Chapter 22: The Last Breaths of an Empire

Crossing the distance between Houndoom's town and the main East Side encampment had been no easy task, despite only taking the better part of two days to accomplish. After Gunny had used the secret tunnels in Houndoom's lair to escape the city unnoticed, he nearly ran right into a random West Side patrol and had to take a detour through a poisonous swamp to avoid being caught.

He'd been forced to fight several Poison Pokémon, which wasn't any Fighting type's idea of fun. All it would have taken was one Toxic or a lucky scratch from any Poison attack, and he'd have died before ever reaching his destination. Still, he managed to find a shortcut through the swamp just in time to avoid a swarm of Zubat, the second most annoying Pokémon on the face of the earth behind Honchkrow.

After making his way through a few more relatively harmless routes, Gunny had finally reached the city that the East Side was using as a foothold in the western half of the region. This one wasn't just abandoned; Luxray and his gang had actually conquered it several weeks back. It was a small town, and the civilian population didn't have too many strong trainers, so taking it over had been a fairly easy task, or so he'd heard. Now they had all the supplies of the town at their disposal, which had been a welcome aid to Gunny's injuries upon his arrival.

Now, Gunny was currently being escorted by a pair of Magnezone to Luxray's quarters. He had wanted to rest after his long journey, but Luxray was all-too-eager to hear his final report on the happenings behind the West Side lines and had summoned him as soon as he'd heard word of his return. Knowing it would be more than unwise to vex his superior, Gunny had followed his escort without a word as soon as they came.

The two Magnezone on either side of him suddenly stopped in front of a large, relatively undamaged building the humans called a "Global Trade Station." Gunny guessed it was where Luxray must be and silently chuckled. He knew Luxray always took the biggest, most imposing property for himself after any raid or siege. He always liked to be at the seat of power, right at the head of the 'pack.'

Gunny entered the building, seeing several Electric Pokémon drawing power from all of the advanced equipment lying around. It was an ideal base for a gang of Electric Pokémon, especially considering how close it was to Houndoom's city, right under the noses of their enemies; perfect for any invasion plans.

At last, Gunny saw Luxray sitting on a black leather office chair, looking quite pleased with himself. Were he in the mood to push his luck, he might have dared a jest at Luxray's human-like choice. Sadly, he wasn't, so he wouldn't. Instead, he stopped a few feet in front of his leader and bowed respectfully.

"You're back early," Luxray remarked. "Has the stench of Houndoom's town driven you out?"

"No, sir," Gunny replied evenly. "I just didn't want to be present when you level the place."

"Oh, you didn't think I would have launched our final assault with you still inside the city, did you?" Luxray asked in a mock-hurt tone.

"Mienshao really caused me some trouble back in the city," Gunny said, changing the subject. "He ruined our plan to kill the Ninetails in our last battle. He seemed very mentally unstable at that point. His trainer must have been even crueler than ours."

Luxray nodded slowly. "It's possible, though it's still a shame to lose such a promising commander to his own hidden insanity. But I digress. How is the West Side faring after the beating we gave them?"

"Their city defenses still aren't repaired," Gunny reported. "The town is running low on supplies, they no longer have Drought on their side, several of the main buildings are totally destroyed, including their manor, and Arcanine no longer has any reliable commanders left. At least, none that are in top condition, physically or mentally. There has never been a better time to attack."

Luxray chuckled. "Wonderful. Since you said they no longer have Drought, I assume you killed their Drought Ninetails before you left, as per the prime directive?"

Gunny hesitated. "Well…I didn't exactly kill her, sir."

Luxray's cold yellow eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you didn't 'exactly' kill her?"

"There was never an opportunity to kill her myself, but I managed to convince someone else to do it, and I'm pretty confident she'll do the job. She isn't overly fond of Ember, if you take my meaning."

"And you left without making sure the job was done?"

Gunny faltered, racking his brain for the right answer. He could swear he saw a fire in Luxray's piercing gaze made the flames in Houndoom's lair look like…well, embers. Perhaps he was just imagining things, though something in his gut told him otherwise.

"There was no doubt she'd get the job done, sir," Gunny said finally. "Besides, I think Houndoom was on to me. I had to get out of there before I was discovered."

Luxray watched him silently, no-doubt pondering his answer. Holding Luxray's gaze was like staring into the face of a sphinx; he was totally unreadable at all times. Thankfully, Luxray soon waved the matter away.

"I trust your discretion in the matter," Luxray said evenly. "Especially considering you know what will happen to all of us if Ember survives to thwart my final invasion with Drought."

"I'm certain she won't be giving us any more trouble, sir," Gunny said, trying to sound surer than he felt. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, there is," Luxray replied. "Are you certain you don't have any…misgivings?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"You've been Arcanine's friend for years, even if it was only a cover. In my experience, it's sickeningly common for spies to become attached to those they've known for so long, whether they're using them or not. I need to know where your loyalties lie. Do you feel even the smallest regrets about betraying Arcanine and his friends?"

"You know what they say about us reptiles, sir; we're all cold-blooded," Gunny said with a smirk.

"Good answer. Tell me, how is my old friend and his right-hand?"

Gunny shrugged. "Houndoom and Arcanine aren't at each other's throats, but if left to their own devices they soon will."

Luxray scowled thoughtfully, his tail flicking slightly. "Is Arcanine a possible ally?"

"No, sir. He serves Houndoom faithfully, but he has his own plans for eventual leadership."

"Then he could be an even greater threat in time," Luxray mused. "We'll deal with him when the invasion begins."

"Speaking of which, sir, when are we planning to attack?"

Luxray grinned wolfishly. " With this news, immediately."

Looking out at the stunning countryside from the edge of Houndoom's town was like looking back into the distant, nigh-unreachable past. Ember wistfully gazed out at the shining grass and trees, bathed by the golden sunlight above, beckoning her out of the city. It was all so close, and yet so far. She'd waited as many days as it took for the guards to become lax, and she'd taken the first opportunity she could find to sneak to the edge of the city, though she knew there was one final problem she had to overcome before she could run to the pastures ahead and be free of the West Side forever.

She'd already resigned herself to the truth of Absol's words. She knew she would likely never see him again, hear his soothing voice, or feel the gentleness of his touch outside of her memories. It still pained her deeply, but she knew she had to escape before Houndoom caught on to the truth. She knew she would be in those shining meadows again soon, even though for a time it would be a hollow feeling without Absol with her. Still, there was one last Pokémon she would have to elude before she could dare to try and leave.

As expected, she soon heard the sickeningly familiar flapping of wings behind her. Even that sound was enough to make her skin crawl by now. She didn't even have to look to know that Honchkrow had perched himself behind her on whatever ledge he'd landed on.

"If you're trying to escape, Ember, I really don't mind," he cawed cheerfully. "In fact, it just gives me a good excuse to kill Absol. Shall I execute him now, or do you actually have a reason for being out here?"

"Arcanine sent me to keep watch to make sure the route is clear," Ember replied calmly, facing him. "He's planning on sending a few scouts to a possible enemy base."

Honchkrow snorted. "The old 'Arcanine sent me' bit again, eh? I still haven't been able to get him to tell me whether you were actually telling the truth last time, but I have my doubts."

"If you want, you can go verify it with him," Ember offered.

"Oh, no, I'm not leaving you alone again. The last time I did, you got in a brawl with one of our top commanders, and you made Houndoom so angry, I thought he'd cook me!"

Ember forced herself not to snicker.

"Okay, so what do you propose we do?" she asked.

"How 'bout I just drag you back to Arcanine with me?"

Ember shrugged. "If you haul me away from my post, you'll just be slowing Arcanine down and causing everyone trouble, which is what he was trying to avoid."

Honchkrow shot her an exasperated scowl. She could tell his confidence was once again beginning to waver. It was time for the final push.

"If you want, you can send for a guard to keep watch on me while you go get Arcanine," she said.

Honchkrow scoffed. "Nice try, but I'd have to be pretty dumb to leave you alone while I go get a guard."

"Well, then I ask again: what do you propose we do?" Ember asked, feigning the appropriate amount of irritation. "We could sit here glaring at each other until one of us drops dead, or you could just go get Arcanine while I wait here. Besides…you know I couldn't leave as long as you have Absol, remember?"

There was a long pause, and Ember could tell she'd succeeded. Honchkrow gave her one last irritated glare before spreading his wings.

"Fine, I'll go get Arcanine," he spat. "But you know what happens to Absol if you try anything funny!"

With that, Honchkrow took off back toward Houndoom's town. Ember waited until she was sure he was gone, then sprinted away from the city and into the wild. She only wished she could see Honchkrow's face when he came back and found her gone.

Absol gazed out from between the rusty bars of his cell and into the darkness of the dungeon hallways. Even with perfect night vision, there was little for him to see other than stone walls and the West Side prison guard Houndoom had placed nearby. The guard was a Ninetails, though he could tell that her ability was Flash Fire, unlike Ember's. He knew Houndoom had probably specifically selected a normal Ninetails as his guard just to torment him, but he refused to allow it to get to him.

He paused and thought about the Ninetails who had so utterly changed his life. Had Ember already escaped? He constantly checked the PokeRader, its singal still on Ember. The red dot was almost out of range now. She was further out than even Honchkrow monitored. It was time now. He casually glanced at the guard Ninetails, whose fur sheen was a slightly darker shade than Ember's.

"Excuse me," he called.

"What?" the guard snapped.

"May I have some water, please?" Absol asked.

"Ha, I'm not just going to walk away and bring you some."

"Why not?"

"Because I know you'll try to escape," the Ninetails said curtly.

"Why are you worried about that? None of my regular attacks could break these bars, and I could only use Sucker Punch if you used an attack first."

"I don't care. You'll probably find some other way to escape."

"So, are prisoners never allowed to have water?" Absol asked evenly.

"Well, no," the guard grudgingly admitted. "But why do you want water now?"

"I'm thirsty."

"So am I. That's life. Deal with it."

"If you're thirsty, why don't you get some water?"

"Because I can't just leave my post every time I need a drink," the guard spat. "Now shut up."

"I'd shut up if you just brought me a drink," Absol said.

The Ninetails groaned. "Are you just going to pester me all day until I bring you water?"

"May I have some, please?"

"Oh, FINE! Anything to shut you up!"

With that, the guard stormed off, leaving Absol alone. He waited patiently for a few minutes until she returned with a small bucket in her teeth, which contained a miniscule amount of water. She unceremoniously dropped it between the bars of his cell.

"There. Happy?"

Absol touched a claw to the water, then handed the bucket back to her.

"It's too cold," he said.

"WHAT?!" Ninetails bellowed. "It's burning hot down here, and this water was barely even normal temperature before I brought it down! How could you possibly complain about it being too cold?!"

"Because it is too cold," Absol replied.

"Well, what are you going to do? Swim in it?!"

"No, but would you mind heating it up for me, please?"

"…Heat it up? You want me to heat that water up?!"

"That's what I said," Absol replied calmly. "You can use one of your Fire attacks to heat up the water."

Without another word, the Ninetails snatched the bucket back, glaring daggers at Absol. She then set the bucket down and prepared to use Fire Blast.

Suddenly, Absol smashed through the prison bars and nailed the guard in the head with Sucker Punch, knocking her out in one blow. She hit the ground hard, knocking over the bucket and spilling its contents. Absol sighed mournfully as he looked down at the PokeRader. Sparks flew off the device as the water shorted its circuits. It was frustrating to have broken it in such an avoidable manner but at least it had done its job.

Absol cautiously moved through the maze-like cavern, sticking to the shadows and keeping his eyes and ears open. Thankfully, he saw no one else around the dungeons. He doubted that Houndoom would spare many agents to guard one prisoner anyway. When he reached the end of the cavern, he slowly ascended the stairway into the slave mines.

The floor that for so long had been his and many others' own private hell was now devoid of any signs of life save for his own. He knew that he should at least try to escape Houndoom's lair, even if his chances were slim to none, so he quickly ran over to the next stairway and proceeded up to the elite chambers.

