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Description
The day had started out pretty well.  It was a calm afternoon as a gentle breeze wafted through the forest.  But the calmness in one tree didn’t last long.  A light tan and white blur raced across the tree-tops, leaping from branch to branch at super-sonic speed.  Within seconds it had landed in the tree, bounded across it, and left the tree completely.  It hit the ground and took off again, not letting off the speed for a second.
The thing seemed to have its speed under control as it dodged trees, rocks, and other pokémon.  Then, a resounding ‘WHAM!’ echoed through the forests, startling flying types from their roosts.
A fox-like pokémon lay on the ground in front of a large tree for a minute and then sat up, shaking its head.
“Oh man that one hurt.” The eevee thought to himself as he looked up at the tree, “Maybe using that quick seed combined with that quick attack wasn’t such a good idea.”
Ronin picked himself up off the ground and got back into a runners position.  He wasn’t going to let this mistake finish his training.  He’d already failed a few times today to keep up the speed and his agility.  His eyes closing as his mind focused on speed.  When they reopened, they held a fiery determination to try one more time.
Ronin felt light; his energy had already begun to speed up the rest of his body so he could move at high speed.  Then, he was off again.  The eevee had become a blur that was now racing through the forest once more, an almost cartoonish trail of dust behind him.
Ronin had been trying to gain full control over his new found ability.  He could sustain the supersonic speed of the quick attack for long periods of time without tiring.  Unfortunately, his reflexes weren’t up to par.
As the eevee ran, he tried once more to dodge the obstacles around him.  Unfortunately, one tripped him up.  He somersaulted twice and landed on his back, sliding for a few feet before stopping.
Ronin rolled over again and got up, looking around.  He groaned and flopped down on the ground tiredly.  The pokémon’s ears lowered sadly as he mentally admitted defeat.  His eyes closed as he lay on the cool grass.  The afternoon sun shone down through the leaves and onto him in shattered shafts of golden light.  The warmth was relaxing.
As he lay, he heard the sounds of a conversation.  It was faint, but growing louder.  Curious, his ears perked back up as he looked around.  The eevee’s eyes wandered around the area around him.  He couldn’t see anyone.
Ronin got to his feet and took the small red backpack off of his back.  As he dug through it for a certain item, the conversation grew closer.
“So what do you suppose that sound was a little while ago?” A voice asked, “Sounded like someone ran into something.
“The hell if I know.” A second voice replied, “It was probably someone training or something.”
Ronin finally pulled out two items.  One was a small, round, almost crystalline orb with a red crosshair drawn on it.  The other was a seed with a light blue tint to it’s shell.  A radar orb and a second quick seed.
“Activate.” He whispered.
The orb began to spin rapidly in a clockwise direction.  Light poured out from within its depths as it rose slowly into the air.  Within seconds, Ronin’s eyes could see through the foliage and rocks around him.
Ronin saw a fox-like form first.  It was slightly larger than he was, with slimmer ears and a tail that ended in two ends.  The second one was larger than the fox, with rabbit-like ears and a long horn.
Once the effects of the radar orb left him, Ronin picked up his pack, swallowed the quick seed, and shot up the trunk of a nearby tree.  After he was up in the thick branches, the eevee crept out to the end of a branch and surveyed the area.  From his new vantage point, Ronin watched as an espeon and a nidorino walked into the clearing.
He knew who the espeon was.  She was Miyuko, a female that Ronin had seen a few times in the nearby town, but mostly saw either in the field or training.  From what he knew about her, Miyuko was his age, single, and as lovely as a sunset on a warm spring night.  But she was more than just another good looking espeon.  She was the leader of Team Dusk, a rescue team that had been started a month ago and already had a successful record of achievements.
Ronin had never approached her, but had longed to since he first laid eyes on her.  Ronin had often found himself dreaming about her, longing to even just talk to her.  But for some reason, he’d never been able to bring himself to.
The nidorino was new though.  He looked strong, much stronger than he was.  He was probably smart too if he was with Miyuko.
After he watched the two leave, Ronin sighed and lay down in the branches, his ears lowering sadly.
“I guess he’s her new boyfriend.” Ronin thought to himself as his eyes closed, “Figures.  I knew I should have tried to talk to her.”
After a few minutes, Ronin leapt down from the tree and walked back in the direction he’d come from.  As he walked, the eevee looked up at a mountain in the distance.  Clouds of thick, black smoke covered the summit.  Mount Blaze, the mountain of fire and home of the fire warrior Moltres.  He sighed and once again used his quick attack, taking off in the direction of the mountain.
*           *          *
As they walked, Miyuko looked back at where they had come from.  The nidorino stopped as looked at her.
“Something wrong Miyuko?” He asked.
“I just thought I heard something.” The espeon replied, “But I guess I was just hearing things.”
The moment she said that, a tan blur shot past them, almost hitting Miyuko.  In surprise, Miyuko stumbled to the ground, her eyes filled with the sudden shock of a near miss.  Nidorino was immediately at her side, helping her up.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine Nido.” She said as she stood back up.
She looked to the direction that the blur had headed towards.
“What the hell was that?” She asked herself, “And why is it headed towards Mount Blaze?”
