Well, here's the second chapter. It took me much longer than I expected to get this out, but it's finally done. So please read and comment if you enjoyed it or could see a way to improve it. If you like my writing style be sure to check my journals, in which I ramble about writing and other stuff, as well as my first chapter (if you haven't read it yet).

The room was dark, night having fallen long before. Light from the faintly glowing moon pooled in a splash of silvery light on the floor by the window. In the stark illumination, sharp shadows were cast across the walls, like edges of darkness. Despite the dusky elements, I was not the least discomfited. For a fire type, darkness was always temporary and easily dispelled. I had other reasons for liking the darkness. It reminded me of the hunt, of silent stalking through the shadows.

On a still and clear night like this, in the days when my neighbors posed a credible challenge to my territory, I would be out roaming. Perhaps I’d be scouting my enemy’s territory, taking advantage of my darker back fur to blend in with the shadows. My creamy underside would be indistinguishable from the sandy ground of a clearing as I crept through forbidden lands, noting potential ambush points, trails, and other strategic terrain. Other times, I’d be patrolling my borders, ambushing unwary intruders by using my superior knowledge of the land.

In a few unforgettable nights, my latest aggressor would wake in their den to see their world erupt into an inferno. I would brutally press my surprise fueled advantage, driving them out of their territory and into the cold night to find a less contested territory. That was all before I had left for the mountains to train, before I evolved. My mentor had told me that Cyndaquils were usually timid. I had apparently been misinformed.
After I had returned from the mountains, on a quiet night like this, I would find myself watching the eternal day of the human town. The night would seem empty, devoid of both hostile and benign intent. There was no threat to me, but neither was there comfort. At the time, I didn’t know why I watched the goings of humans and their partners.

Now… We were in a small room on the second floor of a center far from any other human inhabitation, straddling the pass into my valley. I had been in this area only once before, when I had left for training in the mountains. From then, I knew that Pokécenters in the wilderness traded their glamorous battle and trading facilities for more practical guest rooms and residential sections for the staff. Aislin had opted to stay overnight in the center rather than camp another night in the fresh mountain air. Perhaps it was cold, for a human.

In the moonlight, the room was softer, the artificially sharp edges of human furnishings dulled by the darkness. It was austerely decorated, with a small bed, nightstand and lamp, which Aislin hadn’t bothered to turn on, to my relief. Two small cushions lay in a corner for Katsumi and me to sleep on, so that we could spend the night comfortably outside our balls. The room was plain, but it was all we really needed. It reminded me of the simpler days of my early youth, for some reason.

Aislin’s scent still lingered in the air, having exchanged her travel-worn clothes for a robe and heading off to the showers soon after our arrival. Her short shorts were an indistinguishable color of brown due to a combination of hard travel and the darkness, but her vest was still white despite several dirt and grass stains. They were lying in an untidy heap next to the door with her form hugging black undershirt in preparation for getting cleaned at the center’s small laundry service.

An inexplicable sense of pressure in my head caught my attention, and I turned to look at Katsumi, who was lounging on one of the cushions that the Pokécenter had provided for us. She turned away from my gaze, but I looked patiently at her until she eventually met my eyes. I grinned in an amiable manner, but the glint of my teeth in the moonlight belied my unspoken warning. “You can look, but you can’t touch”, I said in a gently mocking manner, unconsciously using a human phrase.

Katsumi stared at her feet for a moment before saying, after a small pause of hesitation, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She brightened up quickly. “But your mental defenses are quite powerful especially since you’re not of the dark type. I doubt I could break through without an actual attack.” Despite her friendliness, she appeared reluctant to probe about me directly. If that was the reason why she’d tried to read my thoughts I didn’t mind too much, but I still didn’t want someone in my head.

“Don’t worry about it”, I replied to her apology. I paused, wondering which of the many questions I should start asking her now that I had the advantage in the conversation. While battling, I had been in my element, and our meeting in the center’s reception had been fueled by my impulsive excitement. Now, speaking to Katsumi in the subdued environment of the room, I wasn’t sure how to start. I was curious about her and her past, but I was more interested in Aislin, who was after all, my trainer.

