Ash's Arc

Chapter 9 of 14

Ash walked toward the domed roof with the red trim. His fire pig limped at his heels. The mouse sagged on his shoulder, cheeks dark and quiet. Both had spent everything against the ghosts. He only needed to reach the healing center doors. But the path forked at a weathered sign that read Forest of the Forgotten Dogs, and the domed roof sat past the trees. He took the shorter way, through the trees. Wrong choice. The path curled and doubled back. Old stumps carved like sleeping dogs watched from the moss. One stump wore the shape of a hound so worn its face had almost melted into the bark. Ash lost the roof behind the branches. His pig stopped and would not move. Then the ground shook. A gray-and-white shape crashed through the brush. It stood on two legs, mane bristling, black arms swinging. A cracked metal ring hung from one wrist. Red eyes locked on the pig. Ash knew that ring. The beast that once hunted his pig had evolved into this furious thing. "Run," Ash said. But his pig could barely stand. The Annihilape charged, fist raised. A voice cut the air. "Move aside." The ghost gym leader stepped from behind a twisted tree shaped like a watching dog. Saera. Her purple dress caught the dim light. She had followed him. She did not ask if he was hurt. "Your team can't fight," she said. "Mine can." She raised a hand. The dark rat ghost he had beaten yesterday flickered into the air beside her, healed and glowing. The Annihilape swung at it. The fist passed through empty air. The ghost blinked out, then flashed solid and slammed the beast's jaw. The Annihilape staggered. "Watch," Saera said to Ash. "You taught yourself the ghost's rule. Now use it against something that hits back." Ash understood. She was not saving him for free. She was testing him. "Pig, one ember," he said. "Wait for my word." The pig lifted its head. The Annihilape lunged at the ghost again and flashed forward, arms wide, wide open. "Now!" Ash shouted. The pig blew a thin ember into the beast's face. It flinched. In that half second Saera's rat struck its temple hard. The Annihilape dropped to one knee, then toppled into the moss. Silence. The cracked ring lay still. Saera studied Ash for a long moment. "You gave one good order with nothing left," she said. "That's why I followed you." She turned and pointed through the trees. The domed roof showed clear now. "Go. Heal them." Ash carried his pig the last stretch. The center doors slid open. Warm light spilled out. He set his team on the counter and finally breathed. But the ring told him something worse. The beast had an owner. The hooded figure was near, and now he knew Ash had healed, ready to fight again.