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...

20. Rolling Thunder

It is surprising the speed I have posted this story. It's PrinceOfPuddles again, writing another authors note. An authors note here was not scripted but I feel somewhat obligated to put at least something here. For me at least, I read books and other works of literature for fun. This chapter is not fun. There are a few reasons for this, all of them similar. War is not exciting. War is not glorious. War is not fun. War is war. A few other chapter such as Chapter 15: Shadow of the Past that pushed this story to a T rating. This chapter pushes the bounders of even that. It would not be right for an author to tell people not to read their own work, I think for most of this chapter it is the most exhilarating chapter so far. That being said, out of all the chapters in Wild Pokemon this was my least favorite to write and read. At least it is only up hill from here.

---

Chapter 20: Rolling Thunder

Honchkrow sighed contentedly as he flew over the West Side main city, peering down at the landscape below and wondering who he would spy on next. He was one of the few commanders in the West Side that enjoyed keeping watch over the town and its outskirts. When he was in the sky, everyone else was so tiny and beneath him, just as they should be.

He decided he might keep an eye on Absol again today. Maybe he'd even catch him plotting another escape attempt with that Salamence and Ampharos, if he was lucky. Of course, that last beating he'd given Absol might have been enough to make him give it up. That would be disappointing. Still, there were plenty of other Pokémon in the mines, even if none of them were quite as fun to torment as Absol.

As Honchkrow looked out towards the distant mountains, he wondered what was taking Arcanine and his forces so long to get back. Perhaps they'd been beaten by Cloyster. That would be all the better for him, since he would become Houndoom's next right-hand, and would be out of danger. He could tell that Arcanine already had it out for him, and if Cloyster had killed him, that would make things much easier in the future.

Honchkrow was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw several small figures moving about outside the city. He flew down slightly lower, careful not to be seen. The figures were Electric Pokémon, probably from the East Side. The agents soon ran off, as though they had seen all they needed to see. Honchkrow realized they were probably either spies or just scouts.

Honchkrow was about to sound the alarm, but what he saw next left him too stunned to do anything but hover in awe and terror.

Near the outskirts of the city, the largest East Side attack force Honchkrow had ever seen was charging straight at Houndoom's town.

---

"Something's wrong," Salamence muttered.

Absol and Ampharos turned and followed Salamence's gaze with their eyes. They saw Keckleon waving his arms and heard him shouting unintelligible orders to the nearby guards, who were no longer watching the slaves. They soon saw Honchkrow fly in, landing in front of the guards and squawking a command. The guards then followed Honchkrow and Keckleon up the nearby stairs and out of the mines.

"They've removed over half the guards in the mines," Ampharos remarked. "If they take any more, there may not be enough to stop a prison break."

The three now stopped working entirely, since they were no longer being monitored and had already earned enough rations for the day. Absol had a vague feeling that they wouldn't be fed today anyway with whatever was going on. He watched the remaining guards in anticipation, feeling Butterfree in his belly as Keckleon reappeared and called more of them away from duty.

"This is our chance," Absol said. "There are only six guards left. Let's take them out and free everyone."

"What if Keckleon comes back?" Ampharos asked worriedly.

Absol smirked. "So much the better."

The three watched the six guards, who were nervously patrolling different areas of the mine. There was a Pignite, a Magmar, a Simisear, a Charmeleon, a Monferno, and a Heatmor. Absol glanced at Salamence.

"You know how to use Earthquake, right?" he asked.

"Of course," Salamence replied. "I told you, I'm a physical sweeper."

Absol smiled. "Crush them."

Salamence returned the grin and used Dragon Dance, raising his speed and strength. He then flew over to the six guards faster than the eye could follow. The Fire Pokémon shouted and scrambled in surprise, but it was too late. Salamence used Earthquake, the tremors blasting all six guards and knocking them out almost instantly. Thankfully, the distance was great enough that the move hadn't hurt anyone else. Salamence then triumphantly flew back to Absol and Ampharos.

"Too easy," he said. "I'm amazed that didn't cause a cave-in, though."

"Houndoom thought ahead when he tunneled these mines," Absol replied. "It would take more than a few tremors to bring it down. Now let's get out of here while we still can."

"What about the other slaves?" Ampharos asked.

Absol nodded, after some help from Salamence he climbed up onto the ledge that Honchkrow always used to bark orders at the slaves. He looked down at the other captives, who were still digging into the walls and dirt, trying desperately to find any ore they could salvage. Salamence roared loudly, the sound echoing through the caverns and causing the slaves to look up in shock. Hundreds of eyes looked up at Absol, who kept calm and addressed them.

"My friends," he began. "Are there ever days you wonder why you were confined here to this life of servitude? Do you ever miss the wide open fields, the cool lakes and springs, and the lives that you had in the wild, where you belong? Well, those days are over. If you want your old lives back, take them. Starting now, you are all free Pokémon."

The slaves merely stared at him in awe for a few moments, no doubt trying to wrap their minds around his words. Some of them had obviously been trapped there their whole lives, and now some Pokémon out of the blue was telling them they were free. Absol heard them muttering to themselves and scowled thoughtfully. They needed one last mental push, but he couldn't think what would do it.

Suddenly, Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence heard shouting coming from the stairs nearby. They turned and saw the green-and-red form of Keckleon darting into the mines, no-doubt looking for the remaining six West Side guards. He stopped when he saw Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence, his eyes widening in terror.

"Ah, Keckleon," Absol said, smiling. "Perfect timing."

Keckleon turned and tried to run back toward the stairs, but quickly stopped when he saw Ampharos blocking his path.

"Going somewhere?" she asked wryly.

Salamence grabbed Keckleon by his scaly neck and held him down, looking him in the eye.

"Remember me, Keckleon?" Salamence snarled. "I'm the guy you saw stealing water from the well outside. Ring any bells?"

Keckleon could neither confirm nor deny it without digging himself deeper into the grave. He watched Salamence in fear, knowing his death was certain.

"You think killing me will change anything?" Keckleon tried weakly. "You can never take down the West Side. These slaves' freedoms were all forfeit long ago. They aren't just prisoners on the outside. Their minds are shackled as well."

Absol nodded. "I suppose we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

Absol gave Salamence a meaningful glance. Salamence got the message. With that, the dragon suddenly tossed Keckleon down into the middle of the crowd of slaves.

"He's all yours," Absol called down to them. "If you want to be free, then free yourselves."

All of a sudden, the slaves didn't look like slaves anymore. They were looking at the Pokémon that had starved hundreds of them to death without blinking an eye, and there was no way for him to escape. At last, they were the ones in control.

With that, Absol, Salamence, and Ampharos turned and headed for the stairs leading out of the mines, hearing Keckleon's screams and cries for mercy behind them for a few moments until the noise finally died down.

"So, what's really causing all this?" Ampharos asked.

"I guess we'll find out," Absol replied. "Stay on your guard, though. Keckleon may be dead, but his guards could still be all over the place if the problem is internal."

"I hope the slaves will make it out okay."

Salamence smiled. "They will. They won't miss their chance of freedom after all these years."

Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence reached the second floor of Houndoom's underground headquarters, sneaking through the elite chambers as quickly and quietly as possible. However, it soon became apparent that their stealth was unneeded. The entire area was completely empty; there were no guards, no elite West Side commanders or Hunting Leaders, and even most of the massive fires in each chamber had been put out, cool darkness beginning to rule the mines once again.

"It's getting hard to see in here," Ampharos murmured.

"Stay close to me," Absol said. "I can see well in the dark. It looks like even Houndoom isn't in his personal chamber. Whatever's going on must be really serious."

The three soon found and ascended the second stairway, entering the supply rooms. Absol motioned a halt, and the three ducked behind one of the large rock walls.

"What is it?" Salamence whispered.

"This room is actually pretty heavily guarded," Absol muttered. "We're gonna have to take them out if we want to reach the last floor."

"We can't fight what we can barely see," Salamence pointed out. "You're the only one here that can see in the dark."

"Don't worry, guys," Ampharos said. "I can use Flash to light up the place when we're ready to fight."

"Alright, I'll give you the signal when it's time," Absol said.

The three carefully stepped out from behind their cover, treading into the darkness. There were a few small lanterns here and there for the West Side guards to see, but it would still be too dark to fight without Flash. Absol, Salamence, and Ampharos walked right into the middle of the room, surrounded by supplies and guards on all sides.

"Now," Absol muttered.

Ampharos stepped forward and used Flash, her body shining a bright yellow. Light radiated from her as though she were a 500 watt bulb. The West Side guards—who were mostly Magmortar and Simisear—were stunned by the sudden blast of light and staggered backwards.

Two Simisear charged forward. Absol blasted one with Stone Edge and then nailed the second one with Sucker Punch before it could retaliate. Salamence flew over and knocked out a Magmortar in one blow with Dragon Claw. He was suddenly stung by an awful burning sensation and pivoted around, seeing a Simisear that had blasted him with Flamethrower. Salamence retaliated by grabbing the offending Simisear and smashing him headfirst into the cavern wall.

