Chapter 6

"Looks like you're all healed," Gertrude unwound the last of the bandages from Helios' injuries. "Not as quick as Dee but still faster than expected."

Helios ran his hand over the scaled skin where a wound had been the previous day, "Not a scratch. How long do you think it'll last?"

"Better not stress test it," Melany checked her laser pistol then holstered it.

Dee checked her Rotom-boy, "Still a ways to the tribe's home… Hinota," she read the name that had been appeared on the screen by their destination.

Melany moved to look at the Rotom-boy's screen and shuddered, "There's a Giant Durant mound between here and there."

Dee looked the Stunky-woman in the eye, "What kind of mutation do they have?"

"They just got really big, about the same size as GR-0-WL," Melany pointed to the robo-Growlithe, "I almost died when they swarmed me once. Had to burn most of my stimpacks just to survive."

"You're not alone anymore," Helios clapped Melany on the back, "And we can handle those metal bugs no problem."

Gertrude finished packing up her medical supplies and hoisted her backpack onto her back, "He's right, we can handle it."

Melany sighed somewhat resignedly, "And it'll take too long to go around their territory, time Trovitopolis might not have."

"Exactly!" Dee was already on her feet and striding out ahead of the group, "Let's go!"

"That the spirit, Dee!" Helios jogged along with Gertrude to catch up to Dee.

Melany smiled as she watched the Charmander-man, Zigzagoon-woman and Riolu-woman while pulling her own bag on, "Let's go, GR-0-WL."

GR-0-WL barked and trotted alongside Melany as she caught up to the group.

They ran across the Giant Durant nest much too soon for Melany's liking and she was forced to fight running backwards, picking her laser shots to save ammo. Gertrude had wisely kept back, pistol in hand but not firing lest she draw their attention.

GR-0-WL and Dee were in the thick of things, biting, punching, kicking and force-palming through the Durant while taking some bites from their mandibles. Helios was just melting through them, literally as his tail embers incinerated the bug/steel mutants with ease.

Dee tossed a grenade at a group of Giant Durant which blew them apart before she slammed her palm into another that tried to bite her leg. GR-0-WL bit into one and shook to tear its head off.

"Too many!" GR-0-WL barked before he lunged after another.

Gertrude was forced to Take Down one Durant that came too close for her liking and winced as she stepped back. Melany shot the Durant that had tried to go after Gertrude and shouted, "We need to run!"

"We'd be overrun but… there! The mound!" Gertude shouted where she saw a mound sticking out from the ground where more Durant were emerging.

Dee heard the shout and spotted the mound, "Helios! Clear the way!" She shouted as she grabbed two grenades from her belt.

"Got it!" Helios shouted as he sprayed fire from his tail at the newly emerged Durant and followed up with his sawed-off shotgun, easily clearing the way for Dee to charge up the Durant mound.

One more Durant poked out of the hole which Dee kicked as hard as she could and sent it flying before she pulled the pins on both grenades and shoved them into the mound's entrance before she jumped away. A moment later the sound of explosions and squeals of pain came from the mound.

"Great!" Melany shot one of the last Durant that was still outside, "Finish up and let's go!"

The Giant Durant were thinned enough that Getrude and Melany were able to make a run for it, GR-0-WL, Dee and especially Helios stayed back long enough to finish off the remains of the swarm before they took off after the other two, once they were sure they wouldn't be chased.

That evening, as they made camp, Dee was rubbing her leg where she'd taken several bites but thankfully wasn't bleeding. Helios was the worst injured but he took it in stride as Gertude cleaned his wounds.

"Honestly, that was kinda fun," Helios smiled, "nice job on the ant mound, Dee."

Dee smiled and averted her gaze in slight embarrassment, "Thanks, wouldn't have made it if you didn't clear the way."

"It's fun when you can actually hurt them," Melany grumbled as she cleaned her new laser pistol, "I still can't waste ammo."

"It would be better if you learned more techniques, Dee," Gertrude closed up her medical kit.

"How do I do that?" Dee had started to cook the last of the synthetic vault meat over the fire, "I just kinda figured out Force Palm on instinct."

