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Ashes of Johto (Sacred Fire #1) [PG-13]

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
Chapter 5
Memento in the Mountains

James was wrong in his estimation of the distance to the base of Mt. Mortar. It would be two days before he arrived with Kim at the bottom of the misty mountain, heads craned back as they tried to glimpse the path through the mountains. Twilight had fallen, and that prompted the Pokemon trainer to nod toward the safety of the trees, “Well, we made it, but it’d be best if we made camp near the edge of the forest and started out tomorrow. We’re not making very good time, but safety is more important, I think.”

“Are you sure that you want to make camp near the forest?” Kim asked warily. “The Mightyena packs will be there, and you never know about the Gengar. It might be better to camp closer to the mountain.”

James seemed to digest that for a moment, then shook his head, “I’d rather not sleep out in the open. There’ll be Pokemon in the forest sure, but out here, there’ll be vagrants and who knows what else. There might be Ursaring in these mountains.”

Kim hesitated for a moment, not wanting to give into a Pokemon trainer that she still didn’t especially like, but finally she decided that James’s reasoning was sound and relented, “Fine, we’ll camp in the forest, but put your Pokemon away. I don’t want their scent attracting any hunters during the night.”

She felt a brief surge of nasty triumph as James shrugged and pulled his black Pokeball from his belt, “Suit yourself; return Umbreon.”

Umbreon gave a brief, protesting cry as a red beam lanced from the Pokeball and converted it to energy, then snapped back into the device like a careless rubber band. Deactivating the Pokeball, he returned it to his best and nodded toward the forest, “After you, Kim.”

Kim threw him a dirty look, but started from the mountain without comment, James just behind. They made the short trip back to the edge of the forest in silence, a situation not uncommon over the course of their brief journey together. James had plowed straight through the forest path over the past two days, only rarely stopping for a break to nibble on his supplies and ration out food to Kim and his Pokemon. He had occasionally spoke to the omnipresent Umbreon at his side, but he had spared few words for Kim.

She got the impression that he had rarely spoken with other humans over the course of the last ten years, instead reserving conversation for his Pokemon and possibly himself. She imagined him plowing through Shinou, Kanto and Orre, his head down and his face set in the same expression of uneasy concentration. That image probably wasn’t far from the truth.

Once the pair reached a suitable clearing at the edge of the forest, James dropped the gear with a grunt, “Do me a favor and get the cooking supplies out of my pack. I’m going to find some fire wood.”

Flicking on a flashlight, he quickly vanished into the brush, leaving Kim to fumble through his pack for the cooking utensils. Muttering quietly, she dug out the spare flashlight and quickly found a packet of powdered soup, but the ladle was nowhere to be found. After rummaging a little further, her hand closed on something that felt a little like the leather binding around one of the village ladle handles. She pulled it out of the pack with a quick tug, then let out a sharp, involuntary gasp as she saw what it was.

She was holding a dagger with a short, but nevertheless dangerously sharp blade encased in an ornate, ebony scabbard. A crimson Gyarados twisted about on the knife’s leather-bound handle, its teeth bared in a ferocious grimace. What looked like a small pendant depicting the scales of a dragon surrounding a Pokeball hung from dagger’s handle by a silver chain, the blade itself was flawless silver with a wicked edge and a blood channel that parted the dagger down the middle. Kim hadn’t been out of Eben Village in many years, but she had traveled enough to recognize it as a dagger belonging to one of the nearby assassin’s guilds, the sort that had emerged as a dangerous regional power in the aftermath of the bells.

Heart pounding in her ears, she replaced the dagger and quickly arranged the cooking supplies, only barely finishing by the time James returned with an armful of fire wood. She kept her head down and said nothing as he dumped it in an untidy heap on the ground and set to building a fire pit.

Kim steeled herself for a tense confrontation, but to her surprise, James quickly relieved her of that burden by raising the subject himself, “You’re probably wondering about the dagger in my pack.”

Somewhat disarmed by his unexpected words, Kim could only nod. James smiled as he finished building the fire pit and pulled out his lighter. As usual, very little of that smile made it to his eyes, “It used to belong to a member of the Red Dragon Clan, one of the assassin’s guilds in Orre. I keep it with me as a reminder that old Masamune is still out there, and I have a job to do.”

“How did you end up with the dagger?”

“I’d rather not go into that tonight. It’s a long story.”

James backed away as one of the dry twigs he had gathered caught and quickly spread, the fuel burning and the flames steadily rising. He sat staring at the fire, deep in thought, as Kate opened up her canteen and filled one of their pots with water. Tearing open the soup packet, she stirred the powder into the water and moved it over the fire, “Hope you like dry potato soup. I can add some leeks and carrots if you’d like.”

“Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

Kate set to cutting up a carrot, her eyes turning up to the trainer as she did, “So what are you thinking about now?”

“Oh, just something that I saw the other day,” James shook his head. “I think that it’s a Pokemon, and I’m pretty sure that it’s been following me since I left Orre. I’ve seen it at least three times, twice in Kanto and once here in Johto.”

“What kind of Pokemon is it?”

“I don’t know,” James lied. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. And it always moves so fast that I can only catch a glimpse of it. I’m pretty sure that it’s the same Pokemon though. I recognize the coloring.”

Kim thought about that for a moment as she held the soup over the fire and stirred the contents with a wooden spoon, “Well, maybe you’re meant to catch it, Mr. Pokemon Trainer. Have you ever considered that?”

“Yeah I’ve thought about that,” James admitted. “But like I’ve said, I’ve only ever caught a glimpse. Not enough time to even think about ordering an attack, really.”

“I guess,” Kim said as she finished stirring the stew, adding a dash of salt and pepper before ladling it into two bowls and offering one to James. “Now eat your soup before it gets cold. There’s more in the pot if you want second helpings.”

