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An Uncertain Future	By : Twill Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12846 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Zoroark looked out over the trees from their vantage point. “And how do you suppose we find her? She teleported away as soon as she murdered our master.” Absol turned to look at him with her remaining eye, the other far too damaged from that Abra's attack and with no access to a pokemon center since they were now wild...

“Does it matter how? I will find her, and then I'll take that bitch's eyes. I'll make sure she has a long life, and she'll scream the entire time.” Absol laughed euphorically. She frightened him a little. Absol had always been a little off, always having a cruel streak, but since their master's death she had completely lost it.

Not that he didn't want revenge either, and if he had to stick with her to achieve that goal, then so be it. He had failed his master, unable to neutralize the incredible blast of power Kirlia used to kill Wes and his other pokemon. He could never forgive himself, but if it was the last act he performed, he would ensure that his master was avenged.

“We don't even know what direction she left in, and we have to worry about humans now, they can capture us.”

“Let the humans try, I'll kill them if need be. As for Kirlia” her eye lit up, face contorting into a deranged smile. “There's blood.” Again laughing, Absol headed into the forest, following something unknown to him. He hesitated before following behind, had she completely lost touch with reality?

After what she did to the remaining pokemon who'd survived Kirlia's attack he didn't really doubt it, his stomach roiled at the mere thought. He had no better ideas on how to find the psychic pokemon though, and soon after entering the woods he saw what Absol had sensed. There was blood marking the trail. It was sporadic, Kirlia must have used teleport continuously in her haste to escape, but apparently it was enough that absol could find the next spot each time. It was more or less a straight path anyway.

“Do you have a plan as to what we do once we find her?”

“When we find her? You have such an unimaginative mind Zoroark. I will make her hurt until she no longer breathes. She won't have another worthless pokemon to die for her this time.” Absol let out a feral roar into the forest. “Do you hear me Kirlia?! I'm coming for you! We will get to play again!” She laughed insanely, continuing to follow the trail.

Zoroark followed silently. Yes, insane or not he trusted that Asbol would indeed find the Kirlia, and he would make sure she paid dearly for murdering his master.

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Kirlia walked behind Rob and Cyndaquil as they moved at a brisk pace through the town. The other two seemed excited to be on the road and Rob even talked to Cyndaquil every now and then. Cyndaquil couldn't communicate back made an effort none the less.

She tried to ignore them for the most part, trying to lose herself in her surroundings. She had never been in a town before and it was quite incredible what the humans could build. Signs and buildings with large glass windows displaying various things lined the streets as they walked past. There were also humans milling about all over, some even having pokemon with them like Rob did.

She ignored the pokemon as well. As with Cyndaquil she didn't really know what to do with them. Her only interaction with other pokemon had been in the fights Wes held, and the other psychics he owned. Abra had been the only one who had ever been nice to her, the rest were cold and uncaring at the best of times. That seemed how the world was though, humans and pokemon held together by their mutual hatred of one another. Maybe being alone would be better in the end.

The trio continued their way towards the outskirts of town. Rob and Cyndaquil enjoying themselves and getting excited as the sidewalk turned to just a dirt path on their approach to route 33. Kirlia trailing a few feet behind, caught up in her own thoughts.

Every now and again Rob looked back to check on Kirlia. Her mood wasn't too hard to figure out, depressed as ever and he didn't even try and fool himself into thinking that she'd be with him given the choice. He couldn't just abandon her though. He didn't want to think what would happen to the small psychic pokemon if he just let her back into the forest.

If she had appeared out of the blue into his yard while that injured she must not have had anywhere to go, and then what Nurse Joy had told him. She wasn't a wild pokemon. Had her previous trainer been the cause of her injuries? He didn't know, but he would protect her as best as he could. Hopefully at some point he would get to see her smile, though at the moment he'd take anything over her current misery.

Despite how he felt about Kirlia, he couldn't help the excitement that filled him. He had waited all his life for this moment. He was finally leaving home with his pokemon by his side. The path was well worn, trainers had walked route 33 many times before him, and now it was his chance to leave an impression.