Absol knew that here was where all the danger lied. Houndoom and his top commanders still used these rooms despite all the casualties they'd taken, and any guards in the entire lair would be here if anywhere. Absol crept on his belly through one of the hallways, inching his way through it while moving next to one of the walls, remaining in its shadows as he progressed.

If he could just reach the supply room, perhaps there was a chance he could find that tunnel and escape after all. It was a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. Once he turned a corner down the next hallway, the stairway to the supply room was already in sight. Absol looked down each new tunnel he passed by, but no one saw him yet. He slightly quickened his pace as he neared the stairs. He was so close now, it was only a little further…

Absol suddenly heard muffled voices ahead of him, followed by distant footsteps. Someone was coming down the very stairs he was trying to reach. Absol quickly darted into a small crevice in the rock wall, his body almost entirely concealed in the shadows. He waited and listened, hoping whoever was coming would be gone soon.

"…and you haven't been able to find him anywhere?" said a voice that sounded like Arcanine's.

"No, sir," a second gruff voice replied. "Gunny just up and disappeared without a trace. We're lookin' all over for him, but no luck so far."

Out of the corner of his eye, Absol saw Arcanine descending the stairs and stepping into the corridor, followed by a Heatmor and a Rapidash.

"You've done all you can," Arcanine said. "If he's planning on returning, we'll see him soon. For now, focus on finding out what Luxray is planning. We need to be ready for whatever tricks he might pull."

The two guards nodded and left down a different hallway, soon out of sight. Arcanine was about to leave, but there was a sudden flapping noise coming from above. Absol saw Honchkrow fly down into the hallway, perching himself on a small indent in the rock wall nearby. Arcanine sighed.

"What is it now, Honchkrow?" he asked.

"Sir, Ember was outside the city," Honchkrow reported. "She said you ordered her to keep watch, so I went to verify it with you."

Arcanine's eyes widened. "What?! You just left her there? You've got to be kidding me! How could you be that stupid? Why didn't you just knock her out and take her back here?"

Honchkrow winced. "I'm flattered you have such faith in me, but if Ember and I fought, I don't think I could—"

"Oh, get out of my sight," Arcanine spat.

Needing no further prompting, Honchkrow flew off into the darkness. Arcanine called over one of the nearby guards. The Heatmor saluted, waiting for orders.

"I've got to go deal with a problem in the ranks," Arcanine said. "Close off all exits to the elite chambers and the supply room. If Luxray attacks while Ember is gone, he'll have a very good chance of reaching our lair without Drought on our side. I don't want anyone getting through these floors."

Absol already felt a curse welling up in his throat as Arcanine gave the order, but he bit it back, not wanting to blow his cover. He saw Arcanine head back up toward the supply room, followed by several Fire Pokémon. Dozens of guards began swarming the floor, blocking every path to the upper levels. Whatever chance there might have been for Absol to escape and spare Ember the heartbreak was gone now. There was no way he could fight his way through all the guards and still escape unnoticed.

Absol quickly snuck back to the stairway leading down into the mines before more guards showed up. He was now calmly resigned to the fact that he would not live to see another day, that his turn had finally come. But he would not die alone. Houndoom, the leader of the West Side, had caused more agony and despair to the world than any one Pokémon, save perhaps Luxray himself. It was time for him to face Houndoom in combat, and it was time for both of them to go.

Absol ran back down to the empty, barren slave mines, knowing it was the only place in the entire lair where he could face Houndoom unimpeded. The only problem was getting him down there, but Absol vividly remembered every detail of his last conversation with Ember and had formed his plan accordingly while he was still in his cell. She said that she'd gotten into a fight with a commander, and that she was right beneath Houndoom's chamber. The noise had apparently been enough to make Houndoom go down and investigate it himself.

Absol found the spot where Ember and the commander had fought, which wasn't too difficult with all the burn marks and shards of metal from destroyed ore containers lying around. He then fired off a Psycho Cut at the ceiling, causing a loud BANG and making pebbles and stones fall to the ground. He freely launched two more Psycho Cuts, knowing they would be useless in a fight with Houndoom. The resulting blasts echoed through the caverns and sent rocks scattering everywhere.

It was only a matter of time now.

From the highest building in the main plaza of Houndoom's city, Luxray watched as the armies of the West Side fell before his unstoppable invasion force. His last attack had been nothing more than a preview; this was opening night, and it would be Houndoom's last act. Waves upon waves of Electric, Fighting, and Water types swept across the city, driving back Houndoom's feeble, weakened defenses. Thanks to Gunny, he knew exactly where and when to strike, and he could tell that his surprise attack had caught the enemy completely off guard.

Smashing his way through the city's outer defenses had been easy; the real problem would be the siege of Houndoom's mine. The enemy would no-doubt have sent someone to alert Houndoom and his military commanders about the attack by now, and the defenses in the caverns were nigh-impregnable. They cold hole up there for months with their supplies, and Luxray knew he wouldn't get another shot at this.

"Sir, we have a minor problem below."

Luxray turned to his right-hand, Gunny, who was calmly looking out over the city as well. It was good to have him back were he belonged.

"And that is?"

"We don't have enough commanders below to manage all our troops," Gunny reported. "The loss of Mienshao and Cloyster certainly hasn't helped our battle schematics."

Luxray's face scrunched up as he pondered the problem.

"Didn't we recently rescue an East Side Hunting Leader from captivity?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. If you'll remember, an Ampharos escaped from Houndoom's slave mines in the last battle. She's with us now."

"Well, put her in command of our ground troops near Houndoom's lair. That should balance things out a little."

Gunny saluted and jogged off to carry out the order. Luxray looked back down at Houndoom's lair, his eyes glowing as he looked through the stone walls and inside the base. His eyes allowed him to see everything inside the fortress, including all of the West Side agents crawling around in those hallways like the rats they were. After making sure Houndoom hadn't flown the coop, he began scrutinizing the roads around the base to make sure their defenses were sufficiently opened.

As Luxray scanned the streets below, he suddenly saw the black-and-red form of his old nemesis, Houndoom. That was strange; he was sure he'd seen Houndoom inside his base a moment ago. Perhaps he'd left already? No matter. Houndoom wouldn't escape him this time.

Luxray leapt over the side of the building, falling for a good seven seconds before landing perfectly on his feet, feeling no pain from the impact. He rushed at Houndoom, stopping only a few feet away from his adversary and grinning.

"To the death this time, eh?" he bellowed eagerly.

Houndoom said nothing in response. He merely fired a Night Daze at Luxray, who rolled to the side and dodged the attack. Night Daze was a rare move; Luxray was surprised even Houndoom knew it. No matter, it would do him no good. Luxray counter attacked with Discharge, sending an unusually slow and clumsy Houndoom flying backward until he slammed into the pavement.

The form of Houndoom suddenly began to shimmer, finally fading away entirely. Luxray gritted his teeth as he saw a Zoroark in Houndoom's place. An illusion! This West Side commander would pay dearly for that. Luxray charged at the Zoroark, firing another Discharge. The wave of electricity washed over the Zoroark again, obliterating him entirely. Luxray stopped, scowling. That was far too easy. He looked through the smoke and saw that the Zoroark he'd destroyed was a Substitute! Furious, Luxray turned toward Houndoom's base, seeing the real Zoroark running through the main entrance. He continued to watch the Pokémon that had tricked him twice run through the interior of Houndoom's base.

"Not bad," Luxray growled. "I hope you're ready for me, Houndoom. I'm going to level your fortress once and for all, and you with it."

As Houndoom rested in the warmth of his always-fiery chamber, absently drumming his claws on the rock floor, he couldn't help but miss hearing the cries of the slaves below him, or the rhythmic sounds of pounding and scraping at the rock walls beneath his chamber. The silence below him was irritating, mostly because it meant he was no longer making a profit from the mines he'd been lucky enough to make a base in. Now he would have nothing to sell to the ore collectors in any of the nearby cities, and he would eventually lose the support of all the Pokémon who came to him to buy important items like Heart Scales and evolutions stones that could usually only be found in places like his mines.

Perhaps he could raid another East Side base or even a small town for prisoners and make them work in the mines. Then afterward, he could resume his business with the collectors—

"Sir! Grave news!"

Houndoom started slightly at the loud voice from the nearby hall. He stepped out of the flames and saw Zoroark run in looking worried, winded, and wounded. Houndoom took a moment to smirk at his own wordplay before addressing the commander.

"What's going on?" he asked calmly.

"Sir, you're needed on the surface!" Zoroark said between breaths. "Luxray is here!"

"You mean in the city? Tell me this is just a raid!"

"Sir, I'm afraid it's a full-fledged invasion force, and it's even larger than the last one," Zoroark said nervously.

"How could they have gotten so far into our territory without being noticed in the first place? And why hasn't anyone been reporting to me sooner? Who was on watch?!"

"It was Gunny's turn to keep on lookout, sir, but he vanished a while ago and hasn't returned."

Houndoom gritted his teeth, the bonfires around him seeming to burn even brighter with his anger.

"The East Side was every bit as badly damaged as us in the last battle," he spat. "Perhaps even more. We gave as good as we got. How can they even afford another invasion so soon after the last one?!"

Zoroark shrugged. "We're not sure, sir. Apparently, Luxray doesn't value the lives of his soldiers too much, and he doesn't mind sacrificing as many as it takes to bring us down. And as much as I hate to report it, judging by our current strength, he probably will. What's worse, the enemy is using all our own military strategies against us! I think we should seriously consider abandoning the city, sir."

Houndoom scowled thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe we can—"

Suddenly, there was an incredibly loud BOOM that caused the entire room to rumble slightly. Houndoom glanced to and fro, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The noise was soon followed by two more explosions, even noisier than the first. Little pebbles rained down from the ceiling as the vibrations wracked the chamber. Houndoom let out a long sigh.

"Those two are at it again?!" he muttered. "Now, of all times, and right beneath my chamber again! That's it, I've had enough of Arcanine's pets. I'm putting an end to this. You, come with me."

Taken aback, Zoroark quickly followed Houndoom out of the chamber and toward the stairway leading to the mines. Houndoom remembered how Arcanine had forced him to give it up last time, and if Arcanine was there again, he had no intention of confronting him alone.

Ember heard the deep rumble of distant thunder as she ran through the forests and meadows, putting the West Side at her back and keeping it there. She didn't know exactly where to go, but if she could just find Rypherior's mountain, she would at least have a suitable landmark to plan her next route by. At least the great mountain that divided the region in two shouldn't be too hard to find. Ember scanned the horizon with her eyes as she ran, looking for the great slab of rock that jutted into the blue-and-white belly of the sky.

Once she reached a large hill and ran to the top to get a better view of the landscape, it wasn't long before she spotted the mountain in the distance, rising over the tops of the trees. From this vantage point, she knew she could find her way to wherever she decided to go.

It was only then that Ember realized she had no idea where she wanted to go to spend the rest of her life. She remembered that for so long, she'd been trying to get back to Rose and see her teammates; perhaps it was time to accomplish that goal. After all, she had nothing left to go back to anywhere else. At least she'd be able to reunite with her old friends if she found a way to return to Rose now.

But for the moment, all that mattered was getting as far away from the West Side as possible. With that, Ember ran toward the mountain, eventually finding a route with a few cliffs on one side and a forest on the other that led in the general direction of the great rock spire.

WHOOSH! A red-and-orange blur suddenly shot past Ember, stopping in front of her and blocking her path. Ember dug in her claws and skidded to a stop, finding herself face to face with the Pokémon she feared most in the world.

"This way's a dead end," Arcanine said.

Ember's heart leapt into her throat, the blood draining from her face. Almost on instinct, she turned and dashed in the opposite direction, but Arcanine moved ten times faster than her—probably through the use of Extremespeed—and cut off her path again.

"This way's a dead end too."

Ember quickly stopped, stepping back from Arcanine again to keep her distance, though she didn't bother to try and run again. How on earth had he found her?

"You're easy to track," Arcanine said, as if sensing her thoughts. "You may have been able to get past Honchkrow, and you're as fast as Houndoom's guards are stupid, but did you really think you could get away from me?"