But life was a battle, and the winner of any battle needed strategy. It was clear that although born wild, Katsumi had spent most of her life with Aislin. As a result she never truly had to think strategy for herself. I on the other hand, had only been able to fight to the top through strategic maneuvering both in battle and otherwise. So I decided to go for the subject that would tell me the most about both of them.

“Katsumi. How did you and Aislin meet?” I asked neutrally. It was an innocuous question that would give me personal details without seeming too intrusive. Yet, with luck, it would net me some information on my trainer as well as her. Katsumi gazed at me curiously for a moment before shifting on her cushion, laying her head on her paws and curling up. Her tail drifted lazily for a moment before she started.

“I remember the leaves were turning autumnal on the day. The wind was carrying a hint of frost, a hint of winter, as it blew. The grass hadn’t died yet, and I was playing in a sunlit clearing as the daystar set.” Katsumi smiled slightly. “The sun rays were the color of honey, and the wind spoke to me of adventure and faraway places. I was too young then to really understand the beauty of it, being just an Eevee.”

Katsumi was getting a distant look in her eyes, seeming to look beyond me through the veils of time. “I had dreams then, dreams of finding a trainer. You wouldn’t quite understand it, but us Eevees… We’re made to be with humans. They complete us in a way that nothing else does. Very few of us ever manage to evolve without a trainer. I was born in an isolated forest, and my chances of finding a human while I was still too young to travel were slim.”

Katsumi paused, slowly coming back to the present. She met my eyes again and a curious look came into her eyes. “Aislin was also young, perhaps too young to be allowed to have a Pokémon. I later learnt that she had managed to acquire one of her parent’s Pokéballs and had snuck out. Her father was a Pokémon researcher who happened to be working in my area.”

I snorted. Pretentious humans. To think that the secrets of Pokémon could be unraveled by observation in a process unaffected by emotion was pure human arrogance. Pokémon no more needed studying than humans needed to be studied by Pokémon. To exist together, to battle together; to live and to die together. What more could a human learn?

Katsumi blinked in minor annoyance, but ignored me. “I didn’t notice Aislin at the time. She must have been patiently watching from the shadows, crouched in the branches of a tree. It could have been hours before I was close enough for her to make her move.” Katsumi met my eyes, trying to express something. “She didn’t have any Pokémon with her. If I had broken free of the ball, she would have been at my mercy. If she had misjudged the jump, she could have broken her legs and nobody would have been around to save her.”

“When she attacked, it was like she was flying, swooping out of the sky with my ball clutched in her hand. I didn’t have a chance to run before I was caught. It was an impulsive act by her, rash and dangerous. But I couldn’t help but admire her, for her bravery, her patience. Her grace. The sheer tenacity of attacking a wild Pokémon on her own, catching me with nothing but her own skill.”

Katsumi paused. “I’m not sure you’d understand, seeing how hard you fought. But when I felt the ball closing on me, I didn’t struggle. It was what I wanted…” Looking tentatively at me, Katsumi must have been wondering whether I thought her weak, not for her capture but for losing to me in the battle.
I hesitated to answer, shaking my head firmly in negation. I didn’t want to accidentally insult her by reassuring her too quickly, but nor did I want to ignore the issue. Fortunately, Katsumi seemed to take my gesture for a lack of judgment and lightened up, losing her previous tension.

“Well, now that you know about that, I guess it’s just fair for me to ask about you”, Katsumi said with sudden enthusiasm. I blinked at her abrupt change in mood, but before I could gather my wits she had already launched her question.

“How about your childhood? It seems strange that a Quilava powerful enough to defeat me would be living with newborns.” Katsumi perked her ears forward, and tilted her head slightly. “Aislin was chasing rumors of a wild Cyndaquil in the area. Would that be you?”

For a moment, I was caught off guard, wondering how much and what to tell her. Then I shook myself mentally. She had been open enough about how she and Aislin had met. I would be her teammate and Aislin my trainer. They deserved to know about my life, as long as they didn’t touch on some of my more private matters.