"Same with Ember," Helios waved his tail.

"Sometimes you just kinda figure them out on your own, like I did with smokescreen," Melany shut the casing on the laser pistol, "Other times you gotta just try and feel it out then make it work, that's how I figured out Acid Spray."

"And moves of your type are easier to learn," Gertrude passed the water bottles around to everyone, "if you want to fight at a distance, Dee, you should try to learn Vacuum Wave."

"That's the move where gather up air and throw it at someone right?" Dee looked at her hands.

"Would be better if you had someone who already knew the techniques to train you," Melany had switched to fixing up the damage GR-0-WL had taken, "But you're just going to have to practise on the go as we march, or rely on instinct to guide you. Maybe your Moltres Tribe can train you when we find them."

"So when can we evolve?" Helios asked.

"It's partly age and partly experience," Gertrude said, "I would have evolved a year or so ago if I wasn't wearing an Everstone. A couple more fights like that and you might evolve, Helios."

Helios grinned, "Can't wait for that."

"You're all fixed, GR-0-WL," Melany let the robo-Growlithe stand up.

"Thank you," it barked.

"Wish I could give you a flamethrower like a real Growlithe. Don't think there's room for the fuel tank in your body even if I could rig one up," Melany sighed as she served herself from the cooking meat.

"That's alright," GR-0-WL sat nearby, ready to take on night watch again.

The next two days passed much the same, long walks with the occasional fight for survival: a swarm of Bloat-Flygon, Radaparas infesting a building they camped out in the next night, and a group of raiders which ended with them needing to use some of their stimpacks to patch up before moving on.

"We should be there soon," Helios looked up from his Rotom-boy screen with a big smile on his face.

"Are you sure they're going to welcome you back or even recognize you?" Melany's voice came from a ways back and Gertrude turned to where the Stunky-woman had stopped a good 20 steps behind them.

"Are you scared?" Gertrude asked.

"Yes," Melany pulled at the strap of her plasma rifle, "I've never met any 'tribe' and I really don't want to end up enslaved or dead."

Helios spun around and glared at Melany, "They won't be like that! We're not raiders!"

"How the hell would you know?!" Melany glared back, "You don't even remember anything about them! For all you know they could just be anther gang of raiders!"

"Don't disrespect my tribe," Helios growled and advanced on Melany, his tail fire flaring up.

Dee grabbed Helios' shoulder, "Helios, stop!" her voice was a bit pleading but firm, "We don't know anything about the Moltres Tribe so we should be careful." Then she looked at Melany, "And we can't just assume they're going to attack us."

Melany sighed, "Fine, but I'm not going to take any risks on this."

"OK," Helios relaxed then stared down at his orange scaled hands, "I guess they might not recognize me. I was a child and human before I was abducted."

"I've met a couple tribes back west when I was with the Followers," Gertrude stepped into the conversation now that the conflict had cooled, "They are mostly scared of civilization taking away their own identities and prefer to just live in harmony with the land. Most of the tribes in NKR territory are left alone but will help defend the area from raiders and the Followers will help them with any disease outbreaks or severe injuries."

"Someone's approaching!" GR-0-WL's shout made them all spin around as a small plume of fire appeared on a rocky outcropping directly ahead.

"Who are you that invades our land!" The voice came from a Quilava man dressed only in hide pants that exposed his hips. His head-fire was ablaze in a show of intimidation; though he carried no weapons the flickering fire in his mouth and flaring up around his hips showed he was ready to fight.

While everyone else froze, Helios stepped forwards and shouted back up at the Quilava man, "We've come from the NKR to fix the water!"

The Quilava man's fire extinguished, "You've come from the Silverman?"

"Yes." Helios lowered his voice.

"Then follow me, Chieftan Raz Ooga will want to speak with you," the Quilava man hopped down rock steps until he stood in front of them, "My name is Cambu, what are your names?"

"My name is Dee," Dee waved.

"I'm Gertrude," she bowed.

"Call me Melany. And this," she stroked GR-0-WL's back, "is GR-0-WL."

