right. You've always been unique, Ember. You've survived and fought through more trials than would be enough to break most people, and you've repeatedly proven your superiority over others of your kind. So, your future will involve more than just being another commander."

"What are you saying?"

Arcanine held her gaze. "I want you to rule the region at my side."

Ember's jaw dropped. She staggered back another pace, trying to wrap her head around what Arcanine had just said.

"What?!" was all that came out. "You can't possibly be serious!"

"I'm always deadly serious," Arcanine replied evenly. "Now you understand why I've wanted you with us as more than just a tool to activate Drought. The task I've been burdened with will take great inner strength, something you possess in spades. If I'm going to attempt this truly great undertaking, I need someone like you."

This was just too much. Ember couldn't keep up her calm demeanor anymore.

"There's just one problem with that," she spat. "Actually, there are hundreds, but I'll get to the biggest one: I don't love you. I don't even like you very much."

"What does that have to do with it?" Arcanine said wryly. "Besides, I'm confident that your feelings toward me will change in time. You're still furious because Houndoom has you as his captive, but once he's gone, you'll be entirely free, your hatred will slowly ebb away, and you'll see that I'm right."

"Does Houndoom know about your plans?" Ember shot back.

"Of course not."

"And what if I just decided to tell him about your little schemes?"

Arcanine snorted. "First of all, because it would be only your word against mine, and we both know who he would believe. But I know you're not the type of person to do that. I've told you all this because I trust you."

"Well, I'm still not going to help you. If you want someone to rule by your side, you'd be better of asking what's floating above us."

She gestured to the silhouette of Otachi, who was still flying high above the camp, keeping diligent watch for enemies.

"And I'm certainly not going to join some ridiculous crusade to destroy all the pokemom trainers in the region," Ember continued angrily.

"We're not going to destroy them," Arcanine argued. "We're only driving them out. I can see to it personally that your trainer is unharmed."

Ember's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know that you still care for your trainer, and I can make sure no one harms her. You see, ruling with me can have quite a few other benefits besides being a hero and having total freedom and power. You can protect the ones you love, give shelter and aid to any Pokémon in need, and let you perform a truly great role towards making the world a better place for Pokémon. Look at it this way: you could either be a prisoner and a pawn for the rest of your life, or you could be the future queen of the entire region, and possibly the world by the end of it. The choice is yours, so if I were you, I'd think it over a little."

With that, Arcanine turned and walked off as though nothing had happened, leaving Ember sitting there, dumfounded. She merely sat there in the everlasting, infuriating rain for a few minutes until she saw Shiftry walking up to her, a few used potions under his arm.

"Gunny and I are finished healing the wounded," he said. "How'd your conversation with Arcanine go?"

Ember shrugged. "Oh, nothing special. We just talked about the weather, past adventures, egomaniacal plans to take over the world, that kind of thing."

"Ah, he told you about all that, eh? Well, it may sound crazy, but if anyone can do it, he can."

"You know about that too?"

Shiftry smirked. "No offense, Ember, but do you think he'd tell you about that before he'd tell me, Gunny, and Otachi?"

Ember shook her head, realizing it was a stupid question.

"Well, he's completely crazy if he thinks a plan like that'll work," she said.

Shiftry shrugged. "I think he's just tired of seeing Pokémon suffer and not being able to do anything about it. I don't blame him. No one really wanted this stupid gang war except Houndoom and Luxray anyway, so I wouldn't mind having Arcanine in charge."

Ember scoffed. "Even if it would be better, he can't possibly expect me to go through with something like that."

Shiftry raised an eyebrow. "You? What do you have to do with it?"

"He said…oh, never mind, it's too ridiculous to even talk about."

"Well, whatever," Shiftry said. "Anyway, our scout should be back any minute now. If Cloyster's there, I think it's about time to put him out of his misery. You ready for this?"

"Yeah…sure," Ember lied. "No problem with that at all…"

---

Calling the bridge that used to serve as a Bicycling Route decrepit was an understatement. From where Ember stood, it looked ancient. There were multiple holes on the bottom of the bridge, and several of the metal ropes holding it up had already snapped long ago. The bicycle path was worn, the metal was rusty, and the whole thing looked like it could collapse any moment now. Ember was amazed it could even withstand the heavy rain.

