299 Finale

Lance took his victory over the Kanto Champion after a long battle that was far closer than the other. She watched with Surge as Diaval scored the final blow though it wasn't without its own dangers to him. She wondered what kind of scars would be born from this fight. A party was held after the fight was over and Vali was invited with Surge via phone-call. They teleported to the Plateau Via an Alakazam from the gym. Lance met Vali with a grin, "We're champions."

"Fully," Vali grinned at him as she hi-fived him, "Nicely done. How is everyone? I saw that Diaval took a nasty hit at the end,"

"They're going to be okay though Diaval's got a shortened antenna now and a hole in his wing that might not fully close," Lance answered earning a sad look, "He'll be able to fly no problem though he's going to need some time to get used to flying again,"

"That's good at least," Vali murmured as she shook her head.

"Yeah," Lance nodded with a grin, "Anyway, c'mon let's go find Steven. I want to enjoy myself a bit tonight,"

Vali nodded and they began heading through the crowd. Elrond held them locate Steven after a few minutes. Vali grinned as she called out, "Steven!"

"Vali! Lance, congrats on your wins," Steven told Lance as they reached him, "It was amazing to watch,"

"Agreed," Joseph grinned at them with a laugh, "Quite wonderful though I was quite worried in the end, you managed to pull through though,"

"Thanks," Lance grinned at Joseph in return while Vali waved at him, "I'm glad you two managed to make it,"

After a bit, Joseph left them as he went to mingle. Lance, Vali, and Steven spent time catching up together with a few laughs scattered amongst them. As time went on, she started feeling a bit off and her attention began to wander a bit. She forced herself to focus even as the feeling grew worse as time passed on. It was only when her inner flame started to pule wildly that she realized what was going on and felt a bolt of panic hit her. Swallowing slightly, she looked at Lance and Steven for a moment as they both laughed about something she hadn't been paying attention to. Despite the fact it was time to celebrate Lance's victory, she had to leave because it was time for her to meet the Lord of Flames.

Vali spoke as Lance and Steven settled down, "Hey, you two."

"Yeah?" Lance looked at her and became concerned at the look on her face, "What's up?"

"It's time, isn't it?" Steven asked though the look on his head said it wasn't need and she nodded, "Vali..."

"What, but..." Lance frowned slightly, "Why now?"

Vali shrugged as she hugged him, "No idea, but I know that I'm not going to be able to fight this feeling for very long," She let go of him and hugged Steven, "Lance, I hate that I won't see you crowned. I'm trusting you to start on those changes while I work on my side on things. When we meet up, I should be ready to become one of your Elite,"

Lance nodded as Vali released Steven, "I can do that, but I hate that you've got to leave right now."

"Sorry, Lance," Vali apologized as she ran a hand through her hair and grimaced as her heart pulsed with the ember coursing through her body.

Steven looked at Vali with a frown on his face, "Vali, are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Vali smiled at him pushing away her grimace of pain, "After all, I've been through worse," She start turning away from them, "I've got to go find Surge and get a ride back to Vermillion to grab my things. I'll see you both later,"

Vali waved at them and quickly began looking through the crowd. It wasn't long before she found Surge thanks to a concerned Elrond. Surge looked at her with a frown once she got his attention away from Bruno, "You okay, Brat?"

"I figured out where I need to head next, Surge," Vali told him as she struggled to hold back a grimace as her inner flame pulsed a bit hotter with each passing moment, "I need to head back to Vermillion and gather my things,"

Surge's frown deepened a bit as he nodded, "Yeah, I'll get one of the Alakazam to teleport you."

Surge began leading her away from the party only for them to be stopped by Steven not far from the entrance. Steven panted slightly as he reached them, "Vali, I need to give you this. I've been planning on this for awhile. It's was supposed to be your gift for finishing your apprenticeship,"

"Steven?" Vali looked at him confusion, "What?"