*           *          *
At the speed he was going, it only took a half hour for Ronin to reach the path that lead up to the entrance to Mount Blaze.  On the way, he had stumbled a few times, but he wasn’t hurt too badly, just dusty.
Now as the eevee walked up the beaten path towards the entrance, he realized that he had almost taken out Miyuko.
“I am such an idiot!” he thought bitterly, “I could have seriously hurt her like that.  I knew I should have taken the left path.  I just hope she doesn’t know who almost knocked her out.”
As he trod up the rocky path, Ronin looked up at the summit.  He’d never tried to reach it, but even he knew not to try.  Moltres had made it pretty clear that any pokémon who tried to reach the summit would be challenged to a battle between them and it.  So far, only two had succeeded in reaching the summit and winning a battle with the legendary warrior of fire.  Those two were Eevee and Charmander, the leaders of the well known Team Nexus.  But they had been mysteriously missing for days now.
“I wonder how they beat Moltres.” Ronin though to himself as he pushed a large stone to the side, revealing the entrance to his home, “Maybe if I did beat Moltres I could…No, I could never even reach the top of the summit, let alone fight it out with Moltres.”
“Hey Ronin!” A voice called from behind him, “How’d your training go?”
Ronin turned to see the only other pokémon who didn’t really belong on the mountain, his best and only real friend, Dragonair.
“Not too good.” Ronin replied, “I can’t control myself enough at those speeds.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Dragonair replied, “Well, you’ll get better with time and practice.”
The eevee nodded in sad agreement.  Dragonair noticed that something else was bothering her friend and asked about it.
“I saw Miyuko.” Ronin sighed.
“Really?  Did you talk to her?” Dragonair asked curiously.
Ronin shook his head, “No.  She was with some nidorino.  No way I was going to try with him around.”
“Ronin, you’re going to have to talk to her someday you know.” Dragonair insisted.
“I know, I know.” Ronin replied looking at the ground, “It’s just…what if I make a fool of myself?  I don’t want her to think I’m some sort of idiot.”
“Ronin, Ronin, Ronin.” Dragonair tutted, “How many times do I have to say it?  Just be yourself and you won’t.  If you keep thinking like that you’ll never talk to her.”
Just then, the two heard a commotion nearby.  They looked towards the source of the sounds and saw a large crowd gathering near the entrance to the mountain caverns.
“We’ll talk about this later.” Ronin said as he ran towards it.
“HEY!  Wait up!” Dragonair shouted after him as she followed.
Ronin walked up to the crowd of pokémon, Dragonair at his side.
“What’s going on here?” Ronin asked a magmar.
“A young torkal got himself stuck near the summit.” The magmar replied, “Someone needs to go up there and get him back down before Moltres finds out.”
Ronin looked at Dragonair and asked, “Is anyone doing anything?”
“No, we’re waiting for one of two rescue teams.” Another said, “None of us can go up there, you know that.  The only ones allowed near the summit are those who live up there and rescue teams.”
“What?!” Ronin asked in shock, “Rescue teams?!  What rescue teams?”
“Team Dusk and Team Nexus.” A rapidash replied, “Although with Nexus’s lack of recent activity from Eevee and Charmander I don’t know who they’ll send.”
Ronin groaned and turned away, “Dusk is pretty close to us, but by the time they get here Moltres will have already found and attacked Torkal if he isn’t attacked by another pokémon.”
“What choice do we have Ronin?” Dragonair asked.
The eevee looked up at the smoking summit and swallowed.  His mind had an idea, but he knew it could hurt him or worse.  He still had on his pack with several items that could be used to help, including an escape orb and several types of useful seeds.
“Dragonair, if I’m not out of there in an hour, don’t come up after me.” Ronin said without emotion, “I’m going in.”
“YOU’RE WHAT?!” Dragonair cried in surprise, “Oh no, I’m not letting you go up there without backup.  I’m coming too.”
“No, you stay here in case that rescue team does get here.  I’m going to sneak around to the secret entrance that we found a few months ago.  If they’re here before I get out, tell them there’s two of us who need help.” Ronin replied firmly, “And if it is Team Dusk, tell Miyuko that I’m sorry for almost hurting her today.”
Dragonair sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to change the mind of her friend.
“Fine, I’ll stay here.  But you’re not going to hear the end of this if you get out in one piece and you don’t get caught.” Dragonair said with a defeated sigh.
Ronin smiled devilishly, “That’s the least of my worries.”
*           *          *
After sneaking into the side tunnels of the mountain and making it up without any trouble, Ronin was feeling pretty confident.  He’d known about the shortcuts for a long time, and liked to explore them when he could.
Lava poured in from the upper levels, leaving an eerie red glow to light the room.  As the eevee walked along a cliff above the lake of hot magma, he looked down to it and gulped.  The level had risen over the month.
Suddenly, a small earthquake threw Ronin off balance.  He tumbled to the ground as another stream of lava broke through the ceiling and began to pour into the lake below him.  The eevee panted as the room got hotter.
After a few minutes of walking he found a second tunnel that led to the next level.  After this floor he’d reach the first section of the summit.  He breathed deeply and ran up the stair-like tunnel.