James laughed and took the bowl, “Thanks Mom, I appreciate it.”

Kim waved the ladle threateningly, laughing a little despite herself, “Don’t get smart with me. I’ve got a ladle, and I know how to use it.”

They dug into their potato and leek soup with a vengeance as the last of the sunlight drew back over the horizon and vanished. In Eben Village, they would be lighting their candles again the darkness. Here at the base of Mt. Mortar, James doused the fire and they curled up in their respective sleeping bags to drop off to sleep, the fire guttering away to nothing as the moon rose high into the night sky.

2​
What Kim didn’t know, was that the dagger tucked away in his pack had not been taken from the body of a dead Red Dragon member, as she thought, but had in fact always belonged to James. An ornate Gyarados tattoo spiraled up from his thigh to his calf, and much like the terrible scars he bore on his chest, the tattoo would bind him forever to the Red Dragon Clan and Masamune Miyai.

James received the dagger the day he made his first Pokemon capture. He had been a smallish eleven-year-old with a mop of scruffy black hair then, earning him the affectionate nickname “scrub” among his peers. Two weeks before, he had received the binding tattoo of clan membership along with his first Pokemon. Now he stood on the Orre Plateau overlooking the barren scrubland, bouncing a Pokemon thoughtfully in his hand.

Something stirred in the wind, and he turned to see a Pidgeotto light on the skeleton of a tree that poked stubbornly from the sand. When it saw James, it cooed and flapped its wings in challenge.

“You want a battle, Pidgeotto?” James smirked. “Well, that’s why I’m here. Okay Cyndaquil, come on out!”

He threw the Pokeball with a grunt, and it burst open to reveal the fire mouse, which squeaked. James deftly caught the Pokeball on its return and minimized it, “This is our first real battle, Cyndaquil, so do your best. Start out with a tackle attack!”

Cyndaquil squeaked, and James was pleased to see the flame on its back roar immediately to life. Seemingly non-plussed by this display of power, Pidgeotto quickly launched itself from the tree and struck Cyndaquil hard as it tried to run up to a tackle, leaving the Pokemon to squeal in pain as it swept back into the air.

James grimaced sympathetically, then pointed at the Pidgeotto, “Shake it off and use your fire spin like we practiced, Cyndaquil!”

Cyndaquil recovered its feet and seemed to be getting ready to loose a gout of fire, but the Pidgeotto struck fast, forcing the Pokemon to dodge with a squeak. The bird rounded about in the sky for another cry, squawking furiously, but this time James was ready, “Smokescreen Cyndaquil, quick!”

The Pidgeotto suddenly found itself in a haze of choking black smoke, unable to spot its prey. It wheezed and hit the ground with a thump, then flapped awkwardly to its feet and tried to use a whirlwind attack to blow away the smoke. Seeing his opportunity, James shouted, “Now’s your chance Cyndaquil, tackle it!”

James yanked an empty Pokeball from his belt as Cyndaquil charged and hit the Pidgeotto with a satisfying crack, stunning the bird further. The Pokeball soared through the air and opened to strike the bird with a pencil-thin line of red light, converting the Pokemon to energy and drawing it into the trap within. It hit the ground with a thud, shuddered three times, then beeped and was still.

James stood stock still for a moment, quivering, lost in the moment. Then he cried out in triumph and ran forward, cradling Cyndaquil under one arm while holding Pidgeotto’s Pokeball in the other, “We did it, Cyndaquil! We did it! Our first capture!”

Cyndaquil squeaked happily, and the pair danced around in circles for a moment before a heavy hand fell on his James’s shoulder. He turned to find himself in the shadow of an older man with a stern, lined face, a cascade of white hair slipping down to his shoulders, his eyes twinkling. Masamune Miyai smiled approvingly, “Nice capture, kid.”

James thought he would burst with pride at the rare praise, “Did you see everything? Did you see that move with the smokescreen?”

“Yes, I saw everything,” Miyai said kindly. As he spoke, he kneeled and pulled a dagger from his jacket, the same dagger that Kim would find in James’s pack 11 years later. “I’m proud of you, kid, it won’t be long before you’re running missions with Kanya and the rest of the clan.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I think so,” Miyai nodded. “So I want you to have this. It’s the initiate blade, carried by every member of our clan. Take it, honor it, and never lose it. You are part of this clan, son of the Red Dragon’s first family.”

He offered the blade to James, who took it into both hands, eyes wide and shining with pride. Miyai stood, smiling, hands in his pockets as James admired his new weapon. His reverie was broken by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to address the newcomer, a man sharp cheekbones and narrow eyes, “Masamune, Kanya is on the line for you. The mission is successful.”

Masamune immediately seized the mobile phone from the man’s hands and turned, “Thank you, Kuro. Hello Kanya, did you get it?”

As Masamune stepped away from the group to have his conversation with Kanya, Kuro wandered over to James, who was still admiring his gift. He kneeled down and glanced over James’s shoulder, “Hey Akira, old Masamune finally gave you a knife, huh?’

James carefully slipped the dagger into his belt, then beckoned Cyndaquil to his shoulder, “Yeah, he did. Do you have one too?”

“Course I do, everybody has one,” Kuro said, reaching to his belt to show James his own dagger. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you got one so fast, you being Masamune’s favorite son and all. Anyway, congratulations, huh? Come on back to the house with me, and we’ll celebrate with some sake. I think Masamune will be on the phone for a while.”

James nodded, and the pair started back to the compound, chatting happily, excited about the events of the day. As he walked, James Chambers believed that he would always be Akira Miyai, loyal son of the Red Dragon clan and child of Masamune Takeshi Miyai. One day soon, he would be fighting alongside his brothers, ready to die in the name of the crimson Gyarados that served as their clan’s standard.