Cyndaquil was much weaker than Kirlia and would need training the most, and that was banking on whether Kirlia would even fight for him. Route 33 wasn't a very long route but they would definitely meet some wild pokemon before reaching Union Cave. “Be prepared for anything Cyndaquil” Rob called down to his companion, walking merrily next to him.

Cyndaquil shot out a jet of sparks in response, showing he was ready for whatever came their way. Rob couldn't help himself from letting out a confident laugh. They would make their way to Violet City and defeat Violet Gym with no problems, he could feel it.

The further from the outskirts of Azalea they went, the rougher the path became. Forest started to creep up around them and the path turned more rugged. A handful of wild pokemon watched them pass but none came out to attack the travelers.

Kirlia found herself feeling a small portion of the weight weighing her down lifted by her surroundings. The forest around them with sunlight filtering down through the vegetation was something that had been long denied her. She tried to occupy herself as they traveled, attempting to feel out the life forces around her with her psychic abilities. Achieving the necessary level of concentration was difficult with all the other thoughts that ran unbidden through her mind. Still, with the calm of the forest she was able to let her psychic energies touch her surroundings.

The mental exercises helped some, and after an hour or so after heading out from Rob's home, Kirlia was able to occupy her mind with something other than the cycle of dark thoughts that had been plaguing her. In her inexperience with her abilities, she only realized the wild Rattata's intentions a split second before the creature jumped out of a bush in front of them.

“Haha! You ready Cyndaquil?” but the fire type was already leaping in front of his trainer, taking up position to engage the wild pokemon. The pair squared off, each looking for an opening in their opponent’s defenses. Rob ordered the first move, Cyndaquil using leer, Rattata charging in response.

Cyndaquil tried to dodge the oncoming tackle but was only partially successful, taking a glancing blow. Kirlia had taken position a few steps behind Rob to watch the fight. Rob's inexperience was clear as she watched the two small pokemon exchange blows. Despite that though, Kirlia could feel the excitement radiating from her new trainer.

After a few more minutes of trading tackles and Rob yelling orders to his battling pokemon, Cyndaquil came out the winner. It was a sloppy win, being the pair's first fight and Kirlia was surprised when Rob grabbed Cyndaquil into his arms to congratulate the panting victor.

Both of them were excited over the win, Rob showering praise on the pokemon over his performance. The display confused Kirlia slightly. None of the trainers she had seen at Wes' fights had ever celebrated in such a manner, and Rob hadn't even won anything by defeating the wild Rattata. Kirlia remained a silent as she watched the two, staying out of their way.

After letting Cyndaquil rest for a few minutes, the three were back on the path. The forest wasn't particularly dense and allowed for good visibility around them. Other than the occasional patch of shrubbery, wild pokemon didn't have a chance to sneak up on them and the next two encounters were handled a little more adeptly than the first. He was still unable to produce a proper ember but he had gained the ability to create quite a potent smoke screen.

“Kirlia?” she jumped slightly at Rob's sudden appearance next to her, having lapsed back into being consumed by her thoughts. Kirlia glanced up at him briefly acknowledging him before looking back towards the ground. He seemed to hesitate before continuing. “Would you mind covering for Cyndaquil for a bit while he takes a break?”

“As you command” came the reply in Rob's mind in her hollow, distant tone. He hadn't intended to sound like he was ordering her, or maybe no matter what he'd have said she'd react the same. Despite her tone however, he couldn't help himself from feeling a little excited as she took the lead. She would naturally be much stronger than Cyndaquil just given the fact that she had already reached her first evolution. Not to mention that Nurse Joy had told him she had incredible potential. Rob could hardly wait to see what his newest pokemon could do in battle.

Now leading the other two, Kirlia felt hesitant about fighting. She hadn't used her psychic powers for battle since she had killed at Wes' house. She fought to keep her hands from trembling as she charged a small amount of psychic energy. It was nothing like the all consuing power she had somehow tapped into in those last moments in the basement. The energy quickly dissipated as she released her hold on it, struggling to control her breathing at the feelings it brought with it.

