Chapter Fourteen

Kindle had her eyes trained on the red shape in the sky, a small burst of fire crackling in both paws. The twin Embers were burning brightly, and with a flick of her paw she threw one paw forward, throwing the attack up at the bug type above. Compound eyes began to glow, purple energy surrounding the Vivillon as she dove straight down towards the incoming flames. The Psybeam began to form in front of her, the ray intercepting the Ember.

'Hehe!' Amber giggled, pulling to a stop in the midst of rising smoke. 'I can stop fire!'

'No,' Kindle said, the Braixen putting her arms on her hips. 'That's when you're supposed to use Protect– you shouldn't take any risk for an attack hitting you.'

'But it didn't hit me.'

'But it could have,' Kindle said, taking a step forward. 'Had that been a larger burst of fire a Psybeam wouldn't have saved you– while a Protect could have!'

She swooped down, landing on the fire type's head, spreading open her wings. 'Why are you so worried? I know how to battle.'

Kindle eyed her scarred wing– discolored and misshapen, adding a small wobble to the bug's flight– something any opponent could take advantage of. 'Battles aren't games, Amber, you need to take them seriously,' She took the Vivillon off of her head, allowing her to perch on her arm. 'You can't properly manipulate wind, which is one of your line's best options in battle. Protect is a necessary defense for you, and I don't understand why you refuse to learn it!'

'I know how to use it.'

'On the ground!' Kindle cried in frustration. 'You won't always have time to dodge or pull off some fancy move while in the air– so you need to use Protect!'

The Vivillon considered this for a moment. '...But I wanna learn a new move.'

'Gah!' Kindle snarled in frustration.

"Come on girls, keep up with the rest of us!" Ash called from up ahead on the path. "There's a cave up ahead, and we'll need your fire, Kindle!"

'Hold on,' Kindle muttered, breaking into a trot as she hurried to catch up with Ash. She was still getting used to being biped, but was gaining more control over her form each day. She partly wished that her evolution had been more like Reed's– who had simply become larger as an Ivysaur.

Amber giggled as they reached the rest of the group, the Vivillon in the highest spirits she had been in a long time. She now was able to use Psybeam effectively, though it could be much stronger, and was already wanting to move onto another move. She wasn't sure how to convince the Pokemon otherwise– though carefree the bug type was stubborn.

Besides, Kindle needed to do some training for herself, now as a Braixen she should be properly able to use her psychic energy offensively. Learning Psybeam for herself might not be such a bad idea.

'Cave?' Avery called, both of his heads speaking at the same time. 'Home?'

'Home?' Nami asked, flicking an ear, the Riolu sitting up on Ash's shoulders. 'I thought birds lived in trees?'

'Most birds do,' Kindle said as they rejoined the group. 'Doduos don't. They don't live in caves either.'

Nami tilted her head. 'Avery climbs trees though.'

'Yeah Kindle,' Amber added. 'You saw him– he does live in trees!'

'Doduos are native to fields and grasslands!' Kindle said, gritting her teeth in frustration. Reed and Ash were the only ones not to have joined the conversation so far– Reed's eyes keeping straight ahead, and Ash being unable to understand them.

'The cave is our home,' Avery said, one head speaking first, the other finishing up for him. 'We hatched there. Ma is a Golbat.'

'That makes sense,' Amber said with a hum.

'No, it doesn't– kits take after the mother species, his mom has to be a Doduo or a Dodrio–' Kindle began.

'Father was a Doduo, at least that's what Ma said,' Avery said, once again switching between heads as he spoke.

Kindle clenched her paws– were wild Pokemon really that uneducated? She thought it was common knowledge on how egg groups worked! A female Golbat and male Doduo could breed– but that would result in Zubat babies, not a Doduo!

"I have no idea what you guys are fighting about," Ash said, looking down at his Holo Caster as they headed towards the mountainous hills up ahead. "But I'm sure there's no reason to. According to the path Lysandre suggested, the quickest way to the next gym would be through Ambrette Town– meaning we'll have to go through Connecting Cave. It's a fairly short trail, and should bring us out into the middle of the Amber Mountain range."