Ember shivered slightly. "W-What do you want from me? Why can't you just let me go?"

"The East Side has hit us with a surprise invasion. We need your ability to destroy the East Side once and for all. Come back with me willingly, and you will be forgiven for this."

"If you're being attacked, how can you afford to leave your army and come after me?"

"I may be needed there, but Drought is needed more," Arcanine said evenly. "Now, will you come with me, or will I have to drag you back? Experiments on past Ninetails show that Drought can still work even if the Ninetails is unconscious."

It was all Ember could do to avoid gulping. She tried to keep as calm as possible, though Arcanine's powerful, imposing demeanor made that extremely difficult. The fact that he'd already beaten her in combat before didn't help her nerves much, and she noticed that he now carried the most terrifying held item she'd ever faced: an actual Life Orb.

"You know, the East Side attacking you now isn't a coincidence," she said. "Gunny sold you guys out. He's been a mole and a traitor the whole time. He was the East Sides Guest in the West Side. "

Arcanine scoffed. "You're getting pretty desperate with these stories now. There's no way Gunny would ever betray us."

"Oh, yeah? What do you really know about him?" Ember shot back. "Do you even know what his life was like before you met him?"

"Of course," Arcanine replied calmly. "Before he joined the West Side, he was your average wild Pokémon, just like me."

"Exactly like you," Ember agreed. "You're both the same, even now. The only difference is that you're a commander of one gang, and he's a commander of another."

Arcanine's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know, Ember, you really have a way of pushing your luck like no other. Sadly, I'm getting a little tired of these games. Now, this is your last chance. Come with me without any more trouble, or I'll make the beating Mienshao gave you look like a Little Cup match."

Despite the deep fear eating away at her, Ember managed to steel what was left of her nerves. She'd never been closer to freedom, and she'd rather die than let Arcanine take it from her.

"I'm never going back," she said firmly. "You may be more powerful than me, but I can still fight you."

"You probably can fight me," Arcanine agreed. "Not win, but you can fight. But what would be the point? You've already forsaken your dearest Absol by coming out here. What do you have left to fight for? Let's say you somehow manage to win against me. Then where will you go?"

Ember hoped Arcanine couldn't see the pang of grief that shot through her at the mention of her abandoning Absol. She refused to let him push her around any longer, mentally or physically.

"I can go wherever I want," she replied brusquely. "Maybe I'll find my own little home in some peaceful forest, or maybe I'll go back to my trainer and see my old teammates."

"Your teammates are dead."

At first, Ember was startled by his reply. Her blood soon ran cold as the words rang in her head. He had to be lying. He was just making things up to phase her out. So why did her throat feel so dry…?

"I-I don't believe you," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "What do you know about my teammates?"

"Some of them ended up working for us," Arcanine replied. "As you know, Cloyster is dead. Volcarona was with us for a time until she was killed in action. I believe she died in a battle against you and Absol, even. You did not even recognize her. We convinced Salamence to join us a while back, but he refused to kill a Victreebel in a battle against a group of rebels in a nearby town. We put him in the slave mines as punishment, and we of course killed the Victreebel, which Salamence later told us was another of his old teammates when explaining himself. Later on, Salamence was killed by Luxray in our last battle with the East Side. All your teammates are dead, save possibly for Charizard, and I highly doubt he even remembers you."

Ember didn't know whether to feel sickness, despair, or anger. Here Arcanine was, telling her that the gangs had been responsible for the deaths of four of five of her teammates. If he was trying to obliterate her hope and spirit, it was working.

"What makes you think they were my teammates?" she tried. "For all you know, they could just be other Pokémon of the same species!"

Arcanine actually smiled a little, which sent a chill down her spine.

"Oh, no, we've made no mistakes when it comes to you and your teammates," he said. "In fact, Houndoom has kept you under close surveillance from the moment Rose first took you into this region. Haven't you learned by now that the West Side can always keep track of important Pokémon? As soon as Houndoom heard about the prospect of a new Drought Ninetails, he sent Honchkrow to keep tabs on you, your trainer, and your teammates. So, let's just say that Rose releasing you was the big opportunity we'd been waiting for. It was just bad luck that you ended up so far away from our grasp in the middle of the East Side."

Ember was unable to resist shivering at the thought. Had Houndoom really always been watching her? Did he really know everything about her? That meant that either Arcanine was making the whole thing up, or all her teammates—save for Charizard, thank God—were dead. She began to feel nauseous as she contemplated it, her hatred for Houndoom and the gangs boiling through her blood like her inner fire.

"So, what did you think would happen when you told me this?" she said, her fury seeping through to her voice. "Did you think I'd throw myself at your feet and crawl back to the West Side to be your tool?"

"I have no intention of making you my tool. I only want you to realize that there is nothing left for you out there, and that there's no way for you to truly escape us in the end. We can always find you, Ember. No matter where you go, there is no forest, no cave, no hole that you can hide in where we can't find you. But if you come back now, you won't have to be hunted anymore. You can finally become a true part of the winning team and embrace a much better life."

"Better life?" Ember spat. "What 'better life' could I possibly have at the West Side? Death would be better than going back!"

"You still don't realize that I'm about to become the most powerful Pokémon in history," Arcanine said, neither pride nor humility in his tone. "Do you even understand how powerful you could become once Houndoom is gone? If you can't bear serving under him any longer, we can kill him once the East Side is destroyed. But I have no intention of letting you wander off and leave our army defenseless so the East Side can ruin everything I've worked for. I'm about to begin a quest to save all the Pokémon in the world, and you can either join me, or face my judgment."

Ember actually took a half-pace back from Arcanine. Not for the first time, she was beginning to feel truly terrified of the warlord before her.

"You're insane!" she yelled.

The words had flown from her mouth before she could even stop and think, and she realized she'd made a deadly mistake. She saw a fire in Arcanine's eyes-indefinable, and yet unquestionably there—and she knew something within him had snapped. For the first time, Arcanine looked truly angry, an emotion she'd never seen him display. His calm, rational demeanor was replaced by a palpable rage.

"I don't know, Ember," he began in a low, icy tone. "Does being the last sane Pokémon in the gang wars make you crazy? Because if it does, maybe I am."

Arcanine suddenly rushed at her. Ember instinctively turned and sprinted away from him, but a sudden weight on her backside made her stumble and fall. She craned her neck and saw Arcanine standing on one of her tails to prevent her from moving. Without thinking, she blasted him right in the face with Psyshock, causing him to lose his grip. He seemed more surprised than damaged by the blow.

"So you're still going to try and fight me again," he muttered. "I hope you've improved."

Before Ember could follow up the attack, Arcanine rammed into her with Extremespeed and knocked her over the side of one of the rock ledges. She managed to land on her feet, though she was now standing on a small cliff looking over a good fifty-foot drop down into a foggy valley. She dared a further glance over the side and saw a large river right at the base of the cliff that looked like a tiny stripe of blue on the golden-green landscape below.

Arcanine leapt down from the ledge and onto the cliff, his heavy, powerful body thudding onto the rock. Ember looked at him, then back at the incredible drop over the outcropping. Arcanine saw it and flashed a crooked smile.

"There's nowhere to go now," he said. "It's too late to give up, though. Now I'm going to finish this, and when you wake up, the East Side will be gone, and you'll be in a cell underneath Houndoom's chambers until I decide what to do with you."

Arcanine began stalking toward her, and Ember took one last terrified glance over the side of the cliff. Her mind would never have allowed her to make the decision she was about to, but the fight was allowing her instincts to take over, and it took all of a split second for her to see the only way out. With that, Ember ran away from Arcanine…

…And jumped over the cliff.

The last thing she heard before the endless rush of wind was Arcanine's startled grunt. She had to squint as she plummeted through the mist, though she could still see the river beneath her growing larger and rushing up at her. She spread her tails for balance and maneuvered her light body into the position for a perfect dive. She had no idea whether she'd survive, but it would increase whatever chances she had left. Even if it didn't, it was better than losing to Arcanine again.

Ember shut her eyes and held her breath as the river met her head-on. Hitting the water was like running into a wall, though it didn't make as much noise as she'd expected. Pain surged through her stomach and legs, and the wind had been knocked out of her, so she quickly struggled to right herself in the water and swam toward the surface. As soon as her head met air, she began gasping for breath, coughing and trying to overcome the slight dizziness she'd received from the impact of the water. It had hurt, but she was alive.

Back on the cliff, Arcanine saw Ember's golden-and-orange form poke out from the water. He gritted his teeth as he saw her climb out of the water, unharmed.

"Damn it," he growled, darting back around the cliff.

Absol waited silently for Houndoom behind a pile of rocks and containers near the mine entrance. He knew that Houndoom would arrive any moment now, and when he did, Absol would be ready with a Stone Edge to end the fight before it began. And after that…well, he was long past the point of fearing death. In fact, waiting for Houndoom to arrive was like waiting for death itself.

It was a long and tedious wait, but Absol remained as still and as patient as the rocks around him. All his training and survival skills allowed for nothing else. He wasn't entirely sure he could best Houndoom in a fight, but this way, he would finally be the one with the edge. And with the fall of Houndoom would hopefully come the fall of one of the most tyrannous, sadistic Pokémon organizations to ever be formed.

The faint sound of footsteps from above told Absol that his wait had paid off. He slowly peered out from behind his cover and saw a shadow slowly descending the stairs into the mines. After a few more moments, Absol finally saw Houndoom himself reach the bottom, and he leapt out from behind his cover and fired off Stone Edge. The move was a total success. Houndoom was struck right in the head and dropped dead almost instantly. There was only one problem.

It wasn't Houndoom.

The form of Houndoom that Absol had seen now faded away, having been nothing more than an illusion. Absol cursed under his breath as he made out the features of a Zoroark lying dead on the rocks near the entrance. He had blown his cover for nothing. Even worse, a second later, Absol saw none other than the real Houndoom arrive at the bottom level, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

Absol reacted quickly, firing off another Stone Edge, but Houndoom was even quicker. The West Side leader sprang to the side, Stone Edge flying past him and shattering against the stairs. Houndoom darted around a corner and into the darkness of the mines, and Absol had no choice but to quickly follow his adversary. However, he saw no sign of Houndoom anywhere.

Wherever Houndoom was hiding, Absol was a sitting duck out in the open, so he quickly ran behind a small pile of rubble for cover. He listened carefully for his adversary, his eyes darting to and fro to make sure Houndoom didn't sneak up on him from behind.

"Absol, do you really think killing me is your best option?" Houndoom's voice echoed through the cavern. "Stop and think. All the upper floors are covered in guards. If I don't return, they'll eventually look down here, and you can't get to any of the upper floors. There's no way out for you."

Absol didn't respond, not wanting to give away his own position. He tried to figure out the general direction of Houndoom's voice, but it was difficult with the cave echoing the sound multiple different ways.

"I guess you'd have no way of knowing this, but we're under attack right now," Houndoom called out again. "The East Side is throwing everything they have at us, and if I'm not there to help fight back, we're probably all going to die."

Absol waited for another few moments. He suddenly saw a bright flare of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked and saw a wave of fire scorch a pile of ore crates nearby, melting them into a puddle. Houndoom had obviously thought that Absol was hiding there and wasted a Heat Wave. Absol used that mistake to his advantage. Now that he knew where Houndoom was, he slowly and silently crept out of his cover and headed towards Houndoom's general direction.

"You really think you can kill me down here?" came the voice again, this time slightly closer. "You, Ember, and Arcanine are all alike. You all think you can outsmart me, but I've been leading this gang before any of you were born, and I know every trick there is. I even have a few of my own. How do you think I became the leader of the most fearsome gang in existence?"

With that wagging silver tongue of yours, Absol thought, though he said nothing. He looked behind every pile of crates, pillars of stone, and shadowy corner, but he saw no sign of his nemesis. He eventually reached the area Houndoom had burned, though he still found no trace of the West Side leader.