Ampharos took a risk and used Thunder twice, which worked both times and paralyzed two Magmortar almost instantly. She quickly finished them off with another round of it, only missing once out of five attacks. After a few more moments of this, the supply rooms were soon empty of West Side guards. Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence took a moment to catch their breaths before exchanging grins.

"Well, that was easy," Salamence chuckled. "Say, Ampharos, why didn't you use Flash back when we were stumbling around in the dark below here?"

Ampharos scoffed. "If there was even one guard down there, I think they probably would have noticed the entire cavern suddenly becoming brighter than the surface and alerted the rest of Houndoom's goon squad."

"Ah. I knew there was a reason."

"Alright, that's enough you two," Absol interjected, hiding a smile. "Let's heal ourselves, grab whatever we can carry, and get out of here. Ampharos, can you keep Flash going for another few minutes?"

"I could easily keep it going for another half an hour," Ampharos said with a smirk.

With that, the three grabbed and drank down any potions they could find until their pain and fatigue were eliminated and then grabbed any items they could hold and headed for the stairs. At last, they reached the entrance to the city, thankful that there were no guards nearby. Absol, Ampharos, and Salamence stepped through the entryway and into the light, eager to find out what was causing all this.

It wasn't long before they found out.

As soon as they entered the city, they heard distant explosions and war cries. They looked around the town, seeing West Side guards frantically scrambling to defensive positions, bellowing orders and grabbing held items and other weapons.

"What's going on?" Ampharos asked nervously.

Salamence nodded toward the edge of town. "I'm going to fly up and take a look."

Salamence spread his wings and took to the skies, probably for the first time in months. He looked out over the city walls, an expression of horror washing over his scaly face in seconds. He quickly flew back down, still staring nervously toward the outer walls.

"The city is being sieged," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "There're thousands of East Side agents surrounding the town on all sides and swarming the defenses. This whole place is a war zone."

Absol glanced at the wall as well. "Then now's the time to leave. The other slaves should be coming up soon and they'll try to escape too, probably with even more success than us thanks to their numbers."

"What are you going to do?" Salamence asked.

"I've got to find Ember," Absol said firmly. "I've been here before, so I know she's here somewhere. As soon as I find where Houndoom's keeping her, we'll escape together."

"Well, I'm with you," Salamence said. "I'd love to see Ember again, anyway."

Absol and Salamence were about to leave, but they noticed that Ampharos wasn't following. She merely stared toward the incoming East Side force, which was now visible at the gates of the city. She seemed hesitant, almost wistful even. Absol immediately understood.

"Go ahead," he said.

Ampharos looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Go to your people," Absol reassured her. "I know that's where you want to be. I'm not too fond of the East Side, but I won't stop you."

Ampharos was thoroughly taken aback. She held Absol's gaze, obviously having no clue what to say.

"You're…you're just letting me go?" she asked finally. "But, I'm an East Side Hunting Leader. I helped bring down Rypherior and allow the East Side access to the western half of the region. I assisted Cloyster in his slave trade operations and helped put down the internal rebellion in his base. I…how can you forgive me for all the things I've done?"

Absol smiled. "Well, I don't have any right to forgive you, considering all the mistakes I've made in the past. But you're my friend, Ampharos, and I know there's a lot of good in you. In the end, you'll make the right choices. Now, you'd better get going before more West Side agents show up."

Ampharos silently thanked Absol with her eyes, which had become slightly misty. She looked down for a brief moment, as if pondering something important. Finally, she tentatively met Absol's gaze again.

"It's Kala," she muttered.

"What did you say?" Absol asked.

"My name is Kala. Or, rather, my nickname is Kala. I was named after my old trainer's mother, though he didn't show the same kindness when he released me. I, uh…haven't used that name in many years."

Absol smiled. "Well, then, thanks again, Kala."

Ampharos briefly returned the smile. She then turned and quickly ran off into the city, soon disappearing from view amidst the chaos and destruction.

Suddenly, the sun grew brighter than before. The clouds in the sky began to rapidly rescind, sunlight blasting down onto the city and shining off the buildings. All the nearby Fire Pokémon became strengthened by the warm light, dealing more damage to the distant East Side force with their long-range attacks.

Absol froze in mid-step, his eyes widening as the sunlight grew steadily stronger.

"What's causing that?" Salamence asked in wonder.

Absol grinned. "Ember."

---

Ember, Arcanine, and the rest of their squadron all saw the invasion of Houndoom's town nearly a mile away as they hurried to reach the city. A swarm of Flying Pokémon so large that it looked like a giant black cloud began dropping Electric and Fighting Pokémon right into the town and onto the rooftops. West Side agents were scrambling to take them out or shoot down the Flying Pokémon before they could reach the city, but most of them got inside, and the defenses were being rapidly overrun.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," Arcanine said gravely. "The East Side should never have reached the city. We might not survive this."

"How could the enemy get such a strong force here so quickly?" Ember asked.

"They must be with another top commander. My guess is Mienshao."

Ember tried not to gulp, which only would have stung her dry throat at this point. She didn't like to think about another round against Mienshao and his powerful Fighting soldiers.

"We can't just rush straight into the enemy," Arcanine said. "We'll have to enter the city from the southern entrance and join up with the rest of our forces to fight the East Side within our own walls."

"Are we splitting up again?" Gunny asked between breaths.

"That would be suicide this time. We'll need to try and focus down the enemy and drive them to the edge of the gates and then block their path."

Arcanine's squadron soon entered the south city gate, heading into town and searching for their remaining defensive lines. Several East Side agents near the gate looked at them in shock before being blasted by a cascade of fire and poison. Their troops were scattered and destroyed in moments. Nearby buildings were being obliterated by the constant stream of attacks flying in and out of the city, shards of wood, stone, and mortar littering the ground for miles.

"Look out!" Shiftry suddenly yelled.

Everyone looked up and saw twelve Sigilyph carrying a dozen Fighting and Electric Pokémon, like Sawk, Electivire, Jolteon, Machamp, and others. The Fighting and Electric Pokémon dropped right onto Arcanine's squadron, the Sigilyph launching Psychic attacks at them from above. Arcanine immediately began bellowing orders and tearing through the enemy Pokémon, his friends and soldiers doing the same.

Ember, however, used this opportunity wisely. She waited until Arcanine was focused on battling two other Pokémon and couldn't see her, then quickly ran off in a different direction, ducking into an old café and running out through the rear entrance. She knew that this battle would be her best—and probably only—chance of finally escaping her captors. She had to find Absol. She needed to sneak into the mines and rescue him, and then they could escape together at last and leave Houndoom and Luxray to their cruel blood feud.

Ember bolted through town, not worried about being seen by other West Side agents. Anyone who saw her would just think she was another West Side agent scrambling to fight the enemy. The Pokémon she did have to worry about were Houndoom, Arcanine, Mienshao, and any East Side agents inside the city.

Ember ran under an archway, heading for Houndoom's headquarters. However, she suddenly stopped and quickly ducked behind an alley when she saw three Manectric on the rooftops ahead of her, one of them tossing down a dead Magmar onto the streets. Ember couldn't help wincing when she saw it, but she knew that sneaking past her enemies took top priority and pushed all other thoughts aside.

She turned and took a different path through the alley, eventually reaching the other side. However, a fourth Manectric she hadn't seen yet suddenly spotted her, leaping down from the rooftop and trying to kill her with Thunder Fang. However, Ember used Will-o-wisp, weakening his attack. Manectric's fangs barely grazed her neck, and she finished him with Fire Blast at close range.

Luckily, the other three hadn't spotted her yet, so she quickly ran clear of the maze of houses and continued towards Houndoom's base, at last reaching the entrance. There were no guards at the front, which she found a little disconcerting, but she realized they must be focusing on the defense of the city. Ember quickly ran inside, hoping no East Side agents were there.

The entire place was barren from floor to floor. Ember felt a surge of panic welling up in her belly. What if the East Side had already raided this place? What if they'd killed Absol and massacred the other slaves? No, she couldn't think like that. Absol had to be alive. He wouldn't let the East Side get the better of him.

Ember continued down the stairs until she reached a large room filled with supplies, which was poorly lit. Ember quickly brightened the room with Drought, the darkness receding as her inner fire extended.

She gasped and jumped back when she suddenly saw dozens of Pokémon in front of her, most of them wincing as the light brightened the supply room. However, she soon realized they weren't with the East Side and calmed down a little.

"Thanks for that," a Scizor said. "It was getting a little hard to find our way through."

Ember's jaw dropped in joy and relief as she realized that these were the slaves Houndoom had kept in the mines. Absol must be there with them! Ember quickly ran toward them, but the Scizor moved threateningly toward her.

"That's close enough," he warned. "We've never been closer to freedom, and you West Side lackeys won't stop us now."

"I'm not with the West Side anymore," she said quickly. "Please tell me, is there and Absol with you?"

Scizor scowled. "Not with the West Side anymore? I don't know what you're getting at, but there was an Absol with us until a few minutes ago. He's the one who freed us all."

"Where is he?" Ember asked eagerly.