As he emerged from the tunnel, Ronin felt the cooler air begin to reach his hot body.  His warm coat of fur had only made things hotter.  The cool breeze that came through the next tunnel to a floor above him now felt pretty good, but he didn’t have time to stop and enjoy it.  He still had to find Torkal.
“TORKAL!” He yelled, “WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Ronin listened carefully for a reply.  He heard a faint voice, but it didn’t sound like Torkal’s voice.  It was a more authoritative voice.  Moltres!
“Ah hell.” Ronin thought as he ran towards another tunnel, “If Moltres finds him poor Torkal’s a goner.  If it finds me, I’m banished for good.  Man I hope it’s in a good mood today.”
*           *          *
Dragonair looked up at the smoking summit and saw a reddish form flying in a circle around it.  The others pointed upwards at it, fear in their voices.  They all knew that this was Moltres, and if it was circling, it wasn’t happy.
Dragonair’s eyes widened with worry.  If Ronin was found, he wouldn’t just end up fighting the flame bird, but if he lost and wasn’t killed, he would be banished forever!  She’d lose her best friend.
*           *          *
Ronin popped up out of the tunnel and took off through the maze of stones left by the lava flows.  Turn after turn he began to feel more and more lost.  He’d never been this far before.
“TORKAL!” Ronin yelled again, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“Help me!” A faint and scared voice called back.
“STAY WHERE YOU ARE!  I’LL COME TO YOU!” Ronin yelled.
The voice had come from the west, but when Ronin turned that way he found nothing but a solid wall of stone.  He backed up, knowing his idea was just plain stupid, but it might work.
The eevee dug through his pack and pulled out a seed.  The black seed didn’t look too dangerous on its own, but it held a secret inside.  Its powerful explosive force when it strikes an object or foe made it a good item to have.
Ronin set it down and swiped it towards the wall.  It hit the wall with very little force, but enough to set off its defensive explosion.  A brilliant orange and red explosion engulfed part of the wall and blew a hole through it.
“I love these things.” Ronin thought to himself as he walked through the newly opened hole and found himself in a straight shot towards the next tunnel.
He ran down the hallway and heard a soft hissing sound.  Curious, he stopped and walked over to investigate.  He stopped when he saw one of the walls melting away, flames emerging from around the edges of the melting rock.  Ronin’s eyes widened as he began to back away quickly.  Then everything went from bad to worse within the space of a half-second.
Next thing he knew, Ronin was caught up in a tornado of powerful wind that flung him back against the wall.  He slammed against it and looked up.  Fear engulfed his heart and mind as he looked up to the one creature he feared more than anything.  A flaming bird more than twice his size climbed through the hole, anger causing the flames that covered it’s body to intensify in heat and size.  The eevee saw the flames of merciless anger in it’s eyes.  It was Moltres!
“I warned you about coming here eevee.” It said as it walked slowly over to the shaking eevee, leaving flaming talon prints in the ground, “You know that no one from the village below is allowed this close to the summit.”
Ronin assessed his options.  He could run, but that would easily end up with him fighting against Moltres.  If he tried to talk Moltres out of a fight, he’d end up getting Torkal hurt.  Either way, nothing looked good as long as Moltres was angry.  And even he knew that an angry Moltres is a merciless Moltres.  So, Ronin did what came naturally to him.  He ran!
Moltres watched as the eevee fled and laughed, “You think running will save you?  You’d better run fast you little fur ball.  You are a goner when I catch you.”
Ronin saw a second passage and dove into it as a pillar of white-hot flames passed where he had been a second ago.  As he continued to run, Ronin heard the fearful cries of a torkal and ran towards them.
After a few turns, he reached the scared young pokémon, he took an escape orb from his pack and gave it the activate command.
“Thank you.” The torkal said in relief.
“Don’t mention it.” Ronin replied, “Just try to stay out of trouble ok?”
The torkal nodded and, in a blinding flash, vanished from sight.
Ronin sighed in relief as his vision returned.  He’d saved a fellow pokémon from a terrible wrath of the legendary Moltres.  Then he realized that he had left himself to face it.
“Ah hell.” Ronin cursed mentally as he heard a loud and angry cry from behind him.
“Now, you will find out what happens to those pokémon who disobey me.” Moltres said as its wings spread wide and a ball of flames appeared in it’s open beak.
Ronin glanced from left to right, sadly realizing he was boxed in completely.  The eevee braced himself and prayed.  Moltres unleashed the flames of a powerful fire blast attack.
*           *          *
To the great relief of the crowd, the young torkal appeared in a flash of light just as Team Dusk arrived.
The mother rushed to her son’s side and nuzzled him happily as Miyuko and Nidorino walked up.
“We got a distress about a lost torkal.” Miyuko explained, “But it looks like everyone’s ok.”
“He may be, but the one who saved him is still up there.” A sad voice said.
Everyone turned to find Dragonair looking up at the summit, her eyes filled with worry.
“Ronin is still up there.  And Moltres isn’t happy about it.” She said, “If it’s found him…”
She didn’t need to say anything else.  Miyuko had already heard a lot about what happened to those who disobeyed Moltres.
“Wait, Ronin went up there alone?” A slugma asked in shock.
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves.
“Who’s Ronin?” Nidorino asked, “Is he some sort of hero or something?”