Suddenly, Absol's right side was scorched, and he was flung back against the wall and fell near the smoldering pile of burned metal, too close for comfort. He dazedly looked up and saw Houndoom standing there, several yards away from where Absol had expected him to be. He only now realized with disgust that Houndoom's earlier attack had been a trick to lure him into the open.

"Like I said, I know all the tricks," the warlord said, grinning. "You were in my service when you were at your peak, and I know all of yours, too. You can't possibly win."

Absol quickly rolled to his slightly singed feet before Houndoom could press the attack.

"If you know all my tricks, how did I get this far?" Absol shot back.

Houndoom's smile faded slightly, though the smug confidence in his eyes remained unshaken.

"You haven't gotten very far at all, actually," the warlord retorted. "You're trapped down here with a Pokémon twice your strength and about to die, and Ember soon after. What have you achieved?"

"Are you so sure you can win? Don't forget, the hell you put me through when I first worked here made me much stronger. Now your own mistake just might be your downfall."

"Ha! By the time I'm finished down here, Ember will be recaptured, and we will destroy the East Side. And once the war is over, I will walk over their cold corpses and kill Ember myself. That will be the second time you've failed to protect your mate."

Absol gritted his teeth and prepared a Stone Edge, aiming carefully in the darkness. Houndoom's white fangs shined in the shadows as they formed a grin.

"Careful, Absol," he warned mockingly. "You only have three more shots with Stone Edge, and if you run out, none of your other moves can save you…"

Suddenly, Houndoom used Double Team, creating multiple illusions of himself all around him. Absol fired off the Stone Edge, though it merely passed through one of the copies, leaving him only two Power Points left. Houndoom then began to launch a Heat Wave, but Absol intercepted him with Sucker Punch, hooking him on the jaw. However, Houndoom slowly turned his head back around, still smiling.

"You can't win with that," he taunted. "Your Psycho Cut is useless and my Flash Fire nullifies your Flamethrower. Only your Stone Edge can save you now, not like you'll ever hit me."

Houndoom then blasted Absol with the Heat Wave, the flames engulfing his body like a vortex of agony and searing torment, slamming him against the already-charred rock wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Houndoom's Leftovers heal what small damage Sucker Punch had inflicted on him. The warlord sneered down at Absol, who was still struggling to get back up.

"Now it's time to ask yourself one last question, Absol: 'How would I like to die?'"

Ember continued half-running, half-limping through the woods, trying to put as much distance between Arcanine and herself as possible. She didn't know if Arcanine was still following her after that fall, but she had no intention of taking that risk. She hoped that if she kept taking as many different twists and turns through the forest as she could, Arcanine would eventually lose track of her.

She had to eventually stop and take a breath every now and then, but she was running on adrenaline that blazed hotter than her inner fire, and she was terrified beyond words. If she could just reach the end of the forest, maybe she could find Rypherior's mountain again. She doubted Arcanine would follow her all the way to the eastern end of the region.

As she continued to run, she heard an eerie humming sound behind her. Turning, she saw a faint purple blur. Suddenly, she was caught in a whirling wave of disorienting energy and flung back headfirst into a tree by what could only have been a Dragon Pulse. Trying to ignore her awful headache, Ember dazedly looked up and saw—much to her great horror—Arcanine charging at her a few yards away.

Ember scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as her tired, aching body would allow, but she knew there was no way she could outrun Arcanine, especially with Extremespeed on his side. Even as she ran toward a large hill in the hopes of losing his pursuit with the sudden change in direction, she knew he would eventually catch her.

Suddenly, however, she noticed something on the side of the hill. When she finally reached it, she saw that it was a large hole—probably made by a Pokémon using Dig long ago-that was just large enough for her to fit inside. Even more importantly, it would be too small for Arcanine to follow her. She knew that whatever Pokémon created the tunnel with Dig had probably made a passage that led far away from here. It was her only chance, and it looked like a good one.

As Arcanine drew nearer, she dove into the tunnel, barely managing to squeeze inside before her enemy arrived. She kept moving as quickly as she could, lighting her way with Will-o-wisp. She expected to find herself on the other side of the tunnel any minute now. However, after a few moments of running, she suddenly found herself at a dead end. Rather than finding a light at the end of the tunnel, she'd found a wall of dirt and rock. Suddenly, the horrible realization struck her. It wasn't a tunnel.

It was a foxhole!

Ember mentally kicked herself for backing into a corner. Now she was trapped in here! She tentatively turned around and saw Arcanine standing at the entrance, calmly watching her. At least he was too far away to hit her with Dragon Pulse, so he couldn't reach her for the moment.

"You can't stay in there forever, you know," he called evenly.

"I can stay in here as long as the West Side can hold out," Ember retorted.

She saw the white-and-black slits of Arcanine's eyes narrow slightly, though he said nothing. After a few more moments, he took a step back. Was he giving up? Ember squinted to try and see what he was doing. She saw him gather a pile of leaves, sticks, and branches near the entrance, stuffing them against the maw of the hole. He then opened his mouth and let loose a stream of fire from his throat, torching the leaves and sticks and making a small bonfire.

Soon, the thick scent of smoke crept into Ember's nostrils, causing her eyes to mist and her throat to itch. She couldn't help coughing slightly as the smoke filled the foxhole. Arcanine was trying to flush her out! She would soon be unable to breathe even if she kept low to the ground, which would eventually force her to run out of the hole and into the arms of her adversary. Either way, she was doomed.

However, even as she struggled against a violent coughing fit, a solution wormed its way into her head. She was only about two feet under the earth, since the hole didn't go very far beneath the hill. She held what breath she could catch and began rapidly digging and scratching at the ceiling of dirt above her, desperately trying to claw her way up to the surface.

After about a half-minute, Ember felt her lungs constricting. She was almost out of time. She raked at the ceiling and dug as hard as she could, her life literally depending on it, but she couldn't break through to the surface. Some of the dirt falling from the ceiling fell into her eyes, and she had to take an extra precious three seconds to wipe it out and continue digging, though it was to no avail. Was this how she was to die? Trapped in a foxhole by her own mistake and suffocated by smoke? Absol would have been truly disappointed in her, and somehow, that felt even worse than dying.

However, just as she'd given up hope, a thin light seeped into the little tunnel. She saw a tiny hole above her about the size of her claw, and her heart soared as she realized she'd dug her way to the surface. With renewed vigor, she tore at the ceiling, the tiny light growing brighter and brighter until she finally managed to rip away the last of the earth above her and climbed her way out of the hole, shaking some of the dirt off her fur. The smell of fresh air washing over her was one of the greatest reliefs she'd ever felt.

Remembering that she was still in danger, Ember quickly and quietly snuck away from the hill, hoping that Arcanine hadn't seen or heard her. He was probably still waiting for her to emerge on the other side of the hole, no-doubt impressed that she could hold her breath so long. Despite her current situation, a tiny smile crept onto her face at the thought.

However, she suddenly heard the chillingly familiar humming sound again. This time, she immediately flung herself flat onto the ground, Dragon Pulse sailing inches over her. She rolled to her feet and saw Arcanine standing a few yards away, backlit by the rising flames behind him under the now-darkening evening sky.

"You're good," he said. "Looks like I was right about you after all. I really thought I had you there."

Ember didn't even waste time replying. She turned and dashed away, hoping to find an escape route through the forest. However, Arcanine bolted at her with Extremespeed, grabbing her and sending them both tumbling down the hill and back into the forest. Ember kicked herself free of Arcanine and backed away from him. He rolled to his feet and prepared an attack, but something suddenly fell to the ground with a heavy thud near them. Ember and Arcanine both started slightly and turned to see what it was.

They saw a flaming, crackling branch on the ground, lying next to a burning tree. The scorched tree was surrounded by a multitude of other trees, also blazing. The bonfire that Arcanine started was spreading to the rest of the woods.

They'd set the forest on fire.

Absol leapt forward and smacked Houndoom across the jaw again with Sucker Punch, if only to disrupt his rhythm and buy himself time to think. The West Side leader once again shrugged off the blow with a smug grin, continuing his advance. Absol was soon sent flying again by another Heat Wave, which made the temperature in the slave mines seem like a typical day at the beach compared to the pain he was feeling now.

Absol couldn't think of a way to dodge the Heat Waves, despite hearing rumors about their supposed low accuracy. He was about to risk another Stone Edge, but if Houndoom dodged it, he'd have only one shot left. The minute he ran out of Stone Edges, the fight would be over. He wished he could use Flamethrower, but Houndoom's Flash Fire covered even that.

"I can see the fear in your eyes," Houndoom taunted. "You're right to be afraid; fear is the first and the last emotion anyone ever feels in the gang wars."

"Does that include you, oh great West Side leader?" Absol asked between breaths.

"I am the West Side," Houndoom retorted. "What have I to fear?"

"This!"

Absol suddenly used Psycho Cut, the glowing, pink razor-like energy flying from his horn.

"You must be joking," Houndoom scoffed.

However, the move didn't fly at Houndoom. Instead, it struck the ground right in front of him, bursting and sending pebbles and dust flying everywhere. Houndoom shut his eyes and stepped back, giving Absol the brief second he needed. He instantly followed up with Stone Edge, the shards of rock flying at lightning speed and nailing Houndoom at last.

The warlord groaned in agony as he flew back into a pile of rubble. Absol stopped to catch his breath, certain that he'd finally bested the leader of the West Side. However, as the smoke cleared, he saw Houndoom shakily roll himself clear of the rubble, glaring at Absol with a hatred that burned like Heat Wave.

"That was a good shot, Absol, but you're not the only one who's gotten stronger over the years," his icy voice rang through the cavern. "I have so much power…no one can stand against me!"

"What good is your personal strength if you only rule through ignorance?" Absol asked to stall for time. "Do you rule through fear or respect? Make up your mind! No one is here to help you fight me. I wonder why?"

Houndoom snorted. "Tell me, Absol, since we're on the subject of ruling now; how do you get people to do what you want so easily? When you were in my mines, you led an entire slave revolution and eventually set free all the Pokémon I worked so hard to capture."

"You look for fear, I look for trust," Absol replied curtly.

"Trust?" Houndoom spat the word. "Was trust Elsa's last expression when you let her die?"

"You were the one who sent her into combat while she was weak!" Absol yelled. "You and Luxray are the ones who killed her!"

"Is that so? Remind me again who it was that convinced her to join us in the first place? I gave you two my usual speech for promising newcomers, but you were the one who made her join. We offered you a way to survive the famine, and you took it. And now you have the gall to complain about my methods? If it weren't for me, you both would have died much sooner!"

"If it weren't for the gang war you started, there never would have been a famine in the first place!"

"So what if I took advantage of a promising opportunity?" Houndoom said nonchalantly. "War is the way the world works. It's the fastest and most efficient way for any faction to progress. How do you think our small-time gangs grew so powerful so quickly? Change is painful, but necessary, and Elsa was just another worthy sacrifice to that end. Once we're done with the East Side, we'll find new factions to battle, new conflicts to arouse. We'll grow stronger and stronger, and our progress will make everything the humans have achieved look like wood and stone. Soon they will be the ones battling for our amusement. We'll keep waging war against all opponents until we become perfect! That's my ultimate goal: A world of endless war!"

Now driven into a fury, Absol charged at Houndoom, his wrath fueling his body like extra blood. However, Houndoom had been prepared for the move; he skillfully dodged to the side and kicked Absol's legs out from under him. Absol quickly rolled to his feet and aimed a Sucker Punch, which would at least return the momentum to his favor.

However, the Sucker Punch failed. Instead of using Heat Wave, Houndoom released a move far more deadly: Toxic.

Absol tried to avoid the cloud of venom, but Houndoom's earlier move had left him in a bad spot between the walls of rock, and the toxin soon entered his system, seeping through his bloodstream.

He didn't have long to live.

In the heart of the blazing forest, Ember now fought for her life against an opponent who lived for war. Arcanine predicted her movements and matched her blow for blow as though he could read her mind, and his Flash Fire protected him from the roaring flames slowly encompassing them. Ember knew that even if she did somehow manage to best Arcanine in combat, she may not even be able to escape the hellish fires that must have looked like a flaring beacon under the night sky.

