Secrets of Mount Celeste

Saffire helped Surefire to her feet. "We need to get you somewhere
hot," he replied, peering through the darkness at the peek in the
distance, the peek that still shone white with snow.

Mount Celeste.

"It'll be warm there and you'll get well," the worried Vulpix
continued, "but can you walk?"

"I can walk, but I'm not sure for how long." Surefire assured him, then
sneezed.

Saffire helped her to her feet and gingerly made his way towards the
volcano. It might take the better part of the day, but they would get there
and it would be warm.

The two Vulpix picked their way across the landscape, bathed in the gentle
darkness. Occassionally Surefire would stumble, but Saffire was quick to
support who with his body and mutter words of encouragement. His paws hurt,
from all the walking and hunting and hunger gnawed at him. He dared not
mention it to the female though, he did not want her to feel guilty.

The volcano looked a long way away, but Saffire knew it would be the best
place for her. The warmth would help her heal, and more then anything, he
wanted her well again. He may never have forgiven himself for his Trainers
death, and may consider himself cursed, but he was going to fight that at
every turn of the way.

Nothing and no one would take his Surefire away from him.

Surefire sneezed.
"I can rest here. Why don't you find something to eat? You're looking
hungry."

"No, I'm fine," Saffire replied, "come on, we have to get you to the
warmth!" He helped her back to her feet and started half dragging her
towards the volcano. It was a long way to go and he just hoped she could
make it. Once there he could find a Cyndaquil or something similar to eat.

"We're almost there," Saffire panted as Mount Celeste rose above
him. His legs felt weak and hunger gnawed at his belly like a grub
devouring him from the inside out. He staggered a little, leaning
against Surefire. "Now comes the tricky part..."

The two Vulpixes stepped forward, towards the narrow crevasse that
offered entrance into the flaming belly of the volcano. Already he
could feel the heat, it was making him pant. Above them, the sun had
just risen and was creeping across the sky.

He paused as something with bright eyes stepped out in front of him.

"So, you wish to enter the belly of the volcano," the muscualr
Houndoom (that's the evolved form, right?) growled.

"Yuh, yes," Saffire whimpered.

"You know the story?"

The silver Vulpix nodded. "I must fight you."

"Indeed. And the little lady too."

Saffire steadied himself. "She is ill," he replied, "and cannot
fight."

"Very well, then I shall attack you first. A fight, as they say, to
the pain."

"To the submission," Saffire agreed.

The Houndoom laughed. "And if I submit to you, little white
furrball, then I'm a meowth."

Saffire growled, trying to hide the fact that he could barely stand
with his own bravado.

The blast of fire plumed from the devil dogs mouth and Saffire barely
managed to dodge in time. He fell a little too heavily upon the hard ground
and had to struggle to gain his footing. Calling forth his will, he struck
out with a Confuse Ray.

The Houndoom bore the brunt of it, but it seemed to have little effect. It
threw back its head and howled, a sound that sent shivers down the Vulpix's
spine.

He staggered backwards as a wave of dark energy hit him and brought back
painful memories.

** Her, reaching out to him, patting him, hugging him. Grooming him... Him
licking her face.

That terrible dream, the one of the scremaing engines, bursting flames, the
horrid smell of leaking petrol.

Him, tugging at her clothing, trying to tell her, "please don't go, stay
here, its not save if you go."

The rage at him, she kicked him. He felt like nothing, worse then nothing.
Lower then a slugma.

He was too ashamed to resist as she sucked him into the dreaded ball.
Shaking, he heard the sound of screeching tyres.

Her desperate screams.

The sound of snapping bones, breaking glass.

and then silence... **

Saffire collapsed to the ground, trapped in his own memories, his legs
jerking uncontrollably as though he were triying to run from something that
was not there, or anywhere...

The Houndoom threw back its head and howled with laughter.

"NO!" Surefire screamed, watching Saffire fall. There where tears in her
eyes as she concetrated on the attack she know she had: Fireblast. She
had stumbled on the TM on the way here, and learned the attack. A
fireball flew and...

... Struck the surprised Houndoom in the face. It moved its head at the
last minute, missing the worst of the blast, but the damage had already been
done, the top of its bone helmet was blackened with soot.