The fields below the bridge at least looked to be in better condition than the death trap hanging over them. Ember saw several dozen East Side agents patrolling the entire route below, though she couldn't spot Cloyster or Politoed at that distance. She and the rest of the West Side squadron were watching the enemy from the cover of tall grass at the top of a hill overlooking the route, which gave them a fairly good vantage point, but they would still need to get closer eventually.

"We're badly outnumbered," Arcanine muttered. "We have to take out Politoed so your Drought can activate, or we won't stand a chance."

"I can't see Politoed anywhere," Ember said.

"Our scout said Cloyster and Politoed were actually using the bridge itself to manage their forces from a perfect vantage point," Gunny interjected. "It would take too long to get our entire army onto that rickety thing from our side, not to mention we'd lose Cloyster and Politoed in the confusion once the East Side does the same thing, so it would probably be best to use our fastest and best Pokémon against them."

"Otachi and Shiftry, I need you two to get up there and take out Cloyster and Politoed," Arcanine ordered. "The rest of us will hold off the army below and make sure they can't interfere."

Otachi glanced at Shiftry. "You might want to hang on tight. I don't usually take passengers."

Shiftry smirked and allowed Otachi to wrap her tail around him as she took off, lifting him up. The two flew toward the bridge at full speed, soon becoming a single silhouette against the black skies.

"All troops, commence the attack," Arcanine barked. "Use Toxic and Will-o-wisp with abandon, but watch out for Substitutes!"

The remainder of Arcanine's battalion moved down the hill and into the valley below, careful not to make too much noise, using every extra second they were unnoticed to get closer to the enemy. Ember, Gunny, and Arcanine were at the back of the army, following silently. Arcanine would be giving out orders during the battle, and Ember would use Drought the instant Politoed was down and out.

Suddenly, they heard shouting and scuffling of feet up ahead. They knew that they had been seen. With that, Arcanine's force charged to meet the enemy's, sending a wave of fire and poison at their foes. Some of the poison or burn-inflicting moves dissipated against Substitutes, but many of them reached their targets.

Luckily, most of the enemy Pokémon were Electric types, so the rain didn't help them too much, but it still made most of the Fire Pokémon useless in combat, and the constant stream of attacks like Thunder were already cutting through their forces from a distance before they even reached their enemies.

Finally, the East and West Sides met in the middle of the grassy valley, roars and explosions sounding through the route as the battle began. Arcanine's force had already managed to poison or burn about a third of the enemy, but the East Side refused to back down, and their Substitutes had absorbed a fair amount of the status-inflicting moves.

On the old cycling bridge, Otachi and Shiftry were battling Cloyster, who was now at the edge of the bridge and visible to the combatants below. Shiftry tried to use Whirlwind to blow Cloyster off the bridge, but Cloyster quickly used Shell Smash and dodged the Whirlwind with his increased speed. The East Side commandant then used Icicle Spears, Otachi barely managing to dodge the move in time.

Shiftry, however, wasn't so lucky. The brunt of the Icicle Spears struck him right in the abdomen, knocking him off the bridge and sending him plummeting toward the valley below. Otachi quickly flew down and grabbed him with her tail about halfway to the ground, but the selfless act would cost her dearly. Cloyster used the moment to blast her with another powered-up Icicle Spears, knocking her out of the sky and sending both her and Shiftry crashing to the grass, out cold before they even hit the ground.

Arcanine saw Cloyster defeat his best friends all too clearly. He briefly glanced at Gunny and nodded toward the bridge.

"Gunny, take command of the forces," he said. "I need to remove Cloyster and Politoed. Ember, you're with me."

Knowing it was finally time to face her old friend, Ember followed Arcanine back up the hill and to the route entrance, facing the bridge.

"I'm going to circle around to the other side of the bridge and take out Cloyster and Politoed from behind," Arcanine said. "Can you distract Cloyster long enough for me to reach him?"

Ember realized that Arcanine was offering her a chance to try and convince Cloyster to see reason like she'd wanted. She would only have until Arcanine reached him, but that should be long enough.

"Alright," she said. "I'll do my best."

With that, Arcanine dashed off to the right and began to circle around the route, leaving her alone at the front of the bridge. Ember took a deep breath and began crossing the cycling road, wondering what she could say to Cloyster that would change his mind about helping Luxray anymore, or if there even was anything she could say that would affect him at all.