"An artificial Pokemon?" Cambu took a step back then turned to Helios.

"I'm Helios, is this the Moltres Tribe?" Helios asked eagerly.

"That is what the NKR call us but our true name is the Moltres' Embers. Follow me." The Quilava man turned and lead them towards a narrow canyon entrance. Helios lit up, his tail flame even glowing brighter as he followed Cambu with Dee, Gertrude, Melany and GR-0-WL in line behind him.

The canyon path was winding and so narrow they were forced to walk single file behind Cambu.

"Smart place to settle," Gertrude looked up as they walked, "anyone approaching on foot would be forced to travel single file and with all these turns they wouldn't even be able to line up to shoot over each other's heads."

"Unless someone decides to fly in," Melany grumbled, "how long is this going to take?"

"We will arrive well before sundown," Cambu replied from the front.

They arrived in the late afternoon emerging into a wide canyon floor filled with hide huts that surrounded a large stone pillar that had been painted red and orange and carved into the shape of a pillar of fire.

Helios felt a warmth spread throughout his chest. "I feel it," he touched his chest and breathed deep as if it were his first breath of fresh air, "This is home."

"Nervous?" Dee put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Yes," Helios trembled slightly, "They won't recognize me, what if they reject me for living in a Vault?"

Dee grasped Helios' hand and he turned to look at her, her eyes full of sympathy, "I'll be right there with you."

Helios smiled and squeezed her hand back, "Thank you."

"Hurry up!" Melany called from ahead as she, Gertrude and GR-0-WL had passed them to keep up with Cambu. Dee and Helios jogged to catch up.

Cambu lead them to the base of the carved pillar where an old Arcanine-man, his fur speckled with silver, sat on a stone seat. "Chieftan Raz Ooga, I've brought envoys from the Silverman." He stepped aside and introduced them as they arrived, "Melany, Growl, Gertrude, Dee and Helios."

"Helios?" Chieftan Raz Ooga stood to his feet and approached the Charmander-man.

Helios looked the chieftain in the eyes and swallowed as he still gripped Dee's hand, "Chief, I believe I was abducted from here when I was still a human."

Raz Ooga touched Helios' face and exhaled a breath of hot air at him, "Helios, you have returned!" His eyes lit up and he smiled at the Charmander-man, "and you became a Char just as Alia foresaw!" he patted Helios on the shoulders.

"Alia?" Helios just stared back at the chieftain let go, "So I did come from here?"

Raz Ooga nodded as he stepped back, "Yes. When you were born, Elder Alia the Delphox foresaw you were destined for a great task and even that you would become a Charmander once you were blessed by the Moltres fire that sheltered this place." He gestured to the base of the pillar where there was a carving of a flaming bird Pokemon. "That is why we named you after the legendary Plasma Knight who helped save the NKR. She would love to have seen you return were she still with us."

"Moltres, the legendary fire bird?" Gertrude approached the caring for a closer look.

Raz Ooga nodded, "Yes. This canyon was protected by Moltres when the world burned in flame that burned even fire and now all those who dwell here become fire types, the living embers of Moltres."

Melany cleared her throat, "As fun as the history lesson is we're here on a mission."

Dee nodded, "The water supply to Trovitopolis was cut off and General Silverman said you were guarding the source of the water."

"Ahh yes, the Silverman visited us and asked us to help keep their water pure with our flames," Raz Ooga turned and pointed off to his right, "however Steel Pidgeots came and left humans here who took control of the cave of the Ross Man Ghost who shows us how to purify the water."

"Rossman!" Dee jumped and let go of Helios' hand, "You know him?"

"He came to us in life as a human and left his spirit here to help others as we returned to our rightful place," the chief said, "But now other humans have taken it, several died and many were injured when we tried to take it back."

"Then we have to try," Helios pumped his fists, "Where's the cave?"

"I'll show you," Cambu spoke up and motioned for them to follow him.

"Then go and free the Ross Man Ghost and purify the waters once again!" Raz Ooga proclaimed as he spread his arms, "On your return we shall celebrate!"