It bellowed and sprang at Surefire, vanishing on the way, to appear sending
her sprawling sideways.

Saffire blinked, slowly coming back to awareness...

Surefire yelped, then sprang to the side, hoping to give Saffire time to
recover his wits.

The Houndoom licked its lips. "Oh little foxies," it snarled, "you can't
beat me, I'm the Guardian. No One has beaten me yet."

Saffire pulled himself around and closed his eyes against the nausea in his
head. An Ice Beam scythed out from his mouth, spinning in the same manner
as a Firespin attack, only with a distinct elemental difference.

The Houndoom, currently glaring at Surefire, did not notice until the ice
hit it in the side, instantly freezing its fur together.

"Quickly," he snapped, "whilst its stunned." And the little Silver-white
Vulpix bounced around the Houndoom with its rictus frozen grin, motioning
for Surefire to follow.

Surefire run after Saffire, limping a bit.
"What do we do about him?" She said, gesturing toward the Houndoom.

Saffire glanced at the falling Houndoom. "We get away from him very fast,"
he replied. Already the devil dog was starting to recover again.

Saffire followed the tunnel along until it came to a ledge, around the top
of a seething volcanic centre. Magma (the molten rock, not the pokemon!)
bubbled and hissed, filling hte air with heat. It was so hot that Saffire
could feel his eyes drying out in his skull and blinked furiously.

"Warm now?" He asked, leading Surefire away from the main centre of the pit
and down a short tunnel to a small hollow. It was still hot, too hot for
any normal pokemon (luckily Saffire was a fire pokemon by birth, and thus
could stand higher temperatures then normal ice-types). The male Vulpix
motioned for Surefire to lie down and began grooming her fur wiht his rough
tongue.

"feeling better?" He asked her, trying no to pant.

"Much better." Surefire said drowsely.

Saffire continued grooming her, the heat making him light headed and taking
his tongue away with him.

"Surefire," he whispered carefully, "I, I was wondering if you would, well,
err, like to be my mate." He paused. "You're a beautiful vixen and well, I
would understand if you said no, cos, well, err, I'm not exactly your
standard dog fox."

He stopped, realising he was rambling and looked into her red eyes
hopefully.

"Saffire, I... I don't know what to say." Surefire said, shocked into
awareness by what Saffire had said. "I... I... I don't know..." She broke
off, hanging her head and studying the ground.

Saffire hung his head.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, "I shouldn't have asked." He stopped grooming
her and turned away, staring at the wall.

The heat was starting to get to him, he was badly in need of a drink, not to
mention famished, but he lacked the motivation to pursue such things fully.

Surefire licked Saffire's ear, hoping to make him feel better.
"I don't remember very much, so perhaps when I remember a bit more,
perhaps then."

Saffire nodded. "Very well," he said softly. "I think I need to get some
air now, will you be alright here by yourself?"

He stood up and shook sand from his white fur, waiting for her to answer.

Surefire curled up, ready to sleep.
"I'm fine." She assured him, then drifted off to sleep.

Saffire nodded. The answer did not satisfy him, but it would ahve to
do.

"Very well," he said softly, 'for there is no other vixen for me but
you." he stood up and stretched, arching his back. His tongue was
lolling in his mouth. 'but now i need fresh air!'

and Saffire padded from the cave and out the entrance, towards the
houndoom.

Saffire made his way back to the entrance to the volcano, but the heat was really starting to get to him, making him feel lightheaded. as was the lack of food and water. He stumbled and slipped down the side, scrabbling to regain his balance and just avoiding falling into the boiling hot lava. He crawled into a welcoming dark tunnel and shook himself. It was still warm here, but not as dehydrating. He crawled further, feeling the coolness enshroud him.

Suddenly something appeared before him. A cyndaquil. Instinct and hunger overtook reason and before he knew it he had pounced on it and bitten it, killing it instantly.

It helped abate his hunger, and some of his thirst. But he could not get back the way he had come, and therefore, had to go onwards, deeper underground...

It was very dark now, saffire could not see anything, save for the red heat above him. His fur tingled oddly. The air was dry, so dry it seemed to drain the air from his lungs and as he panted he began to feel light headed and giddy. His legs didn't seem to work properly. And still the trail went deeper...

and deeper...