'Hey! That's my name!' Amber said excitedly, wings quivering. 'Did they really name a whole bunch of mountains after me?'

Kindle had to bite back a sarcastic retort, because she didn't want to hurt the bug type's feelings. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her frustration. 'It was likely that you were named after these mountains, they're the largest range here in Kalos.'

The only ones, really.

Nami tilted her head. 'Many auras inside. A lot of Pokemon?'

'In the deeper caves, yeah, but like Ash said we only need to go through Connecting Cave,' Kindle said, nodding up to the cave route up ahead. The path was worn and the entrance well used, and while the quickest way to the next town she wouldn't be surprised if most trainers stuck to the longer and winding road that went through the canyon.

Ash paused, reaching for his backpack and pulling out a water bottle. The rest of the team paused as well as he took a drink, before offering the bottle to Nami, who shook her head. It looked like he was going to take a moment to catch his breath before they made their way into the cave, because while they knew it was short they didn't know how short, but before he could even make the move to sit down Avery let out a screech.

'Ma!' Both heads cawed out together as he sped forward, long legs swiftly carrying him towards the cave entrance. 'We're home! We're home! Ma?'

"Avery, wait!" Ash called, taking after him in pursuit, the rest of the team following after their trainer. Their newest teammate didn't slow though, bolting right into the dark cave with no hesitation.

Kindle held up both of her paws, urging two Embers to form, knowing that Ash would be blind in the darkness. They danced across her paws as they entered the cave, creating shadows that danced off of the walls. The only sign of Avery was his echoing caws up ahead as he ran deeper into the cave, seemingly undaunted by the darkness.

'Ma?' Both heads cried out together.

Kindle's ears twitched as she heard the faint chirps of Zubats. She hesitated, but didn't pause from her run, but the psyche about her felt peaceful, no sign of immediate danger. Her and Ash were panting as they hurried around the corner of the cave, the cool air feeling harsh on their throat, Amber and Nami clinging tightly to them, while Reed said at their sides.

At the edges of Kindle's Embers they could see Avery up ahead, who had finally come to a stop. Right in front of him was a large Golbat, who had thrown her wings around the other flying type's much larger body. She held him close, letting out high pitched chirps, which Avery attempted to echo in turn.

The Golbat tensed as she saw them, suddenly taking to the air and releasing an Air Cutter at them. Kindle tensed, and Reed leapt forward, firing a Razor Leaf in reply. Though the Air Cutter sliced right through the leaves it didn't halt the momentum of the pressurized air, but weakened its strength by the time it hit him. The Petals on his back rustled, a faint glow appearing as a Venoshock took form.

The Golbat in response began to glow, and Kindle watched with wide eyes as it shifted– its purple skin bubbling to a pink, before deepening to a gray-green. The Axew took a step forward, a Dragon Rage forming in its mouth as it charged towards them. Kindle released one of her Embers forward– though the dragon took the move with ease.

'Ma wait!' Avery cried, jumping so he landed in front of her. 'He's a good human– he saved us!'

The Axew's eyes flashed. 'Did he catch you? What Pokeball is yours? I'll shatter it!'

'If he hadn't another human was going to have their Pokemon hunt us!' Avery said, his tiny wings twitching. 'He even took us all the way back home.'

'You've been gone for weeks!'

Avery's talons curled. 'We couldn't get past the human town, they kept chasing is to the other side every time we tried. They had rocky walls just like the cave all around the human town, but with no ceiling. It was really steep too– just like a cliff! And we couldn't climb over it.'

The Axew eyed them for a moment longer, before morphing back into a Golbat. Kindle shivered at the sight, everything about it unnatural– it looked nothing like evolution or a form change! She shared a glance with the rest of the team– Ash and Nami looked confused, while Nami seemed bothered by it all. She ducked behind Ash's shoulder, resting on his backpack.

'You are a Ditto.'

Reed took a step forward, looking at the Golbat with certainty. She huffed, flaring open her wings. 'You are a trainer's Pokemon.'

'What's a Ditto?' Amber asked.

