The Flames of Destiny

OK here is my disclaimer: I don't own pokemon others do (you know who you are), I only own Richard and the other characters in my other stories. So don't even try to sue me! I have no money anyway.

< >: Pokemon speech

Chapter 4: The other half

After buying all the supplies they needed the group set off for Stone Mountain. Richard loved the open spaces. Walking had become almost too easy for him. While others at least borrowed their parent’s cars with his parents gone the house only had one car and that was for his sister to drive. So he had to walk every where to the store, school, to work. Ashley however was a different story; not used to walking long distances they had to stop periodically so she could rest. It was about eight when they set up camp after Flare, Alex and Ashley began to complain. Richard could have walked until ten but he gave in. Ashley built a make shift stove out of leaves and small branches and Alex lit them. Richard opened his backpack and got out a small frying pan he bought back at Achiva. He bent down to set it on the fire when Flare, chasing Alex, knocked the crouched teen over and into the ground.

"RICHARD," Ashley screamed and ran over to him, "your hand!"

Richard wasn’t hurt much, his hands padded the fall, but he looked over at his right hand. It was in the fire.

[What is this] Richard thought.

Ashley bent down and slowly put her hand in the fire. For some reason it didn’t burn, there was no pain. The two humans looked at each other.

"What is happening to us," Ashley asked.

Richard didn’t have time to answer, in an instant their ears exploded with pain.

"AHHHHH," Richard screamed as his hands cupped his ears.

Ashley did the same but the pain didn’t stop.

Flare ran over to Richard, <Richard, what’s wrong? >

"Stop yelling it hurts," Richard yelled back at Flare.

Then the pain stopped, just like that he was free of it, but then his face became terrified. Flare shook Richard but the human wouldn’t come out of his stupor.

<What’s wrong, tell me. >

"Voices," Richard said with a frightened whisper, "I can hear them all around us."

Flare stopped and listened; there was nothing out of the ordinary to him. He looked at Alex who just shrugged her shoulders. He didn’t understand there were always voices around them hadn’t Richard…of course! Ashley’s mind raced, something inside told her to run to escape, it was a voice she had never heard before but for some reason it felt familiar. Richard was going through the same thing as Flare put his claws on the sides of the teen’s head to calm him down.

<Richard, listen to me. You have nothing to fear the voices around you are just the other monsters in the area. >

Richard took his hands from his ears and listened. Conversations of all kinds swirled around him, it was like being in a but station. Before he had only heard the sounds of the forest now…

"Is this what you hear all of the time," Ashley asked a little bit of fear still in her.

<Yes, > Alex said in a serous tone, <this is our world, welcome. >

The two humans were speechless, Richard heard crying, a mothers cry. A child had been lost and the father was trying to consul her, but it was to no avail. Ashley turned and heard weird noises. It sounded like sandshrew, two of them. There was not mush conversation only short words and…Ashley’s face grew red as she realized what she was hearing.

Alex giggled, <It is normal, you will hear all kinds of things. >

The chars helped their trainers to a sitting position and they fixed dinner and ate. After dinner they got their sleeping bags out, but before they could retire smells from all around them came to their noises. This one Richard expected a little more because Flare had such a good nose. The humans sniffed the air with awe. Richard found a strange sent, one he liked. Infact he felt drawn to it. Something in his mind told him to go after it but he squashed the notion.

"This is too much," Richard said, "I think I’ll just go to sleep."

Ashley agreed and the four went to sleep. However, for the humans the changes didn’t stop.

 ***

"Richard…Richard," a voice called the teen.

Richard opened his eyes to total blackness. He knew he was on some kind of ground but he couldn’t see it. But he didn’t panic for some reason he felt like he was safe.

"Richard…Richard." The voice came again.

"I am here what do you want," Richard said.

There was no answer. Suddenly he herd feet, large ones he turned in the direction of the sound and saw a pair of red char eyes and a large flame way behind them, but no body.

"Who, what are you?" Richard asked now kind of frightened.

The thing stooped moving and spoke, "I am you."

Richard looked strangely at the figure it sounded just like him.

"I have come to meet you," it said in a cheery voice.

"What do you mean you are me?" Richard asked.

Richard was confused. Was this a dream? It had to be.

"What is happening to me?

"What are you?"

One of a kind, this was too weird.

"Is this a dream?"

"Will I see you again?"

"What is your name?"

The thing looked at him strangely, "Richard."

Richard laughed of course, if they were the same the things name would be his own.

"Would you like me to give you a monster name?"

"Yes by all means."

"How about…"

Richard looked around but could only see the blackness of where ever he was. He looked back at the thing and the name popped in his head.

"…how about Blackflame?"

"Good then that is your name."

Richard took a step towards the thing but it only seemed to back away.

"No, not yet. We are still not one yet. When we become one then and only then will we truly meet. I will see you tomorrow night; in the meantime you’ll have to endure more changes as time goes on. I will speak to you for I am your other side."

"You are the reason I’m changing?"

"The sounds the smells…"

"All my doing. It is time now that you learn our ways. Learn from Flare and Alex and I will fill in the rest. Soon I will allow your body to do attacks and have monster instincts. In turn I will learn more about you and about the human emotions and instincts that we monsters lack."

"I think I can teach you a thing or two," Richard said giving a thumbs up to his new friend.

 ***

<Richard, get up! It’s time for breakfast. >

Richard opened his eyes to Flare who was sitting on his chest.

"Flare get off you are too heavy," the teen said pushing his faithful char off of him.

He got up and looked around at the forest.

[Was that a dream,] he thought, [if not then what’s next?]

"So, you meet your other half too."

Richard turned to Ashley who was sitting on her sleeping bag eating a can of fruit. Richard smiled it wasn’t a dream. He sat down next to her and they exchanged stories of their encounters.