"He went ahead of us into town. In fact, you just missed him. I don't know where he might have—"

Ember was already bolting back out of the base before Scizor could finish. She knew Absol would be looking for her and she had to find him before Houndoom or Mienshao did. She dashed through the entrance, hoping by some miracle to see Absol, but she knew he would probably already be searching the city. She didn't know where to look, but she knew she would find him if she searched hard enough, so she continued through the city streets as fast as her legs would carry her. She turned down a narrow street, deciding she would search the mansion she'd been staying in, just in case Absol would look for her there.

Ember suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She saw Arcanine only a few yards ahead of her, scanning the alleys back and forth, no-doubt looking for her. She was surprised he was searching for her himself. He'd probably left Shiftry, Gunny, or Otachi in command of his squadron and gone to look on his own.

Ember quickly and quietly stepped into the shadows of the buildings, creeping along back the way she came. She tried to keep calm, hoping Arcanine couldn't smell fear. Luckily, he still wasn't looking in her direction, so she turned and silently trotted back down the path she'd previously taken, making a hard left and sprinting away from there. If Arcanine caught her now, she'd never escape the West Side.

Thankfully, Arcanine apparently hadn't seen her. She continued down a different path, knowing that she couldn't reach the mansion with Arcanine in the way and deciding to look elsewhere. She only hoped she would be able to win the race against time before Houndoom or Luxray did.

With Arcanine in the mix, her chances didn't look too good.

---

Shiftry leapt up onto the rooftops and ran along them, searching for targets. He blasted away two Zebstrika with Whirlwind as he went, continuing to pick off the enemy one by one wherever he saw them. Arcanine's squadron hadn't even seen him leave the group, much like they hadn't seen Ember disappear in the middle of the fight.

He had always hated following along with groups of Pokémon like a common soldier, so he'd quickly left Arcanine's squadron—which was under Otachi's temporary control—and gone off on his own the first chance he got. He liked Otachi, but she definitely wasn't a military commander, and he wasn't going to follow her orders when he could be doing much more damage to the East Side on his own. In a way, he didn't blame Ember for leaving the squad as well. In fact, he was sure she was trying to help fight too in the same way he was.

Shiftry saw a Rotom in its ridiculous Water form floating above the old gym and firing long-range attacks at West Side agents below. He used Nasty Plot to boost his power and blasted the ghost with Leaf Storm, knocking it out in one blow, the leaf-like energy tearing through the tiles on the roof and sending them flying. He also saw a Sigilyph carrying a powerful-looking Conkeldurr, and he used Whirlwind to blow it out of the sky, sending the two East Side Pokémon crashing through one of the old shops.

Suddenly, Shiftry saw a pale, white-and-purple blur out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a Fighting Pokémon leaping across the rooftops as well, firing Aura Spheres down at the West Side soldiers below and drawing items from an odd trainer bag on his back, which looked like the one Ember always carried. A wide grin spread across Shiftry's features as he recognized who it was.

Mienshao.

This was Shiftry's big chance. If he took down Mienshao, they'd win the battle for sure, and he'd have done his part as a hero to the West Side. Shiftry swiftly jumped across the rooftops and followed Mienshao, trying to chase the incredibly nimble Pokémon down. Mienshao continued to leap from building to building, firing Aura Spheres or lobbing Iron Balls with Fling as he went, still apparently unaware of Shiftry's pursuit.

Mienshao leapt down and ran through an alley, Shiftry following only a few yards behind him. Shiftry turned a corner just in time to see Mienshao turn down another and chased after him. Shiftry knew he'd catch up to Mienshao any second now. He turned another corner…

And was blasted against a wall by Aura Sphere!

"There aren't many who can sneak up behind me," Mienshao said coldly.

Now barely able to stand, Shiftry looked at Mienshao, who had swiftly drawn an Iron Ball from the trainer bag on his back and hurled it at him. Shiftry managed to duck down just in time to avoid it, the Iron Ball smashing a hole through the wall above his head nearly three feet deep.

Shiftry retaliated with Leaf Storm, but Mienshao leapt over the attack and drew a Toxic Orb from his trainer bag, hurling it at Shiftry. The adhesive orb latched onto Shiftry's skin, and he was unable to yank it off without Mienshao nailing him with another attack. He had no choice but to leave it on for now and try to defeat Mienshao before the poison finished him off.

Shiftry used Whirlwind and managed to blow Mienshao against one of the buildings. He then tried to follow it up with another Leaf Storm, but Mienshao rolled away just in time to avoid it. Shiftry's special attack had been greatly weakened by the constant use of Leaf Storm and he was now barely even able to launch an attack.

He tried to use Nasty Plot, but Mienshao seized upon the moment, nailing him with another Aura Sphere. As Shiftry flew backwards, Mienshao hurled another Iron Ball, which smashed Shiftry to the ground. He tried to get back up, but the poison had drained his strength completely. Mienshao walked up to the defeated Shiftry and grabbed him by the neck, holding him up to his face. The East Side commandant suddenly pulled out an Antidote from his bag.

"Where. Is. The. Ninetails?" Mienshao said, each word cold as ice.

Shiftry spat in his eye. Mienshao hurled Shiftry to the ground and walked off. Shiftry felt the poison slowly taking his life as his vision blacked out. His last thoughts were filled with shame and sorrow that he'd failed Arcanine and the West Side.

Mienshao put away the Antidote, gritting his teeth.

"Now how am I supposed to find her?" he muttered.

"I know where we can find Ember," said a slick, icy voice behind him.

---

Absol and Salamence ran as fast as they could through the half-destroyed West Side city, desperately searching for any sign of Ember. Salamence tried to fly up and look for her whenever possible, but most of the time that made him too easy a target for the rapidly approaching East Side agents, who had come quite close to shooting him down twice now.

"See anything?" Absol called.

Salamence, who had decided to risk yet another flight attempt, flew back down and shook his head.

"No sign of her," he replied sadly. "I did see Arcanine closer to Houndoom's base, though."

"He's probably searching for her too," Absol mused. "We'll probably have to take him down if we're going to save Ember."

As the two continued down the ravaged streets, they soon saw a large old mansion creep into view on the horizon beyond the rooftops. There were a large number of West Side agents pouring through the entrance, as though trying to escape it.

"You think she might be in there?" Salamence asked.

"Since there are so many West Side agents there, I bet Ember's probably inside somewhere," Absol replied confidently. "There aren't as many coming out now. Let's go inside and look."

Absol and Salamence began to head for the mansion once the West Side agents fleeing through the entrance stopped coming and left. However, Salamence suddenly stopped and spread his wings, blocking Absol's path. The two stepped behind a building, peeking out towards the mansion. They saw a large West Side squadron led by a powerful-looking Hydreigon march into view, cutting off their path to the mansion as they drove back several East Side agents in battle.

"Damn," Absol muttered bitterly. "We can't get to the mansion with them in the way, and they don't look like they're going to move anytime soon."

"We can't both get there, but I can fly overhead and look inside myself," Salamence suggested. "If she's there, I'll pick her up and fly her back to you. If not, we'll meet up in the central plaza."

"Are you sure? It's quite a risk going by yourself."

Salamence laughed. "Please! You even need to ask? I'll be back in ten minutes or less."

"Salamence, wait, I don't think it's a good idea. Let's wait until—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Salamence took off, flying low to avoid being seen and shot down by any East Side agents below. Absol shook his head in exasperation and headed for the town plaza, hoping Salamence would be alright. It didn't take long for him to reach the plaza, which was as bland as the rest of the city. Absol walked up toward one of the broken-down old water fountains and sat down, waiting for Salamence to return.

Suddenly, a slender, white-and-purple Pokémon leapt down into the plaza as well. Absol started slightly when he saw him appear, recognizing the Pokémon as a Mienshao. The two locked eyes for a long moment, evaluating each other in their minds. Absol could tell Mienshao was an East Side agent, probably a commander. He didn't want a fight with Mienshao, but he could tell one was probably inevitable.

"You're not with the West Side," Mienshao said finally.

"I'm not," Absol affirmed.

"Then I have no business with you."

"Nor I with you."

Mienshao held Absol's gaze for another moment before turning toward one of the nearby alleys.

"Still, one can't be too careful," he said. "Kill him."

Mienshao then leapt onto the rooftops and soon disappeared from view behind the buildings. Absol began hearing the rush of footsteps from the nearby alleys. Cursing, he leapt to his feet as two Zebstrika and two Electrode charged into the plaza, all of them heading right for him. Absol torched one of the Zebstrika from afar with Flamethrower, the overhead Drought strengthening the move enough to send the zebra-like Pokémon sprawling onto the ground, shrieking in agony.

The second Zebstrika rushed at him with Wild Charge, though Absol managed to strike first with Sucker Punch. He was hit with the Wild Charge, which was relatively painful, but he'd received far worst damage in the past. He quickly dispatched with Zebstrika with Psycho Cut and then focused on the two Electrode, which were now circling around him and using Charge.