But fate has a funny way of reigning in on our strongest expectations and our dearest wishes. Just two years later, he would lie burning with the town of Loam, latest victim of the father he loved so much.
 

ludicolo_kid

Well-Known Member
This gets better and better. It has a very good plot, and is written in a good descriptive way that draws you in and makes you want to know what will happen next.

The interesting idea of Humans and Pokemon becoming enemies makes you want to find out more, and i like how James' story is unraveled in bits too. You leave a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter, and i'm loving the little hints here and there, plus the small bits of humour lighten the atmosphere of it up a little. Every time i read it it seems to add one more piece to the jigsaw, and i'm gonna keep reading until i can see the final picture.

Sorry, i suck at rating these, but i really do like it and it is finally a story that is much more than a great idea, but a very well written and clearly planned out one. You said you wanted a nice long review, and that's as good as a i can do. :D

New chapter is nice- :eek: Revelations- going to kill his father!
 

Megamiz

Neverchanging Avvie
Great chapter. I <3's me a new twist :p.

This has become my new favorite series. Every week I check to see if the new episode of Bleach is up on Y**Tube, then I check my sig to see if the new chapter is up.
 

Evan Turner

You are my only fear
Hello.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I'm lazy. This was a very good chapter. I really like the twist, I hadn't suspected him to be a member of an evil guild, and much less like it. Also, making him the son... You're very good. This is a good stroy, it's gotten me craving it. Heheheheheh. Good luck with the next chapter, I'll be waiting.
 

Fire Suicune

Well-Known Member
There's no denying it: this is one of the best I've read. Ever. I'm adding this to my favorites list right now.

Hrist[ALT];5468626 said:
Kim waved the ladle threateningly, laughing a little despite herself, “Don’t get smart with me. I’ve got a ladle, and I know how to use it.”

That's probably one of my favorite sentences of all time now.

Can't wait for more!

-F.S. out
 

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
This gets better and better. It has a very good plot, and is written in a good descriptive way that draws you in and makes you want to know what will happen next.

That's great, thanks a lot. =) It's interesting to me too!

I <3's me a new twist

Yeah, that was one of the big ones. But there are bigger ones to come, of course.

I hadn't suspected him to be a member of an evil guild, and much less like it. Also, making him the son... You're very good

Glad it was unexpected. It had been in the cards from the beginning, in one way or another.

That's probably one of my favorite sentences of all time now

lol, I'm glad you liked it. =)

Chapter 6 is about half done. I need to revise a bit of the first part, then finishing writing the second, third and fourth parts. It's a long one. :p
 

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
Chapter 6
Meet Ursaring

The hour had grown late in James and Kim’s campsite, the sliver of a crescent moon providing the only illumination as the pair lay easily in their respective sleeping bags. Sometimes, Kim would thrash about in her sleep or mumble, once almost rolling into the dead embers of their fire.

After one such episode, her eyes popped open, and she found herself staring at the cloudy crescent moon, shivering a little at the brisk air from the mountains. Something stirred next to her, and she came fully awoke, realizing with a start that they were not alone.

The newcomer grunted and wuffled as it pawed through their packs, evidently looking for food. James’s clothes and personal effects were strewn across the ground, the dehydrated fruit and soup packs lay ignored nearby. Apparently frustrated by the lack of fresh meat, it turned to Kim, its hot, rancid breath washing over her face as it pawed at her sleeping bag. She lay dead still, afraid even to reach for her gun, lest she provoke a deadly attack.

It continued to investigate the area around her sleeping bag for a terrifying minute and a half, though to Kim it might as well have been a hundred years. She could feel its heavy footfalls around her sleeping bag; and its shaggy fur against her neck. At one point, it even put its damp nose against her cheek, and Kim thought she would scream. Her nose itched from the thing’s dandruff, and she realized with rising horror that she was about to sneeze.

It was coming though, she could feel the inexorable balloon swelling in her chest, and there was nothing that she could do about it. The sneeze rushed out of her nose with a muffled whump, her body shaking a little from a combination of the sneeze’s force and pure nerves. The intruder jerked away, then whapped her across the cheek with a heavy paw. Stars exploded into Kim’s vision, and she felt blood oozing down her cheek from its claws. Dazed, Kim was nevertheless able to struggle to her pack and yank out her revolver and her flashlight.

She flicked on the flashlight, and her mouth dried out as she illuminated an Ursaring on its hind legs, its paws spread wide as it bared its teeth and roared. Kim fumbled with the safety of her gun as it fell back on all fours and advanced, ready to tear out her throat with one swipe of those deadly paws. It was actually over her, its cloying breath filling her nose and mouth, when Umbreon hit it with a stunning tackle attack.
Kim quickly scrambled out of the way as the Ursaring grunted and fell on its side, claws windmilling in the air. Umbreon landed on all four feet, illuminated only by the glowing rings in its fur as it bared its teeth. James was standing nearby, still holding Umbreon’s Pokeball as he ordered another attack, “Confuse it with your agility Umbreon; don’t let it catch you!”

The Ursaring spun away from Kim to strike out at its new foe, but Umbreon was already gone. It darted about the campsite, a blur of golden ebony that abruptly struck again as James ordered a quick attack. Wounded and angry, the Ursaring reared back and delivered an explosive gout of flames that narrowly missed Umbreon and erupted in a shower of sparks as it hit the fire pit.

Umbreon quickly regained its feet as James yelled and shielded his face against the brilliant flare from the fire pit, then sprang at the Ursaring with another tackle attack. Temporarily blinded by the spikes, the wild bear Pokemon lashed out with sharp claws and scored a lucky hit, knocking Umbreon to the ground with a squeak.