“No, he’s just an eevee who lives here.” The mother torkal replied, “Almost everyone here knows him since he and Dragonair are the only two residents who aren’t fire, ground, or rock types.”
“An eevee?” Miyuko asked with a bit of shock.
“He did say to tell you something if you got here before he came down.” Dragonair said as she looked to Miyuko, “He said to tell you he’s sorry about what happened earlier.”
Miyuko was confused for a second.  Then the espeon remembered the tan blur that almost took her down in the forest.  That had been another eevee?
She looked up to the summit of Mount Blaze.  If another eevee was up there alone fighting against such a powerful pokémon of legend there was no chance of his winning that fight.  Even Eevee from Team Nexus had admitted that he would have been a goner if Charmander hadn’t been there to help him along in their journey to prove the Ninetails legend wrong.
Just then, a triumphant cry was heard.  Moltres flew around the summit once with something in it’s talons.  It dove towards the crowd and dropped a pokémon down onto them.  A couple of the other pokémon caught him as Dragonair, Miyuko, and Nidorino ran up to check on it.  What they saw sent chills down their spines.
The unconscious Ronin was laid carefully on the ground.  His fur was badly burned where Moltres had held the eevee in its talons, four black streaks across his back and sides and two under him.  The rest of his fur was badly singed.
Quickly, Miyuko put her ear to his chest and said that he was still breathing.
Moltres landed among them and ordered, “Revive the fool.”
One of the other pokémon slipped a seed into his mouth and forced him to chew it, and then swallow.  Ronin groaned after a few seconds as the seed began to restore his health.  His singed fur healed back to its normal tan and white coloring, except one black slash around his middle.  It remained black.
Ronin shook his head and unsteadily got to his feet.  He collapsed once, but Dragonair had slid her tail under him to prevent the pokémon from collapsing entirely.
“Ronin, you now know what power I hold.” Moltres said with anger in its voice, “I only spared you because I want everyone else to know what will happen to anyone else foolish enough to try to reach the very top of my summit.”
Ronin stood up after Dragonair let her tail slowly slid out from under him.
“You know my only rule about the summit.  Climbing to it will result in a fight between the offender and myself if another has not reached you by the time I do.  Because you not only disobeyed my order, but you lost the fight as well, Ronin, you are hereby banished from this village.” Moltres said without hesitation, “That mark on your back will tell all of your shame now.”
Ronin nodded sadly as it said, “Now leave my sight before I change my mind and finish you.  And if you do ever return to this area, I will finish you then.”
Ronin turned and walked away, his ears flattened against his head as his tail fell in sadness.  As he passed the rest of the crowd, Ronin didn’t look at anyone.  The eevee mumbled something under his breath and took off in a blur.
*           *          *
Once again, Ronin was in the forests.  He looked down at the clear waters of the lake he had stopped by and turned so he could see his side.  Looking at his reflection he could easily see the blackened fur around his middle.
Sighing, the eevee lay down and thought.  His mind was in turmoil.  Not only had he been defeated, he was banished from the only home he’d ever had, he’d lost his best friend, and now he had no chance of ever talking to Miyuko.
“What else could go wrong?” He thought sadly, “Sure I saved that torkal, but now I’m homeless and alone.  Everyone will know it because of this stupid burn.”
The eevee cried out in anguish.  His cry echoed through the forests around him before finally dying out a few seconds later.
Ronin picked himself up and looked back to where he’d just been.  He knew it was no use to think about home.  All it would do is make things worse.  Maybe if he traveled far enough he’d find a new home and start over.
*           *          *
Meanwhile, Miyuko and Nidorino were walking back to the base.  Miyuko’s mind was going back and forth over what they had just seen.  It just didn’t seem right that the eevee had saved a young torkal and had been banished.
“It doesn’t seem right does it?” Miyuko asked.
“What doesn’t?” Nidorino asked.
“That this eevee saved a life and ended up banished.  He didn’t even get a chance to explain himself.” The espeon replied.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Nidorino stated, “Moltres rules that area.  Its will is law there until it’s defeated by someone other than Eevee and Charmander.”
“Hmm…”
“I know what you’re thinking and I’ll say it right now.  No.”
“What?”
“No we are not going to defeat Moltres or go and find that eevee.  Besides, that pokémon is probably miles away by now with the speed he left at.”
Miyuko sighed, “I guess it does seem silly doesn’t it.”
Nidorino nodded in reply.
*           *          *
Ronin was still lying by the lakeside when he heard something nearby.  The rustling of bushes alerted the eevee to the fact that he wasn’t alone.
“Who’s there?” He asked as he got into a fighting stance.
A familiar head poked through the bushes and Ronin sighed.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Dragonair said as she slithered to his side, “You always come here when you’re depressed.”
“You know me too well.” Ronin smiled, but then he sighed and looked down at the lake.
“So what now?” She asked.
“The hell if I know.” Ronin replied, “All I know is that I’ve got to find a new home.  I guess I’ll head towards Mount Freeze.”
“I’ll miss you a lot.” Dragonair said gently as she nuzzled him.
“I’ll try to keep in contact.” Ronin replied, nuzzling her back
Dragonair nodded as Ronin got to his feet and walked away slowly.