Both Electrode used Thunder, but the powerful electrical attack was far less accurate under Drought and Absol managed to avoid both shots, retaliating with Stone Edge, which knocked out one of them. The second Electrode, obviously realizing it had no way to win, stopped rolling and began to glow brightly. Absol realized what was coming and quickly darted away from the area as fast as he could.

The Electrode used Explosion, which obliterated the entire plaza and turned the nearby buildings into rubble. The move created a gigantic crater in the middle of the square and sent a shockwave that knocked Absol off his feet. However, he'd managed to cover enough distance to avoid major damage and slowly stood back up, looking around the ruined area, his ears still ringing from the blast. There were no more East or West Side agents anywhere near there, and he doubted anyone would be coming to investigate anytime soon with the battle raging everywhere.

Absol suddenly heard another loud bang, this time well in the distance. He looked toward the old mansion, seeing a massive hole being blown into the side of it. Concerned for the safety of Salamence, Absol ran back toward the mansion, hoping that the West Side squadron had finally left the area. Fortunately, it seemed they had gone off to fight elsewhere, leaving him a clear path to the building.

Absol dashed up to the entrance and ran inside, looking back and forth through the empty foyer. He muttered a startled curse when he saw the entire area littered with the corpses of Fire and Dark Pokémon, the foyer reeking with the stench of their blood. All the furniture was smashed or in pieces, littering the once-pristine wood flooring. Crushed grandfather clocks, split chairs, and torn paintings were the only things decorating the manor now.

"Salamence!" Absol shouted, his voice echoing through the barren chambers.

Silence. Now thoroughly worried, Absol ran up the nearby stairs and down a hallway that led to the destroyed area of the mansion, seeing more and more dead West Side agents as he continued the search for his friend.

Fortunately—or perhaps, unfortunately—he soon found him.

Absol went through a damaged doorway that led into the kitchens, letting out a startled cry when he saw Salamence lying in the middle of the room. His friend was covered in claw and bite marks and lying in a pool of blood, several smashed tables lying on their side around him. Absol darted forward, shoving the tables out of the way and leaning down to face Salamence, who was still breathing, if only slightly. The dragon's eyes slowly looked up to Absol, a light of both sorrow and fear behind them.

"Why did this happen?" Absol asked, a lump in his throat. "You fool, I told you not to do this!"

Salamence coughed slightly, more blood trickling from his throat as he did so. He smiled sadly at Absol.

"I guess y-you can't get lucky all the time," he choked out. "You…you need to get out of here quickly. There's…an East Side…"

"What is it?" Absol prodded, knowing his friend's time was short. "What's here?"

Absol saw Salamence's last reserves of strength fade away, his eyes glazing over.

"Get out…while you still can…save Ember…" he whispered.

Absol held back tears as he saw his friend give up the struggle. Despite his grief, Absol knew that whatever was in the mansion that had been strong enough to kill Salamence would still be in there. Salamence had used the last of his strength to warn Absol, and he wouldn't let it go to waste.

Absol quickly turned and fled back down the hallway, despite how painful it was to leave Salamence behind. He continued back to the main hall, heading down the stairs and into the bloody foyer.

"Too slow as always, eh, old friend?" said an icy voice from the shadows.

Absol stopped cold when he heard the voice. A Pokémon stepped in front of the entranceway, blocking his path. Although the Pokémon was backlit by the outside light, Absol knew exactly who it was. The Pokémon slowly stepped into view. There were several claw marks along his sides and back, obviously left there by Salamence during their fight.

Eerie purple light seeped through the gashes on the pokemon's sides, shining like a Life Orb being activated. Electricity snapped and fizzled at his feet with each step he took, burning the wood floor and sending static coursing through the carpeting. Absol stared into the glowing, soulless yellow eyes of his old enemy.

"You're time is up, Absol," Luxray said.

---

Ember ran to the highest hill in the city and looked out over the town from the excellent vantage point. She saw Honchkrow flying over the enemy forces, repeatedly using Toxic and Ominous Wind to kill multiple foes at once while his ability Moxie strengthened his attack power for each Pokémon he defeated. She realized that even Honchkrow could be a dangerous adversary on his own and that she needed to avoid him as well.

She continued scanning the city below with her eyes, squinting as she searched for her white-furred mate among the dark grey streets and buildings. She still didn't see any sign of him, although she did see that the mansion she'd been staying in had been badly damaged. Perhaps she'd try to reach it again, since Arcanine was probably in a different part of town by now.

"Oh, Ember, there you are!"

Ember jumped, pivoting toward the voice. To her great exasperation, she saw Gunny running up to her. She didn't want to have to deal with him now, especially since it would no-doubt draw Arcanine or Honchkrow's attention.

"I was looking all over for you!" he continued. "We've needed you back with our squadron. Why the heck did you run off?"

"Back off, Gunny," Ember threatened. "Just leave. You didn't see me here."

Gunny stopped, looking at her in confusion.

"Ember, I know you don't like working for us, but think of what glorious purpose you have here!" he pleaded. "This is a great day for us! This is the day we defeat the East Side once and for all! We're about to change history!"

Ember scoffed. "I'm not going to help you with your insane war anymore. If you want to wipe out the East Side, do it yourself. The only reason I'm even keeping Drought going is to stop the enemy from killing me and Absol."

Gunny shrugged. "I'm sorry Ember, but you don't have a choice in the matter. I'll have to tell Arcanine where you are, and then—"

Gunny was suddenly cut off as an Aura Sphere blasted him down the hill, knocking him out in one shot. Ember turned to face his attacker, seeing the Pokémon that she'd feared encountering from the moment she entered the city.

Mienshao.

"Long time no see, Ninetails," Mienshao greeted jovially. "This might not be to comforting for you, but I've wanted to see you again for a long time now. Ready to settle the score once and for all?"

Settle the score? What was he talking about? Arcanine had been the one to fight him in their last battle, not her. Did Mienshao just enjoy holding pointless grudges? Ember had no time to think about this since Mienshao was already reaching into a trainer bag on his back that looked just like hers. He then leapt up onto the nearby rooftops and hurled an Iron Ball down at her, and she barely managed to avoid it. The Iron Ball smashed a three-foot deep hole into the concrete where she'd been standing a second ago.

Ember used Toxic, but Mienshao leapt to a different rooftop to avoid the venomous cloud. He then launched Aura Sphere, the unavoidable ball of energy blasting her off the top of the hill and onto one of the rooftops of the lower buildings. She quickly ran along the lower rooftops and jumped up to the higher ones, trying to level the playing field and fight Mienshao on even ground.

Mienshao pulled another Iron Ball out from the trainer bag on his back and flung it at her. She slid down the slanted rooftop to avoid it, the Iron Ball knocking the chimney clean off the roof as it sailed through the air. She dug in her claws and spread her tails to keep from falling off the roof and then continued trying to close the distance between her and her adversary.

She eventually reached a close enough distance and used Psyshock, finally managing to score a hit on Mienshao and sending him staggering backwards along the slanted rooftops, although he still kept his balance almost perfectly. The East Side commander retaliated with another Aura Sphere, nailing Ember in the abdomen. She held her ground with the help of her tails, which were still providing perfect balance even on the uneven and slanted rooftops.

Finally, Ember risked a Fire Blast, the flames torching the roof of the building they were standing on. Mienshao leapt over the cascade of flames and flung down an Iron Ball at her, which she leapt over as well, hearing it smash into the flaming roof below her.

When they both fell back down, however, their feet didn't meet the rooftops.

In fact, their attacks had destroyed the roof entirely!

Ember and Mienshao both fell straight down into the building, the scenery around them instantly becoming pitch-black. Ember didn't even see the ground coming before it hit her, knocking the wind out of her and causing great pain in her legs and stomach. She soon heard another loud thud and a groan that must have been Mienshao hitting the floor as well.

Ember stood up, her eyes unadjusted to the darkness. She let Drought illuminate the area, which revealed that they were in the old gym she'd been tested in the first day she'd arrived.

She suddenly saw Mienshao right in front of her, and he used Drain Punch. She couldn't dodge quickly enough and was pelted back by the move, Mienshao healing himself with the energy he'd stolen from her. The force knocked Ember senseless and sent her flying across the room, landing painfully on her back. Her dizzy, blurred vision showed Mienshao slowly stalking closer to her, holding a Toxic Orb.

"Not what I had in mind, but at least no one can interrupt us in here," he said wickedly. "I hope you've enjoyed your life, Ninetails, because now it's as good as gone."

---

Absol and Luxray circled each other in the middle of the ruined, bloody mansion foyer, each looking for the right moment to strike.

"Why are you here?" Absol asked, partly to stall for time, and partly because he was bewildered by Luxray's presence.

"Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen in a while?" Luxray asked in a mock-hurt tone. "I'd think after all we'd been through together, you'd at least have the courtesy to ask how I've been doing."

"Okay, sure, Luxray. How's that Life Orb been treating you?" Absol shot back.

Luxray's sardonic grin faded slightly, his eyes narrowing.

"I see you still haven't learned to keep your mouth shut when facing death," the East Side leader retorted. "Anyway, I'm here to destroy the West Side, thanks for asking. Speaking of which, how is dear Ember holding up?"

