Cinders

*So a bit of a backstory. I wrote this years ago, to test my ability to write a short story. Well.. 5 hours and about 10 drafts on Gmail later, WHILE TYPING ON MY 3DS, this is what came of it. I'm not good at short stories, by any means, but I'm proud of this. And the funny thing is that one scene came to me in a dream one night and I wanted to continue that story and build around it the following day. I know that this isn't the best thing ever, but it means a lot to me and I've kept it all these years. I hope you enjoy :)*

It's not so often that a Pokémon returns to Professor Elm's Lab. Cinders was one such Cyndaquil. I live here in New Bark Town with my mother and my little brother, Luke. Luke was a sickly boy, and at the age of 5, it was heartbreaking... I'm only a few years older than him, yet at 9 years old, I really never understood his sickness. Mom never talked about it either.

"I'm sorry honey," she would say. "It's just something I don't want to trouble you with. Luke is still such a little boy. You're nearly 10. If everything is okay, Luke will live to be at least 10 before passing away..." I could feel the heartbreak in her tender brown eyes, tears running down her face. Instinctively, I threw my arms around her. I was tall enough that Mom could hold my head to her breast. To her, Luke and I were everything to her. It was understandable... Dad couldn't bear the stress of Luke being able to die so young. Mom understood, despite her broken heart. I felt so bad for her, she's been through so much, and her young boys were all she had left...

Cinders came to Elm's Lab a week ago. The poor thing had a bad trainer. He disciplined his Pokémon when they wouldn't win... That Cyndaquil was never really into battling. The poor thing is more timid because of his trainer. But after a week and no progress from the Lab, Luke and I got increasingly curious.

"Barry," he called up one autumn afternoon, "I wanna go see that Cyndaquil! I'm worried about it, but I can't go out alone! Can you take me there please?"

"Sure, Luke," I said sleepily. "Just give me a second to get dressed."

I got out of bed to see how I looked. My hair, brown like Mom's and somewhat wavy, was askew and messy. I quickly brushed it and threw on my jeans and shoes. I was putting my black hoodie on as I was heading down to see Luke.

Luke looked up at me with those gentle blue eyes of his, smiling. He was always so energetic despite the illness he's always had. He had on a little brown jacket.  It used to be mine, until I got too big for it. I didn't mind giving it up for Luke. I just wanted my brother to be happy. He placed his tiny hand into mine and smiled. He was excited. He loved to go outside... People admired his happiness. It was brave.

"I wanna go see that Cyndaquil.  I dunno what's happened but I'm really curious."

"Well, I think Mom's there, so it should be okay."

His grip gently tightened and I walked him to the Lab. It was still kind of early so nobody was up and about. We went inside and were greeted with smiles from Mom and Professor Elm, who came up to us as we entered.

"Hello boys," he said calmly. "Have you come to see Cyndaquil?"

"Yeah, we have. Luke got really curious and wanted to see it."

"He's right over there. Just be careful, he's really afraid and scared, so please don't be loud around him."

He led us to a little room. Cyndaquil was there, and upon seeing the poor thing, my heart broke... The little guy was shaking and whimpering, but what hurt the most was that, upon looking a bit closer, he had little cuts and bruises on it. I gasped lightly at the signs of abuse, tears welling up. Just then, I saw Luke slowly walk closer to it. I got worried; Luke had never really interacted with a Pokémon before. I was about to go after him when Mom gently held me back. I looked up at her and knew that, just by her smile, she knew Luke would be okay. I looked on in wonder.

Luke approached Cyndaquil slowly. The poor thing whimpered more, but Luke gently extended his hand. He left it on the surface of the desk, letting Cyndaquil know it was okay.

"It's okay," he said. "I promise I won't hurt you."

"Cynda..?"

It was almost as if Luke and Cyndaquil knew what they were saying. My eyes widened a little as the little Pokémon took hesitant steps towards Luke's hand. Luke was really brave, I thought. Cyndaquil gently sniffed his hand before laying his tiny paws on Luke's hand. Cyndaquil, as if by instinct, looked up at Luke and gently nuzzled his chin. His fur was warm, as expected from a Fire type. We could all see the Cyndaquil offer a little smile at Luke. Luke returned the smile and gently pet Cyndaquil.

"I don't believe it," Elm spoke quietly. "Luke managed to get Cyndaquil to smile simply by being kind."

"Don't Pokémon have an instinct that helps them identify who they can trust or bond with?" I looked up at him.