Description
The day had started out pretty well.  It was a calm afternoon as a gentle breeze wafted through the forest.  But the calmness in one tree didn’t last long.  A light tan and white blur raced across the tree-tops, leaping from branch to branch at super-sonic speed.  Within seconds it had landed in the tree, bounded across it, and left the tree completely.  It hit the ground and took off again, not letting off the speed for a second.
The thing seemed to have its speed under control as it dodged trees, rocks, and other pokémon.  Then, a resounding ‘WHAM!’ echoed through the forests, startling flying types from their roosts.
A fox-like pokémon lay on the ground in front of a large tree for a minute and then sat up, shaking its head.
“Oh man that one hurt.” The eevee thought to himself as he looked up at the tree, “Maybe using that quick seed combined with that quick attack wasn’t such a good idea.”
Ronin picked himself up off the ground and got back into a runners position.  He wasn’t going to let this mistake finish his training.  He’d already failed a few times today to keep up the speed and his agility.  His eyes closing as his mind focused on speed.  When they reopened, they held a fiery determination to try one more time.
Ronin felt light; his energy had already begun to speed up the rest of his body so he could move at high speed.  Then, he was off again.  The eevee had become a blur that was now racing through the forest once more, an almost cartoonish trail of dust behind him.
Ronin had been trying to gain full control over his new found ability.  He could sustain the supersonic speed of the quick attack for long periods of time without tiring.  Unfortunately, his reflexes weren’t up to par.
As the eevee ran, he tried once more to dodge the obstacles around him.  Unfortunately, one tripped him up.  He somersaulted twice and landed on his back, sliding for a few feet before stopping.
Ronin rolled over again and got up, looking around.  He groaned and flopped down on the ground tiredly.  The pokémon’s ears lowered sadly as he mentally admitted defeat.  His eyes closed as he lay on the cool grass.  The afternoon sun shone down through the leaves and onto him in shattered shafts of golden light.  The warmth was relaxing.
As he lay, he heard the sounds of a conversation.  It was faint, but growing louder.  Curious, his ears perked back up as he looked around.  The eevee’s eyes wandered around the area around him.  He couldn’t see anyone.
Ronin got to his feet and took the small red backpack off of his back.  As he dug through it for a certain item, the conversation grew closer.
“So what do you suppose that sound was a little while ago?” A voice asked, “Sounded like someone ran into something.
“The hell if I know.” A second voice replied, “It was probably someone training or something.”
Ronin finally pulled out two items.  One was a small, round, almost crystalline orb with a red crosshair drawn on it.  The other was a seed with a light blue tint to it’s shell.  A radar orb and a second quick seed.
“Activate.” He whispered.
The orb began to spin rapidly in a clockwise direction.  Light poured out from within its depths as it rose slowly into the air.  Within seconds, Ronin’s eyes could see through the foliage and rocks around him.
Ronin saw a fox-like form first.  It was slightly larger than he was, with slimmer ears and a tail that ended in two ends.  The second one was larger than the fox, with rabbit-like ears and a long horn.
Once the effects of the radar orb left him, Ronin picked up his pack, swallowed the quick seed, and shot up the trunk of a nearby tree.  After he was up in the thick branches, the eevee crept out to the end of a branch and surveyed the area.  From his new vantage point, Ronin watched as an espeon and a nidorino walked into the clearing.
He knew who the espeon was.  She was Miyuko, a female that Ronin had seen a few times in the nearby town, but mostly saw either in the field or training.  From what he knew about her, Miyuko was his age, single, and as lovely as a sunset on a warm spring night.  But she was more than just another good looking espeon.  She was the leader of Team Dusk, a rescue team that had been started a month ago and already had a successful record of achievements.
Ronin had never approached her, but had longed to since he first laid eyes on her.  Ronin had often found himself dreaming about her, longing to even just talk to her.  But for some reason, he’d never been able to bring himself to.
The nidorino was new though.  He looked strong, much stronger than he was.  He was probably smart too if he was with Miyuko.
After he watched the two leave, Ronin sighed and lay down in the branches, his ears lowering sadly.
“I guess he’s her new boyfriend.” Ronin thought to himself as his eyes closed, “Figures.  I knew I should have tried to talk to her.”
After a few minutes, Ronin leapt down from the tree and walked back in the direction he’d come from.  As he walked, the eevee looked up at a mountain in the distance.  Clouds of thick, black smoke covered the summit.  Mount Blaze, the mountain of fire and home of the fire warrior Moltres.  He sighed and once again used his quick attack, taking off in the direction of the mountain.
*           *          *
As they walked, Miyuko looked back at where they had come from.  The nidorino stopped as looked at her.
“Something wrong Miyuko?” He asked.
“I just thought I heard something.” The espeon replied, “But I guess I was just hearing things.”
The moment she said that, a tan blur shot past them, almost hitting Miyuko.  In surprise, Miyuko stumbled to the ground, her eyes filled with the sudden shock of a near miss.  Nidorino was immediately at her side, helping her up.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine Nido.” She said as she stood back up.
She looked to the direction that the blur had headed towards.
“What the hell was that?” She asked herself, “And why is it headed towards Mount Blaze?”