The rain seemed to grow fiercer as she proceeded along the decrepit bridge, as though she were walking straight into the heart of the storm itself. The large holes in the bridge led straight to the valley below, and they looked almost ominously eager to swallow her up and send her plummeting to her death. She had to tread carefully to avoid accidentally walking straight into one, since it was hard to see in the darkness and bad weather. The streetlights, which had gone out a long time ago, seemed to loom over Ember, mocking her and daring her to proceed further into the darkness.

Once, she took a bad step and felt her front paw meet thin air. She had to quickly twist her body to avoid falling through a murderously large hole and into the chaos nearly one hundred and twenty feet below her. She spread out her tails to keep balanced and managed to grip one of the nearby metal ropes in her teeth and pull herself back up. After taking a few moments to catch her breath, she continued along the path, her heart still hammering in her chest.

After at least four more minutes of agonizingly slow, careful progress along the bridge, Ember finally saw Cloyster and Politoed up ahead. They seemed to be inside a small tornado of rain and wind, which howled loudly and eerily, as though the storm had a mind of its own. Ember felt a surge of anxiety boiling in her gut. This was her moment, her one and only chance to either save Cloyster, or defeat him where he stood. Holding her breath and steeling her nerve, she ventured closer to her old friend.

Politoed was the first to see her coming. His slick body shone a bright blue and he prepared to use Water Pulse, which she would have no chance of avoiding or surviving.

"Enough," Cloyster suddenly said. "There's no need for that. She's no threat alone."

Politoed merely nodded, the energy from Water Pulse disappearing. Cloyster turned to Ember, smiling.

"Hello, Ember," he greeted warmly. "So good to see you again. Please tell me you're going to appeal to our friendship and try to make me change my dreadful ways."

"Actually, I came here to warn you," Ember replied.

"Oh? Warn me of what?"

Ember briefly glanced behind her before meeting Cloyster's gaze again.

"Arcanine is coming up behind me along the bridge," she said. "He'll be here any minute now, and he'll kill both of you."

Cloyster laughed. "Will he now? Well, thank you for that, Ember. Now we'll make sure he has no chance. But why did you come to tell me that? Sentimentality, or mercy?"

"Both," Ember said evenly. "Though what you call sentimentality, I call caring about a friend and partner I've known all my life."

"You care for me? How sweet. Tell me, when did such a cheerful, kind, happy-go-lucky soul like you join Houndoom and his band of murderers?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Ember shot back. "You were never like this all the years we played and fought together. What happened to you? What changed you so thoroughly in so short a time?"

Cloyster smirked. "Let's just say I had my eyes opened. You know what I hate most? Stupid people. You meet them wherever you go, and they relentlessly ask for more than they've earned. The East Side is a place where stupid people are not tolerated, and where we earn our keep. You're not a stupid person, Ember, but you're still so naïve about the world you're in. You think people can be friends even when they're on opposite sides of war. Unfortunately, it's my duty to enlighten you today."

"I wouldn't try it, Cloyster," Ember warned. "I'm not the same Drought Ninetails you knew a year ago. If you try to fight me, it won't end well for you."

Cloyster was slightly taken aback, though his grin only widened.

"I'm starting to believe you," he said. "I see your time in the wild has given you confidence. You were always cheerful before, but never confident."

"I've changed."

"So have I."

Ember briefly glanced at Politoed, who was merely watching the byplay disinterestedly, obviously waiting for orders. She looked back at Cloyster.

"So, all the years we were friends meant nothing to you?" she asked.

"On the contrary, Ember, they meant everything to me. I realized that the power Rose gave me—gave all of us—shouldn't be wasted. Pokemon like us are far above others of our kind. We are perfectly EV trained and bred for combat, for destroying all who stand against us. We will rule the region unopposed and create a new generation of perfection that not even the humans could ever hope to achieve. It is our divine right as superior Pokémon."

Ember sadly gazed into the eyes of her old companion, wondering what awful things the world must have done to him to change him so much.

"So, there's no other way," Ember muttered sadly. "I kept thinking…hoping that you might still be good…but you're not."

"I should think that would be obvious at this point," Cloyster said dryly.

"Are you going to try to kill me?" Ember asked.