Ember saw the backlit shadow of Arcanine rush at her and use Close Combat, and she managed to roll through the billowing smoke quickly enough to avoid the move. She counter attacked with Toxic, but Arcanine saw the death cloud approaching and used an Extremespeed to avoid it. Ember knew if she could just poison him, then she would have some small chance of victory. The problem was that Arcanine knew it too.

Arcanine used another Close Combat, and Ember rolled to the side again to dodge it. However, Arcanine hadn't been aiming directly for her; he'd actually predicted which way she would dodge the blow and nailed her in the side, dealing a frenzy of bites, slashes, and burns that ripped through what stamina she had left. It was all she could to do slip free of his attacks, and by the time she was able to do so, her left side was so covered in gashes and bite marks that she might as well have been painted red.

However, the Close Combat had made Arcanine briefly drop his guard; she ignored her pain and seized the moment, blasting him away with Psyshock. The waves of energy tore through his weakened defense and sent him flying into one of the many burning trees. He smashed through its base, sending the weakened tree toppling to the ground with a heavy thud. Ember's Shell Bell also healed her once the attack connected, giving her the strength to shrug off his last blow.

Arcanine slowly climbed to his feet, having narrowly escaped being crushed.

"I knew you had heart," he muttered, spitting the blood from his mouth.

Ember tried to use the moment to unsling her trainer bag and use an item, but Arcanine pounced at her with Extremespeed before she could so much as unstrap it from her back. Ember was sent sprawling onto the scorched dirt, though she managed to spread her tails in time to regain her feet more easily. She was running on fumes, though, and it looked like Arcanine still had plenty of fight left in him. She couldn't keep going on like this. There was no way she could beat him in a battle of stamina.

She was about to try Toxic again, though she realized Arcanine would have no trouble dodging it if he saw it coming. However, the searing flames shrouding them both in backlight began to form an idea in her mind. She extended her inner fire and activated Drought for no more than a few seconds, eliminating the backlight and illuminated their little clearing.

Now that she could see him perfectly, she aimed Toxic and fired, and Arcanine immediately rolled to the side. However, the same way he'd predicted her before, she now predicted how he would dodge the move. The venom cloud connected precisely, the toxins seeping into his skin. For the first time since she'd known him, she saw his eyes widen in horror.

"You've killed me," he murmured. "I guess there's no way I can take you back alive now."

Ember felt the blood drain from her face as Arcanine suddenly charged at her with Flare Blitz, a renewed viciousness in his movements. Ember barely managed to shut off Drought in time to avoid powering up his attack, which slammed into her already bleeding left side and caused her searing pain that rivaled Mienshao's torture. The recoil from the move slightly damaged him, though he seemed past the point of caring what pain was inflicted on him.

Even as Ember fell back to avoid another charge, she realized that now that he was poisoned, if she could just survive the battle long enough for the venom to take full effect, he would eventually succumb to it since he was moving so much, especially with his Life Orb draining his strength with each attack. The only problem was not getting killed before then!

Ember used Psyshock to drive Arcanine back and keep the distance between them, but he expertly leapt clean over the pulse of energy, which sailed away until it shattered the base of another burning tree, sending it plummeting right toward both of them. Arcanine heard the crackling, snapping sound and quickly turned, bolting away from the falling trunk with another Extremespeed.

Ember dashed to the right, the tree trunk thudding to the ground and missing her tails by a mere few inches. Before she could even turn around, the world suddenly flipped upside down as Ember was knocked onto her back, Arcanine grappling her to the dirt. He then began to pummel her with Close Combat, and Ember could feel consciousness slipping further away with each blow she received, the world around her fading further and further into the darkness.

No, she roared mentally. No, I will not lose to him again! I will not let Absol down!

With all the reserves of her strength, Ember twisted her body toward Arcanine and blasted him off her with Psyshock, throwing everything she had into the blow. Arcanine, clearly not expecting her to have the fight left in her, was tossed onto his back by the pulse, his head whacking into a large rock.

Ember sprang to her feet and rushed at him, the world around her still blurry, yet focused enough for her to know what to do. She leapt onto Arcanine and thrust her head down toward his neck, her teeth sinking into his skin as she aimed for the jugular. However, it seemed that Arcanine still had fight in him too; he managed to roll his body and kick her off of him right before she could reach her target. She'd been so close!

Ember had only lost the momentum for a second, but that second had been fatal. Arcanine instantly came roaring back, chasing her down as she moved and launching a barrage of attacks. He was about to end it with Extremespeed, and Ember braced herself for the finishing blow, but nothing happened. Arcanine growled and tried it again, but the move didn't activate. It took a few moments for Ember to realize what had happened.

Arcanine was out of Power Points for Extremespeed!

Ember was about to counter attack, but she remembered that the only offensive move she had that could damage Arcanine was Psyshock, and he was more than ready for it. Instead, she moved away from him even further, stopping only as she felt the warmth from the wall of flames reach out and touch her back. She just had to outlast him; that was the only thing she knew.

Ember and Arcanine now faced each other on opposite ends of the slowly shrinking circle of flames, both exhausted and wounded and on their last legs. It all came down to who would run out of endurance first.

One way or another, the end was near.

Luxray stared through the walls of Houndoom's lair eagerly, watching his forces finally beginning to breach the defenses on the upper floors. He saw a squadron led by Ampharos almost single-handedly wipe out an entire division of Fire Pokémon near the entry halls. It would soon be time to join in the fun, but not before he enjoyed a bit more of the entertainment.

Luxray sighed as he saw one of his Zebstrika scouts running out of the mines and stopping near him.

"Sir, we—"

"I know," Luxray interrupted him. "We're breaking through their inner defenses. I can see it all from here, you know."

"Err…yes, sir," the Zebstrika muttered. "Sorry to bother you."

Luxray merely resumed watching the spectacle inside the base, lowering his gaze to the bottom levels to see where Houndoom was hiding. However, he saw something that intrigued him far more than anything else.

"Ah, there you are," Luxray muttered. "It looks like Absol is doing us a favor. We may not even have to go after Houndoom in this fight."

"Begging your pardon, sir?" Zebstrika said.

Luxray turned to him. "You're still here? Well, fine, go back into the mines and tell my commanders to make ready for my arrival. I'm going to join in Absol and Houndoom's fun. I'd like to personally congratulate whoever wins their battle. It's a pity they'll be too dead to hear it."

The poison was already seeping through Absol's system, and he knew it. With every step he took came more pain, more sickness, and more sluggishness of the nerves. Every hit took its toll on Absol's endurance, and he knew he couldn't keep matching Houndoom blow for blow. It seemed like Houndoom knew it as well; there was a renewed vigor in the movements of his nemesis, a strengthening of his confidence with every attack he landed on Absol.

"I expected more of a fight from someone who talks as big as me!" Houndoom chuckled.

Absol was too exhausted to reply. He had to devote all his energy just to survive and figure out a way to defeat Houndoom with his final Stone Edge. Time was running out; not only was the poison killing him even faster than his enemy, but if he didn't act fast, Houndoom's Leftovers would fully heal what damage his other Stone Edge had dealt.

Houndoom was beginning to run out of Heat Waves, so he launched Dark Pulse instead; it was less powerful, but Absol had no way to avoid its accuracy. The black pulse enfolded him like the heat of the mines, rattling his bones and causing his head to throb uncontrollably. It was all he could do to keep on his feet. He couldn't afford to let the pain overpower him; his death was certain, but he had no intention of dying alone today.

Absol was about to risk his final Stone Edge, but a wary movement from Houndoom made him hesitate. If he missed his final shot, it was all over. He couldn't think of an attack to use against Houndoom in the meantime, and no solution presented itself to the problem of finding the right moment for Stone Edge.

"You know, none of this will mean a thing, Absol," Houndoom said. "The West Side always finds its prey; Ember can never escape from us. This whole plan of yours—and I know it's yours, since only you could think of one this stupid—hasn't done you one bit of good. In fact, it just killed you both sooner."

Like you would have let us live anyway, Absol thought. He needed a distraction; something to throw Houndoom off so that he could nail him with the final Stone Edge. Perhaps a Flamethrower right to the face would do it; even if Houndoom had Flash Fire, the blinding light and smoke from the flames should blind him long enough to strike.

"You're not looking so hot, Absol," Houndoom said in mock sympathy. "Maybe you should—"

Absol sprang at Houndoom and used Flamethrower, the fire flying right into his face. Houndoom reflexively darted away from Absol too quickly for him to follow up with the Stone Edge, but something felt…wrong. Houndoom actually seemed slightly hurt by the attack. But how was that possible? Houndoom couldn't be hurt by Fire attacks, unless…

"Your ability isn't Flash Fire, is it?" Absol said.

Houndoom snarled. "Yeah, so I was born with Early Bird instead of Flash Fire. So what? Do you just expect everyone to have human training?I just needed to make sure everyone else around here thought my ability was Flash Fire so they wouldn't try to fight me. You're actually the only one who knows that little secret, and since you're dying anyway, it doesn't really matter."

To emphasize his point, Houndoom fired another Dark Pulse, but the warlord's anger had made him careless. Absol managed to leap to the side and avoid the clumsy attack, the beam of darkness shooting past him until it obliterated one of the cave walls. At least now Absol had another attack he could use, but it wouldn't be enough; the only way to win was Stone Edge. Houndoom's Leftovers had already healed what little damage the Flamethrower had dealt.

Absol was about to move in and attack again, but he felt another sharp jolt of pain from the poison gnawing at his system. Houndoom saw the hesitation and smirked.

"You're just too afraid to use that final Stone Edge, aren't you?" he asked smugly. "You could have beaten me, Absol, but you've always hesitated in the past instead of acting. You might have been able to save Elsa if you'd had the courage to disobey my orders right away and gone with her to the battlefield, but you didn't. And you could still win now, but you won't launch the final attack, and your poison will kill you if I don't. That's why Elsa is dead, and why Ember will follow suit: you've always been too slow."

Too slow. The words rang in Absol's head like the noise from Sonicboom. Luxray had said the same thing on numerous occasions, and the thought that he'd been to slow to save Elsa in the past had haunted him for years. No more, he told himself. I won't be too slow anymore. I won't hesitate again! I won't fail Ember!

"Have you finished praying?" Houndoom asked, grinning.

"You're a real piece of work," Absol muttered.

Houndoom cocked his head to the side, still smiling. "What was that?"

"All you do is prey on people's weaknesses," Absol continued. "You find out what makes people vulnerable, and you pounce on it. That's all you've done from the moment you seized power. Well, I'm done letting my past ruin me. You can't get to me anymore, Houndoom, because I've learned from my mistakes. Starting today, I'm putting my past behind me for good!"

Before Houndoom could reply, Absol lunged at him with all his vigor, every last drop of energy he had left surging through him for one last ploy. Houndoom reflexively tried to attack him, but Absol nailed him first with Sucker Punch, hooking him across the jaw and following up with a punch to his throat. Houndoom gagged and staggered back, but Absol chased him and blasted his face with Flamethrower again, blinding him and backing him into a dark, rocky corner of the cavern.

Finally, Absol seized his moment. He fired Stone Edge.

The rock missiles flew straight and true, crashing down on Houndoom like a swarm of Beedrill. Houndoom was sent flying by the force of the hundreds of jagged stones, and he smashed through several ore containers before finally hitting the sharp rock wall with a loud thud. He fell to the ground wheezing and gasping for air through his damaged windpipe.

Absol took a moment to catch his breath, and to savor his moment of final victory over Houndoom. He had avenged Elsa's death, and he had triumphed over his blackened past. Better late than never. Finally, he slowly and calmly walked over to the beaten, bloody form of Houndoom, who looked up at him in terror, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

"Wait!" Houndoom gasped. "Wait! I will leave you alone! You can live your life as you see fit. "Just let me go…please!

Absol shook his head. "I actually expected you to have a believable argument why I should."