*           *          *
At the speed he was going, it only took a half hour for Ronin to reach the path that lead up to the entrance to Mount Blaze.  On the way, he had stumbled a few times, but he wasn’t hurt too badly, just dusty.
Now as the eevee walked up the beaten path towards the entrance, he realized that he had almost taken out Miyuko.
“I am such an idiot!” he thought bitterly, “I could have seriously hurt her like that.  I knew I should have taken the left path.  I just hope she doesn’t know who almost knocked her out.”
As he trod up the rocky path, Ronin looked up at the summit.  He’d never tried to reach it, but even he knew not to try.  Moltres had made it pretty clear that any pokémon who tried to reach the summit would be challenged to a battle between them and it.  So far, only two had succeeded in reaching the summit and winning a battle with the legendary warrior of fire.  Those two were Eevee and Charmander, the leaders of the well known Team Nexus.  But they had been mysteriously missing for days now.
“I wonder how they beat Moltres.” Ronin though to himself as he pushed a large stone to the side, revealing the entrance to his home, “Maybe if I did beat Moltres I could…No, I could never even reach the top of the summit, let alone fight it out with Moltres.”
“Hey Ronin!” A voice called from behind him, “How’d your training go?”
Ronin turned to see the only other pokémon who didn’t really belong on the mountain, his best and only real friend, Dragonair.
“Not too good.” Ronin replied, “I can’t control myself enough at those speeds.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Dragonair replied, “Well, you’ll get better with time and practice.”
The eevee nodded in sad agreement.  Dragonair noticed that something else was bothering her friend and asked about it.
“I saw Miyuko.” Ronin sighed.
“Really?  Did you talk to her?” Dragonair asked curiously.
Ronin shook his head, “No.  She was with some nidorino.  No way I was going to try with him around.”
“Ronin, you’re going to have to talk to her someday you know.” Dragonair insisted.
“I know, I know.” Ronin replied looking at the ground, “It’s just…what if I make a fool of myself?  I don’t want her to think I’m some sort of idiot.”
“Ronin, Ronin, Ronin.” Dragonair tutted, “How many times do I have to say it?  Just be yourself and you won’t.  If you keep thinking like that you’ll never talk to her.”
Just then, the two heard a commotion nearby.  They looked towards the source of the sounds and saw a large crowd gathering near the entrance to the mountain caverns.
“We’ll talk about this later.” Ronin said as he ran towards it.
“HEY!  Wait up!” Dragonair shouted after him as she followed.
Ronin walked up to the crowd of pokémon, Dragonair at his side.
“What’s going on here?” Ronin asked a magmar.
“A young torkal got himself stuck near the summit.” The magmar replied, “Someone needs to go up there and get him back down before Moltres finds out.”
Ronin looked at Dragonair and asked, “Is anyone doing anything?”
“No, we’re waiting for one of two rescue teams.” Another said, “None of us can go up there, you know that.  The only ones allowed near the summit are those who live up there and rescue teams.”
“What?!” Ronin asked in shock, “Rescue teams?!  What rescue teams?”
“Team Dusk and Team Nexus.” A rapidash replied, “Although with Nexus’s lack of recent activity from Eevee and Charmander I don’t know who they’ll send.”
Ronin groaned and turned away, “Dusk is pretty close to us, but by the time they get here Moltres will have already found and attacked Torkal if he isn’t attacked by another pokémon.”
“What choice do we have Ronin?” Dragonair asked.
The eevee looked up at the smoking summit and swallowed.  His mind had an idea, but he knew it could hurt him or worse.  He still had on his pack with several items that could be used to help, including an escape orb and several types of useful seeds.
“Dragonair, if I’m not out of there in an hour, don’t come up after me.” Ronin said without emotion, “I’m going in.”
“YOU’RE WHAT?!” Dragonair cried in surprise, “Oh no, I’m not letting you go up there without backup.  I’m coming too.”
“No, you stay here in case that rescue team does get here.  I’m going to sneak around to the secret entrance that we found a few months ago.  If they’re here before I get out, tell them there’s two of us who need help.” Ronin replied firmly, “And if it is Team Dusk, tell Miyuko that I’m sorry for almost hurting her today.”
Dragonair sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to change the mind of her friend.
“Fine, I’ll stay here.  But you’re not going to hear the end of this if you get out in one piece and you don’t get caught.” Dragonair said with a defeated sigh.
Ronin smiled devilishly, “That’s the least of my worries.”
*           *          *
After sneaking into the side tunnels of the mountain and making it up without any trouble, Ronin was feeling pretty confident.  He’d known about the shortcuts for a long time, and liked to explore them when he could.
Lava poured in from the upper levels, leaving an eerie red glow to light the room.  As the eevee walked along a cliff above the lake of hot magma, he looked down to it and gulped.  The level had risen over the month.
Suddenly, a small earthquake threw Ronin off balance.  He tumbled to the ground as another stream of lava broke through the ceiling and began to pour into the lake below him.  The eevee panted as the room got hotter.
After a few minutes of walking he found a second tunnel that led to the next level.  After this floor he’d reach the first section of the summit.  He breathed deeply and ran up the stair-like tunnel.