Absol tried not to show any sign of emotion at Luxray's question. He knew Luxray liked to mess with his opponents before battle as part of his strategy.

"I certainly hope she's been okay," Luxray continued. "Maybe when we're finished here, I'll pay her a visit myself."

"You'll never get the chance," Absol spat, firing off Stone Edge.

"As slow as always," Luxray said, easily dodging the attack. "You can't beat me, you know. You already tried it once, and you escaped with even less than the skin of your teeth. Maybe if you beg me for mercy, I'll kill you quickly."

"I've gotten much stronger since we last fought."

Luxray's grin returned. "Oh, I've heard. In fact, I really should thank you for defeating Rypherior for us. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here now."

Absol couldn't help stiffening slightly at the remark, causing Luxray's grin to widen.

"Look at you," Luxray taunted. "You're the epitome of worthlessness. Twice abandoned, twice defected. Here you are, a murderer and a thief, who's killed almost as many Pokémon to survive as even Houndoom and myself, yet you claim to be a good person. You pathetic hypocrite!"

"No, I'm not a hypocrite," Absol replied evenly. "And I'm not a 'good' person. You're right, I have killed many Pokémon to survive. And the only thing I care about is Ember's safety, which is why I'm going to kill you too. I won't feel a drop of remorse, because you're a killer like me, and we both deserve to die."

Absol used Flamethrower, torching Luxray with the Drought-empowered flames. Luxray growled and retaliated with Thunder Wave, trapping Absol in a sphere of electricity. Absol's entire body tingled, and he felt the familiar gruesome sensation of paralysis spreading through his nervous system. He forced himself to fight it. He had to defeat Luxray. This wasn't about revenge or past motives anymore. This was about protecting Ember's life.

Absol managed to use Sucker Punch, leaping forward and hooking Luxray on the jaw, sending him smashing through the railing of the nearby stairs. Luxray grunted and stood back up, the purple cuts and gashes on his sides glowing brightly. He gritted his teeth as the Life Orb shards embedded in his body sapped his strength but powered his battle moves. Using their energy, Luxray launched Discharge.

The Discharge spread through the foyer, engulfing Absol and electrocuting him. Absol was beaten to the ground by the force of the energy, the electricity burning through his body and causing his fur to stand up, some of it charred by the heat. He tried to get back up, but Luxray was already upon him, knocking him to the ground and trying to pin him down and bite his throat.

Absol desperately struggled to throw Luxray off him, but it was hard to grapple with a powerful opponent when half-paralyzed. The paralysis slowed down his reactions and restricted his movement, and Luxray's bloody fangs were slowly creeping closer to his neck. Absol saw the incomparable savagery in Luxray's eyes, the deathless fury that had engulfed the East Side leader. Luxray wanted nothing more than to execute Absol for embedding the Life Orb shards in his body and foiling his plans at every turn. This was a death struggle, and Luxray lived for those moments.

Absol had never been one to give up without one last, all-or-nothing attempt. He fought back against the paralysis and managed to slip his back legs under Luxray, sharply kicking his enemy off of him. Absol tried to leap onto Luxray and take the advantage, but the paralysis jerked through him and momentarily froze his joints, which gave Luxray just the split-second he needed to roll to his feet and charge at Absol again.

Absol used Sucker Punch once more, though Luxray had expected the move and lunged to the side. The Sucker Punch barely even grazed him. Luxray then rammed Absol with his shoulder, knocking him on his side. However, Absol nailed Luxray with Psycho Cut when he tried to go for the throat again, opening yet another large gash on his side. More eerie purple light shined through the cut, causing Luxray to roar in pain and anger.

Absol quickly leapt to his feet and tried to press the advantage, but Luxray moved even more swiftly and launched another Discharge. The wave of electricity struck Absol again, sending him reeling into a world of pain and noise. Luxray leapt on to Absol like a coiled Serperior and used Crunch, finally sinking his vicious jaws into Absol's throat.

Fortunately, Luxray had only managed to bite into the lower part of Absol's neck, and the fleshy area of the throat was protecting his jugular for now. But it was only a matter of time before Luxray reached it, and Absol knew he had to act fast. He frantically tried to throw Luxray off, but Luxray never once slackened the death grip he had on Absol. Luxray lived for war and death, and no amount of pain could stop him from finishing an opponent.

Now in a near-panic, Absol darted around the room, slamming Luxray against the walls and trying to shake him off while launching any attacks that could reach his enemy, but Luxray knew nothing other than to hold on to the grip he had, his teeth draining Absol's blood drop by drop. Whenever Absol tired or was frozen by the paralysis, Luxray quickly inched his fangs higher up the neck, slowly drawing closer and closer to the precious life vein.

It became a nightmarish routine; Absol would use whatever strength he had left to try uselessly to shake Luxray's grip, and as soon as he stopped moving from the fatigue or paralysis, Luxray would move his teeth closer and closer to the jugular. Absol slowly began to tire, feeling the last reserves of his strength leave him. Luxray dug his claws into Absol's sides, draining even more of his blood and tightening his grip to the point where Absol couldn't even begin to break free of it.

Finally, Absol was unable to keep fighting it. He realized that he'd cheated death his whole life, and now it had finally caught up with him. His vision began to grow dark as the life slowly drained from his body, all his strength deserting him. He didn't even feel the pain of his wounds anymore. Luxray's claws and fangs digging into him felt like a distant thing, slowly fading from his awareness with each passing second.

Absol felt deeply aggrieved that he hadn't been able to do more to protect Ember, but even those thoughts left him as he started to black out. He vaguely felt Luxray's fangs move up toward the jugular, a mere half-second away from finishing him off. Absol knew he would be seeing Elsa again very soon.

However, he suddenly felt Luxray's grip slacken, the weight of his enemy's body being sharply thrown off of him. He dimly heard Luxray cursing furiously from afar. Struggling to keep awake, Absol managed to slowly rise to his feet, worried that Luxray would knock him back down again. Fortunately, Luxray seemed too focused on something else to do so. Absol looked toward the entrance, seeing a new Pokémon enter the room.

"Thank you for stalling Luxray, Absol," the new Pokémon said, smiling a wide smile. "If it weren't for you, I might not have found him in time."

Luxray stood up to face the newcomer, his yellow eyes glimmering in shock and malice when he recognized who it was.

"I'm flattered you came after me yourself," Luxray spat.

The next thing Absol knew, Luxray was moving away from him and facing the newcomer, who was none other than his own arch nemesis, Houndoom.

Houndoom and Luxray stared each other down, each hiding both their nervousness and eagerness behind a mask of cool smugness. This was the moment they'd been waiting for, the battle that may very well decide the war. They both knew that Absol was using the moment to escape, but neither of them cared. The East and West Side leaders were both ready for a death match, and no one else could interfere there.

"It's about time we finally met face-to-face, eh, Luxray?" Houndoom remarked.

"Considering how much we've had to do with each other in the past few years, I'd say so," Luxray replied, his calm and even tone masking the invariable bloodlust that comes from having nigh-infinite power.

"Just think, while we fight here, the fate of the Pokémon world is being decided for the next millennia," Houndoom said, grinning. "We're making history here today, and what better way to usher in the reign of the West Side than by destroying you?"

Luxray grinned. "No matter what the outcome of our fight, the East Side will always live on. We've profited greatly from this war, and while we didn't start it, we'll certainly be the ones to finish it."

Flames began to well up around Houndoom, throwing a devilish backlight on his features as he prepared to strike. Electricity crackled and hissed from Luxray as he charged up his attacks, purple light exploding from the scars on his body. Luxray hadn't used a fraction of his strength on Absol, and he was about to unleash it all now, just like his adversary.

Houndoom unleashed Heat Wave and Luxray released Discharge. The waves of fire and electricity engulfed the entire room, torching the furniture, wallpaper, and carpeting. The energy from both moves swept over Houndoom and Luxray as they obliterated the mansion foyer, pounding away at each other with all their might.

When the moves finally dissipated, the foyer was nothing more than a charred, empty area of the manor. The wooden walls had caught fire, and they knew the mansion would soon be set ablaze. Houndoom was twitching slightly from the electricity, and Luxray's fur was singed in multiple areas. Houndoom recovered from the pain thanks to his Leftovers and used Dark Pulse, the black energy shooting out at Luxray like a missile.

However, Luxray ran straight through the attack, Dark Pulse only doing minor damage to him. Before Houndoom could even react, Luxray had already closed the distance between them and tried to leap onto Houndoom and fight him and close range. Houndoom quickly used Double Team, creating several illusions of himself.

Luxray passed through one of the illusions, growling as he turned back around to face his real opponent. Houndoom used Toxic, the cloud of poison engulfing Luxray. Houndoom smirked. He'd already poisoned Luxray and ensured his eventual victory.

However, Luxray didn't look as though he'd been poisoned. In fact, the move didn't seem to affect him at all. Houndoom blasted Luxray with Dark Pulse again, but Luxray faded away like mist. It was a trick! Houndoom had been fighting a Substitute!