Reed didn't bother replying, the Ivysaur remaining in a defensive position in front of Ash. Their trainer glanced around at all of them, before kneeling down, a hand on Reed's head in seemingly an attempt to calm him. Silence lingered in the air, save for a disappointed whine from Amber.

"So... are we friends now?" Ash asked, looking between them all. "Because I'd prefer it if we'd stop attacking each other."

Kindle huffed, but nodded to show some semblance of peace had seemed to have taken hold, though the Golbat-Ditto was still glowering at them, while Avery affectionately pecked at her ears with one of his heads.

'What's a Ditto?' Amber asked again.

'They're shapeshifters,' Kindle finally said, watching the Ditto closely, though they showed no signs of transforming once more. 'Pokemon that can change shapes and mimic species, they're typically used in breeding.'

Nami tucked her head back behind Ash's shoulder, and the Golbat let out a high pitched hiss that made them wince.

'It also explains why Avery thought his mother was a Golbat– do you usefully spend your time transformed or something?' Kindle snapped, letting her Ember flare up a bit more as it started to die down.

'Humans care less about another bat in a colony than they do a Ditto in a cave,' the Golbat replied.

'Yet you raised a Doduo in a cave,' Kindle said, rolling her eyes. 'I'm sure that never attracted attention.

Golbat twitched, letting out a hiss as she bared her fangs, and Reed tensed once more. 'You trained are all the same!' She growled. 'Do you think I had anywhere else to go? West was the only way away from humans, and the caves had the most places to hide! I couldn't go deeper for my son's sake, but living out on the route would have only been more dangerous! I tried to keep him hidden!'

'Didn't hide quickly enough last time,' Avery said in a whisper. 'Trainers found us, ordered Pokemon to attack us to train– so we ran. We kept running and running but we couldn't find the cave.'

'Is that how you ended up in town?' Amber asked.

'We were hungry,' Avery said, one head looking down and the other looking away. 'There was food, but once we were in we couldn't get out. We saw the mountains in the distance but they'd chase us the other way.'

'That's because Doduos are native to that route,' Kindle said, tapping her foot. 'I would argue that your father probably came from there, but seeing that your mother is a Ditto, I'm guessing she came from the daycare– many of those have breeding programs.'

The Golbat said nothing, merely tensing.

'You took your young away from honor,' Reed said with a low hum. 'He could have gone to a trainer had he stayed.'

'No he wouldn't have!' The Golbat shrieked, causing the calls of panicked Zubat to echo from deeper in the cave. 'He is not like your kind– rare and valuable– the only Doduo hatchlings they valued were ones that were primed for battle! The others... the others... You don't know how many hatchlings I've lost!'

Tears were now falling from the Golbat's face, and Avery's twin beaks attempted to wipe them away. She wrapped her wings around him once more, both attempting to soothe the other. Kindle watched them, a slight frown on her face. She may have been bred by humans, but she couldn't have imagined such conditions. She was the only offspring of her parents, who had been carefully selected beforehand. She had been born with a purpose, not hatched with fingers crossed.

Nami peered from over Ash's shoulder, before pulling herself down into his lap and hurrying over to the Golbat and Doduo. She had her rock clutched in her paws, which she held out and pressed against the Golbat's side.

'Here you go,' she said softly. 'This is Ash's rock, it makes me feel better, so it can make you feel better too.'

The Golbat regarded her, before smilingly slightly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. 'You're a sweet child.'

'Me and my mama were bred for humans,' Nami said softly. 'She took my egg and ran like you did. She was a good mama, so you must be a good mama too.'

'It seems it wasn't enough, if you ended up with a human.'

Nami took her rock back, holding it to her chest. 'Oh no, I chose my human. My mama told me to find a good human and to give him the rock, and I found a very good human.' She looked back at Ash, beaming. 'Under his scary aura he has a good aura, a really really pretty aura. He likes us and talks to us and... and does a lot of good things. He's going to stop the gym battles when he becomes champion.'

The Golbat looked both startled and impressed. She looked at Ash one more time, who gave an uncertain smile with a little wave, clearly having no idea what the conversation was about but knew they were talking about him. Kindle wasn't surprised by the Golbat's surprise, as Ash's goal was a lofty one– but Kindle doubted they would ever reach the champion, hopefully her mission would be over by then.