Before long another Rattata confronted the small group, growling at the three. Kirlia immediately charging an attack. Rob shouted some commands from behind her but she ignored him. Having far less experience, his commands would be of no help to her. She poured the energy of her confusion attack directly into the small pokemon's mind, the creature's body convulsing violently before collapsing to the earth.

Kirlia froze, eyes widening at what she had just done. The attack had been rather reserved, nothing even close to what she could have thrown at it, and it had convincingly ended the fight practically before it had even begun. The Rattata was alive, she could still feel it's life energy with her psychic abilities.

“Wow that was incredible, great job!” Rob said as he approached her.

“Showoff” came a mutter from Cyndaquil but Kirlia ignored both of their comments. She shied away from Rob as he approached, afraid he'd pick her up like he had Cyndaquil, and began walking down the path again. She had never had such a one sided fight, and the rush she had felt from utterly crushing her opponent frightened her. Was that how Absol felt? Was she turning into some freakish monstrosity like Wes' pokemon? She shivered at the thought as they continued along the path.

It was late in the afternoon before Rob decided to stop for lunch in a clearing he spotted just off the trail. Rob set his pack down and broke out a blanket for them to sit on. Cyndaquil stuck his nose into the pack and started to dig around in it. “Calm down there, I'll get you something to eat in a second” he chuckled at his ravenous pokemon.

Rob's mom had packed him a couple of sandwiches for the road and he decided to eat those first as they would spoil long before his other food. He pulled them out of his pack along with food for his two pokemon. He handed one of the bowls to Cyndaquil who tore into it immediately; and looking for Kirlia, he sighed as he saw her sitting a distance away from them almost on the opposite side of the clearing.

Getting up, he headed over to her. She hadn't eaten anything since they left, he didn't know if she was afraid to ask him for food or what but she had to eat at some point. She often seemed lost in thought so he put on his most winning smile and called out to her before he got too close, not wanting to startle her. “Hey, you hungry?”

Well he had tried. Kirlia jumped slightly at the noise, the air around her arm becoming distorted with blueish energy. It quickly dissipated once she saw who it was though. At least it didn't seem like she was going to kill him after all he thought ruefully to himself. He continued toward her, leaning down slightly and offering the bowl. “You have to eat, you haven't had anything all day.”

Kirlia's whole demeanor changed as her eyes widened and she stared at the bowl. A trembling arm reached slowly to take the food from Rob's hand. He was worried she would drop the bowl but her grasp was firm, continuing to stare as she brought it closer to her. Rob stayed near her, silently watching her reaction to his simple gesture.

Suddenly she was back in the basement, Abra offering a bowl of food to her. She never asked him for it and often times she didn't even want to eat, but Abra was unwilling to watch her starve herself. She turned away from Rob as she struggled to hold back the tears. Why wouldn't this human just leave her alone?

“Kirlia, are you okay?” He was slightly concerned at her reaction, he moved closer to her.

“I'm fine.” The response harsh, freezing his advance. Kirlia was turned away from him, making it impossible to see her face, but her whole body had seemed to wilt following his approach.

“If you're,” He began again but he was cut off by a snarling voice in his mind.

“I said I'm fine.”

“But-” Psychic energy flared around her in a split second, making Rob jump back a little. He was a little ashamed thinking that his pokemon was going to attack him, but Kirlia merely teleported a short distance away to another part of the clearing, and small barrier engulfing her. He sighed, standing up. If there was ever a indication that someone didn't want to be bothered that would be it. Why wouldn't she even talk to him though.

Rob returned to Cyndaquil who had been watching the exchange from a distance. Cyndaquil looked up questioningly. “I have no idea” Rob said back to him, laying back on the blanket he had laid out. After a moment he propped himself up and started in on his own lunch, angling himself to watch the blue translucent field that Kirlia had erected.

Cyndaquil sidled up to him, at first Rob thought it was to comfort him but the looks Cyndaquil was giving his lunch said otherwise. “You already had yours, if you keep it up you're going to get fat” Rob said, poking his friend in the side. Cyndaquil tried to look indignant and upon failing, they both broke out in laughter.