With that, Absol reached out his claw and slashed Houndoom's throat. The leader of the West Side writhed and struggled for a few moments, as if clinging desperately to his fading life, to the last breaths of his empire. Finally, he stopped moving entirely, his eyes rolling back into his head.

And so ended the reign of Houndoom.

Not for the first time, Ember was finding out the true physical limits of the body, discovering just how far it could be pushed before it would simply give out. This final test of her endurance against Arcanine had led to one of the worst beatings of her life, and she didn't know whether or not she might simply drop dead after another few blows.

But she was winning.

She saw it; a slight fear in Arcanine's eyes that betrayed his own weakness. For every attack she was forced to endure, his strength ebbed away as well, perhaps even faster than hers, and now it was time to end it, one way or another.

As Arcanine made another bull-rush and Ember skillfully avoided it, she saw the blood trickling from his mouth, the limp in his step, and the obvious signs of poison eating through his body. For a moment, she actually felt pity for her adversary.

"You've lost, Arcanine," she said firmly. "Give up and go back to Houndoom's town. There's still time to heal yourself."

"Screw you," he spat through gritted teeth.

Before she could react, Arcanine fired a Dragon Pulse. However, it sailed right over Ember, and for a moment she thought his disorientation had made him miss. But when she heard the loud shattering of wood behind her, she realized he'd nailed his target perfectly. She jumped to the side just in time to avoid another collapsing tree, which sent burning splinters flying everywhere upon hitting the ground.

Arcanine used the brief moment of distraction to charge at her and use Close Combat, and she couldn't avoid it without falling right into the flames behind her. She realized that there was only one way out, and she had to take the lesser of two evils.

Ember quickly turned and ran straight through the circle of fire.

She felt the intense heat burning her fur and skin, trying to eat its way into her. The only thing keeping her alive was her type, but even Fire Pokémon had limits. She hoped and prayed she would reach the end of the forest soon, or she would undoubtedly die before ever seeing the night sky again. She knew Arcanine would be hot on her heels; his Flash Fire would completely shield him from the heat.

The ridiculous warmth was already beginning to sap her strength; even her sweat evaporated in seconds as the fire wrapped itself around every part of her body. Despite the blinding light in her eyes, her vision was already beginning to darken. She had no idea where she was going or how much farther she needed to run, but she didn't think she could make it. How tempting it was to surrender to the heat, to simply give up the fight and allow the embrace of the flames to take her life. It almost seemed fitting; she was a creature of fire, and what better way to die than by fire itself?

No. She couldn't give up her life that easily. Absol had given everything so that she might have a chance to live, and she wouldn't waste that chance. She forced herself to keep running, to pool every last spark of strength left in her for one last sprint.

And suddenly, the curtain of flames peeled back before her and revealed the midnight sky!

Ember actually gasped in surprise and relief. She'd made it! She'd conquered fire and escaped Arcanine's grasp! She wanted to flop down on the cool grass and fall asleep, but she knew she was still in danger. She began to look for a suitable route to escape in, when she suddenly heard grunts and heavy footsteps.

Arcanine limped out of the flames behind her, panting heavily. Would he ever give up the chase? Why was he so intent on defeating her? She braced herself for another attack as Arcanine drew near, but he suddenly stopped, a sharp intake of breath hissing through his teeth. He tried to take another step forward, but his beaten, tired body refused to allow him to go on any further. He collapsed on his side, green liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth as the poison sapped the last of his strength.

"You've condemned…our entire race," he said, coughing. "I…I could have saved us all. I could have freed Pokémon…"

Ember shook her head sadly. "No one can fight the world, Arcanine."

Arcanine's eyes slowly shut, his rapid breathing becoming still. He wasn't dead yet, but he would be in a matter of minutes. Ember looked at Arcanine for a long moment, thinking about all the things he'd said and done. Maybe he really was trying to do good, even if his methods were extreme. He'd acted like a vicious warlord at times, but did he really deserve his fate?

Ember thought about Otachi, and how much she loved Arcanine. How could her heart ever mend if she found out Arcanine had died? Ember also remembered how good a friend Shiftry had been to him, and how many people respected Arcanine and looked up to him in the same way. It left a knot in her stomach as she thought about how many would mourn his death, despite all the cold and cruel things he'd done. Maybe he did all of it for his idea of duty.

In that moment, Ember realized how tired she was of all of it; she was sick of people dying for their misguided cause, for all the bloodshed and needless deaths of noble Pokémon that could have been good and lived happy lives under different circumstances.

She slowly walked up to Arcanine and unslung her trainer bag, reaching inside and pulling out an Antidote. She knew she might be making a big mistake, and that Arcanine might come after her in the future. But it felt too wrong to just let him die, especially to poison. She remembered how awful it had felt to walk away from Absol when he was dying from poison, and she felt the same feeling in her belly now.

She tipped Arcanine's head back a bit and helped him swallow the Antidote, and she soon saw the gruesome signs of infection on his body dissipate and finally fade away. With that, she turned and walked away, knowing that Arcanine would probably be out for a few more hours, and that he wouldn't be able to follow her.

Despite everything, deep down, she knew she'd made the right choice for once.

Absol knew the shaky, ragged breaths escaping his bloody mouth would probably be his last. The room around him seemed to move in and out of focus; the world was nothing more than a black-and-red blur. The poison was rotting away the last of his endurance like moss rotting wood. He could barely keep on his feet, and he dared not move from where he was, or the poison would travel through his bloodstream even faster. Thank you for everything, Ember, he thought. I hope you can find happiness, and I'm sorry that I won't be there to share it with you…

A sudden BOOM that shook the entire cavern snapped Absol out of his trance. He looked back and forth, though he saw nothing in the slave mines other than Houndoom's corpse, not like his blurred vision would have let him see very far anyway. He suddenly remembered that Houndoom had said the East Side was attacking. Could that be the sound of them battling overhead?

Absol realized that if there was even the faintest ghost of a chance for him to heal himself and get out alive, this might be it. He began limping toward the stairs at a painfully slow rate, and with each step he took it felt like a jagged needle stabbed into his legs. It took a full three minutes before he finally reached the stairway, his head swimming and throbbing and doing everything it could to let him know he was pushing himself too far.

Shut up, he mentally growled at himself. You will get me out of here!

Absol felt a sharp jolt from the venom surging through his system, arguing that he would not get out alive; it was all he could do to ignore it. Pain was just information, and he could choose to accept it or ignore it. He chose the latter.

Absol began the agonizing climb up the stairway leading to the elite chambers of the members of Houndoom's inner circle, who were probably all dead or dying at this point. It took another five minutes of the most painful climb of his life to reach the top, and he took a long, dangerous moment to catch what breath he could find. He vaguely felt drool running down the side of his cheek, and he knew if he dared to wipe it away, he would find that it was sickly green, the standard color of the dead cells and blood vessels that were affected by this particular type of poison.

He forced those thoughts out of his mind and continued his meticulous advance through the elite chambers. He just had to reach the supply room; if he could get his hands on an Antidote, he could use that secret entrance Ember told him about to escape.

Absol heard a loud scream ahead of him and saw two Heatmor being mauled by a pack of East Side agents. He quickly limped into the shadows and out of sight, knowing that if he was found now, he'd have no fight left in him, let alone enough for all of them.

"Another two down," he heard a female one say. "There might be more waiting in ambush. I'll search this corridor. You, check over that way."

Absol peeked out of cover and saw that it was Kala giving the orders at the end of the hall. He was glad to see his friend, but he knew she couldn't help him if anyone else saw him, so he didn't blow his cover. He also saw an Electivire and a Magnezone going down two separate corridors, carrying out her orders.

Absol vaguely saw Kala walking toward the very hallway he was in now. However, that was the last thing he saw clearly; his head began throbbing violently again, pounding away like Hammer Arms in his brain. He felt horrendously nauseous, and it was soon too much to bear. He tried to take a step toward a different hallway, but his legs gave way beneath him and he fell on his side, right in plain sight. Perhaps it was just fate now, that he should die after coming this far.

He distantly heard Kala's startled gasp, though it sounded worlds away. Her blurred yellow form ran forward and knelt down next to him, and he soon felt her cool but soft hand on his head.

"Absol?" she said, the shock evident in her tone, even with the toxic haze clouding his mind.

"Help," he croaked. "Help me…please…"

Just before his vision darkened entirely, Absol saw Kala reach into a bag slung over her shoulder, pulling out a purple vial. She placed the tip in his mouth, and he struggled to swallow the contents down, which he couldn't even taste anymore. He slowly felt rejuvenated as the Antidote rapidly eradicated the poison. He could tell that it had been just in time; even another few seconds, and the venom might have already taken his life.

"Are you alright?" Kala asked softly.

"I will be now," Absol replied, wiping the drool from his chin. "Thank you, Kala. I'm glad I got to see you again before I left, one way or another."

"What are you doing here?"

"Escaping," Absol replied evenly. "You?"

"Invading," Kala said in the same tone.

"Have you found anything yet?" called a gruff voice from one of the nearby hallways.

"Nothing yet!" Kala called back. "Keep looking down there!"

Kala helped Absol to his feet, and he smiled gratefully at her. She looked back and forth nervously before meeting his gaze again.

"I have to lead my troops to finish off Houndoom's forces," she said. "Absol, if you're caught down here, you'll be killed. You should get out of here while you still can."

Absol nodded, turning back toward the stairway leading to the supply room and jogging toward it.

"You should too," he called over his shoulder. "Thanks for everything, Kala."

As Absol climbed the final stairway, he hoped Kala would be alright. At least her chances were higher with Houndoom out of the way. And now it was time for him to get out of the way before Luxray's forces found him.

The climb was infinitely easier with the poison healed, and Absol soon found himself in the supply room he'd fought so hard to get to. Now all that was left was to find the secret entrance Ember described. He looked back and forth for a pile of containers near a large wall, which were apparently hiding a large tunnel leading out of the city. There were several bodies of West Side guards lying on the ground, and Absol knew the East Side was also probably on that level. He had to find the entrance before they found him, or he'd join the ranks of nameless corpses littered among the supplies lying everywhere.

As Absol turned a corner, he spotted a massive pile of crates near one of the rock walls to the left of the stairway. There was a convenient hole that led into darkness between two of the crates, though it was just concealed enough that no one would look there unless they expected to find the tunnel. Quite a clever hiding place, and his to take advantage of.

"Long time no see, old friend."

Absol's blood turned to ice. He slowly turned toward the source of the familiar voice and saw none other than Luxray standing a few yards away near the stairs, flanked by two Magnezone. Several more East Side agents were pouring through the stairway and falling in behind him as well. Kala was standing on Luxrary's left, a forlorn expression on her face. Backing up Absol found himself in the corner.

"What, no happy greeting to an old companion?" Luxray asked, smirking. "Oh well, I shouldn't complain, since this is more of a farewell anyway."

With every ounce of speed he could muster, Absol dove for the hole between the crates. A bolt of lightning obliterated one of them, the shards of wood nearly impaling Absol as they flew all over the place. He darted into the inky blackness of the tunnel, which he could see through just fine. He heard the scraping of claws behind him and quickened his pace.

Something deep within Absol told him he was making a big mistake. The East Side could always track its prey as long as they knew even vaguely where their target was. Absol knew he couldn't let Luxray follow him, or he would never escape his grasp. With that, he dug in his heels and whirled around to face his enemy.

Luxray was in the tunnel as well, right at the head of the East Side forces chasing him. He stopped and faced Absol as well, smiling his usual twisted smile.

"Are you going to try to fight again?" he asked incredulously. "I always knew you were brash, Absol, but I had no idea you were this stupid as well. No matter, if it's death you want, it's death you'll get!"

Absol used Psycho Cut, but he wasn't aiming at Luxray. He blasted the ceiling instead, blowing a hole in the rock and causing the earth above him to cave in. Luxray's shimmering yellow eyes widened in horror as he realized the trick, and he quickly darted back the other way, leaving his subordinates behind. Absol leapt back as the ceiling collapsed in front of him, crushing the two Magnezone and the other East Side soldiers who had followed Luxray after him. He was glad Kala was not one of them.

