Infinity ~ PMD; Power of Three Side Story [Rewriting]

Infinity ~ PMD; Power of Three Side Story

1 

“You’ll never get back at me, Ari.” 

The words sunk in slowly, like molten lava. Icy blue eyes met matching ones, colder than the snow he’d once found her in. Jasper’s words hardly registered in his ears. 

“Shadow, come back to us. You are our teammate.” Her voice was pleading. 

When she spoke, her voice was cold enough to send ice through his fur. Those blue eyes of hers, that had once help such joyful warmth and a fierce stubbornness, narrowed upon locking with his. “Not anymore.” 

He didn’t know when, but suddenly, the black flame Infernape he’d practically grown up with was gone, vanishing into the dark trees. Shadow was gone. 

And for some reason, it killed Ari inside. 

-- 

He’d been alone, at the time. The Zorua trekked silently through the snow, blue eyes shifting about warily in the darkness. After all, who knew what kind of Pokemon lurked in the shadows? He was heading back to meet up with Jasper and Thorn, who had remained at their current base. The small team’s rank was swiftly growing, and they constantly moved to keep it that way. Abruptly, something caught his eye and he paused, blending with the shadows. A Chimchar, who looked to be about the same age as him, was sprawled in the snow. She wasn’t moving. He shifted. 

“Hey.” 

She seemed startled, stirring in the slightest. Her eyes, icy blue like his own, flickered as they threatened to close. She looked on the verge of death. Perhaps she was from the nearby village? Then he saw the scars that riddled her body. It looked as though she’d been attacked, or, looking closer, driven out of someplace. He reached out hesitantly, prodding her lightly. She reacted with a muted whimper. This time he pushed, successfully flipping her. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. She either had a high pain tolerance, or just lacked the energy to cry out again.

“Hey, kid, are you alright?” He leaned over her, nonexistent eyebrows furrowed. A flicker caught his gaze and it was then he realized how small her flames were. Then he looked again. They were black. He’d never seen a Chimchar with black fire. “Your flames…” He paused; perhaps that had been a touchy subject. Should he have said something different? “…Who are you?"

She didn’t respond. Perhaps she had lacked the energy, or perhaps she just didn’t want to. Ari bet on the former. She was shaking; from the pain or the cold, he honestly couldn’t tell. Her breath was low and raspy, sounding harsh in her throat. Through half lidded eyes, she seemed to be assessing him. He smirked, with the slightly – somewhat sick – amusement. Even in her current state, she first thought about figuring him out. Her icy blue eyes wavered slightly, eyelids fluttering. He knew, somewhere inside, that if he were to let her close her eyes, she’d die for sure. But perhaps, he thought again, she would be a valuable asset to the team, if he could get her to Jasper on time. Inwardly, he nodded to himself, deciding to take this pokémon in. Jasper could heal her and, if she was trained right, she could easily be one of their most powerful members. 

So, without another word, he swept away a few scoops of snow, managing to squirm under the limp figure. She nearly slid off, but he shifted quickly, balancing her. 

“This would’ve been so much simpler with Jasper’s ability…” He sighed inwardly. 

Not only could Jasper have just used psychic, but the Kirlia could’ve healed the Chimchar then and there. But Jasper wasn’t there, so he would just have to deal with it. He could feel her breathing begin to slow. He shifted again. If she slept, he knew, she likely wouldn’t wake. He had to stop that. He wondered why, though. Why had he come to this perfect stranger’s aide? He could’ve easily left her; after all, there must have been a reason she had been driven out. But he kept his thoughts in the back of his mind. 

“Don’t sleep.” 

She jolted weakly. He bit back a chuck. He hadn’t meant to startle her. But his words had been pretty abrupt, so it was no surprise, he supposed. There was a hoarse sound that turned into what sounded like an almost questioning whimper. His gaze flickered to her, but with his head turned, he knew she couldn’t see as much. 

“If you go to sleep, you might not wake up.” 

It seemed to be enough. For the rest of the long trip, her breathing didn’t slow, and she would constantly jerk herself out of sleep’s tendrils. He felt her shift as best she could, burying her face in his fur. He guessed it was for the warmth. But he went on, shielding her from the harsh winter breeze. Then they arrived at the base, greeted by a rush of warmth. Jasper and Thorn looked alarmed at the sight of Ari, with the pokémon on his back. Then Jasper was moving forward, retrieving the Chimchar.

“You can heal her, can’t you, Jasper?” Ari asked, with a light tilt of his head. His voice dropped, in case the Chimchar could still hear. “She might be a good addition to our team.”

The Kirlia nodded. “Of course. Thorn, help me move her to the bed.”

The Spearow stalked forward, head ducked. He, with Jasper, moved the black flamed Chimchar to the bed. Jasper sat beside the bed, activating heal pulse. Her gaze didn’t rise, but she spoke to Ari, nonetheless.

“Get some rest. I can see you’re weary.”

Ari was silent for a moment. He didn’t exactly like being ordered around – plus he was the leader here – but he could feel the weariness, like lead, settling in his limbs. So he only nodded, turning away and heading off to his bed. Before he fully left, he turned again.

“Let me know when she’s waking up.”

And he left.

--

The memory of their first meeting hit him like a ton of bricks. He staggered and went down to one knee, a strangled howl escaping his jaws. Somewhere in the back of his mind, beyond the reaches of the dark haze and thudding heart, he was aware of Jasper and Thorn calling his name. He was faintly aware of Jasper’s touch, her panicked gaze. And somewhere, he was all too aware of his fading reality. His vision was replaced by memories. Memories of their lost teammate, fighting, smirking, scowling, everything. Memories of the helpless young Chimchar he’d rescued, who’d turned out to be this feisty, stubborn thing. 

She’s gone. 

The reality of it all made his heart slam harshly, painfully, against his chest. Some part of him wondered why. Why did it hurt so much? He’d seen this coming. He’d noticed her drifting from them. He’d noticed the cold looks, the rebellious acts. She’d been like a rebellious child again. But he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. 

Why does it hurt so much? 

His vision flickered. He could no longer feel either of his remaining teammates. The pain was overflowing. His head throbbed and his heart thudded, a drumbeat in his ears. Though faintly, he could hear a howl? Whose? Oh. 

It had been him. 

He wondered why. 

Shadow, that lone Chimchar he had rescued. Shadow, the Monferno, who couldn’t resist a good fight. Shadow, the Infernape, strong and proud. Shadow, his best friend. Shadow, his second in command. Shadow, his lost teammate. Shadow, the cause of his pain. 

Shadow, he realized, the one he’d completely and utterly fallen for. 

She’s gone.

And he howled his grief to the moonlit sky.