Kim had raised her gun now, taking careful aim at the Ursaring’s back as she yelled, “I’ve got a clear shot, James! Get out of the way and let me drop it!”

“Don’t be stupid, I don’t want to kill it!” James retorted as he produced a Pokeball from his pack. “Umbreon, double team!”

The camp suddenly filled with five, ten, twenty, thirty Umbreon, all of them lunging at the confused Ursaring. It struck with another fire blast, which struck a nearby boulder and set it glowing with the heat, but was nevertheless a clean miss. The mirror images vanished as Umbreon sent Ursaring sprawling with a clean hit between the golden ring on its chest.

James heaved his Pokeball, the Ursaring roaring feebly in protest as its final moments of freedom passed and it was drawn into its digital prison. The Pokeball shook three times, and was silent. James and Kim only stood there, the nearby boulder still glowing from the Ursaring’s fire blast. Kim could see the tension in James’s expression. Finally, he walked over and picked it up, balancing it carefully in his hand as he knelt next to Umbreon, “Well Umbreon, looks like we have new addition to the family.”

Umbreon chirruped and circled spun around twice in a tight circle before sliding over and sniffing at the Pokeball. Kim stared distrustfully at the Pokeball, her eyes narrowed, “What are we going to do with it?”

“We’re going to keep it, of course,” James said, rolling his eyes, as if Kim was the class dunce. “Pokemon are hard to catch. Trust me; I’ve been traveling for years now, and I’ve only managed to catch and raise two Pokemon. This Ursaring fell right into my lap, we’re keeping it.”

With that, James tucked away the Pokeball at his belt, and the conversation was over. Kim would see Ursaring again sometime later, though on terms she would never expect.

2

A familiar scene was waiting for Dr. Murakami when he headed down the steps to Mr. Nakashima’s basement the following morning in Eben Village. Pidgeot was there, its wing held securely in a sling, and so was a large, rather clumsily poured bowl of Pokemon feed. The old doctor would have dearly loved to have known who was leaving the food for the Pidgeot. Most of the villagers were afraid to go anywhere the basement, and major manufacturers had stopped producing Pokemon feed years ago, for obvious reasons. That left the doctor with a mystery, and Murakami was a sucker for mysteries.

Putting aside his misgivings for a moment, he knocked away the feed with his foot as he walked up to Pidgeot and patted it on the wing, “Hello Pidgeot, looks like your visitor was here again last night. Well, let’s have a look at that wing, shall we?”

Humming quietly to himself, Murakami carefully removed the cast, revealing Pidgeot’s injured wing. He was a 67-year-old physician who had lived in Eben Village his entire life, leaving only to attend eight years of medical school in Goldenrod City and the occasional seminar. His colleagues privately called him the village quack, the old man with the shock of grey hair and large spectacle who emerged from the wild only once a year. Despite this, he was widely regarded as an excellent physician, and frequently received calls from locales as far-flung as Saffron City. Pokemon medicine was rather outside his expertise, but in this case, Eben Village had little choice.

Murakami moved Pidgeot’s squawks of pain as he moved the bird’s wing up and down to test its flexibility, then pulled out a roll of fresh bandages re-splinted the bird’s wing. All the while, his mind was on that feed bowl. Was it poisoned feed? He had to find out, and he would early the next morning.

* * *

Dawn broke over Eben Village, three days after James and Kim had set out for Blackthorn Village, relieving the village of another tense night by candlelight. The guards went home to get to sleep, their pistols tucked under their arms, a few of them waving to Dr. Murakami as he sat on his porch, watching the Nakashima house across the road. Murakami had a feeling that Pidgeot’s visitor would appear in the early morning. There were too many people during the day, and nobody went out at night.

Elder Saitou ambled down the path, head down, out for his morning walk. He paused and waved when he saw Murakami, “Hello Kazuhiro, it’s going to be a fine day, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, I think so, Takuya,” Murakami grunted. “Enjoy them while you can, winter isn’t far off, and my bones tell me that it will be a long one. Now, stop pretending that you’re out exercising and join me for a cup of coffee. Maybe you can help me solve a mystery that’s been bothering for two days now.”

Saitou chuckled and climbed the steps to Murakami’s porch. Pouring himself a cup of still-hot coffee from the nearby pot, the elder pulled up a chair and settled in next to the doctor, “And what mystery do we have today?”

“The mystery of the clumsily-fed Pidgeot,” Murakami said dryly. “The past two days that I’ve arrived to check up on the young man’s Pidgeot, there’s been a bowl of Pokemon feed there.”

Saitou raised an eyebrow, stroking his beard as he did, “And where’s the harm in that?”

“There is no harm, really,” Murakami admitted, “not unless they are poisoning the bird, which I doubt since it’s the picture of health outside of the fractured wing. I’m curious because the villagers treat that Pidgeot like it has the plague, and why wouldn’t they? We’ve been under attack by Pokemon for better than 10 years now. But there’s somebody here who isn’t afraid, and I want to know who, so that I can shake their hand.”

“I see,” Saitou said, then set to watching the path with no further comment. It was well known that Murakami, an amateur Pokemon researcher who had occasionally corresponded with Professor Elm before the bells tolled, had nothing but disdain for those who feared Pokemon.

The day we stop running is the day we begin to make amends, Murakami often said.

It was an hour before Saitou spotted the renegade caregiver dragging an oversized bag of Pokemon feed behind her. He stifled a laugh and pointed, “Well, there’s your mastermind, Murakami.”