'Can a human really hope to do that?'

'A champion can do just about anything!' Amber said happily. 'Or that's what the humans say.'

The Golbat folded her wings. 'Then I must apologize for my initial attack, I thought your human was here to take my son or me away, I didn't expect my little one to be caught up in such a noble goal though.'

Avery tilted his head. 'Us? No Ma, he brought us home, not caught us to fight.'

The Golbat looked over at Ash. 'That is rare for a human, son. And perhaps it may be the best play for you to be. A Doduo was never meant to live in a cave, you are supposed to be out in the sun, but not even I could do that for you.'

'Ma...'

Golbat turned towards him. 'I would never make you do anything, but a human that will let you stay but not make you is a rare thing. They could protect you, and you could work towards a noble goal if you so choose.'

Avery swung his heads side to side. 'It would be dangerous.'

'Better to choose your own path than to let another,' Golbat said. 'No matter how dangerous either may be. What do you wish to do?'

Avery clicked his beaks. 'No more battles would mean no more breeding– you wouldn't have to hide anymore.'

'Hatchlings wouldn't have to die anymore,' Golbat said softly.

Avery leaned in close, nuzzling his mother. 'We're going to go with them, Ma. We're going to make this world a happy one for you.'

Wings wrapped tightly around him. 'I'll miss you. Promise me you'll come home?'

'We promise,' Avery said softly, both heads entwining around her. Tears fell from their eyes, and Ash looked between them in worry. He glanced towards Kindle, as if hopes of having an explanation.

Nami was the one who replied, grabbing Avery's Pokeball and pressing it into Ash's hands with a small smile– they had a permanent teammate.

"Xen..."

A high whine filled the air, Kindle nervously pacing back and forth, paws silently pressing against the ground as she walked. The night was dark, stars shining down from above the cliffs that surrounded them. She wasn't quite sure how late it was– but the rest of the team was fast asleep around her. Ash was sprawled out in his sleeping bag, Reed by his side with his fronds closed around his bud, while Nami was curled up on top of Ash's chest.

The Doduo was hanging on a lone tree above them– upside down like he was the Zubat he was apparently raised as. One head was upright, eyes open and seemingly keeping a lookout, but yet Kindle wouldn't say it looked truly alert. The head seemed to be in some sort of trance, awake enough to spot danger, but still unconscious in some form. The other was fast asleep, beak cracked part way open.

Finally there was Amber– who had decided that Kindle's head was the perfect spot to sleep. Her wings flickered with each soft snore from her, tickling the edge of her ears as she paced. She did her best not to bother the sleeping bug type, merely keeping an even pace with each step she took.

'Oh, what am I doing...?' She muttered, grasping at the fur on her face. 'I shouldn't even be questioning this...'

Was this just a product of her evolution? Her mind wanting to think through every little thing instead of just trusting what she had always known? She had accepted this a long time ago– and she still embraced it with open paws... hands... she didn't know they were. She stared down at them, flexing each digit in turn, before closing her eyes. She knew it wasn't what she was supposed to do that was making her sick, but rather who was involved.

What had happened to keeping herself distant from everyone? This was a battling team, one of the worst things you could do was get attached. But she wasn't too attached, was she? Amber had just started off needing help with training, and there was no way the bug was going to be used in the next gym so she should be okay. As for the others Kindle had no connections with them– Reed had the right mentality by remaining distant, Nami was annoying, and Avery was new.

Avery. That was one of the problems. He had been some wild Pokemon, something that shouldn't have been their concern. She shouldn't have felt relief when they had gotten him safely away from the townspeople, or a peace from the reunion she had witnessed earlier. He was just like any other outside Pokemon, there should be no regret for them dying or... or anything! Deaths were going to occur– in the wild, in gym battles, and on their own team. It was something they were trying to combat, but it was still a fact they had to live with, and they couldn't let that hold them back.

Then again, why shouldn't she be glad that they had saved a Pokemon?

But the individual shouldn't matter. It was the masses– the end result. Lysandre had taught her this a long time ago, so much could be ruined and so many people hurt if the focus came onto one person– because that time could be used for the bettering of everyone.