He nodded. "Yes, and it seems that Cyndaquil would be happier if he lived with you and your family."

Elm walked over to Luke and lightly put his hand through his short dirty blonde hair.

"Luke, would you like to keep Cyndaquil? You're a kind boy and I'm very sure that he would be happy to spend time with you."

"I'd love to!"

"Then he belongs to your family now. Take good care of him," Elm smiled at Luke.

Luke gently picked Cyndaquil up in his arms and gently held him close, as if to keep the little Pokémon warm, despite him being naturally warm. It was very nice to see. Mom and I smiled. I finally went over to them, Mom following behind me. I looked at Cyndaquil, who looked at me, reaching out one paw. I gently held it and smiled. Cyndaquil appeared really happy too.

"What are you going to name it honey?" Mom asked.

Luke looked up for a moment in thought.

"I know," he finally said. "How about Cinders?"

He looked back down at Cinders, who appeared really happy. It let out a happy "Cynda! Cynda!"  to confirm that it liked the name. It was a happy day for us. Luke was the most excited. We took Cinders home and we put a few bandages on his cuts. He seemed really happy about it. He hadn't seemed used to care. He also didn't have a Pokeball. He liked being out in the open... It was almost as if he was more like a pet than a Pokémon to train. We didn't mind and Cinders enjoyed every moment of the love and care. Luke was always playing with him and Cinders was happier each day. Mom and I were happy for him.

"I'm glad that Luke has a little friend now.  He's always happy with Cinders. It's really touching. Cinders seems a lot more playful than what he seemed when we first saw him. I just hope Luke will be okay."

"Don't worry Mom," I said confidently. "Cinders doesn't seem like a hostile Pokémon."

"You're right honey. I'm just glad they're happy." She smiled, and we continued to watch them play.

I don't have a day-to-day remembrance of what happened next, I apologize. However, everything significant is still fresh in my memory.

I remember that winter. It was getting closer to Christmas. Snow was all over. It felt like a frozen blanket, as cliché as that phrase is. It was on the roofs, the ground, everywhere. It wasn't very thick on the ground. The ground layer was actually kind of thin. It was a bit late, maybe about 8 o'clock at night, and it was gently snowing outside. Mom was baking Christmas cookies. Luke was explaining our Christmas tradition to Cinders. I could hear giggles and eager sounding "Cynda?" sounds from the living room. I understood it as, "And then what?" As Mom baked, I went to sit with them. Luke was deep in conversation with Cinders curled in his lap. Luke was also petting him. I felt that sense, almost as if we've had Cinders since he was a baby.

"...so we do this every year, Cinders. We put up that tree and while we sleep, Delibird delivers presents to us. If you've been good, you get what you wanted. If not, you get coal."

"Cynda cynda?" Cinders pointed to the cookies on the table.

"The cookies? Delibird goes to every house all over Johto! It eats some of the cookies to refresh its stamina so it can keep flying!"

"Cynda!"

I smiled. Cinders was truly the only friend Luke had, since Luke didn't go out much due to his illness. I was happy to see him so full of happiness. Same for Cinders. It'd only been a couple months but they had a spectacular bond. Even the Professor was amazed.

"It's very very rare," he explained to me one day. "A Pokémon that has been through abuse yet can open up completely to a stranger is amazing. I suppose that Cinders never really had been loved by its trainer. And not just Luke, but your whole family has taken him in as one of your own without a second thought. To Cinders, it was the best thing he's ever gotten. That's why he's so happy with all of you. He feels truly loved and cared for."

Later on, Mom asked me a favor. Luke was sleeping and Cinders was lying by the tree. She had given me measuring tape. I looked at her, tilting my head.

"I want you to measure Cinders for me," she said quietly. "I'm going to knit him a little sweater for Christmas."

I nodded. "Sure Mom, I'll do it."

Honestly, I felt nervous. I hadn't measured him before, and I didn't want to hurt him by accident. But I still went towards him, being quiet. Knowing it'd scare him if I didn't wake him, I gently pet him.

"Cinders?" I whispered?

"Cynda?" he quietly responded, opening his eyes.

"Would you mind if I measured you? Mom needs to know, she's making you something."

He nodded with a smile and extended his paws, as if to hug me, and waited patiently. I measured his body and arms. I then got ready to measure the neck, but as I was about to, his expression immediately shifted from happiness to extreme fear. He trembled and put his paws to his neck. He was whimpering and tears ran down his face. I put it down, instinctively holding him close, petting him slowly.

