Chapter 8
The sun was setting when Dee, Helios and Getrude returned to the Moltres' Embers. A huge pile of wood had been constructed in front of the flame pillar around which the whole tribe had gathered.
Chief Raz Ooga's raised his arms wide, "They have returned from the cave of Ross Man!" His eyes lit up as he saw Helios, "And our lost child has evolved!" he approached and clapped his hands on Helios' shoulders, "Welcome back, Helios!" Shouts of congratulations and cheers went up from the assembled tribe.
Dee looked around and saw that almost everyone was a fire type: Vulpix, Growlithe, a couple Ninetails, Monferno, Blaziken, even a few Houndour and several others she wasn't too familiar with. What surprised her was that there were some young humans that were clearly in the process of hybridizing, with patches of fur or scales on parts of their skin.
"Let us celebrate their return and mourn the loss of our tribesmen to the invaders," Raz Ooga turned to the wood pile and breathed a stream of fire that set it ablaze.
Cambu approached the arriving group, "Were you successful?"
Gertude nodded, "Yes, the water is flowing and clean again, free of the taint that Aether added."
"Good. Where are your other friends?" Cambu looked around in case he had missed their arrival.
"Melany and GR-0-WL stayed behind to work on something, but they're alright," Gertrude assured the Quilava-man.
"Then I will have to go see them later," Cambu moved to the fireside to help cook the meals for the night.
Dee sat down and took a deep breath and watched Helios being introduced around his old tribe, seeming to meld right back in with the rest.
The sun was setting as Dee finished eating and sat back on the stone that served as her seat, leaning back on her hands and just took in the atmosphere.
"Enjoy supper?" Helios sat down next to her, "Didn't mean to leave you alone."
"I get it. Did you find your parents?" Dee turned to Helios and blushed when she saw he had removed his armor at some point, which left him naked from the waist up.
Helios sighed sadly, "No, but I learned about them. They were some of the last human members of the tribe who never hybridized. They decided to undergo a trial by fire out in the desert to try and force it and took me along, but they never came back. Maybe they were killed when I was abducted but no one ever found their bodies." He turned to the blushing Dee and chuckled, "Like what you see?" he flexed an arm.
"Yes," Dee felt her face burning, "you're hot."
Helios laughed, "Thanks, you're pretty good looking too." He rubbed the top of his head, "This kinda feels awkward." He felt his face get flushed but he was already so red it didn't show.
"Why, I mean we grew up together," Dee fidgeted, "I always liked spending time with you, even when I started doing that Vaultball stuff. You're my best friend."
"Am I though?" Helios looked around him, "the 'Ben' you grew up with was just a construct who dreamed of stuff like this. He was just a stranger, this is who I am, who I feel right being: Helios the Charmeleon of the Moltres' Embers."
"I'm different too," Dee couldn't help but poke one of her breasts, "A week ago I was a human man, and now out here I'm a Riolu-woman. I kinda pushed all that aside to focus on surviving but now I realize there was a strange… discomfort that nagged at me and now it's gone." She looked up at Helios, "I thought we could be closer but I maybe I was holding back because I wasn't sure." Helios turned to face Dee as she leaned closer.
"Dee, thank you. I don't think I could have made it without you," Helios leaned closer.
They kissed for a moment before Dee pulled away with her face burning. Helios scratched his cheek and looked away, "Is this too fast, for the new us?"
"Just because you've changed doesn't mean all that time you spent together didn't happen." Both jumped and turned to face Gertrude, who now stood before them. "You remind me of me and Alex when we were younger. If you both have feelings for each other then don't deny them because 'it feels awkward'." She smiled, "Your bodies are different but your souls are the same and there's nothing wrong with seeking happiness with each other, don't let your past weigh you down."
Both Dee and Helios stared then burst out laughing for a moment from the awkwardness. Dee wiped some tears from her eyes, "Thanks, Gertrude, I needed that."
Helios put an arm around Dee, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."
Gertrude smiled and placed a hand on her swollen middle as the two kissed again, then she sat down as Chief Raz Ooga began to speak.
"As we cast our fallen family into the next life and mourn, we remember those who are stuck in their past as we have returned to what we should be. For in the ancient past Humans and Pokemon ate at the same table, shared the same world and even married for in the ancient past Humans and Pokemon were the same. As time wore on Humans took the path of knowledge while Pokemon took the path of strength but both forgot that to be truly whole one could not be without the other. Though the world was bathed in destruction we take heart that now our two species are reunited in their true places alongside each other as true equals!" A loud cheer went up from the assembled tribe.
Dee broke from her kiss with Helios and fanned her face from the heat, both from his hot breath and her own rising emotions. "Thank you, I feel a lot better now."
"Better? What was wrong?" Helios gave Dee a concerned look.
Dee looked down at her hands, "Those Team Skull guards, I recognized them. They were on the Vaultball team and I'm sure they were even part of the security training. We just killed people we grew up and lived with."
Helios leaned up against Dee with a hand around her shoulders and felt her put an arm around his back, "Yeah, I recognized them too but they didn't give us a second look." He looked down at his clawed hand and clenched it into a fist, "I know they don't recognize us but they just looked at us like we were freaks, I guess they bought into Aether's Tauros shit about how we don't belong."
"I guess, it still hurts that they would see us that way, or anyone out here." Dee looked at the Moltres Tribe as they were winding down for the evening, "We're all still people."
