CHRIS

            Chris Marsh crouched down behind a big black rock on the jagged passes near Lavaridge town.  He was getting close, so close, to finding a familiar area that he had seen in his Swampert dreams. The air was hot and stuffy from the heat of the huge volcano that seemed to tower high above everything in sight, Mt. Chimney.

If only I could slip into Swampert while I’m awake, I would have already found him, he thought.  Sadly, he could only become Swampert in his dreams.  Now, he crouched behind the black rock, blending into the shadows in his dark green clothes that Solomon Forrest had given him.  The black rocks shadow stretched a long way in front of him.  The sun was setting and soon it would be dark.

There was a noise that sounded like voices nearby. Chris readied himself and gripped his spear tightly.  Lavaridge guards, he thought.  The voices were coming closer, and Chris could hear three pounding of one... two… three feet heading this way.

“Hold up,” said one voice.  Chris realized his spear was also casting a shadow.  Slowly he moved the slender shadow of the spear to join with the long shadow of the rock he was standing behind. “There’s something behind that rock. No, stay here, I’ll check it out.”

The steps got closer.  Chris could tell the man was trying to be silent, but Chris could feel him moving closer.  At the last second, he flipped out the butt of the spear and made the man double over. In a flash, he had his spear pointed at the man’s throat.

He wasn’t armored, or armed at all.  He was dressed in rags with nothing metal on him but bracelets of rusty iron that once may have been chains.  “Don’t move!” the King of Slateport commanded.  No sooner had he spoken those words than he felt something sharp press into his back.

“I could say the same for you,” said the man on the ground. Chris knew he was caught.  The two men locked eyes.  Had Chris heard his voice somewhere before? Out of the top of his eye, the third man must have run to the scene.

“Chris! Chris! Stop!” It was… Hector?

“Hector?” Chris felt his eyes widen with shock and as soon as he stopped looking at the man on the ground, he rolled to the side and Chris felt the sharp thing at his back disappear. “What are you doing here? How did you escape?”

“You have him to thank,” Hector gestured at the man he had knocked to the ground.

            Chris turned to the man to better introduce himself.  He opened his mouth to speak greetings, but the Combusken at the man’s side made his veins run ice cold.  “You’re the one who killed Ryan.”

            “The very same,” he said. “You almost had me during the battle after your Spirit Pokémon evolved.” He had short cropped, red hair and serious eyes.  “Bet you’re glad now that you didn’t, eh? Elsewise how would your other friend have lasted here this long?”

            “I thank you,” Chris said.  The King of Slateport lowered his spear and crouched into a fighting stance with it. “But tell me now why I shouldn’t gut you?” The Brightflame Prince gave him an incredulous look.  Combusken flashed its claws at Chris.

            “Chris, listen,” Hector stood between the two royals with his arms open. “He is not our enemy. Sure I know he killed Ryan, and I’ll never forgive him for that, but we need him to help us find our way out of here! He knows these lands and the patrols better than anyone!”

            “Yes I heard about how Starfall seized the lava-stone throne from a friend of mine.” Chris eyed Brightflame carefully before he stood back up and lowered his guard. “Very well. I won’t kill you today. But I swear, Brightflame, if you give me one reason I won’t hesitate to skewer you.”

            “Brandon,” Brightflame said. “My name’s Brandon.” The rightful Prince of Lavaridge looked around and approached Chris cautiously.  His voice drained to a whisper. “Now can we get a bloody move on? Starfall won’t stop his patrols.  He wants me back and I don’t plan on feeding that dragon of his.”

            Chris looked around as well, straining his eyes for any familiar landmark. “We’ll go, as soon as I find Swampert. I know he’s here somewhere.” Chris began walking towards a rocky outcrop that he remembered from his dreams. I’m close, Chris knew. If I can find the little cave Swampert has been sleeping in, we can finally head home together.

            There were a few moments until he heard Hector follow him.  Chris was more surprised though, when Brandon Brightflame and his Combusken followed as well. 

“I can’t have you get captured now,” Brandon said. “Starfall wants that as well.  Anything that bloody traitor wants I would like to deny him. Besides, Combusken can give us some extra protection.” Brandon flashed a forced smile at him.

I can never forgive you, Chris thought silently to himself.  It’s always harder for the second one, Brandon had said during the battle of Mauville when he slit Ryan’s throat and laughed. 

The moon was just beginning to rise when Chris sat behind a familiar corner of two great rocks to eat some of the berries he had brought.  He glared at Brandon as they started a little fire and sat down to eat. He could sense Hector being uncomfortable in the situation.

“I never wanted the war, you know,” Brandon said at last as Combusken sharpened its claws. 

“Then you didn’t have to fight in it,” Chris felt himself say coldly. “You didn’t have to kill my best friend.”

“That little water-mouse of his was going to interfere in our fight! I was acting in self-defense!” Chris glared even harder. “I’d never expect a fish-boy like you to understand the courtesies of single combat. Like I said, I never wanted to fight in a war. Starfall prodded and encouraged my father-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Chris said as the moon began to rise. “What’s done is done. Help me get out of here once I find Swampert, and I will spare your life.”

“What’s a Prince supposed to do when the word of the King is law? To defy him, my own father, would have been death,” Brandon said. “You wouldn’t understand.” The Prince of Lavaridge laid his head against the rock.