Steven held out a pokeball, "Release her in a relatively cool place, Vali."

Vali took the pokeball slowly with wide eyes, "Steven?"

"Keep her safe, Vali," Steven told her with a warm smile, "I'm sorry to rush this and not tell you what's going on,"

Vali stared at him as she placed the pokeball on her pokeball belt, "Thank you, Steven."

"Be safe," Steven told her before heading back into the party.

Vali watched him go before looking back at Surge as he said, "Well that's one way to give someone a pokemon."

Nodding as they resumed leaving the part, Surge found an Alakazam that would take her back to Vermillion. Vali looked at him, "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Brat," Surge told Vali before surprising her with a hug, "Be careful, Kid. I don't know where you're going or what you are about to do. I don't really care, but be careful,"

Vali nodded as she hugged him back, "I will. Beat the little assholes that come to the gym until they're able to fight properly, you need to make things interesting for Lance."

"I will, Brat," Surge laughed as the Alakazam teleported her to the front of the gym.

Vali finished packing quickly and saddled Celina. Before she got onto Celina's back, she called home. Delia answered. Delia looked at her in surprise, "Vali? What's going on? I thought you'd be spending time with Lance tonight."

"...It's time, Delia," Vali told her in a soft tone causing Delia to stiffen, "I don't know when I'll be able to call again...Tell everyone at home that I love them, I'm going to be working hard to train myself and figure out what exactly is going on,"

"Vali, you..." Delia started only to stop.

"I...I love you, Momma," Vali told Delia earning a surprised look, "Be safe and watch over everyone like you always do, I'll come back as soon as possible,"

With that, Vali ended the call and put her pokenav on silent. She got onto Celina's back and took off following the feeling of her inner flame.

It took five days to reach a Volcanic island much like Mt. Ember feeling exhausted almost past the point of no-return. Even with exhaustion dragging her down, she returned Celina and continued moving forward releasing Balto to assist her. The volcano was far more ancient than the one on Mt. Ember and seemed to burn even hotter. She clutched at Balto's fur as they found an entrance to the inside of a cave. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she could barely see the brightly glowing crystals that adorned the walls and the murals that joined them.

As they went deeper, Vali felt something warm brush through her inner flame that felt different, yet familiar. A voice seemed to resonate through her head, "So you've found me, Little Bearer. Even in your exhausted state, you've managed to find this place."

Vali nuzzled into Balto as he continued walked seemingly guided along the path, "I'm so tired."

"A little bit further, young Bearer. You'll reach me soon and I will allow you to rest before your training begins, my little flame-borne," The voice was soft and warm.

The pathway they'd taken lasted for only a moment longer before it opened up in a wide cavernous room almost as big as the stadium back at the Indigo Plateau. Lava bubbled at the bottom of the camber way down bellow from where they stood on a bridge of blackened rock. Flames curled up from various fire-types that seemed to be settled on ledges scattered about the cavernous chamber, the center of the room held a large platform of blackened rock with glowing crystals that coiled around it forming a nest. Sitting within the nest was the largest Moltres that Vali had ever seen before, it looked far older than the one she'd seen at the Plateau.

The Moltres gazed down at them as they slowly reached it. Vali realized what this Moltres was and spoke the name softly, "Lord of Flames."

"Indeed, My little Flame Borne," The Lord of Flames murmured softly, "Welcome to the Furnace of Flames where all Flame Bearers are taught to use their gift and molded into proper bearers. I'm so sorry for the pain your inner flame caused,"

Vali let out a soft yawn, "It's okay."

"You may rest for a bit, My little Flame Borne. You will be training hard," The Lord of Flames told her.

Vali looked at her pack then at the Volcano they were going to be training within feeling courage run through her. Even if this was scary, it was going to be amazing especially with her packmates both new and old. After all, it was going to be a step forward into a future she had no true idea was going to happen.