"No, since you offered yourself up to me on a silver platter, I think I'll capture you and bring you back to our headquarters. Of course, I believe Mienshao said something about wanting to kill you anyway, so I guess it makes no difference. Let this be a lesson to you, Ember: war has a way of ending friendships."

Ember nodded. "Then I guess this ends ours."

Politoed prepared to use Water Pulse, but the toad-like Pokémon was suddenly struck from behind by an orange blur. Once Extremespeed nailed Politoed, Arcanine appeared between him and Ember, Politoed landing on his side several feet away. Cloyster glared wrathfully at Ember.

"You said Arcanine was coming up behind you!" he roared.

"I lied," Ember replied with a smirk.

Leaping into action, Ember used Will-o-wisp and burned Cloyster, reducing his powerful attack strength. Cloyster quickly rolled around behind one of the larger holes and used Rock Blast, firing jagged, missile-like stones at Ember. She managed to avoid it by leaping over the hole as well, though she barely managed to reach the other side, and she had to jump away to avoid being skewered by Cloyster's spiked shell.

Arcanine was hit by Politoed's Water Pulse, though he managed to avoid disorientation or serious injury. He then quickly ran at Politoed and used Close Combat, savagely tackling him to the ground while clawing and biting him. However, Politoed managed to slip free of his grasp and leap onto the railing of the bridge, firing off Water Pulses and fleeing from his pursuer while keeping Drizzle active.

Ember tried desperately to use Drought, and she actually managed to break through the Drizzle again. She instantly launched Fire Blast at Cloyster, but she soon lost control of the weather and Drizzle returned right before Fire Blast reached its target, weakening the move and allowing Cloyster to survive. The East Side commandant used Icicle Spear, which was less effective than Rock Blast but far more accurate. Ember couldn't dodge the blow in time and was hit with all five spears, each one opening an awful gash on a different part of her body. Thankfully, she managed to withstand the move without too much damage, though she didn't want to take too many more hits.

Politoed sprang up onto one of the streetlights, well out of range of Arcanine's moves. However, Arcanine used another Close Combat, smashing into the streetlight itself, breaking through the rusted metal and sending it toppling over until it smashed onto the ground, Politoed gracefully leaping off of it before it struck the path. There was an ominous screeching and creaking sound coming from the bridge once the streetlight fell, as though the structure was already becoming even more unstable.

Ember saw that Arcanine was having trouble with Politoed, and she used Toxic to poison the frog Pokémon when he wasn't looking. However, the momentary distraction proved fatal, and Cloyster managed to pelt her from the side with Razor Shell. The only reason she was able to even survive was thanks to Cloyster's burn, but the move sent her flying backwards, and she fell dangerously close to one of the large holes in the bridge.

Cloyster steadily advanced on Ember, trying to hedge her closer to the hole and to a gruesome death in the valley below. For a moment, Ember truly wondered if this was the same Cloyster she'd been friends with all her life, now trying to force her to plummet off a bridge to her doom. It filled her with both sadness and boundless rage.

Ember noticed Cloyster wince from the pain of his burn and used that moment to strike. Cloyster tried one last time to force her to fall through the hole behind her, but Ember sprang forward and slipped behind him, using his own weight to shove him down the hole instead. Ember heard Cloyster scream in shock and terror as he fell into the darkness below and out of sight.

"Ember!" Arcanine shouted. "I could use a little help here!"

Ember turned and saw Politoed break through Arcanine's guard and nail him with another Water Pulse. Arcanine's defenses had been severely lowered by the Close Combats, and he was knocked onto his back and barely able to move, confusion overwhelming him from the pulse's effects. Ember used Psyshock, slamming Politoed into the steel ropes of the bridge. She saw that the poison had nearly finished Politoed's last reserves of strength, and that he would soon die from its effects.

However, it seemed that Politoed didn't want to die alone. Politoed saw that Cloyster had been defeated and that he was alone against the two Fire Pokémon. He began charging up his energy for one last attack, one that he hadn't been able to use while Cloyster was still with him on the bridge.

Politoed used Surf.

The rain-empowered tidal wave swept across the bridge, heading straight for Ember and Arcanine, who had no way to avoid it. The Surf smashed through the metal ropes holding the bridge together, toppled streetlights, and was rending through the entire cycling route. The monstrous, roar-like creaking of the bridge intensified, and the entire structure shook and jostled and began coming apart.