The barrier around Kirlia fell a short time after she had set it up, but her back looked no less inviting for it. He wished he had someone to talk to about Kirlia, he had no idea what to do for her and Cyndaquil couldn't respond back. From the occasional dirty look he sent her way Rob didn't think Cyndaquil would be the most unbiased individual anyway. He'd think of something, and still with quite a distance to go before Violet City, he'd have plenty of time to contemplate.

Time passed quickly and uneventfully as the three continued along Route 33. It had taken Kirlia quite a while to pluck up the courage to return the bowl after her outburst at Rob, though he didn't beat her or even reprimand her over it. Cyndaquil had a few more wild pokemon to practice against and while he was seeming to get a bit stronger, he and Rob still were more excited than strategic in their interactions during battle. She could crush them both like she had that Rattata.

The thought came to her mind unbidden, and it frightened her. Her eyes clenched shut, as well as her fists. She could never do something like that, she wouldn't let herself, not again. No matter what, she wouldn't. But if she did, if she used her power, she could be free and no one would try and hurt her anymore... NO!

Kirlia opened her eyes just in time to see the back of Rob's leg as she walked into it. A startled squeak escaped her lips as she jumped back from the collision.

“Careful there,” Rob said, giving her a reassuring smile, Kirlia looked away from him as she backed off a little.

They now stood in front of an entrance to what looked like a cave drilled straight into the face of a large rock wall. “Union Cave,” Rob announced. “Though there's no point in going in today,” he said, looking up at the darkening sky.

The clearing was conveniently located just off the road and had the look of being used many times before. Kirlia merely watched from a distance as Rob set about putting together a small tent he had packed with him and getting a fire started with the aid of Cyndaquil. While he still couldn't produce a true ember attack, it was more than enough the get the kindling going, and soon they had a nice blaze throwing dancing shapes up against the surrounding forest.

Her internal struggle between wanting to be near the fire and wanting to be left alone placed her on the opposite side of the blaze as Rob and Cyndaquil. She had her back to it, letting the heat wash over her and staring at the dancing lights surrounding her silhouette that was thrown up on the trees by the flames. It was pretty. She'd never thought to see fire outside a pokemon battle. The fact that something generally used for destruction and pain could be turned into such a beautiful display seemed to warm her more than the heat from the fire itself.

A relaxing calm spread through her, making her feel more at ease than she could remember since falling asleep in Abra's arms. She laid down, making herself comfortable in the soft grass. Heat clouded her mind with contentment and soon the gentle embrace of sleep held her.

The sky was completely dark when Kirlia woke up, but she must have not slept for long as the fire, while lower, still burned and Rob was still chatting with Cyndaquil. Sitting up she saw that there was a bowl of food left near her, and after having traveled all day, was glad for it. It didn't take her long to finish the simple meal and as she returned to watching the fire she couldn't help but feel a little better.

“Kirlia? We're heading to bed if you want to come sleep in the tent.” Rob said as he circled the fire towards where she sat. Kirlia moved to get up but froze. He was doing it again, taking her by surprise when she let her guard down. What did he want with her, why was he trying to be nice? Her eyes narrowed as she glance to her side where he towered over her.

“I'm fine, I'll just sleep out here.” Her voice had lost some of its chill but was still standoffish.

“The fire will be out, it will get cold and there's wild pokemon.”

“Are you ordering me to sleep with you?”

“Am I, what? Of course not, but there's plenty of room and you won't have to sleep outside and-” but per usual she didn't even let him finish talking before ending their conversation.

“Then if it's not an order I'll sleep out here.”

“Suit yourself then,” his tone exasperated but he didn't push it further as he returned to get Cyndaquil before disappearing into the tent. A little of her dark mood returned but with the warmth of the embers still glowing behind her and a full stomach, sleep sounded like a good idea. She nestled herself back into the grass and was once again quickly asleep.