"We are," Helios gave her a kiss on the cheek. Dee kissed him back.
OoOoO
In the small barracks of the Ross Man Temple, Melany was hard at work on the gear she'd stripped from Team Skull and the Aether scientists, taking special care to make sure the radiation shielding on the plasma defender was properly secure.
"Why are you still working here? There's a celebration outside."
Melany looked up to see Cambu standing at the entrance. "I thought you didn't come into this place."
"Not often, but it's not taboo." Cambu approached her and set food on a nearby table, with a flat rock for a plate, "You should eat."
"Once this shielding is secure, don't want radiation leaking," Melany returned to working on the plasma defender, "And then I have to fix up the assault rifles and combat armor."
"Radiation, the evil flame that burns even fire," Cambu stared at the weapon but made no move.
"Accurate." Melany secured the last of the radiation plating on the weapon, "Plasma weapons are powerful but they pump you full of rads if they're not properly shielded or they overheat. If you're a poison-type then you can take some of it, enough to stop and make repairs, without carrying tons of RadAway." She got up and moved to the other table to eat.
"If its so dangerous then why would humans use them?" Cambu eyed the weapon warily.
Melany answered between mouthfuls, "Because they've been trained not to care about their own lives if they can use a better weapon, or they've been lied to about how dangerous it is, or maybe that same vaccine that keeps them human out here makes them resistant enough." She munched for a minute before she gave another answer, "Or maybe they just don't care about themselves."
Cambu sat down across from her, "Do you enjoy fixing things?"
Melany swallowed then nodded, "It's the only thing I'm good for."
"It's not all your good for, you saved your city and you're helping your friends by fixing better weapons and armor for them." Cambu smiled.
Melany sighed and stopped eating with half the food left, "They're not my friends, I was forced to do this by General Silverman on pain of death. Long story short I was a raider slave for years fixing their shit and that counts enough to be a 'raider criminal' with the NKR. If I do this they'll pardon me and I can keep living."
Cambu watched as Melany started to eat again, "Did he force you to look after that dog, or fix weapons and armor for your friends."
Melany paused, mouth still full, then shook her head.
"Could you have just run once you were away from the city?"
Melany nodded.
"Then why are you still here?"
Melany didn't answer until she finished her food, "Because I want to help them survive. They're the first people I've ever really cared about and who didn't call me 'stink girl'… I don't know if they actually care or are just being polite but I want them to survive or even be happy… because I couldn't."
"You do care about them and I think they care about you too." Cambu looked over at GR-0-WL who just sat nearby listening, "Even a living machine."
"I just think he deserves a face and a place to belong," Melany said, her voice solemn.
"I think you've found it, both of you." Cambu stood up to leave, "We still wish to thank you for saving the Ross Man ghost and the water."
Melany smiled. "Thanks. I'll sleep in here tonight." She watched Cambu go then stripped off the rest of her clothes and went to lie down in one of the beds in the room. GR-0-WL walked over and lay down next to her bed. He didn't need to sleep but he wanted to be close to her.
OoOoO
"Must you leave so soon?" Chieftain Raz Ooga asked as he watched Dee, Helios and Gertrude packing their supplies near the entrance to Hinota Village.
"We should probably get back to Trovitpolis as soon as possible," Gertude said, "The water might be back on but there still could be trouble we have to sort out."
Dee nodded, "Yeah, and who knows what kind of trouble we'll be in if we just lay around." She looked at Helios and blushed, "You sure you want to come back with us, I mean I want you to come but this is your home."
Helios smiled back, heat rising in his face, "I do, I want to stay with you; I'll have years to spend with them but if there's more trouble from the Aether Enclave and Team Skull then it's a danger to everyone here."
"We don't have to rush off right now," Melany approached the group unarmored and with GR-0-WL at her side, "The general expected us to rush here to get the water turned on but with the water running he shouldn't expect us to hurry back. I still have a lot of repairs and jury-rigging to do especially for GR-0-WL," she stroked the robo-Growlithe's metal back, "And you can practise and train before we leave."
Gertrude averted her gaze, "Sorry, I guess I should get some practise in so I'm not just a hostage again…"
"What? Shit no I didn't mean that!" Melany waved her hands, "I mean like Helios can learn to breathe fire or Dee can train with some of the Fire/Fighting types here!" she pointed to a Blaziken who had come to see them off.
"We can do that," Cambu had arrived at the entrance, "It's best to be prepared before you leave."
Helios grinned, "Sounds great, thanks Melany."
"I want to learn about the Moltres' Embers' tribal remedies," Gertrude walked over to Melany and patted her on the back, "Thank you, but don't take too long."
"Don't you want to leave?" Dee approached Melany, "I mean you've got your pardon now. I don't want you to go!" she added hastily, "If it wasn't for you we might have died in the desert. Melany what's wrong?"
Melany was shaking and taking shuddering breaths before looking up, tears streaming from her eyes, "You guys… you… don't want me to go… y-you're the first real friends I've ever had!" Melany broke down sobbing and flung her arms around Dee to pull her into a tight hug. GR-0-WL carefully rubbed against Melany's leg while Gertrude patted her back and Helios joined in, patting her shoulder.
Dee hugged back, then gasped, "Melany! Crushing me!"
Melany pulled back, rubbing her eyes but smiling through her tears, "S-sorry," she sniffed, "Forget how strong I am." She finished drying her eyes, "I'll get back to work once I have some breakfast."