Houndoom quickly pivoted around, but he was too late. Luxray leapt onto his back, biting at Houndoom's neck and going for the kill. However, Houndoom was ready for the tactic. He immediately used Heat Wave, the flames covering the entire room and burning Luxray's body. He then charged up the stairs and smashed through a door, finally managing to throw Luxray off his back.

The two found themselves in a large pool room that looked to have been left unused for years. Luxray leapt away from Houndoom and used Discharge, the shockwave sending the pool tables flying and smashing into walls. Houndoom was blasted back through the hallway by the electric burst, and Luxray dove at him and slammed him into the wall, smashing right through the decrepit wood structure.

The East and West Side leaders were now in a large study filled with old bookshelves and other dusty furniture. Houndoom and Luxray grappled and rolled along the floor, sending sheets of paper flying as they smashed through a large desk and continued the death struggle. Houndoom blasted Luxray off of him with Dark Pulse and followed up with Toxic, but Luxray managed to leap to the side to avoid the venom cloud.

Houndoom used Double Team and filled the entire room with illusory copies of himself, but Luxray used Discharge again and the wave of electricity covered the entire room, dissipating the illusions and electrocuting the real Houndoom.

The walls of the room were soon burned away, revealing the rest of the floor to the combatants. The ceiling, with nothing to support it, soon collapsed above them, and they had to quickly scramble to get out of the room.

Houndoom and Luxray-now separated by an enormous pile of rubble-launched Heat Wave and Discharge again, destroying every room around them and sending the rubble flying everywhere. The two antagonists met in the cloud of ruin, grappling and biting and tearing at each other. The house fire was beginning to spread far more rapidly thanks to their main attacks, and they were soon surrounded by murderously eager flames, still mercilessly trying to kill each other with every ruthless skill and tactic they knew.

The two heard a loud creaking beneath them, which sounded like the manor groaning in pain. The floor beneath them soon gave way entirely, and they fell down from the second floor all the way to the first, landing in a large rec room. Houndoom quickly grabbed Luxray and hurled him across the room, sending him smashing straight through a large television. He then used Heat Wave, torching the whole rec room as well as his nemesis.

However, Luxray disappeared once again. Another Substitute. Without thinking, Houndoom leapt to the side, having done so just in time to avoid Luxray leaping at him from the doorway. Houndoom charged Luxray, grabbing him and ramming him into the glass screen door that led into the garden at the rear of the mansion. The two smashed through the glass, sending shards of it flying everywhere and bringing the fight outside.

Behind them, the entire mansion was soon blazing, utterly ruined by their fantastic and terrible duel. Houndoom and Luxray were finally fighting on fumes, their bodies cut in several places from where the glass from the screen door had cut into them. The fight was near its end, and they both knew it.

"You're as good as they say you are," Houndoom said between breaths.

"You've seen nothing yet," Luxray shot back.

Fire blazed and electricity crackled as the two gang leaders prepared a final attack to finish it. Houndoom poured all his strength into one last Heat Wave, Luxray doing the same with Discharge. The sea of flames and thunder washed over the gardens, burning them to ash and turning all the beautiful scenery into a wasteland in seconds.

Houndoom felt the Life Orb-empowered Discharge hit him again, and he was beaten to the ground by the force of the move, his body nearly going numb from the pain. However, he wasn't finished yet thanks mostly to his Leftovers, and he soon stood up and looked to see if Luxray was.

When the smoke cleared, however, Luxray was gone.

Houndoom looked back and forth, expecting another trick, but he soon saw Luxray fleeing through the city, disappearing from sight. Apparently, the East Side leader had taken enough damage and decided to embrace the better part of valor. Houndoom considered giving chase, but he knew he couldn't hope to catch Luxray in time. Besides, with Luxray fleeing the battle, he knew the enemy would soon retreat as well.

The West Side had won the day.

---

Ember rolled to the side to avoid the Toxic Orb Mienshao flung at her, hearing it shatter against the wall behind her, a cloud of venomous mist leaking out of it before fading away. She used Toxic, but Mienshao once again dodged the attempt and leapt away. However, that gave Ember just the moment she needed. She bolted behind the bleachers, quickly deactivating Drought.

The entire gym became pitch-dark again, which would give Ember the time she needed to find what she was looking for. She couldn't see Mienshao, but he couldn't see her either. Ember quickly and quietly crept into the supply room of the gym, where she knew Arcanine kept all the Full Restores and Elixirs used to heal contestants like her.

It was incredibly hard to work her way around the area without making noise, but fortunately her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness just enough for her to find her way to the back of the room. She spotted only one Max Elixir and a pair of Super Potions. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. She carefully opened the bottles and drank down the contents, too nervous to even taste the bitterness.

Finally, she reactivated Drought, bursting into the arena and using Psyshock. Mienshao had been unprepared for the sudden assault and was hit by the move, falling backwards and smashing through a pile of old crates that probably used to hold even more supplies.

Mienshao angrily leapt back up, blasting Ember away with Aura Sphere. Ember quickly recovered from the blow and prepared to strike back, but Mienshao pulled a Smoke Ball from his trainer bag and smashed it onto the ground, covering the entire gym in a thick cloud of smoke. Ember's eyes began to sting, her throat forcing a violent coughing fit as she inhaled the smoke. She quickly ducked down on her belly, keeping her head low to the ground.

She was fighting blind now, and she had no idea where Mienshao would strike next. She tried to burn away the smoke with Fire Blast, but it didn't do any good. She held still, trying to listen for Mienshao, hoping he would make some sort of noise before he struck.

She heard a loud thud nearby. Ember fired off an Psyshock toward the noise, though it didn't seem to hit its target.

Suddenly, Ember was knocked off her feet and slammed onto the blue mat of the gym. Mienshao was now on top of her, and he drove his fist into her gut with Drain Punch. Ember cried out as he absorbed more of her life energy and replenished his own before giving her a vicious kick on the side that sent her flying into the wall.

The smoke finally began to clear, and she saw that the noise she'd heard earlier was Mienshao hurling an Iron Ball, which was now in the corner of the room on a pile of smashed crates. Falling for the trick had cost her dearly, and the blows she'd received were already beginning to tell. She knew she had to end this fast, and the only way to do that was to fight with more brains than brawn.

Ember feigned a Fire Blast, causing Mienshao to jump. She then waited until he was vulnerable and used Toxic once more, at last nailing him dead-on. Mienshao was engulfed by the cloud of venom, poison seeping into his system. His eyes finally showed something other than intense rage and bloodlust: fear. Mienshao may have been winning the fight, but now his death was all but guaranteed.

Ember used his momentary shock and blasted him with Psyshock, knocking him off his feet. She followed up with a Fire Blast, and Mienshao only barely rolled to his feet in time to avoid it. She finally had the momentum. Now she was in control of the fight. She began to use all her speed and reflexes she'd developed in the wild to dodge his attacks and keep Mienshao on the defensive with a rapid flurry of attacks and counter attacks.

Finally, Mienshao took a bad step, and Ember nailed him with a Drought-empowered Fire Blast. His body flew backwards until he smashed through one of the windows, shards of glass flying everywhere. Ember bolted up to the window and leapt through it, careful not to cut herself on the glass. She landed outside and faced Mienshao, who was sprawled onto his back, his body charred from the flames.

Mienshao leapt back up, pulling out a Sticky Barb from the bag. She could tell he was on his last legs, and this would be his final effort. If he latched that Sticky Barb onto her, she'd be finished. But the poison was already about to end him, and she only needed to avoid this last attack and she would win. Rather than hurl the Sticky Barb, which was what she was expecting, Mienshao leapt into the air, obviously planning to come down on her and stab her with it.

The situation seemed oddly familiar to Ember. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but she knew she'd faced something like this before. Mienshao dove at her from the air, the Sticky Barb held high. For some reason, Ember knew exactly what to do. She waited until the last possible second, and then rolled to the side. Mienshao landed on the Sticky Barb, impaling himself on it. The poison also sapped the last of his strength, and he didn't get back up.

Ember realized Mienshao was finished. She'd beaten all the fight out of him. Ember couldn't help taking a moment to relish the victory. She'd actually beaten Luxray's right-hand, the highest ranking commander in the East Side. Mienshao lied there unmoving and Ember knew she could at last move on and continue her search for Absol.

Ember suddenly heard a loud booming in the distance. She turned toward it and saw the old mansion, which wasn't too far away from the gym. She saw another massive hole on the side of the building, which was at an angle that allowed her to see into the foyer of the mansion. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw both Luxray and Houndoom inside the mansion at once, obviously about to battle.

However, she saw a third figure creeping away from the mansion, now quite a few yards away from them. The Pokémon was badly beaten and bloody, but there was no mistaking him.

Absol.

Ember was too stunned to move for a few moments. Finally, both ecstasy and worry flooded through her at once. She'd finally found Absol, but it looked like he was dying, no-doubt thanks to Luxray. She had to help him, even if Houndoom and Luxray were near there. Ember searched her bag for healing items before sprinting for the mansion.

However, unbeknownst to her, Ember had made one fatal mistake. She'd forgotten to do the one thing Arcanine had trainer her to do from the moment she'd been forced into joining the West Side.