Dr. Murakami’s eyes twinkled behind his spectacles as little Kara Suzuki struggled up to the Nakashima cellar doors, then dropped the oversized bag of feed to yank at the handle. A moment later, she was headed down the stairs, the huge bag bouncing behind her. Saitou started to rise, but Murakami stopped him, “No Takuya, let her think that nobody knows. Let this be a private moment.”

So the two elders remained there on the porch, sun warming their faces as they fondly recalled better days, chatting well into the afternoon. Finally, Murakami rose to perform another checkup, content that there was one spark of decency still left in the world, manifested in the little girl who every morning dragged the oversized bag of Pokemon feed to the cellar for her friend Pidgeot.

3

While Murakami and Saitou sat reminiscing, James and Kim were back on the road to Blackthorn Village. James had said little about the Ursaring, only once releasing it so that it could be fed with the rest of the Pokemon. It was docile enough as it snacked on the last of their apples, but there was also a restless edge to the bear that made Kim nervous. She was secretly glad when it was back in its Pokeball and they were on their way over the mountains.

The terrain around Mt. Mortar was rough, with a winding mountain road proving to be the only reliable away through the pass. The air grew progressively thinner as they wound their away around dead trees and huge boulders. Kim would occasionally see the odd Geodude as they walked, but the path was otherwise bare of Pokemon. It was just as well, she mused, since any Pokemon they encountered would almost certainly prove to be hostile.

Umbreon was there, once again trotting obediently at James’s side, and so was Cyndaquil. But this time, Kim didn’t say anything. After the encounter with nearly-disastrous encounter with Ursaring, she wouldn’t quibble with the protection offered by James’s Pokemon. With the thinning air came increasingly brisk temperatures; so at 1 PM they stopped and James dug out a heavy, winter jacket, “Did you bring anything, Kim?”

“No,” Kim admitted. She was a little ashamed to be so ill-prepared, but James only tossed his jacket to her without comment and pulled out a lighter jacket. She tried to give it back, but James ignored her and opened a rice triangle instead. Later, they would camp in that mountain pass, neither of them sleeping very well as they gazed up the starry sky and shivered at the cold.

Kim finally asked a question that had occurred to her before, but had never come up, “James, where were you when the bells tolled?” She was thinking of the stories of Jeff, of how he had been there in the village when the bells tolled, then simply up and left.

James was quiet for a long time, his face only a dim outline in the dark. Finally, he said, “I was in Kanto with my dad that day. We had made the catch of our lives, everybody was celebrating, and then the bells tolled.”

“What did you catch?”

“That’s a long, complicated story.”

“Was your dad a Pokemon trainer?”

“Yeah, still is, in fact,” James said quietly.

“What was he like? I really don’t know much about you.”

More silence. Kim thought she caught a hint of pain in James’s voice when he spoke again, “If you want to be technical, he wasn’t my father. He adopted me out of an orphanage when I was less than a year old, I never knew my real parents. It didn’t matter though, I idolized him. I think the thing that I loved about him the most was that he had a sense of humor. You would never have guessed it looking at him, but he was a pretty funny guy, my dad.”

“Where is he now?”

“The last time I saw him was just about ten years ago,” James said softly. “And that’s also a long story.”

Kim left it there. They lay in silence under the clear stars, still shivering, each reflecting on their family. Kim thought about her Takuya and Tara Saitou, the Eben Elder and the Pokemon trainer, kind parents who had nevertheless expected only the best from their daughter, and often received it.

James fell asleep thinking about the Red Dragon Clan, the only family he had ever known. The family he had loved, and the family he had betrayed.

* * *

The next day, James and Kim halted near the summit of Mt. Mortar, looking down upon Lake Rage and, not far beyond that, Blackthorn City. James was smiling a little as he pulled out his canteen and sipped some water, “Not far now, Kim. We’ll stop at Lake Rage for some business, then it’ll be another day to Blackthorn City. But first, I want to give you this.”

He removed Ursaring’s Pokeball from his belt and tucked it into her hand. She flinched, expecting it to burst from its prison and attack, but the Pokeball was still. Before she could speak, James said, “When you asked where I was when the bells tolled, it made me realize that there aren’t many Pokemon trainers left in this world. It’s time that we got some fresh blood in this club.”

Kim stared warily at the Pokeball, half wanting to throw it over the edge of the cliff. Instead, she tucked it away into her bag, “It’ll never listen to me. Pokemon won’t listen to anybody but you and Jeff.”

“Oh, I think it’ll listen to you eventually,” James said patiently. “I caught that Pokemon, and now I’m giving it to you. Take good care of it Kim, you’re being given something very rare – A second chance.”

With that, James started down the mountain side toward Lake Rage, the newly minted Pokemon trainer trailing uncertainly. The next day, they would be lakeside, and in Lake Rage’s pristine water, they would wash away their sins.
 
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ludicolo_kid

Well-Known Member
Nice. Probably my favourite chapter yet. I like how James and Kim are slowly becoming closer and starting to warm to each other. Little things, like James wearing the less warm jacket, and giving her Ursaring.

Lol i had an image of Umbreon's everywhere zooming around Ursaring, and then it Focus Punching the real one into cyber space. Was pretty funny, but thank God it didn't happen.
 

DANdotW

Previously Iota
Excellent. Ursaring with Kim. I was waiting for Kim to become a Trainer again. Looking forward to some more chapters from you. I've said it before and I'll see it again, this fic has amazing potential, and so far you're using it to the max.

Your characters are well developed, your plot seems feasible and your battles are effective with their length and believability.

You mentioned how Pokémon were hard to capture now, with James only capturing and training two (which I noticed the Scyther he used in a previous chapter was forgotten, unless you left out Pidgeot). Does this mean you'll show us a capture going wrong in one chapter?

I hope you don't rush Ursaring listening to Kim, or make it cheap with her protecting it from something. I want it to sound as great as the story has so far.