Unfortunately for Rob, sleep didn't come as swiftly as it had for Kirlia. He knew he shouldn't get frustrated with her but she would hardly even speak to him. She didn't seem to listen to him even when they did talk. Was she trying to be difficult on purpose? From what he'd seen of her she clearly wasn't playing a joke but...

Maybe he should just release her, she was a strong pokemon and he'd be pretty set with her on his team but at the same time if it was him who was making her miserable, well he certainly didn't want that. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours in the dark tent before getting up and going outside.

With the fire out a chill had definitely fallen over their camp. It was odd feeling like he needed a walk after doing nothing but for the entire day, however laying awake in bed wasn't helping. The moon was large in the cloudless sky above and gave ample light for his late stroll. He found himself back on the Route 33 path again and followed it back towards Azalea town for maybe a quarter mile before turning around. It was probably an incredibly stupid idea to walk the path without either of his pokemon with him but he didn't care, and the only pokemon he saw were a few Zubat that flew well overhead.

The walk had done his mind some good, and while no closer to solving his problem with Kirlia, he felt tired enough to finally get some sleep. Once back at his simple camp he sat down across the smoldering embers of the fire opposite from Kirlia. She looked so helpless curled up on the ground next to the fire.

“Kir...lia...” It sounded almost like a plea, though Rob was unable to understand the frightened sound without the sleeping pokemon's psychic powers to translate. It pained him to see anyone like that, especially a pokemon he was supposed to be there for. No, he wouldn't abandon her, even if she didn't want his help. Grabbing a spare blanket from his pack, Rob placed it gently over her and then headed back to his own bed. Sleep following soon after.

Kirlia woke late the following morning, a blanket that had not been there when she fell asleep covered her warmly. She squeezed her eyes shut again. Why? Why did he continue doing this to her? Why wouldn't he just leave her be? She couldn't take much more of his kindness. What did he want from her? A shout from the tent quickly took her out of her thoughts and she bolted upright.

“Gah, you could have just nudged me, I'm well aware you can breathe fire.” A half sleepy, half annoyed voice came from inside the tent and was soon followed out by a disheveled looking Rob. He poked at a smoldering hole in his shirt as Cyndaquil jumped out of the tent looking rather pleased with himself. “And since when did you become a morning person” he grumbled. “Sorry for the sudden awakening” he grinned sheepishly at her. She gave him a glare in return. She didn't want his kindness.

Breakfast was a quick affair, the three of them eating around the dead fire pit Rob had thrown dirt over. Rob leaned back, having already finished his meal and waiting on his pokemon. “It should take us most of the day to get through but we should be out before dark if all goes well” he said, not talking to anyone in particular. “You'll probably have a hard time with most of the wild pokemon we'll find in there as you'll be at a type disadvantage but I'll have Kirlia back you up if needed.” Cyndaquil puffed out his chest at the comment but Rob continued on.

“Maybe I'll even get the chance to capture another pokemon, maybe a Sandshrew or Geodude would be cool, but I've heard that there are some more rare pokemon are found in there on occasion. An Absol would-”

“What?!” Kirlia leapt to her feet as the frantic voice entered his mind. “Th-there are Absol in that cave? And you'd capture one of those... those things?!” She had taken a step back from him, eyes wide, dropping into a defensive stance out of instinct.

“Kirlia?” Rob said now sitting up. “Those superstitions about Absol are just stories, they don't actually cause disasters. And if you're worried about being at a type disadvantage, I'm sure Cyndaquil will be more than a match.” He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring but it didn't seem to have the desired effect.

She knew it, they were all alike, Rob was just trying to gain her trust so he could use her. And when he was done with her she'd be thrown to his Absol. And she couldn't do anything about it. Unless... No, if she killed them, she'd be no better than Wes' Absol, worse even.

A small growl caught Kirlia's attention and she looked up. Cyndaquil was now between her and Rob, Rob standing and looking at her worriedly. To her surprise her right hand swirled with psychic energy. She let out a startled squeak and quickly made the energy dissipate, she hadn't even realize she conjured it. Just as suddenly as it came, the panic and fight left her, she dropped to the ground, shaking slightly.