She hadn't finished off her opponent.

Mienshao slowly craned his throbbing head up, the Focus Band he'd been holding slowly disintegrating from its use. He soon saw Ember running away from him towards the mansion. She may have beaten him, but he would still get his revenge. She had ruined his life, and he would do everything in his power to ruin hers. He reached into his trainer bag and pulled out his last item: a Life Orb.

Mienshao then tightened his grip and crushed the Life Orb in his hand, several shards digging deep into his skin. He knew that the pain from those shards wouldn't leave him, but he only cared about his revenge now. He held the longest shard like a dagger and rushed after Ember, using all his strength to close the distance between them.

On her end, Ember continued running toward the mansion, hoping she wasn't too late to help Absol. She heard footsteps behind her, but before she could turn around, she suddenly felt something grip one of her tails. She turned as far as she could and saw Mienshao holding one of her tails in his left hand, an eerie purple shard in his right.

What happened next was something Ember would never be able to forget as long as she lived, no matter how hard she tried.

Mienshao whipped the dagger-like shard through the air. Ember suddenly felt strangely off-balance, though Mienshao no longer had her restrained.

It took no more than half a second before the pain began.

In actuality, 'pain' doesn't even begin to describe a tenth of what Ember felt at that moment. She lost her balance and fell on her side, feeling blood rapidly leaking from her body. Agony that put to shame all the Stone Edges and Earthquakes she'd ever been hit with shot through her, tearing at her mind. Screams were torn from her until she was unable to anymore, her entire world reduced to unbearable, perpetual suffering. Muscle and bone had been severed, and every pain receptor in her nervous system was making sure she knew it.

Mienshao paused to drink his antidote but didn't kill her. He merely watched her writhing in pain and anguish, reveling in it, a twisted grin growing on his face. What had she done to him to deserve this? No matter how much she suffered, the pain refused to die down. Her voice had cracked and she was unable to scream or cry out for help. She couldn't even rise to her feet. All she could do was lie there in unendurable pain that felt like knives tearing her apart, hoping and praying it would lessen soon, or that Mienshao would at least have the mercy to kill her.

"Don't worry, the worst is yet to come, Ninetails," Mienshao said, grinning. "Oops, I guess I can't call you that anymore."

Mienshao suddenly tossed something in front of her. At first, her tormented, agonized mind couldn't make it out. Finally, the gruesome realization struck her like an Iron Ball.

It was her tail.

"One down, eight to go," Mienshao muttered, holding the dagger-like shard.

Mienshao sharply kicked Ember in the ribs, knocking the wind out of her. As she coughed and rasped, trying to spit the blood from her mouth, she looked up at Mienshao. There was a murderous insanity behind his eyes, and she knew that whatever she'd done to wrong him in the past, he would kill her for it now.

"How do you want to die, Ember?" he asked, waving the Life Orb shard back and forth menacingly. "Organ damage, or blood loss?"

Ember was still trying to take in the air that had been knocked out of her and couldn't respond. Mienshao grabbed her by the throat and held the dagger up to her face. She stared at it, her heart hammering and unable to breathe. She thought for a moment that he was going to gouge her eyes out, but he seemed to have other plans for it, though she didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.

"Blood loss it is," he whispered, grinning.

Mienshao suddenly whipped the dagger down and stabbed her in the gut. She felt the jagged shard tear through her skin, and it burned like a knife as he forced it deeper and deeper into her. She wanted to cry out in pain, but Mienshao still had his hand around her neck and she was barely able to breathe. Mienshao turned and twisted the blade, tearing through muscle and tendon. Her body screamed out its agony at the foreign object cutting away at her.

Finally, Mienshao jerked the shard out of her stomach, her blood pouring onto the ground beneath her. He tossed her to the ground and began circling around her, as if trying to decide how to torment her next. Ember wanted to get back up, to fight him off or run away, but she couldn't even move. The constant throbbing pain shot through her stomach like a hundred hammers pounding inside her, and any movement on her part only made the searing agony worse. At least she would soon die from her wounds, and the pain would be over.

As if sensing her thoughts, Mienshao grinned again.

"Oh, no, it won't be that easy," he taunted. "You're not getting out of this until you've suffered like I suffered."

Mienshao suddenly reached down and ripped the trainer bag from Ember's back, breaking the straps on the sides of it. He then dropped it onto the ground and pulled out a Hyper Potion with his free hand, setting the dagger\shard down.

Mienshao then grabbed Ember's mouth and jammed the nozzle of the potion down her throat, making her gag as he sprayed the contents into her mouth.

"Drink it down," he said in a low, menacing tone.

Ember forced herself not to swallow, but Mienshao suddenly clamped his other hand on her nose, cutting off her breathing. She tried to hold her breath as long as she could, but she was eventually forced to swallow down the Hyper Potion liquid. She felt her dulled, numbed body come to life, her senses sharpened and attuned to every bit of the pain within her. It would have been too much to bear, but the potion soon healed some of the more life-threatening wounds she'd received.

"Now, where were we?" Mienshao asked mirthfully.

Ember tried to use what strength she had left to launch an attack, but Mienshao's iron grip closed around her neck again and she was forced to cough back the flames she'd wanted to launch at him. He also drank down a healing potion as well, probably since he'd been so close to dying from poison.

"Now, what next?" Mienshao asked. "Shall I start cutting off your legs, or do you want me to finish the job I started on your tails?"

Ember let out a muffled, strangled scream, trying to plead for mercy, her fur drenched in a cold sweat.

"No, no, you're right, that would let out too much blood and end our fun too quickly," Mienshao said. "We'll save all that for later. For now, let's just see how much external pain your body can withstand."

Mienshao once again picked up the dagger. Ember felt like a thousand burning needles had stabbed into her thigh as Mienshao drove the dagger into her again, slowly and mercilessly carving it along her ribcage and down toward her rear legs. Ember's body shuddered and jerked involuntarily as the burning dagger tore through her, which only made it worse. She let out another strangled cry of both pain and fear as he neared her back legs, but he didn't cut them off, for now.

When Mienshao finally withdrew the dagger, he gave her bloody body another swift kick, and Ember heard the horrible sound of bones breaking before hitting the ground again. She desperately wanted it all to end. She wanted nothing more than to die, for the wretched, unworldly pain to finally come to an end. But Mienshao refused to let it end.

Her enemy once again reached into her bag, pulling out more potions. She was too disoriented to even make out which kind any more. He jammed one into her mouth, closing off her airway again until she was forced to swallow. She felt her life-threatening wounds being closed and mentally screamed at the hopelessness of it. Why did she have to have so many healing items? When would this suffering end?

Mienshao pulled out the sticky barb that had impaled him and stabbed it into her abdomen, and Ember began feeling the grating, gnawing sensation of it needling her with every movement she made, as though a dozen knife blades were jutting into her, punishing her slightest movement, even the miniscule movement of her breathing. How could the body possibly tolerate this much pain?!

Ember's vision swam as Mienshao kicked her in the side of the head, rolling her onto her back. Sticky Barb's needled dug even deeper into her skin as she was forced to roll on top of it, the spines stabbing into her back and severing any muscles in their path. Ember feared she would soon go deaf from the sound of her own screams, if the pain didn't drive her insane first.

"Do you have anything to say, Ember?" Mienshao asked mockingly.

"P-Please," Ember half-shrieked. "Please l-let…let me die…just let me die!"

"Don't worry, Ember," Mienshao reassured her. "When I grow weary of the noises you make, you will die."

Mienshao suddenly grabbed the Sticky Barb, the needles stabbing into his own hand. He seemed oblivious to his own pain at that moment, his only focus being hers. The psychotic Pokémon then began raking the Sticky Barb along her side.

"Stop! Aaagh! P-Please! Stoooppp!" Ember cried out as the demonic held item cleaved the flesh from her bones.

But Mienshao had no intention of stopping until he'd reveled in every last scream, every last drop of pain he could cause her. Once Mienshao was finally done driving the Sticky Barb along her body, he then grabbed her by the throat once again and climbed on top of her. The life orb shard an inch above her eye. Ember's own blood dripped onto her face. Mienshao's foul breath stung her nostrils even as he squeezed her neck, leaving her with barely enough air to live.

"We're almost finished now," he said between breaths. "I'll kill you soon, but I've always wondered why Ninetails have a red iris. I bet the fuild in your eye is also red. If not it will be soon."

Realizing what was about to happen, Ember desperately tried to claw away at Mienshao's arms, despite the intense pain from the Sticky Barb wracking her with every movement. Mienshao scoffed at her feeble resistance.

"You think you can stop me?" he said through gritted teeth. "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"

Ember's vision blurred as Mienshao's grip tightened around her neck. She knew she had no escape.

Suddenly, however, she no longer felt Mienshao's weight on her.

Ember's vision was still blurry and unfocused, emphasized by her throbbing head. She craned her neck and vaguely saw another Pokémon grappling with Mienshao, pinning him to the ground.