Ember and Arcanine ran back along the path, fleeing from the steadily-advancing tidal wave coming at them from behind. Ember had to duck and roll to the side to avoid a falling streetlight, which slammed into the ground barely a foot behind her. Arcanine leapt clean over one of the holes in his way, Ember dashing to keep up with him as they ran across the collapsing bridge.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the bicycle path, there was a deafening screeching that sounded like a dying Mandibuzz, followed by a loud crash. Suddenly, a new hole burst open in front of them, rock shards flying everywhere. Ember noticed a blue-and-purple figure moving along a rock ledge beneath the hole in the bridge. The figure suddenly propelled itself upwards using Rock Blast, landing on the bridge in front of Ember and Arcanine.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cloyster seethed.

Ember's jaw dropped. How had Cloyster survived? She remembered the rock ledges below, thinking that he must have somehow landed on one and climbed back up. And now he was in front of them, blocking off their only escape route. His shell was cracked in multiple places, the horn on his head was chipped, and his left eye was shut and probably unusable. Cloyster's face had a look of near-insanity to it now, and Ember knew he was focused only on their destruction.

They had no chance of reaching the other side, and even if they could, the bridge was already slanted too low for them to land on the ground. They heard the tidal wave coming up behind them and knew that it would crush them to death any moment now.

Arcanine suddenly ran over to the side of the bridge, looking down over the valley.

"Ember, we have to jump!" he called over his shoulder.

"What?!" Ember screamed. "Are you insane?!"

"Probably!"

"We'll die if we jump!"

"We'll die if we don't jump!" Arcanine retorted. "Do you have any better ideas?!"

Ember glanced at the Surf wave, which was only a few yards away from them now. In that split second, she realized there was no other way. Ember narrowly avoided Cloyster's Rock Blast and ran up to the edge of the bridge, and she and Arcanine leapt off the edge, the Surf crashing onto the ground behind them and smashing Cloyster aside.

While falling to their deaths, some people might think about their lives, past mistakes, afterlife possibilities, and the like. However, Ember's only thoughts while falling to her doom were: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

The wind whipped at their faces while they fell, but the rain finally seemed to be dying down. Apparently, the poison had done its job and taken Politoed out of the picture. A pity that the same thing was about to happen to them now.

The battle-ravaged ground below them drew closer and closer, and Ember knew they would soon be crushed. She only hoped Absol would find a way to escape before Houndoom killed him. They were only about a dozen yards from the ground now. They would be dead any second…

Suddenly, Ember felt something wrap painfully around her gut, jerking her descent to a rapid halt. She looked down and saw a black-and-purple, reptilian tail coil tightly around her. Serpentine arms were managing to hold Arcanine as well, though with greater difficulty thanks to his size. Ember looked up and saw that Otachi was now hanging onto them both, flying them to safety.

"Wow, Otachi!" Ember said, both relieved and ecstatic. "For once, I'm actually glad to see you!"

"Save it, mutt," Otachi said dryly. "I was just rescuing Arcanine, and you happened to be there."

"I thought Cloyster knocked you out, though?"

Ember grunted as she felt Otachi's tail tighten around her waist.

"Thanks for the reminder," the dragoness spat. "Gunny found me and healed me after Cloyster shot me down. I was actually flying back up for round two, but I see Arcanine already took Cloyster down."

Ember was about to point out that she had actually defeated Cloyster, but realized that probably wouldn't be in her best interests at the moment. Instead, she turned to Arcanine.

"So, you knew Otachi would save us, right?" she asked.

"I'd like to say yes," Arcanine said evenly. "But in reality, we lucked out. I was just hoping we'd survive the fall somehow."

Ember shuddered slightly, knowing that not even her light body would have let her survive the fall if Otachi hadn't shown up. However, they had survived, and she'd finally settled her account with Cloyster, and for the first time that day, Ember felt satisfied, if slightly saddened at the loss of her friend.

Otachi swooped down into the valley below, searching for a good place to land. Ember had to admit, flying was quite a thrill. She wished the experience could last longer, but Otachi soon found a suitable clearing and slowed down until they at last reached the earth. Otachi gingerly placed Arcanine on the grass, then unceremoniously flicked her tail and dropped Ember onto the ground. Ember groaned and rolled to her feet, shaking herself off and walking back up to them.