As he emerged from the tunnel, Ronin felt the cooler air begin to reach his hot body.  His warm coat of fur had only made things hotter.  The cool breeze that came through the next tunnel to a floor above him now felt pretty good, but he didn’t have time to stop and enjoy it.  He still had to find Torkal.
“TORKAL!” He yelled, “WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Ronin listened carefully for a reply.  He heard a faint voice, but it didn’t sound like Torkal’s voice.  It was a more authoritative voice.  Moltres!
“Ah hell.” Ronin thought as he ran towards another tunnel, “If Moltres finds him poor Torkal’s a goner.  If it finds me, I’m banished for good.  Man I hope it’s in a good mood today.”
*           *          *
Dragonair looked up at the smoking summit and saw a reddish form flying in a circle around it.  The others pointed upwards at it, fear in their voices.  They all knew that this was Moltres, and if it was circling, it wasn’t happy.
Dragonair’s eyes widened with worry.  If Ronin was found, he wouldn’t just end up fighting the flame bird, but if he lost and wasn’t killed, he would be banished forever!  She’d lose her best friend.
*           *          *
Ronin popped up out of the tunnel and took off through the maze of stones left by the lava flows.  Turn after turn he began to feel more and more lost.  He’d never been this far before.
“TORKAL!” Ronin yelled again, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“Help me!” A faint and scared voice called back.
“STAY WHERE YOU ARE!  I’LL COME TO YOU!” Ronin yelled.
The voice had come from the west, but when Ronin turned that way he found nothing but a solid wall of stone.  He backed up, knowing his idea was just plain stupid, but it might work.
The eevee dug through his pack and pulled out a seed.  The black seed didn’t look too dangerous on its own, but it held a secret inside.  Its powerful explosive force when it strikes an object or foe made it a good item to have.
Ronin set it down and swiped it towards the wall.  It hit the wall with very little force, but enough to set off its defensive explosion.  A brilliant orange and red explosion engulfed part of the wall and blew a hole through it.
“I love these things.” Ronin thought to himself as he walked through the newly opened hole and found himself in a straight shot towards the next tunnel.
He ran down the hallway and heard a soft hissing sound.  Curious, he stopped and walked over to investigate.  He stopped when he saw one of the walls melting away, flames emerging from around the edges of the melting rock.  Ronin’s eyes widened as he began to back away quickly.  Then everything went from bad to worse within the space of a half-second.
Next thing he knew, Ronin was caught up in a tornado of powerful wind that flung him back against the wall.  He slammed against it and looked up.  Fear engulfed his heart and mind as he looked up to the one creature he feared more than anything.  A flaming bird more than twice his size climbed through the hole, anger causing the flames that covered it’s body to intensify in heat and size.  The eevee saw the flames of merciless anger in it’s eyes.  It was Moltres!
“I warned you about coming here eevee.” It said as it walked slowly over to the shaking eevee, leaving flaming talon prints in the ground, “You know that no one from the village below is allowed this close to the summit.”
Ronin assessed his options.  He could run, but that would easily end up with him fighting against Moltres.  If he tried to talk Moltres out of a fight, he’d end up getting Torkal hurt.  Either way, nothing looked good as long as Moltres was angry.  And even he knew that an angry Moltres is a merciless Moltres.  So, Ronin did what came naturally to him.  He ran!
Moltres watched as the eevee fled and laughed, “You think running will save you?  You’d better run fast you little fur ball.  You are a goner when I catch you.”
Ronin saw a second passage and dove into it as a pillar of white-hot flames passed where he had been a second ago.  As he continued to run, Ronin heard the fearful cries of a torkal and ran towards them.
After a few turns, he reached the scared young pokémon, he took an escape orb from his pack and gave it the activate command.
“Thank you.” The torkal said in relief.
“Don’t mention it.” Ronin replied, “Just try to stay out of trouble ok?”
The torkal nodded and, in a blinding flash, vanished from sight.
Ronin sighed in relief as his vision returned.  He’d saved a fellow pokémon from a terrible wrath of the legendary Moltres.  Then he realized that he had left himself to face it.
“Ah hell.” Ronin cursed mentally as he heard a loud and angry cry from behind him.
“Now, you will find out what happens to those pokémon who disobey me.” Moltres said as its wings spread wide and a ball of flames appeared in it’s open beak.
Ronin glanced from left to right, sadly realizing he was boxed in completely.  The eevee braced himself and prayed.  Moltres unleashed the flames of a powerful fire blast attack.
*           *          *
To the great relief of the crowd, the young torkal appeared in a flash of light just as Team Dusk arrived.
The mother rushed to her son’s side and nuzzled him happily as Miyuko and Nidorino walked up.
“We got a distress about a lost torkal.” Miyuko explained, “But it looks like everyone’s ok.”
“He may be, but the one who saved him is still up there.” A sad voice said.
Everyone turned to find Dragonair looking up at the summit, her eyes filled with worry.
“Ronin is still up there.  And Moltres isn’t happy about it.” She said, “If it’s found him…”
She didn’t need to say anything else.  Miyuko had already heard a lot about what happened to those who disobeyed Moltres.
“Wait, Ronin went up there alone?” A slugma asked in shock.
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves.
“Who’s Ronin?” Nidorino asked, “Is he some sort of hero or something?”