"Shh... Don't cry, Cinders... I promise I won't hurt you."

I gently put him down. He let me measure his neck. As I did so, I made especially sure not to hurt him. He had plenty of room to breathe. Upon keeping my promise and finishing, I thanked him, hugging him. He nuzzled me happily, appreciating my kindness. He smiled before going back to sleep. I handed the measurements to Mom, who smiled.

"Thank you, Barry. Goodnight and sweet dreams honey."

"Thanks Mom, goodnight."

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder how Cinders would feel in the morning. It would be his first Christmas. I was happy knowing that we would make him very happy. I fell asleep quickly, feeling worn out for some reason...

When I woke up, it wasn't on my own like normal. I was awakened to the feeling of tiny paws against my chest and being licked. I felt my cheeks being licked and I woke up, smiling as Cinders was waking me up. I chuckled a bit, petting him.

"Good morning to you too, Cinders," I said happily.

"Cynda!"

"Did you get me up just because it's Christmas?"

"Cynda," he nodded, smiling happily.

"Then let me get up, buddy, so I can join you all."

He scurried downstairs as I got up, yawning. I noticed that I fell asleep in all my clothes last night. My grey shirt was wrinkled, my sleeves rolled up a little. I suppose I rolled around in my sleep a lot. I can't really recall. I shortly went downstairs, where presents were waiting for Luke and I, and even one for Cinders! I sat down next to Luke, Cinders squeezing between us. Luke opened one of his gifts first. He smiled as he revealed it to be a sketchbook. Luke had always been good at art, so he always had a sketchbook handy. I took one of my gifts and opened it. I was surprised to see a journal. I thought it'd be nice to record my thoughts. I never realized I'd be using it to retell you, the reader, the story. Our other gifts consisted of some pens, pencils, and clothes. Finally, we helped Cinders open his gift. It was the sweater that Mom was knitting last night. It was a warm auburn color. Mom even went the extra mile and stitched Cinders' face in the middle of it. Cinders started to tear up. We got a bit worried, but after we looked at him, he was smiling. We were relieved to see he was happy. Luke hugged him close, smiling.

"We love you, Cinders! We're glad to have you as part of our family!!"

Cinders was at a loss for words. Feeling as if I knew what Cinders wanted, I sat closer to Luke. Cinders, with his tiny paws, tried his best to give us a hug. Smiling, we both hugged him back. Together we helped Cinders get dressed in it. Mom made the hole a little bigger so Cinders' neck wouldn't be stuck and so that he could easily breathe. We smiled as Mom took out her camera, taking pictures of Luke, Cinders, and I. It was a happy day for us, going by pretty quickly. We all figured that we'd be happy like this for a long time to come. Unfortunately, nearly a year later, the worst happened...

It was a very cold December evening. Over the last few months, Luke had been sick, very sick. He's been coughing and vomiting, sometimes violently. Mom has been a wreck, and Cinders and I have been worried about Luke. We visit him in the hospital whenever we can. Professor Elm looks after us when Mom stays. His wife doesn't mind him looking after us; she understands how hard it is on us and Mom. Though she also shared concerns about Luke.

"The poor boy," she said one night. "Has he always been so sick?"

"Not this sick," I explained, "he's been somewhat okay, and last year he was fine, full of life. Cinders was part of that reason. He was okay during the earlier parts of this year, but after August, Luke started getting sicker and sicker..." I looked down at Cinders. He was scared. He didn't want to lose his best friend. I completely understood his fears. I held him tighter, gently petting him.

Just then, the door opened. Professor Elm was just getting off the phone. His face looked grim, ashen, as if he had just heard terrible news. I instinctively held Cinders closer to me. He looked at the three of us.

"We need to get to the hospital, immediately."

"What's wrong?" I asked, terrified of the answer.

After a long pause, he spoke with difficulty.