Can't wait for more of James' past to come out. Also can't wait for Kim's battle debut. It'll be amazing to see what she can do, even if she is a little rusty.

Wouldn't be bad seeing Jeff too, which is why I want this to last a while.

Keep writing.

Iota
 

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
I like how James and Kim are slowly becoming closer and starting to warm to each other. Little things, like James wearing the less warm jacket, and giving her Ursaring.

phew, I'm glad you think so. ;) I was worried that they were becoming friends too quickly.

Excellent. Ursaring with Kim. I was waiting for Kim to become a Trainer again

I think it's pretty obvious that that was in the cards. ;)

You mentioned how Pokémon were hard to capture now, with James only capturing and training two (which I noticed the Scyther he used in a previous chapter was forgotten, unless you left out Pidgeot). Does this mean you'll show us a capture going wrong in one chapter?

Nah, he didn't forget Scyther. He left out Pidgeot because he caught it with Cyndaquil's help. Umbreon and Scyther were caught in separate encounters. As for the last, we'll see. ;)

I hope you don't rush Ursaring listening to Kim, or make it cheap with her protecting it from something. I want it to sound as great as the story has so far.

Kim has a lot of work ahead of her in the Ursaring realm

Can't wait for more of James' past to come out. Also can't wait for Kim's battle debut. It'll be amazing to see what she can do, even if she is a little rusty.

All in the cards, I think

Jeff will be coming along soon. Thanks for the positive feedback guys.
 

DANdotW

Previously Iota
So...he didn't use Pidgeot or Cyndaquil for Umbreon and Scyther then?

If he used them to battle, then I'd say he used them to capture the Poges.

Iota
 

DANdotW

Previously Iota
Oh I get it, Pidgeot was before the bells tolled? And it and Cyndaquil didn't run away. Did James have any other Pokémon that perhaps did leave him when he bells tolled?

At least I know more now. Sorry, I'm just really really interested.

So Umbreon and Scyther were caught after the bells tolled.

Iota
 

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
Holy crap, this one took forever. Lots of rewrites. :p I've also been distracted this week. *sighs*

Chapter 7
Newcomers

Kim and James arrived at Lake Rage as daylight faded to twilight, the weather becoming steadily warmer as they descended the mountain, the lake splashing invitingly nearby. When they reached the lakeshore, James dropped his pack and stretched, “Great, we finally made it. Let’s take a little break.”

Kim nodded and turned to her bag, meaning to pull out a blanket and set up camp, but she was distracted by a splash. She turned to find James swimming laps along their shoreline, wearing only a pair of boxers. Kim winced at the pink scars crisscrossing his chest – Where had he gotten those? When James saw her staring, he stopped to wave, “Water’s great Kim, you should come on in! But do me a favor and release Scyther first, would you? Oh, and Ursaring too. They need to be fed.”

James kicked off and went back to swimming, leaving Kim to find and release the Pokemon. Scyther seemed glad to be free of the Pokeball. It stretched its wings and screeched (Scyther!); then it was gone. Ursaring stayed in its Pokeball. Kim pushed it from hand to hand, trying to work up the nerve to release it, an occasional gust of wind ruffling her hair as Scyther swept by in a blur.

Kim still hadn’t activated the Pokeball when James returned to the shoreline, shaking off the water like a wet dog as he buttoned up his pants, “Did you get food for the Pokemon yet?”

“Oh, uh,” Kim glanced from Umbreon, which was sitting primly on a nearby rock, to Cyndaquil, which had quickly returned to James’s shoulder. Scyther came to a halt nearby, wings still extended as it looked expectantly toward James. They were *all* looking at James that way, and Kim felt a twinge of jealousy as she thought back to her own Quilava, Furret and Murkrow. She had once shared that same bond with all of her Pokemon, but now she was too afraid to even release Ursaring, let alone try and train it. She kept her eyes down to the grass as she said, “I’m going to feed it a little later, when I have some time alone. I want to try and build some trust with it.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” James agreed as he tugged on his shirt. “Well, let’s get the rest of them fed then. There should be some dried Pokemon feed in the right pocket of my pack.”

The shirt brought Kim back to her senses for a moment. She had been thinking so much about Ursaring that she had forgotten to ask about the scars, “James, where did you get those scars on your chest and back?”

James hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, “Takeshi Miyai gave them to me. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

Takeshi Miyai again, Kim sighed. She thought about asking just what old Miyai had done to James, but he would say no more on the subject. They ate a spare dinner on the shoreline, Kim munching stolidly on dried fruit and jerky as she sat looking at Ursaring’s Pokeball, the rest of the Pokemon eating from bowls nearby. A little later, James and Kim had set up a fire, and both Umbreon and Cyndaquil had curled up next to it to sleep while Scyther resumed tearing frantically up and down the beach.

After carefully repackaging the supplies, James began unrolling his sleeping bag, saying, “Do you know how this lake got its name?”

“Um, no,” Kim said distractedly. She was playing with Ursaring’s Pokeball again.

James patted down the sleep bag, then nodded toward the lake, “Years ago, this lake was home to an enraged Gyarados. I guess Team Rocket did some experiments on it. Anyway, the lake was almost impassable until a trainer captured the Gyarados and managed to relieve its pain, which earned him a loyal friend in the process. After that, this place became kind of a symbol of friendship between man and Pokemon. I’ve been told that priests come here on a regular basis to pray for peace and ask forgiveness from the natural forces of this world.”

He looked at Kim, “Well anyway, I guess I’ve always thought that Pokemon turned against humans because we deserved it. Humanity has a lot to answer for in this world, and our treatment of Pokemon is only the tip of the iceberg, you know? Maybe when we finally own up to at least a little bit of what we’ve done, the Pokemon will forgive us and come back.”