Hector was still as quiet as ever, only nibbling at the spicy berries that Chris had shared with him.  Combusken was still sharpening its claws… and then the sound of scraping stopped. Chris noticed the Fire Pokémon gaze into the darkness. Have we been too loud? Have we attracted Starfall’s patrols? Chris thought. No… could it be?

Red eyes peered out at him fifty yards away. Chris knew it was Swampert. The King of Slateport stood up, tears in his eyes, as he slowly walked towards his Spirit Pokémon in the darkness.

Strangely, the outline of the large Pokémon backed away, as if it was afraid.  Chris could sense his Spirit Partner’s fear. What have they done to you? The moonlight poured over the ground, and Chris saw Swampert for what it had become.

There were scars all over the Pokémon’s blue body.  Some were light blue and healed while others gleamed red and seemed to open again at the slightest movement.  Swampert was skinny, too, deprived of nutrition. The worst of it was the chunk missing from the big dark blue fin on its back, as if something had taken a bite out of it. Swampert crouched as Chris had crouched earlier that day, unsure of these humans.

Chris took one step closer and held his hand out, reaching for Swampert. He could hear Hector stand up, and Brandon was carefully observing the scene. Combusken stood warily.

“Be careful,” Brandon said. “Starfall made sure he made your Pokémon’s life a living hell.”

He knows me, though, Chris could feel it… Couldn’t he? He must have sensed me and came back to me. Chris Marsh took another step, gazing into Swampert’s eyes that regarded him back with nothing but fear and confusion. He doesn’t know me. Perhaps if Chris could get close enough to touch him, Swampert would remember, and their Spirits could remember each other.

He tossed one of the berries on the ground at Swampert, and the Pokémon sniffed at it before he licked it up and padded closer. Chris rolled another one at it.  Swampert stepped closer again. Again and again Chris rolled the last of his berries, backing up to the camp with each berry and with each Swampert came even closer.

“Damnit, fish-boy that’s too close for me,” he heard Brandon say.

Human and Pokémon gazed into each other’s eyes, and Chris reached out with his hand as if to stroke Swampert’s cheek as the moon re-appeared from behind a cloud. The light shimmered off Chris’s spear that was standing against the rocks and cast a shining light on Swampert’s head… and when the blue Pokémon moved closer to Chris it shone in one if its red eyes.

Swampert let out a terrible roar as it slammed its arms on the ground, knocking Chris and his companions over as the ground around them shook.  Chris felt himself get hit away with incredible force. He hit me, the King of Slateport knew as he got back up from the ground.  Why? Chris looked around and he saw the moonlight glimmering off of his spear… he remembered the feeling from his dreams of being Swampert. He hates the weapons; he knows what they are. It was true, many of the cuts on the blue body had come from soldiers sent to re-capture it. 

Hector, Brandon, and Combusken took the opportunity to escape to a safer distance. Chris could see Hector trembling as Brandon crouched, ready to run.  Combusken stood in front of its Spirit Partner with arms raised, ready to defend.

But Swampert stalked and glared at Chris again. Why won’t it see who I am? Stupid moon, as soon as Chris got back to his feet, Swampert charged.  When his Spirit Pokémon lunged, Chris dropped to the rocky ground and rolled underneath the blue mud-fish. He began to crawl towards the last berries that had spilled on the ground, just beyond where his spear had fallen. If I can just feed him some more berries he’ll calm down…

As soon as Chris tried to reach for the berries beyond his spear, Swampert roared again.  The King of Slateport felt the ground beneath him tremble and he knew Swampert was charging again.  He felt his Spirit Pokémon hit him again and he slammed his back on a wall of black rock.  He made a move to put his hands up, to let Swampert know that he meant no harm when the moonlight flashed one last time, and he heard a crunch and a thunk.

“Ugh,” Chris heard himself say, and he couldn’t move. Why? When he looked down, he knew.  A long dark pole stuck out from his chest, and his fingers grew wet and sticky when he touched where it emerged.  He tried to take a step forward, but he was stuck to the rock behind. The spear had gone all the way through him. In his rage, Swampert had thrown the spear with deadly accuracy, and embedded the spear through flesh, bone, and rock behind him. Chris coughed and blood splattered from his mouth. The world went black.

And then, Chris felt himself no longer in his own body.  He could see himself, lifeless, pinned to a black rock as moonlight shone on his once proud face. I will never love again… He felt a tear welling in his eye, and Chris roared with Swampert’s voice. He moved with his Spirit Pokémon’s body towards the lifeless and bloody corpse pinned to the rock when the pain hit him.  He screeched and collapsed to the ground and writhed in agony.  It hurt like an intense pain welling up all over, ready to explode. It’s always harder for the second one. He could feel Swampert dying, like his own body had died. The spirit of the Pokémon was scared, so scared.

Swampert was breathing heavily on the ground, trying to roar but no sound came out. The Pokémon moved his head and Chris’s ghost inside could see Hector reaching, crying out for his friend as he rushed for the lifeless body. Brandon had to drag, almost carry, his friend away. The last thing he saw was his friend running away from him, running away to safety.

All at once, Chris and Swampert’s Spirits were at peace. When the pain went away for good, the world went black for the last time.