At last, once the tunnel was sealed off completely and Absol was sure he couldn't be followed, he breathed a long sigh of relief. He had actually defied all odds and escaped after all. Perhaps he did still have a chance at that happy life with Ember.

Now all that was left to do was find her.

Honchkrow watched the slaughter reaching its conclusion below as he soared over the city. The West Side had never stood a chance; he realized that now with some disgust. After all this time, their superior, matchless gang had been utterly destroyed, all thanks to the subterfuge of the East Side, and of their own prisoners.

Honchkrow knew things like this happened eventually; this wasn't the first gang he'd been in, although it was certainly the largest. He wouldn't be dying for Houndoom's cause today; he'd escape and hide where even Luxray would never find him. And eventually, when things settled down a little, he'd go to the winning gang and join their numbers. He was certain Luxray would value his skills and information.

But for now, all that mattered was escaping. Honchkrow flew low to the ground to avoid the sights of any Electric Pokémon below who might know Thunder. He flew under the cover of what few trees were left after that awful fire that Ember and Arcanine must have no-doubt started. As he circled around the city to find a good way to slip past Luxray's back lines, he thought he heard a faint panting sound beneath him. It was probably the wind, he told himself.

Speaking of wind, the air beneath him seemed to be growing hotter. There was also a faint red glow that shaded the ground and trees in a murky orange. Honchkrow stopped and looked down toward the source.

He suddenly saw a massive ball of fire coming straight at him!

Too late, he tried to swerve to the side, but the Flamethrower scorched his left wing. Screeching in agony, Honchkrow plummeted to the ground and hit the dirt hard, his elegant blue-and-red feathers becoming covered in mud and filth.

Before he could even try to move, he was suddenly pounced upon, a heavy paw pressing down on his neck and causing him to gag. He felt sharp, jagged claws scratching his throat with every move he made, forcing him to remain still. He looked up and found himself staring into the wrathful red eyes of the Pokémon that probably despised him most in the world.

"Hello, Honchkrow," Absol said in a low, icy tone that would make the darkness around them shiver.

"Urk—Absol!" Honchkrow choked, his windpipe still under Absol's heavy paw. "Good to see you're still up and kicking-ack!"

Honchkrow was cut off by Absol pressing even harder down on his throat.

"I'll be doing a lot more than kicking you if you don't do exactly as I say," Absol replied.

"What do you want, Absol? You want information? Items? Money? I know where you can find anything. Just tell me what you want—"

"I want you to shut up before I completely lose my temper," Absol spat. "I've had a very long day, and you don't want to make me any angrier."

Honchkrow forced himself not to speak, knowing that when Absol wanted him to talk, he'd say so. Absol ever-so-slightly lessened the pressure on his throat, though his claws never left the skin of his neck.

"Now, I'm only going ask this once, and then the pain starts if you don't answer me," Absol said slowly, adding extra emphasis on each syllable. "Where is Ember?"

Honchkrow tried to force a confused, questioning look. "What makes you think I know where she—AAAGH!"

Absol had cut him off by stabbing his other claw into Honchkrow's charred wing, just deep enough to cause hellish pain, but not quite enough to cripple him. All it would take was a little more pressure and he'd never fly again.

"You've been a thorn in my side for years, Honchkrow, but there's one thing I've always learned from you: the West Side—especially you—always knows where their prey is," Absol said calmly. "Ember is—or was—your Drought weapon. She may have escaped, but I'm certain that you must know at least vaguely where she is. Now, you'll tell me this time, or I'll rip your goddamn wing off."

Honchkrow still couldn't help hesitating. He knew that Absol would just kill him as soon as he gave away the information, no matter how much torture he went through first. Absol saw the hesitation and jabbed his claw in deeper, raking it across his wing. Honchkrow screamed and wailed in agony as Absol tore through bone and muscle, ripping the wing from his body. Through misty eyes, Honchkrow stared at his own bloody, severed wing before his beak was yanked back up.

"Eyes on me," Absol said in the same calm, icy tone. "Now, do you feel more like talking?"

"Y-Yes," Honchkrow replied, quivering in pain. "But o-only if you reconsider not killing me after I tell you."

Absol nodded. "Fair enough. If you tell me now without any more trouble, I'll reconsider letting you live. Where is Ember?"

Honchkrow dared one last moment of hesitation before closing his eyes tightly, spilling his guts before Absol decided to spill it for him.

"I don't know exactly, but she couldn't have gone very far after the fight she got into with Arcanine," he admitted. "She should still be to the southwest of Rypherior's cavern, near the burned out forest. You'll probably find her heading for the mountain since the gangs won't be following her to the other half of the region, and it's a perfect landmark to plot her next route by."

Absol nodded again, filing the information away in his mind.

"Thank you," he said. "You've been very cooperative."

Honchkrow's eyes widened in horror as Absol grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling his head backward and exposing his throat.

"What are you doing?!" Honchkrow yelled. "You said you'd let me live if I told you!"

"No, I didn't," Absol replied. "I said I would reconsider letting you live."

"But, why—"

"Funny thing about that. I thought you you were an expert about lies," Absol replied, smiling.

Before Honchkrow could plead and blubber further, Absol bit into his throat, sinking his fangs into the vulnerable jugular. It didn't take long for Honchkrow's vision to blur and fade to white, and finally sink into milky darkness as his body grew numb and his senses deserted him.

Absol tossed Honchkrow's lifeless body aside, turning and dashing off through the blackened woods.

I'm coming, Ember.

Luxray triumphantly emerged from the conquered lair that had once been the mightiest stronghold of the West Side, enjoying the feeling of final victory over his enemies, though he was still slightly disgusted about failing to kill Absol once again. Luxray was soon flanked by Gunny and Ampharos, his last two chief Hunting Leaders in the army.

"How is our success aboveground?" he asked Gunny.

"Same as our success below," Gunny replied. "The West Side has been wiped out completely."

"Any sign of Absol?"

"No, sir. If he took the secret tunnel out of Houndoom's city, he's long gone by now."

Luxray scowled. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter, considering all we've won. But if you do see him or Ember, kill them without hesitation, or better yet, bring them to me."

"Understood, sir."

Ampharos looked away. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Denied," Gunny said curtly.

"Now, now, let's not be terse," Luxray chided him calmly. "We've just won the greatest battle in the history of the East Side. I think everyone should get to be a part of it today. Continue, Ampharos."

"May I speak with you in private, sir?" she asked.

"If you have something of importance to say, I think we'd both like to hear it," Luxray said. "Speak now."

"Sir, this attack, while successful, was the most reckless and costly move we could have made," Ampharos said quietly. "Our army has been reduced to a twelfth of its former size. We've lost more good Pokémon than these buildings have lost bricks. I think this whole invasion was a mistake, an unnecessary rush to end the war that was ours in the long run anyway."

Luxray chuckled slightly. "I understand what you're saying about the risks, but I fail to see the problem. Our army may have been substantially weakened by this maneuver, but there are no other immediate threats for us to face, so what have we lost?"

Ampharos stopped and turned to Luxray, wide-eyed.

"We've lost more noble soldiers in one day than we have in the space of the entire war, that's what we've lost!" she said, a little louder than she'd intended.

Gunny noticeably winced. Luxray merely remained eerily silent.

"We came into this fight with brave soldiers who were willing to lay down their lives for our cause," she continued. "How can their deaths mean so little to you? Are they nothing more than pawns to be thrown away for the sake of convenience?"

"Of course they are," Luxray replied evenly. "They all knew that when they joined our service. I would've thought you'd learned that by now from your time in Houndoom's mines."

"If we had waited but another month before we launched this attack and given ourselves enough time to recover from the last battle, we could have defeated Houndoom with as little as ninety Pokémon lost instead of nine hundred!" Ampharos persisted, earning another wince from Gunny. "The West Side may not have been ready for this attack, but neither were we! You call it victory, but who's left to share in the triumph but the rows of corpses lining the streets? We're as dead as the West Side!"

"Wrong," Luxray said sharply. "The ones who give the orders in the chain of command are the ones who embody our cause. The leaders are the ones who formed the army in the first place and founded their ideals, and as long as we live, the East Side will never die. The dead soldiers among our numbers are nothing more than tools to further our cause, their only purpose being to obey orders, something you could learn from."

"And when the orders given are foolish wastes of life?"

Luxray nodded slowly. "You know, Ampharos, I think I will have that word in private with you now. Gunny, why don't you go and check on our supply lines?"

Gunny hesitated. "Sir, I think I should—"

"That was not a question, soldier," Luxray snapped.

Startled, Gunny quickly saluted and left without another word. Luxray slowly turned back to Ampharos, his eyes narrowing.

"Tell me, Ampharos, what do you think of Gunny?" he asked.

Ampharos was taken aback. "Well, what does-"

"I think he's a difficult person to deal with, but he's an excellent officer who almost singlehandedly brought down Houndoom's army from the inside. And do you know why? Because he obeys his orders without question. Now, you said that this early attack was a mistake. That was incorrect."

Luxray suddenly turned and used Discharge, focusing its beam of energy toward four large houses still standing near the middle of the plaza. The buildings vanished almost instantly, mortar and rubble flying in all directions from the blast. Several East Side agents cried out and ducked for cover to avoid the falling bricks and stone. Luxray then calmly looked back at Ampharos.

"That was a mistake," he said calmly. "Now, do I need to give you an example of intentional?"

Ampharos swallowed hard, looking down at her feet. "…No, sir."

"I thought not. Now, don't you ever question my orders or backtalk me in front of another commander again. Skilled commanders are scarce so this is your first, only, and last chance for redemption. If Arcanine and his last commander aren't found and captured within two days, I'm going to blame you. And I'm going to kill you. Understood?"

"Yes…sir."

"Good," Luxray said, jerking his head to the side. "Dismissed."

Ampharos silently turned and left the area. Luxray was about to leave as well, when he suddenly saw Gunny running back up to him.

"I thought I told you to vanish," Luxray barked.

"Sorry, sir, but I thought I should report that the rampant forest fire has ended," Gunny replied. "I also heard word from the scouts that something very interesting was found in the burned out woods."

Luxray leapt up to the top of the highest nearby hill in the city, looking out over the dead forest in the distance. His eyes shimmered, the myriads of trees and rocks becoming hollow and transparent in his vision as he scanned the woods for whatever Gunny was talking about. After a few moments of looking, he saw a lone figure lying on the ground a few miles away, just outside the forest. His mouth slowly twisted into a smile as he recognized who it was.

"Perfect," he said. "I was afraid we wouldn't be dealing with that loose end today."

The inky darkness and head-throbbing one felt after being knocked out was something Arcanine was unaccustomed to. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been knocked out in a fight; he wasn't even sure if he ever was, until now. As he struggled to open his eyes and combat the dizziness and pain, he slowly stretched out his limbs to see if anything was broken. He felt several sharp pangs in his legs and sides as he did so. Nothing was fractured, but he knew his body would be nightmarishly sore for the rest of the day.

Once his vision finally cleared, Arcanine slowly began to rise to his feet. He remembered battling Ember and being poisoned, and he'd eventually lost his strength and fallen unconscious. So why was he still alive…? Arcanine took a few steps forward, no longer feeling any effects from poison surging through his body as he did so. Had Ember spared his life? Why would she do that? Had she learned nothing? She was supposed to finish off her opponent!

Arcanine let out a groan as he walked around a bit, his aching, stinging limbs pleading him not to all the while. He ignored them and looked out into the distance, seeing the first rays of sunlight peeking out over the horizon. Arcanine had rarely ever lost a fight, but when he did, he knew it was always for a reason. Ember had earned her freedom, and he would allow her to have it. It was probably too late to use her ability to fight the East Side anymore anyway.

Arcanine knew he needed to get back to the West Side and help fight in whatever way he could. Perhaps there was still time—

"If I were you, I wouldn't take another step."

Arcanine froze. He slowly turned around, finding himself face-to-face with Luxray and ten Magnezone. The East Side agents quickly encircled him, cutting off all possible escape routes. If only he still had Power Points for Extremespeed!