I snorted in slight laughter. “Yeah, that Cyndaquil was me. I’m surprised the rumors are still going around though; it’s been over a year since I’ve evolved. I lived in this valley for most of my life, battling for territory and challenging trainers like any normal Pokémon. I evolved after a battle with an enterprising trainer who snuck up at night and nearly caught me. After that incident I left to ask for training with a mentor in the upper reaches, figuring that I’d attracted too much attention for my own good.” I jerked my head upwards in the general direction of the mountain behind the pokecenter.

“Tell me though, what’s Aislin like?” I asked candidly, rebuking myself for being so oblique with her earlier. Neither she nor Aislin were my enemies, or rivals to maneuver around. Katsumi appeared more relaxed now that I spoke plainly. “I can only find out so much by watching for a few days, after all.”

Katsumi looked at me and blinked, amused. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never regretted choosing Aislin. She’ll train you hard, but she’s fair and won’t overwork you. She’s always determined to get what she wants and can be stubborn at times, but you’ll always know where you are with her. And she’s not just a trainer to me; she’s like a sister, in many ways.

I quietly let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. Although Katsumi’s opinion wasn’t a surefire indicator of Aislin’s character, it seemed like she would be a reliable trainer: tough enough, capable enough and competent enough without losing sight of the importance of a good relationship with her Pokémon.

A clatter of the keys entering the lock interrupted our conversation. Aislin stepped in carrying a bundle ofdrably colored clothes. Her inky black hair was still shedding moisture from her shower, dripping into the white robe that the center had provided. Walking briskly to the bed, she lay out the gray-green cargo pants and long sleeved grey jacket, both made of a thick cloth. 

Katsumi had curled back up, molding herself into the cushion. I was watching Aislin, sitting up in my cushion to get a glance at her new attire. I noticed with approval that they seemed warmer and much more durable than her current clothes. They also protected her limbs from the undergrowth, which would be necessary once we crossed the low pass.

The weather in my valley was clement. Although bitterly cold during the winters and subject to the occasional storm, for most of the year the valley had a mild temperament. I would wake up many days to see the sun staining the morning mist red, later lightening to a shade of pale orange before dissipating entirely. Summer days would be pleasantly cool with sunlight dappling the forest floor, and autumn was a colorful affair of wind-tossed leaves and crystal nights of shimmering stars.

Across the pass… the weather was a different matter. Sometimes I would hear storms breaking on the mountain’s other side, sounding ferocious and pitiless even when I was safe in my den far from the actual tempest. Only the toughest flora could withstand the seasonal lashings of the weather. I was told that they were armed with thorns that seemed to take their frustration over the miserable weather out on passing Pokémon. The fauna there had to deal with both the weather and the flora, and were reportedly even tougher and more nasty-tempered.

Aislin finished laying out her new clothes and turned to look at us. “Looks like you two are getting along well enough. Or at least you haven’t ripped each other apart yet, which is good enough for me”, Aislin said with a note of humor. Katsumi blinked in mild amusement as she settled down further into the cushion. I twitched an ear in interest, seeing a new side of her. While searching for me Aislin had seemed perpetually serious as she meticulously staked out likely dens for a Cyndaquil. Even in the center’s reception hall, she seemed determined to make a good impression with me.

Leaning over to scratch Katsumi behind an ear, Aislin cut a lithe figure. Her legs were slender, the result of many years of walking and traveling, lean but strong. The thick, tightly wrapped bathrobe betrayed an hourglass figure, sleek and flowing, and the arc of her back was elegant, yet strong. The casual ease she displayed while straightening to look at me revealed an easy grace born of strength and flexibility.

“Mind if we have a walk outside?” she asked casually. “I’m thinking it’s time I got to know you a bit better.”
Acquiescing, I got up and followed her out the door, nodding to Katsumi in farewell as I slipped into the hallway. The door closed behind me with a faint glow of psychic power and I padded softly after Aislin, who was still barefooted and in her robe. We walked in an easy silence through the hallways of the residential section and down the stairs. The darkened medical center was humming softly and still carried the antiseptic tang as we cut through it and into the reception hall, where Aislin opened the door for me to walk into the chilly night.