"Thanks, Otachi," she said emotionlessly.

"You're welcome," Otachi replied in the same tone.

Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting bang that echoed through the entire valley. The three turned and looked at the bridge, which had taken far too much damage. The massive structure shook and slid away from the cliffs holding it up, tipping over and finally beginning to plummet to the ground. Both the East and West Side forces began scrambling to avoid the gigantic metal deathtrap screeching through the air as it drew closer and closer to the muddy ground below.

At last, the bridge reached the earth. The sound of the bridge smashing to the ground and being ripped apart was like the sound of a thousand Tyranitar roaring at once. The cycling bridge completely destroyed the route, knocking over trees and covering the ground in rubble and ruin. Thankfully, not many Pokémon had been harmed, since most living creatures had the sense to move when they saw a fifteen-ton metal object falling toward them.

The East Side, now leaderless, confused, disoriented, and no longer aided by the rain, began to fall back and scatter through the woods and caves nearby. Arcanine nodded to Ember, and she activated Drought, giving their forces the edge they needed to pursue their enemies and end the battle. After a few more minutes of this, silence ruled the route once more.

At last, Cloyster's forces were defeated.

There was a long silence. Finally, Ember, Arcanine, and Otachi began to hear cheers and shouts of victory sounding throughout the valley, or what was left of it. Ember breathed a shaky sigh of relief, amazed that she was still breathing.

"So…that's that?" she asked.

Arcanine nodded. "We should go and see if we can help the wounded."

Suddenly, the Mandibuzz they'd sent as a scout earlier flew down toward them, shaking nervously.

"Sir…the bridge!" Mandibuzz said between breaths.

"Well, what about it?" Arcanine asked dryly. "Has it come to life and demanded our surrender?"

"No, sir, but there's something there," the scout explained nervously. "I…I think you should see it for yourself."

---

The sight of the ruined bridge seemed almost sad, Ember thought. Although the sun had finally risen and illuminated the darkened route, the destroyed cycling bridge was still a forlorn and permanent scar to the natural beauty of the valley. Mandibuzz was circling above the area he wanted them to see. Ember wondered what horrible sight awaited them now.

Suddenly, she spotted something blue half-buried under the rubble. She, Arcanine, and Otachi circled around to the end of the bridge to get a better view of it. Ember gasped in shock and grief when she saw what it was.

The mangled object buried under the rubble was Cloyster.

Ember felt a pang of sorrow at the sight of her old friend and companion lying dead beneath the ruined metal and concrete. However, when they drew closer, they heard a muffled groan. Cloyster was still alive! How could any Pokémon have survived so much?

Against her better judgment, Ember ran up to Cloyster, seeing his bloodshot eye slowly opening and looking at her. His shell was completely broken, and there was blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He wasn't long for the world, and Ember knew it.

"Cloyster, let me help you," she said. "I think I have some supplies in my bag that can—"

Arcanine suddenly rushed up and shoved her out of the way as Cloyster fired off a Rock Blast into the space that Ember had occupied only a moment ago. However, that attack would be Cloyster's last. The move drained the reserves of his strength, and he began gasping for breath, his body shaking with each ragged intake.

"Long live the East Side," Cloyster spat between breaths.

Arcanine scoffed. "With you gone, I hardly think the East Side has much chance of that. We'll add a footnote on our report to Houndoom about your death here."

Cloyster actually began to laugh, which sounded more like raspy coughing now.

"By the time you get back, Houndoom will already be dead," Cloyster said.

Those were his last words. Arcanine slashed Cloyster with a flaming claw, putting him out of his misery. However, Arcanine's face darkened. He began pacing back and forth, his expression a grim and unreadable mask.

"What is it?" Otachi asked.

Arcanine cursed bitterly. "We've been tricked. The rain above our headquarters…the battle on Twilight Mountain…the whole ridiculous chase…it was all to lure us away from Houndoom's city!"

Ember felt a knot in her stomach. It all finally began to make sense. Cloyster had led them on the chase knowing that whether he beat them or lost to them, they'd be leaving Houndoom's base practically defenseless so that the rest of Luxray's army could attack. And when they came, they would destroy everything, including their headquarters…and Absol with it.

Chapter 20: Rolling Thunder