"What you did to Ember is nothing to what I'll do to you," the new Pokémon roared. "Feel the pain you inflicted on her as you burn in hell!"

Mienshao's squirms and grunts were abruptly cut off as the Pokémon sank its teeth into his throat until he was dead. The Pokémon then removed Mienshao's head from his body with his claws, kicking his body aside.

Ember tried to get up, but her whole body was numb and half-paralyzed from the pain. She shrunk back as the Pokémon slowly walked up to her, even though he didn't seem hostile at the moment. She watched in horror as he picked up one of the remaining leftover potions and held it to her.

"N-N-No!" she cried. "Get it away from me!"

Ember shuddered and writhed in fear as she felt the Pokémon put his paw on her, though his touch felt strangely…gentle, almost kind, even. She slowly looked up toward his face, seeing a pair of familiar calm red eyes gazing down at her.

"Ember, it's me," he said in a calm and soothing tone.

At first, Ember thought it must have been her fatigued, tormented mind playing tricks on her. But as her vision finally cleared and her bloodshot eyes beheld the Pokémon, she felt certain he was real.

"Absol?" she asked, almost pleading for him to truly be there.

Absol smiled warmly at her, and in that moment, she knew she was finally safe. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at her dearest love, who had come for her despite all the wounds he'd received and all the danger surrounding them. She wanted so much to embrace him, to feel the warmth of his touch and be in his arms as long as she could, but she couldn't even move. Thankfully, Absol saved her the trouble and lied down beside her, gently wrapping his paws around her and making sure not to hurt her.

"Absol," Ember sobbed. "He…he…"

"I know, darling," he said softly, placing his paw on her cheek and kissing her forehead, comfortingly stroking her fur.

Ember buried her face in Absol's mane and cried softly, both in horror in what had happened—even more in what had almost happened—and in relief that Absol was there for her, that she was finally with someone she loved and trusted. She knew everything would be alright now that he was there.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, the sounds of battle continuing to faintly drone on in the distance. Thankfully, the fighting didn't seem to be inside the city anymore, and they were finally alone, at least for now.

After a few more moments, Ember met Absol's eyes again, trying not to think about the pain she was feeling, or that Arcanine would soon find them and they'd be taken away from each other again.

"I was trying to find you so we could escape together," she choked out. "I…I'm sorry all this happened."

Absol gave her a soothing chuckle. "Well, we can't escape now, especially in the condition we're in. But at least we found each other, right?"

Despite everything she'd been through, Ember managed a tiny smile.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I guess we did."

Absol slowly stood up, releasing her from their embrace. Ember tried to stand up as well, but Absol gently pushed her head back down.

"You need to stay still," he said. "I know this is going to hurt, Ember, but I need to treat your wounds."

Ember swallowed hard, but nodded. Absol carefully reached down and grabbed one of the needles on the Sticky Barb stuck in her side. She gritted her teeth as he began to pull on it, unable to hold back a cry of pain as it began to come loose, causing a sharp, stabbing pain to shoot through her.

"I know, my love," Absol said softly. "But it must be done."

Ember gave him another nod and shut her eyes tightly as he yanked out the Sticky Barb. She managed to hold back a scream, despite the immense pain of its sudden removal. Blood rushed from the open wound like a bright red river. Absol quickly opened her trainer bag and pulled out the old, half-torn blue contest ribbon she'd saved as a keepsake. He then began to dress her wound and wrap it around her like a bandage, just like he'd done when she was wounded by that Weavile. She was really glad she'd decided to keep that ribbon.

Absol then picked up the last of the nearby Hyper Potions, opening the nozzle.

"I need you to drink this," he said.

"Are you sure you don't need it?" Ember asked, looking at Absol's own wounds.

"I'll be alright," he said, smiling. "Thanks for the offer, but you need this more than I do. Now, open up for me, okay?"

Despite the newfound traumatizing, instinctive fear that Mienshao had drilled into her, Ember nodded and opened her mouth as Absol gently placed the nozzle inside. She reluctantly drank down the familiar bitter contents, feeling them begin to heal her dire wounds.

Absol looked Ember over one last time, checking for any more serious wounds. He then lied back down at her side again.

"It's the best I can do for now," he said, almost apologetically. "Arcanine or Houndoom will probably find us soon, and we'll be taken back to our cells, but I'll stay with you as long as I can."

When Ember tried to wrap her tails around Absol in gratitude, she felt an awful stinging, throbbing sensation and was reminded of Mienshao's gruesome handiwork.

"Am I going to be okay, Absol?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly. "Mienshao…he cut off my…"

Absol looked down, his eyes filling with anger and sadness when he noticed one of her tails missing.

"That bastard," Absol muttered. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner, Ember. At least the Hyper Potions have stopped the blood loss. I wish we had more healing items, though."

Ember took a moment to look down at herself, seeing a dozen spots on her fur covered in semi-dried blood. She shuddered as she thought about her missing tail and all the wounds and scars she'd received.

"I must look horrible, huh?" she murmured.

Absol smirked. "You don't look any worse than usual."

Ember was amused by the jibe for a moment, but that amusement soon turned into worry.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" she asked.

Absol chuckled, though he seemed surprised that she took the remark seriously.

"Ember, you always look just beautiful," he said earnestly.

Ember tried not to let her face flush. Still, she was worried that there might be permanent or even disabling damage to her body, which would mean almost certain death while serving Houndoom on the battlefield in the future.

"So…will I be okay?" she asked.

Absol nodded. "Your body should be able to recover with time, but you badly need to rest now. I know the circumstances aren't exactly ideal, but can you go to sleep? I won't let anything happen to you."

Ember felt a lump in her throat.

"I don't want to sleep, Absol," she said. "If I go to sleep, I'll wake up in whatever room Arcanine puts me in, and…you won't be there."

A look of understanding crossed Absol's face. He briefly held Ember's gaze before gently pulling her into a deep, long, tender kiss. His warmth and affection washed over Ember like the light from the sunset on the horizon. She held onto every second of the feeling as though it were her last, though Absol seemed in no rush to end the moment.

Once Absol had finished reassuring her in the most effective way possible, he finally broke the kiss and gave her a small smile.

"We may not be together for a while, but we won't be apart for long," he said. "I told you we'd find a way out of this, and we will. We may have failed this time, but we've never given up in the past. Just like you found a way to save me from the poison back at Rypherior's cavern, I'll find a way to get you out of this. But for now, you need to rest. I'll be with you as long as I can."

Ember reluctantly shut her eyes, knowing he was right. Fortunately, rest wasn't as hard to find as she'd expected. Both her body and mind were utterly exhausted, and as she listened to the soft, rhythmic sound of the Absol's steady breathing, she soon melted into his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

Absol couldn't help but smile as he watched Ember's mouth open slightly and her breathing become steadied. He was glad she wasn't awake to see it, but he was exhausted as well.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps slowly approaching them. His eyes shot open and he craned his head to see who it was, guessing it was probably Arcanine or Houndoom to take them away. However, the Pokémon he saw was an East Side agent. He grinned a bit when he saw that it was actually his friend Ampharos, though he knew she was technically their enemy now. He noticed that she was also carrying a small supply bag on her shoulder, probably given to her by the East Side.

"Hey, Kala," he said. "Good to see you're okay."

"Hello, Absol," she said evenly, a tiny hint of what almost seemed like apology in her tone. "I see you found her."

Absol smiled and nodded. "Not in the way that I was planning, but worth it nonetheless. Why are you here, though? I thought the East Side was falling back."

"The West Side is winning the battle and driving us out of the city. I was actually ordered to retreat as well, but not before I've done one last thing."

"Oh? What's that?" Absol asked, though he already knew the answer.

Ampharos looked away, a light of hesitation in her eyes.

"I'm supposed to kill you two," she said quietly. "Or more specifically, Ember. It's the only way to get rid of the West Side's Drought."

"I see," Absol said evenly. "I'm in no condition to fight you, but if you want to kill Ember, you'll have to kill me too. So, what will it be?"

After a few moments, Ampharos reluctantly met Absol's gaze.

"I don't want to kill you, Absol," she said sadly. "But Luxray's orders are final…"

Absol nodded slowly, a feeling of calm resignation sweeping over him. He realized there was no way out, and at least their death would be quick, painless, and at the hand of a friend.

"Then do what you have to do, Ampharos," he said softly, closing his eyes. "I forgive you."

There was a long silence as Absol waited for Ampharos to finish them. He held Ember tightly, knowing it would end any moment now. However, Absol didn't feel an attack strike or consciousness slip away. After another minute, he opened his eyes. Ampharos was gone, and the supply bag she'd been carrying was lying on the ground beside them.

Absol slowly stood up and walked over to the bag, opening it up. There were numerous supplies and healing items inside, and it looked like there were just enough to heal Embers main injuries and even a few of his own.

Absol looked out into the distance, seeing the East Side retreating and disappearing over the orange-and-red horizon outside the city. He thought of the wonderful friend he'd made in the most unlikely of places, and hoped they would meet again someday.

Thank you, Kala, he thought. I'll never forget you, the East Side agent who helped us survive.

Chapter 21