Aislin’s bare feet were nearly silent on the moist dirt as we walked towards a small cliff overlooking my valley not far from the Pokécenter. Although lacking human lighting, the moon was full and the stars bright, illuminating the valley in a silvery glow. It stretched below me in the night like a carpet of dark greens and browns framed by the mountains and the foothills. I could see the dirt path winding down through the trees, passing small clearings and eventually reaching the human town, glowing faintly in the far distance of the foothills. Very few Pokémon could ever claim to have such a large and rich territory of their own, and I knew that my younger days were charmed, a blessing bestowed on someone incredibly lucky.

I had only seen my valley from this perspective once before, when I had traveled for training. I realized that the last time I had seen my valley from this angle I had also been leaving, leaving my home and a fragment of my past behind me as I walked into the uncertain future. I hadn’t known then whether I would ever return to this sunny glade that held all my memories and all that I knew. And this time, the chances that I’d ever see my valley again were even more uncertain.

But in the core of my flame, I knew that it was time. Time to take my tide at flood and to follow the current into the endless sea. My childhood may have been charmed, but it was a charm that would soon fade into stagnation if I overstayed my due. I stood on a crossroads of my life, and only by taking a path, any path, would I ever move, whether it be a step forwards or a step backwards.

“It’s a beautiful home you have,” Aislin said. “I thought perhaps you’d like to see it one last time before we left.” Her gaze seemed to trace the path towards the horizon. I was grateful for her consideration. It gave me a sense of closure, an understanding that this was a chance to start anew. Although appearing slightly cold and distant, Aislin seemed to be a thoughtful person, at the very least.

“On a night like this,” Aislin said, echoing my earlier thoughts, “I used to creep out into the forest and pretend I was a Pokémon.” Her voice was distant and impersonal, but I thought I detected a sense of yearning in her voice, for things I couldn’t comprehend. I heard the rustling of cloth as she shifted slightly from where she was standing behind me, also gazing down across the valley.

“Also, I can’t keep calling you ‘you’ forever,” Aislin said without shifting her eyes. “Do you have a name already?” she asked, turning to look at me.

I turned to look at her. It was surprising that she had thought to ask. A long time ago, I had been close enough to another to actually have a name. However, it was far back in my childhood, and as time passed the friendship faded. After that I had little enough social contact with Pokémon other than chance encounters and battles, and I never truly needed a name for myself.

Recalling a fragment of human behavior, I shook my head. Aislin, watching me, tilted her head and a thoughtful look appeared in her icy blue eyes. “Well we’ll figure something out eventually. I’m sure something will come up.” Something told me that she already had a name for me, though. Looking carefully at her, I realized she was shivering. The robe wasn’t very warm and the night was cold. I was impressed. She seemed unaffected by the cold, neither complaining nor allowing it to affect her thoughts.

Rearing up to my hind legs, I flared my burners gently, warming the air near Aislin’s legs. She smiled, but didn’t say anything. We both looked out over the valley thinking our separate thoughts. By following the dirt path I could approximately locate my den. Looking farther down, I could just distinguish the clearing where Katsumi and I had fought. The lights of the human town glowed in the far distance, marking the edge of my territory.

This valley was my childhood, my home, and almost all that I knew of the world. I had grown up here, fought, lost and won battles here and had returned after I had left for my training. I knew the land and I knew the temperament of the mountain. Never again would I ever find a place that meant so much to me. Never would I have a place that I could call home so easily. Looking over the valley, I knew that I wouldn’t ever feel so much like the master of any other land again.

“If I don’t see this land ever again,” I said, more to myself than Aislin, “I will never forget my first home, nor why I had to leave.” Despite the fact that I was only talking to myself, I looked back to see if Aislin had reacted. All I saw was the darkness, and footprints leading back to the center. Perhaps she knew that I wanted time alone.

I walked to the very edge of the precipice, feeling chill wind blow across my face. It smelt of ice and spring, of endings and new beginnings. From here, I held all that I knew within my gaze, and from here I would leave all that had been. The moon bathed the land in a silvery light to the song of bug Pokémon as stars winked coldly in the clear sky.

Rearing up, I called forth a blaze, silhouetting me for the entire valley to see. The flames danced and soared behind me, birthing a firestorm that would announce my departure for all that had eyes to see. When I could barely control the flames, I sent them into the night, feeling them rush past my form and flying across the valley, lighting the skies in an inferno of farewell.