Ash was an individual. He was nothing more than another step in her mission.

She felt something shifting on her head. 'Kindle...? Whatcha doing...?'

Amber stiffened a yawn, stretching out on the Braixen's head. She paused from her pacing, letting out a small sigh. 'Did I wake you up?'

'No,' Amber said, crawling forward and peering down at Kindle. 'The walking around did. Why are you awake? It is very late.'

'I know, I'm sorry,' She tried to look away, but with the Vivillon on her head that was impossible. 'I just... can't sleep.'

'Why not?' Amber asked, fluttering off of her head and onto her arm. Kindle looked out at the rest of the team, before her amber gaze settled on Ash. She stared at her trainer for a moment, who was snoring, and then returned her focus to Amber.

Her paws curled. 'Ash wasn't supposed to be like this!'

She spoke much louder than she had intended– and instantly she looked over at the rest of her team. A few of them shifted at the echoes of the shout, but none woke up. Avery's "awake" head turned towards them, empty black eyes staring, before shifting back to its original stance. Amber flapped her wings in thought, a low hum filling the air for a moment.

'What do you mean? Ash is a very nice trainer.'

'Exactly,' Kindle growled, and she turned away from their camp, walking away aways so she wouldn't wake any more of them up. 'He wasn't supposed to be nice– he's a Pariah, they're supposed to be selfish– corrupted! He wasn't supposed to care about me or you or any of us, and neither was I– and I don't know what I'm supposed to do!'

'...What do you mean?' Amber asked again, the Vivillon tilting her head in confusion.

'I have a mission, okay?' She snapped, a waver in her voice. She wasn't supposed to talk about her mission, she was only supposed to play the role of starter, but she was too frustrated to care. 'That's all I should be worrying about, so much is depending on it... but now that I know who's involved I don't feel so sure anymore. Ash saved me... he barely even knew me and he saved me. It was the same for the Doduo, saving someone he didn't even know... Ash is a good person, and now I don't know what to do.'

'A mission?' Amber asked. 'Is it one from Mr. Lysandre? I don't think you need to worry– he's helping Ash.'

Kindle shook her head. 'Lysandre doesn't help anyone. He is helping the world, the idea of everyone in it– but he does not help the individual. Lysandre wouldn't help you or me, he isn't helping Ash– Lysandre wouldn't even help himself if he thought it was for the better of the world.'

'So you think Ash is in danger because of that?' Amber said, a hum filling the air as she fluttered her wings in thought. 'If Mr. Lysandre is trying to help everyone, then he's trying to help Ash.'

She hesitated for one moment, her guts twisting. 'The Sentinel's aura immobilizes any living creature that approaches him, it drains the very life from you. But Pariahs are the only exception, they carry a fraction of the Sentinel's aura, meaning they can approach him... but Yveltal is dangerous and... and I– I don't want Ash to get hurt!"

She wished it was that simple, that it was only a risk, but she knew that wasn't so. There was no point in trying to deny it though. She didn't want Ash to get hurt, and she didn't want Amber to get hurt– especially Amber. She knew that she wasn't supposed to care, but there was nothing she could do about it, pushing away these thoughts wouldn't do a thing, the feelings would still be there.

'What's a Pariah?' Amber asked, looking very confused.

'You don't need to worry about that. It's a human thing... I guess. Just forget what I said, it doesn't matter.'

She crawled a ways up her arm, pressing closer to the fire type. 'Of course it matters– a friend's feelings are very important.'

'I wasn't even supposed to be talking about it! I guess it doesn't matter though, since you don't even understand half of what I was talking about,' She took in a deep breath. 'But... but thank you. For listening. I needed someone to talk to.'

'Of course,' Amber said, patting her shoulder with her arm. 'It's good to have a friend to talk to, and you're good at listening,' The Vivillon's antennae went back however, the bug type letting out a long yawn. 'We should sleep though. It is late.'

'I suppose so,' Kindle said, making her way back to the others. 'Goodnight, Amber.'

'Goodnight!'

Kindle smiled as she sat down, leaning back against a rock, closing her eyes.