"They say that the bigger they are, the harder they fall," Luxray mused. "You certainly were big, perhaps the biggest. I was honestly worried we wouldn't get you, but no one can escape my eyes in the end."

Arcanine was about to make a sharp reply, but the comeback died from his lips as he saw another Pokémon walk out from behind the circle of Magnezone and stand beside Luxray. For a few more moments, his mind simply couldn't register it. And yet, in a disgusting way, it began to make sense.

"Please tell me you're Luxray's prisoner too," he tried, already knowing the answer.

Gunny shook his head. "I appreciated your friendship, but war has a funny way of making friends less valuable over time. At least it served its purpose."

"So, after all that garbage you were always spouting about our ideals, all the years we spent as friends, you still can just betray us all in the blink of an eye?"

At this, Luxray chuckled. "Betray you? How sad. Gunny has been our spy—our Guest- the entire time!"

Gunny nodded in mock-sadness. "It's not that I didn't care about you, Otachi, and Shiftry, it's just…I didn't care."

"So, Ember was telling the truth after all," Arcanine muttered. "You two-faced bastard."

"Ha! Look who's calling who two-faced!" Gunny scoffed. "I seem to recall Houndoom not factoring very high in your plans to take over his army in the end. It's just the way life works; it's all one big pyramid, and those who are the smartest can make their way to the top; everyone else is beneath them. In war, you do whatever it takes to reach the top, just like you wanted to do with Houndoom, and like I did with you."

"So, you're the one responsible for our defeat," Arcanine said in a tone that would have made Houndoom wince. "I assume we did lose, since the East Side had all our tactical information at their disposal thanks to you."

"Oh, yes, the West Side is destroyed, along with your sad dreams about making a better world for Pokémon. To think, you had so much power coming your way, and yet it was all lost to you in so little time. It would almost be funny, if it weren't so pathetic."

Luxray glanced back and forth, as if searching for something, then walked up and stood in front of Arcanine, locking eyes.

"We saw Drought activate for a brief time outside the city," he said. "Since you were out here, I can only assume your Drought Ninetails was with you. Where is she now?"

Arcanine smirked. "Oh, don't you know? I thought nothing could escape your eyes."

Luxray's expression darkened ever-so-slightly. "You're sounding pretty cocky for a dead Pokémon."

"You too," Arcanine shot back. "Tell me, how is you condition? I hear Life Orb shards in the body are a painful way to die."

"That's a pretty nice Life Orb you have right there," Luxray remarked. "If you want, I can show you just how painful."

A sudden yell of pain made Arcanine and Luxray start. The two turned and saw a small group of Conkeldurr and Electivire approaching them, carrying a chained prisoner. Cries of 'let me go!' and 'I'll kill you!' could be heard from their captive. Once the Magnezone finally parted enough for a better view, Arcanine couldn't help a sharp intake of breath.

"Sir, we caught this Pokémon a while ago near the edge of the forest," one of the Conkeldurr reported. "She took down seventeen of us, but we finally got her with a few solid hits, and the rest was easy."

Luxray raised an eyebrow. "You guys just might be Hunting Leaders. You actually captured a fleeing Hydreigon? I can't even imagine that being possible without an army of Ice Pokémon."

"Well, sir, she wasn't fleeing. She was actually heading right towards you. Another few minutes of tearing through our ranks, and she would have reached your location."

"Impressive," Luxray muttered. "She was no-doubt trying to rescue Arcanine, though it amazes me how loyal one commander could be to her CO."

"Otachi, how could you do something so stupid?" Arcanine demanded, stricken. "Now we're both doomed! Why didn't you leave when you had the chance like I told you to?"

Otachi briefly met Arcanine's gaze. " 'Oops,' right? I guess I should have just left you to die, huh?"

Luxray's grin slowly widened. "Ah, now I understand. How touching."

Ignoring him, Arcanine moved toward Otachi, but a threatening crackle of energy from the surrounding Magnezone made him stop. He then turned to Luxray, trying to mask his growing anxiety.

"Luxray, let her go," he said quickly. "I'll give you whatever information about the West Side you want if you let her live."

"Nice try, Arcanine, but the West Side is dead. What information could you possibly give us that matters?" Luxray chuckled. "Still, I suppose she could be of more use to us as a commodity than a corpse. Put her with the other prisoners 'till we find a use for her."

The East Side agents tried to drag Otachi off, but she suddenly jerked away from them and flew over to Arcanine, facing Luxray at his side.

"My fate will be the same as his," she declared. "You'll have to kill us both."

"Otachi, what are you doing?!" Arcanine barked.

Otachi turned to him, smiling sadly. "All I ever wanted was a peaceful life with you, Arcanine. We couldn't have it here—the gangs made sure of that—but maybe we can have it in the next world. But I won't leave you to die alone."

Taken aback, Arcanine looked into Otachi's eyes, seeing the same look she'd always had whenever she saw him. The same love for him was still there, unshaken even by all the times he'd rejected her. In that moment, he realized how poorly he'd treated her in the past, how little love he'd returned to her after he'd joined Houndoom.

"Otachi, go with Luxray," Arcanine pleaded softly. "I don't want you to die for me. I'm not…I'm not worth that."

"You are to me," she replied quietly. "I may not have been your favorite in the end, Arcanine, but you were always mine. That's all that matters."

"Yes, yes, very sweet," Luxray said dryly. "Sadly, I'm not one for drama. Kill them both."

Arcanine and Otachi braced themselves for their final battle as the Magnezone circle closed in, shimmering with electric energy. Two of the metal monsters prepared to fire first…when Gunny suddenly ran forward and used Drain Punch, knocking one of them out! Arcanine watched in awe as Gunny turned and smashed the second one with another Drain Punch, sending it flying backwards.

"Otachi, quick, cover me!" Gunny yelled.

Surprised but goaded into action, Otachi flew over to Gunny to assist him. Arcanine was about to help, but something was wrong. Why wasn't Luxray doing anything? Suddenly, Arcanine realized the truth.

"Otachi, don't!" he yelled. "It's a trick—"

But he was too late. Once Otachi came close enough, Gunny suddenly sprang at her and used Drain Punch. He struck her right in the neck, a killing blow. Otachi gagged and clutched her throat, desperately trying to take in air from her smashed windpipe. Her shoulders began to sag and her desperate gasps for breath slowly ceased as she fell from the air. Gunny landed first, grinning wickedly.

"I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself," he said gleefully. "Sorry about the Magnezone, Boss."

Luxray shrugged. "She would have taken down more if you hadn't."

Arcanine rushed forward and dove underneath Otachi, softening the impact, though it would do no good. He twisted his body and caught her before she slid to the ground, gently lifting her head up to meet his gaze. Despite her obvious pain, she gave him a small smile.

"A-Arcanine," she choked out with her last breath. "I…I'm so…so sorry…I…love you…"

Those were the final words that would escape from Otachi's damaged windpipe. Her eyes slowly glazed over and her breathing stilled. After only a few short moments, she had died in Arcanine's arms. For the first time in many years, Arcanine felt tears beginning to form in his eyes. Why hadn't he been able to give her what she'd given him? Why was he incapable of returning her love? He had tried for so long to love her back, but his iron heart had never permitted the emotion once he became a soldier instead of a person. Arcanine cursed himself for choosing his army over his dearest companion, and he cursed Houndoom for changing him so drastically in the first place.

Suddenly, Arcanine heard a sound that stabbed into him like icicles, and was equally cold and merciless.

Laughter.

He slowly turned to see Gunny laughing at him, sneering at Otachi's corpse as though the murder was some kind of joke.

"How did you always put it, Arcanine? 'A casualty on a list of casualties?' You seem awfully upset for someone who lost just another soldier."

Hatred was a powerful, all-consuming feeling that only the most wronged, the most betrayed people could truly feel. It could rarely be abated, controlled, or compromised, and it could only lead to one inevitable outcome.

And it was true hatred that Arcanine now felt toward his former friend. Gunny had used their years of friendship to destroy everything Arcanine had held dear, and now he'd murdered the one closest to him in the entire world. Gunny was standing there, mocking him and jeering at Otachi's death. At last, Arcanine understood how Absol must have felt when his old mate was murdered.

"Now, then, I think that's about enough of this," Luxray said evenly. "Please kill Arcanine now."

As the Magnezone drew in close, Arcanine kept his eyes on Gunny, who was also approaching. Arcanine still had one Close Combat left, and he knew just who to give it to.

"Hasta la vista, Arcanine," Gunny said, preparing Drain Punch. "Give my regards to Shiftry."

With every ounce of speed he'd acquired over the years in the West Side, Arcanine leapt past the Magnezone, diving into Gunny and using Close Combat, beating away at the traitor with everything he had. He bit into his throat, clawed out his eyes, torched his body, and unleashed all the hatred boiling in his gut to fuel his all-out attack. Gunny screamed as Arcanine ripped through blood and muscle, smashing his bones and tearing off his enemy's limbs in the few seconds he had left.

Recovering from their brief shock at Arcanine's sudden move, the rest of the Magnezone fired a cascade of Thunderbolts, electrocuting Arcanine, who continued to tear away at Gunny with his last breaths, ignoring the pain as long as he could until it consumed him.

Finally, Arcanine's strength gave out, and he began to sink into the black abyss of death as the Magnezone continued to blast away at him. Eventually, he no longer even felt the pain from their attacks as he drifted further and further away.

I'll see you soon, Otachi.

Finally, cold silence reigned once again in the dead forest. Luxray glanced at Arcanine's corpse, surprised that the West Side commander could have dealt death so quickly and thoroughly in the time he had left. He then looked at Gunny, whose body was mangled beyond recognition. It sickened him to lose Gunny, his oldest and closest companion, the only one he could come close to calling a friend. What a waste. Still, he supposed that was just the way life worked.

"Well, that was uglier than expected," Luxray muttered. "Get rid of these bodies. We're done here."

Ember stood at the route leading to Rypherior's cavern for some time. There had been a time when she was terrified of the mere thought of those caves, but she knew that its dark depths now led to her new life of freedom from the gangs. Or rather, her old life.

She barely noticed that she wasn't the slightest bit tired; after having healed herself from the fight with Arcanine, crossing the rest of the distance had been no problem. There was a time when running so far would have left her winded and weary, but that was a time long past. It would still probably take a few more days to get there, and that was assuming she didn't run into trouble on the way, but she was confident it wouldn't be a hard trip.

At last, her life was in her own hands again. Absol had bought her freedom with his own life, and she had a duty to him not to waste it. Whether she decided to go to Umbra's town or to return to her beloved trainer, she would make the most of the rest of her life. Even now, pangs of grief burned through her at the thought of Absol truly being dead, especially since it was her own fault in a way. But Absol had told her to move on, so she would. But deep in her heart, she would always carry the memories of the times they'd shared together before the gangs tore them apart.

And now, Ember's final journey awaited her beyond the mountain. It was time for her to find her place in the world, be it in the wild or in the human realm. With the bloody war behind her and the painful memories struggling to keep up, she ventured down the long route, with nothing but her uncertainty and her hope for the future as a companion.

One way or another, she was homeward bound.

And Thats it. PirinceOfPuddles here, glad to report that the longest arc in all of Wild Pokemon is done. All of the victories, and all of the loses. I was planning on spending a few days to do general clean up on the other chapters. This would involve small changes and adding in all the italics I ignored for the sake of getting these up on time. That should be fair since you guys are spoiled with ten thousand word daily.

The gang wars were one hell of a feel trip. Yes, putting feel instead of field was done on purpose. This was an emotional roller coaster. It was somewhat of a gamble to try to make a meaningful arc instead of some generic Mr. Evil getting stopped by the invincible heroes. Even if I don't have to time to respond I do look at all feedback. I really value in depth and meaningful comments, even if they are not 100% positive.

Keep checking Wild Pokemon because next time will be...

Part IV of IV: Ember the Wild Pokémon

Chapter 23: Forging Their Own Victory Road