Two years tonight marked the Vali's exit of the pokemon battling world with nary a whisper, the only contact anyone seemed to have with her was a scattering of ash scarred letters delivered randomly to show she lived. Lance felt frustrated as he looked across the mountains stretched out around him. Despite the small efforts he'd started up after the first two months of no-contact, he hadn't been able to go looking for her. Diaval hugged him lightly and let out a soft croon. Lance reached up and rubbed his cheek, "We'll find her, Bud."

"Find who, Dragon-Boy?" A familiar voice aged a bit came from beside him.

Lance swung around and found Vali standing there. She'd grown her hair out a bit more and there were a few more white patches than before. A scar sat underneath her left eye. She had a few feathers from some kind of bird-pokemon braided into her hair on the left side. She was taller though still shorter than him by a head. Diaval let out a joy-filled coo and went to grab her, "Vali?"

"The one and only," Vali replied as she hugged Diaval with a grin and snuggled into the dragon, "Miss me?"

"Of course," Lance wondered how she snuck up on him, "Where have you been?"

"Somewhere I can't relay on orders of a Legend," Vali told him seriously and Lance jolted a bit at the look on her face, "But I'm back now,"

"You're finished training?" Lance asked as Diaval released her.

Vali nodded as she held out a hand and a fireball formed above it, "I've got a bunch of new tricks. We all do," She gestured behind herself and he looked to see Empress settled on the rocky ground as a Salamence, "So shall we spend some time catching up for a bit or is the darling dragon champion too busy for an old friend?"

"Of course!" Lance agreed quickly earning a grin, "So it was a legend?"

"Try an ancient Moltres far bigger than anything you could imagine," Vali answered and launched into her story.

"You know trying to giving a girl an Ice-type when she was heading into what could be described as a hellscape isn't considered a good idea," Steven gasped softly and swung around towards the window of his new office where Vali's voice was coming from, "But considering the magic aspect, you didn't make too bad a choice," Vali grinned at him from her place sitting on the windowsill, "Pretty big office, Champion Steven Stone,"

"Vali!" Steven couldn't stop himself from shouting and rushing towards her.

Vali let out a laugh and got off the windowsill to meet him in a hug, "Been awhile, Steven. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too," Steven hugged her tightly, "What happened to you?"

"A lot," Vali didn't let him pull away when he started to, "The last two years took almost everything we had just to survive. We nearly lost everyone, Steven," She shook against him and he felt the heat of her tears on his jacket, "Smaug almost lost his tail. Balto nearly got gutted three fucking times. Everyone...He...He wanted us to be strong..."

"Vali..." He hugged her tight.

"But we survived, we're stronger now," Vali shuddered softly, "But it feels like it won't be enough,"

"It'll be enough," Steven didn't know what exactly to say, "It'll be enough, Vali,"

Vali nodded slowly after a few moment and pulled away sniffing softly, "S-sorry."

"It's okay," Steven said eyeing her for a moment, "Now since you came all the way to Hoenn and I've got some time, I think it's time for a tour,"

Vali brightened and nodded, "I'd like that."

Looking out over Pallet Town after two years and a month of spending time with her various friends, Vali smiled softly with Balto and Smaug on either side of her. Elrond spoke from her shoulder, "So your Elite trial is in two months per Lance's message this morning, are we going to train?"

"Soon," Vali replied as she watched a familiar Pidgeotto fly over the town, "For now, it's time for us to relax and actually go home for once. After all, we've put it off for a month,"

"Hey, we deserved that month," Smaug chimed in, "I needed that rematch with Diaval,"

"You still lost," Balto retorted earning snickers through their connection and a growl from Smaug, "But let's go see everyone. It's time to go see Delia and the pups,"

Vali nodded as she began to walk slowly down towards Pallet Town remembering a familiar walk in the opposite direction. Back then she'd been young and just a bit stupider and naiver, the pokemon beside her a bit different and she now lacked the travel companion she'd had back then.