"Luke is dying."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I gasped in unison with Mrs. Elm, who had taken the news as grim as I had. Cinders looked up at me quickly, tears falling. He gave a sad "C-Cynda?" and I didn't know what to tell him. "I can't lose him." was all I managed to choke out. We arrived at the hospital in roughly five minutes. I was in my hoodie, holding Cinders close to me. He was in his knitted sweater he received last year. When we got to the room, I nearly burst into tears on the spot. Luke was on oxygen, his heart rate was slow, there were IV's in him. I trembled in fear, only staying on my feet so I didn't scare Cinders, who was also trembling. Mom was sitting next to Luke, her fingers running through his hair. Her usual neat and tidy auburn hair was messy and all over. Tears stained her cheeks and face. She was humming to him like she used to do when he was a baby. I could feel Mom's thoughts. She was horrified. Dad was already gone; she couldn't bear to lose her baby boy either. I took a seat and sat with Mom, letting Cinders rest on Luke's chest. Time felt sluggish, as if it slowed down. After what seemed like hours, but were only minutes, Luke began to stir. Again, we collectively gasped. Cinders immediately licked his cheek gently, much like how he wakes me up sometimes. He slowly pet Cinders with his free hand that Mom wasn't squeezing.

"I'm sorry Cinders... Everyone... I didn't mean to worry you...”

"Don't be sorry," I said, looking at him tearfully. "You're going to be okay... right little bro?"

"I... I don't know, Barry..." he coughed a bit and caught his breath.

"D-Don't speak h-honey," Mom was trembling, about to cry. "Y-You need your strength..."

At that point, Mom excused herself with a nurse. We could tell she was crying. Professor Elm took her place. Luke seemed pleased to see him.

"Thank you, Professor... For letting me have Cinders... For letting our family show him love... You've always been a father-figure to me... What'll happen to Cinders if...?"

"Cynda cynda!" Cinders shook his head, vehemently denying that Luke would soon be gone.

"Barry... Come here please...” he said to me.

"Yeah bro..? What is it?" I took his hand; I felt it grip mine, as if gripping to life.

Luke had a knowing look in his eyes as he spoke to me.

"Tell Mom I love her... And Barry...” I felt his pulse slow down, his grip start to fade. I gasped and squeezed his hand.

"Luke no! Don't go! Come back!" I was crying now, desperately hoping a miracle would happen.

"Take care of Cinders.... I'm sorry..." were his final words. His grip loosened completely, his heart stopping. Cinders and I were crying harder, shaking him, calling out to him. Elm gently held us close, as the realization his us hard, like a punch to the gut.

Luke was dead.

The funeral ceremonies came and went. It felt like a blur. Mom was heartbroken, often crying or putting on fake smiles to help Cinders and I think it was okay. But it wasn't. Cinders rarely smiled since that day. He missed Luke. He was as much of a brother to Cinders as he was to me. Mom wanted Luke buried nearby, so we could always visit his grave. I waited to ever visit... I still couldn't accept the horrible truth. But a few months later, on a chilly spring evening, we visited him. I had nine candles and a match. Shivering and fighting tears, I lit the first 8, putting 4 on each side. I felt a tap at my leg. Looking down, I saw Cinders in his sweater.

"What's wrong, Cinders?"

"Cynda..."

"I know... I miss him too...”

I knelt by him and noticed he was looking at the last candle I had, reaching for it. I could tell from his eyes that he wanted to help. I gave him the candle. Cinders lit it with a gentle ember, almost as if a flame too hot or too intense would harm the candle. He placed the ninth candle in the middle of the grave. I read the grave quietly. It said:

"Here lies Luke. He was a boy full of life and love. Never forgotten, may his spirit find peace and rest in this hometown."

I couldn't handle it anymore. I dropped to my knees, covered my face with my hands, and cried. I couldn't bear it anymore. My baby brother had died, and our family would never be the same. I felt Cinders climb up my arm and lick my cheek. I sniffled, taking a look into his tearful eyes. He felt how I did, but his soft gaze told me what I needed to think. He's never coming back, and there's nothing we can do about it. I held Cinders close and went inside. When I put him down, he curled up on the floor, sadly. Mom had called me in to give me something.

"I made this last night... Give it to Cinders, it'll keep him happy, which is all I want right now..."

I looked at it. It was a stitched doll, it looked just like Luke! Every last detail was perfect. I looked up at her.

"Mom, this is perfect... Thank you, he'll love it." I kissed her cheek and went to Cinders, who looked up with a confused "Cynda?"

"Look who it is, Cinders," I smiled and handed him the doll. "It's Luke!"

"Cynda? Cynda!" Cinders happily hugged the doll, smiling up at me knowingly. We learnt a very important lesson from this.

It doesn't matter what happens. Your true friends will always be there for you if you treat them like you wanted to be treated, and that there is always a way to remember those who are gone. Cinders never left us. He stayed with his family, for all of his days.