Kim stopped bouncing the Pokeball in her hand for a moment and looked hard at James. As she did, she saw with a start that she could finally read pain beneath those eyes of his. She realized that James felt like he had something to atone for, though Kim could only imagine his crime. Did it have something to do with the reason his Pokemon still obeyed? After a moment, she said, “Did you come to this lake for that forgiveness?”

James frowned and touched the area where Kim had seen all those terrible scars, his jaw working up and down as he grimaced at some unseen memory. Finally, he said, “Maybe.”

He said nothing else after that, dousing the fire an hour later and curling into his sleeping bag. Kim lay awake for a long time that night, bouncing Ursaring’s Pokeball, thinking.

2

When Kim woke the next morning, she found James’s sleeping bag empty, with a note pinned to the top.

*Took Umbreon and Cyndaquil to scout the area and scavenge supplies. Left Scyther just in case something happens. Fed all the Pokemon including Ursaring, but it’ll probably want a snack later. Use that to gain its trust. See you later, James.*

So James was off reconnoitering, and here was her big chance to get to know Ursaring, Kim thought. She took its Pokeball from her bag and began rolling it from hand to hand as she looked out over the lake. It had been ten years since she had last held a Pokeball like this. Was it possible to forget what it was like to train a Pokemon, to lose sight of each species quirks and turn a deaf ear to their needs? No, she could still train a Pokemon, she decided. She was just scared.

Plain old scared.

She had been just outside Olivine City the day the bells tolled, ready to challenge the leader Jasmine for her fourth Johto League badge, when the energy generated by the bells arrived like an ill wind. The sound was engraved in her memory as a peculiar gonging noise that seemed to roll up and over her, then out into Johto.

The wind had picked up, and hundreds, maybe thousands, of bird Pokemon had taken flight. Kim remembered the great migrations of Spearows, Murkrows, Pidgeys, Noctowls and Taillows, their numbers creating shifting black clouds in the sky that blotted out the sun. Afraid, she had only been thirteen then, Kim had run to the nearest Pokemon Center and called Professor Elm.

Elm had been waiting for her call, and his message had been simple, “Listen to me very carefully. There is an energy wave coming out of Ecruteak City that is causing Pokemon to turn on their trainers. I recommend that you suspend your journey and go home as quickly as you can, Kim. It’s not safe out there right now. Don’t release any Pokemon, don’t get into any battles, and take the fastest route that you can.”

Kim hadn’t wanted to go, but she had been frightened by those great migrations over Olivine City, and the news being broadcast on the Pokemon Center lobby television seemed dire. There had been reports of Pokemon attacks in nearly every region, with dozens of casualties. It looked as if the sound Kim had heard from Ecruteak City had driven the Pokemon crazy. So she went, slipping out of the Olivine Pokemon Center while everybody’s attention was on the news and hurrying out of town. She didn’t know it then, but she was among a very few left in Johto to still be carrying Pokemon.

The main roads were not safe from Olivine to Eben Village, so she took the fastest back road she knew how, sometimes waving to the trucks filled with grim-faced National Defense Force soldiers that passed roughly every half-hour. Things are getting worse, she thought, and she did her best to quicken her pace.

The fourth day found her near the base of Mt. Mortar, camping in the same forest where she would encounter Ursaring ten years later. She figured on only one more day before she arrived back in Eben Village, and from there she would wait out the strange calamity that had befallen the world and get back to her journey. Going against Elm’s advice, she released her Pokemon and started a fire.

The only food she had with her was a packet of dehydrated soup; she had been meaning to restock in Olivine City. She was boiling a cup of water for the soup when her Murkrow suddenly stirred, “Murkrow? Murk Murkrow?”

Kim frowned up in the direction that Murkrow was looking. The air had taken on a chill quality, even though it had previously been a warm summer’s night. She stood a little shakily, and whispered, “Is there something there, guys?”

Now her skin was pricking up in goosebumps, and she could see her breath condensing in front of her. Mist was rising all around them, and fire seemed to flick lower. Then she saw it, and her insides became icy. Suddenly, she wasn’t in the Mortar Woods anymore, she was receiving her first Pokemon from Professor Elm in New Bark Town. She was winning her first badge from Faulkner. She was capturing Murkrow. She was running from a pack of Donphan.

All of this passed before her eyes in a second, and she was left with the frightening feeling that something had been casually perusing her memories, reading her mind like an open book. Looking upon the perpetrator, she felt naked and violated. Suicune of the North Wind snorted and pawed at the ground.

Kim suddenly felt an urge to apologize to the Pokemon, as if everything that had happened in the last few days had been her fault. Her fingers felt numb, and all of her Pokemon were looking at her expectantly. She felt a little bitter under Suicune’s gaze, wondering why she should apologize for everything that had happened. It hadn’t really been her fault, had it? Finally, she opened her mouth, and the words that came out were not an apology.

“What do you want?”

There was no answer for that question. Suicune vanished, leaving only midsummer snowflakes to lodge gently in her hair.

* * *

The next day dawned unseasonably cold and grey, punctuated by gusts of wind that numbed the fingers and nose. Kim sat alone in her campsite, her knees pulled to her chest as she sat sobbing next to the embers of her dead campfire. Her Pokemon had slipped off in the night, leaving her alone at the edge of the Mortar Woods.

Quilava had been the last to go, the crunch of leaves under its paws waking Kim as it tried to slip away from the campsite. She had jerked up and fumbled for her flashlight to find it halfway into the brush, its head bowed. Kim was stunned for a moment, then caught her breath long enough to ask, “Quilava, where are you going?”