She couldn't do it anymore, he won. I'm sorry Abra, I wasted your sacrifice, I wasn't able to do anything with the freedom you gave me. He had beaten her, she no longer had the will to resist him.

A lone tear rolled down Kirlia's face as she stood up. Rob watched silently as she picked up the bowl that had fallen to the ground and approached him. “I'm sorry for dropping this, master.” The voice in his mind dead and empty. Kirlia held out the bowl to him, her eyes to the ground. Rob only stared, what the hell had just happened? He took the bowl slowly.

“Kirlia, what...?” She raised her head. Those eyes that had once froze him in place with their ferocity now looked up at him as if from a corpse. That hollow look chilled him to the bone.

“I'll be waiting for your command to leave.” Voice matching those eyes. Rob merely watched, the bowl still grasped by both hands, as Kirlia walked a short distance away and sat down. He couldn't tell but she seemed to tremble as she sat. Otherwise she gave no indication of her thoughts, her eyes devoid of emotion.

Rob glanced down at the bowl and then to Cyndaquil who was giving him a “this one is all yours” kind of look and returned to finishing his meal. “Fat lot of help you are” he muttered and heard a snickering reply from his fire pokemon as he walked over to the tent. It didn't take him long to get their camp cleaned up and everything put back into his pack. He kept an eye on Kirlia as he did so, worried about her, but she didn't do anything but stare off into the distance, expression unchanging.

He had been hoping for a change in attitude but if anything this was worse. Before she at least had a fire in her, raging behind whatever sadness and troubles that had seemed to consume her. But now... It was a pitiful sight. And how had it happened. Had he said something wrong? He could understand not being eager to fight dark type pokemon but to completely destroy her like that? To get her to start calling him master? Was this something from her other trainer, he certainly didn't want his pokemon to see him as their master, and had never knowingly given her that notion. The one thing he did know was his journey was not starting out as he had envisioned.

With their camp cleaned up and everything packed, Rob lead his two pokemon from the clearing back onto the path and right to the mouth of Union Cave. “Master, can I please go in my ball?” Her voice still held the same emptiness but he could hear the fear she was trying to keep out of it. Her eyes were wide as she gazed towards the black maw leading into Union Cave, quivering slightly. It was the only thing she'd ever asked of him, and it tore at him to look down at her for his reply.

“I'm sorry, but I need you out in case Cyndaquil gets into trouble.”

“Of course.” That voice haunted him, he almost grabbed her pokeball and returned her anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut as he turned from his frightened pokemon.

“Everything will be fine” he said half to her, half to try and convince himself. As soon as they entered the cave Rob silently cursed himself over his first major blunder. He grabbed a light from his pack and turned it on, lighting up their immediate surroundings but not much else. How had he forgot to buy the flash HM.

The cave opened widely from the initial small opening. The sounds of their footsteps echoing through out the cave, mixing with the sounds from the cave's other occupants. Cyndaquil lead the group with Kirlia trailing Rob. He made them go slowly, his flashlight not being overly bright and the cave was littered with pools of water which were surprisingly difficult to distinguish from the cave floor. He had no idea how deep they were and he could die peacefully never finding out.

The interior of the cave was much more disorienting than Rob had expected it to be, and his small pool of light made navigation difficult. Either way though, as long he kept out of the lower levels of the cave they should make it through with little difficulty, the upper levels weren't very large. The real problem would be the cave's would inhabitants. “Get ready Cyndaquil, I think I hear something.”

The party stopped and Cyndaquil fell into his fighting stance, none of them thought of the attack coming from their side though. Cyndaquil grunted as a small form slammed into him from the side, the pair rolling out of Rob's light. “Shit” Rob jumped at the sudden attack, panic rising as he once again overlooked something vital. He hadn't considered how his pokemon would fight in the dark, his flashlight giving poor illumination for traveling let alone a battle.