“No, he’s just an eevee who lives here.” The mother torkal replied, “Almost everyone here knows him since he and Dragonair are the only two residents who aren’t fire, ground, or rock types.”
“An eevee?” Miyuko asked with a bit of shock.
“He did say to tell you something if you got here before he came down.” Dragonair said as she looked to Miyuko, “He said to tell you he’s sorry about what happened earlier.”
Miyuko was confused for a second.  Then the espeon remembered the tan blur that almost took her down in the forest.  That had been another eevee?
She looked up to the summit of Mount Blaze.  If another eevee was up there alone fighting against such a powerful pokémon of legend there was no chance of his winning that fight.  Even Eevee from Team Nexus had admitted that he would have been a goner if Charmander hadn’t been there to help him along in their journey to prove the Ninetails legend wrong.
Just then, a triumphant cry was heard.  Moltres flew around the summit once with something in it’s talons.  It dove towards the crowd and dropped a pokémon down onto them.  A couple of the other pokémon caught him as Dragonair, Miyuko, and Nidorino ran up to check on it.  What they saw sent chills down their spines.
The unconscious Ronin was laid carefully on the ground.  His fur was badly burned where Moltres had held the eevee in its talons, four black streaks across his back and sides and two under him.  The rest of his fur was badly singed.
Quickly, Miyuko put her ear to his chest and said that he was still breathing.
Moltres landed among them and ordered, “Revive the fool.”
One of the other pokémon slipped a seed into his mouth and forced him to chew it, and then swallow.  Ronin groaned after a few seconds as the seed began to restore his health.  His singed fur healed back to its normal tan and white coloring, except one black slash around his middle.  It remained black.
Ronin shook his head and unsteadily got to his feet.  He collapsed once, but Dragonair had slid her tail under him to prevent the pokémon from collapsing entirely.
“Ronin, you now know what power I hold.” Moltres said with anger in its voice, “I only spared you because I want everyone else to know what will happen to anyone else foolish enough to try to reach the very top of my summit.”
Ronin stood up after Dragonair let her tail slowly slid out from under him.
“You know my only rule about the summit.  Climbing to it will result in a fight between the offender and myself if another has not reached you by the time I do.  Because you not only disobeyed my order, but you lost the fight as well, Ronin, you are hereby banished from this village.” Moltres said without hesitation, “That mark on your back will tell all of your shame now.”
Ronin nodded sadly as it said, “Now leave my sight before I change my mind and finish you.  And if you do ever return to this area, I will finish you then.”
Ronin turned and walked away, his ears flattened against his head as his tail fell in sadness.  As he passed the rest of the crowd, Ronin didn’t look at anyone.  The eevee mumbled something under his breath and took off in a blur.
*           *          *
Once again, Ronin was in the forests.  He looked down at the clear waters of the lake he had stopped by and turned so he could see his side.  Looking at his reflection he could easily see the blackened fur around his middle.
Sighing, the eevee lay down and thought.  His mind was in turmoil.  Not only had he been defeated, he was banished from the only home he’d ever had, he’d lost his best friend, and now he had no chance of ever talking to Miyuko.
“What else could go wrong?” He thought sadly, “Sure I saved that torkal, but now I’m homeless and alone.  Everyone will know it because of this stupid burn.”
The eevee cried out in anguish.  His cry echoed through the forests around him before finally dying out a few seconds later.
Ronin picked himself up and looked back to where he’d just been.  He knew it was no use to think about home.  All it would do is make things worse.  Maybe if he traveled far enough he’d find a new home and start over.
*           *          *
Meanwhile, Miyuko and Nidorino were walking back to the base.  Miyuko’s mind was going back and forth over what they had just seen.  It just didn’t seem right that the eevee had saved a young torkal and had been banished.
“It doesn’t seem right does it?” Miyuko asked.
“What doesn’t?” Nidorino asked.
“That this eevee saved a life and ended up banished.  He didn’t even get a chance to explain himself.” The espeon replied.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Nidorino stated, “Moltres rules that area.  Its will is law there until it’s defeated by someone other than Eevee and Charmander.”
“Hmm…”
“I know what you’re thinking and I’ll say it right now.  No.”
“What?”
“No we are not going to defeat Moltres or go and find that eevee.  Besides, that pokémon is probably miles away by now with the speed he left at.”
Miyuko sighed, “I guess it does seem silly doesn’t it.”
Nidorino nodded in reply.
*           *          *
Ronin was still lying by the lakeside when he heard something nearby.  The rustling of bushes alerted the eevee to the fact that he wasn’t alone.
“Who’s there?” He asked as he got into a fighting stance.
A familiar head poked through the bushes and Ronin sighed.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Dragonair said as she slithered to his side, “You always come here when you’re depressed.”
“You know me too well.” Ronin smiled, but then he sighed and looked down at the lake.
“So what now?” She asked.
“The hell if I know.” Ronin replied, “All I know is that I’ve got to find a new home.  I guess I’ll head towards Mount Freeze.”
“I’ll miss you a lot.” Dragonair said gently as she nuzzled him.
“I’ll try to keep in contact.” Ronin replied, nuzzling her back
Dragonair nodded as Ronin got to his feet and walked away slowly.