The Pokemon didn’t reply, it just vanished into the brush as Kim struggled out of her sleeping bag. Heedless of the sharp rocks and brambles that cut at her feet, she stumbled after the Quilava, “Where are you going! Come back!”

She spotted it with her flashlight heading down one of the alternate paths, and Kim began to run a little faster. Quilava quickened its pace as well, but not enough to escape. Kim caught up with the Pokemon and scooped it up into her arms, oofing a little at its weight as she did, “What’s going on Quilava? Where’s Murkrow and Furret?”

Quilava responded by squirming ferociously in her arms, finally pushing Kim’s arms aside and hitting the ground with a thump. Kim started to trot after it, but the fire on its back suddenly flared to life, and Kim fell back as a flamethrower singed her head. She sat there on the path, the flashlight only half illuminating Quilava, as she choked out, “Please don’t go Quilava; please don’t go!”

She screamed that over and over again, the refrain echoing hollowly in her ears, but Quilava went. Just like that, Kim’s privileges as a Pokemon trainer had been revoked. She was alone.

But now, ten years later, she had been given a second chance. She sat there on the beach, her eyes closed as she sat fiddling with Ursaring’s Pokeball. Finally, she looked up and over Lake Rage. There was something she wanted to say, but the words were stuck in her throat.

She opened and closed her mouth twice, shaking her head as she did. Finally, they burst out from her mouth like a tidal stream. She spoke quickly, without time to think the words over and possibly rescind them, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for Team Rocket and Cipher! I’m sorry for not trusting my Pokemon at the end! I’m sorry for not saying this to Suicune! I’m sorry for being such a jerk toward James! I’m sorry for being too afraid to even release Ursaring! I’m sorry for everything! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

She had gradually risen to her feet as she yelled her apologies out over the lake, her voice rising with it. When she had finally finished, she collapsed back to the beach, her words rolling away over the lake’s pristine waters. She felt a little better, but only a little. Exhausted, Kim tossed Ursaring’s Pokeball back in her pack and went to lie down next to the fire. Ten minutes later, she was asleep.

3

While Kim was screaming her apologies over Lake Rage, James was ranging through the woods near Lake Rage, gathering berries and wild roughage while keeping an eye out for wild Pokemon. He had spent a great deal of time in the wilderness, since leaving Orre, and was used to foraging.

He stopped to stare at a bush full of blood red berries, his mind going to the Cyndaquil on his shoulder as he did. He thought about Cyndaquil a lot these days. He had done morning exercises with it before leaving, as usual, and had been heartened when it loosed a stronger flamethrower attack than usual. But then the flamethrower had petered out, and he was left cursing and kicking at the dirt.

Deep down inside, James had to admit that he didn’t trust Cyndaquil to get any better. Umbreon and Pidgeot did the bulk of the battling these days, leaving the difficult to control Scyther and the weak Cyndaquil to languish on the sidelines. With Pidgeot injured, he should have started using the others more, but he went right on using Umbreon in battle.

Sighing, James was so engrossing in the berries that he didn’t see the man riding up behind him on an Arcanine. A rumpled fedora was pulled low over his eyes, tufts of carrot-red hair poking out from underneath the hat. He was tall, and his skin was pale. When he spoke, his voice was soft and reedy, “Hello, trainer”

James jerked and spun, his hand closing automatically on Umbreon’s Pokeball. His eyes went first to the proud Arcanine in front of him, then the man perched on its back, “Who the hell are you? Where did you get that Arcanine?”

“My name’s Jeff Hibiki, and I’m a Pokemon trainer,” he said softly. “Now listen to me very carefully, trainer. Listen to everything I say. Your life is in danger.”
 

DANdotW

Previously Iota
Amazing. Excellent chapter. I can't wait for Ursaring, I really can't. Kim is so much more human in this chapter. I actually think she's my favourite character.
The reveal of James' feelings towards Cyndaquil at the end were nice too. And Jeff :) Finally.

Nice cliffhanger though.

I can't wait for the next chapter.

Well done again.

Iota
 

Evan Turner

You are my only fear
That was amazing. This is a good chapter. I really like how you were able to really plan everything and get them out at a good time. I liked this chapter a lot too, this chapter really seemed to show all their personalities a litte bit more. And it also finally let us see Kim's mysterious past. I understand now why she's hated Pokemon so much. Imagine, your best friends just leaving you without a word, and after working so hard with them. Hurts. Hehehehe. Good job, can't wait to see more. Congrats with another amazing chapter! Good luck with the next too!
 

Hrist[ALT]

Battlemaiden Hrist
I can't wait for Ursaring, I really can't. Kim is so much more human in this chapter. I actually think she's my favourite character

Kim was overdue for more development. I always knew that her Pokemon leaving played a major factor in her personality, but I was surprised at some other things. She is becoming more interesting to me now too.

I ended up deleting tons of stuff and rewriting this chapter. I had an overlong scene setting bit that described what happened when the Bells tolled. The bit where she talked to Professor Elm was much longer, etc. I'm glad I cut it down a lot. Leaner and meaner now, or something.

The reveal of James' feelings towards Cyndaquil at the end were nice too

Well, kind of a reveal. More of a reminder really, since he muses on Cyndaquil's lack of power in Chapter 3.

Imagine, your best friends just leaving you without a word, and after working so hard with them

Yeah, gotta imagine that it does. o-o

Thanks for the kind words. I'm now hard at work on Chapter 8.
 

ludicolo_kid

Well-Known Member
I love this story so much, it's just great. I was basically going to say what the other two did really, and i like the passing references to the games, like Kim getting her first Pokemon from Prof Elm and the Lake of Rage and the Shiny Gyarados. I wonder if there will be a parallel to the main character(s) from the game...(Jeff maybe?....)
 
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