“Cyndaquil!” Rob called out in the direction he thought the struggle was coming from. Flames erupted to his right, but not the weak sparks that Cyndaquil usually produced, it was a full fledged ember attack that quickly lit up the scene before him. A Sandshrew leapt out of the way of the flames and landed a few feet away, the cave being plunged back into darkness as the flames died out. Rob swung his light towards them to try and keep Cyndaquil and his opponent illuminated the best he could. “Kirlia, if it looks like Cyndaquil is in trouble, try and help him out.”

“Yes master” her emotionless reply came.

“Cyndaquil, stay away from his attacks, use ember to keep him at a distance” Rob called out and Cyndaquil kept up the pressure. Jets of flame quickly lit up the area in what would have been an impressive light show had Rob not been so worried about his pokemon. Though he relaxed a little as Cyndaquil seemed to regain some control over the fight.

The Sandshrew was much better than the other wild pokemon Cyndaquil had been fighting outside of Union Cave so far. If they were all this good it would be a difficult trek to Route 32. Sandshrew kept his distance, not getting close enough for Cyndaquil to land a solid hit with his ember attack and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Cyndaquil had managed to keep his opponent at bay, deflecting incoming attacks with ember but the fight had stagnated to a stalemate.

“Kirlia, I'm going to call Cyndaquil back, when I do I want you to hit Sandshrew with a confusion. Don't over do it though, I want to capture him,” Rob said quickly to Kirlia who had been standing next to him, watching the fight.

“As you command.” He'd have to stop her from doing this once they got out of here, but now wasn't the time. He grabbed an empty pokeball from his pack and got ready.

“Cyndaquil, fall back!” He shouted at the fighting pokemon. Cyndaquil looked surprised but fended off Sandshrew as he made his retreat. Cyndaquil looked at him with a huff as he saw Kirlia heading at his previous opponent. “Don't worry, you were doing great, those were some impressive flames,” Rob said trying to soothe his pokemon's bruised ego, “but I want to capture this one, I didn't want you to finish him off.” It seemed to placate the fire pokemon and they both watched as Kirlia entered the fight.

Sandshrew was hesitant as the newcomer approached but she seemed to move slowly, leaving her open for a quick attack. He almost reached her. The confusion Kirlia used held only a small fraction of the power she could have put into it, but Rob had commanded her to use a weakened version. The attack was still more than enough though and Sandshrew crashed to the ground, struggling to get up in a daze after the psychic blow.

“Stand back Kirlia!” Rob shouted, excitement mixed in his voice as he prepared to throw the pokeball. Kirlia stepped out of the way as the red and white sphere connected with the struggling Sandshrew, sucking him in with a red flash of light. The ball shook twice before making a satisfying click. “Haha, we got him, great job you two.” Rob ruffled Cyndaquil's fur before running to where the ball lay on the ground, attaching it to his belt.

The first pokemon he truly caught, he couldn't help from beaming at the fact. With the dim light and hostile surroundings, Rob decided to wait until they were out of the cave to acclimate his new team member to the rest of them. After a quick break to let Cydndaquil catch his breath, they headed into the dark cave once again.

Another Sandshrew jumped them a little further on, but being less adept than the first, Cyndaquil was able to defeat it without too much trouble. Their second opponent was a Zubat that was fended off rather quickly with a blast of flames, Rob stopping Cyndaquil from giving chase. Their first true roadblock came in the form of a Geodude.

Cyndaquil's flames seemed to bounce harmlessly off of the rock-like hide of the wild pokemon. Rob was going to have to call Cyndaquil back if this continued, there was no reason to keep him in if he couldn't even damage his opponent. The next move decided it for him. Cyndaquil launched another barrage of flames at Geodude but this time the Geodude didn't even pay attention to the fire and launched a tackle straight at the fire mouse. It hit with a sickening thump as Cyndaquil was thrown sprawling back at the two observers. “Cyndaquil! Kirlia take over,” Rob yelled and ran to his fallen companion.