Suddenly the ground gave way beneath his pads and he stumbled, tumbling through more darkness. When he landed, it was with a bone crunching crack, from something underneath him.

He rolled away, startled, and realised he had just fallen on a mummified Vulpix. The heat from the volcano had dehydrated it to the point where it had not rotted, the skin shrinking ghoulishly on the bones.

Their was an eerie red light here, casting everything in a bizarre shade. The tingling in the silver Vulpix's fur was starting to get disturbing. The light was enough to illuminate the area however, although Saffire wished it was not.

All around him hung mummified pokemon. Some were on ledges, sightless eyes staring at him from alcoves in the darkness. Others were about the floor, twisted into shapes of torture. All were very, very dead.

Except for one.

The cat's fur was mostly gone, only a few patches were left. Its eyes were shrivelled and blind from the heat. Its skin looked as thin as parchment paper. Saffire had thought it was dead until it grabbed his paw. He swung at it, sending it tumbling away, and then realised what he had done.

"Are, are you okay?" He asked, although it was plainly not.

The mummified-but-alive pokemon dragged itself around. "You have come," it said, "you of the silver light from the stars have finally come to free us all."

Saffire stared at it, uncomprehending.

"What do you mean?" He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This sounded bad, very bad...

"For years my brothers and I, brave travellers from afar, become trapped here," it gestured to the rather mummified and very dead bodies. "We have suffered, but our belief, our strength has kept us going."

The walls began whispering. And some things crept out. A Nidorino, its fur gone, bones so close to the skin that it looked like any effort would puncture through. A Chikorita, its leaf wilted and dead, its eyes the only thing about it that looked alive. A Kangaskhan, her fur patchy and a wild look in her eyes.

"He has come..." they whispered, "our salvation..." Hands and paws reached out to touch him and their grasp was like they were already dead.

"A silverbolt will come and safe you," came a mocking voice from the far end. "How absolutely lovely! I'm sure we shall be more then happy to put an end to your suffering!" A Houndoom, muscles rippling, stepped forward.

Saffire recognised it as the one he had fought outside. "I do not wish to fight you," he replied. And it was true, he doubted he had the energy left to fight.

Saffire's eyes felt heavy, so heavy, he dragged them open and saw the Houndoom standing over him.

"Am I dead?" He asked. He certainly felt the worst for wear - his head was heavy, so heavy he could no held it up and his brain felt like it was padded with cotton wool.

"Not unless I am," the Houndoom replied, smiling gently. "But you are missing something."

"What?"

The devil dog grinned. "I stole your pain."

"My.... pain?"

"Your guilt and your anguish," the hound replied, "I put it into my underground store, for the use of future others."

And Saffire realised something. Although there was still sorrow in his heart and in his head, he no longer felt the soul wrenching guilt.

It was not his fault - it never had been...

And with that realisation, came another realisation. He had Changed. He stared at his foot which seemed such a bigger paw then before, and then at his tails, three of which which had split, so that instead of 6 tails, he now had nine. But he felt the same. He stared in awe at the Houndoom.

"I... I evolved..." He stuttered.

"For all your oddities," the Houndoom replied, "you are still a Vulpix. Or rather, were." It gestured with its horns towards a great red rock, so big and bright that the whole room was drenched in red hues. "This is the fire stone. Your guilt and sorrow held you back, but they are now mine, forever and ever."

The Houndoom licked its lips, as though hungry.

"But, what about the others, the ones that wanted me to help them?"

The Houndoom shrugged. "They are trapped here, burdened by their own guilts and dreads and fears. Now that you have passed the test, they will see that they too can face it and succeed."

He stepped aside so that Saffire could see a passage leading back into the dark. "Go now, afore I decide to do away with you. You may be a ninetails, but I still have the advantage."

Saffire nodded in afirmation and padded down the passageway, which lead to blessed fresh air. The cool breeze danced upon his fur. He felt born again. A puddle of newly melted snow caught his attention and he peered into it, seeing his new but rather distorted face. His tuft had changed, always spiky, now he held a literal mohawk of fur, and his ears were longer, with little curly tufts, unique from any Ninetails he had seen.