Cyndaquil shook himself as he got back to his feet. “Cyndaquil, are you okay?” Rob questioned as he got down to check on his pokemon. Cyndaquil gave him an exasperated look like he was being over protective, and Rob did kind of feel silly; while it had been a hard hit, a single tackle was unlikely to cause any major injury. “Fine you're right, I worry too much, but I'm glad you're okay. Cyndaquil?” But his pokemon wasn't paying attention to him anymore, instead his eyes widened and looked back at the fight.

The flashlight Rob had placed on the ground and directed at the Geodude before running to Cyndaquil showed a strange sight. Geodude's elongated shadow raced behind him as he rushed at Kirlia, and the psychic pokemon merely stood looking at her attacker. Rob didn't see the telltale distortion of psychic energy or even the deadly grace that seemed to naturally surround her as she prepared to fight. No, his pokemon was planning on taking the hit without a fight.

“Kirlia what are you doing?! Get out of the way!” Rob shouted, jumping back to his feet.

“I'm waiting for your command-” The hollow voice in his mind began, but she was cut off by the attack that she made no effort to avoid. Geodude's fist slammed squarely into Kirlia's chest, sending her small form crashing to the ground where it skid to a halt. “Kirlia, psybeam!” Rob had no idea if Kirlia could hear him or if she was even conscious after the blow. What was she thinking, was she trying to get herself killed? Light flared up around her and the attack that rocketed from the ground where Kirlia lay slammed into the surprised Geodude and sent him rolling off into the darkness of the cave. Rob ran to her.

Kirlia coughed and gasped, trying to refill her lungs after the brutal hit. Her stupid subservient resistance hurting much more than she had expected it to, it was a dumb way to show she was under his complete command and try and resist him at the same time. Why couldn't she just let go. Her vision swam a little as she sat up clutching her chest. The wounds that had been recently healed left no marks but were still tender, and the blow she just received didn't help.

“Kirlia are you alright? What the hell was that?” Kirlia wheezed and coughed as she sat on the ground but the voice that spoke in his mind was her newly adopted empty tone.

“I was waiting for your commands.”

“Don't give me that, you barely paid me any mind the other day when you were fighting, and you know more about fighting than I do anyway, it's obvious even to me.” He fought down the anger that was building inside him. What would make her do something so stupid, why would she risk getting seriously hurt? She flinched away from his touch but Rob's hands were quickly feeling where she had grasped her chest. “I don't think any of your ribs are broken,” Rob said finally, a little calmer now, “You should only be left with a bruise.” He sat back sighing, his body coming down from the adrenaline high.

Kirlia was still breathing hard. Why wouldn't he yell at her, beat her. She knew he wanted to, she could feel the anger that had risen within him. She could feel his frustration, like a spring under tension, waiting to burst. And why couldn't she just stop herself from caring, why did she still care what happened to her or what he did or wanted to use her for. Was there even anything left that the world could take from her?

After the beating his pokemon had just taken, he decided that where they sat was as good a place as any to take a break for lunch. They ate in silence for the most part, even Cyndaquil was being oddly sober. When they were ready, he turned to Kirlia. “If you want orders from me, then I'll give you this one. Defend yourself if you're ever in harm's way” Her own anger flared up this time. Why?

The rest of the walk through the cave was mostly uneventful. Cyndaquil was able to dispatch two more Sandshrew and Kirlia took out a Geodude. There were plenty of Zubat but most just ran after a spraying of ember from Cyndaquil. It seemed like it took forever but after rounding a bend, light miraculously shone from a distance.

Cyndaquil let out a gleeful shout and dashed towards the light, only to run headfirst into a translucent barrier. He spun angrily to Kirlia, growling fiercely at her. Rob was laughing but Kirlia listlessly pointed in the direction he had been running. He turned and saw the faintest shimmer of light reflecting off... Water the fire type thought shuddering. Cyndaquil turned back and shot a tiny jet of flames at his trainer.

“Hahaha I'm sorry but that look on your face was priceless,” he said and picked Cyndaquil up, placing him on his shoulder. “We made it all this way without incident, don't want to risk it now,” and with another chuckle from Rob, the trio stepped out into the brilliant light.
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An Uncertain Future